We recently drove up to LA to check out some wines from a relatively new winery in Paso Robles — LXV Wine. The line of wines are based on the Kama Sutra — and before you start rolling your eyes, read the rest of the paragraph first — which I only found out at the dinner, is so much more than what we know the Kama Sutra to be. I learned that there were 64 arts to the Kama Sutra and it was developed not only for the aspects we are familiar with, but also, in allowing art and love to complement each other. LXV (65 in Roman numerals) was developed as the “65th art” where you, the consumer is enticed by the sensuality of these hand-crafted wines.
The vintners, Kunal and Neeta Mittal, are a husband and wife team, with roots from west and south India respectively. One immersed in the world of technology and another in film making, but both yearned to incorporate their passion for wine by making it a part of their daily lives. Chancing upon a piece of land in Paso Robles, they quickly snatched it up and the rest, as they say, is history.
The purpose of this dinner was to introduce us to LXV wines which will be paired with the special Valentine’s Day dinner to be held at NineThirty, the restaurant inside the W Hotel in Westwood. We enjoyed dishes off the a la carte menu as pairings for the wines, although there will be a prix fixe menu this Friday.
I’m not going to feature everything we tried, but I was highly impressed by Baked Kunik Goat Cheese ($18) which I didn’t think I’d like.
Served with truffle honey and grilled bread, the cheese was warm, gooey and creamy and paired well with our first wine, 2012 Rising Tempo, inspired by the 3rd art of the kama sutra — the art of dance — LXV’s first release, an easy to drink red which was a great accompaniment to our first lot of dishes.
Being a huge fan of deviled eggs in general, the Deviled Eggs ($8) here were perfectly executed and topped with a smoked chile mignonette. They key to a flawless deviled egg is getting the egg white right and Chef Dakota Weiss executed these impeccably.
Shortly after, we were served the 2012 Heart Note, a rose that was perfect with the next items to arrive.
Char-Grilled Thick-Cut Hobbs Bacon ($10) is a must. First off, who doesn’t like bacon, and secondly, this is just to-die-for. Topped with an apple relish and habanero chimichurri, no one could stop eating this.
Another of my favorite was Drunk Mussels ($15 small/$26 large) with Washington state black mussels, white wine, chipotle, hominy and served with grilled flat bread. It was nicely spiced and I couldn’t stop eating it due to the addicting kick it left in my mouth. If I had been alone, I might have picked up the bowl and slurped the broth.
Last but not least, the 2012 Summer Satine, a viognier, was served with our desserts. This wine won Best of Class at SF Chronicle this year.
The best dessert which went with the viognier was Oops! I Dropped My Ice Cream Sundae ($8) which left a really refreshing taste after the richness of the maple bacon ice cream. The whole effect lent a lovely mouth-feel when paired together with the wine. The dessert also consisted of Captain Crunch cereal and blueberry compote, all complementing the wine by enhancing its flavor without overwhelming.
This Friday, NineThirty is featuring a Valentine’s Day dinner entitled The Cook, The Wine Owner and her Winemaker. This 4-course prix fixe dinner ($60/no wine) is paired with LXV wines for $100/person and reservations are highly recommended.
NineThirty
930 Hilgard Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Tel: 310-443-8211
This was good and good you addressed the eye roll to this as it would have been discounted just as you so eloquently stated! ☺