Wines for the Soul! #JDrouhin

Early January, Don and I invited Meredith and her close friend Mallory to a French wine dinner at the DCC. Neither of the girls had been to a wine dinner at the club, so we thought it would be nice for them to experience fabulous wines and amazing foods. We met for the pre-dinner reception outside the ballroom. Three wines were available along with passed hors d'oeuvres:

2012  Joseph Drouhin Santenay ($37), a Pinot Noir, produced in their vineyard in the charming village of Santenay at the southern end of the Cote de Beaune in France.

2012 Joseph Drouhin Saint-Veran ($20), a Chardonnay, produced in their vineyard at the southern end of Burgundy, just north of Beaujolais, France. This wine made me smile! So good!

2012 Domaine Drouin Oregon Arthur Chardonnay ($36) produced from 100% Dijon  clones, grown on the Drouin Family Estate in the Dundee Hills of Oregon. This is a beautiful Chardonnay.

We moved into the ballroom and found our table adorned with beautiful linens, several wine glasses, and a rather large Lazy Susan in the middle. On this rotating tray were five different international cheeses, fresh fruits, assorted crackers and breads, with honey and flavored butter.

This Lazy Susan has been attacked by four hungry people!

After everyone was seated, the night went on with fabulous foods, amazing wines, and presentations of his wines with Laurent Drouhin, one of the four grandchildren of Joseph Drouhin. The menu consisted of four courses shown below.

1st Course: 2011 Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Folatieres (not available). This Chardonnay is grown and produced in the Burgundy region of France, one of the most famous vineyards in the world.

2nd Course: 2011 Morey-St.-Denis Cru Clos Sorbe (not available). This Pinot Noir is a beautiful bright cherry in color. The wine is deep and velvety with soft tannins. 

3rd Course: 2011 Beaune Clos des Mouche Premier Cru Rouge (not available). Another Pinot Noir produced in the vineyard next to Pommard, a commune in the Cote-d'Or department of Burgundy in eastern France. "Mouches" means flies and according to history there were bee-hives in this "clos" (vineyard). The bees in local dialect were called "mouches a miel" meaning honey bees, hence the name Clos des Mouche. Notice the bees on the label!

4th Course: 2011 Beaujolais ($17) This wine was divine with the chocolate mascarpone cream and olive oil sponge cake with a cherry glaze. It's not on their website, so I'm thinking it's an exclusive.

What a fun evening at the DCC with family and friends!