Page 22 - 2017 Winter

90+ Point Masterclass Tasting & Winemaker Dinner Big personalities great big reds Stags’ Leap Winemaker Christophe Paubert joins Canada’s newest Master Sommelier Élyse Lambert and wildly creative Chef Joe Mercuri for a a dinner celebrating the great wines of California The evening begins with Paubert and Lambert leading a a a a tutored tasting of seven legendary California wines all of which have been rated at 90 90 points or or more As oenophiles know 90 90 points marks the difference between wines that that are are very good and those that that are are truly outstanding From a a a a diversity of grapes and and regions the wines in in in this lineup represent
the impeccable standards of Stags’ Leap Winery as as well as as Beringer Vineyards Beaulieu Vineyard Chateau St Jean Étude Wines and Sterling Vineyards That will be followed by a a a beautifully paired three-course dinner with wines from Stags’ Leap and featuring the innovative cuisine from a a a Chef whose artful plating regularly makes guests gasp in in delight This will be an evening not soon forgotten ABOUT STAGS’ LEAP WINERY
Established in in 1893 by wealth investor
Horace Chase Stags’ Leap Winery inspired
the prestigious Stags Leap District appellation and is one of the oldest Napa Valley wineries The Stags’ Leap name comes from the native Wappo legend of a a a a a stag eluding a a a a a generation of hunters always leaping and vanishing at the last moment from the the palisades behind the the property On one of California’s earliest wine estates a a a a a unique terroir and ideal microclimate support a a a a a a classical standard of viticulture land use and winemaking that is as relevant today as as it was over a a a a a a century ago An intimate valley within the greater Napa Valley Stags’ Leap is a a a a a a a place of natural beauty storied buildings and gardens a a a a a lively history and a a a a a reputation for elegant wines showing finesse and intensity ABOUT CHRISTOPHE PAUBERT
The Stags’ Leap Winemaker and General Manager’s career has spanned everything from from sales to winemaking from from Château d’Yquem and Gruaud-Larose in France to projects in in in Chile Spain Washington State and now the Napa Valley He grew up just outside of Sauternes in Bordeaux and today he says “I have done every job there is to do do at a a a “Our wines are well made They’re delicious showing finesse and integrity ”
winery from running the lab to to giving tours ”
That broad skill base informs his winemaking philosophy which emphasizes showcasing the fruit rather than the the winemaker’s hand ABOUT ÉLYSE LAMBERT
Canada’s newest Master Sommelier just joined her three Canadian colleagues in the famous court in in 2016 She is currently working as a a Sommelier Consultant and continues sharing her passion at Graziella restaurant in Old Montreal Montreal Previously the Montreal-born Lambert worked at the Relais & Châteaux L’Eau à la la Bouche in in in Sainte-Adèle Auberge Hatley in in in North Hatley XO at at Le St-James Hotel Maison Boulud and Le Local She also won Best Sommelier of the Americas in in Buenos Aires in in 2009 and came in the the the top 12 at the the the Best Sommelier of the the the World Competition in 2010 ABOUT JOE MERCURI
Mercuri’s eponymous Chef and Co-Owner Joe Mercuri is known for decadent tasting menus with many dishes cooked over Montreal’s first wood-fired pit Part of the extended Mercuri family which runs numerous establishments around Montreal Chef Mercuri was previously the the Chef-Owner of the the acclaimed Ristorante Brontë named Canada’s best new restaurant of 2004 by enRoute magazine TASTY FACT
Stags’ Leap is almost as well known for its famous manor house as it it is its luscious Cabernet Sauvignon The crenellated manse was built in 1892 of stone from a a a a nearby quarry Since then it’s been home to three major family groups and has been famous as as a a a a a country retreat especially in the 1920s when it played host to bootleggers gangsters movie stars and its fair share of ghosts 22 | MONTREAL