After a brutally boring meeting that began late this morning and lasted more than 90 minutes, I suggested to my manager that we treat ourselves to lunch somewhere. Feeling celebratory for really no reason at all, we decided on Bouchon, an upscale French Bistro in neighboring Yountville. Although I frequent the Bouchon Bakery more often than not (best coffee in the Napa Valley, I swear!), I have only been to Bouchon, the restaurant, once--and it was for dinner about two weeks ago. It was a very pleasant experience, and going for lunch there sounded perfect. We grabbed a bottle of 2008 Crocker & Starr Sauvignon Blanc and were on our way.
Stepping inside Bouchon is like arriving in Paris for the first time. It is both whimsical and serious--seriously French, that is. They serve the same menu for both lunch and dinner, but although I was somewhat familiar with the typical bistro offerings, it was still a difficult decision. The halibut seemed to be speaking to me right off the paper menu, but so did the moules frites, and the tartine du jour (an open-faced steak sandwich dressed with caramelized onions and roquefort)--it all had me salivating.
As I applied a thick layer of butter to the fresh "epi" baguette from next door, the server popped the cork on our bottle of wine. This is a Sauvignon Blanc unlike any other I've tried. Surprisingly, it is 100% SB, a blend of fruit from Charlie Crocker's St. Helena vineyard and the Hyde Las Trancas Vineyard in Napa. The "Starr" part of the label is Pam Starr, the winemaker; I love supporting female winemakers, especially when they make kick-ass wines. The Crocker & Starr Cab Franc definitely deserves an honorable mention.
The intricate and profound bouquet give some inclination to the wine's complexity. Asian pear and baked Granny Smith apple aromas lead to a medium-plus body of honey, tart green apple, Meyer lemon, spice, and balanced acidity. There is a subtle floral character to this wine as well as a minerality that reminds you that, yes, this is Sauvignon Blanc.
As I mentioned yesterday, supposedly there are 396 wineries in the Napa Valley, but, to my knowledge, this figure does not include producers that make their wine at custom-crush facilities or wineries represented in collective tasting rooms. Crocker & Starr wines are made at a custom crush facility in Oakville and can be purchased at Cult Wine Central or Acme Fine Wines.
I was in heaven from about 12:30 to 2 pm today. I savored every last sip of this wine and polished off my plate of seared halibut, fresh heirloom tomatoes, and the frites of my dining companions. Now, if only we had brought a bottle of Dolce for the cheese plate!
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