Neighborhood Wine Tasting and Small Bites Gathering
Visiting, The Cove, our Destin (FL) vacation rental, we hosted our neighbors in what has become a rather regular gathering where we have great fun, food, wine and fellowship.
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| Some of the revelers … |
Linda prepared and set out an extensive selection of small plate offerings that included flank steak, potatoes, brussel sprouts, sourdough toast points, bacon-wrapped-figs, cheese and veggie plates, caprese pizza’s and homemade brownies and cheesecake.
Artisan cheese included aged gouda, havarti, honey infused goat cheese, and cinnamon cranberry infused goat cheese.
We set out a selection of beverages, artisan and craft beers, popular mixed drinks, and a medley of wines, white, red and dessert …
For those that followed the ‘wine flight’, served in order, white to red to dessert, lightest to boldest and biggest we served in the following order …
The White wines flight -
Schweiger Vineyards Sonoma Valley Uboldi Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2018
Brewer Clifton Sta Rita Hills Santa Barbara County Chardonnay 2023
Jermann "Where Dreams have no end ..." Bianca Venezia Giulia Chardonnay 2017
This is a fun label to serve. This whimsically named label was inspired and created by the song “Where the streets have no name” from the U2 rock group′s album “The Joshua Tree” produced in 1987. It is also the bottle that was featured in the movie “Parent Trap” during the romantic dinner at the opening scene. I wrote about this wine and producer in an earlier blogpost Jermann “Where Dreams have no end …”
This label is primarily Chardonnay with a small amount of blended white grapes from the local area of Dolegna del Collio
It was straw colored, medium bodied with what James Suckling writes eloquently about the wine .... "it offers charm and complexity, with aromas of rare elegance and refinement. Exotic hints of ripened fruit, melted butter, vanilla and pastry prevail. In the mouth it keeps all the promises made to the nose, follows through on them, and embellishes them with gentle flavours and aromatic nuances that are fresh and persistent."We found this straw colored, medium bodied, notes of creamy pear, apple and citrus with hints of pineapple, moderate acidity and toasty spice notes.
RM 89 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3350235
The Red wines flight …
For the red flight, we started with a traditional French Burgundy (Bourgogne). This was gifted from neighbors Chuck and Debbie during an earlier gathering, and we never got around to opening it and saved it for tonight.
Domaine Joseph Faiveley Bourgogne Rouge Pinot Noir 2021
This is from prolific well known producer, Domaine Faiveley who produce a broad portfolio of Burgundian Chardonnay and Pinot Noirs, from this basic label to the premium Grand Cru and ultra-premium Premiere Grand Cru.
The largest family domaine in Burgundy dates back seven generations to 1825. The sixth generation François Faiveley manages an estate of vineyards, fractured by French inheritance laws, that today covers 120 hectares across more appellations including Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune and Côte Chalonnaise,in their entirety (monopoles) than any other domaine in Burgundy.
Today, François has been joined by seventh generation offspring siblings, brother and sister, Ewan and Eve Faiveley. Born and bred in the Burgundian sub-appellation of Nuits-Saint-Georges, they both left the region to gain worldly experiences, then returned to work together managing the family business domaine.
Erwan Faiveley took over running the family wine domaine fifteen years ago after spending time in Dijon, then Paris, and traveling a great deal during his studies.
He is joined by his sister Eva who spent time in Barcelona, then the US, before returning to Paris where she worked in the luxury cosmetics industry, before returning to the Domaine in 2014, joining her brother Erwan.
Clive Coates M.W. (Master of Wine) writes, "Faiveley’s wines are... supremely clean and elegant: definitive examples of Pinot Noir... above all they have richness and breed, the thumbprint of a master winemaker."
This wine is vinified from grapes grown in the Domaine’s vineyards as well as selected grapes and musts from its partner grower/producers. The wines was aged 12 to 14 months in French oak barrels and stainless steel vats before bottling.
Producer’s tasting notes - “Beautiful ruby color. This wine has pleasant, fresh, red-fruit aromas on the nose, which we also savor on the palate. It has rich and very ripe substance, with fine round tannins. It’s a very well structured and pleasant wine.”
The notable New York wine merchant Zachy’s writes: “A classic expression of Burgundy's Pinot Noir, Joseph Faiveley Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2021 is a wine of exceptional quality. This wine boasts a harmonious blend of red fruit, spice, and earth, with a subtle minerality and a lingering finish.
Winemaker Notes - “Faiveley Bourgogne Pinot Noir is a beautiful ruby color. This wine has pleasant, fresh, red-fruit aromas on the nose, which we also savor on the palate. It has a rich and very ripe substance, with fine round tannins. It’s a very well structured and pleasant wine.”
https://www.cellartracker.com/w?4519432
https://domaine-faiveley.com/en/#
Château La Clarière 2022 is a highly awarded, rich, and full-bodied Merlot-based red blend from the Côtes de Castillon appellation in Bordeaux, created by British wine merchant and producer Tony Laithwaite.
Since Tony Laithwaite first worked in Castillon in 1967, he has been a champion of the region. As Wine International wrote: “If it weren’t for the line dividing Castillon from Saint-Emilion, its wines would be twice the price. The hills are the same, the soil is the same, the exposure is the same.”
The next wine served was a Bordeaux that we discovered, tasted and acquired during the Bordeaux wine dinner at the local Wine World back in January, 2024.
Château Godard Bellevue L'Etoile du Château Godard Bellevue 2019
This Bordeaux red wine is from the small lesser appellation Côtes de Bordeaux, the youngest AOC appellation in Bordeaux, created in 2009, created from the merging of four previously recognized communes, Cotes de Blaye, Cotes de Bordeaux, Cotes de Castillon, and Cotes de Francs. The appellation consists of 12,653 hectares cultivated with vines.
Over 95% of production is red wine, primarily comprised of Merlot, complemented by Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and sometimes Malbec. A small amount of white wines are also produced.
Blaye – Côtes de Bordeaux: The largest, located on the right bank of the Gironde Estuary.
Cadillac – Côtes de Bordeaux: Located on the right bank of the Garonne river.
Castillon – Côtes de Bordeaux: Situated east of Saint-Émilion.
Francs – Côtes de Bordeaux: The smallest and most easterly appellation.
Sainte-Foy – Côtes de Bordeaux: The newest addition to the group.
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Dark garnet colored, blackberry and black currant fruits with earthy notes, moderate tannins and medium acidity on a complex finish.
Miner Family Winery "The Oracle" Napa Valley Bordeaux Blend 2019
This is another wine we have fun with since our son works for Oracle, the enterprise software giant. Also, Linda’s hometown, Delphi, Indiana high school mascot and sports teams were the Oracles.
Miner Family Winery was founded by Dave Miner with their first vintage in 1996. Dave was born in Chicago and then lived in Southern California for a number of years, graduating from the University of California, San Diego with degree in English and American Literature. It was during this time that he became interested in wine.
In 1999 Dave and his wife Emily (who worked at Oakville Ranch) purchased the winery and accompanying 18 acres. They were not able to plant vineyards on their steep hillsides due to the county ordinance prohibiting new vineyards on slopes greater then 20%, they opted to install solar cells instead – some 1,750 panels. Miner Family only owns 1/2 acre of vineyards; a tiny vineyard of Cabernet Sauvignon planted in front of the winery. They source premium grapes for their wines from partner growers mainly in Napa Valley.
The Minor winery is located just above the valley floor – high enough in elevation that one has panoramic views looking over the vines to the west and the Mayacamas mountain range.
Emily died in 2011 at age 41 from lung cancer despite having never smoked. The winery now produces Emily’s Cuvée with a portion of the sales of this wine benefiting The V Foundation for Cancer Research.
Miner produce a range of Burgundian wines, several Chardonnays and some Pinot Noirs. They also produce some Rhone style wines based on Rhone varietals, and some other varietal wines, not typically produced in Napa Valley. These wines include Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Sangiovese and Tempranillo, as well as the traditional Napa Valley Bordeaux varietals.
This is the flagship Oracle label, a Bordeaux blend produced from select premium Bordeaux varietals sourced from Napa Valley. The 2019 release is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, 14% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot, sourced from the legendary Stagecoach Vineyard and Volker Eisele Vineyard.
This released was rated 96 points by The Wine Independent. 93 points by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator, 92 points by James Suckling.
This ultra-premium label was the WOTN - Wine of the Night for several of the folks, with the overachieving Château La Clarière being second.
Winemaker Notes - Miner Family's flagship wine, a full-bodied, red blend, grants a nod toward elegance. This Bordeaux-style blend is silky, reserved and supremely balanced. Lush aromatics of raspberry and dark cherry with a hint of eucalyptus, The Oracle is decadent, but with finesse. Earthiness and layers of dried flowers and cocoa integrate harmoniously into a finely balanced marriage between tannin and acid, providing the structure that ensures, like all impeccable beauties, this wine is sure to age gracefully.
Deep garnet-purple colored, full bodied, complex and concentrated, tightly structure yet elegant, nicely balanced and polished, black raspberry, blackberry and blueberry fruits accented by notes of cassis, dark chocolate, black tea and hints of leather and lavender, with firm, fine-grained tannins, on the long fragrant finish.
RM 93 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/w?4255911
We finished with a couple dessert wines, a fun comparison of contrasting varietals and styles, from Austria and a French Sauterne.
Kracher Auslese Cuvee 2009
Alois Kracher Cuvee Auslese is a sweet dessert wine from the Burgenland, Austria region, from their 50-acre estate in the town of Illmitz, Austria, in the eastern lake region along the border of Hungary.
Barsac dessert wines tend to provide high QPR - quality price ratios, as more modest variations of the neighboring Sauternes, which tend to be slightly sweeter and richer, and far more expensive, due to the very small yield of the late harvested grapes ‘Botrytisized’ grapes. Fermentation takes place in barrels having separated each sorted pick of each individual plot. It is aged 12 months in french oak barrels.
RM 89 points.
