Benziger Wine Dinner With Chris Benziger at Cafe Maxx

Wednesday, April 25, 2018 - 07:00 PM

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Benziger Family Wine Tasting

At Café Maxx

Wednesday, April 25, 2018 7:00 pm

We have added the 2014 Tribute to this dinner!

We met the Benziger brothers in the early 1990’s. In 1994 the Benziger’s flew 10 of us from Café Maxx to their winery to do a catered dinner for 80 of their Napa Auction Hospitality Event guests. It was a lot of work, but so much fun! The Benziger’s are a great family. A side story to that trip, one of the brothers, Joe Benziger sent us the key to their appartment in the Marina District to stay at while we were checking out San Francisco. When we arrived it was the middle of the night and after we entered the apartment, to our surprise we woke up Joes younger brother Chris and his wife. They were not to happy with South Florida interuders. But when everthing was explained we got everything worked out.

Café Maxx has been selling Benziger wines since we opened in 1984!

If you follow the Benziger timeline, it proves that it is truly a family winery. Three generations have been running the winery from 1980 to today.

 

The fee for this tasting is $85.00 +tax +gratuity

For reservations call 954-782-0606

Or Email dbroek9@gmail.com

 

We will be starting the evening off with Pass Arounds at the bar to go with both of these two wines.

 

Benziger 2016 Rosé (Sonoma County)

I got more out of this than expected. Dark orange and red in color, this slightly sweet wine is simple in its offerings of ripe peach and tart cherry, raspberry, strawberry flavor.
This is a nice, complex wine. Refreshingly dry, it finishes full and pleasing on the palate with a nice long finish.

Benziger 2016 Sauvignon Blanc (North Coast)

This well-made wine has the classic fresh herb and gooseberry aromas, followed by tangy acidity and bright lemon and grapefruit flavors. It's a lively one: light, dry and well-balanced, not to mention very affordable.

Very enjoyable Sauvignon Blanc! I love that it’s sustainably made! It’s beautifully crisp and bright! 

 

 

 

Benziger Wine Dinner Menu

With Chris Benziger

Wednesday April 25, 2018 7:00 pm

Pass Arounds

Peach and ginger glazed grilled shrimp

Strawberry foie gras toast

Lobster salpicon salad in lemon curry

Warm brie spoons with dried fruit and almonds

2016 Benziger Rose Wine Sonoma

2016 Benziger Sauvignon Blanc, North Coast

First course

Jumbo lump crab and lobster cake, Dijon-chardonnay chive cream

Wilted Swiss chard with leeks and shallots

2014 Benziger Chardonnay, Sonoma

Sonoma County Chardonnay is a vibrant, engaging wine that bursts with mouth-watering fruit and lively acid. Flavors of apple, pear, citrus and ripe apricot engage the palate, while subtle, creamy hints of butter and meringue unfold. The final presentation is a luscious finish, leaving the palate refreshed and wanting more.

 

Second course

Peppered Hudson Valley Moulard breast, goat cheese and pecan truffle

Plum and blackberry gastrique, basil oil, raisin walnut croutons and baby arugula

2014 Benziger Merlot, Sonoma

The 2014 Sonoma County Merlot has inviting aromas of dark fruit and spice which translate well at first sip. Experience black raspberry, ripe plum and anise flavors that linger on the tongue as its velvety tannins come from behind to give this Merlot a smooth, polished finish.

 

 

Third course

Filet mignon with tart sundried cherry & raspberry glaze, roasted candy stripe beets

Cassis and lavender scented demi glace, gorgonzola dolce and buttered button mushrooms

 

2014 Benziger Pinot Noir, Sonoma

This wine hails from a historical vintage and does not disappoint, displaying great fruit integration, inviting aromas at the nose is bright with raspberry, rose, and sweet earth and rewarding flavors. Deeply hued garnet and delightful aromas of black cherry and rose petals persuade one to sip earnestly. On the palate, freshly picked tart cherry, raspberry, and strawberry launch this delectable Pinot onto the easy-to-drink list.

 

Fourth course

Grill roasted rack of lamb with wild mushroom fingerling potatoes

Grilled vegetables and rosemary cabernet sauce

2015 Benziger Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma

 This cab is blended from premier benchland vineyards. This wine is polished and approachable. Bright blackberry, nutmeg, coffee and spice unite, layer by layer, to form a rich full bodied wine with chalky, round tannins and a long finish.

Grape lots were blended from several bench land and mountain ranches that naturally yield smaller crops and result in intensely colored and flavored wine. Vine canopies were carefully managed to protect the grapes from direct sunlight while the fruit was allowed an extended hang time to fully ripen. In the winery we used a variety of techniques to maximize flavor intensity while managing tannin levels including cold soaking, pump over, and varying fermentation lengths and temperatures. The wine was aged in oak for 16 months.

2014 TRIBUTE

Tribute is a first of its kind. Made entirely from estate-grown, this Bordeaux blend of predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon reveals the complexity and individuality of our Benziger Family Sonoma Estates.

The 2014 Tribute is deep, intense and well-structured, with a sharp focus on its tight-knit mix of sweet earth, blackberry and wild berry notes. The mid-palate senses a touch of anise, dried herb and underbrush. The finish ends in a burst of ripe fruit and dusty, fine-grained tannins.

Dessert

Dark chocolate strawberry tart in vanilla short crust, chocolate sauce and ice cream

2016 Benziger Gewurztraminer

This wine is sourced from Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma, draws you in with enticing aromas of honeysuckle.