We were recently invited by some friends to go to a new restaurant, Chicane in the Old Village in Plymouth, Michigan.  They did a magnificent job renovating a restaurant that I haven’t been to, for at least thirty years ago and created a dinner club with music and dancing on certain nights.  A “chicane” is a serpentine curve, usually added by design, demanding skill and precision to navigate as racers gather speed and propel forward through the faster course that lies ahead. 

We started off with Artichoke Fritto Misto with Lemon Thyme Aioli and Salsa Verde and a classic interpretation of Shrimp Cocktail.  We started with The Furst Crémant D’Alsace NV which is produced by Cave Vinicole de Kietzenheim-Kaysersberg.  Cave Vinicole de Kietzenheim-Kaysersberg is a cooperative of one-hundred-thirty landowners in the villages of Ammerschwihr, Kientzheim, Kaysersbert and Sigolsheim and covers one-hundred-seventy hectares of vineyards.  This cooperative is part of a much larger cooperative of successive merger and is now called Bestheim.  Crémant D’Alsace is an appellation created in 1976 covering the sparkling (Methode Traditionelle) white and rosé wines of the Alsace region.  The wines must spend a minimum of nine months maturing on their lees, before disgorgement and the dosage; all vital and required steps to comply with the appellation.  The Furst is produced in concert with the Dopff au Moulin Estate with seventy hectares of vineyards, and currently in the thirteenth generation of wine makers.  The Estate is located in the historic Riquwhir at an altitude of 300 meters in the foothills of the Vosges Mountains.  The Estate is also credited with the creation of Crémant D’Alsace and the creation of the distinctive tall, slender Alsatian wine bottle.  This wine is a blend of fifty percent Pinot Blanc and fifty percent Pinot Auxerrois.  The golden-yellow wine with small to medium size bubbles offered cidery aromas notes.  On the palate there were tones of apple, pear, and lemon zest which complimented a delicate mousse, and ending with a savory finish.

The service was exceptional, but thankfully not hovering over us, as the other couple had cocktails and we enjoyed Domaine Cherrier et Fils Sancerre 2023 from the Loire.   The Cherrier family has been a trusted name in Sancerre since the late 1800s.  Domaine Cherrier was founded in 1930, and since then there has been four generations tending to the Sauvignon Blanc vineyards of limestone and calcareous clay soils.  The estate was founded by Maurice, and his son took over in the Sixties and expanded the estate to about thirty-five acres; his sons and now their children have continued and now use sustainable farming techniques and organic farming procedures.  A pale-yellow wine that offered notes of pineapple, apricots and peaches and chalky terroir.  On the palate this medium bodied wine displayed tones of exotic and white orchard fruit like green apples, white flowers and a nice medium-to-long count finish of fruit and terroir. 

For our entrees, the other couple both had Hoisin Glazed Berkshire Pork Chop with a Cucumber and Radish Salad with Citrus and Ginger Goat Cheese, my Bride had the Braised Lamb Risotto with Peas, Mint Pesto, Parmesan, Crispy Shallot and Crispy Mushroom and I had the Scallops with Leek and Asparagus Risotto, Preserve Lemon, Pickled Fresno and Crispy Leeks.  I took the bullet, because the others wanted a red wine, so I chose the Celani Family Vineyards “Robusto” Proprietary Red Wine Napa Valley 2020. This is truly a Proprietary Red Blend, as there is no information even on the trade notes, but the winery grows Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc and they are partial to new French Oak.   Though in talks with Tom at a couple of tastings, he told me that this vintage was pure Merlot.  This was now the second 2020 Napa Valley wine that I have had, and I still could not detect any traces of smoke damage. This deep garnet wine offered notes of black plums, black cherries, and blackberries, along with notes of vanilla, tobacco, and chocolate.  On the palate, this is a rather full-bodied wine for being affordable and the tones of the dark fruits, and traces of licorice, and orange peel; blended well with the softer tannins offering a fruit-forward, but not jammy wine that was easy to drink with the food, and ending with a good medium-count finish of fruit and spices and graphite (terroir).