And Now for Something Completely Different…
Our Spring series of Wine Dinners concludes on THURSDAY MAY 30 at 6:30 with a most unusual tasting of the wines of BANSHEE WINES. Only ten years old, BANSHEE has made a name for itself in the most competitive wine region in America, Northern California. With their style and panache, they are the epitome of hip, cool and far-out California wine culture.
And BANSHEE achieved this status by vinifying grapes from the three most famous wine valleys in America: Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino. Lip-smacking Rosé of Pinot Noir, crab-worthy coastal Chardonnay, the gentle giant that is Mordecai, and of course, some of the best damn Pinot Noir in the country.
We will taste five of their latest releases, paired with a five-course menu. Cost for this dinner is $65 per person, including all food and wine. RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED! Please call Stellina in person at 617-924-9475 to insure prompt confirmation.
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Banshee Wines was launched in 2009 with eight barrels of coveted Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and the initial intent to make wines that tasted like the best California had to offer, priced so that everyone could enjoy them. The Banshee team developed strong relationships with the owners and growers of some of the best and most coveted vineyards in Sonoma, working in lock step with them to produce wines of depth, purity and balance.
Today, their mission remains the same as it was in those early days – to craft distinctive wines that over-deliver in every possible way.
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MENU
ROSE (MENDOCINO)
Arugula Salad with Faroe Islands Salmon
CHARDONNAY (SONOMA)
Avocado Pesto, Sriracha Garganelli & Grilled Wild Shrimp
CABERNET SAUVIGNON (NAPA)
Wild Boar Ragu with Gemelli
MORDECAI PROPRIETARY RED BLEND (ANDERSON, SONOMA, NAPA, MENDOCINO)
Ricotta Gnocchi with Wild Mushrooms, Asparagus, Fontina
SULLIVAN PINOT NOIR (SONOMA)
Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Gorgonzola, new potatoes
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The following is from the San Francisco Chronicle:
BANSHEE: THE HIP PLACE FOR OUTSTANDING WINE IN HEALDSBURG
By: Stacy Briscoe
If I lived down the street, Banshee is where I’d hang out…. Whether you come in when the doors open at 11 a.m. or join the cocktail-hour crowd just before it closes at 7 p.m., you’ll likely see every couch cushion and barstool filled with customers so relaxed; it’s hard to tell the tourists from the locals.
WHAT TO TRY: For those who aren’t quite fans of what has become the classic California-style Chardonnay (buttery, creamy, popcorn-y), the Banshee’s Sonoma Coast Chardonnay may be right up your alley. With native yeast fermentation and combination stainless steel and barrel aging, the freshness and acidity of the fruit seem to come through more than any oaky nuances. More of a red wine drinker?
INSIDE INFO: The Mordecai Proprietary Red Blend is an exciting mixture of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Zinfandel, Merlot, Carignan, Cabernet Franc and Cinsault. Because the wine is inspired by both Bordeaux and Rhone Valley wines, the boys at Banshee couldn’t rightly call it either. So, they decided to simply call it Mordecai, after the pet eagle from Wes Anderson’s “The Royal Tenenbaums.”
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ABOUT THE WINERY:
Banshee Wines was founded by three friends (Steve Graf, Baron Ziegler and Noah Dorrance) from the Midwest and East Coast who shared a passion for wine and a lifelong dream of owning their own winery. Their fascination with wine started early in life. While their peers were drinking Milwaukee’s Best, they had an affinity towards collecting European wines and hosting dorm room wine tastings. Post-college, each pursued a career in the wine industry, ranging from importing wines, to winemaking, to distribution and sales. When their paths ultimately converged in San Francisco, they shared many meals, bottles of wine, concerts, and laughs with one another.
They called it Banshee after Noah’s dog which went bananas one afternoon and started running round and round in figure eights.
Baron Ziegler, CEO of Banshee Wines
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THE WINES WE’LL BE TASTING:
BANSHEE ROSE 2017
Food & Wine: Designated #1 Rose to drink this summer. “You’ll be hard-pressed to find a blend of Grenache, Grenache Gris, Barbera, Syrah, and Pinot Noir in a rosé format anywhere in the world. Bright and aromatic thanks to 100 percent whole-cluster pressing, with very limited skin-contact, each variety is tank-fermented separately under cool conditions to retain its steely freshness. A mélange of stone fruit and white floral notes mesh well with the tension and salinity found on the back end of the palate.” May 2018
Winery: “White peach, citrus, and apricot blossom aromas unfold onto the palate with blood orange, rhubarb and pomegranate flavors. Lively acidity with great tension and verve with a chalky, saline quality.
Grenache, including some ancient Grenache Gris, dominates the blend providing complex, red fruit flavors and juicy body. This is reined in by Barbera’s tension with a spine of acidity while Syrah contributes a sense of ballast. The Pinot Noir (from a biodynamic vineyard) lends bright red berries and floral aromatics.”
2017 Banshee Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast 
2015 Banshee Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
2016 Banshee Mordecai Proprietary Red Blend
2015 Banshee Sullivan Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma
Mountain