Plumpjack and Cade Wine Dinner at Cafe Maxx with Winemaker Aaron Miller

“Someone said drink the water, but I will drink the wine / Someone said take a poor man, the rich don’t have a dime / Go fool yourself, if you will, I just haven’t got the time / I’ll give you back your water, and I will take the wine.”

Frank Sinatra
The Voice

Napa Valley is red hot right now with the top wines garnering higher prices than anywhere in the world of wine other than Burgundy and Bordeaux.  The valley's upper echelon of producers have been given a string of consecutive vintages that have been excellent to outstanding in quality giving them top scores from the critics making their wines in even higher demand. 

Wines like Plumpjack, Cade and Odette are almost all sold direct on the wineries mailing list today with only a tiny amount of these wines making it out to wines stores and top level restaurants that is why were are glad to host this dinner and make these limited wines available to our “Wine Drinking People”.  You can enjoy the new releases with the winemaker along with a special five course tasting menu prepared by Chef Oliver Saucy for about the price of just one bottle of the top wine being offered this evening! 

There is no better value than these winemaker dinners at Cafe Maxx, join us as we break bread with winemaker Aaron Miller and enjoy several of this groups newest releases for $150 + tax + gratuity, for reservations call 954-782-0606.  Seating is limited to 24 in the back room so call today to make sure you have a space as most of our events sell out quickly in January.

Plumpjack, Cade and Odette Wine Dinner at Cafe Maxx with Winemaker Aaron Miller
Tuesday, January 17th
7pm

First course

Jumbo shrimp and scallop, poached pear, grapefruit apple slaw Red quinoa, French beans and tarragon

Cade Sauvignon Blanc Napa 2015
Price: $36.00       Sale $31.68          Case $368

 Our 2015 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc has a nose that is filled with aromas of pear, white peach, yellow apple, grapefruit, green melon, and white flowers. The wine finishes with a vibrant acidity and is crisp, fresh, and a bit flinty.

Second course

Almond citrus crusted hog fish, vanilla beurre blanc, ripe plantain coconut custard Red Swiss chard and papaya salsa

Plumpjack Chardonnay Napa 2015
Price: $58.50       Sale $51.48          Case $597

Our Chardonnay grapes are sourced from two vineyards in the Napa Valley - one in Los Carneros and the other in St. Helena. The cooler Carneros site imparts this wine with fresh green apple, Bosc pear, and lemon zest on the nose, while the warmer St. Helena site lends some tropical and melon notes. The touch of oak adds subtle layers to the nose and palate with traces of toasted almonds, vanilla, and spice. By foregoing malolactic fermentation , we are retaining the bright, lively malic acid, which helps to accentuate the fruit on the palate, and gives this wine its balance and drive.

Third course

Smoked moulard duck breast, foie gras vinaigrette, brioche toast dried cherry & cranberry qastrique, red watercress and gorgonzola

Cade Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain Napa 2013
Price: $96.75       Sale $85.14          Case $987

 Our Estate Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon dazzles with its opulent, brambly blue and blackberry layers, balanced by dark chocolate and an incredibly welcoming personality. This gorgeous wine is unusually open, resonant and richly layered. Hints of smoke, tar, licorice and minerality add complexity to the intense dark fruit. "This is a wine I want to drink, not merely taste", says winemaker Danielle Cyrot. All the elements come together in an effortless, inviting wine loaded with layers of intrigue.

Fourth course

Grill roasted NZ elk rib eye, currant blueberry demi glace, au gratin potatoes
Heirloom carrots and bacon wrapped Cuban onions

Odette Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Stag’s Leap District 2013
Price: $138.00    Sale $121.44       Case $1408

(95 Points) "The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate exhibits graphite, blackberry and cassis, chocolate and a touch of mineral in a full-bodied, layered and impressively pure style. It’s a big wine for Stags Leap (15.4% alcohol), but gorgeously pure, with everything well-knit into a sensational equilibrium. This is only a baby, but promises to hit its peak in 7-10 years and last 25-30. The Wine Advocate

Dessert

Roasted pistachio chocolate terrine, macerated peppered berries, syrah chocolate sauce

Plumpjack Syrah Napa 2013
Price: $67.50       Sale $59.40          Case $689

Our Syrah grapes are sourced from two incredible vineyards in the Napa Valley - Hudson in Los Carneros and Stagecoach on Atlas Peak. These unique AVA's provide this wine its signature characteristics.

A bit about Plumpjack Winery:

All fourteen of the PlumpJack business enterprises thrive on the unique philosophy of the company's "core ideology," designed to initiate the roguish spirit of Shakespeare's Sir John Falstaff (Henry IV), dubbed Plump Jack by Queen Elizabeth-hence the company name. Closer to home, San Francisco composer and philanthropist, Gordon Getty, wrote an opera he called "Plump Jack." The fun-loving and irreverent spirit of PlumpJack clearly excited the sensibilities of Gordon's close friend and business associate, Gavin Newsom.

PlumpJack was founded by Gavin Newsom, whose personality is revealed in response to an expression of concern upon his first appointment to San Francisco's Board of Supervisors in 1997. When asked if he was likely to "generate controversy" he replied, "If I don't, I'm not doing my job." A self-described fiscal moderate, when it comes to business decisions, Newsom exults in setting high goals for himself and his staff. Just a few of his exuberant demands for PlumpJack are to "out-innovate the competition," make the company an "excellence machine," and "live life out loud." To ensure fulfillment of his mission he makes a point of investing in "hot talent"-people who, whether they are sweeping floors, making wine, or designing interior spaces, are creating "magical moments" for PlumpJack customers.

These ideologies are carried out and implemented in the day-to-day operations of the fourteen businesses under the PlumpJack Group umbrella and guide the management team and the staff to constantly strive for excellence, value, accessibility and nothing less than heroic customer service.

A key marker of success for the company is their ability to invest a portion of PlumpJack's profits back into the community. Committed to numerous environmental, charitable, social and civic causes, PlumpJack often challenges their businesses to raise funds and promote many worthy organizations in the community.

The design firm of Leavitt-Weaver has captured Shakespeare's times and Falstaff's spirit in a number of ways. The jaunty shield that serves as the PlumpJack insignia, the muted earthen greens and taupes that hark back to earlier centuries, and their lavish use of metals create a superb combination of form, function and style. Since the company's inception, the management has insisted that the carefully selected wine lists at all of the properties be accessible to a broad spectrum of buyers-novices and sophisticates alike-and all bottles are priced close to retail.

PlumpJack Wines on Fillmore, the inaugural PlumpJack business founded in 1992 in the historic Cow Hollow district of San Francisco, added a second location across town in Noe Valley in 2001. Acquiring a liquor store in operation since prohibition, as well as a neighborhood institution, the PlumpJack and Leavitt-Weaver partnership carefully revived the space, blending nostalgic elements and retaining many of the store's features. Using a color palette inspired from the arts and crafts period, as seen on many of the City's landmark Victorians, they strived to keep the ambiance and energy of the neighborhood. Continuing the exceptional wine pricing and selection has ensured a new segment of loyal PlumpJack followers.

Their Fillmore Street restaurant, Balboa Cafe, is a major presence in the area. Jose Lemus, executive chef at Balboa Cafe, has created enticing dishes for the gourmet palate and has elaborated the Balboa's traditional menu with a few elegant additions, wisely leaving long-time favorites like the Balboa Burger on the menu.

The interior of the venerable Balboa Cafe, which first opened its doors in 1913, has maintained the feel and look of the original décor of the past eight decades. If the Balboa's long, handsome mahogany bar in San Francisco, with its traditional brass foot rail could talk, one can only imagine the tales it would tell about the legions of "beautiful women and thirsty men" who have lingered there late into the evening.

With the restaurant and the wine shop thriving, PlumpJack affixed its sword and shield to the Squaw Valley Inn on Lake Tahoe's north shore. Originally built to house the 1960 Winter Olympic delegation, the 61-room inn is now a masterpiece of comfort, design and exceptional service.

Among Leavitt-Weaver's signature design elements for the world of PlumpJack is the dramatic wood, copper and brass bar in the lounge. A copper cauldron mounted in the center of a large, square pedestal, filled with crafted metal pieces, serves as the fireplace. More than simply a decorative touch, this centerpiece creates warmth that permeates the atmosphere throughout. The playful array of copper-forged wall coverings accentuates the Inn's original stone and glass structure.

Guest services are sophisticated and personalized, and with the beauty of its décor and amenities on the scale of a grand hotel, the Inn's clientele of vacationers, business travelers and wedding parties will want for nothing. Floor to ceiling windows of the 6,000 square foot, two-story conference facility frame the majestic scenery of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

The next acquisition was a century-old Napa Valley vineyard property, renowned for producing Cabernets of exceptional quality, on Oakville Cross Road. A panoramic view of the Mayacamas and Vaca Mountains enhances the mischief and wit of the Leavitt-Weaver-designed PlumpJack Winery tasting room and its surrounding 50 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon grapevines. The inaugural release of their 1995 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon created quite a stir among the wine community, and prompted Robert Parker, Jr. to assign a rating of 95+ points. That was just the beginning; if the 1995 Reserve created a commotion, the announcement of 1997 Reserve bottling with a screw cap closure-the first luxury producer to do so-turned the wine industry upside down in June, 2000. With current production of Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserve Chardonnay, Merlot and Syrah nearing capacity at 10,000 cases, this boutique winery has already exceeded the high expectations of its owners.

Keeping with the spirit of revival, the long-awaited restoration of the historical 1960's rock club, MatrixFillmore, was completed in late 2001. A complete departure for PlumpJack in style and look, the sleek, evocative MatrixFillmore was exactly what the neighborhood-and the city-needed. Invitingly warm with a glass façade, concrete log fireplace in the room's center, and plum velvet furniture and walls, MatrixFillmore captures the modern edge with a 61-inch plasma video screen and performance stage with state of the art sound system for live bands and DJ. Menus of classic and popular specialty cocktails include: a Peach Tea Mojito, Chocolate Chip Martini, Apple Cart, Sugar Magnolia and Mountain Cane Daiquiri.

Looking to extend the brand through a different segment of the retail market, PlumpJackSport was launched in Winter 2002 in The Village at Squaw Valley PlumpJackSport carries premier lines that reflect the tastes of its sophisticated clientele including: Rossignol, Salomon, Polo Ralph Lauren and MaxStudio to name just a few. Its immediate success prompted a second store, which opened at The Carneros Inn in 2007 featuring designer resort wear.

In January 2005, PlumpJack Group expanded their presence in the Napa Valley when they took over management of The Carneros Inn, a luxury resort in the Carneros region that offers 86 guest cottages and 24 private Homes, The Orchard fractional ownership units, The Town Square with includes a local Market and the area's first post office, award-winning spa, and three eateries, the guest only Hilltop Dining Room and The Boon Fly Café and FARM at The Carneros Inn which are both open to the public. The Inn is the first and only resort in the world-renowned Carneros wine region. As the management company for The Carneros Inn, PlumpJack Group is able to highlight their expertise in the food, wine and hospitality industries. Each of the private cottages at The Carneros Inn is furnished in a casually elegant style and nestled in a lush garden courtyard with private deck. The property also boasts terrace dining and an infinity pool overlooking the beautiful rolling hills and vineyards, an architecturally dramatic restaurant, bar and spa facilities, and most importantly, first-class service delivered with warmth and ease.

Perched high upon Napa's elusive Howell Mountain, among a dramatic hillside of Manzanita trees is CADE Winery, the latest addition to the PlumpJack family. The unique, state-of-the-art, LEED certified facility producing an exquisite Estate Cabernet as well as an enticing Sauvignon Blanc and a rich Cabernet Sauvignon from local artisanal grapes. CADE's first release is the 2006 CADE Sauvignon Blanc and CADE's first Cabernet Sauvignon will be available in spring 2008.

The newest Edition to the Plumpjack Family is Odette Winery:

Odette is a fabled princess… a mistress…a judge…a heroine. Odette is both of antiquity and modernity. You will find her in works of fiction and tales from history. Odette encapsulates our inspiration for this property – femininity, strength and power. Enchanté.
Tucked into the dramatic palisades of the Stags Leap District, sits Odette Estate on 45 voluptuous acres. As the newest addition to the beloved region, Odette looks to serve as a “breath of fresh air” to the historic District. Contemporary architecture and design, paired with a contemporary stance on environmental responsibility, Odette is symbolic of the future of Stags Leap.
With its two sister properties, PlumpJack and CADE (located in Oakville and Howell Mountain respectively), Odette rounds out the trio of wineries committed to producing full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignons that are notable for the combination of power and elegance, while simultaneously showcasing the unique properties of the AVA.