Big Red Wine Flight for Family Super Hero Birthday

Big Red Wine Flight for Gala Family Super Hero Birthday

We had a gala family gathering for Son Ryan and Michelle celebrating son/grandson Reid's birthday, my namesake to the next generation, and the next. For the superhero celebration, Ryan pulled from his cellar a flight of big reds to enjoy with his signature legendary smoked beef brisket.

The flight:

Cliff Lede Stags Leap District Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2017

Rotie Cellars Washington State Southern Blend GSM 2013

El Nido Clio Jumilla Red Blend 2016

Kilikanoon Oracle Shiraz 2010

Cliff Lede Vineyards Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2017

Cliff Lefe is one of our favorite producers and a visit to the Napa Valley Stag's Leap District estate has been a highlight of several of Napa Valley excursions.

In certain vintages this is our favorite Sauvignon Blanc with its bright expressive fruits - pear, lychee, passion fruit and peach with hints of grapefruit and notes of lemon citrus. This 2017 is one of those vintages - butter colored, medium bodied, crisp clean, full flavorful fruits with nicely balanced acidity.

RM 92 points.
 
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2942346

https://cliffledevineyards.com/








Rotie Cellars Washington State Southern Blend GSM 2013

We tasted this wine at the producer in Walla Walla during our private tasting visit there opening our Walla Walla Wine Experience 2018. The 2016 vintage tasted then showed much better than this 2013 release tasted tonight.

Garnet colored, medium bodied, very green notes of bell pepper predominated over the cherry fruits spice and tobacco notes leaving an unfortunate barnyard funkiness and a bit of alcohol heat; hopefully a bottle variation and not indicative of the vintage and general release but I fear not?

A "GSM" blend of 75 % Grenache, 15 % Syrah and 10 % Mourvèdre.

RM 86 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2046400



Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio Red Blend 2016

This is the one Spanish wine in our cellar that we collect annually for a vertical collection that we hold for BBQ, bold cheeses and occasionally for tangy pasta. The grapes for this wine are made from 29.65 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards and 79 acres of very old Monastrell with a very low yield.

They harvest the grape with small baskets to prevent bruising and then hand select only the best grapes on triage tables. The juice is then held 24 months in French and American new oak barrels for integration, complexity and oak infusion. The result is a bold concentrated extracted fruitiness and complexity that we enjoy in a big red wine.
 
Winemaker notes - The wine exhibits a glass-coating opaque purple color with an expressive nose of pain grille, underbrush, brier, mineral, blueberry,  and  blackberry  fruit  leading  to  a  plush,  opulent  wine with great density, savory flavors, and a lengthy finish.

This is a blend of 70% Monastrell (akin to French Rhone Mourvedre) and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon.


This was dark garnet colored, full bodied, concentrated, complex, bold black and blue berry fruits with notes of pain grille, brier and mineral, with a moderate tannin laced tangy acidic finish. This vintage lacks the polish and integration of some years where it is more harmonious.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/editnote.asp?iWine=3126734

 http://bodegaselnido.com/en/


Killikanoon Oracle Clare Valley South Australia Shiraz 2010

One of favorite Shiraz's, the 2014 vintage release was awarded the 'Best Shiraz in the World' by the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) in the UK.


Dark dense black inky color, full bodied, concentrated, complex, vibrant full black and blue fruits with accents of dark mocha, spice and hints of expresso, smoke and pepper with a long lingering tangy acidic and smooth moderate tannin finish.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/editnote.asp?iWine=1652109

https://kilikanoon.com.au/

 @kilikanoonwines

L'Artusi NYC Wine Dinner

L'Artusi NYC Wine Dinner features three diverse expressive bold wine selections

Meeting for a gala wine dinner during our weekend in NYC visiting Alec and Viv, we dined at L'Artusi in West Greenwich Village. For the occasion we pulled from our cellar a special bottle of our 'V' series of labels, signature wines for special occasions when we're together with Viviana.

The diversity of the small plate dinner menu selections provided a tasting pairing experience for three wines with different styles and profiles - roasted beets, three pastas including the special highlight Torteloni with guinea hen and mushrooms, charred Octopus and sweetbreads.

We took BYOB this winemaker signed bottle that we tasted and acquired at a winemaker dinner with owner/producer Delia Viader in Chicago back in 2004.

Our visit to the winery on the lower reaches of Howell Mountain overlooking Napa Valley (shown right) was a highlight of our Napa Valley Wine Experience back in 2008.

Viader Estate Proprietary Red 2002

Appellation: Nape Valley Howell Mountain

Winemaker Notes: Scents and flavors of that classic Howell Mountain terrior sweet currant, black cherry, raspberry and hints of plum and  mocha with a long smooth polished finish.

Garnet colored, medium bodied, blackberry and black raspberry fruits accented by spice, hints of black olive, bacon fat and dark mocha chocolate on a pleasant acidic moderate tannin lingering finish.

Varieties:  Cabernet Sauvignon 51%, Cabernet Franc 49%

RM Rating 92

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave this 91-93 points
 
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar gave it 90 points
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=40755

Website: www.viader.com

Bodegas El Nido 2015

Frank and Marylisa brought one of their favorite selections, this big bold El Nido.

From Jumilla, Spain, this is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Monastrell. This is the premium flagship El Nido label that consistently gets extraordinary ratings (96-100 points) from The Wine Advocate. This is a big bold concentrated fruit forward style that we love - much like a big Shiraz/Syrah; no wonder as this is a project of the Gil family of Jumilla and Australian Chris Ringland (R Wines) as chief winemaker who also makes big bold Aussie Shiraz's.

Jumilla El Nido - from the 2014 vintage

The second El Nido 'Clio' label offers a similar 'big wine' profile at a fraction of the price offering great QPR. This is a must buy each vintage as it too consistently gets highest marks.

This El Nido wine is not for the feint of heart with its 16%+ alcohol and bold forward profile and style. We love this style with bold hearty cheeses or spicy pasta dishes such as some of our selections this evening.

Bright ruby colored, full bodied, powerful, ripe and concentrated yet nicely balanced, forward bright black berry and currant fruits accented by expresso, black pepper, dark mocha, hints of cinnamon clove spices, cigar box and mineral with smooth approachable lingering tannins.

RM 94 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2845293

This received 95 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 

Wine Spectator gave it 93 points.

Argiolas Turriga Isola dei Nuraghi IGT 2013

Interesting red blend from Sardinia. I had selected no less than three wines from the wine list shown on the website earlier, but couldn't find them on the actual wine list. I described my preference to the Sommelier and she presented this bottle. Ironically, we tasted this exact label at Italian Village in Chicago last year. 

 

Turriga is a blend of Sardinian grape varietals Cannonau, Malvasia Nera, Carignano, and Bovale Sardo. It is a powerful fruit forward red wine that requires time in bottle to show its full complexity. Upon release, Turriga is densely packed with powerful tannins and tightly wound fruit, thus decanting is recommended. With time in bottle, Turriga reveals multiple layers of Mediterranean herbs, roasted coffee, spices, and licorice with a generous core of black and red fruit.

Bright ruby colored, medium full bodied with bright, vibrant, bold and expressive forward sweet cherry and black currant fruits, integrated with notes of earthy spice, herbs and leather, bright acidity but moderately smooth tannins.

RM 89 2013 points.

 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2661079

http://www.argiolas.it/it/index.html

 

Bogle Vineyards Phantom Zinfandel Blend 2013

Bogle Vineyards Phantom Zinfandel Blend 2013

Following the fantastic tasting / showing of this wine last weekend, I picked up the latest release to try as a comparison to the 2009. As good as the 2009 was, I think the 2013 is even better! This is as good as the El Nido Clio 2011 we had a short while ago at less than half the price resulting in a tremendous QPR - Quality Price Ratio.

Dark inky garnet colored, full bodied, complex and concentrated forward brambly blue and black raspberry fruits with tones of vanilla, and hints of mocha, spicy cinnamon and pepper on a rich full flavorful finish.

This is one of those wines that come along every so often that I say, 'run, don't walk out to buy some', perhaps a half case, and depending on how it ages, you might wish you'd bought more.

Interesting blend of Zinfandel 39%, Petite Sirah 38%, and Cabernet Sauvignon 23% from vineyards in Lodi, Clarksburg, and Amador, California.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=2385626

http://www.boglewinery.com/our-wines/wine-profiles/phantom/

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/

After Dinner Trio - El Nido Jumilla Clio 2010 Warres Filhot

Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio 2010 stands up to after dinner wine flight medley that includes a Warre's Vintage Port and a Chateau Filhot Vintage Sauterne Dessert Wine  

Following our Chicago Restaurant Week dinner at Vie Restaurant in Western Springs we came home and had some chocolates, fruits and cheeses with a trio of after dinner wines - a Warre's vintage port, a Chateau Filhot Sauterne dessert wine and Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio 2010.  

As shown, the two dessert wines were from 375 ml half bottles. 

Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio 2010 

After tasting the Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio 2014 at the Corkscrew wine shop in Springfield last week, I was inquisitive to try another vintage so I pulled the oldest one from our cellar, the 2010. 

Amazingly this big bold red blend stood up to the trio of wines that included the Warres single vineyard vintage port and the Sauterne.

I thought the older Clio was even better and liked it even more than the '14, perhaps since it was four years older and more settled, but also, because I thought the 2010 was more complex with notes of ripe sweet blue fruit to complement the layer of concentrated full bodied black raspberry, and with a bit more sweetness which I also like. Still, like the 2014, it also had that dark chocolate, hint of vanilla, almost caramel like, finishing with smooth polished sweet tannins on the long smooth finish. A powerful, decadent but smooth approachable wine.

Like the '14, the 2010 Clio is also a blend of 70% old-vine Monastrell with 30% Cabernet Sauvignon.

RM 94 points. 

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar gave this 92 point, Wine Spectator 91 points, and Robert Parker Wine Advocate 90 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1467288

Next to the Clio we also had these two big forward dessert wines, both from half bottles.


Warres Porto Vintage Quinta da Cavadinha 1995


Consistent with earlier tasting notes. Dark coffee color - full bodied, a bit of an edge of sweet black fruits, layer of smokey creosote with hint of expresso, cedar and cassis and dark black cherry on the finish.

From a half bottle.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3721

Château Filhot Sauternes - 2ème Grand Cru Classé 1988

Trolling the cellar with Dr Dan looking for some after dinner wines, I found this perfectly suited vintage Sauterne that I must admit was not registered in my Cellartracker wine database inventory. I don't remember purchasing this wine or having had it previously. This should not be surprising with more than a thousand bottles in the cellar. Perhaps what is more surprising is how seldom this happens.

Château Filhot is a classic Sauterne Bordeaux, having been classified a 'second growth', a Grand Cru Classe', back in the original 1855 Bordeaux producer classification. The vineyards date back to the 1630's and the château was founded by Romain de Filhot in 1709. According to Wikipedia, after the French revolution, the estate was taken over by Romain-Bertrand de Lur-Saluces who added the estate of Pinaud du Rey and had the château redesigned to its English appearance in 1840.

Legend has it that Thomas Jefferson drank this wine and ranked it directly behind the legendary Chateau d'Yquem. During that time, Filhot enjoyed a greater reputation than today, and the two wines were comparably priced. This was during the time that Jefferson was American ambassador to France. He spent much time there and traveled the wine regions. He became a great admirer and oenphile of French wines. He actually brought back grape vines and labored unsuccessfully to grow them in Virginia at his Monticello estate.


In 1935, Comtesse Durieu de Lacarelle (the sister of the Marquis de Lur-Saluces, proprietor of Château d'Yquem) bought the estate, which was subsequently modernised by her son, Louis Durieu de Lacarelle, during the 1970s. The estate is currently run by the Vaucelles family.

Today Filhot vineyards cover 150 acres on the 700 acre estate with the grape varieties of 60% Sémillon, 36% Sauvignon blanc and 4% Muscadelle. Their annual production is an average of 6500 cases. They also produce a second label wine called Chateau Pineau du Rey.

For an almost thirty year old wine, the 1988 was still light golden honey colored. These wines start out straw colored and darken with age. I would have expected it to be weak tea colored at least, or even darker. It was medium-full bodied, crisp and clear with complex notes of honey and pineapple aromas with what Robert Parker called a "fine underlying acidity, an earthiness that added to the wine's complexity, and a clean, rich, crisp finish". This was more subdued and not as sweet or unctuous as a d'Yquem or other popular premium Sauterne. It was very pleasant and enjoyable none-the-less. It would be nice with soft moderate cheeses or even a salad course.

RM 88 points. Robert Parker also gave this 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=97425

Jellyfish Sushi - Folklore Argentine Grill Chicago BYOB

Jellyfish Sushi - Folklore Argentine Steakhouse Chicago BYOB

Saturday Night in the City (Chicago) with dear friends Bob and Gloria, we started at trendy Jellyfish on Rush Street for pre-dinner sushi and drinks, to visit and support son Jason, on duty there, then went to Folklore Argentine Grill steakhouse in Wicker Park.

Jason, with Gloria and Bob

Located at ground zero of the trendy hip Rush Street restaurant scene in Chicago, perched on the second floor above upscale boutiques, SCOOP NYC and Ted Baker London, overlooking Hugo’s Frog Bar and Gibsons Steakhouse, Jellyfish, is an intimate pan-Asian restaurant and lounge. Jellyfish was voted one of the Top 17 hottest sushi restaurants in the US, and nominated for Chicago Magazine to the Top 10 Hot List in Chicago.

Readers of this blog will know I am not a sushi guy but our experience at Jellyfish was fabulous - the atmosphere, the food, drinks and service were all spectacular. We're already planning a return there for a special dinner.

Our food selections - 

• Tuna Tartare - avocado, cilantro, jalapeno, orange ponzu, wonton chips
• Summer Rush - great name for this selection of tuna, white tuna, salmon, crab, shrimp, avocado , wrapped in cucumber, wasabi, ponzu sauce (pictured below)
• Torched Salmon - smoked salmon, crispy shrimp, sweet potato, avocado, spicy mayo (below)

Jellyfish Summer Rush

Jellyfish Torched Salmon

Bob & Gloria at Jellyfish

I enjoyed these with Piper-Heidsiecke NV Champagne while Linda sampled Jellyfish's unique exclusive Thaijito, an amazing concoction of light Rum, Ginger syrup, Orange Bitters, Thai chili's and mint.

http://www.jellyfishchicago.com/


Folklore Argentine Grill - Wicker Park, Chicago

We then moved on to Wicker Park where we dined at Folklore Argentine Grill steakhouse where we took advantage of BYOB. The landmark mural on the side of Folklore is shown left.

We have dined there several times and were eager to share it with our friends Bob and Gloria who is Latin and could authenticate the cuisine experience.

Tonight was the best dinner we've had there and my El Filet, filet mignon, grilled, topped with red onion wine sauce with spinach mashed potatos (fittingly green for St Patrick's Day) was spectacular, as good as any steak entree I have ever had, anywhere!

Folklore El Filet

Folklore Churrasco Sirloin Steak

Folklore Lemon Sole

Bob had the Churrasco grilled Sirloin steak (shown above), and Gloria had the Mar Y Tierra - their surf and turf combo of grilled filet mignon with two jumbo fresh water shrimp, sautéed with capers in a tomato-basil sauce with mashed potatoes (shown left).

Linda had the Chef's Special seafood entree - Lemon Sole with orange sauce, shown above.


Our BYOB wines ... 

To complement dinner, Bob and I brought BYOB selections - Bob, Chateau La Croix Pomerol, and I brought from our cellar Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio.

Château La Croix St. Georges Pomerol Bordeaux 2012

Garnet colored, medium bodied, moderate blackberry and plum with tones of slightly earthy tobacco and hints of anise and mocha turning to soft smooth subdued tannins on the smooth finish.

RM 89 points.

Blend of 94.5% Merlot and 5.5% Cabernet Franc

A nice accompaniment to the grilled steaks. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1605197

 

 

 

Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio 2009

Readers of this blog know we're fans of big fruit filled Syrahs and this stood with the best of them, with none of that metallic, mineral or creosote that I expected of a Spanish Red. This is a blend of  70% Monastrell (and 30% cabernet sauvignon) which I now know is aka Mouvedre which is the M in GSM - Genache, Mouvedre and Syrah, a popular blend in the Rhone River Valley as well as South Central Australia. I have learned that the chief winemaker for this wine is Chris Ringland of R Wines, as in big fruity Aussie Shiraz. - is there a pattern emerging here? 

The 2009 Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio, much like the 2004, is another in a series of show stoppers, consistently over-achieving, full-bodied reds. Look at this track record (all scores from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate): 2003 - 96 points; 2004 - 97 points; 2005 - 95 points; 2006 - 95 points; 2007 - 94 points, 2008 -94 points. 

While I found this to be not as fruit filled and opulant as the earlier tasting of the 2004 (see my earlier blog of the 2004 Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio), the 2009 gets high marks and glowing reviews indeed. One Cellartracker reviewer compared this to an Amarone.

Glass-coating opaque blackish purple color, full bodied with a full bouquet of black fruits - black berry, black currant and black cherry, a layer of smoke, anise and expresso with a long lingering subtle oak moderate tannin finish. Give it time to open. It was more approachable ninety minutes later... but we were finished by then. 

While not inexpensive at $40, it does pack a lot for that pricepoint and delivers a reasonable QPR (quality price ratio) even at that level. and it lists for more in a lot of places.  

This was almost overpowering to my steak with its red wine sauce, and certainly overpowered the more delicate and sophisticated Bordeaux, but it was great in the flight progression and turned to be a great compliment to my chocolate cherry cake dessert (shown below).

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1248745

http://www.orowines.com/ 

Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio 2011

Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio 2011

Readers of this blog know we're big fans of 'big' full throttle forward fruit filled wines such as Australia Shiraz and California Cabernet Sauvignons. Next to Bordeaux, these are the next two largest regions in our cellar that together comprise sixty percent of our collection. The only Spanish wine out of the thousand plus selections is this one, which we collect annually. Ironically it's thirty percent Cabernet Sauvignon and is the result of collaboration between the Spanish Gil family and Australian Chris Ringland, producer of big Aussie Syrahs (Shiraz). Clio is 70% old vine Monastrell and 30% Cabernet grown in the Valle de la Aragona in the Jumilla appellation of eastern Spain. It is barrel-aged for 22-26 months in French and American oak. So it's not surprising perhaps that we love this wine. We're drinking this 2011 current vintage release rather than our earlier or earliest vintages as we normally would to see how we like it to judge whether we should buy more. It good and enjoyable but not as delectable as some of its higher rated vintages. We'll gather a few more to maintain our 'vertical' collection to taste and compare over the decade or so. 

Looking back over the last half decade, Clio has consistently received 90+ ratings from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: 2003 - 96 points; 2004 - 97 points; 2005 - 95 points; 2006 - 95 points; 2007 - 94 points, 2008 - 94 points, 2009 - 90 points. Our rating for the 2009 was 91 points. 


This 2011 Clio once again is big, full bodied, concentrated forward fruit flavored wine. Dark garnet colored, 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://www.orowines.com/

Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio 2009

I came home from a long day of windshield time and L was preparing beef skewers on the grill. I asked what kind of wine she wanted and she said, "Something Big!!". So, I served up a surprise. What? A tasty, full bodied, serious drinking wine from where? Jumilla, Spain? Just because my expectations were so low doesnt diminish the results of this blockbuster tasting. As noted in an earlier blog, we're huge fans of big fruit filled Syrahs and this stood with the best of them, with none of that metallic, mineral or creosote that I expected of a Spanish Red. A blend of  70% Monastrell (and 30% cabernet sauvignon) which I now know is aka Mouvedre which is the M in GSM - Genache, Mouvedre and Syrah, a popular blend in the Rhone River Valley as well as South Central Australia. Now I learn that the chief winemaker for this wine is Chris Ringland of R Wines as in big fruity Aussie Shiraz. - is there a pattern emerging here? 

The 2009 Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio, much like the 2004, is another in a series of show stoppers, consistently over-achieving, full-bodied reds. Look at this track record (all scores from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate): 2003 - 96 points; 2004 - 97 points; 2005 - 95 points; 2006 - 95 points; 2007 - 94 points, 2008 -94 points. 

While I found this to be not as fruit filled and oppulant as the earlier tasting of the 2004 (see my earlier blog of the 2004 Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio), the 2009 gets high marks and glowing reviews indeed. Glass-coating opaque purple color, full bodied with a full bouquet of black fruits - black berry, black currant and black cherry, a layer of smoke, anise and expresso with a long lingering subtle oak moderate tannin finish. Give it time to open. It was more approachable ninety minutes later... but we were finished by then. While not inexpensive at $40, it does pack a lot for that pricepoint and delivers a reasonable QPR (quality price ratio) even at that level. and it lists for more in a lot of places. 

RM 91 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1248745

http://www.orowines.com/ 

See the Rhone Report who gives it a 95+:
"Possibly my favorite vintage of this to date, the brilliant 2009 Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio, mostly old vine Monastrell that?s aged in new French oak, boasts awesome aromatics of smoky blackberry and creme de cassis that?s intermixed with notions of roasted coffee, chocolate, mineral, and sweet spice on the nose. Full-bodied, impeccably balanced, and awesomely fresh and focused, this blockbuster has layers of sweet fruit and texture, ripe tannin, and a detailed, clean finish. While no doubt a seriously fruited wine that carries a shine of classy oak, it has real depth, character, and structure. It's beautiful now with a decant, but should be even better with 2-3 years of bottle age, and drink well for a decade or longer. I'm a huge fan and this is all around impressive!"

International Wine Report 92+
"The 2009 Clio is made in a very modern style. The color on this is deep purple almost black, it is packed tightly with blackberry jam, blueberry, sweet currant, spice, citrus peel, toasty oak, espresso and crushed floral. This is deeply layered, dense and racy with polished tannins that explode on your palate. This finish doses out more black fruit and chocolaty espresso notes that linger. This is delicious and hard to resist, so give this a few hours of air-time if drinking now."

Monastrell Red Blend Leads Red Wine Flight at Grand Celebration Dinner

Sensational Monastrell Red Blend Leads Red Wine Flight at Grand Celebration Dinner

Gala family birthday celebration dinner - our son Ryan and daughter-in-law Michelle prepared a super make your own sandwich featuring grilled beef tenderloin, roast pork loin and roasted chicken with all the accoutrements featuring carmelized onions, pickled onions, avocado, tomato, fresh celantro selection of cheeses, herb balsamic vinagrette dressing and selection of fresh breads, twice baked potatoes and salad.

I brought a vintage 1983 Cabernet Sauvignon from Michelle's birthyear to celebrate the occasion along with a a slightly eclectic pair of outliers which I thought would highlight lamb which ended up not being served. What a pleasant surprise when they turned out to be a sensational eye-popping wines fit for the occasion and spectacular complements to the great food!

Dessert featured chocolate cake and fresh berries and key lime cupcakes.

The wines:

Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio 2004 

Dark inky color, full bodied, huge forward black and blue berry fruit flavors with layers of caramel, vanilla, anise, vanilla and sweet oak that go on and on. Nice structure and complexity but not firm, tight or tannic resulting in a tasty, pleasant easy drinking wine yet sophisticated and polished. Wow, this was an eye-opener and changed my perspective on Spanish wines - by far the most expressive and tasteful I have ever experienced. This wine vastly exceeded my expectations. We're huge fans of big fruit filled Syrahs and this stood with the best of them, with none of that metallic, mineral or creosote that I expected. 70% Monastrell (and 30% cabernet sauvignon) which I now know is aka Mouvedre which is the M in GSM - Genache, Mouvedre and Syrah, a popular blend in the Rhone River Valley as well as South Central Australia. This wine was sensational - bursting with flavor in the glass - immediately apparent to everyone.


RM 93 points.


https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=288642

Liparita Napa Valley Cabernet Franc 2002

Like a left bank Bordeaux that features Cabernet Franc to add flavor and structure, this full bodied Cab Franc was all-in with huge floral bouquet and full forward flavors of black berry and black raspberry fruits, a layer of clove spice, leather and a hint of cedar on a long lingering finish. Its slightly flabby awkwardness can be forgiven for its big forward tasty floral and fruit. We've been long time fans of Liparita Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlots - this is our first Cabernet Franc and what a hit - a nice achievement exceeding expectations indeed - better than their other endeavors from this era. 


RM 91 points.


https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=158451

Conn Creek Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1983

Vintage selection of the evening commemorating daughter-in-law Michelle's birth-year and birthday celebration - one of such selections in our cellar for each of our kids' years. This one was of a lesser producer and as such hadn't held up as well as some of the others - clearly beyond its prime and certainly reaching its end of life. The black cherry and black berry fruits were diminished, giving way to more leather and an earthy mustiness with hint of smoke and anise on a moderate finish. The color was tinged with a rim of rust color on the edges. It was still drinkable and a notable and worthy selection for the occasion but am glad I didn't hold it any longer.  

RM 85 points.


https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=272467

Eagle Eye Rutherford Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Medium to full bodied - well balanced nose of black berry, black currants, dark cherries with a layer of vanilla, hint of spice, smoke, anise and oak on a moderate tannin finish.

RM 88 points. 


https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=359815


More to follow.