Hemingway’s Bistro Oak Park (IL)
Following Preview Night for volunteers working FLWright Plus, the annual historic homes house walk, we dined at Hemingway’s Bistro in Oak Park.
More than 400 volunteers work the front lines and behind the scenes to present historic and architecturally significant homes to nearly 3000 guests in this annual event hosted by the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust.
By closing of the night’s festivities preparing for the big day to follow, we were able to secure a table for the late evening second seating. We selected a couple of pleasant drinking wines by the glass (WBTG) from the limited but carefully crafted wine list.
Being from the east coast, Tom O, in from New Jersey to work the event, had the soft shell crab, one of the daily specials. This was artfully prepared and delectable and met his high expectations and standards for this special dish, and was the culinary highlight of the evening.
I ordered another of the daily specials, the Walleye, served in a lemon butter Beau Blanc sauce with fingerling potatoes and asparagus tips. The portion was modest and the preparation, sauce and overall presentation were slightly bland and generally uninspiring, but acceptable in every respect.
Linda ordered the small plate entree Crab Cake, which was enjoyable.
For a wine accompaniment, Linda tasted from the WBTG menu this French Burgundian Chardonnay.
Campet Ste Marie Pays d’Oc Chardonnay 2023
Nice QPR - (Quality Price Ratio) can be found in the Campet Ste Marie range of labels, which are named after the specific terroir in which the grapes are grown. They are sourced from small and hilly vineyards, that the French call “Campets”.
This is from the Pays d’Oc appellation in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France. The term “Pays d’Oc” means “country of the Occitan language,” which is spoken in this region.
Pays d’Oc wines are known for producing high-quality, affordable wines that are easy to drink and pair well with a variety of foods.
The Languedoc-Roussillon region created this catch all IGP region in 1987 to designate the vast number of vineyards within the territory that were not in designated AOC (Appellation Original Controlle) status appellations (e.g. Corbières, Minervois, Faugères, Picpoul de Pinet, Côtes de Roussillon, etc.).
Vin de Pays d'Oc has 4 sub-regions: Gard, Hérault, Aude & Pyrénées-Orientales. When the sub-region is used on the label, it will say Vin de Pays de l'Aude, for example.
Wines that carry the Vin de Pays d'Oc designation must be made from grape varieties that are authorized for the region and must meet specific production standards, but are subject to far fewer restrictions than AOC designations which have strict requirements as to which grapes can be used, as well as how they should be blended, how long the wines must be aged, etc.,
Pays d’Oc wines include red (50%), white (30%), and rosé (20%) wines, and can be made from the 58 grape varietals cultivated in the area which primarily include Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre for red wines, and Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier for white wines. The wines can be produced in single varietals or blends.
The vast Occitania region in Languedoc and Roussillon has nearly 20,000 winegrowers working as both independent and co-operative wineries across four sub-regions – Hérault, Gard, Pyrénées-Orientales and Aude – and six localities in Lozère.
While the area under vine in all of France is reported by Vitisphere to be 745,000 ha, the Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AP) vineyards total 446,000ha, while all France’s IGPs amounted to 195,000ha. In comparison, the Pays d’Oc IGP alone has 120,000ha under vine accounting for 20% of total French wine production. The largest of the four regions (Hérault) produced 4 million hectolitres in 2017 – more than the whole of Bordeaux (3.6m hl).
The vast Pays d’Oc wine region stretches over 120,000 hectares, and is divided into three climatic zones that influence the viticulture for wine grape: the maritime plains along its coastal area; the lowlands and rolling hills or ‘soubergues’; and lastly, the high altitude vineyards in the chain of mountains to the North, formed by the Pyrenees to the West, and the foothills of the Cévennes to the East.
The sunny Mediterranean climate influence is due to the amphitheatre shaped opening to the Mediterranean Sea; it arches around the 200 kilometres coastline formed by the Gulf of Lions, from Nîmes via the Camargue and the Vermilion coast to the Spanish border.
The incredible diversity of soils across the Pays d’Oc wine region range from sandy soils along the coast to limestone, schist, clay or gravelly pebbles along the valley floors and hillsides.
This wine was rated 90 points by Wine Enthusiast in their review - “A complex nose with reserved and well-integrated aromas of Bosc pear, pastry crust, brioche and grilled red-apple slice leads into subtle vanilla spice, freshly grated nutmeg and lemon tart on the palate. A complementary streak of toasted acidity provides an underbelly of elegant restraint.” — Reggie Solomon
The Winemaker’s Notes - "This buttery and round Chardonnay has been selected by our winemaker within protected vineyards in the south of the Pays d’Oc appellation where the vines are planted in cooler areas, and on small lands (Campet) which, in the 19th century were surrounding the wineries. The resulting wine is a Burgundy style Chardonnay with ripe peach aromas combined to honey melon with subtle toasted notes. The taste is elegant and smooth with a wonderful thickness and a persistent finish.”
Light straw colored, light bodied, crisp clean, nuances of pear and apple with hints of brioche and brown spice with soft tangy acidity on the smooth finish.
RM 89 points.
With our entrees, Tom and I had from the WBTG menu this French Burgundian Pinot Noir.
Louis Latour Marssanay 2022
This is from producer
Maison Louis Latour, found in 1985, who has become one of the most prolific and highly-respected négociant-éléveurs in Burgundy. Maison Louis Latour produce some of the finest Burgundian wines, as have branched out to produce some fine wines from outside Burgundy in the emerging Ardèche and the Côteaux de Verdon sub-regions.
This label is from the northernmost area of the famous Côte de Nuits wine region, from the Marsannay appellation village, the only one in Burgundy to produce classified wines of all three colors: red (Pinot Noir), white (Chardonnay)— and rosé. The official Rosé de Marsannay earned its high reputation in the early 1900s. Marsannay received its Appellation Contrôlée in 1987.
This label was rated 93 points by James Suckling and 90 by Wine Spectator.
Slightly opaque ruby colored, medium bodied, complex, earthy and floral, the black cherry and black berry fruits are accented with notes of spices, licorice, pepper and mineral with moderate polished tannins on the pleasant long finish.
RM 92 points.
