We spent a few days in Whistler, BC this week. Skiing was pretty good; some fresh new snow, but not enough to cover anything steep. Mostly groomed cruiser runs, with a few short steep powdered areas that didn’t last.
Dinners at Araxi, Bar Oso and Alta Bistro. I brought some fun bottles.
Egly-Ouriet VP
Blood orange and dark berries up front, followed by orange zest. Beautiful texture and depth, with that signature Egly richness and freshness.
One of my three favorite cuvées from E-O, alongside Les Crayères and the Rosé.
2006 Taittinger Comtes Blanc de Blancs
Seeming like a broken record, but another great bottle of the 2006 Comtes. It’s been outstanding since release and still going strong.
I love the slight matchstrike reduction on the attack. Voluptuous as usual, but still energetic and fresh, with plenty of life.
Another reminder of why Comtes remains a benchmark cuvée for me.
2014 Vilmart Rosé Emotion
The ’14 is drinking beautifully. Maybe not quite up to the level of the outstanding '12 and '13, but still gorgeous. A blushing, deepened salmon color in the glass. Red and darker berries with some sweet citrus on the nose and palate.
Always one of my favorite rosés.
José Michel & Fils Champagne Hommage
40% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinot Meunier and 20% Chardonnay. Based on the excellent 2019 Vintage. 60% reserve wines going back to 1971. A step up from the Houdart bottling. Excellent, with the red grapes dominating the profile.
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It looks like the apres-ski was the highlight perhaps 
Another 06 CdC shows well!
The Crayeres and the Rose are my faves too, but I tried the Premices a week ago, which I have not previously had:
Egly-Ouriet Les Premices NV
I bought this off the list, assuming that none of the others have had an Egly—and I’ve never had this cuvee. For me, Egly-Ouriet is never a bold standardbearer in champagne but is always precise. That is shown out here, on both the aromatics and the palate, although this one does tend almost to the delicate side. Fine mix of grapefruit, lime and apple peel, it speaks in a soft-ish but compelling voice to me, probably my 2nd fave of the night
Nice wines! I’d love to read what you thought of those restaurants and to which, if any, you’d return. We spend a decent amount of time up in Whistler.
We head up there quite a bit too. Here’s my current list and quick takes:
Red Door Bistro
A bit of a drive and you’ll want reservations well in advance. One of our longtime favorites. Last visit was very good, just not quite at the level of some earlier meals.
Araxi Restaurant + Oyster Bar
Back in great form. They were excellent years ago, went through a stretch where I thought they’d slipped a little, and now they’re firmly back on our favorites list.
Wild Blue Restaurant + Bar
Relatively new and consistently excellent. I try to go every trip. Because of my wife’s shellfish allergy we skip it more often than I’d like, but it’s still a standout. They occasionally run promos where you can pre-purchase a $100 gift certificate and get a $40 bonus.
Rimrock Cafe
We used to love it, but I’ve more or less boycotted it since they eliminated corkage.
Bar Oso
Just reopened after a long renovation and it was fantastic this trip. Great tapas vibe. The caviar service is fun and reasonably priced. We love it. No reservations though, so show up early, put your name in, and wander the village.
Alta Bistro
An old favorite. This last visit was just okay. They’ve raised corkage to $65, which I think is the highest in town.
Il Caminetto
We’ve enjoyed it in the past, just haven’t been back in a while.
SIDECUT Steakhouse
In the Four Seasons. Never really loved it before, but our last meal there was surprisingly great.
Cheers!
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Great, concise list Warren, thank you. We went to Wild Blue last time and loved it. Another spot, not in Whistler, but a place we hit for breakfast often on our way back home: Crabapple Cafe down in Squamish. Excellent breakfast food.
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