Last Thursday night many locals wined and dined over Les Deux Chats wine. The event, with guest seated both inside and on the patio at Salt Creek Grille Valencia, was a sell-out and I’m here to tell you why!
The Teaser/Invitation
Les Deux Chats Cellars creates superb hand-crafted, small-lot wines that are a pleasure to drink and share. Handpicked grapes from 80 year-old vines serve as the incredible start to the varietals you’ll experience during the Les Deux Chats Wine Pairing Dinner. You and your dining companion(s) will relax and connect at your private table or booth, while the winemakers visits and answers questions during your three course pairing meal.Unlike traditional wine pairings, this experience allows for you and your guests to enjoy private table or booth seating and a relaxed, personal engagement with the winemakers.
Make your reservation for Salt Creek’s first wine and dine dinner and meet the wine makers from Les Deux Chats Wine. This is sure to be an event everyone will be talking about.
The Menu (My notes are interspersed)
First Course
Roasted Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion with Fontina Cheese Tart over a bed of Baby Arugula dressed in Balsamic Syrup. (With the Viognier against the balsamic and the Roussanne against the sweetness of the squash, both were perfectly paired.
https://brightoneye.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/jpg/zoloft.html
)
2010 Les Deux Chats Viognier (Just bottled and planned for an August release – 95 Eve points!)
2009 Les Deux Chats Roussanne
Second Course
Handkerchief Pasta Lasagna layered with Mushroom, Tomato and Caper Ragout Topped with Grilled Gourmet Sausages. (The mushrooms against the fruit in the wine lengthened the finish and mellowed the acidity of the tomatoes. Something to linger over.)
2009 Les Deux Chats Zinfandel (see bottle review below)
Third Course
Red Berry Kissel with Vanilla Cream. (A truly inspired pairing! I called it “Berry Madness” in a Tweet. The Zin, very balanced to begin with, became a dessert wine when paired with the sweet strawberries that were topped with cream in the dessert. When Chris Connolly visited our table he said that it brought out notes of coffee and chocolate.)
2009 Les Deux Chat Zinfandel/ Coffee
One Bottle Review
I wish I had the time to do a full write up on all three wines. But I really wanted to focus on the food pairing, and, as you see below, visit with some of the guests. But, I lingered over the Zin:
Color – Deep ruby with a slight amber edge.
Aroma – Black pepper, dark plum.
Taste – White pepper, a full large bowl of dark fruits and yet, a surprising raspberry finish.
Length – Medium. After five minutes the nose was even more welcoming fruit, very balanced.
Conclusion – Drink now to two years…but that’s just my preference.
The In Crowd
Elizabeth Hopp, Mike and Brenda Neilson, Gary and Janet Holbrook, Jeff and Joan Jacobson, Les Hershberger and Mamie Wong, Greg Amsler, Tamra “Where did I leave my wine?” Levine, Chris and Patty Connolly, Chris and Jeannie Carpenter, Trevor and Julie Jones, Eddie and Eve Bushman, Bonnie Rapjohn, Mary Reuschel, Jennifer Chadwick, Mark Koback, Jeannie Wagner and Heidi Brook Meyers.
Next Up
The powers that be at Salt Creek, Greg Amsler, Jennifer Chadwick and Tamra Levine, were at Pulchella Winery the night before this event. They met with owners Steve Lemley and Nate Hasper, and, after tasting Pulchella’s lineup, quickly set a date for the next wine pairing dinner: June 23.
“I was already planning on what I wanted to pair,” began Chef Tamra Levine.
“When I tasted their Pinot Blanc with a hint of Muscat I knew I wanted to start the dinner with red wine and end with whites so that I could pair that Pinot Blanc with a dessert…
https://brightoneye.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/jpg/diflucan.html
I’m thinking my challenge will be to crate a honeysuckle sorbet!”
If you don’t want to end up on a waiting list call now to reserve your spot: 661-222-9999.
