The Beaune Yard

No trip to Chicago would be complete without a visit to Bin 36.  This particular one was a night trip to have a flight (or two of wine) but I have also dined here for lunch and it is truly a “French dining experience”.  There is nothing like walking “The Magnificent Mile” for the morning and then stopping in for a lunch of wine and cheese.  Bin 36 is a bit airy and open to be said to be intimate but the way they have broken up the restaurant, cellar, bar, etc. allows for you still to feel as if you are sitting on a sidewalk in Paris.  They have a tremendous cheese bar that is really a bar and beyond their Bin 36 labeled wines they have a stellar list that is fun to try.  Most restaurants have a handful of decent wines by the glass and the rest you have to commit to a full bottle.  Not Bin 36.  They do have a 300+ bottle list but they also have 50+ wines by the glass at the bar.  Enough to try a couple you wouldn’t otherwise get to sample to see if you like it.

This particular night I was having the wine flight(s) at the bar.  First and foremost, ask for Jimmy.  He is the man that will take care of you like a real bartender should.  By the way, make sure you take care of Jimmy because cheap people are the reason that service at bars is declining from what it use to be.

Jimmy set me up with a Syrah flight.  The four wines were:

1.      2006 Syrah/Grenache – Cotes-du-Rhone, Guigal from Rhone Rhone Valley in France

2.      2006 Cinsault/Cabernet/Syrah, Massaya Classic from the Bekka Valley in Lebanon

3.      2006 Shiraz, Wishing Tree from Western Australia and

4.      2006 Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah/Petite Sirah/ Petite Verdot/Merlot) D&S, Duncan and Sachs, Proprietary Red from California

I can honestly say that it was a good flight overall but the only one that really took off for me was the D&S.  I am sure it was the blend which is one of the loves that I am developing but the complexity and the richness of the wine was enough to want me to get a glass.  But I controlled myself as tonight was a night to try a group of wines and not get stuck on just one. 

TIP:  Take the sheet that the wine flight comes on and make notes or stuff it in your pocket and take it home so that you remember what you drank.  It is a great way to go to your local wine store and buy a bottle you know you will like.

The second flight was called the Sexy Reds.  I have to admit that I would have ordered this first if I had already had a glass of liquid courage but sitting alone in the bar and asking Jimmy for Sexy Reds was not going to represent me very well so I went with the Syrah.  If you are more of a man than I am go ahead and ask for the Sexy Reds first.

1.      2006 Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Fran, Anjou Rouge, “Clos Fremur” from the Loire Valley in France

2.      2006 Zweigelt Zantho from Burgenland Austria

3.      2006 Petite Sirah, Windmill from Lodi California

4.      2007 Zinfandel, Grayson from the Central Coast in California

These reds had more depth and were more focused on the full body wine.  Both the Clos Fremur and the Petite Sirah were stellar wines but the favorite of the flight and the favorite of the night was the Petite Sirah.

Just as I was finishing and talking to Jimmy about how much I liked that wine he poured me a glass of the Bin 32 Syrah, Bin 36 from California.  It is hard to constantly describe great glasses of wine with new phrases so I will have to say that this was a smooth yet complex wine that really was so good the first sip let you know you were going to have a second glass.  Remember, that Jimmy just poured this based on what I was drinking and was liking.  This is the type of place you want to go to learn and enjoy wine.  Any time one of our members is in Chicago stop by for a taste (they have these on the menu so you can sample the wine without fully committing) and see for yourself what a wine shop/bar/restaurant should be.

Not to take anything away from the food because one of the owners is the Executive Chef but I always get so caught up in the wine and cheese other than an occasional lunch I am immersed and unable to find the food.  Based on Bin36 so far, I think that this is my loss but I will keep trying just like a good solider.

Thanks to Bin 36 for the great time, wine and thought provoking messages

Remember that life is too short for bad wine or bad friends.

In honor of today’s wine story we will also use the slogan of Bin 36:  Drink Wine, Live Well, Have Fun.

I love this slogan but I have to say that the one on the front page catches my heart more and this is why this is such a great place to start your wine journey.  It is:  The best way to learn about wine is drink it.

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