October 23rd, 2026
Greetings from Carrboro,
California can run through wineries like they run through celebrities. For a good 20 years, there seemed to be a new “it” winery every couple of months, if not weeks—a new, must-have prestige bottling that captured the imagination of the wine press with 99-point scores and similarly sky-high pricing. It was dizzying. But like a healthy portion of the “it” celebrities – does Tila Tequila ring a bell? – a lot of those wineries haven’t aged terribly well, the ever-alluring sizzle having long since left the steak.
In wine, as in so many avenues of life, those who deserve honest-to-god attention rarely ask for it. Mount Eden Vineyards is certainly cut from that cloth. Nestled high in the Santa Cruz Mountains overlooking Silicon Valley, Mount Eden crafts iconic wines that are legendary to many of us who entered the wine trade in the pre-Clinton years. Along with their neighbor Ridge Vineyards’ Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon, Mount Eden’s Estate Cabernet Sauvignon belongs to that rare class of California wines that were as spectacular then as they are now. It’s a testament to their commitment to craft and to place, to tradition rather than trend.
On Wednesday, November 4th, we are so happy to have Michelle Duckett join us from Mount Eden Vineyards to showcase their remarkable wines. These are wines truly made for food and, as you might imagine, that’s where we come in. The dinner will have a distinctly fall vibe, with four courses and four wines to usher in sweater season with a healthy dose of deliciousness. Tickets for the event are $85 (excluding tax & gratuity). The menu is below. We’ll kick things off at 6:30 pm, with doors opening at 6:00 pm. As always, we’d love for you to join us.
People of a certain age vividly remember when Thriller came out. It was a high school high-water mark for me, as pretty much everyone I knew had Cablevision in their house, which did NOT have MTV, whereas I had Vision Cable, which DID. Talk about luck. Kids streamed into my house after school, cars lining the street out front, all just to watch the 15-minute video that MTV played once an hour. I was seriously popular. Until, well, I wasn’t.
So on Halloween, Atlas is going full Thriller with a party revolving around that seminal record and the nine tracks that are burned into the memory banks of so many of us. Acme is going to provide some serious ’80s-themed snacks—think fried ravioli, potato skins, French bread pizza, pigs in a blanket, and, yes, Acme chicken McNuggets—because if ever a night requires righteous snacks, it’s Halloween. Tickets to the party are $20 and cover the price of the food and the fun. (There will also be tickets available at the door for $25 – if we haven’t sold out by then.) The rest is completely up to you. Come solo or come with a crew. Come dressed to the nines or not. Regardless, we’d be thrilled to have you. Get it? Thrilled? It’s gonna be great.
Well, that’s all the news from Carrboro. The staff at Acme look forward to serving you soon.
Cheers,
The Staff at Acme
Wednesday, November 4th
6:30 in the evening
1st Course
Diver Scallop & Mountain Apple Ceviche
celery leaves, chili, lime, cilantro
Domaine Eden Chardonnay
2nd Course
Seared Salmon
blue crab, wild mushroom, sweet corn
Domain Eden Pinot Noir
3rd Course
Grilled Quail
dirty rice, low-country bourbon-mustard sauce
Domaine Eden Cabernet Sauvignon
4th Course
Braised Beef Short Rib
honey butternut squash, blue cheese
Mount Eden Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
