Gia-Mia Carry-out with medley of red wines
We visited kids and new grandbaby and took carry out dinner from Gia-Mia Restaurant (Naperville).
For wine pairing with the hearty zesty Italian fare I brought from our home cellar a robust red wine from Venge Vineyards. I’ve written regularly in these pages the fun we have with this label and their prominent “V” branding, a signature brand for our daughter-in-law Vivianna.
Tonight, we took Venge Scout’s Honor, their unique big red Zinfandel based blend. As part of proper cellar inventory management, I took the oldest vintage release of this label from the half dozen vintages we hold and maintain for such occasions. We wrote about the producer and this label as part of previous tastings of this label from earlier vintages in these blogposts -
Venge Vineyards Scouts Honor Red Blend 2018
First produced in 1996, this wine is dedicated in memory of the Venge family beloved, yellow Labrador Retriever, Scout. Rescued in 1989 from the Napa County Animal Adoption Center, he welcomed visitors to the winery for seven years. I recall the vineyard dog Scout from our earliest visits to the winery and estate vineyards.
This unique Zinfandel-dominated Proprietary Red Blend is 63% Zinfandel, 16% Charbono, 12% Petite Sirah, and the remaining 9% Syrah.
This is sourced from many old vine vineyard sites across Napa Valley and Sonoma County, that are managed by families who have been farming for over 100 years and who own and work the vineyards themselves.
The Vineyard sources included:
Signal Fire Vineyard, Venge’s Calistoga Estate, Napa Valley (Old Vines | 70+ Years)
Frediani Vineyards, Calistoga, Napa Valley (Old Vines | 100+ Years)
Luvisi Vineyard, Calistoga, Napa Valley (Old Vines | 100+ Years)
Moss Creek Vineyard, Capell Valley, Napa Valley (Old Vines | 50+ Years)
Korte Ranch Vineyard, Saint Helena, Napa Valley (Old Vines |70+ Years)
Monte Rosso Vineyard, Moon Mountain, Sonoma County (Old Vines |100+ Years)
Grist Vineyard, Bradford Mountain, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County (Old Vines | 50+ Years),
Kick Ranch Vineyard, Rincon Valley, Fountain Grove, Sonoma County
The unique dual AVA INapa Valley plus Sonoma County) listing of this wine allows Venge to continue to produce a high-quality red blend in volume from year to year. Napa Valley, old-vine vineyards are becoming very scarce commodities as they are being replanted to Bordeaux varieties or purchased by competing interests.
So, Venge have ended up including Sonoma County fruit sources from their sister winery, in Russian River Valley, where delicious, old-vine crops are abundant and contribute complexity and expressive, concentrated flavors in the resulting wine.
Winemaker Notes - “The small, individual lots of fruit were destemmed into a combination of stainless steel tanks and open top fermenters, where whole-berry fermentation took place for an average of 20 days. The wine was barrel aged for 14 months in 50% new American Oak and the balance in once used tight grain French Oak. No conventional pumps were used in the making of this wine. Only diaphragm air pumps, forced air pressure movement, or bulldogging, and transfers by gravity were employed to preserve the pure fruit integrity in the wine.”
This release was rated 92 points and ‘Editors’ Choice’ by Wine Enthusiast, and Jeb Dunnuck, and 91 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.
Deep garnet-purple color, full-bodied, rich, forward, bright vibrant expressive ripe plum, jammy blackberry and cherry fruits with cedar, spice, cigar box and earthy balsamic notes with vanilla and oak turning to soft tannins on the round finish.
RM 91 points.
Alec then pulled from his cellar this rare limited release big red Napa Cabernet.
Scarlet Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
I have the 2013 release of this label in our cellar which I wrote about in this blogpost back in 2016, McGah Family Vineyards Scarlet (excerpted below), so I was eager to try another release from this producer. We first discovered this McGah Family Vineyards Scarlet when it was a highlight of a Vin Chicago Naperville Weekly Wine Tasting where we tasted and acquired an earlier release of this wine.
Back in 2016, Vin Chicago, was a City wine merchant with multiple suburban locations (since closed), who used to host a weekly wine tasting at their local store (s). They regularly featured premium and ultra-premium wines such as this one. While the store only had one case of this premium McGah Family Vineyards Scarlett, yet, they still opened it for tasting from which I acquired the last remaining couple of bottles. That 2013 release was awarded 95 points by Wine Advocate.
Having loved that release, I was excited and eager to try this more recent release of this limited production boutique label. Alec acquired this as an after market auction purchase.
McGah Family Vineyards "Scarlett" Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon
The McGah Family own and operated 64 acres of vineyards in the storied Rutherford appellation on the east side of the central valley near Silverado Trail, where the proprietors reside to this day.
For four generations, the McGah Family have sold fruit to other producers, and also produce Scarlett Wines under this rebranded label which was named after the producer/founder's daughter.
The McGah Family were most notably known for co-founding the Bay Area Oakland Raiders NFL team. Sherratt Reicher was grandson of E.J. McGah, former Boston Red Sox player and second generation Oakland Raiders owner.
Following a sports career as defensive assistant and scout for the Raiders, he formed the Hudson Companies in 2002 that included Scarlett Wines and McGah Family Vineyards in its portfolio. The McGah family maintained its ownership in the Raiders until 2005.
Scarlett "McGah Family Vineyards" Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 This is estate sourced 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petit Verdot. It was barrel aged in 85% new French oak consisting of Darnajou, Taransaud, Marcel Cadet, Remond, Trueil, and Sylvain barrels.
Winemaker notes - “The 2018 McGah Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is a brooding, complex, and beautiful Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon that can only be made in this storied appellation. The uplifting aromatics showcase multiple layers of black cassis, red fruits, and earthy components known for this terroir. The mid palate is perfectly balanced with abundant blue, red and black fruits, followed by a full-bodied mouthfeel that hovers across the spectrum of the palate. Perfectly integrated structure and polished tannins lead to a detailed and long finish that carries the signature Rutherford dust component that our wines are known for. A blend from five of our Cabernet Sauvignon blocks on the estate, this wine showcases the unparalleled terroir of the McGah Vineyard. Allow 2-3 years for the tannins and fruit to come together or enjoy it in its prime 5-10 years out.” - Mike Smith, Winemaker
This 2018 release was rated 93 points by International Wine Review and Jeb Dunnuck,
Dark inky, blackish purple colored, full bodied, dense rich and concentrated yet smooth and polished, complex core of sweet black raspberry and black currant fruits accented by cassis, mocha, graphite, touch of vanilla and sweet spicy oak with smooth polished tannins and mouthfeel on the lingering finish.
