CorkRules - Episodes | Bacchanalia Bacchanalia

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About this Episode

Samantha Hohl, certified sommelier, and Robert Tas explore the wine list at Bacchanalia, an award-winning restaurant that serves a four-course, seasonal, prix fixe menu. Sam shares a little background info on some of the wine producers, offers pairing suggestions, and stellar recommendations on both value wines and special occasion bottles.

Wines reviewed include:

2016 Pinot Noir from Day Wines in Oregon

2018 Trivento Golden Reserve Malbec
2014 Bollinger, Grande Année Brut

Transcript: Bacchanalia

Bacchanalia

RT: Hello and welcome to CorkRules!

A podcast where, in each episode, we will review a wine list from your favorite restaurants. I’m your host Robert Tas along with Samantha Hohl, certified sommelier. Hello Sam, it’s great to be back together for another episode.

MQ: Hi Robert!

RT: Before we jump in, let’s talk about CorkRules.

We created CorkRules to demystify wine lists because we know from experience, that sometimes when we get that list handed to us, well… it can be intimidating, and even a little daunting.

Our aim is to help prepare you to navigate that list, find those hidden gems, or value wines or that special bottle that will take your dining experience over the top.

RT: So, sit back and listen as we review your favorite wine list.

RT:

Cork Rules

Bacchanalia

Overview

Bacchanalia is located in Atlanta, Georgia and is known for their inspired takes on American cuisine. You’re invited to settle in and create your meal from their 4 course prix fixe menu while indulging in some of their incredible wine selections.

Sam, I can’t wait to hear what you think of their wine list?

Where to start

This wine list accompanies the theme here perfectly, with large selections of American wine and French wine. They also have some great choices from other new and old world regions too, and so many options to pair with their four-course menus. This experience is a lot of fun because you get to really customize what direction your meal is going in, which could sway your wine choice too if you didn’t already have something in mind! They also have a sommelier to assist with choosing wine that goes with the selections you’ve made from the menu, but there’s absolutely some bottles from their list we can dive into as well!

To start off I’d go for the 2020 Fourneaux 1er Cru from Samuel Billaud. Samuel is from a family of winemakers who’ve been producing wines in the Chablis region for years and are well known for their production standards and exceptional wines. In 2009 Samuel set off to craft wine on his own, and using the knowledge he gained from his father and grandfather he has made his own name for being a master at creating these beautiful wines and really representing all the terroir has to offer- he’s now known as one of the best winemakers in the Chablis region.This bottle is going to have persistent and refreshing acidity, citrus notes and a streak of salinity as well, all coming together for a really complex sip and a long finish to savor. This would be great paired with some oysters to really compliment the briny qualities in each.

The 2016 Pinot Noir from Day Wines in Oregon would be a wonderful red to start with. Grapes are sourced from Momtazi Vinyards in the Willamette Valley, which are farmed biodynamically. 30% of the Pinot Noir grapes are fermented with the whole cluster of grapes, which means the stems are included and it adds structure and tannic qualities to the wine. The wine is aged in 90% neutral French oak, so it’s not going to have heavy notes of vanilla or spice from the oak aging. This bottle is going to have great dark fruit flavors, black cherry, earthy soil tones, all balanced by mineral qualities. Try it with the steak tartare with sesame and kimchi- the acid and light body of the wine would be great with the delicate quality of the raw steak and umami from the sesame, making for a really playful way to start the meal.

Value

The 2018 Trivento Golden Reserve Malbec would be a great value bottle. Grapes for this Malbec were sourced from Luján de Cuyo located in the Mendoza province of Argentina, an area famous for their Malbec wines.This bottle is juicy with both dark fruit and raspberry notes, flavors of crushed stone and some pepper and spice from oak aging.It has tannins that are present without being too grippy on the palate.Great richness balanced by acidity so it’s fun to drink and even more fun with some food! It would be a good pair with the lamb with artichoke and aioli and would stand up to the fatty and bright notes in the dish.

Celebratory

The 2014 Bollinger, Grande Année Brut would be a celebration all its own! The Bollinger family has been producing wines since 1829 and their House of Champagne is located in Äy, France. They have 179 hectares of vines, and pride themselves on their Pinot Noir grapes, which take up 60% percent of their vineyard, which they refer to as the backbone of their House. The common blend for Champagne is usually 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay but for Grande Annee they use a slightly different ratio of 61% Pinot Noir to 39% Chardonnay, striking harmony between depth and freshness. This bottle will have delicate bubbles, some citrusy tones, stone fruit, roasted nuts and some salinity on the finish. So much going on, super fun to drink and definitely a food-worthy bottle too! If you’re feeling like you need a luxury overload, you could go with the Foie Gras Terrine, or maybe their triple cream cheese with honey and Sourdough? Or if you’re on to the second course the duck with eggplant and pole bean would be lovely. Either way, this bottle is sure to elevate your evening!

RT: Sam Thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate Bacchanalia’s wine list. I can’t wait to go try them myself.

To our audience, thank you all for joining us here on CorkRules.

If you would like Sam to review one of your favorite restaurants, please send us email to: Info@CorkRules.Com or visit our web website where we have a request form available and we will do our best to get it in the queue as quickly as possible.

We are looking forward to being with you on another CorkRules episode soon. In the meantime, please check out our website for other episodes of your favorite restaurant wine lists.

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

Thank you.

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