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s p r i n g 2 0 1 7 | 7 5 J Vineyards & Winery in Northern California's Russian River Val- ley was a pioneer in offering a seated tasting, paired with food. They have steadily enhanced their hospitality experiences over the past 18 years. Now J Vineyards & Winery has taken their pairings to a new level: a five-course food and wine pairing experience worthy of a four-star restaurant. The amuse, four savory courses and dessert, all created by J Vine- yards & Winery Chef Carl Shelton, highlight hyper-local ingredients. Each dish is as beautiful to look at as it is delicious to eat. And each of the courses is paired with a different J Vineyards wine. The current menu features five sparkling wines, although the menu changes every six weeks and usually includes still wines, too. The J Vineyards Cuvée XB ($45) has flavors of green apple and pear on a dry, crisp palate that are spot-on for the first course: fresh oysters gently poached in a large bowl of warm and creamy kohlrabi soup that's finished with a Meyer lemon drizzle. Next up is J Vineyards Bin 1008 Brut ($45), a unique, limited-release sparkler with brandy in the dosage. A gently perceptible sweetness and notes of brandy and oak complement the grilled beet, quinoa, cabbage and smoked sturgeon salad. The next two wines are particularly special. With the third course of pheasant with black truffle, the pour is the J Vineyards 2009 Brut from magnum ($100). With five years on the lees, it has a creamy palate with a very fine mousse. Then there is the long and flavorful J Vineyards 2007 Late-Disgorged Brut. An eight-year tirage yields excellent balance between autolytic notes and mellow yet tangy lemons and apples, plus a very fine, creamy mousse. Finally, the J Vineyards 2012 Rosé ($65) has flavors of orange pith, strawberry and raspberry that add to the pomegranate and citrus coun- terpoints in the creamy chocolate dessert. The tasting meals are offered in J Vineyards' Bubble Room at 11 a.m, noon, 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., Thursday through Sunday. The Bubble Room is an elegant dining room to the left of the main tasting room. The room is spacious—and feels even more so with one long wall made of floor-to- ceiling windows overlooking the stream and foliage that front the winery. The price per person is $110 ($95 for Club J members). With quality rivaling high-level restaurants in nearby San Francisco, it's a bargain. For more information, go to jwines.com. At the J Vineyards and Winery's Bubble Room, the amuse, four savory courses and dessert are all created by resident Chef Carl Shelton, and highlight hyper-local ingredients. The J Vineyards 2012 Rosé has flavors of orange pith, strawberry and raspberry that add to the pomegranate and citrus counterpoints in the creamy chocolate dessert. "Each dish is as beautiful to look at as it is delicious to eat. And each of the courses is paired with a different J Vineyards wine." PHOTO: COURTESY OF J VINEYARDS & WINERY PHOTO: COURTESY OF J VINEYARDS & WINERY PHOTO: COURTESY OF J VINEYARDS & WINERY PHOTO: COURTESY OF J VINEYARDS & WINERY ■cr