Alec’s Blend for Father’s Day grilled steak dinner

Alec’s Blend for Father’s Day grilled steak dinner

For Father’s Day, I was honored to be part of a foursome for a round of golf with sons Ryan and Alec, and Son-in-law Johnny. Afterwards, Alec came over with his family for grilled beefsteaks, twice baked potatoes and broccoli cheese casserole.    

I pulled from the cellar a couple appropriate “Alec” signature wines from our broad collection of labels we hold for his birthyear vintage, or other reasons that associate with him, such as these. 

This Alec’s Blend label is from one of our favorite producers, for numerous reasons, none the least of which they have a label named for their grandson who shares our son’s name. 

We visited the Napa Valley winery Chateau during our Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2017 - Lewis Cellars Napa Chateau Tasting. 

Lewis Cellars was also one of the few producers Alec and Viviana were able to visit on their honeymoon getaway to Napa Valley, when the trip was interrupted and cut short by the raging wildfires at that time. 

Alec's Blend Napa Valley Red Blend 2014

We enjoy Lewis wines, as 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, and now our recent grandaughters Lavender and Lilac! 

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 long ago, and feature it often at family celebrations such as tonight.

Lewis wines are family favorites for such special occasions, and this is one of our go-to wines, a 'signature wine' for son Alec, his namesake Blend for Dennis Lewis' son Alec. Lewis Cabernets are some of our favorites and we have a decade long vertical of Alec's as well as their Cabernets, dating back to the inaugural release in '97.

The label is dedicated to Randy and Debbie Lewis' first grandson, Alec, who was born on the day of the harvest of the grapes for this wine leading to the name.

It just so happens, that tonight, we pulled from our cellar the oldest vintage of the nearly dozen vintages we hold of this label, as part of proper cellar inventory management, and its the same vintage we tasted during our visit to the winery.

We already own this wine and hold more than a dozen vintages so we know this label well. This is a unique label - a blend of Syrah and Bordeaux varietals, a rare combination and style that we like very much.

Winemaker notes: With one year of college completed, (Their Alec is a seven years junior to our Alec.) Alec's wine is both boy and man in this boundary-pushing blend of Syrah 50%, Merlot 34% and Cabernet 6%. Asserting his independence through explosively ripe blackberry and huckleberry fruits, there's also kirsch-like cherry cola, spicy oak, supple tannin and a trace of s'mores that closer to home. Tremendously youthful and seriously good fund, Alec's Blend remains a kid at heart.

Dark inky garnet colored, full bodied, concentrated black and blue fruits with notes of cola, spicy oak, hints of caramel and mocha on the chewy tannin finish.
RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2436963&searchId=8474F253

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/08/lewis-cellars-napa-chateau-tasting.html

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=53086

https://www.lewiscellars.com/