Dear Friends,

We are excited to announce the pairing of Paumanok Wines with a unique menu for the first dinner of its kind in New York City. ilili's culinary team is launching a new dinner series, designed to showcase the gastronomic evolution of Lebanese and Levantine cuisine.

This series is intended to show you ilili's vision of elevated Mediterranean Cuisine. These dinners showcase modern techniques, unique ingredients and new creations for their most daring menu to date. The menu will be paired with Paumanok award winning wines:

2010 Chenin Blanc
2010 Grand Vintage Chardonnay
2005 Grand Vintage Merlot
2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Tuthills Lane Vineyard
2007 Assemblage 2009 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc

You may read below about each wine.

When: Wednesday, November 16th at 7:30 PM
Where: iilili Restaurant 
236 5th Avenue 
New York, NY 10001 
Cost Per Person: $195 All inclusive, 7 Courses.
Menu: To Be Announced on 11/01/11
Only 40 Seats available

For Reservations contact Robin Halter:
Email: Rhalter@ililinyc.com
Phone: 212 481-1840

Wine Tasting Notes:

2010 Chenin Blanc - "...the best Chenin in America." Lettie Teague, Food & Wine "Year in and year out, this is one of the best American Chenin blancs around...Paumanok's from the North Fork of Long Island stands out as delicious on almost any scale you choose." Eric Asimov, The New York Times

2010 Grand Vintage Chardonnay - This is only the fifth time that PAUMANOK releases a Grand Vintage Chardonnay. This wine is made from the free run juice from the ripest two batches of clean fruit that we harvested. It was entirely barrel fermented, primarily in new French oak barrels. It yielded a wine of great purity and intensity, deserving the Grand Vintage designation. Offers aromas of yellow apple, lemon zest, toast, yeast and butterscotch and subtle floral notes. On the palate it is dry with flavors of toast, apple, pear and lemon. Pair it with white fish and poultry dishes. While it drinks well now, it well benefit from cellaring. Only 227 cases were bottled.

2005 Grand Vintage Merlot - Offers aromas of plum, black cherry, earth, and spice. Full-bodied and rich with a firm tannin structure. This wine is 100% Merlot. Only 149 cases were bottled.

2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Tuthills Lane Vineyard - 90 points, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, "The Massouds last bottled a Cabernet with the same site designation as their 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Tuthills Lane in 1995. Charles Massoud says the berries were leaking color already at harvest here, something he has never before witnessed. Cassis and mulberry - backed by cedar - testify to the extreme ripeness of the crop. But there is no sense of cooked fruit, and instead one of invigorating freshness, reinforced by the tart chew of ripe fruit skins. Peat, iodine, and pungent herbs add to the aromatic intensity as well as the palate-staining finish on exhibit in this wine that emphasizes grip and grit over polish. Expect it to be worth following for another 6-8 years." April 27, 2010

2007 Assemblage - Merlot with 22% Petit Verdot and 9% Cabernet Franc (although in most vintages, this cuvee contains Cabernet Sauvignon) - smells and tastes of ripe blueberry and blackberry tinged with pungent herbs and white pepper. Lean in texture but infectiously juicy and bright as well as palate staining, this concentrated, energetic blend should be worth following for at least a decade. Incidentally, it weighs in at a moderate 13.5% alcohol. - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - 91 points - April 27, 2010
Best Red Blend in NY, 2011 New York Wine & Food Classic

2009 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc - Made from carefully hand-harvested grapes affected by botrytis, the 'noble rot'. A slow, cool fermentation in new French oak barrels yielded intense and focused tropical fruit flavors like litchi, quince, pineapple, mango and guava. This wine is rich and sweet, and has ample acidity to balance the sugar, resulting in a sensational, full-bodied, dessert wine with a long finish. The oak embellishes the wine by imparting a subtle nutty flavor and by increasing complexity. A wonderful match with sharp cheeses like Roquefort or Stilton, or enjoy on its own after dinner. Only 155 cases were made.  
 
We hope you can join us for what should be a memorable dinner.