Recently I had the pleasure of joining Domaine du Tariquet’s owner and fifth generation winemaker, Armin Grassa, for a lunch in San Francisco at Cockscomb. We were guided through white Armagnac, indigenous Gascon varietals (Ugni Blanc, Colombard, Gros Manseng), and twenty-year-old Armagnacs, all paired with fresh, farm-to-table cuisine.  This event sounds delightful, right? A little French wine, a change in taste with the white Armangnac, which I wasn’t familiar with paired excellently with some amazing San Francisco California Cuisine at Cockscomb from Chef Chris Cosentino and team. Sign me up! See below for more of the amazing wine and food pairings we experienced during this informative event led by Chateau du Tariquet winemaker…..

I am obsessed with these little roosters that welcome guests to the second floor of San Francisco’s Cockscomb Restaurant. So charming and they always lure me in!

Upon arriving, we were welcomed with the Chateau Du Tariquet VSOP Bas-Armagnac. This was the first time I tried Armagnac and it tasted a lot like vodka to me. I thought the presentation was lovely, but I was ready to move onto the wines since I’m not much of a hard liquor/distilled wine drinker.

Such a beautiful table setting. I love winemaker meals with incredible menus like this specifically curated to pair well with the wine. Let the wine and delicious eats begin!

The Marinated Sardine Toast

The first course of Tombo Crudo was divine. It was extremely light, flavorful, and fresh. These two dishes, the Marinated Sardine Toast and Tombo Crudo, paired back to the first two Sauvignon Blanc wines. The second wine, the 2016 Sauvignon Blanc (shown below), was my preference as it was a bit less tart and less acidic than the first one. The softer, creamy flavor was lovely with the Tombo Crudo. 

We tried this first and it was extremely fresh, with green fruit notes and high acidity. Fun fact: we learned that this is the #1 selling Sauvignon Blanc Wine in Bordeaux.

Here are another two wines that we tried with the first course, and this was the first time I had had a Chardonnay & Sauvignon blend. The blend was softer than the full Sauvignon Blanc, however, I preferred the single varietal Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc to the blend. Always fun to taste and try new things!

The Sea Bass Fish course. This was one of the juiciest, most flavorful fish dishes I have ever tried and it was delicious. I’m not typically a fish girl, but I tried this and it was amazing! In the past I had only had hearty meats at Cockscomb, but after this lunch, I really will return back for their flavorful amazing seafood dishes, as well.

The Wood Oven Roasted Octopus with Roasted Potatoes. I loved these potatoes, and the yummy flavorful orange sauce they were served with.

This was another one of the wines we tried which was very nice! It was a dessert-like sweet wine which was extremely well balanced and lovely.

The grand unveiling of the Angry Lobster and Clams Entree which was my favorite. I mean, when do you get to enjoy a full Lobster or two for lunch?! Heavenly!!

Forgive me, there was one more entree, the Quail Tetrazzini. Talk about an elaborate lunch. We sure were spoiled!

The last course was, of course, dessert! This was a Chocolate Hazelnut Bar and Chocolate Cremeux. At this point I was stuffed, but I tried the Chocolate Cremeux which was divine, super light, smooth, and beyond delicious.

A special thanks to the Domaine du Tariquet team for hosting me at this wonderful Wine & Food tasting and educational experience. I loved getting to know winemaker Armin Grassa and tasting through various wines together. Finally, thanks to the Cockscomb team for the amazing meal and the lovely experience your team provided during this meal.