Showing posts with label duck. Show all posts
Showing posts with label duck. Show all posts

Thursday, March 20, 2025

Sepia Curated Wine Pairing Dinner

Sepia Curated Wine Pairing Dinner 

Celebrating a recent real estate transaction, we dined with our broker/advisor/agents at Michelin Star Sepia Restaurant in the trendy West (of) Loop district of Chicago

We dined there last summer for a spectacular wine and dinner experience that was featured in these pages in this blogpost - Sepia Michelin Star Restaurant Chicago. 

Despite their Wine Spectator Best Award wine list, we opted for the wine pairing with the price fixe dinner in which the chef and wine director pair a wine with each dinner course. This allows one to not only taste numerous wines with dinner, but also to experience both the Chef’s, and Wine Director Somellier’s interpretation of the applicable wine pairings with each food course of the dinner. 

The Sepia Wine List is extraordinarily broad, 36 pages in all, with diverse range of selections from the usual old world and new world regions as well as selections from lesser producers such as Austria, Croatia, Lebanon, Greece, Armenia, Mexico and Morocco. 

As a refresher we had Champagne as a starter wine - 

Telmont Reserve Brut 2020

This is a blend of 35%, Chardonnay, 36% Muniere and 26% Pinot Noir.

From the first course, we selected from the price fixe menu each of the offerings available: 

  • Smoked beef carpaccio, sweet mustard, sourdough, and onion consomme’,
  • leek & popcorn veloute, délice de bourgogne, black truffle, brioche, and the 
  • hiramasa crudo, blood orange ponzu, cumquat, cilantro,
  • king crab & sea urchin, koshihikari, gochujang consommé, sesame.


leek & popcorn veloute, délice de bourgogne, black truffle, brioche

hiramasa crudo, apple-yuzu ponzu, lime leaf, fingerlime - this was delicious, especially the caviar highlight …


king crab & sea urchin, koshihikari, gochujang consommé, sesame


Smoked beef carpaccio,
sweet mustard, sourdough, and onion consomme’



The first course dishes were paired two different sweet dessert aperitifs - Roûmieu-Lacoste Sauternes and Travignoli Vin Santo del Chianti Rùfina, and Fabbricca Newton Rosso Toscana

Château Roûmieu-Lacoste Sauternes Haut Barzac 2022

A classic Sauternes that has been in the same family for six generations on the mother’s side of producer Hervé Dubourdieu dating back to 1890. He who also owns highly acclaimed and well known Château Graville-Lacoste and Château Ducasse. 

Roûmieu-Lacoste is in the climat of Haut Barsac, an area famous robust, powerfully styled moelleux with pronounced acidity. The vineyards are just across the road from First Growth Château Climens on a similar soil: calcareous clay on fissured rock, peppered with red iron, white limestone, and grey flint gravel. 

Hervé produces a portfolio of red and white wines with the whites being blends a high proportion of Sémillon (60%) and a splash of Muscadelle (5%) with Sauvignon Blanc (35%), creating a rich, full, aromatic mid-palate to complement the clean finish. 

Known for his charm and modest disposition, complemented by his focus and ferocious perfectionism, he is dedicated to his vineyards in the Sauternes and Graves appellations. 

A meticulous perfectionist, Hervé employs the best harvesters available, paying them double the average wage to discern between the “noble rot,” necessary to concentrate the sugars for Sauternes, and deleterious rot. Hervé is so fastidious that he will get rid of a whole basket of fruit if a single grape with the harmful rot makes it in with healthy ones to be absolutely sure to avoid even the slightest contamination. 

He sells his wines through renowned distributor Kermit Lynch,  selling them the lion’s share of his production so he can focus on the vineyards, thereby producing highest quality wine at an uncharacteristic low price.

Golden amber colored, full bodied, deeply complex, thick unctuous decadent sweetness of honey, apricot, passion fruit and lemon zest with silky smooth texture and a long and lingering finish with refreshing acidity.

RM 92 points. 

https://vignobles-hervedubourdieu.com/

The other first course wines ….

Travignoli Vin Santo del Chianti Rùfina 2015

This is another dessert wine from Villa Travignoli which is situated in the northeastern part of the Chianti region, 25 kilometers east of Florence at the meeting of the Arno and Sieve rivers. 

Travignoli, a name which means “Tra Vignoli” (between the vineyards) is located in the middle of Frescobaldi’s Nipozzano Vineyard, in the Chianti Rufina region, The site has a southern exposure, calcareous soils and an altitude ranging from 250 to 400 meters above sea level. 

Wine production at Travignoli dates all the way back to 500 BC by the Etruscans who referred to the area wines as the “Nectar of the Gods.”

The estate was acquired by Count Busi and his family in the 1800’s. They cultivate 70 hectares of the 90-hectare estate, primarily focusing on Sangiovese but also including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay. The family sold almost all of its production to private clients in demijohns until Giovanni Busi graduated from the oenology school of Conegliano in 1979. With the expert consultation of Giacomo Tachis, one of the most respected enologists in Italy, Giovanni began bottling the wine under the estate branding of Villa Travignoli.

This is sourced from the the hills of Pelago in the Chianti Rufina D.O.C.G. area in the Arno valley east of Florence. The south facing hilly terrain sits at 250 to 350 m above sea level and has a soil composition of marly, calcareous clay.

This vintage release of this dessert wines is a blend of Malvasia (70%) and Trebbiano (30%). Vinification process leaves the grapes to dry naturally after harvest on wattle shelves for four to five months before being pressed and then fermented in wooden kegs. They are then matured five years in barriques and then in bottles. 
Only 2000 bottles made. 

The producer cites an ageing potential for this wine at 30/40 years.

Travignoli Rufina
 shows a subtle fruitiness against a strong tannin-acid backbone even when fairly young. Travignoli Riservas do not lack any of the structure or power one would expect, but they also express a pleasant honesty of fruit.

Golden amber colour, full bodied, thick and unctuous apricot fruit with nones of raisins, honey, caramel and walnuts with smooth acidity on a long finish.

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?5319245


Fabbrica Newton Rosso Toscana IGT 2020

The smoked beef carpaccio was paired with this red Rosso Toscana (Tuscany) from Siena in Tuscany which is known for its Sangiovese varietal wines. Fabbrica has been producing a broad portfolio of wines since it was founded in 2013, a relative newcomer in for an ‘old world’ producer.

This is 100% Sangiovese sourced from estate vineyards in the Pienza, Val d’Orcia in eastern Tuscany where the soils and climates are more aligned with that of the Rhone Valley. The hilly part of the village of Pienza recalls those of the southern Rhone while the soils there are a reminder of the northern Rhone. 

This Fabbrica label is pressed and foot crushed, wild yeast fermentation, whole-cluster, long maceration in concrete tanks, then aged 15 months in concrete. Concrete is the special ingredient, with its somewhat porous nature that allows breathing of the wine without imparting notes from typical wood barrels. 

Ruby colored, medium bodied, round full fruit forward blackberry, raspberry and cranberry fruits with notes of dried figs, vanilla, allspice, caramel, floral, butterscotch, hints of spearmint and pine. 

RM 88 points. 

For the second course we elected these entree selections: 
  • bbq’d sablefish, cabbage, carolina bb’q, smoked apple cider butter, and the 
  • crispy creamcheese gnudi, celery root, belper knolle, salted black pepper
  • grilled lobster chawanmushi, potato fennel, boullibase  

bbq’d sablefish, cabbage, carolina bb’q, smoked apple cider butter


This was delicious, especially when the sumptuous sauce was added …

 

crispy creamcheese gnudi, celery root, belper knolle, salted black pepper


grilled lobster chawanmushi, potato fennel, boullibase


The wine accompaniments for this course were …

Malat "Hohlgraben" Palt Kremstal Grüner Veltliner 2021

The bbq’d sablefish was delicious, exceeding my expectations and was nicely accompanied by this straightforward white wine. 

This is from the estate of Gerald Malat located near Krems, in Palt, between the southern bank of the Danube and the Gottweiger Mountain. It is in the Kremstal wine growing appellation (DAC), one of the most recent DAC’s to be added in Austria. 

Founded in 2007, just east of the Wachau, the appellation is divided into three significant zones. The most western part of the valley, near Stein, is primarily rocky soils, ideal for the elegant, yet intense, Riesling varietal. 

Moving east towards the historic town of Krems, deep loess soils cover the vineyards yielding Grüner Veltliner that is expressive, highly aromatic and fresh. 

The third zone, the source of this label, Kremstal. Is located on the southern banks of the Danube River, where some of the most pleasant wine villages are found. The deep valley is protected by the northern cool winds, though the warm Pannonian winds from the east still persist, resulting in a riper style wine.

The estate is comprised of seven different vineyards, each slightly distinct and different from the others. The Hohlgraben vineyard lies at the foot of the Gottweiger Stiftsberg and is the Malat estate's most historic and probably also most important Veltliner plantation. The soil is all classic loess with south to south west exposure.

Importer’s Notes - “This wine shows extraordinarily vibrant and beautifully sculpted expression of GV - snap-pea and other kitchen-garden aromas, lovely pear and peach notes, acids nicely focused and interwoven; charming minerality and excellent balance."

Straw colored, medium bodied, crisp, modest fruits of pear and hints of peach with mineral and acid notes on the finish. 

RM 89 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?4413626

https://www.malat.at/wp/

Linda’s crèamcheese gnudi was accompanied by this crisp Sauvignon Blanc. 

Arnaud & Albéric Lechat Les Silex Sauvignon Blanc 2021

For the lobster dish, this Sauvignon Blanc is from the Loire River Valley that runs west for 170 miles from the historic city of Orléans towards the Atlantic Ocean, and is one of France’s most diverse wine regions, and one of the most historic with grand riverside châteaux once inhabited by kings and nobles.

The climate in the Touraine sub-region is moderated by the Cher River, a tributary of the Loire.

For four generations, the Domaine de Beauséjour estate was run by the Trotignon family, who made it into one of the most respected names in the Touraine appellation. The Lechat brothers, Arnaud and Albéric Lechat took over in 2022 with plans to build on this foundation. 

The Les Silex estate consists of nearly fifty acres of which 40 are planted with Sauvignon Blanc – the region’s most popular white grape.

This was straw colored, light medium bodied with subdued crisp gooseberry, stone, and grapefruit citrus fruits with notes of mineral on the finish.

RM 89 points. 

For the third course we selected the Crispy skin black bass and the Rohan duck breast entrees.

Crispy skin black bass, escarole, calabrian chile, herbed pil pil

This black bass course turned out to be a disappointment with the sea foam coming across way too fishy for enjoyment. The wine accompaniment for this dish was this interesting Friulano Bianca.

Mitja Sirk Bianco Europea Friulano IGT 2022 

This unique white wine if crafted from the Tocai Friulano grape from the Venezia Giulia Appellation in the Friuli Region from the town of Cormons in Collio, Italy, in the extreme northeastern most corner of Italy, just a mile from the Slovenian border. 

The major city or town of Friuli Venezia Giulia is the regional capital of Trieste. Until recently, Friuli Venezia Giulia was divided into four provinces, each named after its principal city, however, in 2018 the system changed whereby the provinces were replaced by a series of territories known as UTIs.The largest cities are the three former provincial capitals of Udine, Gorizia and Pordenone, along with the town of Monfalcone. 

The horseshoe-shaped region of eastern Friuli is referred to simply as Collio (“hills”), lying midway between the Julian Alps and the Adriatic Sea. The climate is classic Mediterranean, warm in summer, but, as a classic Alpine area, cold and wet in winter, which are ideal conditions for the thin-skinned but early-ripening Friulano grape. WWII took a heavy toll on Collio. In the postwar period, Friuli rebuilt its economy based largely on wine, but it did not emerge as a source of notable wines until the late 1960s. 

The Sirk family, Josko and Loredana, and their grown children, are originally from Slovenia, but have been at home over the Italian border in Cormons for more than half a century. Josko ran the estate until the 1974 vintage, then moved his attention from farming to the [now Michelin-starred] restaurant and the [now world-renowned] hotel, La Subida, and became a legend in Friulian hospitality. 

For the following 30 years, the vineyards that we own were worked by Sirk family cousins. In 2003, the next generation Sirk family took them back for vinegar and wine production. Son Mitja restarted the wine production in 2016, as a project based on working exclusively with friulano, the typical variety of the region.

Mitja Sirk is the winemaker for this label that bears his name. Mitja wanted to be a winemaker from the age of 11. A local winegrower Josko Gravner took him under his arm and mentored his winemaking ambition. He started by giving him one of his clay amphorae wine producing vessels, bought some grapes and produced his first wine. 

Mitja went on to study at the local viticulture and enology in high school, then traveled throughout Europe learning directly from winemakers he admired and tasting regularly with his best friend Kristian Keber, producer Edi Keber’s son. He worked at producer Isole e Olena in 2011, Dujac in 2013, Conterno in 2014, and Roulot in 2018, each contributing to his learning, experience and confidence. 

Mitja focused on the Fruilano grape, the traditional and most widely planted in Collio, prized for its aromatic delicacy pronounced mineral, floral, and sweet almond notes, with a distinctive note of bitterness at the finish.

This wine is sourced from seven select vineyards in Collio and Colli Orientali grown at 70 to 150 meters above sea level. The vines are 20-70 years in age, grown orgaincally on the stony “ponca” soils of compacted sandstone and marl. The wine’s alcoholic fermentation and elevage occurs primarily in steel tanks, with 10% done in neutral barrel. The wine was aged approx 6 months with virtually no battonage in this vintage, due to the incredibly long, slow fermentation. The wine was bottled after a very light filtration 

The result is an easy drinking wine with strong aromatic character and a sharp and clean ending. 

Mitja makes both some single-vineyard bottlings and also a “Bianco di Mitja” which is sourced from the area’s most notable sites. He’s working with vineyards on both sides of the Slovenian border, hence the Bianco is now bottled as a “Vino Bianco Europeo.” The Brda in Slovenia and Collio in Friuli are geologically the same region, and share a climate.

Straw colored, light medium bodied, soft crisp notes of honeysuckle, melon, lime peel, and crushed flowers with a stony yet refreshing acidity on the pleasant finish. 

RM 87 points. 

On the promotion of our server, all three gentlemen ordered the duck breast, which was delicious, as good as I remember having before in any other restaurant.

Rohan duck breast, malted sunchoke, huckleberry & duck confit pithivier


The Rohan duck breast was paired with this interested Spanish  red wine. 

Navaherreros Garnacha Tinta de Bernabeleva 2022 

Readers of these pages know I often order duck when dining out, and take BYOB or select a Rhône varietal wine for such occasions. With the duck course I predicted such and we were served this Spanish Garnacha, which is essentially Grenache, the popular grape from the southern Rhône River Valley. 

Garnacha's actual birthplace is Spain however,  it is more recognized as Grenache, the ‘G” in GSM, the popular Rhône blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, produced in the red blends of the Southern Rhône, most notably Châteauneuf-du-Pape (which by AOC rules must contain 70% of the three grapes), as well as Côtes du Rhône and its villages. It is also popular in California, primarily in the Central Coastal region of Paso Robles, Washington and Australia.

This is the entry-level red of Spanish producer Navaherreros from just north of La Mancha, Spain’s (and actually Europe’s) largest classified wine region, Vinos de Madrid DO. The large region is comprised of four subregions that start about 9 miles from the city center. Three of the subregions form a semicircle around the southern suburbs, Arganda, Navalcarnero, San Martín, and El Molar, situated directly north of the city, the newly created 4th subregion. Vinos de Madrid was granted DO status in 1990.

While Tempranillo is the most planted grape variety in the Arganda subregion in the southeast, Garnacha is the dominant grape in all other subregions, including El Molar in the north, Navalcarnero in the south, and especially San Martín de Valdeiglesias in the west.

Grenache thrives in the warm, Mediterranean climate where ample sunlight allows its clusters to achieve full ripeness. 

This was rated 92 points by The Wine Advocate.

Opaque ruby colored, medium bodied, wild black berry fruits with earthy, meaty notes, hints of iron and graphite with dusty tannins and a dry finish. 

RM 89 points.



For the dessert course we selected:

bay leaf crème brûlée, olive oil, satsuma mandarin, roasted vanilla

hibiscus pavlova, ginger, toasted coconut, chamoy

white sesame mont blanc, miso butterscotch, salted maple, caramelized banana. shown below.


The culinary team at Sepia consists of:

executive chef andrew zimmerman
chef de cuisine kyle cottle sous chefs brian daley & jayme cannava
pastry chef erin kobler, and, pastry sous chef melissa santiago

Our server and Jake Bennie, new wine director

https://www.sepiachicago.com/

https://x.com/SepiaChicago

Saturday, August 24, 2024

Duck Inn (Chicago) Pour Boys Wine Group Dinner

Duck Inn (Chicago) Pour Boys Wine Group Dinner

An abbreviated group of the Chicagoland contingent of our Pour Boys Wine Group met for dinner at Duck Inn, Chicago

The Duck Inn was opened in Chicago’s near south side Bridgeport neighborhood by Chef Kevin Hickey in 2014.

Previously Kevin worked with Four Seasons in Dublin, London and Atlanta before coming back to his native Chicago in 2004 — first at The Ritz Carlton Hotel as Executive Chef and eventually the Four Seasons Chicago as Executive Chef & Restaurant Director where he led his team to two consecutive Michelin Stars, the only Four Seasons Chef to receive Michelin Stars in North America and AAA Five Diamond status with the restaurant Seasons. He eventually opened the acclaimed restaurant, Allium.

In November 2015, The Duck Inn was named one of the “Best New Restaurants in America” by Esquire Magazine, named as one of the Top 10 restaurants in America by USA Today and chosen as Restaurant of the Year by Eater Chicago. The Chicago Tribune named Kevin Hickey, Chef of The Year for 2015. To date, The Duck Inn has been awarded the coveted Bib Gourmand by Michelin for six consecutive years.

We ordered from the menu a their two signature offerings to share - Rotisserie Duck with Foie Gras, and the All Natural Ribeye Beefsteak with Fries.


Peach Wellington - Duck and Foie Gras Sausage with duxelles Italian black truffle, klug farm peaches and peach jus …

And finally, no visit to Duck Inn is complete without trying their famous Duck Inn Dogs, their tribute to the classic Chicago Hot Dog. Made with all-natural beef and duck fat in a hog casing and grilled to a perfect snap, their dog is topped with all the classic ingredients of a Chicago dog. 

We brought from our respective cellars a flight of red wines to pair with the diverse food courses. 

As customary, when we bring BYOB, we share with the Sommelier, Chef, or in this case the owner/proprietor and Chef Kevin Hickey, who, as always, was enthusiastic and eager to taste. 


Sea Smoke "Southing" Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2013

Dan brought this from his cellar from his wine club allocation of this popular ultra-premium label from Sea Smoke, one of the Central Coast's cult Pinot producers. 

Sta. Rita Hills is the coolest, westernmost sub-region of the larger Santa Ynez Valley appellation within Santa Barbara County. This relatively new AVA produces highly rated Chardonnay and Pinot Noir due to the cool climate effects of the ocean breezes and well-drained, limestone-rich calcareous soil. 

The unique geography there is such that the mountain ranges lie perpendicular to the coast rather than parallel, so the Pacific marine layer fog and breezes sweep regularly into through the valley. 

The Southing label is sourced entirely from the Sea Smoke Estate Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills of Santa Barbara County. 

This is aged  16 months in 55% new French oak barrels.

This release was awarded 94 points by Wine Enthusiast and 90 points by Wine Spectator.

Bright Ruby Colored, medium bodied, ripe black raspberry and hints of strawberry and black cherry fruits accented by notes of mocha, cinnamon, spice, dusty rose and hints of cola.

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?2044703


Domaine Vieux Telegraph Chateauneuf du Pape 2015

Lyle brought from his cellar this highly rated Rhône Blend. 

Our visit to Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe was a highlight of our trip to France and Provence and  Châteauneuf-du-Pape, one of  the most renowned wine producing area in the Southern Rhône River Valley. 

We blogged a few prior to and in our preparation for the trip and and our visit and then featured our visit to Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe. Châteauneuf-du-Pape in a blogpost at the time. 

That was a return visit for me as I visited Vieux Télégraphe during my tour to Châteauneuf-du-Pape back in 1998.

Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe is a leading producer in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and their flagship and signature label La Crau is one of the most celebrated grand cru of the southern Rhône.

Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe "La Crau" Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2015

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/07/domaine-du-vieux-telegraphe-chateauneuf.html



This much heralded release was awarded 96 points by James Suckling, 95 points by Wine Spectator, 94 points by Wine Advocate, 93 points by Jeb Dunnuck, and 92-94 points by Vinous.

Suckling said it best - “An array of red, blue and purple fruits. Gently spicy, chalky and fragrant, it has a very supple, fleshy and layered palate with a web of fine, smooth and supple tannins. Extremely elegant and composed. A long draw on the finish. Great depth and drive.” 

Wine Spectator said best from 2020 through 2035. Wine Advocate said It should drink well for up to 20 years. The fruit seemed somewhat subdued when compared to brighter the Force Majeure, perhaps we drank this too soon but at nine years it should be at a point to reveal its true nature and character. 

The flagship wine of the estate, as always, sourced from the oldest vines of the estate on la Crau,  the 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape, is a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah and 5% other permitted varieties. 

Bright ruby-red. medium to full-bodied, floral on opening, ripe red and dark berries, kirsch, licorice, white pepper, smoky mineral overtone, hints of mocha chocolate on the long, silky finish laced with fine chewy gripping tannins.

RM 92 points. 



Force Majeure Parvata (GSM) Red Blend 2017

In light of Lyle bringing the VT CDP, I brought from our cellar this American version of the Rhône Blend, acquired from our wine club allocation. 

We discovered this wine during our visit to the Force Majeure estate and vineyards during our Walla Walla Wine Experience back in 2018


Like the Vieux Telegraph, this was a blend of the classic Rhône varietals - 42% Mourvèdre, 25% Grenache, 23% Syrah, 5% Counoise, and 4% Cinsault, all sourced from vineyards in the Columbia Valley Washington, Red Mountain Appellation. Indeed, Parvata means “mountain” in sanskrit, and hence is the name for Force Majeure's southern Rhône style blend, grown in the sandy, loamy soils of the lower section of the Red Mountain vineyard.

This was aged in 25% new French oak, mostly 400- and 500-liter barrels.

This too was highly rated getting 95 points from jebdunnuck.com and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, and 92 points from Vinous. 

Unlike the VT CDP with its long storied history over several generations, this is just the third vintage of this cuvée, first released in 2015.

Stephen Tanzer said, “Still a bit youthfully rigid today and in need of a year or two of patience.” 

Bright ruby-red, full bodied, expressive, vibrant, powerful, dense with an intense core of fresh ripe red, black and blue fruits, accented by spice, bitter dark chocolate, licorice and oak, finishing with ripe, fine-grained tannins on a long lingering finish. 

RM 93 points. 


Friday, September 2, 2022

Chez Joël Authentic French Bistro Cuisine with High QPR Wine Selections

Chez Joël Authentic French Bistro Cuisine with High QPR Wine Selections

Back home from our road trip, Friday night dinner, we were treated to dinner with son Sean and d-in-law Michelle to celebrate their new home down the street from our in the Hobson Road corridor. 

We dined at one of our favorite eateries in the City (Chicago), Chez Joël on Taylor Street. As usual the service was outstanding, food was delectable and the price was agreeable.

Chez Joël is quaint, artsy, intimate, tasteful, comfortable,  authentic yet unpretentious in its French Bistro setting and faire. We had a perfect lat summer evening sitting outside in the adjacent courtyard.

I had my oft-time usual fare, the Duck Confit, Linda had the salmon, Sean the daily special Blue Fish, and Michelle had the lamb, Michelle's cousin Ola had the Coq au vin. 

Chez Joel Patio

Chez Joel Confit Duck

Chez Joel Lamb

All the entrees were excellent - well prepared, artful presentations, ample portions, and with appropriate accompaniments.

With the starters and seafood entrees we had a selection of WBTG (Wine By The Glass) offerings from the winelist, the Sauvignon Blanc, Daniel Olivier, Montravel, Bergerac and this California Chardonnay.

Bishop's Peak Tally Vineyards San Luis Obispo Chardonnay 2020

Bishop's Peak is the second label of wines are crafted by Talley Vineyards to capture the unique diversity of the greater Central Coast region. The goal with the Bishop's Peak Chardonnay is to produce wine that reflects the distinct aroma and flavor of cool climate chardonnay in the purest way possible. Consequently no new oak barrels are used for fermentation or aging. Produced from Chardonnay grapes grown sustainably in coastal San Luis Obispo County, predominantly in stainless steel with some neutral French oak barrels.

Vinous rated this 91 points reflecting high QPR in this entry level label. 

Straw colored, medium bodied, notes of pear and peach fruits with hints of lemon, floral with bitter citrus tones. 

RM 89 points.

For the main courses we ordered from the winelist this Northern Rhone red that we know well having enjoyed earlier vintage releases it on several occasions from the winelist at another one of our favorite French Bistro's Suzzettes' Creperie in suburban Wheaton

Repeating that earlier blogpost the notes about Domaine Chevalier and brother and sister team of Nicolas and Marlène Chevalier, tonight we tasted the newer, later 2020 vintage of this label.

Marlène & Nicolas Chevalier Les Voleyses Crozes Hermitage 2020

Once part of the cave co-operative at Tain-Hermitage, since 2008 the family vineyards of Domaine Chevalier are gradually being reclaimed by the brother and sister team of Nicolas and Marlène Chevalier. Nicolas tends the vineyards and crafts each cuvee, while Marlène handles all of the sales and marketing for Domaine Chevalier.

Following his formal agricultural studies in France, Nicolas spent four years honing his winemaking skills on estates in Australia, California and South Africa. After completing studies in agronomy and enology in France, he headed to South Australia’s Clare Valley where he mastered various techniques for fermenting Shiraz (Syrah). He then worked with Kendall Jackson in California crafting white winemaking skills. To further his post-graduate wine studies, he spent 2002 in South Africa working at legendary three-hundred-year-old Boschendal estate in Stellenbosch, South Africa, a winery renowned for its superb Syrah-based wines.

Marlène and Nicolas Chevalier farm three small vineyards at their meticulously tended family property comprising 3 1/2 acres in Crozes-Hermitage from which they produce on average 500 cases of red and white Rhône wines in tiny lots which are highly allocated. Their wines are found only in a couple of importer direct wine clubs and renowned restaurants in North American.

This is from Crozes, the village adjacent the more prestigious appellation that shares part of its name, but operates in Hermitage’s shadow. The Crozes-Hermitage appellation area extends about 10 miles (16 km) both north and south of Tain and Hermitage itself and is known to produce more approachable wines than its higher profile neighbor. By 2017, almost 4,200 acres (1,700 ha) of vines had been planted among the local cherry and apricot orchards. Unlike Hermitage, land in Crozes-Hermitage is relatively affordable and available providing an opportunity for enthusiastic newcomers, as well as a number of local growers, who want to bottle the fruit of their own labors, rather than send their production to the Cave de Tain co-op, the case of this wine too.  

Nicolas works with several distinct parcels for their wines: La Motte, Marius, Petite Pend, Les Pends and namesake source for this label, Les Voleyses. These vineyards have clay and limestone soils with excellent exposure, known to produce ripe, high quality grapes with great aromatic character and freshness. The Domaine Chevalier site has been producing grapes for notable wines gaining high praise and critical acclaim for more than three centuries.

Like the 2018 vintage we tasted earlier, the 2020 vintage was also top rated in the Northern Rhône. This represents a great value, high QPR (quality price ratio) wine.
 
Importer notes for the 2018 release: The 2018 Domaine Chevalier Les Voleyses Crozes-Hermitage sports a brilliant purple robe and a captivating aroma redolent with the scents of blackberry, plum, violets, and exotic spices. Sensuous and seductive in the mouth, the 2018 Les Voleyses graces the palate with a silky texture and pure floral, fruit, and forest floor flavors that have aptly been described as hedonism in a glass. Moreover, the 2018 Domaine Chevalier Les Voleyses is juicy and harmonious to the finish, as it makes an exit with joyful panache.
 
The Voleyses Cuvée is 100% Syrah made from younger vine fruit and aged in stainless steel.
 
Tonight's tasting was totally consistent with our earlier experiences with this label.

Deep inky purple colored medium-full bodied, full round layers of blackberry and plum fruits, notes of black tea, spice and leather overtake the fruits, turning to soft chewy textured tannins on a medium finish. 

RM 91 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4133858

The 2018 release - https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3495672

Earlier vintage release blogpost - https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/12/intimate-dinner-suzettes-creperie.html

With the dessert course Sean had the Tawney Port and I had another wine we know well from previous visits here as well as from our home cellar, this WBTG Sauterne offering. 

Château Suduiraut Lions de Suduiraut Sauterne 2016

This is the second wine of a well known prestigious Bordeaux Grand Cru. 

Resembling its flagship first label big brother this was delicious and a perfect perfect accompaniment to the Creme Brulee and Chocolate Lava Cake. 

The history of Château Suduiraut began in 1580 with the marriage of Nicole d’Allard and Léonard de Suduiraut. Classified as a Premier Cru Classé (First Growth) in Sauternes in 1855, it has always been known as a superb property (its neighbor is Château d’Yquem). 

In the 1990’s, the estate was sold to French financial insurance conglomerate AXA, who invested in the Château making significant investments in its vineyards and winemaking facilities. This eventually translated into a dramatic increase in the quality of the wines.

The Suduiraut vineyards span 92 hectares consisting of gravel, sand, limestone and clay soils on sloping hillsides. They are planted to 90% Semillon and 10% Sauvignon Blanc. The wine is fermented in French oak barrels and aged on its lees in 50% new French oak for 18-24 months. Lions de Suduiraut, their third label, is produced from almost nearly 100% Semilon. This release was a blend of  93% Semillon and 7% Sauvignon Blanc. 

It was aged 50% in new barrels and 50% from barrels of one vintage, for 16 to 18 months

Dark golden, weak tea colored, medium bodied, sprites of sweet honey, apricot with note of peach and glints of pear, citrus and notes of lychee, stone fruit on a tongue coating unctuous finish.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3417749

https://www.suduiraut.com/

As usual and to be expected at Chez Joel, a wonderful, relaxing fun wine and dine evening.

http://chezjoelbistro.com/

 

 


Sunday, September 5, 2021

Duck Inn Chicago unique dining experience

Duck Inn Chicago for a classic Chicago neighborhood unique dining experience

Fellow Pour Boy wine buddy Dr Dan arranged a Pour Boys (Wine Group) dinner at The Duck Inn Chicago, a neighborhood gastro-tavern and dining room, located at Loomis Street and the Chicago River, on the border of Chicago’s booming Pilsen and Bridgeport neighborhoods. 

Duck Inn is housed in a pre-Prohibition era tavern with a cozy retro design aesthetic that has continuously operated for almost a century. 

Patron Chef Kevin Hickey was born and raised in Chicago’s iconic south side neighborhood, Bridgeport; historically  home to the best meat-packers and butchers in the world. His family has been a part of the Bridgeport business, political and social community for over five generations. 

Kevin began his professional career in the restaurant business at his uncle’s restaurant on the Gold Coast while in high school at De La Salle Institute in Bronzeville, Chicago. This led to a 35-year career working for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in Beverly Hills and eventually with Four Seasons in Dublin, London and Atlanta.

He returned to Chicago in 2004 — first at The Ritz Carlton as Executive Chef and eventually the Four Seasons as Executive Chef & Restaurant Director where he led his team to two consecutive Michelin Stars, the only Four Seasons Chef to receive Michelin Stars in North America and AAA Five Diamond status with the restaurant Seasons. He eventually opened the acclaimed restaurant, Allium.

Chef Hickey opened this Bridgeport venture, The Duck Inn in 2014. In November 2015, The Duck Inn was named one of the “Best New Restaurants in America” by Esquire Magazine, named as one of the Top 10 restaurants in America by USA Today and chosen as Restaurant of the Year by Eater Chicago. 

The Chicago Tribune named Kevin Hickey, 'Chef of The Year for 2015'. To date, The Duck Inn has been awarded the coveted Bib Gourmand by Michelin for six consecutive years. 

We dined outside on the Duck Inn Patio which was ideal for the beautiful late summer evening, adjacent the gardens of wild flowers.

We were served our wine service by Brandon Phillips who has spent the last half-decade perfecting his craft behind the bar, earning the title of Master Bartender. Phillips and Hickey together, open Bottlefork, a stylish New American concept in Chicago that was almost immediately heralded by Wine Spectator & GQ Magazine as having some of the most innovative cocktails in the city. 

Building on the success of their first partnership, Phillips & Hickey opened The Duck Inn in 2014, which would later be named one of the “10 hottest Bars in Chicago”, as well as given numerous “Best Restaurant” accolades from publications such as Eater Chicago, Esquire Magazine and USA Today. Included in Zagat’s prestigious annual 30 Under 30 roundup, Phillips was honored by The Chicago Tribune which named him “Bartender of the Year” in 2016.

The Duck Inn's signature dish is a simple yet elegantly-prepared whole rotisserie duck. The legs and thighs are slow-roasted for three hours and the breasts are pan-roasted medium-rare to order. The carved duck is served over greens tossed with duck fat dripping potatoes and seasonal fruits. The final component is a duck jus reduction served at the table.  

As an appetizer course we feasted on Duck Inn signature Duck Wings in Japanese BBQ Sauce (shown below) which I might argue was one of the highlights of the meal. 

As crazy as it sounds, we also feasted on another Duck Inn signature dish, the Duck Inn Dog, their tribute to the classic Chicago Hot Dog. Made with all-natural beef and duck fat in a hog casing and grilled to a perfection, it is topped with the classic ingredients of a Chicago dog, homemade mustard & relish combined with pickled hot peppers and pickle, tomatoes, onions and celery salt, all in a, one of a kind, brioche poppy seed bun.
The Duck Inn Dog has received numerous local and national accolades, including being named Top Dog by Food Network and Best Hot Dogs in Chicago by Food & Wine magazine.

From the daily specials, Dan ordered for another main course selection to be shared by the group, the 38 ounce rib-eye steak, that we shared family style. 

To accompany the different dinner courses, each of the three Pour Boys provided a bottle for a flight of three red wines. Lyle brought BYOB from his cellar a Willammette Valley Pinot Noir. Dan ordered from the winelist a California Central Valley Cabernet Franc, and I brought BYOB from our cellar a Columbia Valley Rhone varietal blend. 


 

I. Brand & Family Paicines, California Bayly Ranch Cabernet Franc 2018

Ian and Heather Brand founded I Brand Family Wines in from the Central Coast California in 2008. Ian’s first winery job was with Bonny Doon Winery; he then went to work for Big Basin Vineyards for four years before he and Heather decided to begin their own project. 

I Brand uses organic and sustainable farming practices to produce 11,000 cases annually from 20+ year old vines. 

Ian devotes much time to selecting vineyard sites with shallow, rocky soils and proper varietal match with soil and climate in the often-overlooked Monterey Bay area, which has a wide range of undiscovered or underappreciated vineyards.

Named one of Wine & Spirits Magazine's "40 Under 40 Tastemakers", and the San Francisco Chronicle's '2018 Winemaker of the Year', Ian Brand has emerged as one of the premier names in California winemaking today. 

Brand adheres to organic farming and progressive style from his time at Bonny Doon where he was the assistant winemaker to Randall Grahm. Working primarily with vineyards in Monterey and San Benito counties, Brand has the chance to champion both regions and their unique terroir, a confluence of Pacific wind and most of California's otherwise rare limestone escarpments. 

This 100% Cabernet Franc is produced from vineyards located in Tres Pinot Creek, (along the San Andreas Fault Line), at only 800 foot elevation. A great locale for Cabernet Franc, this exhibits Loire-like structure overlaid with the bright fruit befitting California sunshine.

Cabernet Franc can exist in two styles; the more elegant central Loire style, or the more muscular style found in Bordeaux. The Bayly Ranch Cab Franc is more akin to the Loire Valley reds of Chinon, Saumur, and Bourgueil. 

Somewhat opaque, garnet colored, medium weight, an Old World style with bright black berry and plum fruits accented by black tea, tobacco, dusty leather and hints of spice, with a long savory finish of tangy acidity and chalky tannins. K&L in the Bay Area say "It’s no wonder this has become of one of our best sellers."

RM 89 points.   

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3673494

https://www.ibrandwinery.com/

Alexana Terroir Series Willammette Valley Pinot Noir 2016

Alexana’s Terroir Series Pinot was created from a diverse selection of clones and encompasses fruit from five of Willamette Valley’s top AVA’s which lends to this wine's complexity. 

At the winery, the fruit is triple-hand-sorted allowing only the best berries through.  The Alexana Pinot Noir 2016 was crafted by Bryan Weil who previously worked at Domaine Serene, one of our favorite Oregon Pinot Noir producers. 

This is from the producers of its sister winery, Revana in St. Helena, and like Revana, Alexana is quickly building a reputation of excellence.  In 2013 their Dundee Hills Pinot earned the #17 spot on the Wine Spectator Top 100 list. 

This was rated 94 points and was Highly Recommended by Wine Spectator and 91 points by Wine Enthusiast.

Ruby colored, medium bodied, cherry and boysenberry fruits give way to tones of floral, smoke, anise and dark chocolate with smooth polished tannins on the moderate finish. 

RM 90 points.  

Force Majeure Parvata Red Blend 2015 

We discovered and acquired this wine during our visit to Force Majeure in Walla Walla back in 2018. We just this week processed our allocation order to replace this bottle with the current release!   

This is from their Red Mountain Vineyard site in the central Columbia Valley. The Red Mountain site was the very first vineyard on the steep, rocky upper slopes of Red Mountain. Developing the Red Mountain estate vineyards involved carefully matching varietal and clonal selections and vineyard trellising and irrigation to the eight distinct soil types in the vineyard.

Parvata means “mountain” in sanskrit, and hence is the name for Force Majeure's southern Rhône style blend, grown in the sandy, loamy soils of the lower section of the Red Mountain vineyard.

This is a a classic Rhone River Blend that the French, and in the new World, the Australians, call GSM, for the blend of the three Rhone varietals, (20%) Grenache, (34%) Syrah, and (46%) Mourvedre.

This is the style we love, with its dark blackish garnet purple colored, full bodied, rich unctuous concentrated black and blue fruits accented by white pepper and tones of dried herbs with bright lively acidity.

RM 93 points.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/10/force-majeure-vineyards-site-visit-and.html

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2659538

https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/ 

@ForceMVineyards

To close out the dinner with desserts, the Pure Chocolate Beignet and the creme glaces - salted caramel truffle and the maple butter pecan were all delectable - to die for. 

All in all, a spectacular, delightful, fun evening in a classic Chicago neighborhood setting.

https://theduckinnchicago.com/

https://twitter.com/DuckInnChicago

@DuckInnChicago