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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
This was straw colored, light medium bodied with subdued crisp gooseberry, stone, and grapefruit citrus fruits with notes of mineral on the finish.
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.
The result is an easy drinking wine with strong aromatic character and a sharp and clean ending.
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.
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.
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 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.
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
