l’ostrica fEATURING
Maxem + mEmento mori + vida valiente
Join us for this exclusive charity vintner dinner featuring Chef Eric Ferguson of Charlotte's acclaimed restaurant, L’Ostrica and some of the wine world’s greatest: Maxem, Memento Mori, and Vida Valiente. Charlotte Wine + Food Board Member and Co-founder of L’Ostrica, Cat Carter, will collaborate in curating this incredible evening’s
7-course tasting menu. This night is sure to be one of the highlights of this year’s Charlotte Wine & Food Week and is not to be missed!
Ask most serious wine collectors to tell you about the most sought-after and highly rated wines to come out of Napa Valley and they are likely to include Memento Mori.
In a sea of small Cabernet producers in Napa, Memento Mori stands out for their legendary vineyards—Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard, Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard, Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard, Weitz Vineyard, and Oakville Ranch Vineyard. These are true small-production wines, with less than 900 cases made of their ‘Flagship’
Cabernet Sauvignon.
Memento Mori was founded in 2010 by three childhood friends, Adriel Lares, Hayes Drumwright, and Adam Craun, who have committed themselves to crafting sophisticated wines of tremendous balance, honesty and profundity. The name, Memento Mori, is taken from an ancient Latin philosophy that reminds us of our mortality and the inevitability of death. Inspired by the serious health scares, family tragedy and times of trial they have experienced together throughout their friendship, Memento Mori is a shared mantra which the founders interpret as “Remember to Live.” That ethos is palpable in every bottle. As the founders see it, life is too short to not make the best wine possible from the best sites available.
Winemaker Sam Kaplan translates each vineyard site into balanced, terroir-driven wines that tell the story of Napa Valley.
To round out this dinner, we are also thrilled to feature wines from two other projects driven by Memento Mori Winemaker Sam Kaplan, Maxem and Vida Valiente.
EVENT DETAILS
Date: Thursday, April 24
Time: 6:30 PM Arrival | 6:45 PM Dinner
Location: L’Ostrica | 4701 Park Rd D, Charlotte, NC 28209
Special Guests: Lauren Van Ness | Vice President of Client Relations - Memento Mori
Chef Eric Ferguson & Cat Carter | Proprietors - L’Ostrica
Tickets: $500/person
Gratuity and tax are included in the ticket price, and $231 of each ticket is tax-deductible.
Must be 21+
Hosted by Charlotte Wine & Food Board Members Cat Carter and Taryn Thompson.
WINES
WELCOME RECEPTION
Champagne on arrival
FIRST COURSE
2023 Memento Mori Sauvignon Blanc
SECOND COURSE
MAXEM Chardonnay
THIRD COURSE
MAXEM Pinot Noir
FOURTH COURSE
2022 Memento Mori 'Flagship' Cabernet Sauvignon
FIFTH COURSE
2021 Memento Mori 'Flagship' Cabernet Sauvignon
SIXTH COURSE
2017 Memento Mori 'Flagship' Cabernet Sauvignon
SEVENTH COURSE
2021 Vida Valiente 'High Ranch' Cabernet Sauvignon
2022 Vida Valiente 'Graveside' Cabernet Sauvignon
Menu coming soon…
Dietary restrictions may be accommodated with advance notice. Please indicate any restrictions the event organizers should be aware of at time of your registration/ticket purchase. Alternatively, please email info@charlottewineandfood.org to notify us at minimum 5 days prior to the event.
CULINARY & BEVERAGE TALENT
LAUREN VAN NESS | VICE PRESIDENT OF CLIENT RELATIONS - MEMENTO MORI
Lauren Van Ness first discovered Memento Mori during her nearly nine-year tenure at the world class Napa Valley restaurant, The French Laundry. Initially attracted to the striking labels, she soon fell in love with the wines themselves and the moving story behind them. As Maître D’ and Director of Private Events, Memento Mori always topped her recommendation list for guests looking to discover an exclusive bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon crafted from heritage vineyards sites with an extra dash of underground industry buzz around it.
A Colorado native, Lauren discovered her love of food and wine while competing as a member of the United States Alpine National Ski Team, traveling to Chile, New Zealand, Canada, France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy and Austria for competitions. Immersing herself in these remarkable settings with their various cultures, she became especially charmed by restaurants, the dedicated individuals that operated them and the lasting memories she took along with her following the best meals. Lauren retired from ski racing in 2004, moving home to Colorado to study Communications at The University of Colorado in Boulder. Once considered the “Foodiest Town in North America” by Bon Appétit, Lauren tapped into Boulder’s restaurant industry working for The Big Red F, a multi-concept restaurant and hospitality company, while putting herself through college. Inspired by her work, she loved how food and beverage worked in harmony.
In 2009, a once in a lifetime opportunity was presented to her, and Lauren relocated to Napa Valley to accept a position at The French Laundry. Before ultimately stepping into the role as Maître D’ and Director of Private Events, Lauren trained in seven different positions – each one cementing her love of hospitality as well as her conviction that the true meaning of hospitality is “how you make someone feel.” To complement the daily changing menu, the service team would customize wine accompaniments to suit each guest, which is what led Lauren to her deep dive into the world of wine. She pursued the WSET Level 2 certification and joined ACME Fine Wines in 2018 to completely immerse herself in the industry.
At ACME, Lauren curated several private offerings of the Memento Mori flagship Cabernet, and in the process learned more about the label’s heritage vineyards, AVAs, soils and talented winemaker, Sam Kaplan. The more she encountered the Memento Mori backstory, the more it resonated with what initially attracted her to wine – the relationships and memories wine can create, and later evoke.
Coming full circle, Lauren joined the Memento Mori team in June 2021. Previously the Director of Sales & Hospitality, she has an unparalleled professional foundation that has helped take Memento Mori’s client base from strength to strength which will only continue to grow in her new role. Working alongside Chef Thomas Keller at The French Laundry and with Karen Williams, the Proprietor of ACME Fine Wines, also helped her realize the value in working alongside brilliant business minds, and she is thrilled to find a similar acumen in the Memento Mori founders. Their various experiences running successful companies both in and outside of wine remain an inspiration to Lauren and she couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this talented team. Lauren cares deeply about the community of Napa and the romanticism of wine. When she isn’t hosting guests in the Memento Mori lounge, she loves to hike, travel, play cards, drink wine with her husband, Brian, and share her favorite spots in the Valley with friends.
ERIC FERGUSON & CAT CARTER | PROPRIETORS - L’OSTRICA
Chefs Eric Ferguson and Cat Carter are the proprietors and founders of L’Ostrica, an upscale yet approachable concept featuring seasonal tasting menus. The restaurant also offers a Chef’s Market with a curated wine selection and chef-prepared provisions for enjoying at home and a casual Sunday Supper whose theme changes weekly. Ferguson and Carter work side by side to develop and refine each of L’Ostrica’s menus, then collaborate with their team to refine them even further.
Eric, a classically trained chef, had a restaurant in Oregon Wine Country for nearly a decade, for which he earned a James Beard award. Prior to that, he worked at Michelin three-star restaurant Quince in San Francisco, as well as several well-known restaurants here in Charlotte. In between, he spent influential time working in the kitchens and fields of Umbria, Italy. These wide-ranging experiences greatly shaped his thinking. Cat also brings a wide range of experiences to the table, having grown up all over the world and in a bi-cultural home. She has had a dual career track, spending time in both creative and business pursuits, including: leading product and experience design initiatives; publishing a food magazine and working as a freelance writer; developing strategies for F&B brands; and developing and editing recipes.
They are both storytellers, using innovative dining as a platform for sharing the history, processes, and intricate techniques behind the dishes they create. They are proud to source many of their ingredients from local farms, producers, and purveyors. You can follow them at @Lostrica_clt and @lostrica_mkt.
THANK YOU TO OUR PRESENTING SPONSOR!
