RPM Seafood Chicago Dinner

RPM Seafood Chicago Dinner

I attended a business partner special event for Chicagoland CxO's at RPM Seafood Steakhouse overlooking the Chicago River in the city. 

For the group dinner, they served from the extraordinary extensive deep winelist a red and a white to accompany the starters and our dinner entree selections. They graciously offered the opportunity to select something from the winelist but their basic chosen selections were fine, absolutely suitable for the occasion. 

I chose for my entree the Wild Alaskan Halibut with Capers and Brown Butter (below). It was delicious and ideally paired with the Sancerre wine. It would have been much better had it been served hot rather than barely warm.

Fellow diners chose these other seafood dishes, the Butter Poached Lobster with Lemongrass and Ginger, 

(above) and the Charcoal-Grilled Black Bass with Moroccan Spices, Salsa Verdes shown below.

For the white wine course, which was most widely selected for the majority who chose seafood dishes, they served from the winelist this French Loire Valley Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc. 

Domaine Vacheron Sancere 2020

The Vacheron vineyards lie near the village of Sancerre and have been in the family for nine generations. The domaine is run by two cousins, the Messieurs Vacheron. Both have sons studying viticulture to carry on the family tradition. 

The vineyards cover 34 hectares with two principal soil types; "silex" and "caillotte" or chalk. 

Winemaker Notes - "A vibrant, 100% organic/biodynamic Sauvignon Blanc from a mix of flint and chalk soils in the heart of Sancerre. Aromas suggest grapefruit zest and gunflint; in the mouth, the wine is pure and fresh, with plenty of mineral energy and citrus-inspired flavors. This is classic Sancerre—limpid and clean, with lots of freshness and lovely energy."

This was awarded 92 points by Wine Enthusiast, and 90 points by Vinous. 

Vinous wrote in describing this wine, "Most producers can only dream of an “entry-level” wine that's this good" and I certainly agree. The broad winelist offers this label, and another premium Domaine Vacheron, "Les Romains" from the same producer for more than two times the price.

Straw, light butter colored, medium light bodied, refreshing, elegant, delicate, polished and superbly balanced flavorful white fruits with mineral, flint and whisper of citrus with well behaved tangy acidity.

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4036789

 

For the red wine drinkers, also served from the winelist was this French Southern Rhone Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Saint-Galet, 2019

This Saint-Galet's 2019 Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a blend of 80% Grenache, 12% Mourvèdre and 8% Syrah. 

Dark garnet colored, medium bodied, ripe black and red bramble fruits accented by herbs, pepper with hints of rosemary and mint with soft sweet tannins and tangy acidity on the moderate finish.

RM 88 points. 

Nice QPR in this easy sipping modest bold red.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4070252