Sunday, April 28, 2019

Birth-year Wine Commemorate Milestone Event Celebration

Birth-year Wine Commemorate Milestone Event Celebration

Son Alec got engaged and we opened a birth-year vintage special bottle to commemorate the occasion. For our sons' birth-years we hold several full and mixed cases and several large format bottles of their birth-year vintage releases to open for special occasions. For our oldest kids, both married, we served their birth-year vintage release wines in large format bottles at each of their weddings.

Our large format collections were the basis of our wine collection and cellar being featured in the Collector Column in Wine Spectator Magazine back in June 2001.

Tonight we pulled from the cellar a 1990 Napa Valley Silver Oak to toast his and fiancee Viviana's special day. We also opened a fun label toasting Viv, from Venge Vineyards with their signature "V" on the bottle.

Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1990

We acquired several of these bottle at auction over he years to hold for special occasions. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave this wine 93 points upon release back in 1994. 

We drank this with some aged ten year old cheddar cheese and then with flank steak dinner with grilled asparagus. 

Still holding its own after 29 years, this is past its prime drinking window but still drinking okay but should be consumed over the next couple years, which we will! 

Dark garnet colored, this is starting to show slight bricking on the rim, medium full bodied, bright vibrant black berry fruit with tones of tobacco, cigar box, cassis, minerals, and spice with overlaying layer of that signature infused oak on the lingering tannin finish.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=20741

We also opened this recently acquired Venge Chardonnay for the occasion. This was great with baked brie and blueberries with roasted almonds.

Venge Vineyards Carneros Brown Ranch Vineyard 2017

This is from the Brown Ranch Vineyard in the Napa Los Carneros AVA District off of Old Sonoma Road, down at the bottom of Napa Valley where the foothills of the Mayacamas Range reach down to the flatlands just above San Pablo Bay. The area is ideally suited for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with the cool breezes wafting in from the bay.

This was golden straw colored, medium full bodied with big round mouthfeel, bright notes of green apple, tones of pear and citrus with subtle highlights of rich creamy caramel and light butterscotch, honeysuckle and floral, round acidity on the tangy finish.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3211986

http://www.vengevineyards.com/