Hungry Blonde Chardonnay and L'Ecolle Columbia Valley Semillon with Crabcakes and Scallops Al Fresco at Fiora Restaurant Geneva
We took a trip out to Geneva to visit friend Kay Z and had a delightful lunch at Fiora Restaurant in its rustic charming landmark building and al fresco patio setting.
Fiora was voted by patrons as the 'Best Restaurant' in the Fox River Valley.
Linda had the Seared Scallops and I ordered the Maryland Crabcakes.
Linda had the Seared Scallops with Chili Lime, smashed avocado and tropical corn salsa for her entree (below). From the BTG (By-The-Glass) winelist she had a glass of the Hungry Blonde Chardonnay.
Hungry Blonde Carneros Napa Valley Chardonnay 2015
Produced by iconic Cary Gott, the fruit for this captivating Chardonnay comes
from the Poe Vineyard, which sits adjacent to the world renowned Hyde
Vineyard in the Carneros appellation at the bottom of Napa Valley near San Pablo Bay.
Wow, what a find in a BTG offering. Unapologetically bold, Hungry Blonde’s Napa Valley Chardonnay makes no excuses for being made in a rich and buttery style that defines classic California Chardonnay to the fullest. Jeb Dunnuck, former critic for Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate gave this 92 points and wrote, “the 2015 Chardonnay Hungry Blond offers a rock-star Chardonnay experience .... at 30 bucks it’s a killer value.”
Butter colored, full bodied, bold, bright delectable full forward flavors of buttered citrus, honeysuckle, peach, smoky sweet hazelnut and hints of caramel.
RM 92 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2926167
For my entree I had the Maryland Crab Cakes with remoulade sauce, served over sautéed spinach, with estate salad tossed in citrus vinaigrette dressing (below). To accompany this I ordered from the winelist, BTG L’ECole No. 41 Sémillon.
L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Sémillon 2017
We stopped by the L'Ecole Winery in Louden, WA during our Walla Walla AVA Wine Experience last fall.
Three generations are involved in the winery managed by Marty Clubb, Managing Winemaker and Co-Owner with his wife, Megan, and children, Riley and Rebecca. The family-owned artisan winery was founded by Megan’s parents, Jean and Baker Ferguson, in 1983.
Marty, along with Norm McKibben (Pepper Bridge Winery) and Gary Figgins
(Leonetti Cellar) were early viticulture pioneers in the Walla Walla
Valley. In 1997, they partnered to begin the 170 acre expansion of
Seven Hills Vineyard. In the mid-2000s, they partnered once again in
the adjacent 1,800 acre vineyard development, SeVein, home to L’Ecole’s
newest Estate Ferguson Vineyard. In addition to the Estate Ferguson and Estate Seven Hills Vineyards, Marty works with over 30 vineyards' growers throughout the Columbia
Valley.
This is a blend of 85% Sémillon and 15% Sauvignon Blanc. Fruit for this label is sourced from the Columbia Valley Klipsun, Rosebud, Stillwater Creek, Lodmell and Seven Hills vineyards.
Light straw colored, light medium bodied, bright vibrant melon, pear and citrus fruits with balanced acidity, layers of honeysuckle, honeydew melon, and lemongrass persist with a clean, crisp finish.
RM 88 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3006438
https://www.lecole.com/
https://twitter.com/lecole41
https://www.fioras.com/
Fiora was voted by patrons as the 'Best Restaurant' in the Fox River Valley.
Linda had the Seared Scallops and I ordered the Maryland Crabcakes.
Linda had the Seared Scallops with Chili Lime, smashed avocado and tropical corn salsa for her entree (below). From the BTG (By-The-Glass) winelist she had a glass of the Hungry Blonde Chardonnay.
Hungry Blonde Carneros Napa Valley Chardonnay 2015
Wow, what a find in a BTG offering. Unapologetically bold, Hungry Blonde’s Napa Valley Chardonnay makes no excuses for being made in a rich and buttery style that defines classic California Chardonnay to the fullest. Jeb Dunnuck, former critic for Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate gave this 92 points and wrote, “the 2015 Chardonnay Hungry Blond offers a rock-star Chardonnay experience .... at 30 bucks it’s a killer value.”
Butter colored, full bodied, bold, bright delectable full forward flavors of buttered citrus, honeysuckle, peach, smoky sweet hazelnut and hints of caramel.
RM 92 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2926167
For my entree I had the Maryland Crab Cakes with remoulade sauce, served over sautéed spinach, with estate salad tossed in citrus vinaigrette dressing (below). To accompany this I ordered from the winelist, BTG L’ECole No. 41 Sémillon.
L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Sémillon 2017
We stopped by the L'Ecole Winery in Louden, WA during our Walla Walla AVA Wine Experience last fall. Three generations are involved in the winery managed by Marty Clubb, Managing Winemaker and Co-Owner with his wife, Megan, and children, Riley and Rebecca. The family-owned artisan winery was founded by Megan’s parents, Jean and Baker Ferguson, in 1983.
This is a blend of 85% Sémillon and 15% Sauvignon Blanc. Fruit for this label is sourced from the Columbia Valley Klipsun, Rosebud, Stillwater Creek, Lodmell and Seven Hills vineyards.
Light straw colored, light medium bodied, bright vibrant melon, pear and citrus fruits with balanced acidity, layers of honeysuckle, honeydew melon, and lemongrass persist with a clean, crisp finish.
RM 88 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3006438
https://www.lecole.com/
https://twitter.com/lecole41
https://www.fioras.com/
