Oak Restaurant Charleston

Oak Restaurant Charleston for spectacular dinner experience

The annual OTBN Wine Extravaganza Weekend this year finds our Pour Boys Wine Group fragmented with folks traveling, so we set a raincheck for a future get-together. 

Meanwhile, we traveled to Charleston (SC) for an abbreviated OTBN get together with fellow wine buddy & Pour Boy Bill C, and Beth. 

Friday night we dined at Oak Restaurant on historic Broad Street in downtown Charleston for a fabulous wine dinner. 

Oak operates eight locations across the southeast from Alexandria to Nashville to Jacksonville with points in-between including Atlanta, Raleigh, Charlotte and in the historic downtown Charleston. 

Located in a historic bank building that dates back to 1848 with brick walls, arched windows, 20-foot ceilings, original metalwork, fireplaces, and 150-year-old heart pine floors. There are four distinct dining areas and the bar, with second and third floor private dining rooms. The atmosphere is lively, cosmopolitan, tony, stylish, warm and inviting. 

The menu is classic steakhouse featuring Certified Angus Beef with all the trimmings, locally and regionally sourced seafood and produce, and special selections of oysters, caviar and specialties including a daily seafood fresh catch, pasta, chicken, scallops and crab cakes. 

There is a broad, extensive wine list features primarily American California Cabernets but also includes some Old World selections of French, Italian and a few select labels beyond. 

We were served by Chris Bartlett who was an absolute pro, hospitable, cordial, delightful - a second tier Sommelier, he was masterful in serving our wines as well. 

For starters, Bill and I both ordered the Foie Gras, and for the group, the baked oysters and the shrimp cocktail plate. 

With the foie gras was served Dolce Napa Valley Late Harvest Riesling 2017 for a perfect, delicious pairing. 

For the main course we ordered Filets of Beef steaks, and Linda ordered the daily fresh catch, Tile Fish with coos coos and corn relish, all with sides of onion rings, pomme purée’, and Oak’s signature cornbread. 

My filet of beef steak was prepared perfectly, to my specified Pittsburg style, and, along with the delicious mashed potatoes was as good as any such pairing I have ever had! 

Crazy as it may sound, aside the fabulous steak, the foie gras and all … the delicious mashed potatoes were spectacular and one of the highlights for me. 

For a wine accompaniment Bill brought BYOB from his home cellar an aged vintage Chateau Montelena Napa Cabernet. I ordered from the wine list the rare boutique producer Mira Napa Cabernet.

I selected the Mira, based on a tasting experience with this producer at a family dinner last year. Notably, we learned one of the Mira founders/owners was from Charleston and that for nearly seven years, they actually had a tasting room featuring all of their vineyard designated wines a few blocks away down the street. 

We tasted and featured Mira and one of their labels in these pages in a blogpost back in February,2023 - Old and New big reds for family celebration party, excerpted here.

Mira Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

This is the handicraft of Co-Founder/Winemaker Gustavo A. Gonzalez and co-founder Jim “Bear” Dyke, Jr., consultant and Washington DC lobbyist who over his 30-year career, has consulted with Fortune ranked companies, trade associations, public policy makers and helped manage numerous national and state political campaigns.

A chance meeting at the Off The Record bar in Washington, D.C., lead to their joint pursuit of the dream of creating a world class winery. In 2009, they joined forces and sourced their first grapes in 2012 with the inaugural release of Mira wine.

Ironically, we learned Jim “Bear” Dyke and Mira Winery had a connection to Charleston and for a while had a tasting room just down the street from Oak. The Charleston connection with Jim and wife Dawn Dyke, and Mira’s history were featured in the April 2017's issue of the Charleston Mercury, where he shared his story of meeting Gustavo Gonzalez and how he put aside the world of politics to pursue his dream, leading to the formation of Mira Winery. The full article can be found here - Click to read article.

Duke and Gonzales were joined by Ed Thralls who came to Mira with 25 years of experience in both wine and financial technology industries. Having studied winemaking at UC Davis and earning a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW), he has served as director at Flowers Vineyards & Winery and Huneeus Vintners and managing his own winery, Thralls Family Cellars.

Today, starting with the 2023 vintage, Mira’s winemaker is the highly acclaimed Thomas Rivers Brown, the youngest winemaker to ever receive a 100 point score from Robert Parker (he’s earned 60+ since) and has also received two 100-point scores from Wine Spectator, the first American winemaker to receive a perfect score.

Mira Winery is named for the Latin root of “miracle” and Greek for “destiny”. It is a family owned, 16-acre estate in the heart of the Napa Valley, farming historic vineyards that were first planted to grapes in 1885. 

Gustavo A Gonzalez has been practicing his craft in the Napa Valley and around the world to critical acclaim for over 20 years, in California, Italy, France, Argentina, and Brazil. He brings local knowledge and global perspective, experience and creativity to Mira’s vineyard practices and winemaking techniques.

Gustavo grew up in California’s Central Valley, surrounded by family with longstanding ties to agriculture and an appreciation for wine. His appreciation for winemaking took him to the Napa Valley where he joined the Robert Mondavi Winery in 1995 working in the fields towards a career in winemaking. For 17 years at Robert Mondavi Winery, Gustavo worked his way up to Head Red Winemaker where he established Robert Mondavi Winery Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon as one of the leading Napa Valley Cabernets, consistently receiving Wine Spectator ratings of 95 or higher.

Gustavo’s strong relationships with leading Napa Valley grape growers brought Mira unique access to some of the finest blocks of grapes in some of the Napa Valley’s premier vineyards including Hyde Vineyard in the Carneros AVA and Schweizer Vineyard in the heart of the Stags Leap AVA.

Winemaker’s notes - “ A seductive nose with notes of vanilla and warm spice. Reduced tannins and enhanced acidity allows for a lovely smooth, consistent experience with luscious balsamic flavors.”

Dark garnet colored, medium to full bodied, full round concentrated ripe black cherry and blackberry with notes of dusty rose, black tea, hints of vanilla, oak and cinnamon spice with smooth moderate tannings on the lingering finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://miranapa.com/

Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

One cannot write about Chateau Montelena wine without talking about its history. This is the classic flagship label from this legendary producer Chateau Montelena who gained international acclaim for not only the winery, but for Napa Valley and the US wine industry with the monumental and historic ‘Judgement of Paris wine tasting event’. That tasting event was chronicled in Time Magazine in the June 1976 issue.

This 2004 release was the first year that "Calistoga" appeared on the front label, along with Napa Valley. Montelena proprietor Bo Barrett initially proposed AVA status for Calistoga to the US, but it wasn't officially granted until 2009.

Aficionados of wine must watch the entertaining classic movie "Bottle Shock" that chronicles the early days of Napa Valley, early winemakers, and Chateau Montelena, and its legendary finishing first in the epic competition tasting between American and French wines back in 1976. 

We visited the historic Chateau up in the north end of Napa Valley back in the early nineties, before I was blogging and writing about such activities. 

We had fun with the famous event with a wine dinner featuring wines from the historic tasting, featured in these pages - Dinner Features Judgement of Paris Wines - Dinner Features Judgement of Paris Wines to Commemorate the Tasting event's Anniversary

Tonight, this was a fabulous pairing with the perfectly prepared beefsteak dinner. 

This release was sourced mostly from the Chateau Montelena estate Game Farm Vineyard in Oakville.

Winemaker Notes for the 2007 vintage release - “When you talk about vintages at Montelena, they are often categorized as "hot" or "cool." Then occasionally there are years like 2007 which, because of their ideal conditions, earn the tag of "Goldilocks" because everything was just right. Warm spring conditions led to earlier than normal bud break, while the moderate temperatures in summer and early fall further extended the growing season, resulting in long, slow ripening with fantastic flavor development and near-perfect juice chemistries.”

This release was rated 94 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, and 92 by both James Suckling and Wine Enthusiast.

Wine Enthusiast in awarding this a Cellar Selection wrote “Not a wine for drinking now or anytime soon,’ citing its ‘hard tannins that lock down the palate.’ Parker wrote “requires 4-5 years of cellaring. That in itself is atypical of this exuberant, flamboyant vintage. Given this cuvee’s past history, this 2007 should age for 30+ years.”

At going on fifteen years, this wine is likely just now entering the apex of its drinking window, and may improve further over the next decade, and certainly provide enjoyable drinking beyond that.

Dark garnet colored, medium to full bodied, dense, firm concentrated backbone frames the bright blackberry and black currant fruits accented by spice, black tea, crème de cassis and clove spice, with hints of dark mocha and that classic Mayacamas eucalyptus, finishing with firm ‘powerful’ yet refined tannins on the lingering finish. 

RM 92 points. 

Just under 10,000 cases were produced.

https://montelena.com/

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?617461

Some, especially this crowd, would argue such a dinner is not complete without dessert. We finished with a delectable too many layers to count chocolate cake!

 

A spectacular memorable evening with great friends food and wine. 

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. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?3519567

https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/

https://theduckinnchicago.com/menus/

Sepia Michelin Star Restaurant Chicago

 Sepia Michelin Star Restaurant Chicago for a spectacular food and wine dining experience

Son Sean and D-in-law Michelle invited us to dinner at Michelin Star Sepia Restaurant in Chicago. For the occasion, I pulled from our home wine cellar this ultra-premium birthyear vintage wine for Sean’s birth year. We took this BYOB wine despite the fact we also did the Wine Pairing option with the Price Fixe dinner. 

Sepia in the trendy west loop neighborhood on Jefferson Street is recognized with the coveted Michelin Star. We were fortunate enough to be seated in one of the private dining alcoves off the main dining room, a stylish warm intimate setting with a heavy curtain wall, brick wall, and photo galley wall adorned with Sepia photographs. 

The exclusive price fixe menu offers four courses of four diner’s choice options each, plus additional optional caviar and/or cheese courses. 

The wine pairing serves a select wine for each course selection from their Best of Award Wine Spectator wine list. Even the starter course matched three different carefully and thoughtfully selected sparkling wines with our three different starter selections. 

Prior to the starter first course we were served a delectable amuse-bouche of tartare on brioche with a sweet jam spread.

The First Course selection offerings:

Kanpachi Crudo, toasted rye chili crisp, pickled ramp,smoked cream cheese,

Caramelized Onion Consommé, delice de Bourgogne, sourdough selected by Linda,

Steak tartare toad in a hole, horseradish, brioche, dill, and, chosen by Michelle,

Roasted Foie Gras, ginger consommé, peanut, snow pea selected by Sean and Me.

The wine pairings for this course selections were distinctively different, matching the food selections.

Paired with the Foie Gras was Le Quattro Terre Franciacorte Brut

This is from the Franciacorte appellation in the Lombardy wine region in northern Italy, the Italian ‘Champagne’ district. It is made in the methods champonaise French style from traditional grape varieties Chardonnay 65% and Pinot Noir 35%. 

This label is sourced from five Chardonnay vineyards located in the municipalities of Adro, Corte Franca, Passirano and Ome and one Pinot Noir vineyard located in the municipality of Cazzago San Martino.

https://www.quattroterre.it/en-us/

The pairing with Linda’s Consommé selection was Michel Arnould "Réserve" Grand Cru Verzenay Brut Champagne.

This is a blend of 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay, entirely from estate vineyards in the Grand Cru of Verzenay. The hazelnut Pinot character, so unique to the village of Verzenay, is pronounced in this wine. The texture is full and the bead is refined. 

The Brut Reserve Grand Cru owes the strength of its aromas and its affirmed body to the Pinot Noir from Verzenay, and owes its delicacy to the Chardonnay.

Winemaker notes - Hints of soft fruits (peach, apricot, plum) accompanied by a sensation of exotic fruits. A sharp attack on the palate and then transpires an impression of harmony and stability. Once again we find these hints of soft fruits but no longer crystalised, to which we can add flavours of almonds and hazelnuts. 

The Second Course

Lightly Smoked Ocean Trout, kohlrabi, mussel emulsion, selected by Sean,

Gai Yang Chicken Wing Zampone, blood orange, cilantro, smoked chicken jus,

Crispy Ricotta Gnudi, celery root giardiniera, belper knolle, sunflower seed, selected by Michelle, and,

Roasted Scallop, green curry custard, finger lime, english pea, selected by Linda and me.

Sean loved and raved about the Smoked Trout, one of the highlights of the evening, and the best such dish he says he had ever tasted!

The trout was an ideally paired with this crisp white from the Vinho Verde appellation from the Minho River area, close to the Atlantic in Northern Portugal. Known for concentration and depth, both mouth-filling and refreshing, these wines have depth and textures that are both elegant and energetic. The nose carries an airy effervescence with blossoms and fresh ginger, while the mouthfeel is like juicy white-fleshed stone fruits with a long wash of grippy mineral sensations. The only Vinho Verde that could be 100% Alvarinho had to come from Quinta do Santiago's specific area of Menção e Melgaço.

Michelle chose the Ricotta Gnudi for her second course.

It was paired with this Italian varietal Nebbiolo, native grape from the Italian Piedmont wine region. This was an ideal old world classic style with rich earthy notes of Piedmont soil, tar, savory herbs and Shittake mushroom with elegant, refined fruit. Written to be Ghemme at its best, elegant yet powerful. 

Linda and I both selected the Roasted Scallop.

The Scallop was minimally cooked and we both would have preferred pan seared, or, cooked slightly more. The highlight of the dish may have been the English pea, green curry custard with lime. 

The wine pairing with the scallop was a German Riesling Kabinett - Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett, Mönchhof 2021. 

This is produced from grapes harvested from the steepest vineyards along the Mosel River in northwest Germany. The Mönchhof estate has is known for expressing ripe stone fruit and slate flavors that represent the unique terroir of the area. We visited the Mosel River Valley during our trip back in the mid-1980’s. Our tastes in wines have evolved significantly from those days. 

Rather than a sweet full wine such as this, I would’ve preferred a more delicate crisp Sauvignon Blanc. Linda would’ve preferred a round buttery Chardonnay. In any event, part of the culinary journey is experiencing the Chef’s and Sommelier’s interpretation of the wine pairing. 

The third, main course:

Grilled short rib, morel mushroom crab rangoon, smoked béarnaise, crispy nori. This was selected by Linda, Sean and me.

Michelle selected the Lamb Loin, cauliflower, pistachio dukkah, curried jus, lamb belly doughnut,

The Chef’s, Sommelier’s wine pairing with the lamb was a Napa Valley Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon from Frog’s Leap Rutherford Vineyards from the historic 2020 vintage.

Frog's Leap "Estate" Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 

This is from the iconic Frog's Leap winery estate in Rutherford that has been farmed by John Williams since 1981, now in concert with his son Rory.

Frog’s Leap were fortunate to release full production of their flagship wine during the chaotic vintage of 2020. After a very dry winter over 2019-2020 with only half normal rainfall, the deep-rooted vines compensated by naturally producing a light crop, about 25% below average. Major heat waves set in during harvest in mid-August and early September. Vineyard practices helped protect the vines during the high heat. 

The bulk of their Cabernet harvest was complete and ready to be picked when the tragic historic Glass fire broke out on September 28th, just six miles to the north. The remaining five blocks to be picked were harvested within the next two mornings. The fire’s smoke stayed to the north on the 28th and through the the 29th, as they finished picking. 

Unlike many Napa producers, Frog’s Leap 2020 Cabernet was unaffected by the fires. Due to smoke damage from the fires, many producers were not able to produce any crop, or were severely limited to what they were able to pick before the fires erupted. 

The fruit for this release was sourced from Frog’s Leap estate Rutherford vineyards - 34% Red Barn vineyard, Rutherford, 40% Chevez-Leeds vineyard, Rutherford, and 26% from the Williams-Rossi vineyard, Rutherford. It is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc.

It was aged 20 months in new to 5-year-old French oak barrels, 10% new.

Relieved and confident that they had produced a fine wine for the vintage, Rory said about this release, “I intend to be opening bottles of the 2020 vintage 40 years from now with my daughter Alma, who was born in 2020.”

This release was awarded 94 points by Decanter and 91 points by James Suckling.

Bright garnet colored, medium full-bodied with classic rustic Rutherford dusty tannins, brambly black currant, raspberry, and black cherry fruits with notes of tobacco, spices and black tea.

RM 91 points.  

The other entree course offerings were: 

Roasted Monkfish, little neck clams, white asparagus, horseradish-hidden valle, and,

Potato and Gruyère Agnolotti, lamb bacon, crispy potato, parmesan butter.

With the Short Rib, we had two fabulous wine pairings, the Chef’s and Sommelier’s selection, a Spanish Rioja Tempranillo Reserva ….

Señorío de P. Peciña Tinto Reserva is from the La Rioja designation of origin produced by Bodegas Hermanos Peciña. It is a blend predominantly made up of Tempranillo (95%), with a small amount of Graciano and Garnacha (5%).

The grapes come from various selected vineyards in the San Vicente de la Sonsierra region. The soils there are predominantly clay-limestone, and the planting density is high to produce rich concentrated wines. 

It was aged for 36 months in American oak barrels with an average age of four to five years, then it was aged another year and a half in the bottle before release.

Luis Gutierrez of RobertParker.com gave this 93 Points.

Bright garnet colored, medium bodied, bright vibrant full concentrated ripe spicy fruits, with notes of earth, leather and vanilla and a touch of smoke and dusty rose, with polished chalky tannins. 

RM 93 points. 

And of course, our BYOB special birth year vintage bottle from our home cellar, 1985 Chateau Léoville-Las-Cases, St-Julien, Bordeaux. The classic wine from the legendary producer is considered a crown jewel of the St Julien appellation. Many consider it on par with the iconic first growths, it is known as one of the ‘super seconds.’

The estate is the largest and highest regarded of the three Léovilles, the greatest in quality and, in the opinion of many, it should be among the first growths. 

This is one of my absolute favorite, revered wines. Our visit to the Chateau was one of the highlights of our trip to St Julien Bordeaux back in 2019. We acquired a case of this wine upon release back in the mid-eighties and have still hold a couple bottles.

At going on forty years, the fill level was high neck, the foil and label were pristine, and the cork was intact but a bit soft and spongy. 

In 2020, Jeff Leve of The Wine Cellar Insider wrote, “One of the stars of the vintage, this is drinking perfectly today.” In March 2022 Robert Parker wrote, “My favorite vintage from this château to drink today is the 1985 Léoville Las Cases. More giving than the brooding 1986, and more complex than the 1982, the 1985 is in its prime today.”

Tonight’s tasting was consistent with my last review in 2019 when I wrote:

Deep garnet colored, medium-full bodied, elegant, complex but nicely integrated dark berry and black cherry fruits with notes of floral violets, tobacco, oak and hints of graphite, cigar box and leather on a tangy black cherry lingering finish of supple smooth, polished tannins. Over the course of the evening, it opened more to reveal layers of floral and fruits and accents.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/07/chateau-leoville-las-cases-1985.html

This release was awarded 98 points Vinous and 98 points by Wine Spectator, and 95 points by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, Decanter and the Wine Cellar Insider. 

In their 98 point review, Vinous wrote, “The 1985 Léoville–Las Cases is not just one of the finest vintages from this Second Growth, but one of the high points for the entirety of Bordeaux in this decade. Here it eclipses the 1985 Lafite-Rothschild with ease. A perfect marriage of structure and a degree of elegance that maybe the property has not matched before or since.”

This is a classic Left Bank Bordeaux blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?4819

We then chose the optional additional cheese course.

Tête de Moine, corn financier, huckleberry chutney, thyme.

This was an incredible, imaginative artful creation, the thinly and delicately sliced cheese was amazingly formed to resemble a flower.

The pairing was this Italian Moscato d’Asti from Lombardy.

Stefano Perrone is one of the region's large producers. Souring grapes from north-facing sites, limiting yields, annd strict grape selection, he makes wines delicate and balanced.

We then turned to the dessert course. 

I chose the Cannelé de Bordeaux, buttered rum diplomat cream, roasted pineapple sherbet, tarragon, a burst of flavors!

Cloud Cake, frozen sheep’s milk yogurt, rhubarb, chamomile was Michelle’s selection.

Sweet Pea Pavlova, white chocolate, coriander, meyer lemon sorbet was Sean’s selection.

And finally, Linda chose the Manjari Chocolate Torte, buckwheat, caramelized banana, coffee cocoa nib ice cream.

The dessert course wine pairings …

The Sepia team … professional, attentive, accomplished, and in the pursuit of perfection.

executive chef andrew zimmerman

chef de cuisine kyle cottle

sous chef brian daley & jayme cannava

pastry chef erin kobler

pastry sous chef melissa santiago

sommelier alex ring

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?4819

https://www.sepiachicago.com/

@SepiaChicago

https://x.com/unwindwine