The Chef’s Room, Pollen Street Social
Wednesday 9th February

It felt serendipitous that our first post-lockdown private client dinner was hosted by Brad Grimes, the inimitable winemaker of Abreu Vineyards. Back in February 2020, Brad had been one of the last to visit Jeroboams’ offices, and his wines (and very candid approach to speaking about them and Napa generally) had left quite the impression on us. Clearly, we would be in for a good time at Pollen Street Social!

We kicked things off with Pol Roger ’02, poured from magnum, which was in a lovely spot and drank like a prestige cuvee, no wonder some initially mistook it for cuvee Winston Churchill… Proving once again that big bottles really are better, especially when it comes to laying down Champagne.

This was followed up by Didier Dagueneau’s Pur Sang, which accompanied the first course: a beautiful dish of Lobster draped in Iberico ham. We may not have been there to focus on this legend of the Loire Valley, but it perfectly complemented the food and allowed Brad to roll out his central thesis for the evening: Great wine is not made to a formula, but shaped by a winemaker’s intuition and the infinite variability of nature. Also, point scores cannot ever do a great wine justice.

Between the first and main course we tasted through Rothwell Hyde vintages ‘09, ‘14, ‘15 and ’16 which offered us a window onto the Abreu house style and the personalities of recent Napa vintages. Utterly seamless across every vintage, this Bordeaux blend showed the balance, freshness, and beguiling perfume that the single vineyard wines are so highly prized for. To think of it as just the “Entry level” is to miss both the point and the quality in the glass.

Over sumptuous plates of beef fillet, we polished off the remaining Rothwell Hyde as Brad painted a picture of the 2017 vintage, which we would be focusing on for the single vineyard wines. The picture was not a pretty one and a salient reminder of life beyond the walls of a Michelin-starred restaurant. In 2017 wildfires lacerated Napa Valley just as most wineries were midway through picking their grapes. Destruction was wanton and smoke taint contaminated much of the wine that was produced, leading to wastage on an industrial scale.

Based on the showing of the Abreu single vineyard wines though, you would never know it. Brad Grimes is notorious for overseeing every single tiny detail in the winery, tasting at every stage, and there can be little doubt that this unerring, meticulous approach must have been the reason Abreu managed to produce such sensational wines from some of the most challenging circumstances imaginable.

There was relative hush in the private dining room as we tasted each of the wines and marvelled at the delineation and super fine detail of their individual characters. Capella was silky and rich, Madrona pure and vibrant, Thorevilos simply phenomenal(!), and Las Posadas dark and powerful. Brad refused to be drawn into a technical analysis of the wines (who cares what the exact blend of grapes is!) instead letting the wines explain themselves.

Over cheese and an exquisitely crafted chocolate dessert we had an extra bottle of 2014 Las Posadas, which is just entering its drinking window, and which again showed off the fierce depth of this Howell Mountain vineyard. Anyone claiming to doubt Napa Cabernet should be force fed the Abreu wines!

The table ran till well past midnight. So, a huge thanks must go to Pollen Street Social for being so accommodating, and for delivering a reassuringly fine dining experience. The Chef’s Room proved the ideal environment for the evening – smart and modern, and the service was exemplary.

Till the next one!

Menu
• Cornish blue lobster, morel mushrooms, Ibérico ham, Sicilian lemon dressing
• 40 Day- dry aged Cumbrian beef fillet, Miso & Aubergine, beef fat carrot, salsify
• Selection of British Isles cheeses
• 70% Valrhona chocolate, sesame & praline mousse with soy ice cream

Wines
• Pol Roger 2002 (Magnum)
• Didier Dagueneau Pur Sang 2018 (Magnum), 2014
• Rothwell Hyde 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016
• Abreu Cappella 2017
• Abreu Madrona Ranch 2017
• Abreu Thorevilos 2017
• Abreu Las Posadas 2017, 2014