WFSO Calendar
'98 Ken Wright Cellars Educational Blind Tasting and Dutch Treat Dinner
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March 12th 2016
Time: 6:00 pm Location: El Gaucho, Vintage Room Host: Jim Atwood Location: El Gaucho (Vintage Room), 319 SW Broadway, Portland Time: 6:00 pm Click here to register online Click here for a printed registration. $50 Members, $70 Non-Members Limit 14 If you park on the street, don't forget to feed the meter until 7:00 pm. The Vintage Room is an impressive and intimate setting for private gatherings (or entertaining your most valued clients). Surrounded by their working wine cellar, this room is prefect for intimate wine dinners such as ours. El Gaucho is an elegant, old-fashioned steakhouse in the Benson Hotel featuring tableside service extras and a Cigar Room. You will enter a world of shimmering candlelight, live flamenco guitar music (7 nights a week), and the palpable anticipation of a very special dining experience, including the attentive service that is the El Gaucho hallmark. Their menu features fresh seafood selections and 28-Day Dry-Aged Nieman Ranch All-Natural Certified Angus Beef® Brand Prime steaks and custom aged Certified Angus Beef® Brand – all prepared on an open bed of glowing coals in their open exhibition-style kitchen. Their commitment is to sourcing the finest ingredients – and they proudly source the best products in the world. Accordingly, costs to dine at El Gaucho can be vary depending on what you order. So we are going to try something we've never done: A DUTCH TREAT event. "DUTCH TREAT" simply means that you pay for your own dinner (+22% gratuity). All wines are included in the event cost. No worries about corkage and room charge. Attendees will pay their pro rata share for whatever they order; whether it's Oven Crisped Chicken at $26 or Chateaubriand and Lobster at $145. You will be on the honor system if you share a side dish such as Lobster Mashed Potatoes ($24). We hope this works for everyone's different tastes and appetites. And remember to save room for the generous helping of complimentary fruit, nuts, and cheeses served after the meal regardless of what you ordered for dinner. In 1986, with family, belongings and 10 barrels in tow, Ken Wright moved to McMinnville and started Panther Creek Cellars. His concept of focusing on vineyard-designated bottlings began during those years at Panther Creek and was cemented as a core philosophy in 1994 when Ken Wright Cellars was founded in historic downtown Carlton. Ever since, Ken Wright Cellars has been devoted to showcasing the inherent quality of selected vineyard sites. With a clarity and breadth that is unequaled by other varieties, Ken believes Pinot Noir best expresses the character of these vineyards. Rather than stamping wine with a varietal trademark, Pinot Noir is the ultimate vehicle for conveying the aroma, flavor and texture of the vineyard in which it is grown. By 1998, his vineyard designated wines were among the most sought after for that very good vintage. Ken Wright Pinot Noirs are mostly sold as futures with current releases around $65/bottle. This is an opportunity to educate yourself to 18 year old Pinot Noirs in a nice restaurant at a bargain. We will begin with N.V. Andre Clouet Champagne and appetizers (such as Pancetta Wrapped Jumbo Prawns, Oysters Rockefeller, or Ahi Tuna Tartare). After dinner, we will vote on our favorite Pinots. Ken Wright Cellars' wines to be tasted blind during this premier educational event include: 1998 Ken Wright Cellars, Nysa Vineyard 1998 Ken Wright Cellars, Carter Vineyard 1998 Ken Wright Cellars, Freedom Hill Vineyard All to be tasted blind. In addition, we will blind taste a few non-Ken Wright wines for comparison: 1998 St. Innocent, Shea Vineyard 1998 Shea Wine Cellars, Shea Vineyard 1998 Archery Summit, Arcus Estate With cheeses after dinner, we will taste and compare 2 terrific port style wines: Taylor Fladgate, 20 Year Old Tawny Port Seppeldsfield, 21 Year Old Tawny (hand carried from the Barossa Valley by Jim & Dana Atwood) For attendees who enjoy a fine cigar, bring one and we will retire to the Cigar Room to finish. |