Fabulous Top Rated Wines for Filet Steak Dinner

Fabulous Top Rated Wines for Filet Steak Dinner

Just returned from Spring Break skiing in the Rockies, son Ryan and d-in-law Michelle invited us over for Saturday night dinner to watch her Alma Mater University of Illinois in the NCAA Final Four basketball tourney. 

Ryan prepared prime filets of beef steaks with balsamic rice and salad. Dessert consisted of cherry pie and ice cream. 

For wine accompaniment with the beefsteaks he pulled from his extensive cellar this ultra-premium single vineyard designated Cabernet from a producer we know well, Venge Vineyards’, Bone Ash Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon;

To pair and compare, I took from our cellar another ultra-premium single vineyard designated Big Red Napa Cab, Cakebread Dancing Bear Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon blend,

Venge Bone Ash Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

We have long enjoyed Venge Vineyards wines dating back to the elder Nils Venge, winemaker Kirk’s dad, and their Family estate vineyard in St Helena. 

We visited Nils at Saddleback and at other wineries, several times during the nineties. One of our more memorable days, featured in this blogpost, Visit to Venge Vineyards and Nils Venge, we toured Saddleback, then lunched together at Tre Vigne in St Helena, then we drove up to Calistoga to meet Kirk at the new Rossini Ranch location where they were developing the property and digging wine caves. 

Kirk has since gone on to earn great notoriety with his own highly acclaimed wines such as this which was rated 96 points by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, and 91 points by James Suckling.

This Cabernet Sauvignon Bone Ash Vineyard is from that 23-year-old Calistoga estate vineyard.

Calistoga’s earliest settlers arrived in the 1840’s and planted various field varieties of vineyards, some of which still stand today with vines that are 80 to 110 years old.

The old Rossini Winery in Bell Canyon, had a historic stone building that dated back to 1891. The Venge’s purchased this property in the mid 1990s and completely restored this old ‘ghost’ winery which had sat vacant from prohibition until their purchase. 

They produced their wines there until they sold the winery in 2008 to the Foley Wine Group, (although they kept the rights to the Venge brand and name). Nils sold that property to vintner William Foley and it is now home to Merus Vineyards. We had Robert Foley Napa Cabernet yesterday, wine the day before this tasting at a wine lunch featured in these pages - Lunch at The Cellar Door Bistro & Wine Shop DG.

After selling the Rossini property, Kirk acquired their Calistoga property including the Bone Ash Vineyards, as well as taking over the Venge Vineyards brand from Nils. They built a new winery that was completed two years later. In the fall of 2020, the winery survived a very close encounter with flames from the Glass Fire burning right onto the property and almost up to the winery itself. 

Calistoga is today its own AVA, bearing distinction for its climate, its aspect, and its soils. As the season wears on and the soil dries out, light plumes of volcanic ash will dust up, looking like the ashes of the bones of those early settlers. Hence, the name “Bone Ash Vineyard” on the Calistoga Estate, one of three estate vineyards Venge own and farm in Napa Valley. 

Winemaker’s Notes - “This wine begins with concentrated purple color and blue fruit aromatics. Black and blue berries, jelly jar jam notes fill the senses. As this wine opens, the background notes of French Oak vanillin and fresh earth come forth. A wonderful, pure Cabernet expression. Great fruit, mid-palate, body and streaming length, this wine has it all! The palate is polished and sophisticated. Cranberry, black currant, blackberry and black cherry are all intertwined. The acid and tannin balance promises a wine that will hold for well over a decade in proper cellaring conditions.”

Dark ruby inky purple colored, full bodied, concentrated, round, oppulent but velvety smooth, pure and polished, black berry and black currant fruits accented by spice and hints of bitter dark mocha on the long lingering finish. 

This would be my WOTN - Wine of the Night in many tastings of several selections. It was a fabulous pairing with the steak and a fabulous tasting with the Cakebread. 

RM 95 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2476591

https://vengevineyards.com/our-wines/bone-ash-vineyard-cabernet-sauvignon/

Cakebread Dancing Bear Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

We tasted and acquired this bottle at the winery during an estate vineyard visit and tasted back in 2018 - Cakebread Cellars Reserve Tasting during our 2018 Napa Valley Wine Experience..

https://www.cakebread.com/2013-dancing-bear-ranch-cabernet-sauvignon-howell-mountain-napa-valley.html

Like the Venge Bone Ash above, this wine is also a single vineyard designated bottling, and was also rated 96 points by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, and it got 92 points by Decanter.

Unlike the 100% Cabernet Venge label, this 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Dancing Bear Ranch was a blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Merlot.

This release was aged 22 months in about 50% new French oak.

Cakebread Cellars Dancing Bear Ranch Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

In 1998, Cakebread purchased 200 acres on Howell Mountain and commenced development of these hillside vineyards into what becomes Dancing Bear Ranch. The property got its name from Black Bears the roamed the site and 'danced' amonge the vines tearing them up during the night. The first vintage of Dancing Bear Ranch is released in 2002.

Dancing Bear Ranch is located on the upper slopes of Howell Mountain in the Northeastern Napa Valley at upper elevations ranging from 1450’ to over 1600’ above sea level and a near 360 degree exposure. The mountainous site spans 194 acres of which only 29 are planted. The varietals planted there are all Bordeaux varietals - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. The vines there are stressed, being rooted in shallow, rocky soils, ideal growing conditions for wine grapes. With its isolated mountainous locations, the site is home to a wide range of wildlife, including: turkeys, mountain lions, bobcats and of course, bear. 

This vintage release is a blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Merlot.

As noted, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate gave this wine 96 points.

Dense ruby/inky black purple color, full bodied, rich thick concentrated but nicely polished and integrated  flavors of blackberry and black raspberry fruits accented by tones of cassis, hints of tar, dark mocha and a touch of cinnamon spice on the lingering tongue coating finish.

RM 95 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2822548

https://www.cakebread.com/2013-dancing-bear-ranch-cabernet-sauvignon-howell-mountain-napa-valley.html

Lunch at The Cellar Door Bistro & Wine Shop DG

Lunch at The Cellar Door Bistro & Wine Shop DG

We lunched at the The Cellar Door Bistro & Wine Shop in Downers Grove, (IL).

The Cellar Door offers a wide selection of wines BTG, by the glass, or by the bottle for purchase, to take home, or drink in the store with food, for a nominal corkage fee of $10. 

The Cellar Door was founded by Sean Chaudhry in 2005 and purchased by longtime General Manager Ryan Jansky in 2021. Sean also owns The Hinsdale Wine Shop in nearby suburban Hinsdale, IL. Sean has traveled the world, developing personal relationships with winemakers and exporters who specialize in small wineries that still hand-pick grapes and personally tend to the day-to-day management of their craft vineyards. It’s because of these relationships, he’s able to provide remarkable wines at a good value.

The Cellar Door was created to offer enthusiasts a place to relax and enjoy great food and wine, at reasonable prices.

The Cellar Door consists of a literal wall of wine, opposite a tasting bar, with casual seating inside, at the bar, or out front outside on the patio. 

The Cellar Door Bistro & Wine Shop seeks out interesting wines representing all the popular and designated varietals, to pair with a selection of food options, at agreeable prices. 

Besides Daily Specials, the food menu includes ​​Salads, Sandwiches, Cauliflower Crust Pizzas, and Cheese & Charcuterie Flights, market portions served with toasted focaccia bread, GF crackers, and three accompaniments and Warm Meat Options - Chicken Liver Pate (Brandy & Sage), and of course, Desserts. 

For each food selection, there is a suggested Wine Pairing.

For lunch we ordered a Cheese & Charcuterie Flight with toasted focaccia bread, GF crackers, and olive oil. We also ordered the ​Truffle Burrata Bruschetta - grape tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic & truffle oil, burrata, balsamic fig glaze, toasted baguette, Maldon salt, and the Bacon Wrapped Dates (g/f) goat cheese, medjool dates, Benton’s bacon, red pepper coulis, dressed greens.

All were artfully prepared and presented by friendly, attentive, knowledgeable staff, and were delicious, actually exceeding our expectations in all respects! 

In addition to the Truffle Burrata Bruschetta and Bacon Wrapped Dates, we also selected a cheese and pate’ plate. Our selections:  

- Delice de Bourgogne (soft triple cream, cow's milk, Burgundy, France)
- Cowgirl Creamery Red Hawk (soft triple cream, cow's milk, California)
- White Stilton with Mango and Ginger (sweet semisoft cow's milk, UK)
- Benning's Goat Gouda (aged, firm goats milk, Holland)
- Warm Meat Option - Chicken Liver Pate’ (Brandy & Sage).

For a wine accompaniment we selected this interesting Napa Valley Red Blend - 

Robert Foley “The Griffin” Napa Valley Red 2019

Winemaker Robert (Bob) Foley began his wine making career in the Napa Valley in 1977, after graduating from UC Davis with degrees in both Viticulture and Enology. He spent his first year working for Heitz Cellars, followed by 15 years as the founding winemaker for Markham Vineyards.

In 1992, Bob began another 15 years as the founding winemaker for Pride Mountain Vineyards. During this town, he also created the highly acclaimed Switchback Ridge, Hourglass, Paloma, and School House wines. 

In 1998 he founded Robert Foley Vineyards where he is predominantly focused, as well as serving as winemaker for Padis Vineyards, Herson Family Vineyards, and JennaMarise Wines.​

In 1998 he produced Robert Foley Vineyards flagship Claret and has since expanded to offer a diversified portfolio of big reds including Petite Sirah, Merlot, Charbono, in addition to the limited-release estate bottled Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon and Howell Mountain Merlot, as well as a Carneros Pinot Noir, a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon, and this interesting blend wine that we drank, “The Griffin”. 

Bob has also bottled four of his favorites: a medium-bodied Chablis-style Chardonnay, a Syrah he calls Kelly's Cuvée, a Cabernet Franc, and a Port-style dessert wine named Conclusão.

Bob’s reputation for producing very expressive wines that finish gracefully continues to develop at his winery facility on Napa County’s Howell Mountain, where more than 1,000 barrels are housed in an extensive cave system (completed in 2008) for the production of Robert Foley wines.

When Bob's not making wine, he spends time with his wife (and RFV's business manager) Kelly Kehoe, and his children and granddaughters. You can also find him mountain biking local trails, singing and playing guitar in The Robert Foley Band, or SCUBA diving.

“The Griffin” is a blend of the best in the red cellar that changes varietal composition each vintage. The Griffin on the Foley family crest in Irish heraldry combines the strengths of the lion, king of beasts, with the eagle, king of the skies. A winemaker’s dream is to be artistically free to combine characters into wine that is purely hedonic and non-compliant with varietal regulations, so The Griffin’s blend changes with every vintage.

Winemaker notes for this release of “The Griffin” - “Ripe black and red berry fruit abound! Full-bodied and mouth-coating, this fine red blend is all about fresh clean fruit with ultra-soft tannins and a long lingering finish. The Griffin blend will satisfy every need for a red wine.”

Like its namesake, this Griffin ’is a powerful combination of strengths.’ This year’s blend is 57% Syrah, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, and 3% Petite Sirah.

Jeb Dunnuck rated this release 93 Points,. 

Dark garnet colored, full bodied, complex concentrated brambley black berry fruits with notes of cassis, creosote and hints of black pepper and spice with full tannins on a rich finish.

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?5012401

https://www.robertfoleyvineyards.com/about

https://www.cellardoorwine.com/

Le Serre Nuove Bolgheri with Angeli’s Italian

Le Serre Nuove Bolgheri with Angeli’s Italian 

Returned home from an extended roadtrip away, we had two of our sons’ families over for dinner to catch up and give the grandkids/cousins play-time together. 

We ordered take-out from Angeli’s Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria - our usual favorites, Mussels, Eggplant Parmigiana, Veal Piccata, Veal Marsala, Portabella Ravioli, Fried and Grilled Calimari. 

Son Alec and I trolled the cellar and as he so aptly stated, “need an Italian wine for the Italian cuisine”, so we pulled this hearty Italian.

Tenuta dell'Ornellaia "Le Serre Nuove" Bolgheri 2019 

I wrote about this producer and this wine in an extensive blogpost last summer - Tenuta dell' Ornellaia Le Serre Nuove, excerpted here.

This wine, Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Le Serre Nuove, is produced by Tenuta dell' Ornellaia, the renowned winery located in the Bolgheri region of Tuscany, Italy, producers of the exceptional flagship blend known as Ornellaia. 

Bolgheri, where the estate is located, is a small village on the picturesque Tuscan coast, in the Maremma region near the Tyrrhenian Sea. Its distinctive terroir, characterized by a blend of sand, marl, marine fossils, clay, limestone, and pebbles, coupled with a mild maritime climate and cooling sea breezes, creates ideal conditions for growing high-quality grapes, particularly the Bordeaux varieties used in Ornellaia's wines. 

Ornellaia is somewhat of a legend, one of the first “Super-Tuscans”, the result of Marchese Lodovico Antinori’s vision and ambition to produce a great Bordeaux-style wine in Tuscany. The first vineyards were planted in 1981 and today have expanded to almost 250 acres. 

Today, the winery is owned by the Frescobaldi family, one of seven estates they own and manage across the Northern Italian Tuscany Bolgheri region, some of which have been in the family dating back to the 1300's.

I first discovered this wine dining at Italian Village in the city (Chicago) for a team business dinner, selected from the vast Italian Village extraordinary wine cellar list crafted and curated by friend Jared Gelband, Wine Director.

I wrote about this label in another previous blogpost in these pages, excerpted here. 

The Ornellaia vineyard totals 280 acres that are divided into more than 70 vineyard plots according to soil type, exposition and varietal. There are three major soil types: marine (sedimentary deposit from the sea), alluvial (marly, sandy clays with mineral veins), and volcanic (schist, gravel and porous soils). All the vineyards are about 3 miles from the Mediterranean shore. The mild maritime climate features sea breezes that keep the sky clear, low rainfall, and long summers that favor the development of aromatic compounds. Vineyards are planted at high density, from 5,000-8,700 hl/ha, and feature several training systems – spur-pruned cordon, single Guyot, and head-pruned vines.

Bolgheri, where the winery is located, is a small village nestled along the picturesque Tuscan coast, specifically in the Maremma region near the Tyrrhenian Sea. Its unique terroir, characterized by a blend of sand, marl, marine fossils, clay, limestone, and pebbles, coupled with a mild maritime climate and cooling sea breezes, creates ideal conditions for growing high-quality grapes, particularly the Bordeaux varieties used in Ornellaia's wines. 

Tenuta dell' Ornellaia was founded in 1981 by Marchese Lodovico Antinori. Antinori, a member of a prominent Tuscan winemaking family, was inspired to create wines of exceptional quality in the Bolgheri region. He planted Bordeaux varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot, which led to the first vintage of Ornellaia in 1985. The estate's commitment to quality and expression of the terroir quickly gained recognition for the wines, leading to international acclaim. 

Over the years, Ornellaia's ownership changed hands, though its dedication to quality remains a constant. Robert Mondavi acquired a minority stake in 1999 and full ownership in 2002. The Mondavi Corporation later entered into a partnership with the Frescobaldi family, another distinguished name in Tuscan winemaking. In 2005, the Frescobaldi family became the sole proprietor of Ornellaia, and continues to manage the estate today. 

Throughout its history, Ornellaia has benefited from the expertise of talented winemakers, including André Tchelistcheff in its early years, and Michel Rolland as a long-time consultant. Most recently, Axel Heinz served as the winemaker and Estate Director for over 17 years, and his legacy includes a project called Vendemmia d'Artista which involves collaboration with artists for special vintage releases. The current production manager for both Ornellaia and the super ultra-premium brand is Masseto is Marco Balsimelli. 

First released in 1997, Le Serre Nuove is the 'Second' wine of ultra-premium Ornellaia, produced to broaden the selection of wines crafted during the crafting of the base wines of Ornellaia. It is produced mainly from younger vines, but crafted to match the profile of freshness, accessibility and flexibility with structure, balance and intensity that showcase the great terroirs of the producer’s properties.

This was an ideal pairing with the zesty pasta dishes. 

Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Le Serre Nuove 2019

The 2019 Le Serre Nuove Dell' Ornellaia is 54% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot. 

This release was rated 95 by James Suckling, 94 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Decanter and Wine & Spirits, 93 points by Vinous and Wine Spectator, and 92 by Jeb Dunnuck.

Vinous wrote in /2022, “Give it a few years to come together.“ Jeb Dunnuck also wrote, “ Give this time.” 

John Gilman in his 2023 review wrote.”This is going to be outstanding once it is mature, though it needs at least a decade in the cellar to soften up its backend tannins. Drink between 2033-2075.”

We have a couple more bottles so using this and the previous tasting as a benchmark, we’ll try to be patient and give it some time before we try it again. 

Winemaker's notes - “With its hallmark deep colour, Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2019 has a lively balsamic vein. Soft and silky, elegant tannins and an enduring savoury finish fill the mouth.” - Olga Fusari – Winemaker - May 2021.

Winemaker Notes - “With its usual intense color, Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2019 has a nose full of fresh notes of ripe red fruits, accompanied by a lively balsamic vein with aromatic hints of cypress and eucalyptus berries. The wine is soft and silky in the mouth, filling it with an elegant tannic texture and a sapid and persistent finish.”

Consistent with last summer’s tasting … The winemaker’s description of “lively balsamic” best describes the predominate flavor sprite of this wine. Dark garnet colored, full bodied, the black currant and blackberry fruits are accented by that layer with savory notes of smoke, rosemary spice, black pepper, leather and hints of creosote and cedar with a lively moderate tannin laced finish.  

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4080770

https://www.ornellaia.com/en/

https://twitter.com/Ornellaia

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/4080770

Delightful wine lunch at Vintij Grand Boulevard

Visiting The Cove, our Destin, FL vacation rental home, we had a delightful wine lunch at Vintij Wine Bar at Grand Boulevard shopping center in Sandestin, one of favorite outings we try to take in every trip. 

We had a delightful lunch sitting outside on the patio at Vin’tij Wine Bar in the tony Grand Boulevard shopping center, where you can purchase a bottle and enjoy with small bites, lunch or dinner. 

I wrote about Vin’tij and their extensive wine shop selection in this blogpost last autumn - Wine tasting at Vin’Tij Grand Boulevard (San)Destin.

Before lunch we had the delicious Bread Basket with olive oil, Roasted Garlic, Marinated Olives, Roasted Red Peppers, Fresh Basil and Parmesan Cheese.

For lunch, Linda order the Seared Ahi Tuna with marinated cucumber Marinated Cucumber Salad, Sriracha Kewpie Mayonnaise, Chili Oil & Ponzu.

I order the Mango Ginger Salmon with stir fried vegetable cous-cous. It was delicious, as good as any salmon entree I’ve ever encountered. 

We purchased in the wineshop this Napa Valley Chardonnay from a favored producer we know well. 

Pride Mountain Vineyards Napa Valley Chardonnay 2023 

Pride Mountain Vineyards sits high atop Spring Mountain, above St Helena at 2,100 feet, at the mountain summit above the town of St Helena in the Mayacamas Range that forms the western wall of Napa Valley. 

Pride is one of two Napa/Sonoma Valley producers whose vineyards span the summit which is the border between Napa and Sonoma Valleys. 

While this wine is sourced from Napa Valley and therefore labeled as such, some Pride labels are designated Napa/Sonoma Valley. The other producer is Constant Vineyards, high atop Diamond Mountain, at the north end of the Mayacamas range.

We own several vintages of Pride Napa Valley wines, mostly reds, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

We visited the Pride Mountain Vineyards high atop Spring Mountain back in 1999 and 2000 when we tasted and acquired a case of their wines.

The vineyards and wine production date back to 1869 according to archived records. The original structure was destroyed by fire after Prohibition. Pride Mountain Vineyards built the current building as part of a complete renovation of their estate in 1997.

Due to the property's unique location at the summit, atop the mountain straddling Napa Valley to the east, and Sonoma Valley to the west, the winery is required to maintain two separate facilities, one in Napa and the other in Sonoma. The property line is divided down the center of the crush pad.

As mentioned above, Pride Mountain Vineyards labels may be designated Napa Valley, Sonoma County or both, depending on the source of the blend. Pride Mountain Vineyards brands their estate, "One Ranch, Two Counties."

Pride Mountain Vineyards consists of three vineyards totaling 235 acres on Spring Mountain in the Mayacamas mountain range that separates the Napa and Sonoma Valleys. Their distinctive terroir with their high elevation includes soil of volcanic rocks, gravel loam and stones along with some clay. There they grow Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Petit Sirah, Chardonnay and Viognier in 40 different blocks produced in fifty lots of wines that varies from vintage to vintage.

This wine is 100% Chardonnay, sourced from multiple vineyard sites, produced mainly from purchased fruit, primarily from Carneros, 30% of the blend underwent malolactic fermentation. It was aged in 90% Neutral Oak and 10% New French Oak. Production of this release was 2617 cases.

James Suckling on JamesSuckling.com rating this release 95 points, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave it 92 points, Antonio Galloni of Vinous rated it 91, and Jeb Dunnuck gave it 90 points. 

Winemaker notes - “The 2023 Pride Mountain Vineyards Chardonnay is a beautiful, generous expression of Napa Valley fruit at its freshest and finest. The 2023 growing season was long and even, which layered in profound complexity to this wine. Overflowing with aromas of juicy pear and nectarines, the first sip is dominated by mouthwatering minerality, balanced by a delightful salinity, and accented by an intriguing touch of lime zest. While this wine is perfect for pairing with Thanksgiving dinner or fresh Dungeness crab, it will equally captivate you when enjoying a glass or two on its own.”

Pale golden straw colored, medium-bodied, nice ‘balance between power and finesse’, bright, ‘focused and quite steely’, notes of citrus fruits with hints of pear and orange blossom, white flowers and bit of cinnamon with bright acidity on the lingering finish. 

RM 91 points 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/5146159

https://www.pridewines.com/wine/our-wines/pride-chardonnay/2023-chardonnay/

https://www.pridewines.com/

Brewer Clifton Sta Rita Hills Chardonnay BYOB at Captain Dave’s

Brewer Clifton Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay BYOB at Captain Dave’s Destin/Miramar Beach

Visiting The Cove, our Destin, FL vacation rental, we dined at Captain Dave’s, a favorite, a local institution, and a short walk down the beach from our house. 

Captain Dave’s On The Gulf is the oldest seafood restaurant in Destin, (FL), family owned and operated since 1968. It offers beach front views from the spacious high ceiling dining room overlooking the gulf. 

Before dinner we sat on the deck overlooking the beach to watch the sunset with a Captain Dave’s Rum Punch. 

Tonight was a replay of a previous visit to this restaurant from last fall, when we even ordered the same entrees as tonight - Nickel & Nickle Chardonnay BYOB at Captain Dave’s Destin.

We each ordered our favorite entrees - Linda the Coconut crusted shrimp …. 

… I ordered the Captain Daves signature Parmesan Crusted Mahi Mahi. 

We took BYOB this Chardonnay from Sta Rita Hills, Santa Barbara County that we just picked up at Wine World in Destin. It proved to be a huge QPR - Quality Price Ratio value for easy sipping Chardonnay. We liked it so much, we went back and picked up a couple more bottles.  

Brewer Clifton Sta Rita Hills Cellar Selection Chardonnay 2023

Winemaker Greg Brewer founded Brewer-Clifton in 1996 to produce wines that reflect the geographic, geologic and climatic uniqueness of California’s Sta. Rita Hills appellation in Santa Barbara County.

Sant Rita Hills has one of the coolest climates on the west coast, Sta. Rita Hills of Santa Barbara County, with a long growing season, making it ideal for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The unique topology where the valleys run perpendicular to the coast funnels the maritime influences through the hills to the small appellation that is filled with variations in soil, aspect and micro-climates to produce terroir ideal for those varietals. 

Greg Brewer also produces Diatom Santa Barbara County Chardonnay which we have enjoyed in the recent past, another high QPR easy sipping Chardonnay. We wrote about it in these pages in this recent blogpost - Diatom Santa Barbara County Chardonnay 2023.

We visited the Brewer Clifton tasting room in the town of Los Olivos during our Santa Barbara Country wine experience back in 2023. 

Jeb Dunnuck gives their Sta Rita Hills estate Chardonnay 95 points and writes, “I've written many times, this appellation release can stand toe to toe with any Chardonnay from Santa Barbara County.”  That release was rated 94 points by James Suckling and 93 points by Wine Spectator.

This was pale golden straw colored, medium-bodied, crisp, clean and pure with bright vibrant, intense Meyer Lemon citrus, accented by notes of pear and hint of green apple fruits, with tangy acidity, and expressive mineral on and a great lingering finish. So bright and vibrant, it needs food or a cheese accompaniment such as tonight’s seafood which was an ideal pairing, thereby enhancing the enjoyment of both, food and wine. 

It was so bright and vibrant, it needs food or a cheese accompaniment such as tonight’s seafood, which was an ideal pairing, thereby enhancing the enjoyment of both, food and wine. It was great with our seafood entrees.

This release was aged nine months in 100% neutral oak barrels but any sense of oakiness is muted. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?5299506

https://www.bygregbrewer.com/brewer-clifton

https://www.captdavesonthegulf.com/

Glaetzer "Amon-Ra" Shiraz with Grilled Rib-eye Beefsteaks

Glaetzer "Amon-Ra" Shiraz Barossa Valley South Australia with Grilled Rib-eye Beefsteaks

We traveled to Dallas to visit dear friends and transplanted fellow Hoosiers Mark and Jane. Mark and I go back all the way to high school, while Linda and Jane were sorority sisters in college. 

For dinner, we picked up Tomahawk Ribeye beefsteaks to grill, and baked potatoes.

Before dinner we enjoyed an artisan Extra Aged De Graffstroot Gouda cheese with olive oil and olives, with crackers and Italian bread.

 

I picked up at their local wine shop this ultra premium label Aussie Shiraz, one of Linda's favorites, in the big bold expressive style that she loves. 

Ben Glaetzer "Amon-Ra" South Australia Barossa Valley Shiraz 2017

I told Mark to watch Linda’s response when we presented the bottle, which was immediately "Hoboken", reminiscing a memorable getaway weekend dinner when we picked up this wine and took it BYOB while visiting son Alec in NY/NJ (as featured in earlier Amon-Ra Aussie Big Shiraz for Tomahawk Dinner)

.
I wrote in my blogpost about Hoboken dinner that night, that this big powerful big red overpowered the Italian dinner, Amon-Ra Barossa Shiraz 2008 - Amon-Ra Barossa Shiraz 2008 Overpowers Italian Dinner  I chronicled this wine in that blogpost October 26, 2013:

"If you read this blog, you'll see continually that we, and especially Linda, love big bold Shiraz, so she selected this label for tonight's dinner. This was our first adventure tasting the classic AMON-Ra and this is indeed a BIG wine ... not for the feint of heart! While it overpowered our Italian fare and begs for a big steak, dark chocolate or hearty cheese,it was delicious none-the-less.'

"AMON-Ra is the flagship wine of the Glaetzer Family who have been producing Barossa Valley wines since 1888. We hold several Glaetzer wines going back a decade including one of our favorites, GoDolphin, which has since been discontinued, Wallace, Annaperenna and Bishop. The branding and labels for these wines all feature hieroglyphic symbols from ancient Egyptian mythology.' 

Note - Ben Glaetzer was named New World Winemaker of the Year in 2006.

"Since AMON-Ra was considered to be the king of all gods, winemaker Ben Glaetzer chose that symbol for his flagship, top of the line ultra-premium label. Perhaps this is fitting since the temple of AMON-Ra was believed to be the first temple to ever plant a vineyard to produce wine for the citizens of the temple.'

"The eye on front of the AMON-Ra label is the all-seeing eye of Horus or wedjat ("whole one") - a powerful Egyptian symbol of protection. It is represented as a figure with six parts, corresponding to what Egyptians regarded as the six senses; touch, taste, hearing, sight, smell and thought. Ben created AMON-Ra Shiraz to appeal to all these six senses. And it certainly does!' 

"Fruit for Glaetzer wines is sourced from the small sub-region of the northern Barossa Valley called Ebenezer. Some of the vines are as up to 80-120 years old.' 

Note, that night in Hoboken we drank the 2008 vintage release. My blogpost from then continues: "The 2008 release of AMON-Ra Shiraz is the eighth release of this label. The 2008 vintage in the Barossa was a difficult year for wine producers due to a heat spike during the vintage. As a result, Glaetzer limited the total production of AMON-Ra to maintain the quality of the wine. The strict fruit selections were rigorous and uncompromising to sacrifice quantity for quality resulting in the smallest volume released since the tiny 2003 vintage, lower than the 2007 production. This required carefully monitoring the vines and making multiple passes through the vineyards carefully selecting only grapes with the right intensity of fruit and balancing different levels of ripeness before the heat spike overstressed the fruit."

"This release was produced by winemaker Ben Glaetzer who was New World Winemaker of the Year in 2006. According to the producer, "the 2008 vintage shows great purity of fruit and firm but fine tannins, giving great structure and power to the wines."

Exceptional old vine fruit was sourced from the famed Ebenezer sub-district at the northern tip of the Barossa Valley. Vine age 50—130 years old. Yield 2 tonnes per hectare. 

In Egyptian mythology, Amon-Ra is considered to be the king of all gods. The temple of Amon-Ra was believed to be the first temple to ever plant a monoculture vineyard to produce wine for the citizens of the temple.

While Linda loves and prefers this big bold style, I tend to prefer and opt for a more balanced, elegant, complex style such as a Bordeaux varietal blend for a beefsteak or other fine dining experience. Never-the-less, this was awesome with tonight's dinner.  

This is sourced from ancient dry-grown vineyards in the renowned Ebenezer district, an important part of Australia's winemaking heritage and a living link to traditional Barossa viticulture. Select exceptional fruit from a loyal group of third and fourth generation Barossa grape growers is the backbone of Glaetzer wines. The most exceptional fruit is sourced from 80-110 year-old non-grafted bush vines which are extremely low yielding.

This wine is fermented in 1 and 2 tonne open fermenters, hand plunged 3 times daily. Bottled unfiltered to ensure minimal interventon with the wine’s natural characteristcs.

This release was matured for 16 months in 100% new oak hogshead barrels (95% French and 5% American) and matured on lees to maintain fruit profile and animation.

This release was awarded 96 points by Wine Advocate, 95 points by Vinous, 94 points by James Halliday, 92 points by James Suckling and 90 points by Wine Spectator. 

Winemaker Notes - Brooding, vibrant black with bright purple hues. Absolute purity, black fruit aromas complemented by notes of fragrant spice. Seamless, rich and full-bodied with black plum flavors intermingling with dried spice and finely balanced supple tannin. Impressive yet restrained.

The 2017 Amon Ra Shiraz is dark inky purple garnet colored, full-bodied, bold, concentrated, textured blackberry and black raspberry fruits with savory spice, notes of cassis and licorice, black tea, hints of pepper, baking spices and new oak, but it's been mostly absorbed into the wine, bit of licorice on the long finish with thick, velvety tannins. 

RM 94 points. 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/3252750

http://www.glaetzer.com/

Earlier review of this wine … 

"March 27, 2007 - Ben Glaetzer Barossa Valley Amon Ra 2005 - RM 93 RP 98 - $59 - Dark berry, graphite, mineral, cassis and a hint of vanilla with long silky firm tannins on the finish. Tasted at Vino Volo at IAD." 

Amuse Bouche Premiere Napa Valley at Polo Grill, Tulsa

Amuse Bouche Premiere Napa Valley at Polo Grill, Tulsa

Traveling to/through Tulsa, OK, we dined at Polo Grill in the Utica Square Shopping Center.

Polo Grill was founded in 1983 by chef/proprietor Robert Merrifield with a view to offer the finest cuisine and service to guests. Early success allowed for expansion in 1996 adding a combination wine cellar / private dining room (shown below) and an expanded bar area. Further expansion provided growth to a total of five private dining rooms, plus patio dining and an expanded Polo Lounge. 

Polo Grill has become one of Oklahoma’s best restaurants winning many industry awards including Wine Spectator Magazine’s Best of Award for its wine cellar/ list, since 2000. The restaurant wine collection grew to 4,250 bottles and was expanded again in 1998 to a wine inventory of 10,000 bottles with over 1,000 selections. It is since grown to an impressive wine selection/collection with over 1,100 labels and 17,000 bottles. They offer a diverse range of both vertical and horizontal choices, along with half bottles and large format bottles. Also, their Wine by the Glass program features a wide range of 40 rotating options across wine types and budgets.

Polo Grill has also been recognized as the only DiRoNA and AAA Four Diamond restaurant in Oklahoma. 

The wine cellar has been reported to now house 25,000 bottles showcasing ‘1,478 vintages’ featuring extensive selections from California, Burgundy, Champagne, France, Washington and Oregon.

One of the interesting notable key strengths of the wine collection is distinctive offerings from several wine auctions including Premier Napa Valley barrel auction wines with 276 PNV selections of Napa Valley Premiere labels, and Sonoma AVA’s offerings from the SoCo Barrel Auction (barrelauction.sonomawine.com), and boutique wines from Reveal Walla Walla barrel auctions (revealwallawalla.com), and the Willamette Valley (willamettewines.auction) regional selections.

The famous annual PNV is hosted by the Napa Valley Vintners (NVV), a week-long celebration of Napa Valley wine and community and provides a first look for the wine trade of each year’s highly anticipated vintage. 

We were drawn to Polo Grill because of its culinary reputation coupled with its extensive wine list selection. They bill themselves as “Tulsa’s Best Steakhouse” and their menu selections also include lamb, chicken and seafood specialties, and all the customary starters and side dishes. 

For starters we shared a wedge salad and an order of the cheese bread with olives and olive oil. 

For my entree, I order the filet of beef, prepared ‘Pittsburgh’ style, with a side of mashed potatoes. As one would expect in a top steakhouse, they understood my ‘Pittsburgh’ (charred with hot pink center) request and prepared it perfectly, although it was served less than ideal warm rather hot. 

Linda ordered the shrimp and grits with a petit filet of beef accompaniment. The shrimp was a bit slightly undercooked and the plate, like mine, was warm rather than hot. 

We were served by Parker, who is billed himself as Director of Wine. On Parker’s suggestion, we ordered from the extensive wine list a Napa Valley Premiere auction limited release vintage selection, to meet my request for a red blend to accompany the steak. He provided attentive service including impeccable handling and serving of our wine, extracting and presenting the cork, dutifully and carefully decanting the bottle, and offering a taste. Despite the attention to detail, and representations of their extensive cellar, the wine was served at room temperature, as opposed to the preferred cellar temperature, or cooler.   

At fifteen years, the label, foil and most importantly, the fill level and cork were nearly perfect, although the cork was a bit dry and separated upon extraction with a traditional corkscrew. 

Amuse Bouche Napa Valley Premiere Merlot 2011

This special limited release bottling was produced exclusively for the Premiere Napa Valley auction from a quarter barrel. It is a’ Pomerol-style’ (predominantly Merlot with Cabernet Franc) blend crafted by owner and legendary winemaker Heidi Barrett.

In 2002, Heidi partnered with longtime friend John Schwartz to create Amuse Bouche, a Pomerol-inspired Merlot from Napa Valley. “Recognizing that the cult-wine phenomenon had created an ‘almost aspirational class structure among collectors’, the partners set out to make this limited-edition wine available to a much broader consumer base.”

This special label offering is a blend of 94% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, sourced from estate vineyards, specially selected and blended, aged in Gamba and Taranasaud barrels, resulting in a wine that the producer describes as ‘rich in cassis, red licorice and mocha flavors’.

This special label was from the 2013 Napa Premiere Auction 17, Lot Number 36, featuring the 2011 vintage Amuse Bouche Winery Napa Valley Merlot. Only five cases were produced. The special (below) label shows this being bottle number 25 of the 60 produced and is initialed by Heidi Barrett. 

Many of the top wine producers support the Premier Napa Valley auction with special limited release bottlings. Our visit to our local Total Wine beverage superstore featured several PNV labels in their Reserve Wine locker. 

Winemaker, co-owner Heidi Barrett grew up in the Napa Valley in a winemaking family and has become one of California's leading winemakers.

After graduating from UC Davis in 1980 with a B.S. Degree in Fermentation Science, she went to work for Justin Meyer at Franciscan Vineyards and Silver Oak. After working ‘crush’ jobs at both Lindeman's Wines in Australia and Rutherford Hill, Heidi Barrett became assistant winemaker to Jerry Luper at Bouchaine Vineyards. In 1983, at age 25, she became winemaker at Buehler Vineyards where she first attracted critical acclaim by greatly improving the wine quality and taking the production from 6,000 cases to 20,000 cases. 

Her bio on the Amuse Bouche website writes: “In 1988, she left Buehler to become an independent winemaker (freelance), making wine for a number of small wineries. Within a week she was hired by Gustav Dalla Valle and was winemaker at Dalla Valle Vineyards until spring 1996. It was there that she took her abilities to the next level creating some powerful yet elegant Cabernets, including the famous "Maya" cult wine, a proprietary Cabernet blend that received two perfect 100 point scores from Robert Parker ( the '92 and '93) as well as record breaking bids at the Napa Valley Wine Auction. She started making wine for Screaming Eagle in 1992, which has also received two perfect 100 pt scores (the '92 and recent '97). A 6-liter bottle of '92 SE set a world record for the highest price ever paid for a single bottle of wine at the 2000 Napa Valley Wine Auction selling for $500,000. A vertical offering of this cult wine went for $650,000 at the 2001 NVWA.”

Since 1988 she has developed an impressive client list of ultra-premium wineries. In addition to her own wines from La Sirena, she is currently the winemaker for Amuse Bouche, Paradigm, Lamborn, Kenzo Estate, Revana, Au Sommet, Vin Perdu, and Fantesca, many labels we hold in our cellar (highlighted) Past winemaking clients include Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle, Jones Family, Grace Family, Vineyard 29, David Arthur, Barbour Vineyards, and Showket. 

In 1994, Heidi started making her own wine, La Sirena (Spanish and Italian for ‘Mermaid’), starting with a tiny production of Sangiovese, and her first Cabernet Sauvignon in 1996, and in 2000, the first Syrah.

She was winemaker of the year, made Robert Parker's list of wine personalities of the year 1994,1995 and is on Parker's wine heroines list of 1998 (one of two from the US). Parker has dubbed her the "first lady of wine".

Her Winemaking Philosophy:”Balanced, less is more”.

She founded Amuse Bouche with longtime friend John Schwartz in 2002. Their wines consistently gain high marks from wine reviewers. Their general release bottlings are an artist series featuring unique artwork on each label. 

The general production bottling of the Amuse Bouche 2011 was their 10th vintage, a blend of 96% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc. The Amuse Bouche website describes that vintage release - “Harvested on October 24 and aged in a combination of Taranssaud, Radoux and Gamba cooperage, and bottled in March 2013. Heidi described this wine as boasting flavors of sweet black cherries and ripe plums with underlying aromas of chocolate, coffee bean, red licorice and exotic spice box.” 560 cases were produced compared to just 5 of the special PNV bottling. 

The general release of this vintage got 92 points from Steven Tanzer and Int'l Wine Cellar.

This wine/food pairing was a perfect compliment/accompaniment to the grilled beefsteak, which increases the enjoyment of both. 

Bright ruby-red colored, medium full bodied, balanced, bright expressive, concentrated fruit forward ripe sweet black raspberry and currant fruits accents of with accents of spice, smoke, herbs and floral, with tangy acidity and smooth tannins on a lingering finish. Some might be taken aback by the forward full sweetness of this wine. 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/316/polo-grill

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1812223

https://www.amusebouchewine.com/

https://pologrill.com/