Fleming's & Caymus Interactive Wine Dinner

Fleming's & Caymus Interactive Wine Dinner

Last Tuesdsay I participated in what was billed as a first-time ever wine dinner with Caymus Vineyards owner Chuck Wagner. Wagner wasn't in Rhode Island, but we still interacted with him, and that was why this dinner was considered so unique. Fleming's Steakhouse & Wine Bar set up 32 of their locations with live video conferencing to a Fleming's in the Napa Valley area where Wagner drank his wine, dined along with us and answered questions about Caymus, all in real-time. In addition to Wagner, the video conference was also lead by Marian Jansen op de Haar, Fleming's Director of Wine, and Russell Skall, Fleming's Executive Chef who had put together a four-course menu for the evening. In the Rhode Island dining room our host was Christopher Watson, Wine Manager for the Providence Fleming's location and our meal was prepared by Sous Chef Ryan LaFrance.

There were some pre-taped video segments from the vineyard that were aired in between courses. These clips gave us a look into the winemaking process at Caymus and also served to answer what would essentially be frequently asked questions for the evening. Q: Where did the name Caymus come from? A: It's an historical name from that area of Napa. Q: How is the 2010 harvest? A: It was a cool year so the grapes haven't been harvested yet. Q: How long does Wagner decant his Cabernet Sauvignon? A: Wagner doesn't decant, he believes 30 minutes in the glass is enough time for his wine to breathe. Which was something I suppose I can agree with in theory, but in principal it would mean waiting 30 minutes in between glasses. I come down on the side of decanting, respectfully disagreeing with Wagner.

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The first wine we were served was the 2008 Caymus Conundrum, a wine I've had other vintages in the past and was pleased to find the 2008 just as delicious. The Conundrum is a complex white with a lot of fruit flavors and a ton of great acidity. It's been Caymus's alternative to a typical California Chardonnay, though since it's a proprietary blend I can't tell you exactly how much Chardonnay is in it. You can definitely tell there is some Muscat and Sauvignon Blanc as well in the blend. The Conundrum was paired with a Danish Blue Cheese and Red Onion Flatbread. It was a very good pairing, the flatbread was slightly heavy and dry but there were lots of complimentary flavors.

Following the Conundrum was the 2007 Mer Soleil Silver Chardonnay Santa Lucia Highlands Unoaked. Caymus ages this Chardonnay in cement vats and a gentleman in our Providence dining group, who worked as a contractor, had the chance to ask Wagner about the make-up of the vats. The Mer Soleil Silver is a well-balanced Chardonnay, especially with having 14.8% alcohol by volume. Less acidic than the Conundrum, it is almost creamy with huge fruit and good weight. It was paired with an Heirloom Tomato Salad with Burrata Cheese. The dressing on the salad was strong, but not over-powering, as the acid used was lemon juice instead of vinegar. There were lots of mineral flavor in the salad which made it another great pairing with the wine.

The next course was accompanied by two vintages of Caymus's Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Special Selection, the 2000 and the very freshly bottled 2008. Fleming's served it with a Peppercorn-crusted Prime New York Strip with Bordelaise Sauce, Sauteed Escarole and Fingerling Potatoes. The dish was very good, however I did wish we had been asked how we like our steak prepared as the medium-rare strip was a little overcooked for my tastes. The escarole was very spicy, too spicy for some of our dining companions, though when LaFrance was asked about the heat he said it was cooked exactly to Skall's specifications to be that spicy. I enjoyed the spiciness and found it worked well with the very young 2008 vintage. The steak was a perfect pairing with the 2000 vintage. The 2000 had a meatiness to it, along with a bit of spice and a lot of great silkiness. The 2008 was very different, jammy and tight. Watson told us it had been opened for two hours and I felt it needed to be opened for longer. I'm sure with age the 2008 would open up nicely.

The most interesting difference between the 2000 and 2008 vintages was how the alcohol level had increased over eight vintages. The 2000 was 14.1% and the 2008 is now being bottled at 15.4%. I'm not an alcohol level cop. I've had lowered alcohol wines that were not well-balanced at all and higher ones that didn't seem hot, so I'm not passing any judgment. I found it interesting to note the change that even a top Cabernet producer is taking to follow current winemaking trends.

The final course was a pairing of the 2004 Mer Soleil Late Viognier Santa Lucia Highlands with a Berry Trifle with Sour Cream Pound Cake and Amaretto Mascarpone Cream. The dessert was as delicious as it sounds. I don't think anyone around the table left any on our plates. The wine was excellent, not overly sweet, kind of like a nectar with lots of honey. It was really a perfect ending note, though I think all of us would have gone for more of the Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selections. Hopefully Fleming's and other wineries will create more events like this one as the video conferencing worked very well and was a great way to get a winemaker in front of guests in so many locations without having to travel all over the country.