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.
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.
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
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
http://hemmingways-bistro.com/
Previous lunch and dinner dining experiences at Hemingway's Bistro featured in these pages:
