Hudson Chardonnay BYOB dinner at Commelfo Restaurant Miramar Beach
Visiting Destin, FL, we dined at Commelfo Restaurant in nearby Miramar Beach. Commelfo, whose name is a French word meaning “done the proper way,” was founded in 2022 by husband wife team Vincent and Nady, building upon Vincent’s 15 years of experience managing restaurants and Nadya’s background in hospitality, and their shared vision and dream to own and operate their own establishment.
We found Commelfo tucked away off major Highway 98 as it adjoins the adjunct auxillary (rear) entrance to our Destiny Worship Center local church.
Commelfo offers a bright vibrant dining room, stylish and upbeat, with open seating in the main dining room, and more intimate booths opposite the bar.
Commelfo service was exceptional - the staff were professional, personable, attentive and sensitive to requests and desires - seating us in an intimate booth adjacent the bar, serving us some delectably warm focaccio bread, with oil, providing lemon wedges for our water, and providing careful and proficient service of our BYOB wine.
The menu offers a broad range of starters, soups and salads and entrees that reflect the available seafood as well as prime steaks, lamb and chicken dishes, and an assortment of delectable desserts.
For starters we shared the Roasted Beet Salad - noted as a “Customer Favorite”, Roasted beets served with fresh arugula, creamy goat cheese, toasted pine nuts, pistachio and mandarins over honey Greek yogurt topped with homemade blood orange vinaigrette.
Linda ordered the fresh catch locally caught Grouper, grilled and paired with creamy saffron risotto, a medley of carrots, and leek sauce, garnished with crispy leeks.
Afterwards, we had the delectable chocolate lava cake with cream and fresh berries.
All the dishes were delicious, creatively prepared, artfully presented and appropriately served. Commelfo clearly becomes one of our favorite, notable go-to eateries on the Emerald Coast.
To accompany our dinner, I brought from our home cellar a favorite Napa Carneros Chardonnay, which they honored and supported BYOB with careful handling and presentation, (albeit expensive at $35 per bottle (corkage fee)). The basic limited wine list offered but two Chardonnays, one modest label and a ‘crowd pleaser’ selection Jordan RRV Chardonnay (at $85). Hence, our BYOB was the best option and right choice.
Hudson Ranch Napa Valley Carneros District Chardonnay 2018
Notably, the east coast big box super merchant Total Wine, just opened one of their super stores in Destin, providing the broadest and extensive selection of wines (and beverages) in the local market. They offer the big box store selection with the broad price range from modest to ultra-premium First Growth labels. (They actually offer the recent release of this label (at $73 ($84 at Wine.com))). This selection/range was/is available at nearby Chan’s Wine World, however not at such scale. It’s great to have such options now in the neighborhood.
We opened our second to last bottle of this label recently, BYOB, at a favorite eatery at home, and featured this wine and its producer in a detailed blogpost at that time - Saturday afternoon Mother’s Day Eve Dinner - BYOB @ Entourage DG, excepted here. That entire experience, from starter and entree choices to wine pairing, was delightfully, remarkably similar to this evening.
This is from the legendary Hudson Ranch vineyards in Carneros, down at the bottom of the Mayacamas Mountain range that separates Napa Valley from Sonoma Valley. Like the legendary ToKalon Vineyard up in Rutherford, this is the source of many notable labels from classic ranked producers. It might be a stretch, but to that point, Hudson Ranch Vineyard is to Chardonnay what ToKalon Vineyard is to Cabernet Sauvignon - source to many premier producers’ labels.
I love Hudson Ranch wines, that represent some of my most memorable tastings. I wrote about Hudson Ranch Carneros Vineyard Chardonnay in earlier blogposts - Hudson Chardonnay at Oceana NYC, having had it at this popular New York City restaurant, and again featuring another premium Chardonnay - Napa Valley Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignons flight and Carneros Chardonnay, and at another fabulous wine dinner - Pour Boys Wine Dinner at Del Ray Beach Wine Kitchen.
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I also featured Hudson Ranch Vineyard Syrah in other blogposts, at another classic Chicago restaurant - Cherry Circle Room dinner features super wine flight, and at home - Kongsgaard Hudson Ranch Vineyard Syrah 2002.
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Hudson Ranch Carneros has ideal terroir for Chardonnay, ideal well drained soil and a micro-climate with ample sunshine with warm days, and cool nights from the fog and cool breezes from nearby San Pablo Bay.
Hudson Chardonnay is found in bottlings from ultra-premium producers Albert, Kongsgard, Kistler and Ramey to name a few - some of the top rated Napa Chardonnay’s to be found anywhere. Beyond growing wine grapes for the most respected winemakers in Napa and Sonoma, they also provide fruit for more than 30 wineries from the 2,000-acre contiguous property,
Only 200 acres of Hudson’s 2,000 are under vine, in vineyard blocks planted with twenty different varietals, each carefully matched to the block based on its specific terroir and that varietal’s growing characteristics.
In addition to 90 acres of the primary grape varietal Chardonnay, owner Lee Hudson, working with vineyard manager Andres Ureña, also cultivates 30 acres of Merlot, 27 of Syrah, 12 of Cabernet Franc, 9 Cabernet Sauvignon, 35 Grenache, 26 Sauvignon Blanc, 4 Friulano, 25 Ribolla Gialla and one of Arneis.
One of these, the Old Master block, Hudson Ranch’s most prized vineyard is more like two different vineyards, with two distinct soil types. It was determined Merlot thrives on the Huichica formation soil, rich in alluvial, bay and river deposits, and Cabernet Franc loves the well-drained, rocky Sonoma volcanic soils that spread across the other half of the block.
Hudson Ranch is the dream and passion of proprietor Lee Hudson, who transformed the land into the highly esteemed vineyard it is today. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Lee received his B.S. in Horticulture at the University of Arizona. He then worked with the esteemed Jacques Seysses of Domaine Dujac, in Morey St. Denis, Burgundy, where he learned how great grapes from hallowed vineyard sites produce world class, fine wines.
One of those famous producers writes, “What attracts us to this vineyard is the rich history of Lee Hudson being one of the preeminent and pioneering chardonnay growers in the new world. The vineyard is planted in southern Napa where the rolling hills form a micro-valley of their own. These vines are graced by both the Napa heat as well as cool ocean-born breezes from the San Francisco bay.”
Hudson Ranch is the dream and passion of proprietor Lee Hudson, who transformed the land into the highly esteemed vineyard it is today. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Lee received his B.S. in Horticulture at the University of Arizona. He then worked with the esteemed Jacques Seysses of Domaine Dujac, in Morey St. Denis, Burgundy, where he learned how great grapes from hallowed vineyard sites produce world class, fine wines.
Lee returned to the States to continue his graduate studies in viticulture and enology at University of California at Davis, where many of his classmates are now his clients. Lee searched for property from Santa Barbara to Mendocino, before deciding on the Carneros property in Napa Valley, founding Hudson Vineyards in 1981.
Co- Owner, wife Cristina Salas-Porras Hudson had a distinguished twenty-five year career in food and wine, hospitality, and design, working alongside Alice Waters of Chez Panisse. Then she spent ten years consulting for Hermes, Slow Food International, Steve Jobs, and Rockfield Japan. She now works with Lee, at Hudson Ranch and Vineyards overseeing their Napa Valley-based business, Hudson Greens & Goods.
The 2,000-acre Hudson Ranch is one of the most celebrated properties in Carneros. After decades of selling their fruit to other wineries, Hudson began making their own wines in 2004.
This 2018 Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard is the estate grown label produced, bottled and marketed by the proprietor/grower sourced from some of the best sections of the larger vineyard, some of the original most established and acclaimed blocks that were planted in the 1980s.
Co- Owner, wife Cristina Salas-Porras Hudson had a distinguished twenty-five year career in food and wine, hospitality, and design, working alongside Alice Waters of Chez Panisse. Then she spent ten years consulting for Hermes, Slow Food International, Steve Jobs, and Rockfield Japan. She now works with Lee, at Hudson Ranch and Vineyards overseeing their Napa Valley-based business, Hudson Greens & Goods.
Also a native Texan, from El Paso, Cristina received her BA in East Asian Studies from Middlebury College in Vermont, and a graduate degree in Japanese from Keio University in Japan. She helped to open the renowned Park Hyatt Hotel in Tokyo, and the art-driven Bardessono Hotel in Yountville, California, as well as co-founding O Olive Oil Company.
The 2,000-acre Hudson Ranch is one of the most celebrated properties in Carneros. After decades of selling their fruit to other wineries, Hudson began making their own wines in 2004.
The Hudson Winemaker is Andrew Holve, who most recently served as Head Winemaker for Newton Vineyards. After earning a master’s degree in Viticulture & Enology from UC Davis he gained experience at Ridge, MacRostie, and Patz & Hall.
Andrew works closely with the legendary John Kongsgaard, Hudson’s founding winemaker and current consulting winemaker.
This release was rated 98 Points by FMW, 94 points by Jeb Dunnuck and Wine Advocate, 93 points by Wine Spectator, and 92 by Vinous.
Winemaker Notes: “The 2022 Chardonnay showcases a combination of 4 distinct blocks from the Hudson Estate planted to Heritage Shot Wente clone. We hand-select barrels from each site to create a Chardonnay that fully expresses the elegant and balanced style of Hudson Vineyards. The wine is rich with bright acidity and mouthwatering notes of citrus, stone fruit, and brioche.”
The 2018 Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard was aged for 14 months in French oak barrels, 60% new.
Golden straw colored, medium to full bodied, bright, rich concentrated, structured, unctuous, full, round, layers of sharp lemon citrus and stone fruits, notes of apricot and pear accented by hints of brioche and tart apple with vibrant acidity on the mineral laced finish.
RM 92 points.
