Friday's Finale

The rest of our Friday was spent tasting the efforts of Cakebread (including lunch) and then on to Francis Ford Coppola's Rubicon, formerly Niebaum-Coppola. Each provided different styles of taste pairings, with a Master Cheese Monger hosting us at Rubicon. Many of the props and Oscars from Coppola's movies were available for viewing at the museum at Rubicon, including the office desk from The Godfather movies(right).
Our evening meal was special. We were treated to a tour and dinner at Quintessa, a 285 acre gem owned by Chilean immigrant Augustin Huneeus and his wife Valeria, who also own Veramonte Winery in Chile. We were led through the vineyards, literally, to an Island in the middle of a lake among the grapes. The island's soul purpose now is entertaining, and we were met by glasses of sparkling wine and a short chat with out hosts. Again the passion for the area was foremost, with Valeria espousing her philosophy as "stewards of the land". She and Augustin had agreed to this dinner engagement no doubt months prior, with the intent of hosting us in their new home. Construction delays being what they are, we enjoyed our dinner with them on the veranda of a house in which they were to sleep for the first time that evening! Literally the sod had been placed that afternoon, and the Air Conditioning units had been wired early that morning, blowing the entire house's circuit breakers. At that point, Augustin told us, he left, returning at the time of the party, not knowing where or whether we would be eating! Our other great coincidence of the evening was that earlier that day, the winery had deemed the 2003 Quintessa ready to release. So we had the added pleasure of enjoying it in it's inaugural appearance. Three wines were served at dinner, all grown on the property. A sauvignon blanc, grown on a half acre plot on the property only for the family's consumption, Faust, a new second label effort available at Fleming's as well as Osaka in Richmond, and the newly released flagship Quintessa. Cooking our dinner while the hosts regaled us with stories of their lives, including the fleeing the Pinochet regime in Chile in the '70s, was Russell Skall, Fleming's Head Chef and Food Director for the chain.
Quintessa takes it's name from the theory that all worldly goods are made from the four elements: earth, fire, air and water. The fifth element, or quintessential, was saved for the consumption of the gods, or at least until now! The flagship wine is made from the top twenty percent of the grapes harvested from Quintessa, and the next thirty percent go into Faust. The remaining harvest is sold off to the local winemakers who need excellent grapes to add to their blends. Quintessa allowed us to purchase a case each of their reds, so perhaps next time you visit the Mayoral Cellar, you can help us compare them.