On the eve of IPNC kicking off tomorrow, more than a dozen wineries in the McMinnville area are hosting dinners tonight. I had the good fortune of selecting the pre-IPNC dinner event at Lemelson Vineyards winery, which ended up being an incredible evening of amazing food, delicious wine, and best of all, good company.

Before getting into too much detail, I want to share something special that happened earlier today on my journey from Seattle to the Willamette Valley. While driving south, I was listening to the radio when Garrison Keillor came on with The Writer's Almanac, his daily feature which ends with him reciting a poem.

It was rather fortuitous that today's poem was about wine. But it was truly profound in that it focused on the importance of enjoying wine in the company of others. The poem, The Good Nights by Joseph Mills, seemed to be written for exactly what I ended up experiencing this evening.

For it was in the company of folks such as JM, Dustin, Brian, Jill, Don, Jim, Liz and others I met tonight that we celebrated a wonderful meal prepared by John Sundstrom of Lark Restaurant along with incredible wines crafted by Eric Lemelson and Anthony King of Lemelson Vineyards. Here is the menu:

Reception
Hamachi tartare with heirloom tomato
Tarte flambee with bacon and quail egg
Escargot and Summer chanterelle tartine
Lemelson Vineyard Dry Riesling Willamette Valley 2007

First Course
Chilled white corn soup with white prawns and chorizo
Lemelson Vineyards Reserve Chardonnay Willamette Valley 2006

Second Course
Rabbit and foie gras rillettes with walnut toast and peach mustard
Lemelson Vineyards Pinot noir Chestnut Hill Vineyard 2006

Third Course
Pan-roasted squab with trofie pasta, morels and squab liver sauce
Lemelson Vineyards Pinot noir Thea's Selection 2006

Fourth Course
Painted Hills coulotte steak with garlic crouton, oxtail marmalade and arugula
Lemelson Vineyards Pinot noir Jerome Reserve 2002

Dessert
Chocolate almond cake with spiced cherry compote and creme fraiche
Lemelson Vinyears Late Harvest Riesling 2001

Several times during our meal, Eric Lemelson and Anthony King described the wines being served, sharing stories about where the grapes were sourced and how they were made. John Sundstrum also joined us from the kitchen to share details on each course, while his wife, JM, their young son, and other restaurant staff served the meal.

I cannot wait to take Kari to Lark in Seattle and experience Sundstrom's food again. And I cannot wait to get my hands on more Lemelson wine, especially the '07 riesling and both '06 pinots. Everything served tonight was exceptional. It was a terrific dinner event meeting people and learning more about the food and wine that graced our table.

A dinner that clearly qualified for inclusion in my personal list of "The Good Nights". Best of all, there are no dishes to do in the morning.

IPNC: Day One, Part One
IPNC: Day One, Part Two
IPNC: Day Two, Part One
IPNC: Day Two, Part Two