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Local Event Premier Host
Cost: $89.50 + tax and gratuity
Wine Vault & Bistro is pleased to announce our first ever winemaker dinner with Robert Craig Winery. President and CEO Elton Stone will be here in person to host this not-to-be-missed event. If you're not familiar with Robert Craig Winery, here's a little background info.
Founded in 1992 by Robert and Lynn Craig, and rooted on a Howell Mountain estate, the wines of Robert Craig Winery explore the depth and breadth of Napa Valley’s mountain appellations: Howell Mountain, Spring Mountain, Mount Veeder and Diamond Mountain.
The winery founder, Robert Craig, has been farming mountain cabernet in the Napa Valley since 1980, and he was a key player in the formation of the Mount Veeder and Spring Mountain AVA's. In this tradition, this small winery continues to produce complex, cellar-worthy cabernet sauvignons from mountain vineyard sites in the Napa Valley. Each successive vintage is an opportunity to honor these rare growing sites and Bob Craig's pioneering efforts to introduce people around the world to the unique intensity of mountain grown cabernet sauvignons from the Napa Valley.
Elton Stone joined the winery in 2004 and spearheaded the overhaul and reinvestment of the farming, winemaking and sales structure. With a career spanning nearly three decades in the luxury wine industry Elton is a fan of single vineyard, cellar worthy wines which display balance, nuance and complexity. Now a managing partner of the winery, Elton brings his passion for old world wines to the new world of Craig with a production philosophy based on site expression. In 2015 Elton and his partners purchased the Candlestick Vineyard along the summit ridge of Howell Mountain from Duckhorn winery. With this major addition to their existing Winery Estate Vineyard, Robert Craig Winery has cemented its place as one of the most significant producers in the Howell Mountain AVA.
Hope to see you here for a truly memorable evening! Wine notes and bottle prices are at the end of this announcement if you're interested. Here's the line-up:
NOTE: Due to the complexity of this menu we regret that we will be unable to accommodate vegetarian requests or extensive menu aberrations.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Seared Scallops | Potato Latke | Celery Root Slaw | Chive Brown Butter Aîoli | Crispy Bacon
2015 Robert Craig "Gap's Crown" Chardonnay (5 oz. pour)
Herb Rubbed Smoked Beef Brisket | Warm German Potato Salad
2014 Robert Craig "Howell Mountain" Zinfandel (5 oz. pour)
Sun-Dried Tomato Lasagna | Housemade Ricotta | Wild Spinach
2014 Robert Craig "Affinity" Cabernet Sauvignon (3 oz. pour)
Bone Marrow + Thyme Basted Rib Eye Steak | Roasted Farmers Market Vegetables | Wild Mushroom Demi-Glace
2014 Robert Craig "Mount Veeder" Cabernet Sauvignon (3 oz. pour)
Gooey Salted Caramel Brownie
White Russian Cocktail (3 oz. pour)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
RSVP ~ (619) 295-3939
Please make your reservations directly with Wine Vault & Bistro at 619-295-3939. We're very good about returning calls promptly, so please leave a message with the best time to return your call if you get the dreaded voice mail.
COST
Cost for the complete dinner including all five courses and all four wines is $89.50 per person. Sales tax and an 18% gratuity will be added to the cost of all dinners. Due to limited seating, CREDIT CARD RESERVATIONS ARE AN ABSOLUTE MUST. We accept Visa and MasterCard only.
SPECIAL DIETARY NEEDS
Due to the complexity of this menu we regret that we will be unable to accommodate vegetarian requests. If you have any other special dietary needs, please let us know when you RSVP, not when you arrive. We will do our best to accommodate special dietary needs if we can and if given advance notice. Please be aware that last minute menu aberration requests without advance notice will be impossible for us to accommodate.
CANCELLATION POLICY
You may cancel your reservation up to 72 hours in advance without penalty. NO REFUNDS WILL BE ISSUED WITH LESS THAN 72-HOUR NOTICE unless we are able to replace your cancellation at the last minute. (See below for groups over 4 people.)
LARGE GROUPS (OVER 4)
If you want to come with a group of friends, please make one reservation for your entire party so we can reserve a block of seats for you ... however, in the interest of fairness to others, we reserve the right to limit the number of people on a single reservation at our discretion. The cancellation period for canceling the ENTIRE reservation without penalty is doubled from the standard 72 hours (see above) to 144 hours (6 days). If you need to cancel only 1 or 2 people, the standard 72-hour notice still applies.
WHEN
The dinners begin promptly at 5:00, but we HIGHLY, HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend that you arrive earlier to better your chances of getting a closer parking space. The bar opens at 4:15 if you'd like to mingle with the winemaker and enjoy an adult beverage before dinner.
WHERE
Wine Vault & Bistro is located in the heart of San Diego between Little Italy and Old Town at 3731-A India Street on the upper terrace. Follow the black handrail from the sidewalk up the stairs to our front door.
PARKING
Valet parking is available for $8.00. The drop-off point is two doors south of our entrance in front of Shakespeare Pub at the corner of India and Winder. On-street parking is also usually available within a 3-block radius. Remember that it’s OK to park in yellow commercial zones on Sunday and that meters are also not enforced on Sunday. You can also park in the lot behind Shakespeare Pub two doors down, but do not park in El Indio's lot unless you want your car towed! If you can’t find parking next to the restaurant, there’s always LOTS OF PARKING on San Diego Avenue and the adjacent side streets just past the Chevron station across Washington Street. So please don't drive yourself crazy endlessly going around in circles waiting to pounce on that perfect spot when there's TONS OF PARKING less than three blocks away!
WINE QUANTITIES
We'll be pouring 3-5 ounce tasting portions of wine (see the line-up above) totaling 16 ounces plus a 3 ounce White Russian cocktail, or the equivalent of well over three-quarters of a bottle of wine per person. Pour buckets are provided for designated drivers.
WINE SALES
Although some wines may be in limited quantities, all wines poured at this dinner will be available for purchase at the restaurant until sold out. We reserve the right to limit sales of any rare or allocated wines at our discretion.
WINE NOTES & BOTTLE PRICES
2015 Robert Craig "Gap's Crown" Chardonnay ~ $44
(Sonoma) Winemaker's Notes: 100% Chardonnay. This wine offers up bright fruit aromas of citrus, fresh apple, pear and white peach along with hints of warm brioche and baking spice, with subtle floral notes on the finish. The flavors are crisp and steely with juicy citrus fruit finishing with flint and mineral.
2014 Robert Craig "Howell Mountain" Zinfandel ~ $52
(Napa Valley) 78% Zinfandel + 22% Petit Sirah. Review by Wine and Spirits ~ 94 points: Presented with the dense extract and rich new oak to parallel the ambitions of a Napa Valley Cabernet, this succeeds in a grand and powerful style. The fruit is expansive enough that is subsumes the oak influence into its volcanic minerality, bringing to mind obsidian as the grape-skin tannins add a glint of tension to the finish. Scents of roses and bay laurel provide detail within the wine's depths. This has a decade of development ahead.
2014 Robert Craig "Affinity" Cabernet Sauvignon ~ $56
(Napa Valley) 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petite Verdot, 5% Merlot, 3% Malbec + 2% Cabernet Franc. Review by Robert Parker ~ 92 points: Delicious black raspberry and blackcurrant fruit, some spice box, licorice and incense are all present in this supple-textured, medium to full-bodied, opulent wine, which is sexy, lush and ideal for drinking over the next decade or more.
2014 Robert Craig "Mount Veeder" Cabernet Sauvignon ~ $82
(Napa Valley) 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot + 1% Malbec. Review by Robert Parker ~ 95 points: This wine comes from a vineyard once owned by the late Robin Williams called Pym Rae (now owned by the Tesseron family from Bordeaux) that sits at an elevation of 1,800 feet. Blueberry, blackberry and cassis are all present in this full-bodied wine that displays the high-elevation bluer fruits that Mt. Veeder provides. There is a floweriness and full-bodied richness, big extract, but great balance. There is no rusticity. This beauty should drink well for at least 25-30 years.
White Russian Cocktail
A decadent blend of Vodka, Kahlua and heavy cream served on the rocks.
THE FINE PRINT
Due to fluctuations of supply, we reserve the right to make substitutions of equal or greater value in case any of the wines or foods become unavailable. Please, ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY NO ONE UNDER THE AGE OF 21 ... even if your babysitter flakes out on you at the last minute!
Hope to see you here. Buon appetito and cheers!
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Wine Vault & Bistro
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