High Museum Wine Auction: An Evening with Benoit & Nikita Touquette and Jasmine Hirsch

As the 2025 High Museum Wine Auction approached its pinnacle, my wife Dio (serving as this year's co-chair) and I had the privilege of organizing an extraordinary winemaker dinner in a stunning private residence in Buckhead. Given the opportunity to select both the venue and talent, we knew exactly who to feature - Benoit Touquette of Fait-Main (my favorite US-based winemaker) alongside Jasmine Hirsch, whose wines I've fallen in love with since first meeting her years ago. Chef Farough Vakili of Le Bon Nosh created a magnificent menu to showcase these stellar wines. The intimate gathering perfectly exemplified what makes the High Museum Wine Auction so special - the coming together of passionate wine lovers, extraordinary talent, and genuine hospitality in support of Atlanta's arts community.

• 2023 Hirsch Vineyards Chardonnay 93 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Hirsch, Fait-Main and Fairest Creature dinner in a private Buckhead home. Jasmine described 2023 as "an interesting vintage" with a long, mild growing season resulting in wines with "incredible detail and aromatics." With just five acres of Chardonnay planted at Hirsch, this is quite limited. Her winemaking approach is refreshingly straightforward - "There's really not much to it. Just want you to taste the vineyard." The vineyard is very steep and rocky, producing a small production that beautifully showcases the rugged Sonoma Coast terroir. Chef Farough served this with herb-crusted seared avocado with herbs de provence, ginger, lime, soy sauce, olive oil, and mixed greens.
  
  Bright lemon and green apple on the nose with distinct mineral notes reflecting the rocky vineyard site. The palate shows remarkable tension and precision, with just enough richness to balance the vibrant acidity. This tart, clean wine paired wonderfully with Chef Farough's avocado course, the wine's high acidity complementing the richness of the dish while highlighting the herbs and citrus elements.
  
  Brad - heavypourwine.com

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• 2022 Hirsch Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve 93 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Hirsch, Fait-Main and Fairest Creature dinner in a private Buckhead home. Jasmine explained that 2022 saw yields about 50% of normal, resulting in concentrated wines with small berries and thicker skins. Despite being a drought vintage, it wasn't overly tannic but showed intense primary fruit character. As she described it - "quite a sexy and yummy wine right now" though it will take time to fully develop. When asked about aging potential, she suggested 8-10 years would bring it to a beautiful spot. This wine is a selection of the best barrels from eight or nine parcels within their vineyard. Chef Farough paired this with Magret de canard with pomme puree, spring onion, green peppercorn jus, and kumquat.
  
  Bright red fruit nose with medium tannins and remarkable concentration. Chef Farough's duck breast was fantastic and created a great pairing, this wine's structure complementing the richness of the meat beautifully. I found myself repeatedly alternating between this wine and the 2021 Hirsch Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve Sonoma Coast, appreciating how each brought different dimensions to the pairing.
  
  Brad - heavypourwine.com

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• 2021 Hirsch Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Hirsch, Fait-Main and Fairest Creature dinner in a private Buckhead home. According to Jasmine, 2021 ranks among California's greatest vintages and "maybe after 1996 the best vintage we've ever seen" at Hirsch. Made from the best barrels of eight or nine parcels within their vineyard - typically their oldest and most expressive blocks. The wine demonstrated what Jasmine described as "depth not breadth" - intensity and expressiveness that originates in the vineyard rather than from winemaking techniques. Chef Farough served this with Magret de canard with pomme puree, spring onion, green peppercorn jus, and kumquat.
  
  The nose shows a bit darker red fruit compared to the 2022 Hirsch Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve Sonoma Coast with slightly lower tannins. The palate reveals remarkable precision with perfectly ripened fruit, fresh acidity, and an underlying mineral structure that frames everything beautifully. Where the 2022 shows youthful power, this wine displays elegant confidence. Paired with Chef Farough's duck breast, this wine elevated the dish beautifully.
  
  Brad - heavypourwine.com

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• 2022 Fait-Main Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Hirsch, Fait-Main and Fairest Creature dinner in a private Buckhead home. Benoit described this vineyard as being on Oakville's west side on the foothills of Vine Hill Ranch, just north of Dominus, with alluvial soil influence. From the challenging 2022 vintage, he explained their strategic approach of focusing on early-ripening sites, allowing them to "pull the trigger and try to make fresher wines" before extreme heat events. After 20 years of winemaking in Napa, Benoit's philosophy has evolved toward "cooler climates, freshness in the wine" - a deliberate move away from the over-extraction of earlier decades. This wine had been open for about an hour by the time we tasted it. Chef Farough served a lamb shoulder rulot with this wine, brazed for several hours, formed into a rulot, then seared and served with al dente Italian beans, pesto, and herb salad.
  
  Displaying blackberry and spice nose with medium-low tannins and a super expressive aromatic profile. On the palate, remarkable freshness carries the dark fruit flavors, with a touch of dark chocolate. Amazing for such a challenging vintage. Chef Farough's lamb shoulder was an outstanding match, this wine's freshness cutting through the richness while its structure complemented the meat's depth. This created a really good pairing that showcased how well Benoit's wines complement food.
  
  Brad - heavypourwine.com

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• 2022 Fait-Main Cabernet Sauvignon Tierra Roja Vineyard 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Hirsch, Fait-Main and Fairest Creature dinner in a private Buckhead home. Benoit shared the fascinating story of coveting this site for years before securing it, describing how it sits at approximately 350 feet elevation, launching toward Dalla Valle. He spoke with clear admiration for the vineyard's owner, Linda Neal (whom he called "the original gangster" or "OG"), who bought the land in 1983 and still personally marks every vine at age 70. The name "Tierra Roja" means "red dirt," reflecting the distinctive soil of this Oakville East site. Chef Farough paired this with a selection of French and local cheeses, apple bread, and housemade chutney.
  
  This wine had been open for about an hour by the time we tasted it. Dark red fruit notes on both the nose and palate. The tannins are firm but refined, providing excellent structure while allowing the fruit to shine through. This wine's structure and concentration matched the richness of the cheeses perfectly, with the savory notes complementing the housemade chutney. This pairing reinforced why I've long considered Benoit's wines so food-friendly despite their power.
  
  Brad - heavypourwine.com

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• 2022 Fait-Main Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras 95 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena

  Hirsch, Fait-Main and Fairest Creature dinner in a private Buckhead home. Benoit explained this is the flagship vineyard for Fait-Main since their inaugural 2010 vintage, noting how their approach has evolved to now include three different blocks. According to him, Las Piedras' rocky riverbed site reminded him of Haut-Brion, leading Robert Parker to later describe it as "Haut-Brion on steroids." Vintage after vintage, this has been my favorite Napa Cabernet, so I was very excited to know it was being poured at the dinner. Chef Farough paired this with a selection of French and local cheeses, apple bread, and housemade chutney.
  
  This wine had been open for about an hour by the time we tasted it. Amazing concentration of dark fruit notes and medium-high tannins. The palate displays remarkable purity and focus - powerful yet perfectly proportioned. Chef Farough's cheese selection was perhaps even more impressive with this wine than with the 2022 Fait-Main Cabernet Sauvignon Tierra Roja Vineyard. This wine's additional complexity and refinement lifted the cheese course to another level, showing why Las Piedras is such a special site.
  
  Brad - heavypourwine.com

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• 2021 Fairest Creature "Sine Fine" Cabernet Sauvignon 97 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Hirsch, Fait-Main and Fairest Creature dinner in a private Buckhead home. Benoit's wife Nikita explained this fascinating project as "more of a play on talent versus terroir," featuring three legendary winemakers (Benoit Touquette, Philippe Melka, and Thomas Rivers Brown) each creating their own expressions from the same vineyards. She jokingly called this collection of winemakers a "Boy Band" which got a lot of laughs! This particular bottling, Sine Fine, is Benoit's creation that earned him his first 100-point score outside of Realm - prompting his playful comment "Oops, I did it again!" The wine's label features bluebirds and redbirds joined at the tail - a symbol from Chinese culture representing inseparable love, reflecting Benoit and Nikita's relationship. Chef Farough paired this with strawberry and rhubarb pavlova with cream chantilly and mint.
  
  This wine had been open for about an hour and a half by the time we tasted it. Intense aromas of dark fruits with subtle cedar and graphite accents. On the palate, this wine shows amazing balance, grace and intensity. Soft dark fruits with great depth leading to remarkable complexity. Both fresh and slightly ripe light and dark blue fruits mingle with blackcurrant, blackberries and a touch of graphite. The integrated tannins create structure without heaviness. This wine's complexity and layered profile paired surprisingly well with the dessert course, its richness complementing the sweet-tart balance of the strawberry and rhubarb pavlova. This bottle reinforced why I've long maintained that Benoit is creating some of the most compelling wines in the Napa Valley today. My clear WOTN for sure!
  
  Brad - heavypourwine.com

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This extraordinary evening epitomized the vision my wife Dio and I had when selecting these particular winemakers and this exceptional chef for a High Museum Wine Auction dinner. Bringing together Jasmine Hirsch's terroir-driven approach with Benoit Touquette's evolved Napa style created fascinating contrasts and dialogue throughout the meal. The opportunity to taste wines presented personally by these talented winemakers in such an intimate setting was truly special, particularly with Jasmine's vertical of Reserve Pinot Noir and Benoit's tour through Oakville's distinctive terroirs. Both winemakers shared fascinating insights into their philosophies while highlighting their exceptional Auction lots for Hirsch and Fait-Main/Fairest Creature. As the evening concluded, the successful pairings and engaging conversation confirmed why we had selected these particular talents to showcase - their passionate advocacy for terroir expression and commitment to evolution have earned them deserved places among America's most compelling winemakers.