We were privileged to gather at what many rate as Arkansas’ best restaurant: Bar Cleeta in Bentonville. Husband/wife team Chef Trae and Weisi Basore welcomed our group with a 5-course meal that impressed us all. The theme was “Wine as a Journey”. Ms. Basore and John Trickett selected the wines, which were chosen because each of them had special meaning on their own journeys in wine.
The evening began with the NV Charles Heidsieck Reserve Brut, selected because it’s likely no one had a wine-related journey that could compare to the firm’s namesake. Heidsieck found himself selling wine in America for which he was never paid, ended up in a Union prison camp during the U.S.’s Civil War when he tried to collect on the debts, and went bankrupt only to have his personal financial stability and that of his firm restored by a miraculous gift of real estate in the booming town of Denver, Colorado. His integrity and perseverance allowed us to enjoy the crisp, elegant Champagne carrying his name. The Heidsieck paired beautifully with the brie, chicken croquette and roasted oyster appetizers.
Next was a 2015 “Ried Lamm” single vineyard Grüner Veltliner from renowned Kamptal producer Schloss Gobelsburg. Grüner was a go-to for Weisi and Trae when they worked in New York with Chef Tom Colicchio and at restaurants such as Pearl and Ash. Chef Trae was known to pour Grüner on its own when he and the staff wound down after an evening behind the line. In front of house, Weisi realized that if a food was a difficult pair, more often than not a Grüner filled the bill. This was proven by the Gobelsburg working very well with these diverse dishes: Beef tartare, charred broccoli rabe and a mixed green salad with lemon and sunflower seed dressing. Many of our group said it was the finest Grüner in their experience.
A Pinot Noir from Martinborough on New Zealand’s North Island followed: Craggy Range Te Muna 2017. John had discovered Pinots from Martinborough on a business trip to Wellington, NZ, a little over 20 years ago. On an afternoon off, John and some colleagues “played hooky” to spend an afternoon tasting wines in the beautiful old hotel on Martinborough’s town square. John asked the barman/manager if he had anything “off the list” and he returned with a wine made from grapes John had no idea were grown there: Martinborough Vineyards’ Pinot Noir. The wine was fantastic, as was the Craggy Range enjoyed at Bar Cleeta. Again, the food did not disappoint and most gave the night’s “best pairing” nod to this Pinot and the exceptional Tarte Forestiere with mushrooms and fontina cheese.
Next up was Bordeaux. John selected this because his first mentor in wine was a Frenchman who settled in Dallas named Francois Chandou. Francois’ family made wine in Bergerac and he had studied at the University of Bordeaux with Professor Emilie Peynaud. He guided John through good vintages and bad, and offered guidance on Bordeaux wines released en primeur. It's hard to imagine today, but before the internet existed the only way to get reliable knowledge of wines and vintages was through an honest supplier like Francois. Though Latour is no longer selling en primeur, it seemed right to pour a "reasonably priced" Premier Cru as a guidepost of his journey. Even for a less-than-stellar vintage, Latour’s class showed through and made a case as to why Bordeaux still leads the way with Cabernet-based wines. The Latour paired perfectly with the hearty bites that accompanied it.
An apple and pear tarte with barrel-aged feta closed out the meal and with it John served a 2015 Berncasteler Doctor Riesling Auslese from Dr. H. Thanisch (Erben Thanisch). This wine was selected because John remembers that his life’s first eye-opening bottle of wine was a 1971 (or 1976) Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese bottled by Dr. Fischer. It was the first wine that prompted him to think about what he was drinking and it began, as he describes it, his life partnership with wine. The Auslese was perhaps a little young, but showed very well and paired perfectly with the fruit tarte topped with generous dots of the tart Feta.
All agreed that the evening was a perfect gathering of wine, food and friends.