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Oct 17, 2009 Feast in the Field

Le Mistral partners with
Outstanding in the Field to offer founding members
A Feast in the Field

The Short Story.  A few pictures tell the story of our day in the vineyard and our Feast in the Field.

On Saturday, Oct 17, 2009, seventy Founding Members and their guests sat together at a farm-style table between two rows of Syrah on the Le Mistral Vineyard. Tucked between the vines, our Founders celebrated the first anniversary of the Le Mistral Wine Club with a Feast in the Field.

The afternoon started around 1:00pm as guests gathered in Monterey, enjoyed a glass of Reggie Hammond's Dry Rosado and boarded the shuttles for King City. An hour and a half later, the two buses unloaded in the vineyard, and then disappeared. Guests climbed the hill of the terraced vineyard to the top, where they could look out over the Syrah and Grenache vines below. The walk was rewarded with a glass of l'Homme quis ris champagne, oysters being shucked by the chef, and pork rouillette.

Under the shade of a small tent, guests heard from Steve McIntyre, the vineyard manager, about the story of Le Mistral, the wind that blows daily, and the biodynamic methods used to grow grapes for Le Mistral. Then they began a winding tour through the vines and down the hill, where they tasted grapes from the 2009 harvest, (Syrah, Grenache and Alicante Bouschet). At the next station hidden in the vines, winemaker Reggie Hammond offered barrel samples of the 2008 Le Mistral. After chatting with Reggie about winemaking and the unique qualities of Le Mistral, guests followed their own path through the vines and to an opening in the vineyard where plates were stacked for dinner. A gift from the vineyard, Founding Members were given a commemorative plate to take to the table, and also take home. In the tradition of Outstanding in the Field, we invite them to come back next year and bring their plates with them!

The Whole Story.  100 images. Click the slide show to be taken to the Picasa website, where you can down load pictures or order prints online.

Finally, guests were seated at a long table between two rows of vines. As the sun set over the Gabilan mountain range, Chef John presented course after course of sustainably and locally produced food. Some of the meal highlights include:
* Several versions of a wild pig, caught in the vineyard, including pork leg that had been buried on the vineyard earlier that day and roasted over coals in the ground
* A vegetable turrine, ingredients from Alba Farms, organic producers and agricultural educators in the Salinas Valley
* Fried green tomatoes, from a community farm in the East Bay where one of Le Mistral's employees volunteers
* Gourmet potatoes, roasted jumbo garlic, and olive oil, from farms owned and operated by various Le Mistral investors who were all present at the meal

Local News Coverage:
Monterey County Weekly, Best in Field

Le Mistral would like to thank:

Winemaker Reggie Hammond, for allowing us to sample the 2007 Le Mistral before it was released to the public, and for sharing his unique insight into winemaking in Monterey County.

Vineyard Manager Steve McIntyre, for opening up his "office" to us for a day, and for guiding us on a fascinating our through the vines. 

Outstanding in the Field for an amazing farm-to-table experience, especially Katy for her patience and creativity and Chef John for shucking oysters and burying a pig in the vineyard! 

All our participating purveyors who made the dinner spectacular, including:

Ventana Vineyards and McIntyre Vineyards
Alba Farms, organic vegetables
Bad Dog Farms, organic vegetables and fruit
Funk Town Farms, organic green tomatoes
Bruce Sterten, Sterten Olive Oil
Nick Azcona, Jumbo Garlic and Olive Oil
Randy Pura, for the pig and potatoes

The Le Mistral Experience:
2006 Le Mistral, 92 Points in Wine Spectator, served at dinner
2007 Le Mistral, pre-released for this event only, served at dinner
2008 Le Mistral, barrel sample, served on the tour
2009 Le Mistral Harvest, grapes, sampled on the tour


Wines poured from our sister vineyard:
2008 Ventana Gewurztraminer, Arroyo Seco AVA
2008 Ventana Riesling, Arroyo Seco AVA
2007 Ventana Chardonnay, Arroyo Seco AVA
2008 Ventana Orange Muscat, Arroyo Seco AVA

We asked some of the guests what their favorite part of the day was:

"Sharing the experience with my family and friends. It was great to see every laughing and joking with new and old friends"

"The camaraderie between the guests. I also enjoyed the downhill walk, and especially Steve's comments"

"Sampling the grapes and wine at the various stations, having the guitarist add a "flair" to the event... loved hearing the experts talk about the grapes and the harvesting."

"Meeting and talking to members, owners, partners, the winemaker and vineyard manager, and of course the hospitality manager herself."

"That the food came from all of the participants in the evening, the stories about the Salinas valley, the wonderful company, the tasty wine."