WBTG dining at Entourage DG
We dined alfresco with Linda’s college sorority sisters, Pat and Debbie, with her husband Denny, visiting from Florida. We arranged to meet at Entourage DG (Downers Grove, IL), that has become one of our favorite go to eateries in the CHI western suburbs - Entourage has been featured prominently in these pages in recent blogposts.
Taking advantage of the Social Hour, ‘early bird and Late Night’ specials, we ordered several of our regular favorites including the Rosemary Focaccia Bread - “Made Fresh Daily”, served with Mediterranean Olives and Sea Salt Butter. While it may be easy to discount this as a simple bread plate, it’s delicious!
Additionally, prior to our main course, we enjoyed another regular favorite, the Roasted Beets and Whipped Goat Cheese Salad - Arugula, Baby Gem with Spicy Pecans, Fennel, Hot Honey and Grapefruit Citrus Vinaigrette. As always, this was delicious - a wonderful pairing of flavors.
The ladies all ordered from the Social Hour menu the Entourage Waygu Filet Mignon Sliders - Two 2oz. Filet Medallions with Horseradish Cream, Pickled Onion, Oven Roasted Roma Tomato and Arugula on a Mini Brioche bun.
I ordered what is one of my favorite dishes on the menu, their signature Wagyu Meatloaf Sundae - Truffle + Parmesan Whipped Potatoes, Brioche, Wild Mushroom Gravy, Vegetable Succotash topped with Crispy Onions.
While I brought from home two bottles, a red and a white to open BYOB, we all took advantage of the Social Hour special pricing on WBTG - Wines By The Glass. While the wine list is limited, each of these offered good value pleasant drinking, appropriately matched to our starter and entree selections.
Having fun with our collective Indiana heritage and roots, and at my suggestion, the ladies each ordered the WBTG Sonoma County Chardonnay.
Kokomo “Peter’s Vineyard” Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast California Chardonnay.
As featured in earlier blogposts …
Family owned and operated Kokomo Winery was started by Owner and Winemaker Erik Miller in 2004, a fellow Hoosier who named it after his hometown of Kokomo, Indiana, which is near Linda’s hometown and family farm in North Central Carroll County, Indiana. (Funny, they showcase their “Boilermaker” collection of wines, honoring the Purdue Boilermakers’, mascot of the Big Ten University not far from Linda’s family homestead, arch rival to our beloved Indiana University “Hoosiers”, but the one she grew up supporting.)
The Winery sits on the East side of Dry Creek Valley, twenty miles north of Santa Rosa, off the main route 101, midway between the towns of Healdsburg and Geyserville. The winery and tasting room is located at Timber Crest Farms, sitting amid 120 acres of vineyards, overlooking the valley.
Winemaker notes for this release - “Planted in West Sebastopol, this is a premier location for Chardonnay. The vineyard is next to Luther Burbank’s Farm and the soil composition is rich Goldridge Sandy Loam. With the consistent coastal fog extending hang time well into October, this fruit is fully developed and loaded with complexity. The Chardonnay is comprised of Clones 4 and 76.’Kokomo produces over a dozen different varietal wines and several single vineyard designated labels which are farmed by his partner in the winery, grower Randy Peters. Kokomo Wines strive to showcase the terroir of the their vineyard sources in the three distinctive appellations of Sonoma County - Russian River, Dry Creek and Alexander Valleys. They also offer some wines sourced from the Sonoma Valley Moon Mountain District.
This Peter’s Vineyard Designated label is 100% Chardonnay sourced from a site in the Russian River Valley, west Sebastopol, next to Luther Burbank's Farm where the soil is rich with Goldridge sandy loam. There the vines are exposed to consistent coastal fog, which calls for extended hang time and more development for the fruit.
I was a bit hesitant to order this bottle, especially to be paired with such a magnificent dinner, since our awareness of Kokomo is more modest entry level wines, less discriminating than the premium and ultra-premium labels we tend to enjoy.
We see their entry level labels widely distributed but have never had any of their more premium labels. Note they show two dozen different offerings on their website. Never-the-less I gave it a shot and found it to be an over-achiever to my perception of the brand, meeting our hopeful expectations for suitably pairing with our dinner.
Kokomo “Peter’s Vineyard” Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast California Chardonnay 2023
Continuing, Winemaker notes for this release remain the same as with the previous vintage: “Reminiscent of a classic white Burgundy but with a California twist, this Chardonnay displays vibrant minerality accompanied by the mouth-watering natural acidity typically found in Peters Vineyard. Stirring the lees (Sur Lie) was performed to this lot consistently once per week through malolactic fermentation. We feel like this gives the wine body, texture and depth while maintaining its graceful acidity and restraint. This Chardonnay is elegant enough to pair with delicate foods and delicious enough to drink by itself after a long day.”
This is 100% Chardonnay, Sourced from Russian River Valley Appellation, and was aged 11 months in 100% French Oak, 30% New..
This is 100% Chardonnay, Sourced from Russian River Valley Appellation, and was aged 11 months in 100% French Oak, 30% New..
While I gave it the same rating, this release had a slightly different profile.
Straw colored, light to medium bodied, tangy crisp acidity highlights a predominant layer of vanilla that overshadowed the subtle pear, spice and peach tones of the earlier release, accented by light sprites of oak on a pleasurable moderate finish.
RM 89 points.
RM 89 points.
With my entree I ordered from the WBTG selections this Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. This was a new producer and label discovery for me and proved to be a high QPR - Quality Price Ratio selection.
Lingua Franca "Avni" Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2022This is from producer Lingua Franca, pronounced lin·gua fran·ca which means “a universal language used to connect people of diverse backgrounds”, a metaphor for extraordinary wines.
Lingua Franca began in 2012 when Larry Stone, the ninth Master Sommelier in the US, and the first American to win the prestigious Best International Sommelier in French Wines competition in Paris, acquired the 150 acre Janzen Farm in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA of Willamette Valley, Oregon.
Previously, Stone spent 30 years as a restaurateur and sommelier at the Four Seasons, Charlie Trotter’s here in Chicago, and Rubicon Restaurant among others. Rubicon, opened in SFO in 1994 with financial backing from Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, and Francis Ford Coppola, was named after Coppola’s signature wine. Under Stone’s leadership, Rubicon became famous for its exceptional wine program, winning a Michelin star, Ivy Award, and multiple James Beard honors for outstanding wine service. He was recruited to Rubicon from Charlie Trotter’s.
In 2015 Stone partnered with David Honig, and Dominique Lafon to develop Lingua Franca to produce exceptional wines representing the terroir of the Oregon vineyards.
Dominique Lafon is best known as the namesake, director, and winemaker of one of the great estates of Meursault, Domaine des Comtes Lafon, having taken over the family domaine in 1984. Dominique was a descendant of Jules Lafon, who founded the estate and created the revered French wine festival, La Paulée.
Dominique Lafon also founded Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon in the Mâconnais in 1999, focusing on upper hillside high-altitude, old-vine Chardonnay, further extending his impact beyond the Côte d’Or to the wider Burgundy region. He is active internationally, consulting with wineries such as Lingua Franca, and is a respected mentor to many younger winemakers in both France and abroad
They hired as Winemaker Thomas Savre, who had worked with and gained experience at some of the best domaines in Burgundy, and as Assistant Winemaker, Enologist and Assistant Vineyard Manager at Evening Land, directly adjacent to Lingua Franca, where he worked closely with Lafon to create superb Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Seven Springs Vineyards.
The Lingua Franca 66 acre vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, Willamette Valley, is surrounded by notable neighbors like Seven Springs and Lone Star Vineyards. The area benefits from ideal easterly exposure and rocky volcanic soils and cooling winds funneling in from the Pacific Ocean. This unique terroir produces intensely mineral driven wines with vibrant acidity.
Larry planted exclusively Dijon and heritage clones of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, sourced from esteemed vineyards like Le Montrachet. The Chardonnay grows in stony soils for distinctive minerality, while the Pinot thrives in silty loam "Jory" and marine fossil Nekia soils.
Grapes are carefully sorted in the winery, and whole clusters are used to enhance complexity. Traditional pigéage (foot punching) is employed for better results. The range includes estate wines and fruit from single sites, embodying classic Oregon elegance with pure fruit, spice, and earthy notes.
Nearly 32% of this 2022 Avni Pinot Noir comes from selected blocks of the Lingua Franca Estate. The remaining 68% comes from select best neighboring vineyards in the Eola-Amity Hills, including Hope Well and from the South Salem Hills and Yamhill-Carlton to the north.
Winemaker notes - “The 2022 AVNI Pinot Noir will count among the most regionally representative we have ever made, focused and flavorful, yet harmonious and balanced, with an overlying elegance and velvety mouthfeel. Red fruits dominate the flavor profile with some Black Cherry, spice, black tea, fresh herbs, and a hint of Black Cherry, tar and rose petal, finishing with a round texture.”
“Hand-harvested, sorted and destemmed, the grapes were fed bin by bin (not pumped) into medium and large sized stainless steel and cement fermenting tanks and then spontaneously fermented with wild yeast. 10% of the fruit for Avni Pinot Noir 2022 was not destemmed and went whole cluster into airtight tanks.”
The wines aged in 27% new and 73% old French oak barriques for 12 months, and 4 in tank as the final assemblage prior to bottling.
This release was awarded 94 points by Decanter, Wine Spectator and James Suckling, and 92+ points, by Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck.
Bright ruby colored, medium bodied, expressive complex redcurrant, cherry and raspberry fruits with notes of lavender, clove spice, dusty chalky stone minerality, smoke and herbs, with finely integrated tannins and acidity, on a pleasant lingering finish.
RM 90 points.
https://www.linguafranca.wine/
Linda ordered from the WBTG list this big red full bodied Zinfandel from a well known classic Zinfandel producer.
Seghesio Angela’s Table Zinfandel 2022
This is from Seghesio Family Vineyards that date back 125 years when family ancestors first planted vineyards in Sonoma County in 1895. Over the next five generations, they persevered through prohibition, earthquakes, fires and droughts.Seghesio Family Vineyards today encompass more than 300 acres of certified sustainable vineyards across Sonoma County’s most preeminent growing regions including the Russian River, Dry Creek, and Alexander Valleys. They also source grapes from San Joaquin, and Contra Costa counties.
Seghesio Family Vineyards has become synonymous with high quality Zinfandel wines, they still farm a number of the original founding blocks of Zinfandel planted at the Home Ranch Vineyard dating back to 1895. They also maintain the oldest blocks of Sangiovese in North America in their Chianti Station Vineyard. These Sangiovese vines represent an heirloom clone that has otherwise gone extinct and cannot be found anywhere else in the world. I look forward to finding and tasting their Sangiovese wines.
While “Old Vine” may be an unregulated term, they have devised our own strict guidelines for using the phrase. For Seghesio, “Old Vine” indicates a minimum age of 50 years, but they exceed those guidelines with their “Old Vine Zinfandel” which is produced from vineyards with an average age closer to 75 years.
Seghesio are known for their stewardship and preservation of old vines, so much so that, in 2011, they purchased the historic Montafi Vineyard in Russian River Valley, in large part to ensure that the 94-year-old Zinfandel vines planted there would stay in the ground. A small amount of wine is produced from that site exclusively for their tasting room and wine club.
Seghesio’s winemaker is Andy Robinson who joined Seghesio as enologist in 2003. In 2004, he took a working vacation to Marlborough, New Zealand, in order to learn how best to develop a California warm climate Sauvignon Blanc.
To try new wines and learn about different regions he has since traveled to Baden in Germany; Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Lanquedoc in France; Toro and Rioja in Spain; Veneto, Campania and Tuscany in Italy; Wachau, Austria and Oporto and Alentejo in Portugal.
Andy grew up in North Tonawanda, NY, in between Buffalo and Niagara Falls on the Niagara River — between New York’s Finger Lakes region and Ontario’s Ice Wine regions. His interest in wine began while studying for his Chemistry degree at SUNY Geneseo, where three of his chemistry professors were involved in winemaking or wine-related research topics.
He then earned a degree in Chemical Engineering at Columbia University in NYC. There, he met fellow chemical engineering student, Rosie Conception who was Seghesio’s Enologist from 2000 to 2003. She would later introduce Andy to Seghesio wines and convince him to move to Sonoma to pursue his interest in wine.
In 2001 he worked at Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena as harvest intern/ vineyard sampler and lab technician before joining Seghesio as enologist in 2003.
It’s often said that Zinfandel is the only truly American grape, Zinfandel produces wines that are bold, complex and age-worthy. Seghesio produce a broad portfolio of more than a dozen Zinfandels including Single Vineyard Designated and Old Vine labels.
This label, Angela’s Table, is essentially the same wine as the Seghesio Sonoma Zinfandel, with Angela’s Table being produced specifically for wholesale including restaurants and certain retail/outlets, while the regular Sonoma Zinfandel is sold direct-to-consumer (DTC) and major retail. The label “Angela’s Table” often appears on the back, sometimes without a barcode, and is commonly distributed to restaurants and independent wine shops rather than supermarkets.This release is sourced from Sonoma, San Joaquin, and Contra Costa counties.
The 2022 Seghesio Sonoma Zinfandel is a blend of 88% Zinfandel, 5% Petite Sirah, 1% Alicante Bouschet, and 6% Mixed Reds
Winemaker Notes - “The 2022 Sonoma Zinfandel captivates with a complex fusion of blackberry, black currant, plum, cherry, and baking spice aromas. Its lively palate showcases succulent fruit interwoven with supple tannins, persisting from mid-palate to a gratifying finish.”
It was rated 93 points by Wine Spectator
Dark garnet colored medium full bodied, bold expressive, concentrated briary blackberry fruits iwth notes of anise, smoke, creosote with a zesty lingering finish.
RM 91 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4802396
https://entouragerestaurant.com/downers-grove/
