Planet Stoppenhagen

The evening began with a gracious greeting and introduction from Hall Street’s general manager, Sam Sharaf and a brief word from Chef Bloomfield before his retreat to the kitchen to begin firing the courses. The first course, a Kataifi-wrapped wild gulf prawn with grapefruit and Oregon honey gastrique interacted seamlessly with the crisp acidity and soft floral notes of the 2005 Panther Creek Melrose Vineyard Pinot Gris. The honey and grapefruit combination mirrored the citrus and honeysuckle subtleties of the Gris. It was clear from Chef Bloomfield’ exquisite presentation that this evening was surely going to exceed expectations.

For the second course, Chef Bloomfield chose to present house-smoked sea scallops that were perched atop a disc of creamy and succulent organic butternut squash ravioli. Both were touched with a browned butter sage sauce and crowned with a crisped slice of pancetta. The choice was a tremendous pairing with Panther Creek’s 2005 Panther Creek Winemaker’s Cuveé Pinot Noir. The smoky and coffee notes that pervade the nose on the 2005 Cuveé were a perfect match to the smoke of the scallop and pancetta. The bright fruit and lively acidity that envelop the mid-palate of the Cuveé was in clear harmony with the creaminess and savory nature of the ravioli and butter-sage sauce.

After an Intermezzo of Spearmint Sorbet, the path was now cleared for the anticipated heavy hitters of the evening, a careful selection of Panther Creek’s single-vineyard Pinot Noir. The third course, wild mushroom bisque with caramelized organic leeks and crème fraiche enveloped the mouth with its earthy and rustic warmth. Paired with the 2003 Panther Creek Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir, this dish exceeded in harmonizing the ripe dark-fruit character with the bold structure of the wine. The comforting warmth of the bisque was analogous to the earnestness of the Shea Vineyard Pinot.

Moving through the courses, it was clear that the pairings were hitting their mark. Chef Bloomfield’s vision of utilizing as much local produce as possible alongside the premium wines of Panther Creek was coming to fruition judging from the satisfied hum and buzz of over thirty people in this small intimate room. With each passing course the volume of the buzz rose.

And the hits just kept coming. Chef Bloomfield’s fourth course was a perfectly grilled roulade of flank steak studded with Rogue River Blue Cheese, piquillo chili, fresh herbs, celery root puree, huckleberry demi-glace and Haricot Vert. Not only was the dish exquisitely prepared and presented, the choice of wine was spot on, the 2002 Panther Creek Anden Vineyard Pinot Noir. Anden Vineyard consistently produces wines with heft and structure that allows for very approachable young wines and silky, graceful aged wines. This ’02 Anden was no exception. A majority of the guests were quite taken with the wine and Chef Bloomfield’s inspired pairing with a dish that seemed to coax all the right things from the wine. The full flavors of the grilled meat and the Rogue River Blue Cheese danced effortlessly with the beautiful, slightly-aged quality of the Anden Vineyard Pinot Noir. The piquillo chili enticed the sweet caramel and red cherry flavors of the wine to shine through, all while the huckleberry demi seemed to corral it all in a symbiotic symphony.

While it was obvious from the sighs and gratified exhalations of the patrons in the room that all were immensely satisfied and overjoyed at Chef Bloomfield’s creations and Panther Creek’s premium selections, there was still one more round to go. The fifth and final desert course was one that left all in attendance completely content as if all was truly right with the world. A creation that could not have been better received if it had been served on Valentines Day. Chef Bloomfield rounded out his repertoire for the evening with a decadent Swiss Chocolate Soufflé drizzled with his Clear Creek Kirschwasser and Black Cherry Crème Anglaise. Something this rich and sinful (some may prefer to refer to this desert as evil, the incarnation of the devil, himself, maybe) begs to be paired with a wine as diabolical as itself. The 2002 Silvan Ridge Del Rio Vineyard Syrah Portage, hailing from Panther Creek’s sister winery in Lane County, just west of Eugene is described as the “black hole of wines” referring to the deep purple, almost black color of the wine. Chef Bloomfield’s soufflé was perfectly executed – fluffy and sticky on the top and sides revealing a warm gooey center that simply melted with each forkful. The plum and dark berry flavors that make up the Silvan Ridge Portage meshed with each bite and sip of this wondrous conclusion to the dinner.