B Cellars Winery: Crafting Food-Friendly, Award Winning Wines

When it comes to matches made in heaven, few compare to good food paired with good — if not excellent — wine. Napa Valley’s B Cellars Winery founders Duffy Keys and Jim Borsack understood this from day one. Before launching B Cellars, Keys and Borsack enjoyed long complimentary careers, with Keys in luxury hospitality at Four Season Hotels & Resorts and Borsack at El Portal – the family’s group of luxury travel and accessory retail outlets.

The two wanted to make wines tailored to the needs of chef-driven restaurants and so they began by creating signature blends, building a reputation as versatile, food-centric wines, delivering layers of flavors. The first two releases included Blend 24. This was inspired by the Super-Tuscan wines of Italy, anchored by Sangiovese, while supported by Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Syrah.

Next was Blend 25, driven by Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, which was crafted to appeal to the country’s legendary steak and chop houses. It was this reputation that brought to light the savory finesse of these two varietals among the premium steak and chop houses throughout the US.

Keys and Borsack imagined a winery that would lead the way in how visitors to Napa Valley could engage in a culinary driven, wine tasting experience. Once it was clear what B Cellars’ purpose was, the duo launched the Oakville, Napa Valley destination winery in 2014.

Today, the winery offers two wine and food pairings, with The Oakville Trek highlighting five award winning wines paired with seasonal “B Bites”prepared a la minute by B Cellars veteran, Chef de Cuisine Derick Kuntz. With this tasting guests are also given a tour of the garden, estate grounds and the winery’s extensive wine caves. Next there’s The Elevage, in which guests enjoy four distinct wines, complemented by a selection of cheeses and charcuterie curated by Chef Derick.

We chatted with Chef Derick on B Cellar’s food and wine program, what guests can expect from a visit to B Cellars and more. Here’s what he had to say.

Talk about the process of crafting dishes to support B Cellars wines?

Traditionally, food enthusiasts are super creative and develop their “culinary chops” based on the types of foods that appeal to them. In a typical food centric, chef-owned restaurant, the chef has as much influence over the wine list as he/she does over the food menu. When this happens, there’s great synergy between food and wine. Often though, there’s a head chef who is in charge of menu development and a sommelier who looks after decision about wine selection.

In B Cellars case, I start with the wines we are showcasing that day or week. Menu planning starts with the wine – our culinary team, spends extensive time tasting through the B Cellars wine portfolio. We taste by varietal, by vintage and by viticultural area. Through the course of a single year, my team can explore 40 different wines in bottle looking for the nuances in each. From there we create menu items that accentuate the wines delivering layers of flavors.

We are constantly releasing new wines; each produced in small case quantities creates the necessity to build new dishes complementing a wine’s unique profile. I’m lucky to have access to the freshest produce because we grow our own fruit, vegetables and herbs just steps away from the kitchen – every member of the culinary team has a hand in the garden.

I’ve heard that B Cellars is known as Napa’s “Must Visit Winery.” Why do you think that is and how does the service, food and wine stand out from the rest?

Few wineries offer a pairing experience that is as hospitality-driven as B Cellars. Excellence is in our DNA, details matter and the sequence of service in our Hospitality House continues to get more creative each year. My most favorite words when visiting table side with guests: “this is just amazing, the best” and it’s the sincerity of the comments that hit home for me.

Guest’s recognize the depth and consistency in our wine portfolio – they are also seated in view of our open-hearth kitchen. All 5 senses are firing: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. There’s clearly something different at B Cellars; where else are you “in the kitchen” tasting wine.

You’ve been with B Cellars for nearly a decade. What is your favorite thing about working here?

The B Cellars team is everything. We are truly a family and really support each other on the job and outside of work. I would not have the flexibility to create so many different dishes anywhere else with the tools, team and, of course, the amazing wines I get to work with every day. It rarely feels like work for me, I am living the dream having the opportunity to cook in one of the top food and wine destinations in the world.

B Cellars food & wine pairings are always changing, and you rarely ever offer the same pairing twice. What inspires you to create so many different dishes and what is your strategy for pairing them with the wines?

The seasons, global techniques, local ingredients, and our vast array of wines are all equally inspiring. Our winemaking team never cuts corners when it comes to producing each bottle of wine, so I am inspired to do the same with each dish we serve. Our food strategy is on par with the level of care and attention our wines enjoy; that’s what makes our pairings so special.

What is your favorite ingredient to cook with and why?

My favorite ingredient depends mostly on the season, but also on the wine I am pairing the dish with. Our culinary garden brings beautiful spring onions that I use to make an amazing jam that goes delightfully with our Sauvignon Blanc. Next for me is stone fruit that comes in the summer that offer many delicious options such as brown buttered apricots to pair with one of our Chardonnays, or grilled peaches to go with our white wine blend, Blend 23 and cherries that pair perfectly with one of our Pinot Noirs.

But perhaps my favorite ingredient of all time since I started creating recipes for B Cellars, and perhaps the least expected, are Huckleberries. I have found that they work really well with most of our red wines and I have created several recipes that feature them that guests love. When they are young and under ripened, they have a nice tartness that goes well with a bold fruit forward Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon. As they ripen, they get much sweeter and bring a nice dark fruit flavor that complements our bigger and more tannic wines such as our Bridgeline Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon or Hudson Vineyard Syrah.

Why should people come to B Cellars and what do you hope they leave with after they visit?

B Cellars is the most engaging, personalized Napa Valley wine & food pairing experience. From the moment you set foot on property, you know you are somewhere special. From your welcome in our courtyard to the breadth and quality of our wines to an unparalleled level of hospitality – I feel our guests sense there’s a certain harmony at B Cellars.

I believe folks leave the winery knowing that they connected with us. I see it in the numbers; it’s why we have so many repeat guests, it’s why we receive so many new referrals from past guests. I also think guests feel our energy and pride – it certainly is rewarding for us.