UPDATE 12/13/22 All seats are taken, but there will be an afterparty starting around 9:30pm BYO
Hi All, I have always been a fan of the Somm documentaries, as I found them to be a fun way to introduce my passion to friends or family who don’t “get it.” I probably have watched all 3 of them several times at family gatherings or holiday events to try and get them excited about wine the way I am. (feel free to judge me on having seen them so many times, but hey, you like what you like)
When Somm 3 came out, I was intrigued when so many well-known tasters and palettes described Raj Parr’s Domaine de la Cote as one of the most Burgundian examples out of America. Since 2018 I have been purchasing allocations each year, and I have definitely pobega’d a few bottles. I find them to be very good after a few hours decanting. I am also curious to see how they will age.
I thought it would be interesting to put the claim asserted in Somm 3 as it being “Burgundian” to the test by hosting a wine dinner featuring 5 different wines from DDLC and comparing them to burgs. I reached out to Dustin Wilson, MS who hosted the blind tastings in Somm 3 (and starred in the other somm docs) to see if he would be interested in helping me organize a dinner around DDLC. Dustin said yes and will be in attendance!
Dustin also connected me directly with Raj Parr regarding the dinner, and Raj agreed to open up the DDLC cellar and offered me some wines from older vintages and bottles they no longer sell. This is such an exciting way to try difficult to obtain DDLC wines. I was hoping Raj could attend but he cannot make the date, so he is sending an ambassador of DDLC to join us so he can speak about the DDLC wines at the dinner.
Friday January 13th @ Noreetuh 6:30PM
Semi-Private Dining Area
All-In Cost $390 ($240 wine + $150 for food/venue)
Available Seats
Seat 1: J0hn Ehrl1ng – [PAID]
Seat 2: J0hn Ehrl1ng’s +1 – [PAID]
Seat 3: Rodrigo_B – [PAID] (Replaced by Morgan as Rodrigo can no longer make it)
Seat 4: Ge0rge_Nagr0dsky – [PAID]
Seat 5: Ge0rge_Nagr0dsky’s +1 – [PAID]
Seat 6: Alex_Valdes – [PAID]
Seat 7: Dan_A – [PAID]
Seat 8: Dinesh_Goyal – [PAID]
Seat 9: Joseph_Grassa – [PAID]
Seat 10: Alicia Linder – [PAID]
Seat 11: Stephen_Chen – [PAID]
Seat 12: Adam_Granoff – [PAID]
Seat 13: Adam_Granoff’s +1 – [PAID]
Seat 14: Andrew_K – [PAID]
Seat 15: Jerry Linder – [PAID]
Seat 16: David_W1 – [PAID]
Seat 17: David_W1’s +1 – [PAID]
Seat 18: Juliec – [PAID]
Seat 19: Dustin Wilson – [PAID]
Seat: 20: Darren Palace (DDLC Ambassador) – [PAID]
Wait listed:
Joel Davidson
Theme
This event is to compare DDLC wines to Burgundy and see if Raj Parr succeeded in creating “Burgundy in America” as mentioned in the documentary. I have worked with Dustin Wilson’s team to organize some classic examples of Burgundy to compare to DDLC.
There will be 5-flights, and the wines will be presented blind with a sheet to keep track of your guesses and opinions.
(i) Does the wine meet your expectation of Burgundy?
(ii) Does each cuvee have a sense of terroir?
(iii) Which of the two wines is more “Burgundian?”
(iv) Did the DDLC fool your palette?
Price
For logistics and other reasons, I will need to take payment for the wines and food in advance to hold a seat. Everything will be at cost (and I am happy to share receipts etc.). The price of $390 per person has already been calculated based on wine prices, food, and tax & tip. If you claim a seat I’ll PM you my zelle and venmo as we get closer to lock-in dates (below). Please note: the price is assuming all seats are filled. The price may change if too few people are interested. If that happens, I will update everyone as we get closer to the dates below.
Food
Price fixe menu served family style. I will reach out to WB’s if they have any dietary restrictions or allergies.
Seats
As with most WB events, first come first serve for each seat. Let me know if you have a +1 to account for. Since the DDLC wine is coming directly from the DDLC cellar, I need to have them ship by a certain date. I will have a soft and hard date for final payments.
11/28 – I will contact seat holders to submit their payments by 12/5
12/5 – Any seat holders who have not submitted their payment by 12/5 will lose their seat to the next person in line (assuming there are extra interested parties). If you’re on the waitlist you will need to submit your payment upon notification that a seat is available.
Afterparty
We have a complete buyout of the room which should allow for a fun afterparty. This will allow for a post-event berserker activity (BYO / buy off the list) to continue a fun Friday night. So even if you cannot attend the dinner or claim a seat in time, let me know if you’d like to attend the afterparty.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank @Shan_A and @Rodrigo_B . I could not have organized this event without their advice. Shan and Rodrigo both provided me with recommendations and guidance as this is my first time hosting a WB event. Thank you so much for your help!