I’ve been lucky to have experienced a few food and wine pairings, and this last one at Domaine Serene, was truly stellar.   I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Oregon’s Willamette Valley wine region.

It was a good thing we reserved our spots for The 45th Parallel Experience weeks in advance, as it was sold out.  You can make diet requests, so of course mine was seafood only, and Chef Jason Kupper complied in a fantastic way.

The two year old tasting room has a beautiful view…

interesting art…

and a nice patio.

But the true stars of the lunch were the food and wine.  I could not have enjoyed it more.  The oysters were the best I’ve ever had.

We started with Seared Diver Sea Scallop with turnip, shaved radish, spring pea puree, citrus agua fresca, sunflower seed brittle and smoked paprika oil.   It was paired with a 2015 Chateau De La Cree Santenay ‘Charmes’ Chardonnay and a 2015 Etoile Vineyard Chardonnay, Dundee Hills.

Each course was paired with two wines, one from Domaine Serene in Oregon, and one from a sister property, either Chateau De La Cree or Maison Evenstad Beaune, both French.

Second course was Grilled Hama Hama Oysters in piquillo-orange butter, brioche crispies, parmesian-reggiano, and bush basil.  These were paired with a 2015 Chateau De La Cree Santernay, Premier Cru ‘Gravieres’ Chardonnay and a 2016 Clos Du Soleil Vineyard Chardonnay from the Dundee Hills.  The course and wines were awesome, and I don’t usually drink Chardonnay.

Course three was a Wild Mushroom And Spring Onion Tart with charred spring onion, shittake mushrooms, tallegio and cherry hazelnut gremolata.

We switched to Pinot Noir for the last two courses.  The tart was paired with a 2014 Chateau De La Cree Santenay ‘Monopole’ Clos De Las Confrerie Pinot Noir and a 2015 Abbey Oaks Vineyard Pinot Noir from Yamhill-Carlton.

My final course was King Salmon with cured Willamette Valley egg yolk, fingerling chips, onion soup creme fraiche, pickled ramps, and nasturium.

The salmon was so good it really did melt in your mouth.  I had a taste of 2015 Maison Evenstad Beaune Premier Cru Pinot Noir and a taste of the 2015 Cote Sud Vineyard Pinot Noir with the salmon.

Our Sommelier was Will, who was very knowledgeable and patient, and answered many questions.

It was a very wonderful experience and quite satisfying.