The Best and Brightest of Bordeaux in San Francisco

Last week we were thrilled to host the Best of Bordeaux dinner at One Market in San Francisco, honoring some of the brightest lights in the region. While this event used to be semi-annual, it has been five years since we’ve had one! And what a comeback… owners, winemakers, and representatives from an amazing collection of châteaux gathered in San Francisco for a night of exquisite dining and conversation.

There’s a certain synergy that happens when you bring together into one room a group of talented, passionate people and those eager… thirsty even… to learn from them. Throw in the incredible food of Chef Mark Dommen and a roster of wines expertly paired to the six courses by our own Clyde Beffa, and it was a night of magic. We were honored to have the legendary Christian Moueix among us, who’s the force behind such châteaux as Pétrus, Hosanna, and Napa’s Dominus. We had dear K&L friend and winemaker at Haut-Bailly, Veronique Sanders. Charles Fournier, whom I’d met a few years ago when he was at Pichon-Lalande, was there representing Mouton Rothschild. Mathilde Loriaud from Pichon-Lalande and was with us, as well as Cathleen Burke Visscher from Ducru-Beaucaillou, Charles Thomas from Cos d’Estournel, and Véronique Baudru from Ets. Descaves.

We began with a two-hour-long tasting at Wine and Wall, where guests were invited to sample Left and Right Bank wines from the last two decades, while meeting winemakers, representatives, and fellow Bordeaux-loving San Franciscans. There were many beautiful wines at the tasting—a lot of murmuring around the 2015 Ducru-Beaucaillou, St-Julien (Pre-Arrival) $239.99 98VN, which was showing with such a brooding, seductive quality of espresso beans and mocha that there were many of us charmed by her siren call.

After the tasting, we moved on to the main event, the dinner, with a Champagne toast with 2015 Louis Roederer "Cristal" Brut Champagne $349.99 97JS. 2015 is a warm vintage, and you can taste the sunkissed hazelnut, ginger, and caramel notes in the wine, but with an electric mineral-acidity undercurrent. What an alluring glass of Champagne.

There were a few things that made this event so special. One: It was intimate. Each table was very small, only 10 people. The château representatives took turns sitting at each table so we were able to all get some time to speak with them. Château representatives had the opportunity to speak to the larger group before we tasted their wines, providing context before we tried different vintages alongside food that was intentionally crafted to bring out their best. Though Bordeaux wines can be heady—and collected and traded and spoken about at great length—they are, above all, food wines, and that really shone in these pairings. To be able to see how vintage and age affected house style was a real palate education.

I had some lovely conversations with the guests and with the Bordelaise. I mentioned to Veronique Sanders how I’d heard a winemaker once equate making wine to being an artist who only gets to make one painting a year. And she countered that by saying it’s like making that painting all year long. It’s in fact more like directing an orchestra—making sure all the components are playing their best by working hard day after day for an entire year. She eluded to a very successful 2023 vintage coming our way, and I can’t wait to try it. Her wines were absolutely humming, exuding structure and layers of tightly wound primary fruit and spice.

Christian Moueix was another fascinating table mate. Sparked by my curiosity about the Lucien Freud image on the 2006 Mouton-Rothschild, he began to discuss his friendship with the artists Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon. I got the impression that tomes of stories could be written about their nights on the town! He also discussed his early days in Napa founding Dominus, well before it was an obvious choice for a French winemaker to set down roots in California. After attending UC Davis, he saw the potential in Napa and, with guidance from Robert Mondavi, began producing the Dominus wines on a small plot of land on the historic Napanook estate in 1983. He knew so many of the iconic wine pioneers in Napa, including Mike Grgich. Coincidentally, we were seated at the table with someone who also used to work with Grgich!

It was a fantastic night and the wines were all outstanding. What an opportunity it was to have this multi-layered experience with these wines—absolutely the best way to enjoy Bordeaux! Some short notes on the wines below.

MENU & PAIRINGS
Lamb Tongue & Sweetbread Ragout ~ beech mushrooms, smoked onion puree, watercress
2009 Hosanna, Pomerol 98JS
Hosanna means joy and what a joyful way to start the dinner. Comprising mostly Merlot, the soft, elegant texture danced with bright acidity on the finish, showing dried figs, darker fruit, hoisin, and chocolate notes.
2015 Hosanna, Pomerol
Fresh and bright, floral, violets, cherries—the gamey notes of the lamb cheeks were highlighted and complemented by this wine.

House-Made Rigatoni Pasta ~ foie gras sauce, black truffle
2008 Pichon-Lalande, Pauillac
Baked plums and sweet spice lead to a vibrant, very youthful finish. Elegant.
2015 Pichon-Lalande, Pauillac (Pre-Arrival) $229.99 98VN
Dense, sweet fruit, hints of mint. Gorgeous with the truffles.

Bacon Wrapped Sturgeon ~ kabocha squash puree, baby turnips, sour cherry jus
2010 Haut-Bailly, Pessac-Léognan (Pre-Arrival) $219.99 100DC
Tons of structure and power to this wine. Sweet dark chocolate on the palate, with bold pomegranate and cherry fruits with underlying minerality.
2016 Haut-Bailly, Pessac-Léognan $139.99 98JD
Richer, denser, sweeter with blackcurrant fruit. Still young and tightly wound, clearly this will be an long-ager.

Smoked Squab Breast ~ celery root “risotto,” chanterelles, red wine emulsion
1995 Ducru-Beaucaillou, St-Julien (Pre-Arrival) $379.99 95DC
Incredibly fresh, showing notes of spiced cherries, figs, anise, cardamom, and pepper.
2014 Ducru-Beaucaillou, St-Julien
Leather, soy, blackberry, lush and dense with layers of black tea and earth.

Braised Beef Cheeks ~ Swiss chard, spaetzle, natural jus
2006 Cos d'Estournel, St-Estèphe (1.5L) (Pre-Arrival) $439.99 95WE (We drank from a 750ml but the magnum is available for pre-arrival)
Perfumed with notes of violets, lavender, and incense, leading to sweet fruit on palate.
2009 Cos d'Estournel, St-Estèphe (Pre-Arrival) $369.99 100JD 100WA
Very forward and chocolately; rich, sweet fruit and espresso. Lots of power, full body, spice.

Local Artisanal Cheese Plate ~ chef’s selection of 3 cheeses, seasonal fruit, nuts, bread
2006 Mouton-Rothschild, Pauillac (Pre-Arrival) $679.99 WA98
Silky,luscious texture with notes of licorice and currants. Shows beautiful concentration and elegance with a delectable undercurrent of vanilla and baking spice.
2010 Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac (Pre-Arrival) $999.99 100DC 100JS 100WA
We really ended the night with a bang. This was a stunner. Gorgeous nose with layered aromas of cigar spice,minerality, and chocolate. A finish that went on for decades.

- Kate Soto, Digital Content Lead