On Friday, August 2nd, the drinks business - 2024 Master Winemaker of the Year, Chris Carpenter joined us to showcase his award-winning wines from La Jota, Mt. Brave, Lokoya, and Cardinale alongside a bevy of plated courses from Chef Stephen and the rest of the culinary team!
This was another one for the scrapbook for all who attended! Once the welcome bubbly and the amuse-bouche had been done away with, the maestro warmed us up with the 2020 La Jota Vineyard Co. W.S. Keyes Vineyard Chardonnay, Howell Mountain.
Upon imbibing said golden nectar, your faithful narrator checked their website to see if they ship their wine. They do. Next: "A quick question for you Mr. Carpenter; is the 2021 vintage of this Chardonnay as good as the 2020?"
"It's better." He answered.
Nuff said, purchase made.
Our food pairing for this course was a Lobster-Mango Spring Roll with apricot vinaigrette, smoked coleslaw, and pea tendrils. which was the 2nd food item to arrive at everyone's dining perch. The 1st being a Warm Truffled Oxtail Tartlet with Nantes carrot purée, shaved summer truffles, and hearts on fire.
While the third, a Braised Pork Cheek Raviolo with heirloom tomato ragù, pressed ricotta cheese, and cured egg yolk was paired with the 2019 La Jota Vineyard Co. Cabernet Franc, also from Howell Mountain. At this point in the evening Mr. Carpenter talked extensively about the airflow in the Napa valley and how it affects the appellations and areas within the Napa Valley. Especially, he spoke about how Howell Mountain itself (which is near the northern tip of the valley). As it pertains to this lovely Cabernet Franc, the colder air moving from south to north as the valley heats up, runs into Howell mountain and diverts it east, to where La Jota is located.
The next wine, was a Merlot. And, we all remember Paul Giamatti exuberantly exclaiming "I'm not drinking any f**king Merlot!" In the award-winning wine-centric film Sideways. But why (you may ask) has Merlot gotten such a bad rap? Mr. Carpenter spilled the T as he began his oration about the 2018 Mt. Brave Merlot, paired with a Veal Sweetbread, toasted pecans, foraged lobster mushrooms, and veal jus.
"It all started with White Zinfandel." He began. "30 or 40 years ago, winemakers far and wide discovered white zin. It was sweet, refreshing, and cheap to make; so they made A LOT of it." To continue by paraphrasing Mr. Carpenter basically said that as the popularity of White Zinfandel began to wane, the industry at large looked for its next miracle grape and landed on Merlot. Because, apparently Merlot can be produced in many, many regions and climates. But that does not mean that it should be produced there. Chris basically went on to say that making Merlot is easy because of its high yield per planting and ability to grow in many climates. However making good Merlot is difficult, which is why there is so much bad/cheap Merlot, but it's also why the top-valued Merlots in the world fetch big prices.
Finally, our last two wines on the menu (and this will shock you, especially if you know Chris, Dan, or Mario) were Cabernet Sauvignons. (Kidding, obviously.) The 2019 Lokoya found itself alongside "The Goose" with local peaches, confit leg cigar, and a cherry reduction. While the 2019 Cardinale was served with Bison Short Rib, smashed fingerling potatoes, chanterelle mushrooms, and red wine gastrique.
But what about dessert...? Two things, and no wine pairing...? Ohhh buddy, we hope you saved some room! For the final course of the evening, we took a sojourn outdoors onto the patio to enjoy a massive spread of amazing cheeses and petite desserts plus an off-menu treat. Said treat being, a bonus pour of Chris Carpenter's impossible-to-find 2006 Lokoya Spring Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon. An epic night, with an epic winemaker! If you haven't already been hearing the name Chris Carpenter, and if you like wine, from Napa, get ready to start hearing it a lot more...
