Black Diamond Amador Zinfandel 2013

Guadagni Family Black Diamond Amador County Sierra Foothills Zinfandel 2013

I have written several times in these pages about Black Diamond Russian River Valley Pinot Noir  from this same producer. Now they've released a Zinfandel from Amador County up in the Sierra Foothills, an area noted for quality Zins.

I wrote earlier about Guadagni Family wines and stated at the time to expect to see more from them. As featured earlier, "sourced from fruit from GUADAGNI FAMILY WINES, a small family run business that according to records is managed by Donald, Joseph, Mary, William and Breanna at their location on Yokim Bridge Road in Healdsburg. They're reported to produce about 1000 cases a year but views of the property show large tracts of young vines and new plantings so we might expect to see much more of them in the coming vintages."

Well it appears they have expanded their portfolio as their website now features six different varietals, their Pinot Noir, a Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Rose, and this Zinfandel. Only their 2012 release of the Zin is featured and is said to be a blend of Zinfandel and Primitivo.

Either their website is hastily thrown together, or English is the second language of the publisher, or they're just plain careless, as the Winemaker's Notes for this wine contains several spelling errors. Perhaps it was written after a long tasting session (or during).

"Winemaker's Notes: Carfully (sic) selected lots were fermented seperately (sic) in small stainless steel tanks for ten days after a night harvest and four days of cold soaking which added color and depth. The wine was carefully transferred to American oak barrels while in the last stages of fermentation causing an increase in grape extraction. Finally lees were sirred (sic) once a week for eight months imparting a creamy, softer mouth feel. American Oad (sic)aged for 11 months, 1/3rd new oak and then blended to complete our 2012 Zinfandel."

I wrote in an earlier blogpost how they replaced a black diamond on the label with the skier, to bring attention to the skiing metaphor in their branding and naming their wines, the reference to Black Diamond, the designation given to the most difficult and challenging ski slopes. This metaphor works for the boldness of their wines, but doesn't work if considering black diamond slopes are known as Expert slopes, only suitable or applicable to expert skiers - a fun reference never-the-less.

They say their label name "Black Diamond" refers to the 'boldness and courage' of their wines. 'awe inspiring to look at from the rim and personally satisfying in the finish.... with both strength and elegance' symbolic of Black Diamond wines. 

My notes for this Zinfandel: Dark blackish garnet colored, medium bodied, a bit flabby initially with alcohol heat that burns off eventually, brambly black fruits with a layer of cognac tones, hints of kirsch, turning to a sweet mocha caramel tone on the finish. Well suited for BBQ, pasta or a great pizza wine at this price point. 

RM 87 points. 

Like their Pinot Noir, this provides a decent QPR (quality-price-ratio) at $15.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2602742

http://www.western-importers.com/california_wines/blackdiamond.htm

Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio 2011

Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio 2011 BYOB at Ozark House Restaurant in Bloomington, IL

Headed downstate again, we planned a stopover in Bloomington, IL for dinner at Ozark House Restaurant. They who were featuring BBQ specials night so we took BYOB this Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio 2011. We recently tasted the latest release 2014 which prompted me to go back and taste the 2010 vintage release, so I pulled this 2011 from the cellar for a comparison tasting. Clio was a great accomaniment to the BBQ Chicken, Ribs and Pork Loin features.

We didn't finish the bottle so we held some Clio over which we tasted with grilled filet steaks a couple nights later. The Clio was actually too big, bold and powerful for the beef steaks and we switched to a Napa Cabernet, holding the Clio for some hearty cheese and dark chocolates after dinner.

I wrote recently how Clio is the one Spanish wine we collect each year and hold in our cellar in a vertical collection of a series of vintages. It is a consistently high-achieving highly rated wine in a style that we like - big, full bodied, bold, with concentrated forward fruit. It begs for hearty cheeses, spicy pasta, or BBQ so it was an ideal selection to take to Ozark House for BBQ night specials.

This 2011 Clio, like the two other vintages tasted recently is big, full bodied, concentrated forward fruit flavored wine. Consistent with and as noted in my last tasting three years ago, this was dark garnet colored, but it was less polished than some recent vintages with a slight 'tinny' edge, the dark black and red berry fruits give way to cassis, anise, and a layer of expresso with moderate acidity, medium plus tannins and high alcohol on a long full finish.

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1721431

http://bodegaselnido.com/en/

http://www.theozarkhouse.com/

Venge Vineyards Merlot, Mr Riggs for BBQ Rib Dinner

Venge Vineyards Merlot, Mr Riggs for BBQ Rib Dinner

With son Alec and Viv home for a post-holiday dinner, I pulled a 'V' bottle for Viv, Venge Merlot for her request for a Bordeaux varietal. I also pulled a bottle of Mr Riggs McLaren Vale Shiraz of the same vintage, 2004, to accompany Linda's dinner featuring Ditka's BBQ ribs, roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes, asparagus (shown left) and her delectable baked brie pastry with fresh berries, roasted pecan nuts and honey (shown below).


Venge Vineyards Oakville Estate Merlot 2004

I must admit, this bottle exceeded my expectations.  Wow, I wish I had more of this. At a dozen years of age, it seemed to be at its prime, the apex of its drinking window. Winemaker Kirk Venge was prescient when he said back upon release, "This wine will drink well now through 2016."

Normally for BBQ ribs, I would select a hearty zinfandel or big rich shiraz, which was our second wine, but this was delicious with our opening course of artisan cheeses, Swiss, Bellavitano and a big bold Blue which served as the transition to the BBQ. 

Kirk, Nils and Andy
at Rossini Ranch

We visited the Venge Vineyards estate in Oakville several times starting back in the nineties when legendary patriarch Nils Venge was working the vineyards and operations, and up at their new Rossini Ranch in 2002 when he was working with son Kirk setting up new vineyards, cave and operations in the eastern foothills of the Palisades Mountain range up in Calistoga (shown right).

Nils Venge purchased the 7-hectare (17-acre) vineyard in Oakville in 1976 and planted it in Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Kirk continued his father's legacy, taking over ownership of Venge Vineyards in 2008. He purchased and developed the vineyard in Calistoga, where the winery stands today. 

We visited the new site during the time they were digging the cave out of the side of the mountain in 2002. Venge's family run operation now involves three generations and has grown to produce a large range of wines sourced from multiple vineyards around Napa Valley and Sonoma. Venge's main focus is full-bodied red blends such as their Zinfandel-based blend Scout's Honor, named for the family vineyard dog, and the powerful flagship Cabernet Sauvignon Family Reserve, sourced from the Oakville Estate.

This 100% merlot was sourced from Oakville. It is dark blackish garnet and purple colored, medium to full bodied, refined, polished and elegant, bursting with floral perfume and sweet candied red and black fruits, accented by flavors of cola, dark cherry and hints of cocoa and vanilla, almost approaching caramel. Kirk compares this wine to a fine Pomerol (right bank Merlot based Bordeaux). This is structured, yet silky and seamlessly balanced, turning to ripe gripping but smooth tannins, modest acidity and rich texture on a lingering polished finish.

RM 92 points. Wine Advocate gave this 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=332796

http://www.vengevineyards.com/

Dunn & Beaucastel for Family Reunion Dinner

Dunn & Beaucastel for Family Reunion Dinner

For family reunion dinner featuring sockeye salmon, ribs and beef tenderloin, Bro-in-law Bill and #1 Son Ryan pulled two classic favorites from the cellar. For this special gathering with Bill and sister Jan visiting from So-Cal OC, to accompany the ribs, Ryan selected Chateau Beaucastel CDP, while Bill selected Dunn Napa Valley Cabernet for the tenderloin. For a mini-horizontal comparison we selected the 1998 vintage release of each label. Both wines seemed to be not only ready-to-drink, but at the prime apex of their drinking windows. 

For Bro-in-law Bill and sister Jan, the Dunn offered a replay of daughter Krysta's gala wedding reception dinner when they served Dunn Napa Cab.

We visited Dunn together during our Napa Valley Howell Mountain Wine Experience back in 2008. Here we are with Randy Dunn, shown left.

According to my cellar records, we hold twenty-one vintages of this label (including the Howell Mountain) dating back to 1981. We're holding on to these vintages because of their long lived aging potential.

Dunn Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1998

Randy Dunn's wines are legendary for their long lived aging and this was another testament to that legacy. While Cellartracker shows the drinking window for this vintage to be out to 2014, I thought this was delicious and appeared to be still at its prime, showing its age but not yet showing serious effects of diminution.

While the 1998 Napa vintage was panned and overshadowed by what I feel in retrospect was the over-rated 1997, once again, as with many previous tastings, the '98 was drinking very nicely and over-achieved against the vintage reviews.

Dark garnet colored, medium bodied, earthy, floral, graphite and oak highlight the black currant and black berry aromas and flavors. Echoing comments from fellow CellarTracker tasters, a hint of sweetness with moderate, dusty tannins, more on the Bordeaux side but with a Napa sweetness.

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=7961

Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape  1998

Ryan selected this CDP - Chateauneuf du Pape to accompany the bbq baby back ribs. A visit to Chateau Beaucastel, one of the premier producers in the appellation, was one of the highlights of our Southern Rhone Wine Experience back in 1998. We may have tasted this wine from barrel samples during that winery and cellar tour (shown left),

Our cellar records indicate we hold a dozen vintages of this label dating back to the 1978 vintage.

This was an instance where a comparison tasting may have taken the luster off this wine as it was overshadowed by the bigger, bolder, more expressive Dunn.

Ruby colored, almost opaque, medium bodied, nicely balanced, complex but smooth and polished, aromas and flavors of black cherry fruits accented by tones of spice, herbs, tobacco leaf, hints of black pepper and whisper of anise.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=2201

Cityscape Syrah Zin BBQ Ribs Wine Dinner 2015

2015 Cityscape Wine on the deck Features Syrah Zinfandel with BBQ Ribs Dinner

Our 'pour boys' wine group dinner was hosted by Lyle and Terry for their third wine night on the deck with cityscape views.

The theme for the evening was set for Syrah and Zinfandel to accompany their bar-b-cue rib dinner preparation. Their west loop residence features an extraordinary deck with cityscape views of the Willis (Sears) Tower (looming in background as shown left) and the west loop neighborhood.

The spectacular mid-September evening provided a perfect clear cloudless sky and comfortable evening. This was a replay of the success of last years event of the same theme. As usual, like the previous two years, Terry and prepared an wonderful dinner ideally suited for the wine theme - bar-b-cue ribs, potatoes, green beans, salad, cornbread, corn, followed by home-made profiteroles with ice cream, chocolate and caramel sauces.

Before dinner there was a selection of artisan cheeses, shrimp, grilled scallops, dips, nuts and olive trays. These complimented several champagne, sparkling and other white wine selections.

The main dinner wine flight ... (pictured below):

 

As usual we went through our ritual of placing the flight tasting order based on the anticipated weight, sweetness and complexity of the wines. Once set, the wines are opened and tasted to calibrate their appropriate tasting order. For me, this is almost the highlight of such evenings, determining the tasting order, but also testing knowledge and perceptions of the wines and vintages and their respective tasting profiles. As usual we had the basic order generally correct, but made a few modifications based on the tasting results. Shown above is the original expected order. 

Surprisingly, as a result of the tasting, the Killikanoon Oracle moved to the farthest right most position - signifying it as being the biggest and most complex wine, subsequently to be tasted last, so as to overpower a 'lesser' (lighter, less complex) wine. This was remarkable considering the previous tasting experiences of the other four 'big syrahs'.

Surprisingly, the Chateau Tanunda 100 year old vines Shiraz moved a couple places to the left although it compared favorably with the others. 

The wine flight in tasting order:

Domaine Marc Colin Chassagne Montrachet 1999

Niner Wine Estate Boot Jack Ranch Paso Robles Syrah 2006

Robert Biale Black Chicken Napa Valley Zinfandel 2011

Regusci Napa Valley Stags Leap District Zinfandel 2010

Outpost Napa Valley Howell Mountain Zinfandel 2012

The Big Shiraz flight ...

Two Hands  Bella's Garden Barossa Shiraz 2012

Chateau Tanunda 100 Year Old Vines Shiraz 2008

Clarendon Hills  Astralas Shiraz 2007

Clarendon Hills Piggot Ranges Shiraz 2004 

Killikanoon Clare Valley Oracle Shiraz 2004

And after dinner with dessert and for casual sipping:

Antoine Alard Chateau Theulet Monbazzilac 1998
Chateau Breustet Saunterne Bordeaux 2001
Grahams Vintage Port 1991, 2000

The Zinfandel flight also included the Niner Paso Robles Syrah which exhibited a profile more aligned with those wines. The Regusci and Biale compared similarly while, not surprisingly, the Outpost stood out with its Howell Mountain terroir showing bigger forward mountain fruit with that classic bramble tight firmness with a creosote anise layer. 

The standout of the evening for me was the Killikanoon Oracle, which I expected to show well as it is one of my favorite wines. It showed dark inky purple, intense, rich, thick, full bodied, forward fruit of blueberry, ripe plum and blackberry, violet floral, and a hint of anise on the finish.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=234312

Big Aussie Syrah flight ...

I brought the Oracle to compare in a mini-horizontal 2004 against the Clarendon Hills Piggott Range Clarendon Syrah which I expected to mirror the profile but perhaps exhibit even bigger, more forward firm concentrated fruits, which it did, but less so than the Oracle.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=153424

The Piggot Range exhibited a rich dark purple color, full bodied, and full smooth polished aromas and flavors of raspberries, blueberry, blueberries and smoked meat with notes of spice and floral elements with hints of oak with nicely integrated silky tannins on the lingering finish. It was more lean than the full throttle thick rich version I tasted a couple vintages back. It's certainly ready to drink, and doesn't appear it will improve any with age.. probably certainly at its apex and needs to be consumed .. but I'd say no need to hurry .. has a couple years left ....

Dan brought the ultra-premium Clarendon Hills Astralis also provided an interesting comparison between the two Clarendon Hills' labels since they no doubt contain fruit sourced from the same sites.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=94812

Ernie brought Chateau Tanunda from his cellar. I've written herein about us capturing nine OWC three packs of this wine - the entire allocation of this wine for midwest America during the Wine Spectator Grand Tour a few years ago. This wine continues to be a staple of our big syrah tastings that we all enjoy. 

Chateau Tanunda "The Chateau" 100 Year Old Vines Eden Valley Barossa Shiraz

We discovered this wine at the Wine Spectator Grand Tour in Chicago when it was being poured by Chateau Tanunda's Dagmar O'Neill. Only 100 cases were produced. We orchestrated a purchase of nine three packs in OWC's (shown below) which we split amongst the 'pour boys' wine team, pictured below.

The Barossa is home to some of the world’s oldest Shiraz vines and the grapes for this wine come from hundred year old vines from a high altitude, one acre single vineyard in the Eden Valley.

The 'pour boys' sighted at WS
Grand Tour

Full bodied, complex, concentrated, full lingering tannins predominate the dense, black and blue berry fruits with hints of licorice, plum, spice and spicy oak.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=937673

http://www.chateautanunda.com/

Grahams Vintage Port 1991, 2000

 

Lyle was concerned that his beloved Grahams Vintage Port 1991 was diminished and entering the later stage of its drinking window. He acquired a case of this wine and has been enjoying it over the decades but was concerned about its recent change in its profile. The consensus of the group was that is was fine, aging normally and gracefully, simply showing it natural aging maturation. We're all getting older! 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=21593

Zinfandel for Barbecue and more

Zinfandel for Barbecue, Ribs, and More ...

We always keep a couple of bottles of Zinfandel in the cellar for when we have barbecue (BBQ). They're made for each other ... Neophyte wine drinkers should also venture into Zinfandel as it provides fruit forward, easy, casual sipping and goes well with pizza, pasta, fruits, salads and grilled meats. For the more discriminating Oenophile (a lover or connoisseur of wine), Zinfandel can also offer complex sophisticated drinking as well. And Zinfandels generally provide great QPR - quality to price ratios.

I recently picked up a selection of Zinfandels at auction for such occasions. I was delighted to find selections from Lamborn Family Vineyards, producers of fine Zins as well as notable quality Cabernets. We collect and hold a vertical of several vintages of Lamborn Cabernet which we enjoy on special occasions. Notably, some Lamborn wines are crafted by the legendary winemaker Heidi Barrett.

We visited Lamborn Vineyards high atop Howell Mountain during our Napa Wine Experience in 2008. Mike (w/ Mike left) and Terry Lamborn are wonderful folks whose vineyards are a labor of love, and site for whimsical and fun scuplture artwork too. They're on the back side of the mountain overlooking the Pope Valley, right down the road and across from Outpost and Robert Craig, both also known for great Cab's and Zins. Howell Mountain terroir provides distinctive concentrated spicy fruit in both varietals and is one of our favorite appellations of the seventeen Napa growing areas.

Lamborn Family Vineyards "The Cork Report" Zinfandel 2001

At fourteen years, this is past it's prime drinking window, but still enjoyable. Dark ruby colored, medium full bodied, black berry and raspberry fruits give way to a layer of vanilla accented by earthy spice, oak, and hints of mocha with a firm but approachable tannin acid finish.

RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=26073

https://www.lamborn.com/