2015/2014 Burklin Wolf Dinner event at Bibou, Philadelphia MAY 2nd TUES

Greetings fellow vinous adventurers,
It is with great honor and pride that I invite you to share in an unforgettable evening of epicurean delights, featuring the inimitably aristocratic dry Riesling wines of Dr Bürklin-Wolf of the Pfalz and the gastronomic artistry of Pierre Calmels of Bibou restaurant.
To put things in shorthand context for those of you who are unfamiliar, Dr Bürklin-Wolf is one of the most historically and qualitatively important estates in all of Germany, established in 1597 in the iconic Mittelhaardt region of the Pfalz. This area has long been renowned for producing the greatest dry wines in all of Germany, with Bürklin consistently its pinnacle representative. Today, Bettina Bürklin and her dynamic young team run the estate, the largest family owned winery in the country at over 80 hectares, completely biodynamically, a feat of unimaginable scale and respectful devotion. The house hallmarks of unmistakable purity, finesse, and complexity will be laid to bare as we taste through an incredible range of their villages, Premier, and Grand cru wines from the outstanding 2014 and 2015 vintages. Joining us will be export manager and Bettina’s longtime friend/confidant Annette Siegrist to give us insight into the history and current affairs of the winery and its production.
Pierre and Charlotte Calmels created their gastronomic French bistro, dubbed Bibou BYOB, in 2009. The dynamism of Charlotte as a front of house tour-de-force and Pierre as a profoundly gifted chef-de-cuisine found them skyrocketing to success, becoming a months-in-advance-reservations-required gastronomic destination, particularly once Robert Parker called Bibou the “greatest French Bistro in America.” They have since created a second restaurant, le Chéri, but Pierre has been back where it all started within the cozy, twenty seat confines of Bibou since its renovation in 2015.
Some of you may be asking: “Why German wine at a French restaurant?”. To me, culinary greatness knows no borders: artful love and respect for the synergy of food and wine transcends that…When I asked myself who I want in the kitchen, who would be up to the task of gastronomic class and complexity at the level of Bürklin-Wolf, I unhesitatingly thought of Pierre first. Additionally, Bürklin-Wolf has already crossed francophile lines in a few substantial ways. Roughly fifteen years ago, they eschewed the mess of German classifications, adopting the Burgundian classification hierarchy, choosing to label their wines as village, Premier Cru (PC), and Grand cru (GC). They also are the only non-French member of Biodyvin, a collection of more than 120 of France’s finest biodynamic producers. So there is some French in Bürklin’s bonnet, as you can see…
Last week, Pierre and I sat down to put our heads (and glasses) together, to create a nuanced menu befitting the wines. I think that you can plainly see, this is going to be something special indeed…7 courses in total: 6 savory dishes paired with 2 wines for each course, as well as a dessert course paired with a single wine, direct from the Bürklin-Wolf library. Participation is limited to 16 people, on a first come, first served basis, with payment in full to reserve directly with Bibou:

Tuesday, May 2nd, 6:30 PM
Bibou Restaurant - 1009 S 8th Street in Philadelphia, PA
(215) 965-8290 $160 per person, all inclusive

Icelandic Sea Trout Roulade
trout tartare, cucumber, smoked turmeric, rhubarb
2014 Deidesheimer villages
2015 Deidesheimer villages

Cressonnière Soup
snail cromesquis, spring garlic, long peppercorn
2014 Wachenheimer Böhllig PC
2015 Wachenheimer Böhlig PC

Duck Terrine
dried apricot, pistachio, purple mustard
2015 Wachenheimer Rechbächel PC
2015 Wachenheimer Gerümpel PC

Seared Scallop
fennel soubise, spring onion, tarragon jus de poulet
2014 Wachenheimer Altenberg PC
2015 Wachenheimer Altenberg PC

Foie Gras Ravioli
sauce Albufera
2015 Ruppertsberger Gaisböhl GC
2013 Deidesheimer Kalkofen GC

Poussin au Riesling
crushed potato, morel mushroom
2015 Forster Ungeheuer GC
2015 Forster Pechstein GC

Bleu Cheese & Pumpkin Bread Napoléon
carmelized fig
1995 Wachenheimer Gerümpel Scheurebe Beerenauslese


LE VOILÀ!!

For what it is worth, there are no menu substitutions.
As you can plainly see, this is going to be a special night indeed!!!
All reservations are to be made directly with Bibou: (215) 965-8290.
If you cannot attend the event, but have some interest in the wines, please feel free to reach out to me:
rob@downtoearthwines.net
I am looking forward to this one, big time!!! Man, do I love making the moment shine…!!!
TO A NIGHT IN SOUTH PHILLY OF THE KILLER B’S: BÜRKLIN-WOLF AND BIBOU!!!
ZUM WOHL!!
Robert

Last time I brought a non-French wine to Bibou, Charlotte threatened me with a $25 corkage!

This was after she tasted the wine and loved it, then wanted to know where it was from (Australia). :slight_smile:

Indeed, my little caveat about “german wine at a french restaurant” is a little bit of a nod to her fierce francophile preferences.
;0

Sold out in 2 hours…