Over a year ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Jackie & Pat Dukes at a
wine tasting here in DC and fell in love with them both as well as their awesome
wines.
Last summer, while in Oregon's Willamette Valley, Will & I visited
their gorgeous home which is where they make magic with grapes, and once again
fell in love with the view, the wine and the family--even the dogs.
This week, the Dukes are in DC and last night they hosted a spectacular
wine dinner at BLUE DUCK Tavern at the Park Hyatt in the private dining room
overlooking the open kitchen, where only 19 people (including the Dukes and
their distributor) assembled. It was a momentous evening of great wines and food
from start to finish.
Speaking of starting, Pat had reached into the recesses of his cellars and
started us off with his own stash of Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 2004 which
was a superb year and truly a gorgeous taste on the palate as we all assembled
and sat down. With this tasty treat a selection of shaved meats from the Berkel
were served and it was a perfect companion and display:
Bresaola, American Prosciutto and Chorizo were the three shaved meats
accompanied by housemade pickles, housemade pickled mustard. The meat was superb
as was the mustard and the pickles, but the star was the Chicken Liver/Bone
Marrow Pate that sent me to heaven and back for more several times as I shmeared
it on the thick tasty bread.
The Dukes made their first Rose in 2014, eleven years after they first
started producing only Pinot Noir, and we were treated to the Blushing Kate 2014
Pinot Noir Rose that was superb, refreshing and crisp. All their wines are
Willamette Valley/Eola-Amity Hills designated (so I won't write that each time),
but this location is south of the larger wine producing area and offers a new
variety of Pinot that really is fabulous. Only 50 cases were made of this wine;
a real treat. It was served with King Mackerel Tartare(from Beaufort, SC) with a
Cilantro Puree, Charred Avocado Puree, Crispy Fried Watercress and Cucumber as
well as Coriander Blossoms & Champagne Vinaigrette. It was a superb tartare
and beautifully presented (photo on my Facebook page).
The next course was Pan Seared Scallops(from Viking Village, NJ) cooked
beautifully to perfection and indeed bigger than I have ever seen with Glazed
Pork Belly Confit that had virtually no fat and was crispy to perfection, White
Asparagus charred with Fish Sauce, Chili Flakes and Fermented Green Garlic. I
adored everything in this dish, but especially the subtle spice from the fish
sauce, chili and garlic that was beyond imagination. It was served with two
sides:
Creamy Stone-Ground Grits (Anson Mills, SC) with red Eye Gravy and Smoked
Gouda-ooooooooooooooh yum and
Roasted Wild mushrooms (Kennett Square, PA) Soubise with Warm Herbs that
reminded me again how superb Pinot goes with almost any mushroom.
All the Dukes Pinots were poured from double magnums (etched) and the first
was a 2009 Charlotte that was divine and a truly brilliant pairing as they all
were. I know our cellar has a good selection of Dukes Pinots, but just not sure
which years (have to check). The legs on this wine were thick and unctuous; as
they should be.
Oven-Roasted Duck Breast with Crispy Leg Confit (Grimaud Farms CA) had a
Spiced Honey Glaze that was a revelation and again virtually no fat on the
breast (foto also on my FB page). On the side was Potato Puree(Path Valley,
PA) with Soft Garlic that was nice, but just a yummy mashed potato to me. The
Charred Asparagus (Path Valley, PA) was awesome with Soft Egg broken on top,
Pine Nut Gremolata and Parmesan Cheese.
These dishes came with the 2009 Nipple Hill Pinot Noir which is a newer
area on the Dukes Vineyards that sits down the hill a bit from the others. Only
50 cases were made in 2009 and this wine is more acidic with less of a bold
fruit in it and is clearly a food driven wine not to be drunk alone (as the more
elegant sisters are) I know we just received the 2012 last year in our shipment!
Pat explained that the fermentation process is different in that they use larger
60 gallon barrels and do an extended fermentation process giving it a "layered
complexity" perfect for this kind of food!
The last two wines were poured side by side and are so elegant and both
drink alone that I could have them on any day. Alyssa 2008 was more complex for
me and darker, but the 2009 Alyssa was more fruit forward and also excellent.
These were served with array of exciting farmstead local cheeses presented by
Chef Sophie Slesinger in a true presentation:
Cabra La Mancha is a brined MD goat that has 6 months aging and I love (it
is sold at the Bethesda farmer's market I go to on Sundays from time to
time)
Great Hill Blue is from Massachusetts
& Elsa Mae (the name of the cow) from Calkin's Creamery (Penna) is a
brie style cheese that oozed all over the plate just the way I like it.
These came with strawberry rhubard jam, Marcona almonds, sliced apple and
small fig chunks (that I could have lived without) making a superb overall
effect and sending us home more than sated after a wonderful evening with truly
spectacular food, wines, service and great conversation!
