Master Sommelier curated winelist at Auburn U Culinary School Restaurant

Master Sommelier Thomas Price curated winelist at Auburn U Culinary School Restaurant

Enroute to a getaway at The Cove, Destin, Florida vacation rental home, we stopped in Auburn, AL to visit an investment property on the campus of Auburn University where we dined at the 1856 Residence Culinary School fine dining restaurant.

The Wine Spectator recognized 1856–Culinary Residence restaurant, named after the year of the university’s founding, is an upscale teaching restaurant sited on College Avenue directly across from campus in the new Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center, home of the Horst Schulze School of Hospitality Management.

The restaurant, opened in the summer of 2022, is the flagship of the four story Rane Culinary Science Center at the university and integrates classrooms and laboratories with a restaurant, a coffee roaster and café, a boutique hotel, bars, the rooftop garden, and other real-world hospitality services.

The Culinary experience is part of the Horst Schulze School of Hospitality Management.program which includes three pillars - Hospitality Management, Event Management and Culinary Studies. The working restaurant operations offers students immersive hands-on training in all aspects of the front and back of the house. 

1856 – Culinary Residence offers patrons a unique dining experience with stylish modern architecture, the dining room adjacent the open kitchen and bar, and also includes a view into the wine cellar with its two story wine wall, and a private dining room between the working kitchen and cellar. 

The 1856 restaurant operates a la carte lunch and a seven-course tasting menu at dinner.

Academy students staff the restaurant under the guidance of one or more Chefs in Residence, a position that rotates each year. Each year, an acclaimed chef works alongside the Ithaka Hospitality Partners team as well as Auburn University faculty and staff to create a unique restaurant concept, providing a one-of-a-kind, ever-changing culinary experience for students and restaurant guests alike. 

They boast the country’s first tasting-menu-only teaching restaurant that offers a unique and elevated experience where education meets experiential dining. The multi-course meal at the 1856 restaurant delivers a gourmet pleasure for diners while providing educational lessons for the Auburn University students who prepare and serve the food getting hands-on experience, learning the myriad details of running a restaurant. A chef in residence, which changes annually, oversees how fine dining and the classroom intersect at the restaurant.

The presiding Chef in Residence is Ford Fry who founded Rocket Farm Restaurants in 2007 and currently oversees a portfolio of 23 restaurants in Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, Houston, and Cary, NC. Rocket Farm Restaurants includes some of the South’s most popular concept establishments including Beetlecat, St. Cecilia, The Optimist, Superica, La Lucha and State of Grace. While the concepts each have their own identity, they share a commitment to their respective communities and to serving exceptional food made with local ingredients and attention to detail.  

One of the highlights of dining at 1856 – Culinary Residence or participating in institutional programs is The Master Sommelier in Residence who designs and curates the wine program. The presiding wine director and instructor is Master Sommelier Thomas Price’s who has crafted a 650-label, Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence–winning program featuring wines primarily from France, Spain, Italy, California and Oregon. 

The current Master Sommelier, Thomas Price, spent the last 35 years working in some of Seattle’s most prominent restaurants, including his own. Shortly after obtaining his Master Sommelier certificate in 2012, Price joined Jackson Family Fine Wines as National Director of Wine Education, in addition to working with Auburn University’s Hospitality Management program as a visiting sommelier over the last eight years. 

During our visit, we had the pleasure of meeting Thomas who was gracious and hospitable, generous with his time to discuss the program, the wine selections from the Wine Spectator award winning winelist, their regions and producers, and several topics of oenology and mutual, shared interests and experiences.

Throughout the meal and our visit, we were hosted and served by a student as well as a full time professional server who also mentors, coaches and supervises students in all aspects of the front of the house operations. 

For our dining pleasure we ordered from the 1856 menu the wedge salad, starters and then entrees, with an accompanying wine selection. 

For our starters I had the Chicken Liver Mousse pate' with stone fruit on Brioche Toast, and Linda had the Marcel Bread with Garlic Herb Buer, Whipped Ricotta, Olives, Prosciuto and EVOO.

For her entree, Linda the Gnudi pasta with Pesto, Pine Nuts, Parmesan, Roop Basil and Evoo.

 Master Chef Ford Fry calls the Gnudi “a big umami flavor bomb.” It is house-made ricotta cheese seasoned and rolled into balls that are dipped in egg and buried in flour. That forms a shell when the gnudi is boiled. The cheese oozes out when the orbs are sliced. The sauce – sometimes brown butter, and other times a vinaigrette – features truffles.

For my entree, I ordered the Flounder Fish N' Chips - Crispy NC Flounder, Malt Vinegar Aioli, Garlic Oil and rice-Cooked Fries andwith pomme frits.

For our wine selection we drank the Evenstad Reserve Chardonnay from Domaine Serene. 

Domaine Serenc Evenstad Reserve Dundee Hills Chardonnay 2018

This is a producer we know well, one of our favorites and one of the few we collect of Oregon wines and Pinot Noir. We hold this same Evenstad Reserve branded label Pinot Noir going back a dozen vintages. We've seen but never tasted their Chardonnay and were eager to do so, especially in this idyllic setting. Having tried it and enjoyed it immensely, we'll be sure to pick some up as soon as we return home.

In discussions with wine director Master Sommelier Thomas Price about this selection he raved about Oregon Chardonnays and the collaborative partnership the Auburn school enjoys with this producer.

The ‘Evenstad Reserve’ Chardonnay showcases the art of blending select barrels from estate vineyard sites in the Oregon Willamette Valley Dundee Hills AVA. Three of the seven Domain Serene Dundee Hills vineyards comprising a total of 150 acres of vines are planted to Chardonnay, in addition to Pinot Noir, which produce highest quality fruit from the combination of Dijon clone vines, Jory soil and the high elevation of the Dundee Hills estates.

Winemaker notes - "The 2018 vintage of this acclaimed wine incorporates the best select fruit of each vineyard into the compelling blend. An enticing tropical medley of kiwi and yellow peach act as the melody, with high notes of white flower and fresh linen. The oak treatment is flawlessly integrated, with a lingering minerality and salinity completing the symphony. This wine will certainly deserve a place in the cellar of the discerning collector of fine Chardonnays."

This vintage release was awarded 96 points by James Suckling, 95 Points "Editor's Choice" by Wine Enthusiast and 93 points by Wine Advocate. It was Ranked #87 in Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2020.

Golden straw colored, medium to full-bodied with creamy texture, complex concentrated pear, white peach and yellow apple fruits with notes of honeydew and wet stone and hints of citrus, hazelnut and bit of butterscotch on a crisp acidic lingering finish. Delicious.

RM 94 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3629925

https://www.domaineserene.com/

https://auburn1856.com/

Sullivan's Steakhouse Domaine Serene for celebration dinner

Sullivan's Steakhouse steaks and Domaine Serene for Anniversary Celebration Dinner

We went to Indianapolis and took Sister Pat and Bro-in-law Rodger to Sullivan's Steakhouse Indy to celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary. Sullivan's prepared a table with a nice welcome/congratulations card complete on a small bed of rose petals on the table. They then took our photo and presented each couple with a commemorative photo in a nice card. 

Perhaps we're accustomed to 'big city' Chicago wine and dine experiences, or its a Sullivan's condition, considering their numerous fifteen locations across the country, including our hometown Naperville, but several things seemed a bit amiss for our diner. The dining experience begins with the front door of the venue being broken with a hand printed sign directing one to use the other door which still closed with a bang. The dining room felt a bit dated with seemingly old carpeting, decor and lighting - despite the artsy mural adorning the wall, reminiscent perhaps of a Archibald Motley painting from the Whitney in NYC or the 'Nightlife' painting that we enjoy from AIC (Art Institute Chicago), and the wine wall looking into the wine cellar/room. 

We scoured the well appointed comprehensive wine-list (not available on-line to preview or pre-select) but struggled with the fact that no vintages were shown. It seemed an bit of an arduous imposition to ask the server to check on the vintages of several considered labels. For lack of a Sommelier or Wine Steward, the waitstaff were woefully unfamiliar with the wines on offer. This exercise reduced our selection to three bottles versus a half dozen or more I would have preferred to consider. 

Never-the-less, in the end, we ordered from the winelist one of our favorite labels, an ultra-premium Pinot Noir from Oregon Willamette Valley. We first discovered this label dining at Smith & Wollensky, Chicago during a getaway weekend years ago. While being a non-significant expense at nearly $200, it was a better value at 2X retail price, as opposed to the near 3X price point of many of the wines. It is one of the few Pinots that we keep in our cellar collection.

Three of us ordered the price fixe special promotion "Sure Thing" menu of a soup or salad starter, and entree and a dessert. 

It's promotion -  "Sample the best of the best from the Sure Thing $49 Prix-Fixe menu. Choose from a 6 oz. Filet Mignon, Sliced New York Strip, or Broiled Salmon, plus the salad or side that catches your eye. Finish the night by sinking your spoon into a New York-Style Cheesecake, Key Lime Pie, or Bananas Foster Bread Pudding."

We had the Wedge Salad and the Shrimp & Lobster Bisque with Shrimp, Lobster, Sherry and Cream.

The dinner included a plate of fresh warm baked bread with whipped butter.

Additionally we ordered two sides to share, the creamed corn and creamed spinach, along with a starter of the Charbroiled Oysters with Cajun Butter, Parmesan and Lemon (four).

The starters - salad, bisque and our steaks, and Rodger's lamb chops and accompaniments were all appropriately prepared and presented with attentive and hospitable servers. 

Domine Serene Evenstad Reserve Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2015 

The Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir is Domaine Serene's flagship wine, hand selected from their best barrels each year to create a reserve wine that is consistent in both its superior quality and flavor profile. 

 

We've written often in these pages about this label, most recently in this blogpost - Domaine Serene "Evenstad Reserve" Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and grilled beefsteak -  https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2023/06/domaine-serene-evenstad-reserve.html. 

Producer Tasting Notes: "Never shy in the glass, the 2015 Evenstad Reserve radiates a blissful bouquet of boysenberry, marionberry, dark chocolate, and sage. In the mouth, its graceful texture enters with power and seduces every part of your palate - exposing wave upon wave of alluring flavors of dark fruits, mushroom, and cola. Its silky-smooth, velvet-like tannins, give way to a long, weighted finish that endures with unrivaled finesse and persistence. This is truly a compelling wine that illustrates two and a half decades of winemaking mastery in one of the finest places in the world to grow and produce Pinot Noir."

This release was rated 95 points International Wine Report and a seeming consensus 94 points by Wine Enthusiast (Editors Choice), and James Suckling, Wine Spectator and Vinous.

Domaine Serene "Evenstad Reserve" Willamette Valley Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2015 

At eight years, this is likely at the apex of its drinking window. From the restaurant winelist, the label was soiled and torn as shown.

Bright garnet colored with purple hues, expansive complex and concentrated yet nicely balanced, elegant and approachable with aromatic flavors of dark berries with notes of black raspberry, cherry liqueur, cola, cinnamon spice, vanilla, earth and espresso with velvety tannins on the long polished smooth finish.

RM 94 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2714672

https://www.domaineserene.com/

https://www.sullivanssteakhouse.com/

https://twitter.com/SereneWine

Domaine Serene "Evenstad Reserve" Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and grilled beefsteak

Domaine Serene "Evenstad Reserve" Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and grilled beefsteak

Beautiful Saturday night dine-in on the deck, we grilled a Cowboy Tomahawk Ribeye beefsteak, served with roasted potatoes, grilled onions and fresh vege plate. In light of the 90 degree temp weather, I pulled from our cellar an aged vintage Pinot Noir as an accompaniment, offering something lighter and more approachable than a full throttle Bordeaux varietal. 

This turned out to be a perfect pairing accentuating the enjoyment of both the wine and the dinner. In addition to the beefsteak with grilled onions, the effervescence of the wine was especially amplified by the robust tomatoes and a side of sourdough bread with honey butter!  

Readers of these pages know we typically favor Bordeaux varietal wines but on occasions such as this we will turn to Burgundy. Part of tonight's selection was also inspired by the fabulous memorable Vosne Romanee Burgundy Pinot we had at our Pour Boys Winers and Diners dinner the other night. 

This is one of the select few Pinots that we collect and hold in our cellar and I pulled this aged thirteen year old, the oldest vintage as part of proper cellar rotation management, which we'll likely replace with a current vintage as part of maintaining this vertical collection. 

This particular label has some special significance since Linda and I discovered it at a memorable outing during one of our get-away weekends to Chicago. We had a bottle at Smith & Wollensky sitting outside overlooking the Chicago River for a summer afternoon wine, salad and cheese interlude. Its been a favorite ever since. 

This is from producer Domaine Serene, whose owner proprietors Grace and Ken Evenstad who, after 20 years building a successful business in Minnesota, settled in the Oregon Willamette Valley in 1989. They acquired a 42-acre hilltop estate that had just been logged in the Dundee Hills with the intent of growing and producing world-class Burgundian style Pinot Noir. They established Domaine Serene, naming the winery after their daughter, Serene, and their first vineyard on the estate after their son, Mark Bradford Evenstad.

Today, the Evenstad's land holdings have grown to over 1,000 acres, more than 360 of which are planted to vine in three AVAs of the Willamette Valley.

Domaine Serene produces wines from six individual vineyard estates, planted exclusively to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Each estate offers a diversity of soils, clones, rootstocks, microclimates, slopes and elevations that add distinguishing complexity and elegance to the wines.

Since the first vintage in 1990, Domaine Serene has produced award-winning wines, including this Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir, recognized as the World’s #3 Wine of 2013 by Wine Spectator Magazine.

Their 2012 Winery Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir was named the Top Pinot Noir in the World by Decanter magazine in 2016. The 2014 Evenstad Reserve Chardonnay received 95 points and was ranked the #2 wine in the world on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of the Year. As a result, Domaine Serene became the only winery in the world to receive a Top 3 rating in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of the Year for both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Over the years, Domaine Serene’s wines have produced 200 wines scoring 90 points or higher by Wine Spectator.

In 2017, the 2013 Domaine Serene Jerusalem Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir was awarded the Top American Pinot Noir at the Decanter World Wine Awards. 

Domaine Serene "Evenstad Reserve" Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2010

This label release is 100% Pinot Noir sourced from eight of the estate vineyards of the 142 acre estate in the Dundee Hills AVA of which 84 acres are planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the oldest vines dating to 1993. The vineyard sits at an elevation of 520-825 feet in the rolling hills of the Willamette Valley. 

This release was rated 95 points by Wine Spectator and was #3 Wine of the Year, Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2013, 93 points by Wine Advocate and 92 points by Wine Enthusiast, the highest-scoring Evenstad to that date.

6,000 cases were produced. 

Winemaker Notes - "Wonderfully complex wine that delivers an array of red fruits, caramel, baking spice, vanilla, dried flowers, and potpourri. On the palate, this elegant wine shows a harmonious balance of structure, richness and acidity with soft tannins and a clean, lingering finish."

Wine Spectator said to drink through 2020, Wine Advocate in 2015 said it drink it over the next decade (through 2025), and I believe it is at near the end of the apex of its drinking window, not likely to improve further with aging, time to enjoy!

Despite the soiled label, importantly, the fill level and cork were in ideal condition

Bright ruby colored, medium bodied, vibrant expressive black raspberry and plum fruits with sprites of cherry, cinnamon spice, black tea and hints of graphite and what Advocate called 'bay leaf', with a long tangy finish. 

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1601874

https://www.domaineserene.com/

https://twitter.com/SereneWine 

@SereneWine

Domaine Serene "Evenstad Reserve" Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2008

Domaine Serene "Evenstad Reserve" Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2008 

For casual mid-week sipping with fresh fruits and cheeses we opened this vintage aged Pinot Noir. This particular label has some special significance since Linda and I discovered it at a memorable outing during one of our get-away weekends to Chicago. We had a bottle at Smith & Wollensky sitting outside overlooking the Chicago River for a summer afternoon wine, salad and cheese interlude. Its been a favorite ever since. Read this blog and you'll see we're not big Pinot drinkers, yet we keep this label in stock as a mainstay in our cellar. We currently hold a half dozen vintages dating back to this one, the oldest, which we'll replace with a current vintage as part of cellar management. 

This is from producer Domaine Serene, whose owner proprietors Grace and Ken Evenstad who, after 20 years building a successful business in Minnesota, settled in the Oregon Willamette Valley in 1989. They acquired a 42-acre hilltop estate that had just been logged in the Dundee Hills with the intent of growing and producing world-class Burgundian style Pinot Noir. They established Domaine Serene, naming the winery after their daughter, Serene, and their first vineyard on the estate after their son, Mark Bradford Evenstad.

Today, Domaine Serene produces wines from six individual vineyard estates, planted exclusively to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Each estate offers a diversity of soils, clones, rootstocks, microclimates, slopes and elevations that add distinguishing complexity and elegance to the wines.

In 2001, thy built a state-of-the-art, five-level, gravity flow Pinot Noir winery.

Since the first vintage in 1990, Domaine Serene has produced award-winning wines, including this Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir, recognized as the World’s #3 Wine of 2013 by Wine Spectator Magazine. Their 2012 Winery Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir was named the Top Pinot Noir in the World by Decanter magazine in 2016. The 2014 Evenstad Reserve Chardonnay received 95 points and was ranked the #2 wine in the world on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of the Year. As a result, Domaine Serene became the only winery in the world to receive a Top 3 rating in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of the Year for both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. 

In 2017, the 2013 Domaine Serene Jerusalem Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir was awarded the Top American Pinot Noir at the Decanter World Wine Awards. 

Through the continuous pursuit of quality and innovation, Domaine Serene has garnered global recognition as an iconic quality leader of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

For the past 30 years, Domaine Serene, under the guidance of the Evenstads, has been focused on excellence in a never-ending quest to produce world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Their mission is to produce outstanding quality through continuous improvement and a commitment to extremely high internal standards. Domaine Serene’s wines represent the achievement that is possible in Oregon, one of the finest regions in the world for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Domaine Serene "Evenstad Reserve" Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2008

This label 2008 release was awarded sequentially, 95 points by James Suckling, 94 points by Wine Enthusiast, 93 points by Wine Spectator, 92 points, Connoisseurs Guide, 91 points, Allen Meadows - Burghound, and 90 points by Wine & Spirits. 

Six reviews (ers), six different scores is a vivid example that such reviews are in the eyes of the beholder, and there is no right or wrong answer. All that matters is what one/you think (s), and such ranges occasionally reveal individual alignment or cohesiveness with one reviewer over another. 

This was bright dark ruby colored, medium bodied, complex forward tangy black cherry and black berry fruits, accented by notes of fennel, smoke, spice, tobacco and hints of black pepper on a taunt dry tongue coating finish.

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1098528

https://www.domaineserene.com/blog/2008-Evenstad-Reserve--Pinot-Noir1 

https://www.domaineserene.com/

https://twitter.com/SereneWine

Domain Serene Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir and French Morbier Cheese

Wine cheese pairing French Morbier with Domain Serene Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir 2007

I wrote last weekend I am going to attempt to write about and review my experiences in pairing wine with cheese. As I begin focusing on the art of pairing wine with cheese, I pulled from the cheese cooler this French Morbier cheese selection and was eager to try this with an appropriate wine.

Jani & Simonetta have a wine site called Cards of Wine - Wine School for Normal People, a comprehensive site about all things wine with encyclopedic depth and breadth of information about wine, grapes, regions, tasting, and pairing wine with food, and with cheeses.

They have a citation about Morbier as "a semi-soft Cow Milk Cheese named after the village of Morbier in France. It is soft and elastic, and recognizable by a thin black layer in the middle.
The aroma of Morbier is strong, but the flavor is rich and creamy, with a slightly bitter aftertaste."

Jani & Simonetta suggest Semi-soft cheeses such as Morbier need medium bodied White Wines. Their favorite pairing is with a French Gewürztraminer. They also suggest Sparkling White Wine with Semi-soft cheeses such as Morbier. I was looking for a Red Wine pairing and they suggest the most suitable is a light red wine such as Pinot Noir, a French Beaujolais, or Italian Barbera. The only such light red we have in our cellar is Pinot Noir, as we tend towards bigger bolder styled wines. I pulled one of the better known favorite labels, Evenstad Reserve from Domaine Serene, as it is one our favorites, and a seemingly natural choice for this pairing. We have several vintages of this label and I pulled the 2007, not only one of the oldest vintages in our collection, but also one that is a highly rated, according to the pundits.

As I write often in these pages, I'm not a 'Pinot guy' but keep some on hand for entertaining Pinot drinkers, and for occasions calling for a Pinot Noir pairing. This is one of the few Pinots we keep in the cellar and is one of our favorites, and a top rated vintage release. 

Domaine Serene "Evenstad Reserve" Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2007

This release got 95 points and was designated a 'Cellar Selection' from Wine Enthusiast and 91 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. 

Wine Enthusiast wrote, "Although it is drinking like a mature wine, there is every reason to cellar wines such as this - it can develop like a fine Burgundy, over decades." So, there shouldn't be a hurry to consume this if this is the case. We hold several bottles and will be mindful to be patient with those remaining. Wine Spectator wrote, 'Best from 2012 through 2015', which isn't a long drinking window for a 2007, five to eight years. In 2009 Parker said, "Give it 1-2 years of additional cellaring and drink it from 2011 to 2019." Here we are in year thirteen, just beyond the prescribed ideal drinking windows, and, while this wasn't showing any diminution from aging, its will likely not improve with any further cellaring.

This is one of our perennial favorite Pinots, I've written in previous tastings, the 2007 vintage is fairly typical of this label although seemingly slightly lighter and more subdued fruit than some years; ruby color, medium bodied, raspberry, hint of black berry, strawberry, rhubarb, dusty rose with a touch of cinnamon spice.

Wine Enthusiast says this release is "A very elegant and refined Evenstad Reserve .... the fruit is immaculate, the concentration focused and lengthy, and the flavors are so artfully blended that the wine is seamless and perfectly balanced."

RM 90 points. 

I sense and fear the Morbier clashed with the graceful elegance of the Pinot. The Evenstad was a nice complement to the Morbier but not an ideal match. Next time I will endeavor to try pairing Morbier with a white wine, for which it is apparently better suited. 

I am going to attempt to 'rate' the cheese, and the subsequent combination of the wine with the cheese. While this is totally subjective and perhaps arbitrary, my years of rating wines has produced a consistency that have been tested and proven, that I have grown to trust and rely upon. We'll see how this plays out going forward. 

The Wine, 90 points, the French Morbier cheese, RM 89 points; the pairing with the Eventstad Reserve 2007, 88 points. This says, the pairing of the wine and the cheese rendered a pairing score that was less than the rating of the wine, or the cheese, hence not a desired or suggested pairing.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1027405