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Domaine De Montille - 2026 La Paulee San Francisco - Respect, Time, and a Question of Style

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This article was co-authored with my friend and wine geek extraordinaire Harumi, who attended and documented the very special Domaine de Montille dinner. Some wines reward patience. Domaine de Montille is one of them. Because of that, d e Montille is a producer whose reputation is easier to understand in a focused dinner context than in a crowded tasting room. Domaine de Montille is one of Burgundy’s most historically important and stylistically consistent producers—particularly in Volnay and Pommard, where the estate has long been associated with some of the most serious expressions of those villages. At its core, the domaine is built around a set of top-tier sites across both the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits: in Volnay, Les Taillepieds , En Champans , and Les Mitans ; in Pommard, Les Rugiens-Bas , known for its iron-rich soils and Grand Cru-level structure; and in the Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts (including the Cuvée Christiane parcel adjacent to La Tâ...
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A Quieter La Paulée Gala at Scott & Kate’s

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While some friends were heading to the spectacle of the La Paulée 2026 San Francisco Gala Dinner  to cap off a week of Burgundy excess, we conspired to do the opposite. No ballroom. No stage. No trophy magnums flying across tables. Just six bottles we could actually pay attention to — and dinner cooked the way I admire most. Scott’s cooking is very deliberate. He uses excellent ingredients and doesn’t hide them behind complexity. The dishes are minimal in composition — not a long list of components — but every element is placed intentionally. The proteins are cooked exactly right. The sauces are refined but restrained. The seasoning is thoughtful, not loud. It’s gourmet without being fussy. Nothing feels decorative or excessive. That restraint is what makes it work so well with serious wine. The food supports the bottle without competing for attention. Another unforgettable night at Scott & Kate’s. Thank you both for the generosity and friendship — and for continuing to elevat...
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Legends at Domaine du Markus

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I don’t feel the urge to write about every great meal anymore. It usually takes something that genuinely moves me — something that lingers well after the night ends. This dinner did that. The food, the wines, the people, and the ease with which it all came together made it one of those rare experiences. Long after the plates were cleared and the last glasses emptied, it was clear this was a night I’d remember for a very long time. I’ve been to a lot of great dinners over the years. Some were extravagant, some were historic, some were just plain fun. This one has to rank at or near the very top — not because it was planned to be legendary, but because it became legendary almost by accident. The caliber of the wines, the quality of the cooking, and how well the pairings actually worked pushed this into rare territory. And the best part is that none of it felt like a show-off. It was the right group, the right energy, and our familiar Domaine-du-Chevsky potluck format — where everyone br...
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