In response to my call for a jeebus, several Bay Area-based winegeeks recently agreed to assemble for dinner at Camino in Oakland. Having accepted Ned Hoey's gracious offer of a lift to the restaurant, I showed up with Ned and Katie to find Jim Hanlon already stationed at the long table prepared for our arrival (Jim reminded us that he lived literally around the corner from Camino). We found ourselves seated at one end of one of two long communal tables (there were also a dozen or so smaller tables also) in the somewhat rustic interior of the restaurant. Shortly thereafter, we were joined by Slaton, Oliver McCrum and Arjun. Jim started off the festivities by opening a bottle of the '02 Huet Vouvray Ptillant Brut (2nd disgorgement) which smelled attractively of green apples with a lightly toasty overtone. Pretty tightly wound at this stage, it tasted mostly of minerals -- tasty and interesting! Having not tasted the 1st release, I can't make any comparison to the earlier version. Jim also had pulled out a white which he opened without delay. This was a bottle of '09 Wind Gap Trousseau Gris Fanucci Wood Road Vineyard. I was eager to try this wine, as I'd heard a lot of good comments about this producer. Jim averred that he was interested to taste a Trousseau Gris. (Jim, it wasn't until I was researching this post that I realized that this grape is also known as Grey Riesling, which I had many moons ago from Wente). What emerged was a slightly hazy but pale wine with an intese nose of minerals and peaches and a fascinating full-bodied mouthfeel accompanied by a strong herbal streak amid citrus fruit. Wacky and wonderful -- thanks for bringing it, Jim! To the extent that I can recall those Wente Grey Rieslings of my youth, I can say that this wine evoked no memory whatsoever of those Wente wines.
At this point, I must digress a bit about the restaurant. The service we received was outstanding on several fronts, not the least of which was the very friendly wine service. Our server agreed cheerfully to all requests for decanting, chilling, etc., brought out two glasses for each of us and generally catered to our every need. The restaurant's eminently reasonable $15 corkage fee was made even more reasonable when they waived it for half the bottles after I ordered a wine from the wine list. All in all, a very wine-friendly place.
Back to the wines, though. Slaton had opened another white, the 2007 Vignetti Massa Timorasso Colli Tortonesi 'Derthona', which he explained to me was a lesser-known white from the Piemonte. Perhaps more interesting than the wine was the closure Slaton offered for examination, which resembled a plastic cork whose bottom had been replaced by a pint-sized condom (!!) Alas, the wine in the glass proved less interesting, smelling somewhat medicinal and offering up a somewhat bland mix of herbs and citrus in a rather soft package. It may have been a tad too warm, but I personally blame the wacky closure. Not to be outdone for wacky Italian whites, Oliver next proffers a bottle of the 2008 La Sibilla Falanghina Campi Flegrei, a pie franco falanghina from Campania -- but you knew all that already, didn't you? Beyond the requisite minerality there was a floral character that put me in mind of Pinot Blanc of all things, and with a rainwater-like purity.
By this point, we had all ordered and were noshing on the first courses, so a few words about Camino's menu. The menu is quite limited, consisting of three first courses and three main courses. Because we were there on a Monday, there was also a prix fixe, three course menu, which on our night featured their homemade boudin blanc as the main course. All of the dishes that I sampled that night were delicious. I got the prix fixe meal, so I started with a frise and beet salad that was dressed lightly enough that it was reasonably wine friendly. I also sampled the very tasty vegetarian main course that Arjun ordered as a communal starter: roasted asparagus atop a creation of eggs, cream, mushrooms and probably other lovely things I've forgotten.
With the arrival of the main courses (the fantastically light and tasty boudin blanc for me, a great squid dish for others and that vegetarian main dish for yet others) we got into the reds. Before it had disappeared entirely, I got a pour of Ned's 2005 Pacalet Chambolle-Musigny 1er and I was almost tearfully grateful that I did. Having earlier abused Ned for opening an '05 Burgundy, I got the opportunity to eat my words along with my sausage as this wine was open and phenomenally appealing. Rich yet delicate, smelling hugely of juicy red fruit, a spice cabinet and violets, this wine is young but drinking great right now and is intensely fruity. Truly, a stunning example of young Burgundy. It didn't hurt matters that the combination with my boudin blanc was nearly magical. Next I turned to my own contribution, the 2008 Catherine & Pierre Breton Bourgueil Avis de Vin Fort that I'd ordered off Camino's wine list after getting some advice from Jim ("It's Breton's early-drinking Bourgueil" "More early drinking than Nuits d'Ivresse???") The wine proved to be overtly juicy with a character I associate with carbonic maceration. Very much about bright red fruit, it had an appealing minerality that kept it from being overly simple and enough heft to pair well with my food. Far from profound, to be sure, but an appealing wine for drinking now and an interesting change from the Burgundies. Speaking of Burgundy, I next grabbed some of the 2007 Mugneret-Gibourg Vosne-Romane that Arjun(?) had brought. An interesting contrast to the Pacalet Chambolle, this wine was all about tart raspberry fruit with a sappy youthfulness to it and a noticeable oak influence. Silky and medium bodied, this will be outstanding in a few years, if never as deep as the Pacalet.
Oliver kept dragging more bottles out, but his next offering was different: it's a small bottle containing the most amazing balsamic vinegar that I've ever sampled: thick as syrup, sweet and balsamic it has almost no acetic sharpness to it. After swooning over the vinegar, I next turned my attention to the red wine Oliver had brought, a 2008 Cantina di Barr Torrette Valle d'Aoste which to me had a somewhat lactic nose, under which I got juicy red fruit and some oak. This wine clearly needs more time, but I freely admit that at this late stage I may have missed many nuances that a less fatigued palate would have apprehended.
With that, the event drew to a close and we went our myriad ways. I came away very impressed with Camino, for the food, service, ambience and pricing. I also greatly enjoyed the evening with such a congenial group of winegeeks, only a few of whom I'd met before that night. I am especially grateful for generosity of all involved, not only for the fantastic wines provided but also for the rides to and from the BART station and the overall agreeability of everyone. It's events like these that make me realize why it is that I find wine so appealing: it's so much more than what's "in the bottle." Thanks once again to all who participated!
Mark Lipton
At this point, I must digress a bit about the restaurant. The service we received was outstanding on several fronts, not the least of which was the very friendly wine service. Our server agreed cheerfully to all requests for decanting, chilling, etc., brought out two glasses for each of us and generally catered to our every need. The restaurant's eminently reasonable $15 corkage fee was made even more reasonable when they waived it for half the bottles after I ordered a wine from the wine list. All in all, a very wine-friendly place.
Back to the wines, though. Slaton had opened another white, the 2007 Vignetti Massa Timorasso Colli Tortonesi 'Derthona', which he explained to me was a lesser-known white from the Piemonte. Perhaps more interesting than the wine was the closure Slaton offered for examination, which resembled a plastic cork whose bottom had been replaced by a pint-sized condom (!!) Alas, the wine in the glass proved less interesting, smelling somewhat medicinal and offering up a somewhat bland mix of herbs and citrus in a rather soft package. It may have been a tad too warm, but I personally blame the wacky closure. Not to be outdone for wacky Italian whites, Oliver next proffers a bottle of the 2008 La Sibilla Falanghina Campi Flegrei, a pie franco falanghina from Campania -- but you knew all that already, didn't you? Beyond the requisite minerality there was a floral character that put me in mind of Pinot Blanc of all things, and with a rainwater-like purity.
By this point, we had all ordered and were noshing on the first courses, so a few words about Camino's menu. The menu is quite limited, consisting of three first courses and three main courses. Because we were there on a Monday, there was also a prix fixe, three course menu, which on our night featured their homemade boudin blanc as the main course. All of the dishes that I sampled that night were delicious. I got the prix fixe meal, so I started with a frise and beet salad that was dressed lightly enough that it was reasonably wine friendly. I also sampled the very tasty vegetarian main course that Arjun ordered as a communal starter: roasted asparagus atop a creation of eggs, cream, mushrooms and probably other lovely things I've forgotten.
With the arrival of the main courses (the fantastically light and tasty boudin blanc for me, a great squid dish for others and that vegetarian main dish for yet others) we got into the reds. Before it had disappeared entirely, I got a pour of Ned's 2005 Pacalet Chambolle-Musigny 1er and I was almost tearfully grateful that I did. Having earlier abused Ned for opening an '05 Burgundy, I got the opportunity to eat my words along with my sausage as this wine was open and phenomenally appealing. Rich yet delicate, smelling hugely of juicy red fruit, a spice cabinet and violets, this wine is young but drinking great right now and is intensely fruity. Truly, a stunning example of young Burgundy. It didn't hurt matters that the combination with my boudin blanc was nearly magical. Next I turned to my own contribution, the 2008 Catherine & Pierre Breton Bourgueil Avis de Vin Fort that I'd ordered off Camino's wine list after getting some advice from Jim ("It's Breton's early-drinking Bourgueil" "More early drinking than Nuits d'Ivresse???") The wine proved to be overtly juicy with a character I associate with carbonic maceration. Very much about bright red fruit, it had an appealing minerality that kept it from being overly simple and enough heft to pair well with my food. Far from profound, to be sure, but an appealing wine for drinking now and an interesting change from the Burgundies. Speaking of Burgundy, I next grabbed some of the 2007 Mugneret-Gibourg Vosne-Romane that Arjun(?) had brought. An interesting contrast to the Pacalet Chambolle, this wine was all about tart raspberry fruit with a sappy youthfulness to it and a noticeable oak influence. Silky and medium bodied, this will be outstanding in a few years, if never as deep as the Pacalet.
Oliver kept dragging more bottles out, but his next offering was different: it's a small bottle containing the most amazing balsamic vinegar that I've ever sampled: thick as syrup, sweet and balsamic it has almost no acetic sharpness to it. After swooning over the vinegar, I next turned my attention to the red wine Oliver had brought, a 2008 Cantina di Barr Torrette Valle d'Aoste which to me had a somewhat lactic nose, under which I got juicy red fruit and some oak. This wine clearly needs more time, but I freely admit that at this late stage I may have missed many nuances that a less fatigued palate would have apprehended.
With that, the event drew to a close and we went our myriad ways. I came away very impressed with Camino, for the food, service, ambience and pricing. I also greatly enjoyed the evening with such a congenial group of winegeeks, only a few of whom I'd met before that night. I am especially grateful for generosity of all involved, not only for the fantastic wines provided but also for the rides to and from the BART station and the overall agreeability of everyone. It's events like these that make me realize why it is that I find wine so appealing: it's so much more than what's "in the bottle." Thanks once again to all who participated!
Mark Lipton