Twenty-four guests, at charmingly decorated rustic tables—a ribbon-tied nosegay at each place setting—under a bower of greenery on a warm summer evening. Chef Aaron Tekulve and the team at Surrell know how to set the scene.
In June, Tekulve launched the new “Inspiration” dinner series in which local winemakers share not the science of how their wines were created, but the stories of what inspired them.
“These inspiration dinners are mainly going to be with wineries whom I have worked with a number of times in the past with a goal of providing new guests and our longtime ones, who love having these dinners, a new opportunity to interact,” Tekulve said.
At Surrell, Tekulve exclusively serves Washington wines with his seasonally inspired, Pacific Northwest tasting menus. He is a vocal and enthusiastic advocate of both established and emerging wineries.
Tekulve invited JM Cellars, a family-owned, highly respected local favorite since 1998, to participate in the July Inspiration dinner. Father-son winemaking team John and Tommy Bigelow sat down with Tekulve and tasted through 13 wines, sharing stories of their origins while Tekulve began imagining dishes to pair.
The five-course menu began with JM Cellar’s 2022 Columbia Valley Rosé and three distinctive bites—a wooden spoonful of fish sauce caramel-cured salmon, a savory roasted porcini mini macaron, and a tiny crisp cone stuffed with chorizo, herbs, and a swirl of garlic ginger aioli.
JM Cellars typically works with a number of vineyards in Walla Walla and Red Mountain to produce small batches of handcrafted limited release wines. For this Inspiration dinner series, the Bigelows chose a wine that had inspired them to be served with one of their wines for each course.
The Herb Confit Salmon, gently placed in a bright strawberry broth, and accentuated with fennel, spring onion, and sorrel, was accompanied by a 2020 Pinot Noir from The Napa Valley Reserve and JM’s 2021 Pinot Noir, made from grapes offered by a winemaker friend in St. Helena and trucked up a from high elevation vineyard in the Sonoma Coast AVA.
“I’m so tired of these state rivalries,” John Bigelow said, of making a Washington wine from California grapes. “Good wine is good wine.”
The unbelievably tender Bay Leaf Braised Octopus, arranged in a curl on Pollock-esqe plate of stonefruit puree and with herbs and a crisp of speck, was served with JM’s Thirty Six Degree GSM and a 2018 Ferrar Bobet from Spain’s Priorat DOQ. A gorgeous trio of Pacific Rogue Wagyu Beef—toro, short rib, and puffed tendon—followed, paired with JM’s 2020 Tre Fanciulli and the 2019 “Alexis” from Swanson Vineyards in Napa Valley.
Decades ago, when John and Peggy Bigelow (Peggy is Margaret, the M in JM Cellars, and company president) were discussing what to name their new Cab, Merlot, and Syrah blend, a family friend dubbed the wine “Tre Fanciulli” after the three grapes and three Bigelow sons. The name roughly translates to “three treasured lads” in Italian. The wine has been perennially popular (and the lads, though grown, still treasured).
The middle of the sons, Tommy, was just six when his parents started the winery (in the family garage). After earning a communication degree, he bounced around for a while before deciding to attend Walla Walla Community College to study enology. John had a rule that the kids had to work elsewhere before joining the family business (if they wanted to) so they would have outside experience and a clearer perspective.
“I always knew I wanted to come back to JM,” Tommy said. But first, he spent summers working with winemakers around the world. “I’ve made wine in seven countries, but Washington is my favorite,” he said. “Washington consumers are a little more fun to be around.”
For dessert Summer Berries and Pistachio, somehow both rich and weightless, was paired with the 2020 Malbec from their Margaret’s Vineyard in Walla Walla and a 2019 Andrew Janiuk Malbec made with Argentine grapes. Andrew Janiuk is nephew to John and cousin of Tommy.
Mike Janiuk, Andrew’s father and one of Washington’s most acclaimed winemakers, is John’s brother-in law and taught him, back in the day, how to use winemaking equipment. “He taught me how to not lose my fingers!” John joked.
Completing the dinner was JM’s Ruby Port and a 2017 Ramos Pinto Port from the Douro Valley. The hour was late, and the guests were convivial and sated.
Tekulve intends to hold Inspiration Dinners monthly. “We are planning on dinners with Cadence, Avennia, Two Vintners, and Sleight of Hand,” he said. “And hoping to book more of them with Delille, WT Vintners, Damsel Cellars, and some of our other favorites.” Lake Chelan’s Cairdeas Winery kicked off the new series in June.
To learn more about Surrell’s Inspiration Dinner Series and other special events, visit their website at surrellseattle.com.