New Year’s Eve Celebration Dinner

New Year’s Eve Celebration Dinner

Son Sean and Michelle and the daughters/grand-daughters treated us to New Year’s Eve dinner. We dined at one of our favorite eateries, Hemingway’s Bistro in Oak Park (IL). We’ve enjoyed and hosted many dinners at Hemingway’s including our Pour Boys wine group, family and anniversary celebrations. 

Hemingway’s was booked for the entire evening and decorated festively for the holiday (s). 

We dined early to beat the crowds and allow for the children’s schedule. 

Hemingway’s offered a price fixe holiday dinner but we each ordered from the traditional menu, opting for our regular favorites from a menu we know well. 

From the limited but focused wine list, we started with Champagne to enjoy with our starter course (s).

Lucien Albrecht Crémant d'Alsace Brut Rosém NV

This Lucien Albrecht Crémant d'Alsace Brut Rosé French sparkling wine is from Alsace in the northeast corner of France on the German border. It is made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes using the traditional method.

Lucien Albrecht (pronounced Lu-Shen All-Bresht), one of the most distinguished producers of white wines in Alsace was founded in 1698 by Balthazar Albrecht in Orschwihr, a small village surrounded by by rolling hills and very complex and deep chalky soils with a high percentage of clay and sandstone screes, benefiting from South or Southeast exposure. ideally situated for grape-growing. 

The Crémant d’Alsace Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) was created in 1976 to distinguish the wines obtained by the sparkling champagne method. The term “crémant” comes originally from Champagne but is seldom used, in recognition of the efforts made by several Alsatian winemakers, including the Maison Lucien Albrecht.

Lucien Albrecht was a pioneer in the Crémant d’Alsace, which it began producing in 1971. Today the winery produces still and sparkling wines, all produced with fruit sourced exclusively from estate vineyards, including the Grand Cru Pfingstberg and Grand Cru Spiegel. 

The winemaking team is led by Jérôme Keller. Winemaker Notes - The flavors display nice strawberry and wild cherry fruit, with a touch of richness on the mid palate. It is balanced with dry, crisp acidity and complimented with a creamy texture and long finish. 

This NV label was rated 90 points by Wine Enthusiast and 88 points by James Suckling.

This modest priced wine provides high QPR. - quality price ratio. Dust orange colored, medium bodied, nicely balanced strawberry with apple and pear notes with hints of orange, lemon and pain grille with fine bubbles on the dry finish

https://www.lucien-albrecht.com/our-wines/cremants-alsace-lucien-albrecht/ 

We ordered several selections for our starter courses:

Blue Point Oysters - six piece, cocktail sauce

Chicken Liver Pate - Dijon Mustard | Cornichons | Toasted Crostini

Foie Gras du Jour - Caramelized Fruit, Pear Slices, Candy Onions, Parsnip Puree, Balsamic Vinaigrette

For the entree course: 

Linda the Roasted Stripe Bass A'la Piperade - pepper relish, golden raisins and cassoulet beans.

Michelle ordered the Grilled Steak Frites - Pommes Frites | Herb Stuffed Baked Tomato | Beurre Maitre d'Hotel.

Sean ordered the Duo of Magret Duck - parsnip puree, shitake caps, blood orange demi.

I ordered the New York Steak au Poivre - Cream Spinach | Pommes Au Gratin | Green Peppercorn Sauce

I took BYOB from our cellar for the occasion a vintage St Julien Bordeaux from one of our favorite producers for a perfect food wine pairing with the French cuisine.

Château Gruaud-Larose St Julien-Beychevelle Bordeaux 2010

We enjoyed A Visit to Château Gruaud-Larose which was one of the key highlights on our 2019 trip to the St Julien Appellation (AOC) in Bordeaux. Château Gruaud-Larose, a 2ème Cru Classé or 'second growth', one of fifteen Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growths) as classified in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

This label is one of the key holdings in our cellar collection consisting of more than a dozen vintages spanning three decades dating back to 1980 including the birth year vintages of each of our kids, 1981, 1982, 1985 and 1990. We hold many vintages in large format bottles including 3 liter double magnums which we served at daughter Erin's and son-in-law Johnny's wedding.

Tonight, I selected a vintage release that I presumed to be in the ‘Goldilock’s zone’, not too old, and not too young, but just right, at the apex of its prime drinking window. I was not disappointed, this actually exceeded my highest hopes and expectations and was absolutely delicious, a perfect pairing with the dinner - especially the Foie Gras. As I have written often in these pages, an optimal food-wine pairing amplifies and ameliorates the enjoyment of both! Such was the case tonight. 

This release was rated 97 points by Decanter, 96 points by James Suckling, 95 points by Wine Enthusiast and Jane Anson, 94 points by Vinous, and 93 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator. 

Wine Enthusiast wrote, “For anybody looking for classic Bordeaux, this is the bottle to seek.” They advise to “ Keep for many years,” but this will be difficult as it is temptingly so good! Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate writes, “ … blockbuster wine, which has been built for the long haul. This is one 2010 where patience will be required. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2040.” Thankfully I have nearly a case so will enjoy watching this age gracefully. 

The producers notes about the vintage season - “Ideal ripening of all the varieties overall thanks to exceptionally dry August and September without excessive heat. Ideal harvest from first to last day allowing picking of each variety at optimum oenological maturity.”

This released was aged in 50% new oak.

Dark garnet/plum/purple colored, full bodied, full tannins and dense but balanced, smooth, polished and elegant, ripe dark raspberry, red and black currant and blueberry fruits with “loads of spice, earth, underbrush, licorice, and a hint of Provencal garrigue”, with silky tannins and a beautifully integrated tannin structure on a long and ‘very’ refined tannic structure.

RM 95 points.  

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/1123336

https://www.gruaud-larose.com/en/

https://hemmingwaysbistro.com/

https://hemmingwaysbistro.com/our-menu/

Happy New Year and Cheers in the year ahead! 

Hemingway’s Bistro Oak Park (IL) WBTG

Hemingway’s Bistro Oak Park (IL)

Following Preview Night for volunteers working FLWright Plus, the annual historic homes house walk, we dined at Hemingway’s Bistro in Oak Park.

More than 400 volunteers work the front lines and behind the scenes to present historic and architecturally significant homes to nearly 3000 guests in this annual event hosted by the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust.

By closing of the night’s festivities preparing for the big day to follow, we were able to secure a table for the late evening second seating. We selected a couple of pleasant drinking wines by the glass (WBTG) from the limited but carefully crafted wine list. 

Being from the east coast, Tom O, in from New Jersey to work the event, had the soft shell crab, one of the daily specials. This was artfully prepared and delectable and met his high expectations and standards for this special dish, and was the culinary highlight of the evening. 

I ordered another of the daily specials, the Walleye, served in a lemon butter Beau Blanc sauce with fingerling potatoes and asparagus tips. The portion was modest and the preparation, sauce and overall presentation were slightly bland and generally uninspiring, but acceptable in every respect. 

Linda ordered the small plate entree Crab Cake, which was enjoyable. 

For a wine accompaniment, Linda tasted from the WBTG menu this French Burgundian Chardonnay. 

Campet Ste Marie Pays d’Oc Chardonnay 2023

Nice QPR - (Quality Price Ratio) can be found in the Campet Ste Marie range of labels, which are named after the specific terroir in which the grapes are grown. They are sourced from small and hilly vineyards, that the French call “Campets”. 

This is from the Pays d’Oc appellation in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France. The term “Pays d’Oc” means “country of the Occitan language,” which is spoken in this region.

Pays d’Oc wines are known for producing high-quality, affordable wines that are easy to drink and pair well with a variety of foods.

The Languedoc-Roussillon region created this catch all IGP region in 1987 to  designate the vast number of vineyards within the territory that were not in designated AOC (Appellation Original Controlle) status appellations (e.g. Corbières, Minervois, Faugères, Picpoul de Pinet, Côtes de Roussillon, etc.). 

Vin de Pays d'Oc has 4 sub-regions: Gard, Hérault, Aude & Pyrénées-Orientales. When the sub-region is used on the label, it will say Vin de Pays de l'Aude, for example.

Wines that carry the Vin de Pays d'Oc designation must be made from grape varieties that are authorized for the region and must meet specific production standards, but are subject to far fewer restrictions than AOC designations which have strict requirements as to which grapes can be used, as well as how they should be blended, how long the wines must be aged, etc., 

Pays d’Oc wines include red (50%), white (30%), and rosé (20%) wines, and can be made from the 58 grape varietals cultivated in the area which primarily include Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre for red wines, and Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier for white wines. The wines can be produced in single varietals or blends. 

The vast Occitania region in Languedoc and Roussillon has nearly 20,000 winegrowers  working as both independent and co-operative wineries across four sub-regions – Hérault, Gard, Pyrénées-Orientales and Aude – and six localities in Lozère.

While the area under vine in all of France is reported by Vitisphere to be 745,000 ha, the Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AP) vineyards total 446,000ha, while all France’s IGPs amounted to 195,000ha. In comparison, the Pays d’Oc IGP alone has 120,000ha under vine accounting for 20% of total French wine production. The largest of the four regions (Hérault) produced 4 million hectolitres in 2017 – more than the whole of Bordeaux (3.6m hl).

The vast Pays d’Oc wine region stretches over 120,000 hectares, and is divided into three climatic zones that influence the viticulture for wine grape: the maritime plains along its coastal area; the lowlands and rolling hills or ‘soubergues’; and lastly, the high altitude vineyards in the chain of mountains to the North, formed by the Pyrenees to the West, and the foothills of the Cévennes to the East. 

The sunny Mediterranean climate influence is due to the amphitheatre shaped opening to the Mediterranean Sea; it arches around the 200 kilometres coastline formed by the Gulf of Lions, from Nîmes via the Camargue and the Vermilion coast to the Spanish border. 

The incredible diversity of soils across the Pays d’Oc wine region range from sandy soils along the coast to limestone, schist, clay or gravelly pebbles along the valley floors and hillsides. 

This wine was rated 90 points by Wine Enthusiast in their review - “A complex nose with reserved and well-integrated aromas of Bosc pear, pastry crust, brioche and grilled red-apple slice leads into subtle vanilla spice, freshly grated nutmeg and lemon tart on the palate. A complementary streak of toasted acidity provides an underbelly of elegant restraint.”  — Reggie Solomon

The Winemaker’s Notes - "This buttery and round Chardonnay has been selected by our winemaker within protected vineyards in the south of the Pays d’Oc appellation where the vines are planted in cooler areas, and on small lands (Campet) which, in the 19th century were surrounding the wineries. The resulting wine is a Burgundy style Chardonnay with ripe peach aromas combined to honey melon with subtle toasted notes. The taste is elegant and smooth with a wonderful thickness and a persistent finish.”

Light straw colored, light bodied, crisp clean, nuances of pear and apple with hints of brioche and brown spice with soft tangy acidity on the smooth finish. 

RM 89 points. 

With our entrees, Tom and I had from the WBTG menu this French Burgundian Pinot Noir. 

Louis Latour Marssanay 2022

This is from producer Maison Louis Latour, found in 1985, who has become one of the most prolific and highly-respected négociant-éléveurs in Burgundy. Maison Louis Latour produce some of the finest Burgundian wines, as have branched out to produce some fine wines from outside Burgundy in the emerging Ardèche and the Côteaux de Verdon sub-regions.

This label is from the northernmost area of the famous Côte de Nuits wine region, from the Marsannay appellation village, the only one in Burgundy to produce classified wines of all three colors: red (Pinot Noir), white (Chardonnay)— and rosé. The official Rosé de Marsannay earned its high reputation in the early 1900s. Marsannay received its Appellation Contrôlée in 1987.

This label was rated 93 points by James Suckling and 90 by Wine Spectator. 

Slightly opaque ruby colored, medium bodied, complex, earthy and floral, the black cherry and black berry fruits are accented with notes of spices, licorice, pepper and mineral with moderate polished tannins on the pleasant long finish.

RM 92 points. 

https://www.louislatour.com/en/wines/68/marsannay-rouge/2022

https://hemmingways-bistro.com/

Lunch at Hemingway's Bistro Oak Park after FLW Tour

Lunch at Hemingway's Bistro Oak Park after FLW Tour features delightful casual sipping WBTG pairing

College friends and Linda's sorority sister Sara and husband Chuck were in town to visit family and friends. We met up and arranged to host them on a tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park where I am a docent interpreter. Afterwards we met two other sisters and their partners for lunch at Hemingway's Bistro in Oak Park. 

Hemingway's Bistro is one of our favorite dinesites and one we love to combine my tour activities at the Frank Lloyd Wright home just blocks away with lunches or dinners for such occasions. We've featured some of those tour and dining outings in these pages' blogposts -

Hemingway's Bistro Wine Dinner Highlights FLW Architecture Tours

FLW Home & Studio Tour and Hemingway's Bistro Oak Park

Linda and I ordered the daily special fresh fish, Walleye served with crab cake crust, mashed potatoes and haricot verts. With our lunch, we ordered WBTG - wines by the glass, a Russian River Valley Chardonnay and Northern Rhône Crozes-Hermitage Sryah.

Before our entrees, I ordered for a starter course the Chicken Liver Pate'. As an accompaniment I had a glass of the Crozes-Hermitage. 

Paul Jaboulet Aîné "Les Jalets" Crozes-Hermitage 2017

Paul Jaboulet Aîné owns parcels of vines in several Rhône appellations both north and south, and produces an extensive range of both estate bottled and négociant wines. Paul Jaboulet Aîné is one of the most prolific producers in the Northern Rhône, notably in Hermitage and Crozes Hermitage. 

The earliest record of the Jaboulet family producing wine dates back to 1834, and the eventual house of Paul Jaboulet Aîné remained in Jaboulet family ownership until 2006. It was then sold to the Frey family, proprieters of Ch La Lagune in Bordeaux, and numerous other vineyards and labels.

Frey obtained the famous brand names such as Hermitage "La Chapelle" and Crozes Hermitage "Domaine de Thalabert", but not all of the vineyards historically used for producing those wines. Notably the vineyard used to produce Crozes Hermitage "Domaine de Thalabert" - a vineyard historically known as Les Grandes Vignes - was split, with part remaining under the control of Philippe & Vincent Jaboulet. Frey succeeded in restoring the reputation of Paul Jaboulet Aîné which had fallen away during the 1990s.

Domaine de Raymond Roure is a nine acre Crozes Hermitage vineyard high on the back of the Hermitage hill which Jaboulet acquired in 1996. The red now sells at a premium to Thalabert and is the wine for longer keeping.

Les Jalets is a modest priced casual sipper with good QPR - quality price ratio, from the Northern Rhône Crozes Hermitage AVA that produces distinctive earthy dark fruity Shiraz/Syrahs. 

Bright garnet colored, medium to full-bodied with lively expressive forward briery blackcurrant and red berry fruits accented by black pepper, licorice, spices and savory truffle notes with a tongue puckering tangy acidity on a moderate tannin laced finish. 

RM 89 points.

This was awarded 92 points by Decanter and commented by Jeb Dunnuck and Wine Advocate.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3495500

http://www.jaboulet.com/Website/site/fra_prehome.htm

With our entree course Linda and I both selected this lively Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley.

Lake Sonoma Winery Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2020 

Another modest priced good QPR selection served BTG from the winelist.
Lake Sonoma Winery produces a range of red and white wines from across the Sonoma County winegrowing region representing its diverse assemblages of terroirs and micro-climates.  This diversity is expressed through Sonoma’s sub-appellations, many of which are renowned for specific varietals that thrive in each. 

Lake Sonoma Winery work with the most celebrated of these sub-appellations to offer their portfolio of  wines designed that showcase the region’s unique characteristics and the varietal for which it has come to be known.

This moderate priced Chardonnay is sourced from Lake Sonoma estate vineyard in the Russian River Valley. 

Lake Sonoma Winery’s winemaker, Jaime “JJ” Dowell joined Lake Sonoma Winery in 2021 after spending time in New Zealand managing the production of a high-end Pinot Noir at Villa Maria Estate in Blenheim. 

The native Californian started out working as an Associate Winemaker alongside highly regarded Jean Hoefliger at Alpha Omega Winery in Napa Valley’s Rutherford AVA for five-years. She then took over winemaking duties at Round Pond Estate before moving to Lake Sonoma Winery on the other side of the Mayacamas Mountain range that separates Napa and Sonoma Valleys.

When she arrived this wine was still in barrel. The previous winemaker made the decisions on harvest and fermentation, and left it to her successor to blend the final bottled wine. JJ put her spin on things, and through the blending, the identity was crafted. 

Winemaker Notes: "This classic Chardonnay expresses the best of the Russian River Valley appellation through vibrant citrus and tropical fruit aromas with hints of vanilla.  Bright fruit flavors including kiwi, lime and nectarine round out the palate followed by a rich and lingering finish."

The wine was left on the lees for three months to enhance the mid-palate richness. Aged for 22 months in 20% new French oak, 50% neutral oak and 30% stainless steel tanks.

This was delightful and a perfect complement to the walleye fresh fish special. 

Straw colored, medium bodied, balanced and flavorful peach, and tangerine citrus fruit flavors with accents of lychee tropical fruit on a smooth elegant lingering finish. 

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4170830

https://lakesonomawinery.com/

http://hemmingways-bistro.com/

Previous lunch and dinner dining experiences at Hemingway's Bistro featured in these pages:

Roots Klee Pinot Noir Hemingway's Bistro in Oak Park

Hemingway's Oak Park BYOB BTG Dinner

Hemingway's Bistro Wine Dinner Highlights FLW Architecture Tours

Château La Couspaude St Emilion Grand Cru Classé with Hemingway's Oak Park French Fare

Festive Holiday Dinner at Hemingway's Bistro Oak Park

Anniversary Dinner at Hemingway's Bistro Oak Park

Lunch at Hemingway's Bistro Oak Park

Wine BTG with small plates at Hemingway's Oak Park

FLW Home & Studio Tour and Hemingway's Bistro Oak Park

FLW Home & Studio Tour and Hemingway's Bistro Oak Park

FLW Home & Studio Tour followed by Hemingway's Bistro dinner - two venerable Oak Park institutions

I conducted a public-private tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio in Oak Park, IL, which I do regularly as a Docent Interpreter for the FLW Trust. 

On this occasion, we hosted several friends, three AXO sorority sisters couples, for the Home and Studio interior tour, then the neighborhood walking tour, followed by a gala dinner at Hemingway's Bistro, one of our favorite French cuisine eateries.

We started with a round of their fresh oysters, followed by their delectable crab and corn bisque soup. With these the group enjoyed the house Champagne.

For the dinner entree course, all in the group except me ordered the daily special Walleye or the Crusted Whitefish, both served with their delectable beure blanc sauce. 

 Campet Ste Marie Chardonnay 2020

We ordered from the carefully selected winelist a bottle French Chardonnay to pair with the fish course. 

This Pays d'Oc wine is from Limoux in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in the South of France, along the Mediterranean coast to Provence. It is named after the specific terroirs on which the grapes are grown, sourced from small and hilly vineyards, that the French call “Campets”. These “Campets” and the Mediterranean climate offer ideal conditions for the production of ripe and fruit forward wines. 

This is a blend of Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, and Picpoul white grapes, popular in the region.

Winemaker's Notes: "Limestone and clay soils coalesce on steep, rolling hills to make up the soil, but it is specifically the cooler areas of the vineyard, which contribute to creating their burgundy- style chardonnay. Each year, a proportion of the wine ages on wood for approximately six months, with regular battonage, to enhance the texture, the aromatic character and overall balance of the wine. The soil composition gives the wine structural acidity and makes this Burgundy-style wine unique. "

This was nice pleasant easy drinking - ideal for the pairing with the fresh fish entrees - a great value high QPR (quality price ratio). 

Straw colored, medium light bodied, aromatic, crisp, floral and stone fruit notes accent apple and pear with subtle lime citrus. 

RM 89.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3943285

I brought a BYOB from our cellar a couple of bottles - a Rhone and a Bordeaux, from which to I selected one to pair with my dinner entree. 

I chose the La Croix de Beaucaillou 2000 to accompany with my dinner entree selection, Strip Steak au Povre, with their delectable scalloped potatoes, creamed spinach and tomato (shown).

La Croix de Beaucaillou St Julien Bordeaux 2000

This was very timely as just yesterday I was notified by Binny's, the Chicagoland beverage supertore that my futures order of the current release of this wine just arrived for pickup. 

Our visit to Château Ducru Beaucaillou in St Julien was one of the highlights our Bordeaux St Julien Wine Experience in 2019. 

We've collected the Grand Vin Château Ducru Beaucaillou for more than three decades going back to the late seventies. We declared it one of the signature wines of son Ryan and served his birthyear vintage from large format bottles at his wedding. It was sharing that declaration and experience that prompted the Chateau to invite us for a private tour during our trip to the appellation. 

I wrote about the history and current portfolio of producer Jean Eugène Borie SA in my blogpost at that time. Today, the estate is managed by the Jean Eugène Borie SA, the company owned by Mrs Borie, her daughter Sabine Coiffe and her son Bruno-Eugène, who took over as CEO in 2003. He is the third generation of the Borie family to head the estate which has been closely held for five generations over two centuries. 

The magnificent Château sits on a promontory overlooking classic formal gardens with the Gironde estuary in the distance. The Victorian-style Ducru-Beaucaillou castle is built directly above the original barrel cellars, adjacent the new modern era barrel facility. enveloping its owners, who have lived here for over sixty years.

This is Château Ducru Beaucaillou's second wine, made from the property's younger vines and vats that are not selected for the grand vin. This wine has been bottled at the château since the 1995 vintage. La Croix de Beaucaillou, generally contains more Merlot than the grand vin - this release was 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot.

Winemaker Notes: "The wine of Ducru-Beaucaillou is the essence of elegance, symmetry, balance, breed, class, and distinction. it is never one of the most robust, richest, or fruitiest wines of St.-Julien and by its nature is a stubbornly slow developer. Most of the finest vintages of Ducru-Beaucaillou usually take at least 10 years to reveal their stunning harmony of fruit and power.'

'Ducru-Beaucaillou is a great wine for a number of reasons. The meticulous attention to detail, the brutal selection process - whereby only the finest grapes and finest barrels of wine are permitted to go into the bottle - and the conservative viticultural practices all play major rules in the success of this wine."

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate awarded this 89 points.

At twenty-two years, the fill level, foil and label were in pristine condition. The cork, not surprisingly pulled in half when our server Lapone tried to extract it using a traditional waiter's cork screw, which is why I invariably use an 'ah-so' two pronged cork puller for aged bottles. Otherwise it was in good customary condition. The waitstaff appropriately decanted the bottle for serving. 

Initially this was a bit funky and earthy but, as I predicted it would, but this burned off to reveal the dark berry fruits that emerged after about 45 minutes. Dark garnet colored, a very slight bricking, brown rust hue starting to show revealing its age, medium full bodied, the dark berry fruits, Parker calls them 'red fruits', emerged accented by subtle earthy leather, tobacco and moderately sweet clove spice, with moderate smooth polished tannins on the finish. 

RM 90 points. 

This was a wonderful accompaniment to my strip steak au povre.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2649169

http://chateau-ducru-beaucaillou.com/  

https://twitter.com/DucruB 

 http://www.hemmingwaysbistro.com/

Hemingways Bistro wine dinner

Hemingways Bistro Oak Park wine dinner with Cuvée de mon Aïeul, Lost Chapters Big Reds

For a special post holiday outing for our family members in from out of town, I arranged to conduct a private tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park, where I am a docent interpreter, followed by a walking tour of the historic neighborhood featuring some of FLW's seminal works in the Prairie style architecture. 

Afterwards, we dined at Hemingway's Bistro, one of our favorite intimate dining sites in the nearby Earnest Hemingway historic neighborhood featuring Chef Ala who brings 25 years experience to Oak Park. A certified Executive Chef with the American Culinary Federation, he has competed in numerous culinary salons around the world. In 1999, Ala was the opening Executive Chef of the Historic Allerton Hotel in Chicago after it's 80 million dollar renovation. Ala has also ran Le Meriden Hotel Restaurant and the historic legendary Chez Paul in Chicago. (Many will recall Chez Paul from it's famous scenes as the restaurant in two iconic Chicago movies, the Blues Brother (1980_and then in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)).

Previously, Ala was the Chef of The Colonnade Hotel in Boston and Brasserie Jo, he was at the Boca Raton Resort and Club in Florida, and spent seven years in the Caribbean working at resorts in Puerto Rico, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.

Hemmingway's offers classic French dishes with fresh Midwest ingredients; Beef Wellington, Steak Frites, and sumptuous Souffles are popular menu offerings, and daily specials reflect the chef's love for fresh seafood, using mostly East-coast seafood flown in from Boston daily.

 We took BYOB from our cellar, a special top rated bottle of Southern Rhone Châteauneuf-du-Pape for our authentic Provencal cuisine dinner. 

Pierre Usseglio 'Cuvée de mon Aïeul' Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2001

I recall acquiring this bottle on release two decades ago while on a business trip to the Twin Cities and stopping in Haskell's wine shop. 

This release was awarded 99 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, who wrote in his review, "borderline perfection, (I seriously considered adding a point here) and a monumental Châteauneuf-du-Pape that is drinking at point." 

It was rated 93 points by Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar and Wine Spectator. 

The 2001 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee de Mon Aieul is 85% Grenache and equal parts Syrah, Mourvedre, and Cinsault with a prodigious 15.8% alcohol level.

The sources for Mon Aieul are three vineyard parcels with vines averaging between 75 and 87 years of age.

Dark ruby colored, full bodied, deep rich intense complex concentrated structured briary ripe black currant, blackberry fruits accented by flavors of fig, stewed plum, spice box, olive tapenade, tobacco, black tea, game, tar and mushrooms with hints of cedar turning to firm tannins on the tangy acidic finish. 

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=6582

With the lady's dinner entrees (each ordered the daily special, halibut in beurre blanc sauce), they ordered several white wines from the broad B-T-G (By-the-Glass) selectiosn:

Chardonnay, Russian River, Lake Sonoma "18"
Viognier, Domaine Gassier "19"

Bro-in-law Bill and I ordered this big Petite Sirah from the winelist to accompany his New York Steak au Poivre and my Duck A L'Orange with braised cabbage, pommes dauphine, grand marnier sauce (I substituted the pommes au gratin - shown right).

J. McClelland Lost Chapters Petite Sirah 2017

Hemingway's Bistro has a carefully crafted winelist with selections to match the menu, many limited releases or distinctive artful labels.

This interesting label is from J. McClelland Cellars, founded in 2008 in honor of iconic California winemaker, trusted advisor and wine industry personality and long time friend of the principles, John McClelland, in honor of his six decades of service to the industry, and ten years of collaboration by founders winery Director and Winemaker Paul Scotto and viticulturist Winemaker Mark Smith.

Throughout McClelland's 60-year wine industry career he was widely recognized as an iconic figure in California wine innovation in winemaking, vineyard management, national sales, marketing and brand development. He served as Chairman of the California Wine Institute and held leadership positions in the Wine Growers Association, Association of Wine Educators and was named a Supreme Knight in Brotherhood of the Knights of the Vine. He held numerous senior positions at producers Almaden, Geyser Peak and Alderbrook. John passed away in December, 2018.

Scotto family's acquired the J. McClelland Cellars winery in the Valley's eastern hills to produce their wines.

In 2014 the team was joined by renowned and frequently awarded winemaker Mitch Cosentino, who brought many years of Napa Valley knowledge, experience and vineyard contacts to the project.

The Scotto family's winemaking heritage dates back to 1883 when Salvatore Dominic Scotto began making wine at their home on the Island of Ischia off the coast of Italy. Salvatore passed on the winemaking tradition to his son Dominic who migrated to Brooklyn, NY in 1903. He followed the Scotto family tradition by passing on his winemaking skills to his sons, who began selling five gallon crocks from the family's horse-drawn wagon. In 1946, they opened D. Scotto Wines retail store in downtown Brooklyn that sold quality wines from around the world.

Anthony Sr. sold his father's homemade wine in one gallon jugs from pushcarts and later, with his older brother Sal, created Villa Armando one of the country's oldest brands. The family moved to California in 1963.

Anthony II entered the business in 1975 and eventually became a winemaker, winery owner, exporter and consultant, passing his skills and experience to the 5th generation, Anthony III, Natalie, Paul and Michael, who together carry on the family business into the sixth generation continuing to build strong relationships with both trade and consumers while expanding distribution throughout the U.S. and eleven export markets.

In 2014, notable winemaker Mitch Cosentino joined the Scotto family and John McClelland as Consulting Winemaker for the launch of J. McClelland Cellars. Mitch's four decade winemaking career dates back to his home town Modesto 1980 and then Napa Valley since 1990 where he founded Cosentino Winery in Yountville and established pureCru Napa Valley. Mitch has garnered almost 2000 awards and medals including the prestigious "Andre Tchelistcheff Winemaker of the Year" award in 2003 and numerous awards for "Best Wine" and "Best Cabernet" of the year in multiple vintages and competitions. Mitch founded the Meritage Association (now known as the Meritage Alliance) in 1988 and produced the first American wine bottled with that designation.

The Lost Chapters brand was born in 2017, produced from varietal fruits and craft blends for the Scotto Family wine portfolio, sourced from barrel lots from select and limited "lots from each vintage that may not be seen again in future vintages". 

The Lost Chapters brand has produced award winning single or limited multiple vintage labels in Cabernet Sauvigon, Chardonnay, Sangiovese, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Meritage, and this Petite Sirah. 

The producer website writes: "When one release sells out, another will appear offering its own allure and charm. The Lost Chapters is Paul's opportunity to break away from the norm in winemaking and provide the opportunity to continue reading "the book" with each release standing on its own while complementing the whole." As such, Lost Chapters, building on the book metaphor, even applies a "volume" number in roman numeral to each label vintage release.

Hence, by design, these are invariably 'one hit wonders', specially selected from various vineyard sources in each vintage, not necessarily to be replicated, certainly not so over extended time. Fortuitous finds as they might be, they are not ones to collect for comparison tastings over vertical vintages, but rather to be relished and enjoyed. 

J. McClelland Cellars Lost Chapters Volume XIX Petite Sirah 2017

100% Napa County Petite Sirah, aged 24 months in French Oak barrels, 140 cases were produced. 

Winemaker notes: Deep purple-ruby natural color abounds. River stone minerality, black pepper, currants and black rose notes fill the aromatic profile. Flavors cross a broad spectrum of fruits: dense currants blackberries, black plums with rhubarb and peppercorns, well centered and big structured yet with a surprising suppleness on the mid-palate. It finishes long, spicy and firm with some ripe tannins.

Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, complex concentrated ripe blackberry, black currant and plum fruits with notes of black pepper, spice and earthy tobacco with full firm tannins on the tangy lengthy finish. 

RM 90 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4168611

https://www.jmcclellandcellars.com/the-lost-chapters

https://hemmingwaysbistro.com/

https://www.flwright.org/ 

Festive Holiday Dinner at Hemingway's Bistro Oak Park

Festive Holiday Dinner at Hemingway's Bistro Oak Park

For son Alec's last night at home for the holidays before returning to NYC, we normally would've dined out at his 'alma mater' restaurant where he worked through high school and college, Angelis Italian, our favorite neighborhood Italian Trattoria. Instead, we opted for another favorite Hemingway's Bistro in Oak Park. We were accompanied by Sean and Michelle.

To accompany our authentic Provencal cuisine, I took a Bordeaux Blend from the cellar, Pirouette from Washington State Long Shadows, crafted by Frenchman turned California and subsequently Washington State winemaker, Philip Melka.

We're long time fans of the work of Philip Melka, named one of the top nine winemakers in the world by Robert Parker. He collaborates with Long Shadows to craft this label from small lots sourced from Washington State's finest vineyards. We visited Long Shadows during our Woodinville, Washington Wine Experience this summer where we tasted and acquired the current release of this label. Tonight we drank a fourteen year old 2004 vintage release.

Long Shadows Vintners is a collection of seven ultra-premium Columbia Valley wines showcasing the viticulture of the growing region and features internationally acclaimed winemakers who inspired them.

Founded in 2003 by Washington State wine visionary Allen Shoup, the Long Shadows project is based on the collaboration of notable winemakers from around the world, each known for a particular varietal based wine. Each vintner was given access to Washington State's best grapes and a winery to accommodate their exacting cellar specifications. The imaginative project has been an immense success and the wines have received critical acclaim vintage after vintage. Long Shadows has collectively  won numerous awards, including recognition as Food & Wine magazine's "Winery of the Year."

Philippe Melka is the creator of Pirouette, his first wine from Washington State, as he normally hails from Napa Valley where he is involved in cult favorites Hundred Acre, Seavey Vineyard, Dana Estates and Vineyard 29, as well as his own branded namesake labeled wines. Robert Parker Jr. wrote in the March 2013 issue of Food and Wine magazine, "Anything associated with (his) name is of undeniably high, high quality."

Melka had worked with Quintessa owner Agustin Huneeus, Sr. who introduced him to Allen Shoup and Long Shadows. Huneeus was a longtime friend of Shoup and became the first vintner to embrace Allen's vision for Long Shadows. He introduced Philippe as the perfect winemaker to craft the Bordeaux blend both he and Allen envisioned.

Philippe was born and educated in Bordeaux, earning a master's degree in agronomy and enology. He learned the trade and honed his skills at some of the world's most famous wineries including Château Cheval Blanc, Petrus and Château Haut-Brion, where he developed his passion for cabernet-based blends, like Pirouette. 

For our first course selections we drank from the winelist Louis Roederer NV Champagne with the Lobster Bisque, Foie Gras du jour and salads.

Hemingway's is known for a selection of fresh seafoods and most of us followed suit. Linda ordered the Striped Sea Bass, Alec had the diver sea scallops, Sean and Michelle had the crusted whitefish and I had the strip steak au poivre' entrees.

For dessert, Linda shared the chocolate souffle and I had the trio of sorbets, black raspberry, mango and strawberry. 


Long Shadows Pirouette Red Wine Blend 2004

I brought this Bordeaux Blend to accompany my Strip Steak aux poivre'.  While it is a blend of Bordeaux varietals Cabernet, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, it also contains a percentage of Syrah. It seems the Syrah almost predominated with a residual sweetness un-befitting the blend. The blend is 49% Cabernet, 37% Merlot, 13% Petit Verdot and 11% Syrah. It is showing no signs of diminution from aging at fourteen years and seems to still be at the apex of its drinking window.

The cork came apart on opening so the server had to decant this and strain it to remove the crumbled cork and residual sediment. Bright ruby colored, medium-full bodied, vibrant, rich concentrated forward black and blue fruits with highlights of black cherry, notes of cassis, spice and hints of cedar and creosote giving way to sweet almost obtuse bing cherry notes on the tangy lingering finish.

RM 90 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=317596

http://www.longshadows.com/

 http://www.hemmingwaysbistro.com/

Hemingway's Oak Park BYOB BTG Dinner

Hemingway's Oak Park BYOB BTG Dinner

Culminating an event filled week with Valentine's Day, Linda's birthday and starting a new job, we celebrated with Saturday evening dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Hemingway's Bistro in Oak Park, located in the Write Inn, a euro boutique hotel. Fittingly, Hemingway's was still decorated for Valentine's Day.

As I've written in these pages, I conduct tours as a docent interpreter at the nearby Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, so this is a convenient dining spot following my tours.

Tonight's special was Alaskan Halibut with a mango pepper relish, rice and asparagus (shown left) which we both opted for as our entrees.

We both started with one of our favorite dishes, and draws to Hemingways - I had the Foie Gras du jour and Linda has the Tuna Tartar with avocado, cucumber and spicy aioli. The Foie Gras alone was worth the trip, absolutely delicious served with puree' of parsnip and peaches.


For the occasion, I brought BYOB from our home cellar a California Cabernet Bordeaux blend from Cloud View Napa Valley Pritchard Hill. In the end it was great with the Foie Gras but too much for the Halibut entrees and we opted for BTG (by-the-glass) selections from the wine list, a Lake Sonoma Russian River Valley Sonoma Chardonnay, and a Lemelson Vineyards Willamette Valley Pinot Gris.

Hemingway's offers an authentic Provencal or Parisan dining experience in all respects. As always, everything was spectacular for an intimate, dining experience - food, services, atmosphere and ambiance.

Lemelson Vineyards Willamette Valley Pinot Gris 2015

Bright golden butter colored, light-medium bodied, tangy crisp acidic backbone, bright pear, peach, hints of apple and melon with notes of mineral and citrus. An ideal complement to the tuna tartar and the Alaskan Hailbut.

RM 87 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2369756

Lake Sonoma Winery Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2015

According to the producer, the Russian River Valley is ideal for Chardonnay due to its cool climate, from the regular infiltration of Pacific Coast fog that ebbs and flows through the Petaluma Wind Gap and up the Russian River, making the Russian River Valley one of the world’s most celebrated Chardonnay growing regions. This natural air-conditioning allows Chardonnay grapes to develop full flavor over an extended growing season while maintaining their life-giving natural acidity.  The result is a chardonnay of both character and depth.

We visited the Russian River Valley Sonoma County appellation during our wine region visit last summer.

I believe this producer sources grapes from numerous growers in the region producing a region or appellation specific, but not Estate (produced from grapes grown on the property).

This Chardonnay from Hemingway's BTG (by-the-glass) winelist was straw colored, medium bodied, with notes of citrus, hints of creme brulee, vanilla, and honey with moderate acidity and depth.

RM 88 points. 
 http://www.lakesonomawinery.com/

http://www.hemmingwaysbistro.com/

http://www.lemelsonvineyards.com/ 

Vincent Marie Antoinette Lacombes Margaux at Hemmingway's Bistro Oak Park

Vincent Marie Antoinette and Lacombes Margaux at Hemmingway's Bistro Oak Park

We dined at Hemingway's Bistro in Oak Park with daughter Erin and Son-in-law Johnnie. We love Hemingway's with its authentic classic French dining experience, reminiscent of a small French village bistro.

Pre dinner, I ordered one of my favorite wine pairing dishes, the Foie Gras du jour, and we also had their Baked Imported Brie with apricot preserves and honey.  For our dinner entrees, I ordered the Five Spice Duck Breast with mango beurre blanc, Johnnie ordered the Bouillabaisse Royale, Linda ordered the Tuna, and Erin ordered the Softshell Crab (entrees pictured below).

For the wine course I brought BYOB Chateau Lascombes Grand Cru Classe Margaux 2006 and from the wine list we ordered Vincent Marie Antoinette Puilly Fusse 2014.

Jean-Jacques Vincent Pouilly-Fuissé Cuvée Marie-Antoinette Vincent 2014 

To accompany the white fish, the baked brie and salad course we ordered this Vincent Pouilly-Fuissé Cuvée white Burgundy from the wine list.

This was crisp clean with nice balance of citrus and acidity with notes of citrus and lemon peel, hints of green apple and spice.

RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=2201818



Château Lascombes Grand Cru Classe Margaux 2006 

Dominique Befve, Lascombes GM
and fellow 'pour-boy' Bill C

We've enjoyed meeting Château Lascombes GM Dominique Befve (left) a regular participant at the annual UGC annual North American tour of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGC) where the producers introduce their latest vintage release to the US market.  Lascombes was a highlight in some of the recent tour tastings. 

I brought this 2006 release to commemorate Eric and Johnnies' tenth wedding anniversary last year.

Lascombes is typically ready to drink after five to eight years yet can be held for several decades depending on the vintage. At ten years this is probably at its prime and will not improve further with ageing. This was a perfect accompaniment to the Foie Gras.

Dark blackish garnet colored, medium full bodied,  complex but nicely integrated bright vibrant black cherry, blackberry, and black currant fruits, smooth balanced nicely with tones of smoke, anise, leather, tobacco and black tea.

The composition of the Grand vin Chateau Lascombes '06 is a blend of 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon  and 5% Petit Verdot. 

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=358745

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2014/01/union-des-grands-crus-de-bordeaux-ugc.html

http://www.chateau-lascombes.com/

http://www.hemmingwaysbistro.com/

Softshell Crab

Bouillabaisse

Tuna Filet

Five Spice Duck Breast