Team dinner at Angeli's Italian

 Team dinner at Angeli's Italian 

As my leadership team continues our workshops in strategic planning, we move to the western suburbs for a day of planning which is becoming somewhat of a routine. The out of town team members move to their suburban hotel and we gather for a pre-session dinner at Angeli's Italian, our favorite neighborhood Italian trattoria. 

I took BYOB from our home cellar two wines I was eager to share and compare, that I expected to be ideal accompaniments to our Italian cuisine dinner. 

Tenuta Guado al Tasso (Antinori) Bolgheri Il Bruciato 2016

We discovered this wine when we dined for Saturday Brunch in NYC Chelsea Flatiron neighborhood with son Alec and Viv, we dined at La Pecora Bianca (The White Sheep) on Broadway at 26th. With my Tagliatelle with beef and pork bolognese sauce I paired my entree with this Il Bruciato Tenuta Guado al Tasso - a delicious perfect combination as each was embellished and enhanced by the other as a result. 

Upon returning home I went out and purchased more of this label release at at Malloy's, our Village wine shop. We have enjoyed it with tangy Italian pasta and meat sauce dishes. Hence, I took this tonight for our special dinner with my colleagues at our favorite neighborhood trattoria, Angeli's Italian.

Tenuta Guado al Tasso (Antinori) Bolgheri Il Bruciato 2016

As I wrote in my original posting of this wine, this is what is known as a Super Tuscan, made famous in the 70s when wine critics noted the quality rivaled that of high-end Bordeaux. 

The Bolgheri area was known for producing IGT and VdT wines based on the typical Bordeaux varietals. 

VdT classification is the first or lowest quality standard, stands for Vino da Tavola, or Table Wine. Wines marked with a VdT on the label tells you they’re made in Italy, and that’s about it. IGT classification, the second level, one step up from the VdT wines is the IGT classification, which stands for Indicazione Geografica Tipica — IGT-classed wine is “typical” of a particular geography or local region. Most IGT wines are simple, made from grapes grown locally and intended to be drank young. Many IGT wines from Tuscany are made from Sangiovese, a grape with a long history in the region. Think of them as a table wine.

In 1994, the Bolgheri DOC appellation designation was created to recognize more notable, higher quality wines. DOC, or Denominazione di Origine Controllata. The key word here is Controllata, meaning that a DOC wine is produced in a specific, well-defined region in Italy, according to defined wine making rules that are designed to preserve local traditions.  These wines tend to offer great QPR - Quality Price Ratio values.

This label if from the vast portfolio of the Antinori family who have been producing fine wines for over six centuries since 1385, a history that spans twenty-six generations. They produce legendary wines from nine different estates across Italy, and since 1985 from an Estate in Napa Valley, Californina.

This label is from the Guado al Tasso estate, located in the small but prestigious Bolgheri DOC, on the coast of upper Maremma, about one hundred kilometers southwest from Florence. This appellation has a relatively recent history, DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata (Denomination of Controlled Origin) Bolgheri was approved in 1995 and since then it has become recognized for the Italian and international winemaking. 

The estate covers an area of 320 hectares (790 acres) planted with vines, set in a beautiful plain encircled by rolling hillsides known as the "Bolgheri Amphitheatre" due to its particular shape. The vineyards are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Vermentino. The proximity to the sea provides a mild climate with constant breezes that mitigate summer heat and alleviate harsh winter weather, maintaining a clear sky and a high level of sunlight exposure.

Il Bruciato was first produced in 2002 and has become an interpretation of Bolgheri’s unique terroir made from carefully selected Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah grapes from Guado al Tasso’s vineyards. The geological composition of the soil is diversified giving the wine structure and complexity.

Winemaker notes: The 2016 Il Bruciato offers an intense ruby red color. On the nose, the aromas of ripe red berry fruit, sweet spices, and a light and fresh minty note are the most prominent sensations. The palate is well structured, persistent, and very pleasurable in its fruity finish and aftertaste.

The 2016 Il Bruciato was given four months of bottle aging before commercial release.

This 2016 Il Bruciato was delicious and provides great high QPR value. Amazingly, more than one million bottles were produced at this quality level. It is great for every day casual sipping but will also stand up to special occasions and quality drinking.

This wine, “Il Bruciato,” which means “the burned” is the second wine of Antinori’s Tenuta Guado al Tasso, second to the flagship wine, “Guado al Tasso”, named after the large vineyard in Bolgheri in which the grapes are grown.

This Il Bruciato, produced to be a more approachable and contemporary style of wine than the more traditional estate wine, is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 15% Syrah.

This was delicious again tonight in combination with our dinner entrees. 

Bright ruby colored, medium bodied, smooth, polished for casual easy drinking with vibrant red and black fruit flavors accented by spice, mocha and smoke with elegant soft tannins on a moderate lingering finish.

RM 92 points.

The Wine Advocate gave this 93 pts, Jame Suckling of Wine Spectator gave it 94 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2904858

https://www.antinori.it/en/vino/il-bruciato-en/ 

https://www.antinori.it/en/

 

Our second bottle with dinner was a real unique wild card selection, pulled from my home cellar and brought BYOB for dinner. 

BLANKbottle Petit Verdot Pat Bird 2019

I discovered this bottle, a special selection offering from Vin Chicago. Finding it intriguing I ordered a six pack case, and now wish I had acquired more. Of course on trying to obtain more it is long gone, and not likely to be found again as it is a select bottling. I wrote about another unique BLANKbottle -  "B.I.G. SA" Swartland Cabernet Blend 2019  wine that I also purchased at the same time in a recent blogpost.  

This was another special buy from VinChicago who find and often offer such limited release labels at good value - high QPR (quality price ratio) wine finds. This seemed to be good value relative to the market price if you could find it. Being from South Africa, it had lesser brand recognition and distribution with a more limited following than more popular regional wines. Searching for this label, I found it available throughout Europe and in a few locations on the east coast, in all cases at prices ten to thirty percent to 2x higher!

During my South Africa Wine Experience in 2019, I tasted some really good wines from down there, thus was open to try some unknown labels. 

Fun with wine ... as the header of this blog states, I write about "perspectives on wine buying, collecting, tasting, a study in wine marketing & branding; observations, experiences and ruminations of a winegeek & frequent traveler." This post is the epitome of such ruminations.  

This wine is the extreme of the broad spectrum of wines and labels, the polar opposite of the grower producer terroir driven wine labels where one collects and compares the subtleties of variations of the same label from vintage to vintage over time, the same wine sourced from the same 'estate' producer owned vineyard (s).

This is from South African winemaker producer Pieter Walser, who travels the region sourcing a vast wide variety of grapes from numerous growers to produce a broad portfolio of labels, many one-of single vintage offerings, and some that are repeated. There are several American and French producers that employ this negociant method of acquiring grapes to produce a private label or own label brand. I've written in these pages the perils of 'collecting' such wines since they may never appear again. Walser notes, "At the moment, roughly 30% of our wines are once-off wines. If they perform well, they will stay on."

To his credit, he employs expensive quality packaging of these wines with heavier bottles and wax dipped capsules, and imaginative designer labels.

Pieter is regarded as one of the more innovative producers in South Africa. Pieter Walser founded BLANKbottle in 2004 to make wine of quality, excitement and mystery – for those intrigued by what’s in the bottle, not by what’s on the label. Educated in Agriculture, Viticulture and Oenology, and a nomadic, adventurous spirit, BLANKbottle was born. Pieter sought creative flexibility, not to be unconstrained by style, region, vintage and cultivars. He has developed alliances with vineyards, winemakers and wineries throughout the country (ZA), to craft a broad portfolio of unique blends of premium character. 

Pieter’s eclectic range is from vineyards positioned across the Western Cape, representing diverse regions, micro-climates, soil types, and varietals, ultimately leading to different wine styles and the ability to also introduce once-off limited runs of compelling wines.

Seeing the producer website sole photo of the winemaker, (shown left), and the way he describes himself and talks about his business and his brand, I am drawn to think this is what it would be like if Crocodile Dundee, the Australian outback movie character, were a winemaker. 

Indeed, he plays on the movie theme metaphor: “It’s our privilege to be the costume designer and screenwriter, to present this time capsule, a catalyst that brings people together, there to de-stress, entertain, – as the star headline act, in the privacy of your home.”

As Pieter tells it himself, “When I started BLANKbottle, my goal was to create an honest wine brand that had no limitations in order to break down any preconceived expectations….I’ve come to realize that the road I’m on does not necessarily lead to the perfect winery. Rather, it’s an adventure, it gives me stories to tell, and that I count as my true riches and success.” 

 

As it turns out, the Blankbottle labels that I obtained from Vin are in fact as exceptional as the wine, having, featuring creative artwork, and having recently won multiple awards, including the Grand Prix, at the 2015 Wine Label Design Awards. The "B.I.G. SA" Swartland Cabernet Blend 2019 label is ingenious and brilliant if you get a chance to check it out.

 

BLANKbottle Petit Verdot Pat Bird 2019

In trying to gather more background on this wine, all the producer website says is, "A special production exclusively to the USA. Story to come soon. A 100% Stellenbosch Petit Verdot." This is after it loads 255 different images with the notice - 'Please be patient while we load labels of our 255 different wines'. 

This bottle exceeded my expectations. It hit the mark of capturing the essence, character and profile of single varietal Petit Verdot, a full-bodied red wine that originates in Bordeaux, typically highly desired as a blending grape in red Bordeaux blends because of its plentiful color, tannin and floral aromas of violet. 

 

Dark garnet colored, full bodied, muscular firm structured backbone of black berry fruits with smokey notes of tar, anise, tobacco leaf and black tea with firm but agreeable tannins on the long finish. 

 

RM 91 points. 

 
 https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3967387

 

https://blankbottle.co.za/

 

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/10/blankbottle-big-sa-swartland-cabernet.html

 

http://angeliscatering.com/

 

https://www.vinchicago.com/

 

https://twitter.com/vin_chicago 

 

 

Family Celebration Dinner Features Birthyear Vintage Wine

Family Celebration Dinner Features Birthyear Vintage Wine

We held a gala family dinner to celebrate the engagement of son Sean and Michelle at our neighborhood trattoria Angeli's Italian. To toast the celebration and accompany the dinner I brought BYOB from our cellar a Limited Edition red magnum of Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Brut Champagne, a magnum of Chateau Ste. Michelle "50th Anniversary Edition" Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and a bottle of Sean's birth-year vintage Chateau Cos d' Estournel.

The Champagne was a concensus highly rated selection being among the Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2019 at #95. The Winemaker Notes for this release: "The Brut NV represents the epitome of the Piper-Heidsieck style: a classic, well-structured, and fruit forward champagne.

We also served this for our gala family Christmas dinner when I wrote, "Piper-Heidsieck carefully selects fruit from more than 100 of Champagne’s crus to blend the Brut NV. This adds great complexity and dimension to the wine and allows the bold Piper-Heidsieck style to shine through.'

A majority blend of Pinot Noir provides structure to the composition while Pinot Meunier expands the wine with its brilliant fruit expression and fleshiness and Chardonnay bring elegant tones and acidity. The precious reserve wines create a consistent flavor profile year after year.'

"This Champagne teases and allures us with its festive, light-drenched, pale gold shimmer and joyful display of neat, lively bubbles. Notes of almond and fresh hazelnut accompany the precise ascent of its bubbles. It is lively, subtle and light, leaving a deliciously incisive sensation of smoothness, marked by the pureness of fresh pear and apple and a delicate hint of citrus fruits. A harmonious mixture of bright, crunchy pomelo, blonde grapes and juicy white fruits creates the delightfully surprising sensation of lightness embraced by the structure and depth from the Pinot Noir; all beautifully balanced."

This release achieved Critical Acclaim having been awarded WS 92 points by Wine Spectator, 91 points by Jeb Dunnuck and 90 points each by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Wine Enthusiast.

White-golden straw colored, balanced, fruity, fresh and elegant, medium-bodied, stimulatingly fresh and well-structured blend with gorgeous fruit and a clean, persistent finish, a mineral edge and final fruitiness, beautifully textured with a solid mid-palate, good density, and a clean, crisp finish.

RM 90 points

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2651727

Chateau Ste. Michelle "50th Anniversary Edition" Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 

A whimsical tribute to daughter-in-law to be, we served this namesake bottle from magnum. We took this wine to a dinner she hosted in the fall and it was well received. This received 93 points from Decanter Magazine. 

This is a complex Bordeaux style blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 4% Syrah, 1% Malbec, 1% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot crafted from fruit sourced from Columbia Valley vineyards in eastern Washington including the Cold Creek, Canoe Ridge Estate, and Indian Wells vineyards.

Dark garnet colored, medium to full bodied, rich extracted complex concentrated black and red berry fruits, tightly would with a firm structure that is accessible style and approachable with moderate smooth tannins on a lingering finish. A great complement to the beef tenderloin with brown marsala sauce or the horseradish creme sauce.

RM 88 points.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/07/chateau-ste-michelle-50th-ann-special.html
 
Château Cos d'Estournel St-Estèphe Bordeaux 1985

Lastly, from our wine cellar collection, a wine from Sean's birthyear. Our cellar is known for the horizontal collections of wines for the vintage birth-years of our kids and grand-kids, especially many in large format bottles. Indeed, our large format bottles were the basis of our cellar being featured in the Collecting column of Wine Spectator magazine back in June, 2001.

We visited the historic iconic Chateau Cos d' Estournel during our visit to the Medoc last summer.

Chateau Cos d’Estournel is a Second Growth Bordeaux from the Bordeaux classification of 1855. The estate is located on the border as one leaves Pauillac and enters St.-Estephe, adjacent to and looking across the vineyards at Chateau Lafite Rothschild. The historic iconic Chateau sits atop the hill and emerges in full view as one rounds the bend on the D4 route. The chateau is surrounded by 160 acres of vineyards planted to 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot.

Founded in the 18th century by Louis Gaspard d’Estournel, the chateau’s wines were admired and in demand all over the world from the 19th century. The chateau was bought and sold many times during the late 19th and 20th centuries, and in 2000 it was acquired by Michel Reybier, who has managed it and maintained it's excellence.

Robert M. Parker Jr. has noted that Cos d’Estournel “has been particularly successful in difficult vintages” and “remains impeccably managed.” Some 200,000 bottles of the signature Cos d’Estournel are produced each year. 

Château Cos d'Estournel St-Estèphe Bordeaux 1985

Our Cellartracker records indicate we still hold a half dozen vintages of this label from the eighties and nineties. We still hold a half case of this vintage release.

My previous and last tasting note of this vintage was way back in 2001 when I wrote: "Very refined and polished - a robust nose filled with ripe blackberry and currant. This is a deep and complex wine that has a long and chewy aftertaste."

This vintage release was awarded 93 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator and Vinous. 

Parker said "it was one of the most forward wines from Cos". WS said, "This bottle constitutes the best example of the 1985 that I have encountered."

Initially a bit funky, after ninety minutes the fruit emerged, the color seemed to clear up and it opened up to show true St Estephe Cos character.  

We acquired and have held this bottle in our cellar since release - the foil and label are like new, the cork was intact with the lower quarter starting to saturate. Again, evidence our cellar conditions are suitable for decades aging fine wines.

Garnet colored with a slight tinge of brown rust bricking, medium full bodied, complex, concentrated, rich black berry and black cherry fruits with notes of leather, tobacco, coffee, herbs, spice and hints of cedar with lush tannins and crisp acidity on a long aromatic finish. 
RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/barcode.asp?iWine=13153

https://www.estournel.com/en/ 
 

Arn's Napa Valley Melanson Vineyard Syrah 2010

Arn's Napa Valley Melanson Vineyard Syrah 2010

Friday might, end of week dinner we went to Angeli's Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria and took this, one of our favorite Syrahs BYOB.

As I have written in these pages before, we have been long time fans of Arns and their Napa Cabernets so we arranged a visit and private tasting with producer John Arns at the estate on lower Howell Mountain during our 2013 Napa Wine Experience.

John's wife Sandi Belcher is the winemaker. It was during that visit that we discovered and acquired this single vineyard designated Syrah made with fruit sourced from the Melanson Vineyard on Pritchard Hill which I write about in an earlier blogpost.

This wine is so good, I almost don't want to let out the news for fear I'll create more demand and have to compete for it in the marketplace. Supplies are limited as for this vintage of this Syrah, only 80 cases were produced. Arns is available directly from the winery, in select stores in Napa Valley, and at Bassin's MacArthur Wines in Washington DC, (as I explain in separate Arns blogposts) which is where I first discovered it. I pick some up every trip to DC.


We acquired this label at the winery, then reordered more, and actually acquired this bottle when we picked up an entire lot on Winebid.com.

This is serious juice. The 2010 vintage was aged in one year old French oak for three years. The concentrated extracted fruit is apparent as soon as you pour the dark inky purple juice into the glass.

Full bodied, huge aromatics explode from the bottle as soon as the cork is pulled, thick, concentrated black and blue fruits are accented by a pronounced layer of sweet spicy oak laced caramel that turns to black licorice on the rear pallet with smooth sinewy tannins on the lingering finish.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1809227

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/11/arns-melanson-napa-syrah-08.html

http://arnswinery.com/

Chateau St Michelle Harvest Select Sweet Riesling 2017

Chateau St Michelle Harvest Select Sweet Riesling 2017

Sunday night dinner at Angeli's Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria, we drank from the winelist this Chateau St Michelle Riesling. We were looking for something simpler and lighter and thought a Riesling would be appropriate. Wrong, this is was not indicated on the winelist as Sweet Riesling which turned out to be quite sweet and much fuller and heavy than a light crisp dry Kabinett style.

Part of our selection was based on the whimsical naming as we were dining with son Sean and daughter-in-law to be, Michelle. Also, we visited the Chateau St Michelle estate in Woodinville during our Seattle Culinary and Washington Wine Tour last year. 

Lastly, I seem to recall that Chateau St Michelle are one of the world's largest producers of Riesling, which may have lead to the naming confusion or lack of precision in labeling this wine (on the winelist) due a preponderance of Riesling selections from this producer.

In any event, it was a suitable and fitting selection for the seafood pasta entree selections and Angeli's delicious Mussels in white wine sauce, the best ever and a favorite selection and regular pick when dining there. But, the sweet riesling is a selection we would not do again next time.

Chateau St Michelle Harvest Select Sweet Riesling 2017

As noted above, not crisp and clean, refreshing and balanced that you might desire but then this is a moderate pricepoint, high acid, high sweetness medium full bodied, notes of peach, citrus, and apple.

The winemaker notes say "Our Harvest Select Riesling is made in a slightly sweeter style than our Columbia Valley Riesling but still shows the classic Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling character. It offers rich flavors of ripe peaches balanced with crisp Washington Riesling acidity." Notably, they call it Harvest Select Riesling (as listed on the winelist) and omit the word 'Sweet' even though the label says so. 

RM 86 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3181855

https://www.ste-michelle.com/

Venge Scout's Honor Napa Valley Red Blend 2013

Venge Scout's Honor Napa Valley Red Blend 2013

With Alec and Vivianna back from NYC for the holiday we dined at Angeli's Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria. We took BYOB two bottles from our cellar.

Venge Scout's Honor Napa Valley Red Blend 2013

This is one of he 'V' wines I have fun collecting and serving when (soon to be daughter-in-law) Vivianna is here.

We've been enjoying Nils (and Kirk) Venge' wines since the early 1990's when Nils was featured by Wine Spectator Magazine in a 1994 article on up and coming wine producers. One of the labels of the Venge portfolio is Scout's Honor named for the family Labrador Retriever from that era. I remember Scout walking the rows in the vineyards with Nils (shown right from our 2002 visit).

Scouts Honor is based on a tradition of producing a full bodied, delicious and enjoyable red wine that can be opened and enjoyed immediately upon release however when cellared correctly it will age for 5 to 8 years.

Scouts Honor starts is a proprietary red blend with a base of old-vine Zinfandel and builds upon that with dry-farmed Petite Sirah, old-vine Charbono, and finish with mountain vineyard Syrah. The blend in the 2013 Scout's Honor is a red blend comprised of 71% Zinfandel, 15% Petite Sirah, 10% Charbono and 4% Syrah.

We have been collecting this label since the earliest releases in the mid-nineties and hold vintages dating back to this one, the oldest in our holdings. We typically keep a half dozen vintages of this label on hand for easy, enjoyable smooth sipping with everything fare, from BBQ to beef to cheese and fruits and chocolates. 

For the 2013 release, grapes were farmed and harvested from four single vineyards in Napa Valley. The Zinfandel was picked from two, old-vine (60 to 100+ years old), vineyard sources: Venge’s newly acquired “Signal Fire Vineyard” estate, and the Frediani Vineyard—both located in the heart of Calistoga. The Charbono is from old, dry-farmed vines (60 to 100+ years old) also planted in the Frediani Vineyard. Long family friends, Joan and Will Nord, have a small vineyard named “Trio C” in Yountville and a little over 10 acres are dedicated to Petite Sirah—we love this site.  And, legendary grower, Jan Krupp, farms some of Napa’s finest Syrah on his Stagecoach Vineyard, high in the mountains of the Atlas Peak AVA to complete the blend. 

The 2013 vintage in Napa Valley was a perfect growing season.

Winemaker's notes for this release: "This vintage has a gorgeous, concentrated assemblage of aromas, with black fruits, crushed blue herbs, violets, cherry, licorice and anise. On the palate is pure richness from the old-vine Zinfandel with loads of black cherry, pepper spice, and an enveloping masculinity of char and tannins from the Syrah, Charbono and Petite Sirah. A seamless balance and mouth coating deliciousness are found throughout the palate, with an extra long finish with a touch of barrel tannin at the end."

The wine was barrel aged for 14 months in 50% new American Oak and the balance in once used tight grain French Oak. 1710 cases were produced.

This was bright garnet colored, medium-full bodied with super sweet berry fruits accented by cherry spice, pepper and notes of licorice and anise. It was a perfect complement to robust spicy pasta dishes.

RM 93 points.

My review tasting notes from this spring for this release: "This was even better than when we tasted it last year with the fruit being more balanced and settled predominating more over the other complex notes - dark inky purple colored, full bodied, bold, chewy, tongue coating, mouth puckering, concentrated, complex yet smooth, polished and balanced, delicious sweet black raspberry, blueberry and black cherry fruits with notes of violets, dark mocha, truffle, anise and spices, with an long finish that almost tastes like candy." 93 points. 

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/02/venge-scouts-honor-napa-valley-red-wine.html

This release got 94 points from Wine Advocate.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1825719

http://www.vengevineyards.com/

http://www.angeliscatering.com/

Abeja Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2006

Abeja Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2006

We took bottle BYOB to Angeli's Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria with Alec and Vivianna home for the holiday. This was our second wine of the evening following Venge Scouts Honor that we opened first.

This is a complex and sophisticated Cabernet that begs for some accompaniment of cheese or meat dishes. At a dozen years of age, it is probably drinking at its apex but could assuredly age for another decade and still drink at this level. We probably should've set this aside to save for a future date and drink an older wine already at or reaching the end of its prime drinking window.

The winemaker says of this wine, "This is the varietal that we believe will increasingly be recognized as the icon varietal of Washington State and comprises the majority of our production. This Cabernet is stylish, elegant, and impeccably balanced. We accomplish this by meticulous viticultural management, utilization of a rare sorting system, gentle handling of the fruit and the wine, customized practices for every lot no matter how small, and carefully selected French oak." 

Abeja founders Ken and Ginger Harrison went to Walla Walla Valley in the southeastern corner of Washington State in the late 1990s in search of land suitable for planting world class Cabernet Sauvignon. They found what they felt was an ideal vineyard location suited for grape growing and winemaking, but also had a historic farmstead with existing buildings. They set upon restoring the property to preserve the property’s rich heritage while creating a one-of-a-kind Walla Walla wine country destination.

Abeja, which is Spanish for bee, the name Abeja (pronounced 'ah-BAY-ha') was chosen to honor their respect for the environment. The Harrison's were joined by Winemakers Daniel Wampfler and Amy Alvarez-Wampfler and today they craft acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot as well as much sought-after, limited-release estate and reserve wines, offered exclusively to mailing list members.

Abeja operate two Estate vineyards. Heather Hill and Mill Creek. Heather Hill is a 19-acre vineyard located on the southwestern border of the Walla Walla Valley appellation and is notable for its diverse soils, plateaus and slopes. The vineyard's elevation climbs from 850 ft. at the base to 990 ft. at the crest. Because of its varied topography, the site presents, three unique vineyards, each with its own distinct terroir. It was planted in 2002 with Cabernet Sauvignon and a small amount of Cabernet Franc.

Mill Creek Estate vineyard is 12 acres of vineyard that surround the winery and The Inn at Abeja, located at the base of the Blue Mountains on the east side of the Walla Walla Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA) and sits at an elevation of 1300 ft. Because of its proximity to the Blue Mountains, the area is cooler than vineyards on the south side of the valley. Viognier and Syrah were planted here in the late 1990s. Chardonnay and Merlot were planted in 2006.

Abeja also works with a handful of Columbia Valley growers through long-term relationships with top vineyards including Bacchus, Dionysus, Weinbau, Celilo, and Conner Lee that allow the winemakers to work closely with the growers in their viticulture towards crafting their desired style.

Abeja also operate The Inn at Abeja with renowned gourmet breakfasts and refurbished farm cottages, gardens, vineyards and vistas of the Walla Walla Valley.

Abeja Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2006

We discovered Walla Walla and explored the region during our trip there last year, our second wine trip to Washington State of the year! We believe the as yet undiscovered region offers world class wines on par with classic regions such as Bordeaux and Napa, the Rhone Valley and South Australia, available at high QPR - quality price ratios due to prices well below those of the more established regions.

This is a Bordeaux Blend comprised of all the requisite Bordeaux varietals in a mix found in a Left Bank Medoc label - 90% Cabernaet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. 2,800 cases were produced.

This release was awarded 92(+?) points by Stephen Tanzer, 92 points by Wine Enthusiast and 91 points by Wine Spectator.
Garnet colored, medium full bodied, ripe, bright expressive nicely balanced black berry, black currant and cherry fruits accented by notes of mocha, black tea, tobacco, sweet oak and hints of lavender and pepper finishing with nice smooth soft well integrated tannins.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=596025

https://www.abeja.net/vineyards.php

https://www.abeja.net/

Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage and Montes Folly Syrah

Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage and Montes Folly Syrahs

Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Syrah 2009

Domaine JL Chave History, Overview
The label today reads Domaine JL Chave. But the story of this Rhone producer doesn’t start here. It goes a long way back. In fact, the Chave family is one of the oldest names in the world of wine. They have been producing one of the world’s greatest wines since 1481!
The label bears an inscription commemorating this achievement, “Vignerons de Père en Fils depuis 1481”, which is translated to, Vine growers from father to son since 1481! The Chave family began cultivating vineyards and making wine in what we now know as the St. Joseph appellation.

They stared buying land on the Hill of Hermitage in 1865. The land and family business of making great Rhone wine continues being passed from generation to generation. Most recently from father to son with Gerard Chave to Jean Louis Chave. Jean Louis Chave is the 16th generation of his family to manage the famous Hermitage producer.
The Chave family made the move to Hermitage following the attack of phylloxera that struck most of Europe’s vineyards in the late 19th century.
The Chave family began producing wine in Mauves, when they entered the wine business. In fact, this is where the Chave family still produces their Hermitage wine today. In late 2014, JL Chave completed a renovation and extension of their cellars.
Domaine Jean Louis Chave Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Wines, Winemaking
JL Chave produces 2 Hermitage Rouge wines and 1 Hermitage Blanc wine.

Jl Chave owns 14 hectares of vines in Hermitage. 10 hectares are planted to Syrah and are used to produce 2, Hermitage Rouge wines, JL Chave Hermitage and Chave Cuvee Cathelin.
The vines are old, with an average age of 50 years, give or take a few years. The remaining 4 hectare of vines are planted to 80% Marsanne and 20% Roussanne. The grape vines for their white Rhone wine are even older than their red wine vines as they are mostly more than 60 years of age.
Along with the Frey family who own Jaboulet and Michel Chapoutier, the Chave family owns the largest percentage of planted hectares in the Hermitage appellation.

The key to the beauty and complexity found in JL Chave Hermitage comes their mastery of blending. While for the red wines, the only grape used is Syrah, the wine is produced from a melange of fruit sources that come out of some of the best plots in the entire Hermitage appellation.

The vineyards are dispersed over the hill of Hermitage. In total, they have vines spread among 14 different parcels in 9 vineyards, or lieux-dits.
The red wine grapes are planted in Bessards, L’Hermite, Peleat, Meal, Beaume, Diognieres and Vercandiered vineyards. The 2 hectares of vines on Bessards is considered by many people to be the heart and soul of the JL Chave wine.
With the wide variety of terroir the vines of JL Chave are planted in, as expected, the types of soils are equally varied. The vineyards have a terroir of rocky soils ranging from granite, limestone, schist, clay and sandstone soil. The Bessards lieu-dit has a terroir that is mostly, steep granite hillside soils.
They have old vines. On Bessards, the average vine age is 50 years. However, the oldest vines on Bessards are more than 80 years of age. Their parcels located on Les Rocoules and Peleat have vines that are even older at over 85 years of age.
The white wine grapes for Chave are planted in 5 hectares of vines that come from Les Rocoules, L’Hermite, Peleat, Maison Blanches and other vineyards. Les Rocoules has some of the oldest white wine grapes in the Northern Rhone, with vines that are more than 80 years old.

Jean Louis Chave Hermitage Rouge
Since 1991, JL Chave has been using mostly stainless steel, along with 3 wooden open top fermenters for alcoholic fermentation. The fruit is destemmed.
Interestingly, this practice took place during the production of wines during the 1800’s, but that fell out of favor late in the 20th century. The fruit from each terroir is vinified separately.
For the red wine of Chave, the grapes are usually partially, but not always fully destemmed. In very ripe years, a portion, up to 50% of the stems might be left on the grapes.
It really varies from vintage to vintage. Vinification takes place in a combination of cement vats, stainless steel and old, open, French oak barrels. Each parcel is vinified and aged separately, until the blending takes place.
Depending on the vintage, malolactic fermentation can take place in casks, vats or tank. Once fermentation has been completed, the wine is moved the large 228 liter oak barrels for ageing. The wines of Jean Louis Chave are aged in barrel for about 18 months. The amount of new oak varies from 10-20%, depending on the vintage.
The used barrels range in age from 1-5 years which can come from Burgundy. Jean Louis Chave has been reducing the amount of new oak with time. His logic is, with refined tannins, the wine does not need that much new oak.
The wine is blended after 18 months in barrel, usually in July. Jean Louis Chave waits for 60-90 days after blending before bottling. The production of Chave Hermitage rouge ranges from 2,000 to 2,500 cases per vintage.

Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/rhone-wines-cote-rotie-hermitage-chateauneuf-du-pape/rhone-wine-hermitage-producer-profiles/jean-louis-chave-hermitage-rhone-wine/

Showing much better than when last tasted a few years ago. The wine is intense, powerful, concentrated, vibrant and fresh, with load of sweet, slightly honeyed lemon, grapefruit, flowers and stone notes. Luscious in texture, the wine leaves a long impression of fruit and freshness.
Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/rhone-wines-cote-rotie-hermitage-chateauneuf-du-pape/rhone-wine-hermitage-producer-profiles/jean-louis-chave-hermitage-rhone-wine/

Domaine JL Chave History, Overview
The label today reads Domaine JL Chave. But the story of this Rhone producer doesn’t start here. It goes a long way back. In fact, the Chave family is one of the oldest names in the world of wine. They have been producing one of the world’s greatest wines since 1481!
The label bears an inscription commemorating this achievement, “Vignerons de Père en Fils depuis 1481”, which is translated to, Vine growers from father to son since 1481! The Chave family began cultivating vineyards and making wine in what we now know as the St. Joseph appellation.

They stared buying land on the Hill of Hermitage in 1865. The land and family business of making great Rhone wine continues being passed from generation to generation. Most recently from father to son with Gerard Chave to Jean Louis Chave. Jean Louis Chave is the 16th generation of his family to manage the famous Hermitage producer.
The Chave family made the move to Hermitage following the attack of phylloxera that struck most of Europe’s vineyards in the late 19th century.
The Chave family began producing wine in Mauves, when they entered the wine business. In fact, this is where the Chave family still produces their Hermitage wine today. In late 2014, JL Chave completed a renovation and extension of their cellars.
Domaine Jean Louis Chave Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Wines, Winemaking
JL Chave produces 2 Hermitage Rouge wines and 1 Hermitage Blanc wine.

Jl Chave owns 14 hectares of vines in Hermitage. 10 hectares are planted to Syrah and are used to produce 2, Hermitage Rouge wines, JL Chave Hermitage and Chave Cuvee Cathelin.
The vines are old, with an average age of 50 years, give or take a few years. The remaining 4 hectare of vines are planted to 80% Marsanne and 20% Roussanne. The grape vines for their white Rhone wine are even older than their red wine vines as they are mostly more than 60 years of age.
Along with the Frey family who own Jaboulet and Michel Chapoutier, the Chave family owns the largest percentage of planted hectares in the Hermitage appellation.

The key to the beauty and complexity found in JL Chave Hermitage comes their mastery of blending. While for the red wines, the only grape used is Syrah, the wine is produced from a melange of fruit sources that come out of some of the best plots in the entire Hermitage appellation.

The vineyards are dispersed over the hill of Hermitage. In total, they have vines spread among 14 different parcels in 9 vineyards, or lieux-dits.
The red wine grapes are planted in Bessards, L’Hermite, Peleat, Meal, Beaume, Diognieres and Vercandiered vineyards. The 2 hectares of vines on Bessards is considered by many people to be the heart and soul of the JL Chave wine.
With the wide variety of terroir the vines of JL Chave are planted in, as expected, the types of soils are equally varied. The vineyards have a terroir of rocky soils ranging from granite, limestone, schist, clay and sandstone soil. The Bessards lieu-dit has a terroir that is mostly, steep granite hillside soils.
They have old vines. On Bessards, the average vine age is 50 years. However, the oldest vines on Bessards are more than 80 years of age. Their parcels located on Les Rocoules and Peleat have vines that are even older at over 85 years of age.
The white wine grapes for Chave are planted in 5 hectares of vines that come from Les Rocoules, L’Hermite, Peleat, Maison Blanches and other vineyards. Les Rocoules has some of the oldest white wine grapes in the Northern Rhone, with vines that are more than 80 years old.

Jean Louis Chave Hermitage Rouge
Since 1991, JL Chave has been using mostly stainless steel, along with 3 wooden open top fermenters for alcoholic fermentation. The fruit is destemmed.
Interestingly, this practice took place during the production of wines during the 1800’s, but that fell out of favor late in the 20th century. The fruit from each terroir is vinified separately.
For the red wine of Chave, the grapes are usually partially, but not always fully destemmed. In very ripe years, a portion, up to 50% of the stems might be left on the grapes.
It really varies from vintage to vintage. Vinification takes place in a combination of cement vats, stainless steel and old, open, French oak barrels. Each parcel is vinified and aged separately, until the blending takes place.
Depending on the vintage, malolactic fermentation can take place in casks, vats or tank. Once fermentation has been completed, the wine is moved the large 228 liter oak barrels for ageing. The wines of Jean Louis Chave are aged in barrel for about 18 months. The amount of new oak varies from 10-20%, depending on the vintage.
The used barrels range in age from 1-5 years which can come from Burgundy. Jean Louis Chave has been reducing the amount of new oak with time. His logic is, with refined tannins, the wine does not need that much new oak.
The wine is blended after 18 months in barrel, usually in July. Jean Louis Chave waits for 60-90 days after blending before bottling. The production of Chave Hermitage rouge ranges from 2,000 to 2,500 cases per vintage.

Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/rhone-wines-cote-rotie-hermitage-chateauneuf-du-pape/rhone-wine-hermitage-producer-profiles/jean-louis-chave-hermitage-rhone-wine/

Fellow Pour Boy Dr Dan was going to serve this late one night after we'd had four or five other bottles at a wine dinner. I suggested we hold it for when it could be the centerpiece of a tasting, being a 100 point wine that it is. So, we took this and another complementary Syrah to Angeli's Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria for a festive holiday season Saturday night dinner. Yes, this release was awarded 100 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 98 points by Wine Spectator, and 96 points by Vinous. 

Not often do we 'normal' folks get the pleasure to drink a 100 point wine. As I've written in this column about collecting and tasting, there are 'every day' wines, 'once-a-week', 'once-a-month', and 'once-a-year' wines, and then, of course, 'special occasion' and 'once-in-a-lifetime' wines. At this rating, it drives a ultra-super premium ($500+) price-point, such that for all but the very privileged few, this is in the latter rather than former categories.  

This is also exceptionally extraordinary because it is a SYRAH. More often, 100 point wines tend to be Bordeaux or Burgundian varietals or blends, or perhaps vintage Ports. Very few wines of the Syrah varietal have received 100 point recognition, Penfold's Grange, arguably the top wine of Australia, and this being the only two I've seen or had the privilege of tasting. 

Moreover, I admit, I am not accustomed to such lofty profiles or character for a single varietal wine based on Syrah. While we drink a lot of this varietal and it is one of our favorites, the profile is not the norm to which we are accustomed. 

We recently had a similar experienced the 'other' such wine, Penfold's Grange from the 1990 vintage. Tonight's experience was much the same. 

We are used to, and love, big, bold, forward, fruit forward, expressive, thick, concentrated style wines, rare, but found once in a while in Syrahs. Such wines, tend to me more one dimensional, and frankly 'over-the'top' to be considered for such rarified accolades, more afforded wines that are elegant, polished, symphonic in their perfectly balanced and harmonious presentation. 

Like the Grange we drank recently, the word I would use to describe this is 'flawless'. 

The Chave was dark blackish/purple colored, medium-full bodied, flawless, seamless, perfectly balanced and harmonious blackberry and black currant fruits highlighted with subtle tones of anise, smoke and hints of exotic spices and pepper.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1077097

On this evening we also opened a rare special bottling of this Chilean Syrah. 

Montes Syrah Folly La Finca de Apalta 2010

Montes Folly has been cited as the best Syrah in Chile It is the first ultra-premium Syrah to be sourced from Chile. The grapes for this Montes Folly grow on the steepest hillsides of the Finca de Apalta vineyards in Apalta, Colchagua, Chile, where the vines have adapted best and have found good balance between yields and vegetative expression.

The terroir driven soils are of granitic origin and primarily consist of decomposing rocks from high above in the chain of mountains that crosses the valley, and therefore the soils in this sector are rather thin and poor in organic matter with a good percolation capacity, which enables the roots to explore the entire profile in search of water.

The grapes are hand-selected and sorted on special selection sorting tables. The vinified wine is then aged in French oak barrels for 24 months.

The 2016 release of this label was awarded 96 points by James Suckling.

Not in the class of the 'old world' Northern Rhone Hermitage Chave, this 'new world' or emerging market Syrah represents the art of the possible of what is coming from the emerging wine producing regions and nascent producers.

More new world style like a big Australian Syrah with its complex concentrated forward fruits, almost obtuse when compared to the Chave, dark inky purple with blackberry and black raspberry fruits highlighted by notes of spice, cassis, currants, mocha and hints of black olive.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1479344

https://www.monteswines.com/en/ 

Robert Craig Affinity

Tribute to Robert Craig - Affinity Cabernet 2011 - Lot 95 2017

For the end of a tumultuous week, we treated ourselves to a dinner outing at our local neighborhood trattoria, Angeli's Italian. We took BYOB two bottle from our cellar, a latest vintage release of Lot 94 Ninety Plus Cellars Rutherford Cabernet to taste upon release, and an old reliable perennial favorite Robert Craig Affinity Napa Cabernet.

I write about our experience with Ninety Plus Lot 94 in a separate blogpost.

The Robert Craig brand is one of the largest holdings in our wine cellar dating back to the inaugural vintage of their first release in 1993. We hold several dozen bottles of several Robert Craig labels dating back to then across the portfolio of Napa Cabernets. We actually hold a bottle of this label from the first release that actually appeared in 1993.

Over the next two decades Robert Craig expanded the portfolio and added at least five more Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons sourced from different vineyard sites from the two mountain ranges that line and form the two boundaries of Napa Valley.

We've enjoyed many visits to the Robert Craig estate and vineyards high atop Howell Mountain, and the early production facility up on Atlas Peak in the early early days. We've hosted Robert and Lynn Craig for several producer wine dinners over the decades.

As I write this I was reading the Craig blog on the Robert Craig website and just learned that Robert passed away last Sunday at his home in Tuscon with Lynn at his side. We're deeply saddened by this news and he will be missed. He was a wonderful, delightful man and a legend in Napa Valley since his emergence there back in 1990.  We have many fond memories of Robert going back to the mid-nineties.

Robert Craig estate visit 2008

Robert Craig Harvest Party 2009

Robert and Lynn Craig Producer Dinner at CIA in 1999

The 2011 vintage of certain Napa Valley appellations was marginal and some producers shunned the vintage altogether, or combined what would normally go into their grand vin with their standard estate bottling. The result was that some of the labels were actually extraordinary from an otherwise modest or lackluster vintage.

The 2011 Napa Valley Cabernet vintage was rated 86 points, the lowest rating in a decade and the only such rating in a span of a dozen years that averaged about 95 points or spectacular. The primary reason for the decline of the vintage was a rare rainy harvest that spared few producers resulting in modest or variable quality generally.

Robert Craig "Affinity" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Bordeaux Blend 2011

Robert Craig was always most proud of this label and strove to maintain it at a fairly priced affordable, high QPR - quality price ratio. As I have written in these pages, he has recently stepped down from stewardship and day to day duties of the brand that bears his name, and the new owners/managers have let the price of Affinity creep up precipitously.

Despite the lackluster vintage harvest across the region, this was quite good and exceeded my expectations. I wrote recently about the delights and great fortunes of often investing in lesser vintage releases. This may be another such case.

While generally considered a Cabernet due to its predominance in the blend, Affinity is actually a Bordeaux Blend comprised of the traditional Bordeaux varietals. The 2011 release is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec.

Robert Craig's classic Affinity Bordeaux Blend is based on Cabernet Sauvignon grown at the Robert Craig estate in the foothills of Mount Geroge in Napa's Vaca Range. The firm backbone of Cabernet Sauvignon is augmented and enhanced with the small additions of Petit Verdot which adds a bit of color, Malbec which provides some weight, Cabernet Franc for structure,) and Merlot to soften and smooth the blend with a its more approachable mouthfeel. The blend is aged for 18 months in new and second-fill French oak, the resulting wine is powerful and ripe.

This was dark garnet colored, medium full bodied,  very nicely balanced and integrated for easy pleasant drinking, a vibrant bright core of sweet blackberry, black raspberry and black currant fruits, with highlights of graphite, floral and toasty oak with moderate smooth tannins on a long tangy soft acidity finish.

RM 91 points.  

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave it 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1798118

https://robertcraigwine.com/farewell-to-bob-craig/

Lewis Ethan's Syrah - Piazza Del Dotto Sangiovese

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.

This was delicious and everyone loved it making me wish I had more than the single case we  acquired on release.

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/