Melka CJ Napa Valley Cabernet BYOB at Carnivore & Queen

Phillippe Melka 'CJ' Napa Valley Cabernet BYOB at Carnivore & Queen

We went out to dinner with son Sean and d-in-law Michelle and dined at Carnivore & The Queen in adjacent Downers Grove, IL. I took from our wine cellar BYOB this Napa Valley Red wine to accompany our entree dinner selections - NY Strip Steak and Bone-in Veal Chop. 

 

Closing in on celebrating our grandaughter's, Sean and Michelle's daughter, Lavender's first birthday, this was a fun choice with its whimsical label with the child's hand-prints on the label and foil, as this label is named for and dedicated to the winemakers' two children. 

There's another reason I selected this label, from producer Phillippe Melka, a producer we know well and hold several of his labels across two decades of vintages. Phillippe was the mentor for Eric White of Galena Cellars Vineyards and Winey in Galena, IL, whom we met during our stay in the estate guest house during our getaway holiday week before last.

Philippe and co-proprietors and co-winemaker for Melka Estates, wife, Cherie Melka produce four distinct brands that reflect their philosophy of soil driven wines:  Métisse from Napa Valley, Mekerra from Sonoma Valley, Majestique from sites around the world and CJ, also from Napa Valley.

Both Philippe and Cherie are both academically prepared for their distinctive careers and achievement in winemaking.  Philippe having degrees in Geology, Agronomy and Enology; and Cherie in Microbiology from the US and a diploma in French Studies from the University of Bordeaux III. 

Philippe learned winemaking and vineyard techniques from legendary prestigious estates such as Haut Brion, Chittering Estate, Badio O Coltibuono, the Moueix domains and Dominus.  Cherie was more self-taught as a enologist gaining her wine knowledge from equally impressive estates such as Ridge Vineyards, Beaulieu and Silver Oak Cellars.  Their combined science backgrounds and extensive experience in the industry make them a perfect team in their winemaking endeavors.

The Melka brand started in 1996, when Philippe and Cherie moved back to Napa Valley from France and set out to produce their own brand, despite each working for different wineries.  They started modestly with only two wines in 1996, Métisse and CJ for a total case production of 500.

After years of consulting, Philippe and Cherie opened up Melka Wines, in 1996, celebrating their first vintage of a Bordeaux styled Red Wine labeled Melka Metisse with a total production of 500 cases. Soon after, Melka’s success would eventually lead him to 3 more labels, the Mekerra, Majestique and the first vintage of CJ in 1996, the year Jeremy was born with production of only 200 cases.

Melka Estates started with Philippe and Cherie Melka sourcing fruit for their first two labels, two wines  named in honor of their two children Chloe and Jeremy and Metisse. They have since grown to four collections, CJ (a red blend very approachable in its youth sourced from premium vineyards throughout the Napa Valley), Metisse (a word that means ‘blend of cultures’ with wines from the Napa Valley), Mekerra (from the property they own in Sonoma County) and Majestique (single vineyard wines from outside of the Napa Valley). As a footnote, one quickly realizes the affinity the Melka’s have for the letter ‘M’.

Philippe grew up in Bordeaux, earned his degree in Geology at the University of Bordeaux and later his Master’s degree in Agronomy and Enology. His first wine job was at Château Haut Brion in Bordeaux. His first introduction to the Napa Valley came in 1991 as an intern with Christian Moueix, proprietor of Chateau Petrus in Bordeaux and Dominus in Napa Valley. Philippe came to Dominus to study soils – then spent a few years as a traveling winemaker and ultimately settled in the Napa Valley in 1994.

Melka CJ Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Cherie earned a degree in Microbiology at Northern Arizona University and worked for a while in pharmaceuticals as a laboratory technician. In 1989, she moved to California and took her first winery job for Paul Draper at Ridge Vineyards where she ran the lab for five years. It was here that she met Philippe who was working the vineyards.

The list of Napa wineries that Philippe has worked with over the years reads like a whose whose list of the valley – Alejandro Bulgheroni Estate, Brand, Bryant Family, Dana Estates, Lail, Hundred Acre and Tusk Estate among many other well-regarded brands.

The vineyards that contribute to the making of Melka wines are sourced from relationships with growers over the 20 years that they’ve been making this wine. Two primary sources of fruit for CJ are Soda Canyon, a unique area in Napa Valley near Oakville with hillside fruit, and Broken Rock has brought more fresh crushed rocks, good acidity and more massive tannins. 

This was a perfect complement to my NY Strip grilled beefsteak and sauteed portabella shiitake mushrooms with red wine reduction, and, the Dark Chocolate Flowerless Torte cake for dessert. 

At eighteen years, the fill level, label and cork were perfect. This was most likely at the apex of its drinking window and profile and will not likely improve with further age, but should last up to another decade.  

This is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Petit Verdot.

This release got 92 points from Wine Spectator.

 Dark inky garnet colored, full bodied, firm, structured, tight, concentrated ripe, rich and lush blackberry and wild berry fruits with pointed notes of gritty eucalyptus cedar notes, black tea, dark mocha and cigar box with firm focused tannins on the finish. 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=283194

https://www.melkaestates.com/

https://twitter.com/MelkaEstates

https://carnivoreandthequeen.com/

Ladera Napa Valley Lone Canyon Cabernet at Morrie's Steakhouse, Sioux Falls

Ladera Napa Valley Lone Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

For our getaway roadtrip, we took nearly a case of wine to enjoy during our overnight stays and dinesite dinners. During an overnight stay in Sioux Falls, SD, we dined at Morrie's Steakhouse which proved to be perfect venue for the occasion - a fine wine and dining experience. With our grilled beefsteak and salmon entrees, we took from our home cellar this BYOB Napa Cabernet which proved to be a perfect accompaniment pairing for the dinner. 

We dined at Morrie's Steakhouse in Sioux Falls. For dinner I ordered the grilled New York Strip beefsteak, perfectly prepared 'Pittsburgh style', my favorite, hot pink center with charred outside, served with whipped potatoes. Linda had the Salmon entree. Our server Erin was attentive, professional, and adept at serving our vintage wine.

We discovered, tasted and acquired this wine during one of our visits to the winery up on Howell Mountain above Napa Valley, during our Napa Valley Howell Mountain Wine Experience in 2008.

https://mcnees.org/winesite/napa/napa_08/napa_08_ladera.htm

We featured our visit to the winery in previous blogposts in these pages.

We last tasted and posted about this wine just a couple months ago when I reposted about this producer and label, we discovered this wine and purchased it following our visit to the Ladera Vineyards estate and winery up on Howell Mountain in 2006 and then again during our Napa Valley Howell Mountain Wine Experience 2008. 

We'd driven past the property, formerly the historic Chateau Woltner many times over the years on our treks up Howell Mountain in northeast Napa Valley.

The fabulous historic winery building consisted of production and barrel storage below and a rustic tasting room upstairs. It is surrounded by spectacular gardens, beds of lavender, and of course the vineyards. 

 

Ladera was founded when Stotesburys moved their family to Napa Valley from Montana in 2000 when they acquired a historic Howell Mountain property featuring an 82-acre vineyard. For the next 16 years, this property served as the home for Ladera.

With deep agricultural roots, and decades of experience as ranchers, Pat and Anne Stotesbery acquired the Napa Valley mountain vineyard in 1996. The following year, they purchased their second vineyard, Lone Canyon, embracing life as full-time winegrowers and vintners. In 1999, they founded Ladera, which means “hillside” in Spanish and Italian, and made their debut vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon. Ladera initially primarily focused on Cabernet Sauvignon of which we still hold a several cases of four different labels across several vintages from this era.  

Around 2008, their son Dan visited us while on a wine promotion trip to/thru Chicago and we took him around to several of the local wine merchants in the area.  

Stotesburys sold the Ladera land on Howell Mountain in 2016, following the next year selling their Lone Canyon and the Mount Veeder property.

Ladera Lone Canyon Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Ladera produced several labels of Cabernet Sauvignon including several sub-appellation designated labels from Howell Mountain and this one from Lone Canyon, Napa Valley. 

Lone Canyon Vineyard is located on the flanks of Mt. Veeder in the western hills of the Napa Valley. The ranch consisted of 480 acres of which 75 were planted to vines. 

The topography is very steep in some areas with elevations reaching 1,100 feet above sea level. The elevations, as well as its specific location in Napa Valley, contribute to the unique climate at Lone Canyon. The clay loam soils are of moderate depth and are very well drained.

Winemaker's Vineyard Notes: The 2004 Ladera Lone Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon is truly an expression of the Lone Canyon vineyard. The unique terroir of this vineyard allows the fruit to showcase the vintage at hand. 

This is one of several bottles we still hold from a couple of  mixed cases we acquired during our winery visit back near its release. 

Winemaker Notes: The 2004 Lone Canyon Cabernet is a perfect example of how rich and lush the wines from this property can be. This wine is exuberant in color and the aromas are alive with spicy and herbal fruit. The nose provides earthy, brambly undertones with brilliant dark fruit. A full bodied entry hits the palate with flavors of dark cherry and licorice. The wine is layered with textures that are bold and masculine yet maintain tannins of a velvety character. The dark fruit flavors blend with the complex tannins to produce on extremely long fruit finish.

This was awarded 91 points by Wine Spectator and 90 points by Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar.

Tonight, this was consistent with our earlier tasting experience and published notes for this wine.  

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, firm, tight and concentrated complex black berry and black raspberry fruits with notes of black tea, cassis, mineral sage and herbs with fine smooth tannins on the lingering finish.

RM 91 points. 

Upon selling their vineyard properties, “It was too big for us, and taking care of it was more than a full-time job,” says Pat. “We wanted to focus our energies on doing what we love the most—making great wines. Because of the relationships we have formed, we are fortunate to be able to partner with Napa Valley’s greatest growers in pursuit of this vision.”

 

Ladera has evolved, moving away from owning vineyards and instead partnering with several of Napa Valley’s most respected growers, to source fruit from acclaimed sites. “Over the course of our first 20 years, our love of mountain vineyards took us from Mount Veeder to Lone Canyon to Howell Mountain and beyond,” says Pat. “From each location we learned a great deal, which made our wines better and better. Today, this knowledge and experience, along with the freedom and ability to work with Napa Valley’s greatest vineyards, is resulting in our finest wines ever.”

Today, after more than two decades producing estate wines in Napa Valley, they continue to produce extraordinary mountain-grown Cabernet Sauvignons, along with acclaimed Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays from their Pillow Road Estate Vineyard in the Russian River Valley. They reside and host wine tastings and events from their winery new location on Silverado Trail in Calistoga.  

One Cellartracker writes about this wine: "Screaming awesome. Can totally see why Harlan bought this vineyard. Incredible cedar, cassis, cherry liquor, minty herbal notes, silky long finish, such a Bordeaux feel, seems perfect right now. Wow. 95 points." 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=355631

https://www.laderavineyards.com/

http://mcnees.org/winesite/napa/napa_08/img_napa08_ladera_winery_remc.jpg

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/08/ladera-napa-valley-cabernet-sauvignon.html

https://twitter.com/laderavineyards

https://www.morriessteakhouse.com/

Force Majeure Red Wine BYOB Fried Green Tomatoes Galena

Force Majeure Red Wine BYOB Fried Green Tomatoes Restaurant in historic Galena, IL

The first stop of our cross country roadtrip getaway was the historic town of Galena (IL) where we stayed in a farmhouse amidst the vineyards of Galena Cellars Vineyards and Winery. This was one of the first nights out on our cross country road trip on which we took several of our favorite label wines from our home cellar to enjoy BYOB or with carry-out dinners at our hotel or other special venues.

We dined the first night downtown Galena at Fried Green Tomatoes Restaurant, purveyor of Italian and American Cuisine. I ordered a New York Strip steak with their port wine reduction sauce and mashed potatoes. To accompany our dinner, we brought BYOB from our home cellar a Big Red Blend from Washington State Columbia Valley.  

Fried Green Tomatoes Restaurant is in the historic Galena, IL, home to former US Civil War General and US President Ulysses S. Grant. From the restaurant website ...

"In 1854, Jesse R. Grant (General Grant’s Father) owned the Leather and Finding Store located in this building, Grant dealt in all kinds of leather, coach trimmings, saddlery hardware, shoemaker's kits, and findings. Ulysses S. Grant, a West Point graduate and experienced military officer, moved to Galena in 1860 to help his father and brothers with the leather business.

In 1900, Frank Owen, who was a mayor of Galena, ran a saloon in the upper part of the building. For nearly three-quarters of the 20th century, the Dowling Building was a monument shop. Most recently, the building housed a drug store, a sports outfitter, and an antique store.

Restaurant owner, Fred Bonnet, wanted a building with history and vintage character to support the distinctive dining. “I left the brickwork exposed. I left the patterns on the wall and reproduced them elsewhere in the restaurant. The history of the building Mr. Dowling built is part of the experience for our guests,” explains Bonnet."

Force Majeure Washington State Columbia Valley Red Mountain Ptera Red Wine 2012

We visited the Force Majeure Vineyards Site Visit and Tasting in Walla Walla Washington back in 2018. We met winemaker Todd Alexander and marketing director and wife Carrie when they visited us in Chicago during a release tour stop in Chicago in 2016. As a member of their wine club we've collected a selection of their red wines every since, as well as older vintages dating back a decade such as this Force Majeure 2012 vintage release. 

his vintage release is a unique blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. This label, Ptera, was only made in a few vintages and quickly become a mailing list favorite. This was from the Force Majeure Collaboration Series, begun in 2004 with a partnership between viticulturist Ryan Johnson, owners Paul and Susan McBride and seven specially selected winemakers, each chosen for their proficiency with various grape varietals and styles.

The “Collaboration Series” was produced in small quantities of Bordeaux- and Rhone-inspired wines, sourced from the notable Ciel du Cheval Vineyard from 2004 to 2013, and including in later years the Force Majeure Vineyard.  This and the follow on 2013 release were the final vintage for the “Collaboration Series” wines, as Force Majeure estate production increased to allow them to be a completely estate-focused winery sourcing fruit from their own vineyards.

This label was a unique blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. It was awarded 95 points by The Wine Advocate and 91 points by Wine Spectator. 

Completely consistent with earlier tasting notes of this label release, at nearing a decade old, this was likely at its prime, at the apex of its drinking window and profile. The cork was in perfect condition as shown.

Dark inky purple garnet colored, full bodied, firmly structured but nicely balanced and approachable full black raspberry and black berry fruits are accented by notes of cola, coffee, spices with lead pencil graphite and floral turning to fine grained tannins on the long lingering finish.

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2236027

https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/wp/

https://www.friedgreen.com/

Sesta di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese

Sesta di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese at Angeli's Italian

Midweek Wednesday night dinner, we dined at Angelis Italian, our favorite neighborhood Italian Trattoria. I took BYOB from our cellar this aged Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese for the occasion. 

Linda ordered Angeli's Special pizza for take home leftovers while I ordered the Angeli's House Special Lasagna.

Sesta di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Sangiovese 2013

Sesta di Sopra is an estate of 108 acres located in Castelnuovo dell’Abate, south of Montalcino, a hill town and comune in the province of Siena, Tuscany, central Italy, west of Pienza, close to the Crete Senesi in Val d'Orcia, (42 kilometres from Siena, 110 kilometres from Florence and 150 kilometres from Pisa).

The estate was purchased in 1980 by Ettore Spina with his wife, Enrica. Ettore Spina worked in Turin at the San Paolo bank and purchased the estate as a place away from the city for his family. He selected this estate in Montalcino, partly because he was friends with the father of Paola Gloder (of Poggio Antico fame). At the time of the purchase there were about 100 acres of woodland and grain crops, the house, and only one hectare of vines.

Originally their vacation property in Montalcino, they planted vines in the early 1990s, focusing solely on Sangiovese Grosso vines to keep things simple as they expected to eventually sell off the grapes.

Today they have 6.9 acres of vines, 2.5 acres Brunello, 3 acres Rosso, and 1.5 ha IGT Rosso from which they produce Rosso di Montalcino DOC and this Brunello di Montalcino DOCG. 

Ettore Spina serves as owner/winemaker and is assisted by their children, Stefano and Cristina, agronomist Federico Becarelli, oenologist Lorenzo Scotto and Paolo Vaggagini. Krenar Resuli (Albanian) as manager.

There is a small but functional cellar, with 30 hectolitre Slavonian oak casks, French oak barriques and steel barrels. Sesta di Sopra produce a mere 4,000 bottles.

This premium flagship label vintage release Sangiovese ran a serial numerical lineup, awarded 95 points by Wine Enthusiast and Vinous, 94 points by James Suckling, 93 points by Wine Spectator, 92 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and 91 points by Decanter. 

Bright Ruby red colored, medium bodied, plum, black cherry, leather, tobacco and tar and exotic spice flavors with tightly wound fine-grained tannins and bright acidity on the finish.

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2129586

https://www.sestadisopra.it/?lang=en

https://www.angeliscatering.com/

Signorella Hope's Cuvee at Marco's Kitchen

Signorella Hope's Cuvee at Marco's Kitchen La Grange (IL) Dinner

Friday night datenight, we dined at chic Marco's Kitchen in nearby suburban LaGrange (IL). Expecting to order seafood I took BYOB from our cellar a ultra-premium Napa Chardonnay. 

Marco's is a stylish, chic, trendy casual and comfortable dining experience with imaginatively crafted and artfully presented food, a basic but sufficient carefully selected winelist including WBTG offerings, with a reasonable BYOB policy, and professional friendly attentive service. The broad menu offers a selection of seafood dishes as well as duck, lamb, pork and beef entrees, with a range of salads and starter dishes.

We ordered from the menu the Chicken Liver, Shitake Mushroom Cognac Mousse Pate that was delicious, the highlight of the evening for me from our previous dining experience there last winter. To accompany this, I ordered from the WBTG selection (Wines By the Glass) the Böen California Pinot Noir from Joseph Wagner (son of) of Caymus fame, which was an ideal pairing.

Linda loved the Gezpacho with shrimp as her salad course. I ordered the Cous Cous & Orange Arugula Salad with dried mango, cucumber, orange, tomatos and pomegranate ginger vinagrette (above).

For our dinner entree we shared the Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi and Gulf Shrimp with Basmati Rice, Coconut Lime and Basil Broth with Crushed Macademias and blanched asparagus. 

 
The salad and seafood dishes were perfectly accented, paired with the Signorello Napa Chardonnay.

Signorello Hope's Cuvee Napa Valley Chardonnay 2016

As posted in an earlier blogposts, we discovered and acquired (the then current release vintage of) this wine during our visit to the Estate on Silverado Trail in Southeastern Napa Valley during our Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2013. At that time I wrote about this label: "I am predominantly a red wine drinker and while I enjoy an occasional glass of white, most often with appropriate food, I don't normally get excited about a white wine. This chardonnay was the exception,  memorable and special."

(Former) Signorello Estate overlooking vineyards
and valley floor.

The Signorello winery sits at the very southern end of Napa Valley and has 43 acres of vineyards, including some of the oldest Chardonnay vines in all of Napa Valley - fruit from 37-year-old vines goes into his Hope’s Cuvée.

The magnificent Estate was destroyed in the fires that engulfed much of sections of Sonoma and Napa in 2017. Fires came down the foothills to the property that sat up the hill back from the highway.

The fire reached the winery and completely destroyed the hospitality center that also housed offices, a wine lab and a family residence upstairs. The adjacent  crush pad and stainless steel tanks survived intact along with the barrel cellar and equally if not most importantly, the vines of the adjacent vineyards. 

In the wake of the destruction from Napa Valley’s October 2017 Atlas Peak Fire, Ray Signorello vowed to rebuild. We're relieved to read about the Phoenix of Signorella Estate, rising from the ashes, literally, and being rebuilt, even grander and larger than before. Signorello said he viewed the tragedy as an opportunity to do something new and exciting and is rebuilding with a larger fermentation facility, wine caves and a stunning expanded hospitality center.

The winery has kept almost all of its team employed as an interim step toward returning to normalcy and they have been operating out of a modular building was brought in to serve as a temporary hospitality center.

The adjacent Darioush property nearby the sits at the valley floor closer to the highway and similarly situated properties were untouched.

Signorello "Hope's Cuvée" Napa Valley Chardonnay 2016

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave the 2015 release 98 points and said, "The best Chardonnay I have ever tasted from Ray Signorello has to be the 2015 Chardonnay Hope’s Cuvée." Vinous gave it 91 points.

This Hope's Cuvée Chardonnay was full bodied but nicely balanced and polished for very pleasant drinking. It is bursting with flavorful fruit with layers of peach and poached pear giving way to hints of honey, almond, nutmeg, vanilla and creamy soft spicy oak. There is very pleasant full mouth-feel with rich texture on the palate with a long lingering finish of sweet mellow oak.

Golden colored, full bodied, rich and concentrated caramelized citrus, honeysuckle, white peach, pear and melon notes with a touch of almond and brioche.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2806461

https://www.signorelloestate.com/

https://www.marcoskitchen.com/

Catch 35 Naperville Seafood and Wine Dinner

Fabulous Seafood Wine Pairing Dinner at Catch 35 Naperville     

We took fellow Pour Boy Dr Dan to Catch 35 - Naperville to celebrate his decade birthday. He brought from his cellar this ultra-premium Chateau Boswell Chardonnay for a BYOB wine pairing. The girls went to the Boswell estate while hiking during our Napa Wine Experience in 2017, the estate  burned down during the raging fires that ravaged the Napa mountainsides during 2020. 

Our dinner at Catch 35 was wonderful - exceptional in every respect - each entree exceeding expectations. Dan and I ordered the Georges Bank Scallops with braised shortrib & red potato hash on black pepper aoli. Both Lindas ordered one of the two daily special Halibut dishes - Sweet and Sour Crispy Halibut with bell peppers, onions and pineapple with jasmine rice, and Alaskan Pan Seared Halibut with Panko, Asiago-Parmesan in cannellinis beans with onions and heirloom tomatoes. 

The Georges Bank Scallops with braised shortrib & red potato hash on black pepper aoli was a mind-blowing combination pairing, almost like two separate and distinct entrees thrown together. The scallops were perfectly prepared and tasty, but almost overpowered by the somewhat off-putting braised short-rib which was delicious in its own right. The two foods compete with each other for center stage with the bigger bolder braised short rib overtaking the more delicate and subtle scallops.

 

Alaskan Pan Seared Halibut 

 

Sweet and Sour Crispy Halibut

 Our server Denzel, was exceptional, professional, hospitable and friendly, knowledgeable and attentive to the details of astute proper wine service of our wine selections, properly served, chilled and offering appropriate glassware. 

Chateau Boswell Absolutely Eloise Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2016

Dan brought this ultra-premium limited release label from his cellar, this from producer Richard Thornton Boswell, who in the 1980's pioneered the concept of a "Boutique" winery crafting small lot French Style wines sold directly to the client, at a time when the other 71 wineries in the Napa Valley sold mostly through distribution. Today, Chateau Boswell remains among the diminishing handful of privately owned family wineries amidst what has grown to 554 wineries in the Napa Valley today.

The fruit is from the Sonoma County, Russian River Valley, bordered by the Russian River and the Mayacamas mountains with the climate defined by its proximity to the ocean with coastal breezes bringing cooling fog through the Petaluma wind gap in the morning and evening, balancing the afternoon heat enjoyed in this appellation. This temperature differential creates excellent conditions for Chardonnays fruit with the long growing season, allowing time for optimum fruit maturity.

The grapes are from the Purrington Rued Vineyard, Ritchie Vineyard, and Dutton Ranch Sebastopol Vineyards, the fruit from each of these vineyards from very old vines which lends the complexity and intense fruit flavors which are key to the composition of memorable Chardonnay wines.

In the early days, famed winemaker André Tchelistcheff graced the Boswell winery with his immense knowledge and directed their early efforts. Building on that legacy and history, Boswell wines today are crafted under the tutelage of consulting winemakers Philippe Melka and Keith Hock who both work closely with Allison Nunnikhoven, Associate Winemaker for Chateau Boswell.

This was straw colored, medium bodied, with a slight haziness, rich, powerful, complex exotic medley of apple pear and apricot fruits, with a unique distinctive layer of dark toasted nuts with hints of dark toffee caramel with a cognac like lingering finish. 

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/editnote.asp?iWine=2932507

http://www.chateauboswellwinery.com/ 

Besides the Chateau Boswell, we ordered from the broad and carefully selection winelist an as yet undiscovered label from a well known producer - Dance Chardonnay from Long Shadows. 

Long Shadows "Dance" Columbia Valley Chardonnay 2017

What a surprise to discover this label on the Catch 35 wine list. We've been Long Shadows Key Club Members since our visit to the Woodinville tasting room during our Washington Wine Experience when we visited the winery tasting room in Woodinville back in the fall of 2018. 

We receive a case of Long Shadows wines every quarter and hold several cases of their labels in our cellar and this was the first time we have seen or heard about this label, purported to be the latest addition to the portfolio.

Dance also has specific significance as just this very day we learned our daughter-in-law Vivianna's sister, Grace was engaged to be married. Grace was a career professional performing arts dancer having studied dance at New York Fordham University and then traveling with the world famous Alvin Ailey dance troupe. Indeed, when they toured Illinois, we met them for dinner at Angeli's Italian, our local neighborhood trattorria. 

Based on the enjoyment of this wine this evening, I promptly called Long Shadows and ordered a case of this limited release label, "Dance" as part of my wine club entitlement allocation. We'll look forward to serving Dance with the family at our next gathering, our upcoming Easter celebration dinner. 

This is 100% Chardonnay from the Washington State Columbia River basin Yakima Valley from the Wente Chardonnay clone plantings at two of Washington’s oldest Chardonnay vineyards, French Creek Vineyard, east of Prosser and Boushey Vine at the Boushey Vineyard, the Crawford Vineyard,and the old block at French Creek Vineyard.

Notes from the Winemaker: Introducing the newest addition to the Long Shadows line-up. This unique and wonderfully complex Chardonnay was fermented and aged using proprietary techniques with a combination of concrete eggs and French oak barrels for sixteen months.

The result is a rich, yet refined Chardonnay with a beautiful viscosity that carries the mid-palate while the acidity persists across a lengthy finish.

Winemaker Tasting Notes: Great balance between vibrant fruit and minerality with flavors and aromas of white peach, apricot and baked apples. 

Straw colored, medium bodied, fresh apple and pear fruits with notes of lemon citrus, floral and toast with hints of tropical fruit, pineapple and spicy oak on a tangy acidic finish.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3322908

https://longshadows.com/

After dinner we retreated back to our house to finish the celebration dinner with German Chocolate Cake. 

With the cake we opened from the cellar Taylor Fladgate Late Bottled Vintage Port 1994. The 1994 vintage was one of the top vintages of the century with the top labels including Taylor Fladgate and Grahams Vintage Oporto both getting 100 points. 

At 28 years, this showed no signs of diminution from aging whatsoever, likely at the peak of its drinking window, but with another decade or two of life left yet. The label, fill level, foil, seal and cork were all in pristine condition. sea

This was a nice pairing with the chocolate cake, silky smooth, superbly balanced, ripe sweet fruits for wonderful casual sipping. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=12211

 

Gala Family Celebration Dinner at Angelis Italian

 Gala Family Celebration Dinner at Angelis Italian - Naperville

The family successfully pulled off a surprise birthday party for wife/mom/grandmother Linda for her deca-milestone year. We gathered in the private dining room at Angeli's Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria (Naperville, IL). We ordered a broad array of appetizers, our favorite dinner entrees from the menu and daily specials, followed by celebratory birthday cake, accompanied by our special BYOB wines. 

All our kids and their kids were able to attend, including a surprise pop-in visit from Alec and Vivianna, only hours after release from the hospital, with less than 48 hour old, just arrived, daughter, grand-daughter, Marylin - named after her grandmothers Mary-Lisa and Linda. This was everyone's first encounter meeting her and the first time hearing her name as this was announced as part of her introduction at the gathering. All this further amplified the excitement and special circumstances of the occasion.

To accompany the dinner I brought BYOB, from our wine cellar a magnum of champagne and two reds - Del Dotto Napa Cabernet and a Venge Vineyards Sangiovese. 

Piper Heidseick Brut Champagne (Magnum) 

There's nothing like Champagne served from a large format magnum bottle - especially for special occasions. This bottle is even more festive with its red holiday packaging.  We acquired several cases of these commemorative bottles upon release last year and have had fun serving them at weddings, holidays and special family occasions such as tonight. 

 

Venge Vineyards Sangiovese Family Reserve Penny Lane Vineyard 2010

I pulled this bottle for its traditional Italian Sangiovese varietal composition to accompany our Italian cuisine dinner.  This is from Venge Vineyards, one of the earliest growers and producers of this varietal based wine from Napa Valley sources. Nils Venge has long been a pioneer and thought-leader in Napa Valley.

The Venge (ven-ghee) family has farmed vitis vinifera varieties in Napa Valley for nearly half a century dating back to Knud Venge who emigrated from Denmark to the US in the early 1900’s. Knud's son, Per Venge, was passionate about wine and spirits and imported Western European fine wines and spirits. Per's son, Nils Venge started in the family business in the 1960's before leaving to study viticulture at UC Davis and then went on become an icon in the Northern California winegrowing community.

Venge family viticultural took root in Napa Valley in 1976 with the purchase of a 17-acre vineyard in the Oakville District that was planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. 

 

We've met Nils and Dianna Venge on numerous occasions at Napa events and visiting the Venge Vineyards in Oakville during the nineties. We first met their son, Kirk Venge, who engaged in winemaking from an early age while they were developing the Rossini Ranch Vineyards, Winery and caves up in Calistoga.  

 

We visited Nils at the Penny Lane Family Reserve Vineyard in Oakville, then drove up to meet Kirk at the Rossini Ranch site in the eastern foothills of Palisade Mountain near Calistoga back in 2002. 

Nils' and Dianna Venge's son, Kirk Venge, engaged in winemaking at an early age and has emerged as a talented winemaker like his father.

I've written often in these pages how we have fun with this label with the prominent "V" in the branding, for special dinners with daughter-in-law Vivianna, such as tonight. 

This is 90% Sangiovese and 10% Charbono from the Venge estate Penny Lane vineyard in Oakville. 

 

Dark inky colored, full bodied, rich concentrated extracted fruit, aromatic,almost intense black cherry and black raspberry with notes of tobacco leaf, tea and hints of tar on a smooth silky tannin laced finish. This was and ideal accompaniment to our zesty Italian pasta!

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/12/venge-napa-valley-oakville-penny-lane.html

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1351252 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1351287

http://www.vengevineyards.com/

https://twitter.com/VengeVineyards

@VengeVineyards 

Del Dotto Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 (Magnum)

We've been collecting Del Dotto Family Wine for over twenty-five years, since their inaugural release of this Napa Cabernet in 1993. The Del Dotto brand, holdings, portfolio and presence have grown substantially over those years, yet they still maintain their focus on small production, premium wines. 

Over that time Dave Del Dotto has acquired vineyards in some of the best American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) including Rutherford, Oakville, St. Helena, Howell Mountain, and Fort Ross-Seaview Sonoma Coast. The portfolio and brand has grown proportionally as well. 

Today Del Dotto produce wines based on cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, sangiovese and sauvignon blanc from their Napa Valley vineyards, as well as pinot noir, chardonnay and limited amounts of syrah, sauvignon blanc, sparkling grenache and mourvedre from their Cinghiale (wild boar) Vineyard in the King Ridge region of the Sonoma Coast.

We still hold nearly two decades of Del Dotto wines dating back to that 1993 inaugural vintage release. 

Over the years we've held Del Dotto wine dinners with Dave and Yolanda such as our Napa Wine Experience back in 1999, and attended numerous Del Dotto hosted special events. More recently, our Pour Boys wine group did the Del Dotto Napa Valley Cave Tour and Barrel Tasting at the magnificent St Helena estate winery and caves. And, our Del Dotto Piazza DELICACIES Food and Wine Experience at the then new Piazza Del Dotto estate and winery (and now caves) was one of the memorable highlights of our Napa Wine Experience in 2018. 

Our collection of Del Dotto family wines remains one of the largest holdings in our cellar with both vertical and horizontal collections of favorite labels. Hence it was only fitting for a special occasion family dinner that I took a Del Dotto estate label, in magnum - especially since it was held at our local Italian trattoria. 

Our   -https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/08/del-dotto-napa-valley-cave-tour-barrel_12.html

Its hard to believe that with published tasting notes of no less than sixty-five different labels and vintage releases - and countless iterations thereof, I have not tasted, or published a tasting note or blogpost of this particular label vintage release. 

At twenty years, the fill level, label, foil and cork were all essentially perfect - indications of the aging environment in our cellar as we acquired this bottle upon release. This is probably at the peak of its drinking character and profile and not likely to improve with any further aging, but showed no sign of diminution whatsoever.

This vintage release was awarded 92-94 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. 

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, bright vibrant ripe concentrated blackberry and black currant fruits with notes of earthy leather, tobacco, hints of spice and cassis with moderate tangy acidity and tannins on the lingering finish. 

RM 92 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1158239

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=84270

https://www.deldottovineyards.com/

https://twitter.com/DelDottoWine

@DelDottoWine

Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Brut Limited Edition Red Magnum Bottles NV

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.

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

Marco's Kitchen LaGrange

Marco's Kitchen LaGrange (IL) for fabulous fine dining experience

We were invited to join son Sean and Michelle and new grand-baby Lavender for an early New's Years Eve dinner at Marco's Kitchen in LaGrange (IL). 

I pulled from the cellar a special aged Pauillac that we took BYOB for the occasion. 

Marco's Kitchen is new to downtown LaGrange, just south of the Metra rail. 

This was our first visit to Marco's Kitchen and we will look forward to returning again. The warm ambiance and stylish setting has a chic upbeat vibe atmosphere with a menu of delectable artfully crafted cuisine selections with hospitable service. 

Chef Marco brings 44 years of cooking and restaurant experience with an imaginative and artfully crafted international cuisine - as noted on the menu, "From Rome to the Amalfi Coast, From Paris to Barcelona, and from Napa Valley to Puerto Vallarta!".  

There is a large bakery oven in which they bake fresh breads daily.

The seating is limited, but nicely arranged and spaced to be cozy and comfortable. With limited number of tables and Covid sensitive social distance spacing, reservations are a must.

There is a limited but carefully selected winelist offering appropriate selections to accompany the menu and they provided skillful attentive BYOB service as well with quality glassware and appropriate decanting of our vintage wine in light of what follows.

Server Jorge was unfazed and handled gracefully the unruly cork of our 22 year old bottle that crumbled and came apart on extraction.

We ordered a broad selection of starters and everything was wonderful, delicious, delectable and artfully presented. 

For starters we had:

A Dozen Bevan Prime Oysters on the half shell, fresh, large. 

The highlight of the evening for me was the Chicken Liver, Shitake Mushroom Cognac Mousse Pate that was delicious and a perfect accompaniment to my aged Bordeaux. 

Gorgonzola Stuff Black Mission Figs Wrapped in Proscuitto di Parma and Escargot served in a pastry and an imaginative brown sauce. 

Our dinner entree selections were the Pan Seared Idaho Rainbow Trout Almondine (above), Oven Roasted Pistachio encrusted Australian Lamb Chops, and from the starter list, Maryland Lump Crab and Polenta Cakes, and the Pan Seared Cinnamon Chipotle Rubbed Diver Scallops (shown below).

 
There is an extensive dessert menu with several offerings of Creme Brulee, tart pastries, Tiramisu, dark chocolate fruit tartlet and a combination medley plate (shown below).   

We ordered from the winelist this Chardonnay for white wine selection - a perfect pairing with the seafood choices. 

Ramey Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2018

This is from David Ramey, one of the best known and most highly regarded winemakers in California. He is widely acknowledged to be among the pioneers who raised the bar for American winemakers and brought California to the forefront of the international wine world. 

 

David Ramey spent his early career creating benchmark wines for such wineries as Matanzas Creek, Chalk Hill, Dominus and Rudd. At Dominus Winery, Christian Moueix agreed to allow David to "make a little Chardonnay on the side".

 

David and wife Carla founded Ramey Wine Cellars in 1996. David left Rudd following the 2001 vintage to go independent but continues to consult with a number of well known wineries and brands.

Ramey's groundbreaking work with indigenous yeasts and malolactic and barrel fermentation yielded a new California style that was richer, more lush and silky smooth than previously known, a new benchmark style now emulated by many.

He produces Ramey Chardonnays from the Sonoma Coast, Russian River Valley, and Carneros, as well as single vineyard efforts from the Hudson, Hyde, and Ritchie vineyards.

 

This label and vintage release combines grapes from a selection of five sites planted from 1978 to 2006, the biggest contribution from the producer's estate Westside Farms, as well as Dutton, Woolsey Road and Rochioli Allen vineyards, among others.

 

This release was awarded 95 points by Wine Enthusiast, 94 points by Wine & Spirits, and 93 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Jeb Dunnuck. 

 

Light straw colored, medium bodied, vibrant fresh, clean crisp acidity with spice and floral notes, hints of stone and citrus, almonds and white blossoms, silky with mineral and freshness on a long finish. 

 

The bright acidity was almost overpowering for standalone casual sipping but when paired with the food it was a perfect complement that amplified the enjoyment of both the food and the wine. 

 

RM 91 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3618843

https://www.rameywine.com/wine-release/2018-chardonnay-russia-river-valley/

Château Pichon-Longueville Baron Pauillac Bordeaux 1999

Celebrating the New Year and for this special dinner occasion I selected and brought BYOB a special memorable wine from our cellar. Linda and I walked the grounds of the magnificent Chateau when we toured Pauillac and the Medoc of Bordeaux during our Bordeaux Wine Experience in 2019.

 

 

I liked this wine such that I last opened it on my birthday back in 2015. Tonight's tasting experience was consistent with the notes I published at that time when I wrote the post below.

"Following the last couple UGC Bordeaux tastings where this wine was one of the standouts, I selected this from the cellar to showcase my birthday dinner. This is classic Bordeaux at its best. Even though we PNP - pop and poured this without decanting, it immediately resonated from the glass with classic Bordeaux bouquet and flavors of dark berry fruits, graphite, violets and hints of smoky tar, tobacco and cassis. Dark ruby  colored, medium bodied, polished and nicely balanced, soft and almost delicate for a Pauillac, the tongue coating fine tannins are silky smooth on the lingering finish. At sixteen, this is likely at its prime drinking now."

This was awarded 91 points Wine Spectator and 90 points by Vinous.

Vinous wrote, "Slightly earthy, featuring tobacco, cigar box and dark fruits. Full-bodied, offering super velvety tannins and a long, rich finish." 

Tonight this showed a slight bricking on the edges indicating it is past its apex, but still drinking very nicely. Very pleasant and ideal with the pate' above. 

At 22, the cork was dry and came apart upon extraction using a traditional server's corkscrew.

In 2010 Vinous wrote: "Plenty of subtle things are going on here in the glass, with lots of wonderful fruit underneath. Can't wait on this. Showing beautifully now. Better than ever." It was probably at its peak from then through my tasting in 2016.

RM 90 points, one less than before, taking into account the aging and slight diminution in color. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2339

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2015/05/pichon-baron-and-viader-v-1999-flight.html 

https://www.marcoskitchen.com/