As one of Napa Valley’s newest resorts (2022), the Stanly Ranch Auberge Collection is making a splash with a focus on fresh, organic foods paired with local organic and sustainable wines.
A perfect example was a recent wine and food pairing dinner at The Grange, their outdoor dining area surrounded by a sumptuous chef’s garden filled with rows and rows of delicious, fresh, organically grown vegetables. Featuring the organic wines of Quintessa Winery, the dinner was limited to 40 guests (including non-resort guests) and began with a welcome reception in the chef’s garden, followed by a tour and leaf tasting with Farmer, Nick Runkle.
Tour of The Grange Chef’s Garden
As we were invited to follow Farmer Nick through the garden, sipping a glass of the Quintessa Illumination Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon Blend 2022, it was beautiful to see the sun glinting on the golden wine in our glasses. It had been raining all day, so the air was fresh, but fortunately the sun had come out towards the end of the day and was setting over the distant mountains.
We started by looking at all the different types of basil. I had no idea they were so many and he encouraged us to try it. My favorite was the lemon basil as well as the chocolate basil which tasted just like and Andy’s mint chocolate candy. We also tried lemongrass. And an amazing plant called oyster leaf, which actually smells and taste just like an oyster, with a whiff of the ocean breeze.
Nick said, “Oyster leaf is a great option for vegetarians who cannot eat oysters. We actually serve these leaves on a bed of ice.”
We continued on looking at radishes, all the different kinds of salad and the broccolini. He said that they can grow almost everything year-round. It is all organic. He uses a lot of compost and organic fertilizer. He says he uses one called SureStart which he puts into the soil and it’s very useful in making sure that you have healthy plants.
At The Family Style Grange Dinner Table
And then we went to sit down at the Grange table. We were supposed to sit outside, but due to a chance of rain, we went inside where they had it set up in the same way – a big long table set for 40 people. Each of us had our own menu with our name printed on the top of it. A very beautiful long table with lovely plateware, wine glasses, cutlery and flower bouquets.
We were welcomed by Executive Chef Anthony Stagnaro and Sommelier Michael Coyne. Anthony explained how they matched the food and wine for the dinner.
“Because the Grange Harvest Dinner Series is heavily influenced by the seasons, the planning process begins in our onsite culinary garden, where Nick Runkle, Farm Director, Chef Joey Hattendorf , Banquets Chef and I discuss planting cycles and ripeness to determine which ingredients will shine at the time of the dinner,” he said.
“Then, once the ingredients are solidified, our wine partner shares the tasting notes of their wines so we can collaboratively identify the pairings that taste best,” he added.
Therefore, in this case, the food and ingredients are considered first, and then the wine pairings are made. As someone enjoying the dinner, I thought the pairings were excellent.
1st Course: To begin, we started with a smoky crème fraiche with caviar served with beautiful homemade chips from different vegetables of potato, red beet and zucchini. They were all generously salted, which I enjoyed. Chef called the dish, “chips and dip.” This was paired with a 2017 Quintessa Illumination Library Selection, Sauvignon Blanc. The fresh lemon, pear and floral notes in the wine with refreshing acidity was a lovely foil for the savory caviar and chips.
The winemaker for Quintessa, Rebecca Wineburg attended the dinner with her husband, and was invited to say a few words about the wines being served for the evening.
“At Quintessa we make only one red wine and one white wine, so this evening we are sharing some of our recent vintages as well as special library selections. All the wines are made at the estate, and we are certified organic and biodynamic,” explained Rebecca.
She then described how they even make their own native yeast in a special ceremony every year where harvest interns are invited to collect herbs, flowers, and soil from the estate and it is placed in a special earthen container to ferment and form native yeast. This is then used for fermentation of the wines.
Quintessa wines are very special, with many vintages allocated for wine club members. However, a bottle of the 2022 Quintessa (cabernet sauvignon based blend) and Illumination (sauvignon blanc/semillon) can be purchased on their website for $330.
2nd Course: The second course included a fresh salad from the garden with orchard fruit, red gem lettuce, sourdough bread cubes, herbs, and apple cider dressing. In addition, there was a kampachi fish dish with avocado and oyster leaf along with a buttermilk sauce, so it had the fresh fish and then the oyster leaf that smelled like the ocean. There was also a freshly baked bread basket of Fennel Pollen Focaccia. All of these dishes were paired with a younger fruiter sauvignon blanc, the 2024 Quintessa Illumination. This was brighter and fresher, with grapefruit, kiwi, quince and pear – a delightful pairing with both dishes.
3rd Course: The third course included four different dishes. The first one was the Grange broccolini which we had just seen in the garden. It was delicious, very fresh, obviously roasted with a white melted cheddar on top – just lovely . Then they had an Ahi tuna that was also really good nice and fresh cooked perfectly rare, avocado leak and blackberry romesco. Next was a pastrami short rib, with cauliflower and more lace, followed by sushi rice topped with Grange flowers and crunchy seeds.
This course was served with side by side wines: the 2015 Quintessa and 2022 Quintessa – both cabernet sauvignon blends. It was fun to taste both of them side-by-side because they were so different. The 2015 was already showing some of its tertiary components and was very savory and earthy and complex was also softer supple more rounded very well integrated and very elegant and long. The 2022 was a bright youthful puppy with lots of fresh blackberry and a hint of pepper and plum and truly delightful. I felt that both of those wines went with all of the food in this main course and it was a brilliant pairing.
4th Course: Dessert was wonderful, but it really needed a dessert wine, and I talked with Rebecca about why they don’t make one. She said it was because Napa Valley isn’t cold enough to have botrytis every year, which is needed to make a sauvignon blanc/semillon based dessert wine. The one dessert that did pair well with the Quintessa red wines was a beautiful basket of homemade chocolate pieces with puffed beans and herbs on top. It was a delicious to taste and it was to view.
The other two desserts included a brown sugar profiterole with milk jam and the other was a Bosque Parra upside down cake with bay leaves. Both of these were quite sweet. Below are photos I took of some of the delicious dishes we enjoyed.
Future Grange Dinners at Stanly Ranch
Stanly Ranch Auberge offers multiple Grange dinners throughout the year, so it’s useful to check their website to see what events and which wineries are being featured. They also offer tours of the Grange gardens.
Altogether, it was a very wonderful meal, served in a beautiful natural setting. Since It was originally the old Stanly Ranch, the luxury resort has been designed around old barn type architecture with individual cabins. The valet people are wearing cowboy hats when you drive up. Rooms start at around $800 per night. All food is focuses on fresh and natural ingredients,
Disclosure: Stanly Ranch offered this dinner to me on a complimentary basis.