Announcing our first collaboration of 2023, The Baldwin Box! Since they relocated to the Auburn area about a year and a half ago, we have enjoyed becoming friends with Chef Randall Baldwin and his beautiful wife, Laura. We have shared many fun times enjoying all things Auburn, especially Auburn football and basketball.
Chef (after serving as a Marine) attended the Culinary Institute in New York and, shortly after graduation and started working under Birmingham, Alabama restaurant legend Frank Stitt at Bottega.
We have enjoyed introducing the Baldwins to town and are smitten with their restaurant, Vintage 2298! The menu changes daily, with some classics like West Indies salad and fried crab claws. Chef Randall prides himself on simple yet sophisticated food with fresh, local ingredients. We love their Sunday brunch, and they are open for dinner service on Mondays when most other restaurants in the area are closed.
“The Baldwin Box” contains a beautiful mix of wines that pair perfectly with all foods and occasions. See tasting notes and order details below.
Each case (12 bottles; 3 of each selection) is $265+ tax or a 4- pack (1 bottle of each) $115+ tax.
Auburn: Orders due by NOON, 1/31 with pickup the following day, 2/1 at Charred Oak Premium Spirits. (There will be an upcharge of 4% on all card transactions. Purchase by cash or check is encouraged.)
Alexander City: Orders due by NOON, 2/2 with pickup the following day, 2/3 at Grain & Leaf. (There will be an upcharge of 4% on all card transactions. Purchase by cash or check is encouraged.)
Dadeville: Orders due by NOON, 2/2, with pickup the following day, 2/3 at 34 Market.
Albert Bichot Cremant de Bourgogne Brut Rose NV – The first traces of the Bichot family date back to 1214. They settled in Burgundy in 1350. In 1831 Bernard Bichot founded a wine trading business. His son, Albert, the first to bear the name, settled in the center of Beaune once and for all in 1912. The second Albert, born in 1900, spread the Bichot name and wines all over the world. This wonderful sparkling rose is comprised of 80% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay, and 10% Gamay. The Pinot Noir offers delight and intense fruit aromas whereas the Chardonnay brings the floral notes and its freshness. The Gamay is the perfect additional touch, thanks to its crispness and liveliness. This wine has fine, even bubbles. The bouquet shows notes of raspberry and strawberry on the nose with a touch of citrus, followed by a delectable palate bursting with vivacity and freshness.
2021 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay – Founded in 1982, Au Bon Climat (which means “a well-exposed vineyard”) produces internationally-recognized Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Blanc wine from grapes grown in California’s Santa Barbara County. The Au Bon Climat winery is located on the world-famous Bien Nacido Vineyard, and was owned by winemaker Jim Clendenen who, unfortunately passed away in 2021. Au Bon Climat was listed on Robert Parker’s Best Wineries of the World in both 1989 and 1990, while Jim Clendenen has been named Winemaker of the Year in 1992 by the Los Angeles Times, and Winemaker of the Year in 2001 by Food and Wine Magazine. The 2021 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay is a beautiful example of the Au Bon Climat style. The flinty, stony aromas stand out, while in the background is an intriguing spice note of clove and nutmeg from surlies barrel aging in somewhat neutral, Francois Freres barrels for 10 months. Flavors and aromas of citrus and stone fruit, are finished with a beautiful lemon/lime zest note.
2020 Boen Tri-Appellation Pinot Noir– As a fifth generation Napa Valley winemaker, Joseph Wagner learned his way around a vineyard long before he was able to drink wine. By the time he was 19 he knew that he would continue his family’s winemaker legacy, working alongside his father at Caymus Vineyards. In 2001, he created Belle Glos, with a focus on vineyard-designated Pinot Noirs from California’s best coastal regions. Joseph has a keen interest in contributing to the evolution of the wine industry, by discovering new winegrowing locations and experimenting in the cellar. Boen is an expression of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay made in his signature style of rich, ripe fruit flavors balanced with bright acidity and judicious hints of toasty oak. This Pinot Noir is made with fruit from three different appellations; Sonoma, Monterey, and Santa Barbara. On the nose this wine shows aromas of dark plum and white pepper. This wine is well-structured and framed by dry Italian herbs with notes of cinnamon and clove spices. Abundant blackberry bramble and touches of maraschino cherry fill the mid-palate.
2019 Revelry Vintners Merlot – Wine became a passion of Jared Burns at a young age. He grew up in Washington State, so it is fitting that wines from the Columbia Valley are his favorite. In 2005, less than two years removed from college, he founded Revelry Vintners winery to share the wines that he loved with others. He started with the goal of producing three wines from Washington that were just as good or better than those being offered at much higher prices. Since that time, they have pioneered new formats, expanded the selection of wines they offer, and improved quality tirelessly. Through all of this that simple goal remains – to provide some of the finest wines you can buy, whether it costs fifteen bucks or fifty Revelry Vintners today offers a complete lineup of wines, each a pure representation of their origins in the Columbia Valley. The Merlot grape is responsible for establishing Washington State as one of the preeminent growing regions for Bordeaux varieties the world over. It was also the initial and most influential variety in the founding of Revelry Vintners. They source their Merlot fruit across the Columbia Valley, finding sweet spots for the grape on consistent soft grades, with moderate heat and good air drainage. This Merlot is built to be a crowd pleaser with soft dark red and blue fruit flavors, an undercurrent of sweet toasted vanilla and caramel, with dusty cocoa tannin backbone.
The Dining Winos 