Last night I had the pleasure of attending a six-course wine dinner hosted by winemaker Jacques Hauller of Domaine Henri Maire, a Boisset Collection wine label. Domaine Henri Maire is in the Jura, a wine region I wasn’t previously familiar with in eastern France between Burgundy and Switzerland. Isn’t it lovely?

The dinner was held at Lavendou Bistro, a highly-rated French restaurant in Dallas. There’s ample parking (something that’s noteworthy in Dallas!) and a charming patio with string lights and flowers. It’s a great location with easy access to many major freeways. The inside is rustic, cozy, and inviting. There’s even a salt scrub in the ladies room. It’s the little touches like that that always impress me the most.

I took my friend Kenya and we had the pleasure of dining with the winemaker himself, Jacques.

To start things off, we were presented with a plate of Amuse Bouches: mini sundried tomato tarts, and a delicious crostini paired with Domaine Henri Maire Crémant Brut Jurassique, a light champagne.

The second course was Truite au Vin Jaunne, rainbow trout with a cream sauce that was reminiscent of potato leek soup. This dish had a brilliant texture and wasn’t too heavy. It’s probably the best rainbow trout I’ve had. The trout was paired with Domaine Henri Maire Côtes du Jura Tradition, 2014. I cannot say enough wonderful things about this unique wine. It smells like caramel and vanilla, is the most gorgeous caramel color, and tastes of old-fashioned hand pulled caramel. It’s so buttery and smooth and I could smell this all day long. It’s perfectly suited for lazy summer picnics in a floppy hat.