Chez François presents
A Wine Dinner with Sea Smoke & Lingua Franca
Thursday October 23rd, 2025 • 6 pm
Join us as we Welcome The Iconic Sea Smoke Wines of Sta. Rita Hills AVA of the Central Coast of California and Lingua Franca of the Eola-Amity Hills AVA of The Willamette Valley, Oregon to Chez François. This dinner will feature the latest fall releases of both these wineries.
Hawaiian Yellow Fin Tuna Tartar, Citrus Vinaigrette
A spicy timbale of Hawaiian Yellow Fin Tuna tartar tossed with citrus juice, Cara Cara oranges, pickled ginger, chives and micro greens served with potto gaufrettes
Sea Spray “Blanc De Noirs” Sparkling Wine, Sea Smoke, Sta. Rita Hills, California, 2020
Lobster Risotto & Scallop, “Burgundy” Truffle Butter
Carnaroli rice flavored with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and truffle butter with Main Lobster, Scallop and sliced “Burgundy” truffles.
Chardonnay “Estate” Lingua Franca, Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon, 2022
Chardonnay, Sea Smoke, Santa Lucia Highlands, California, 2022
Oxtail Raviolis, Glace de Viande
Raviolis filled with oxtail, garnished with wild mushrooms, finished with red wine and root vegetable brunoise glace de viande.
Pinot Noir “Avni”, Lingua Franca, Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2022
Pinot Noir “Estate”, Lingua Franca, Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon, 2022
Pekin Duck Cassoulet, Duck & Cherry Consommé
Roast Pekin duck Breast served over a Napa cabbage timbale filled with white beans and duck confit, duck and cherry glace de viande, cherry crackling, with a splash of duck consommé.
Pinot Noir “Southing”, Sea Smoke, Sta. Rita Hills, California, 2023
Pinot Noir “Ten”, Sea Smoke, Sta. Rita Hills, California, 2023
Roast Tenderloin of Veal, Smoked Woodland Wild Mushroom
Roast tenderloin of veal, served over butternut squash and applewood smoked bacon with smoked woodland wild mushrooms, topped with a veal glace de viande.
Red “Proprietary”, Double Diamond, Napa Valley, California, 2022
Cabernet Sauvignon, Double Diamond, Napa Valley, California, 2022
Red “Eliza’s”, To Kalon Vineyard, Napa Valley, California, 2022*
*Supplemental $25 2oz./pour
Cerises François
Cherries François, Madagascar French Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Spiced cherries in a Port wine sauce, served over an almond cookie with French vanilla bean ice cream
$195/Per Guest, Tax & Gratuity not included.
All pricing reflects a cash payment. A 2.95% convenience fee is added for all credit card transactions.
Sea Smoke Vineyard
The iconic Sea Smoke Vineyard never disappoints. A truly world-class, Grand Cru site in the Sta. Rita Hills that helped put the region on the map. This site is often cloaked in cooling fog from the Pacific Ocean, hence the name ” Sea Smoke”. The vines grow in very rocky, diatomaceous earth and flint soils imparting a distinctive minerality to the wines. Sea Smoke has been farmed organically and biodynamically for many years. The meticulous farming regiment has helped the wines achieve incredible consistency and excellence elevating the wines to cult status. The 2022 releases have plenty of powerful fruit and intensity, but always have Sea Smoke’s tell-tale purity, lift and ageing potential that has made the wines so legendary. Sea Smoke’s “Ten” Pinot Noir is named for the diverse clonal selections planted across the estate, all of which are vinified separately and then carefully blended together to give the fullest expression of the unique site.
Named after the cooling blankets of fog that roll in from the Pacific, Sea Smoke is one of the leading producers of the Sta Rita Hills AVA
The California coastline may be synonymous with sunshine, but equally pervasive is the blanket of fog that unfurls from the sea most days. A consequence of cold wind sweeping over warm ocean currents, it’s a hauntingly beautiful phenomenon known as ‘sea smoke’.
Just a few hours’ drive from Los Angeles, the Sta Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County are a semi-desert region at the 34th latitude. An arid, southerly locale, ‘it’s a seemingly unlikely place to grow great Pinot Noir,’ says Victor Gallegos, general manager of Sea Smoke Estate Vineyards.
Yet, buoyed by sea smoke and the unique geography of Santa Barbara County, Sea Smoke Vineyards has helped establish the Sta Rita Hills AVA as one of America’s foremost Pinot Noir regions.
“Deep in the heart of the northern hemisphere’s southernmost and sunniest region, lies the Sta. Rita Hills wine appellation. The Pacific Ocean creates a cooling fog, also referred to as sea smoke that funnels the hillside and makes for an optimal home to grow Pinot Noir. The 40-acre property that is the Sea Smoke Estate Vineyard provides the producer with its entirety of fruit, which is comprised of 10 different clones of Pinot Noir as well as 10 acres planted of Chardonnay. Because of a change in winemaker in recent years, Sea Smoke has undergone a shift in style of their Pinot Noir wines with less extraction, less oak, and even more recognition.” Benchmark
Lingua Franca
Lingua Franca was co-founded by Master Sommelier Larry Stone with the guidance of legendary Burgundy winemaker Dominique Lafon and the expertise of winemaking protégé Thomas Savre. Situated in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, Lingua Franca benefits from rocky volcanic soils and cooling winds funneling in from the Pacific Ocean. This unique terroir produces intensely mineral driven wines with vibrant acidity.
One of Pinot Noir‘s most successful New World outposts, the Willamette Valley is the largest and most important AVA in Oregon. With a continental climate moderated by the influence of the Pacific Ocean, it is perfect for cool-climate viticulture and the production of elegant wines.
Mountain ranges bordering three sides of the valley, particularly the Chehalem Mountains, provide the option for higher-elevation vineyard sites.
The valley’s three prominent soil types (volcanic, sedimentary and silty, loess) make it unique and create significant differences in wine styles among its vineyards and sub-AVAs. The iron-rich, basalt-based, Jory volcanic soils found commonly in the Dundee Hills are rich in clay and hold water well; the chalky, sedimentary soils of Ribbon Ridge, Yamhill-Carlton and McMinnville encourage complex root systems as vines struggle to search for water and minerals. In the most southern stretch of the Willamette, the Eola-Amity Hills sub-AVA soils are mixed, shallow and well-drained. The Hills’ close proximity to the Van Duzer Corridor (which became its own appellation as of 2019) also creates grapes with great concentration and firm acidity, leading to wines that perfectly express both power and grace.
Though Pinot noir enjoys the limelight here, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay also thrive in the Willamette. Increasing curiosity has risen recently in the potential of others like Grüner Veltliner, Chenin Blanc and Gamay.