Pour Boys tenderloin and big red wines dinner

Our Pour Boys wine group gathered in Chicago for the gala fall CityScape Dinner hosted by Lyle and Terry. Bill and Beth C traveled in from Charleston and stayed with us for the weekend. 

For Friday night dinner, Linda prepared a grilled beef tenderloin with peppercorn sherry sauce, haricot verts, grilled vegetables and baked potatoes. 

For a wine accompaniment with the dinner, Bill and I trolled our cellar and pulled two aged vintage Napa Cabs of which we have visited the producer estate together. 

Prior to dinner we had a cheese board with a broad selection of artisan cheeses, fresh sesame bread and assorted crackers/biscuits, and wedge salad with blue cheese. 

Cheeses - 

• Aged Cheddar
• Aged Sharp Cheddar
• Gorgonzola with chive
• Aged Blue Cheese 
• Smoked aged Gouda
• White cheese with dill 

With the cheese course, and for the ladies preference, we opened a Tensley Syrah Grenache Rhône Valley varietal blend from Santa Maria Valley.

Tensley 'All Blocks' Tensley Vineyard Santa Barbara County Red Wine (GSM) 2020

We discovered Tensley and their Santa Barbara County Wines including this label during our visit to their estate and then their tasting room during our Santa Barbara County Wine Experience in 2022.

Winemaker Notes: "Exclusively from Tensley and Colson Canyon Vineyards, this blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre (GSM) is very complex and full of texture.'

"The Grenache brings red fruit and finesse, Syrah imparts riper black fruits to the blend, and the Mourvedre rounds out the complexity with savory notes and tannic structure. A wine built for enjoyment, super complex but juicy and round for easy drinking."

540 Cases Produced

This was awarded 93-95 points by Jeb Dunnuck and 95 points by Wine Advocate.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4266214

https://tensleywines.com/

Arns Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2000

We visited the Arns estate and vineyards on the lower reached of Howell Mountain in 2013 - Visit to Arns Napa Valley Estate Vineyards.

Rick, Linda and Bill with producer John Arns

Arns Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 

We hold numerous vintages of this label in our cellar collection and have chronicled the producer and several vintages of this label in these pages. 

At twenty four years, the foil, label, and most importantly, the fill level and cork were in ideal condition. 

Starting to show its age with some slight bricking, this is starting to reach the end of its drinking window and should be consumed in the next couple of years. 

Garnet colored, medium full bodied, balanced, round full black berry and plum fruit flavors with notes of cassis, black tea, tobacco and hints of cedar with nice balance of tannin, fruit, and acidity w/ mild oak influence with a long finish.

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3223745

https://arnswinery.com/

David Arthur Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

That same Napa Valley Wine Experience, we also visited David Arthur Napa Valley Estate Vineyards and Winery, located on Pritchett Hill in the Vaca Range at the bottom of Napa Valley, overlooking the City of Napa. 

Like the Arns above, we hold several vintages and labels of David Arthur and have covered the producer and numerous vintages of this label in these pages. 

David Arthur Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Like the Arns above, at twenty years, the label and foil, and most importantly the cork and fill level were ideal. But, this vintage release is still at the apex of its drinking profile, and while not likely to improve any further with aging, should age gracefully for up to another decade or more. 

I like this wine as noted that the first time I posted a tasting note of this label was on my birthday back in 2013, when I wrote:

This is as expressive as any David Arthur Cabernet I have tasted to date. It explodes with sweet ripe plum and berry fruits, accented with tones of dark chocolate and a layer of caramel turning to hints of anise, spice notes of tobacco and sweet spicy oak and moderate tannins on the lingering finish. 

RM 92 points.

Tonight’s tasting was consistent with that earlier review. 

 https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2065630

https://www.davidarthur.com/