“You never really need an excuse to enjoy a good glass of Chablis, but sometimes nature throws one at you anyway. A few dozen folks conveniently received a pretty hefty reason to imbibe on November 6, when the mercury hit a whopping 90 degrees a few hours before the Domaine Laroche wine dinner at Scott’s restaurant & Bar in Costa Mesa, CA. It could have been easy to fill the air with complaints of unseasonable temperatures and feeling like a roasted Thanksgiving turkey upon arrival to the early evening fete. However, the potential for such discussion dissipated the moment the northern Burgundy-based winery’s 2012 Chablis Saint Martin filled people’s glasses during the pre-meal reception, possibly because everyone was too busy enjoying how well the wine paired with the accompanying Shigoku oysters.

“This exquisite kick-off set the stage for an excellent four-course meal featuring six different Chablis, as presented by Domaine Laroche winemaker Grégory Viennois, who spent the evening extolling the virtues of decanting their 2012 Chablis Grand Cru Les Blanchots, among other enticing tidbits. You might say it was a rather cool way to beat the heat. Domaine Laroche is imported by Wilson Daniels.”