Lewis Cellars Ethan’s Syrah 2016 Del Dotto Sangiovese 2015 Angeli's Italian
As a warmup, but prior to going into the city for our anniversary weekend getaway, we dined at our favorite local neighborhood trattoria Angeli's Italian. We took BYOB two of our favorite easy drinking wines for the occasion. We were joined by son Sean and Michelle. The two of our favorite wines that we took are both drinking superbly at this time and while young, they will not likely improve significantly with further aging. I wrote recently about the joy's and challenges of selecting wines at the right time during their aging profile.
Piazza Del Dotto Napa Valley Sangiovese 2015
We tasted and acquired this wine during our Del Dotto Estate Cave Tour and Tasting last year.
A perfect complement to the Angeli's Italian cuisine, this Italian varietal Sangiovese from Napa Valley has become our 'go-to' wine as our regular BYOB selection when dining there. It goes especially well with two of my favorite regular dishes there, the Veal Marsala and the Portabello Mushroom Ravioli, both with a brown sauce.
I did acquire more, albeit of the follow on 2016 vintage during our visit to Piazza Del Dotto during our Napa Wine Experience 2018.
Our first recorded tasting note of the 2015 was when we first took it BYOB to Angeli's.
My notes from a previous tasting three months ago. "This
was dark garnet colored, medium full bodied,
this was delicious with sweet ripe raspberry fruits accented by notes
of vanilla and almond with supple smooth silky tannins on the lingering
finish.
RM 92 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2579868
http://www.deldottovineyards.com/
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/08/del-dotto-piazza-sangiovese-at-angelis.html
We added another favorite wine to the special evening ...
Lewis Cellars, Ethans Syrah 2016.
Wine Buddy and fellow Pour Boy Bill, and Beth, visited from Charlotte and brought this wine BYOB for our dinner together at Angeli's. We enjoyed it so much I picked up some for the cellar and brought this tonight for our dinner.
We visited Lewis Cellars together during our Pour Boys' 2017 Napa Wine Experience .
I've often written in these pages about the fun we have with this branding, with its signature 'L' on the label, ala Laverne and Shirley, or wife Linda, or her mother Lucy, or our daughter Erin Leigh, or her daughter, our first grandchild/daughter Lucy!
That coupled with the Hoosier heritage of
Randy Lewis, Indy 500 race driver from our native Indiana, and, their
affinity to family, naming labels after their grandkids - Alec, Ethan
and Mason, we adopted Alec's Blend as a signature label for son Alec
and feature it at family celebrations, we more often than not open Lewis wines for family occasions, such as tonight.
This label, Ethan's Syrah, is made from cooler-climate vines, from mountain fruit crafted from small
lots selected from Mt. Veeder and Pritchard Hill at the south end of the Vaca range on the eastern range, and Mayacamas range, respectively, on the western range forming and overlooking Napa Valley in between. Lewis Cellars Syrah is a nod to the great Rhône wines it's modeled after. It is aged in American oak.
We love Lewis' style of big, spicy, concentrated wines that are balanced, yet full of black fruit and mature, mouth-coating tannins.
This was stunningly good. Dark inky blackish purple, full bodied, concentrated, rich, the 100% Syrah fruit explodes in the mouth with flavors of ripe blackberries and blueberries, notes of spice, smoke and toast. and spice, tongue coating, chewy tannins on the long finish. Spectacular!
RM 94 points.
Winemaker's notes on this wine, "Savory and sweet with ripe boysenberry and blue fruit, lavender, pancetta and white truffle, it exudes an earthy, engaging character. Vivid, clean and focused on the palate, the wine finishes with a flourish of mineral and white pepper."
Wine Spectator also gave this 94 points; "Plush yet well-structured, with luxurious blackberry, mocha and smoky spice flavors that build richness toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2025. — T.F."
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3060607
https://www.lewiscellars.com/