Our little Wine Club has been meeting for an annual luncheon at
John Bishop's splendid restaurant since it opened several decades ago. Unfortunately, John could not be with us because he was with a group of distinguished chefs on a cooking venture away from Vancouver.
This year's "Bishop's Luncheon" focused on three Chateau Palmer wines (1976, 1977, 1978) generously supplied by one of our members.
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| The lower room awaited the evening's patrons. |
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| Abel consults with his staff before Le Club arrives |
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| Going over wine notes. |
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| Abel (Maitre D') has been at Bishop's for 12 years and is a master when it comes to explaining and selecting wines. Thirty-five-year-old corks can be a challenge to anyone, but Abel lavished care on the extractions and succeeded marvelously, even though each was a challenge. |
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| We began with Champagne Baron-Fuenté which set the tone for the afternoon. |
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| Le Club, anticipating the feast to come. We have been meeting irregularly for about 30 years. |
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| We are in the final week of the Spotted Shrimp season, so these were a seasonal treat, accompanied by a 2002 Chapoutier Coindrieu. |
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| Potato gnocchi with Proscuitto Bianco, arugula, crisp rind, and preserved lemon browned butter, accompanied by a 1987 Laroche Chablis 1er Cru. |
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| Time to get serious, time for some reds. Abel displayed them beautifully. |
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| Ravioli of Boudin Noir and qualis' egg, nasturtium greens, morel mushrooms, apple and sweet cicely pod vinaigrette. At this point in the meal, all three Chateau Palmers were served. |
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| Yarrow Meadows duck breast, potato 'torta', baby leek, rhubarb and bay leaf glaze. To my chagrin, I now realize that I neglected to photograph the next course, a fascinating selection of Farm House cheeses from Agassiz in the upper Fraser Valley. They went well with the three reds, which continued to hold their own, in spite of being open over a period of hours. |
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| We discussed the wines, but also life, culture, politics, travel, hockey, children, aging, exercise, etc. |
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| The quality of the food cannot be surpassed. |
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| True to form, for decades our senior member has managed to save a bit of each wine throughout the entire meal, comparing each glass with each course. Younger members are not so patient. |
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| Almond and apricot meringue cake, almond macaron, and elderflower sorbet (unbelievably good), all accompanied by a 1978 Chateau de Suronde Quarts de Chaume. |
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| Café, comme d'habitude. |
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| Abel and Andrea (Executive Chef at Bishops) discuss the wines and dishes with us. Her guiding talents and instincts are unfailingly 'right', and her kitchen produces some of the finest cuisine in Vancouver. |
Special thanks to John for all the luncheons over the decades, and to Abel and Andrea for coming in just for us.
