Over the weekend I had the chance to check out one of the most intriguing new wine and food programs that you will find in the Pacific Northwest. Just launched a few weeks ago, The Bionic Experience is a deftly-curated wine lunch that starts at 11AM during the end of the week at the Bionic Wines headquarters in Milton-Freewater. This was a longtime vision from Bionic Wines founder Christophe Baron. Outside this sleepy town is one of the finest wine and food programs in our region. Throughout my two hour visit I was blown away with the overall food quality, creativity, service level and passion exuded by each person making this special experience possible.
Food and Wine Pairing
The idea behind this special lunch is celebrating the French tradition of food and wine pairing during a long afternoon experience. There were a number of older wines selected for this special experience, including one of my favorite vintages of ‘God Only Knows’ from 2016.
The great part of having these wines from the cellar of Christophe Baron is that they haven’t moved. I have found that wines from his cellar have a special level of tension and freshness that you don’t see at restaurants — or even my cellar!
We sat down and began our experience. I was seated with my friend MJ Towler, founder of the Black Wine Guy Experience. We had such a nice time catching up in person and taking in the amazing smells from the kitchen and glass.
Wines were very thoughtfully paired. The overall theme was moving up in flavor density, as they began the program with some lighter bodied wines, including the thrilling 2016 ‘God Only' Knows.’
The Wines
There were many standout wines throughout this experience and I loved that they poured a smaller amount of the wines but just enough to enjoy. Sadly, I had to drive so I was tasting rather than drinking for this visit. The first wine was their 2020 Champagne Christophe Baron ‘Les Alouettes’ which matched the amuse bouche remarkably well. The touch of osetra caviar on the potato and speck dish was particularly electric — something out of a Two Michelin star restaurant in Los Angeles.
As far as the pairings went, the match for the main meat dish, a thinly cut BBQed lamb, I adored the salty and savory connection drom the 2023 ‘High Contrast’ Syrah by Horsepower.
The Chef
This was a really enticing menu put forth by Michelin-starred chef Matthew Lightner. He is the former executive chef of Atera in New York City, a recipient of two Michelin stars. In 2010, Lightner was named one of the "Best New Chefs” by Food and Wine magazine.
I loved that there was just enough food to satisfy. Nothing overpowered the wines and the theme was delightfully fall. The earthy elegance from the mushroom and fall-focused accents also really highlighted the damp earth character inherent in the wines (E.G. compost, black truffle, morel mushroom).
The Food
I have now had several days to digest how good this food actually was. Each presentation was so beautiful. Little accents like the smoky and spicy nature in the dumplings or the texture in the mushroom dish really added to the complexity of the wine pairing menu. At the bare minimum the food quality was One Michelin Star. But the food could easily have come from a Two Michelin Star restaurant. There is nothing near this level of food quality that I can find in Eastern Washington. This is really pushing anything from the best restaurants in Seattle or Portland as well. When you finish this otherworldly meal you feel as though you’ve been teleported to Daniel or Eleven Madison Park rather than the Walla Walla Valley.
The Verdict
The Bionic Experience is one of the finest food and wine tastings you will find in the Pacific Northwest. I have been long enamored by the wines of Christophe Baron now for decades. He has created an insanely cool and novel vision to combine his world-class wines, including his champagnes, with carefully-created bites with Chef Lightner, and utilizing the talents of Tyler Alden, arguably the top sommelier in the Pacific Northwest. This is a closer experience to a Michelin Two Star rather than a Michelin One Star. And at the bare minimum this offers you a rare glimpse into Michelin Star dining in the Walla Walla Valley. The question becomes how are you NOT blown away by this culinary and wine adventure? I will definitely be thinking about his meal for a long time and can’t wait to revisit The Bionic Experience.
