Long Shadows Pirouette and Lewis Chardonnay

Long Shadows Pirouette and Lewis Chardonnay BYOB at Carnivore & The Queen Supper Club

For a Saturday night outing we dined with neighbors/friends Mark and Shirley at a new local eatery that bills itself as a Supper Club.

Whimsically named, Carnivore & The Queen Supper Club is designed after a bygone area of nostalgic dining, a contemporary revival of a classic prohibition-era supper club with a 'casual vibe & approachable classic food'.

Carnivore & The Queen is the work of husband-and-wife team Chris Matus and Kelli Lodico-Matus. It is located down the street from Lisle (Illinois) in adjacent Downers Grove at the intersection of Maple and Belmont Avenues.

It actually opened a year ago February in a strip mall that I drive past several times a week to/from the nearby train station from where I commute into the City, but only noticed it recently, and immediately earmarked it for a visit.

Their concept is a Supper Club, an independently owned fine and fun dining destination with ambiance and decor reflecting that of the owners style and offerings, thoughtful dishes intended for sharing, a showcase for the owners’ family recipes, treating diners to an evening-long experience.

Lodico-Matus came up with the name while on a walk one day. “The name Carnivore & the Queen to me sounded indulgent, grandiose, and a bit … theatrical?” she says. “I thought it described our personalities … and it stuck! Everything on the menu is foods we like to eat and indulge in, with no guilt."

They offer daily menus featuring their recipes and the seasons' local ingredients from localvor  farmers, fishmongers & ranchers. They strive to deliver an experience that both their mothers provided, like gathering the family around the dinner table every night. There is a price-fix three course and a five course offering. There is also a menu offering with wine pairings accompaniment.

By 630 pm the restaurant was full and by 700 there was a crowd at the bar waiting for tables. It was lively and vibrant and very socialable and comfortable, like a neighborhood favorite eatery should be! We were very comfortable at the tall tabletop adjacent the bar despite the crowd. We look forward to returning again.

We've already noted their Friday Beer Battered Walleye Special, and their Sundays Only Queen's Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken Dinner. The optional up-charge to the five course supper is the hot ticket and reasonable value.  

Prior to dinner we had the special plate of olives, beets, veggies and relishes with salads. The wedge salad was delightful.

With the salad and anti-pasta courses we ordered from the winelist Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve Champagne.

For our dinner entrees Mark ordered the sea scallops, Linda the chicken breast, and Shirley and I both had the NY Strip. Linda never orders chicken but was compelled to do so tonight and she liked it. I ordered my regular favorite, 'Pittsburgh' style preparation - charred with hot pink center, and it was done perfectly!

'Pittsburgh' style New York Strip with wedge potatos.

We took BYOB two special bottles from our cellar to celebrate Linda's recent birthday and the festive gathering occasion, Lewis Cellars Chardonnay and Long Shadows Pirouette.

 Lewis Cellars Sonoma County Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2004

My recent tasting notes just last month for this label: Perfect complement to lobster tails. Ideal drinking window for this is five to ten years. At sixteen, this is past its apex and showing its age turning from golden straw colored to honey brown, and the fruits are starting to take on notes of smoke. This was delicious none-the-less, but time to drink.

RM 88 points.

My earlier tasting notes from 2018 for this label: This is clearly crafted in the California versus the classic Burgundian style with layers of big rich oak, straw colored, medium bodied, note of of creamy vanilla, green apple, hints of nut and stone, nice acidic balance for crisp pleasurable drinking. Its density calls for drinking with food and was perfect with our buttery lobster.

RM 90 points

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1072448

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/06/lewis-sonoma-rrv-chardonnay-2004.html

Long Shadows "Pirouette" Columbia Valley Red 2011

Another label from the Long Shadows Collection, this is crafted by legendary world renouned winemakers Augustin Huneeus Sr. and Philippe Melka. I recently had the 2016 release of this label at a business dinner and it was outstanding. Hence I was eager to try to an aged vintage release of this label from my cellar.

This is a classic Bordeaux Blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 15% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 4% Malbec; aged for 22 months in 75% new French oak;

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave this 93 points,  Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar gave it 92 points.

Dark garnet colored, medium-full-bodied, deep, rich, complex, nicely balanced, well integrated flavors of black berry and black currant with notes of cassis, licorice, coffee, dark bitter chocolate and hints of floral violets, with ample, finely polished tannin on the lengthy finish.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1735080

https://carnivoreandthequeen.com/

Family Celebration Dinner Features Birthyear Vintage Wine

Family Celebration Dinner Features Birthyear Vintage Wine

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RM 90 points

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

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

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

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

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

RM 88 points.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Château Cos d'Estournel St-Estèphe Bordeaux 1985

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

https://www.estournel.com/en/ 
 

Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Brut Limited Edition Red Magnums

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

For our gala family Christmas dinner, and to have on hand for upcoming special occasions, I picked up these Limited Edition Red Magnum bottles of  Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Brut Champagne.

We served the Champagne with the starter courses of artisan cheeses, fresh shrimp cocktail and the salad course. Linda served baked ham, scalloped potatoes, brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, fresh rolls and a medley of desserts.

The wine was a concensus highly rated selection being among the Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2019 at #95.

There is always opportunity to enjoy Champagne so I always keep a collection on hand for any occasion. Knowing we have two family weddings on the horizon, I went out on a limb and picked up several cases of these festive elegant limited edition bottles (shown below).

For the main courses, Ryan brought a special Mollydooker Velvet Glove Shiraz and I also served from our cellar, a vintage Calera, Mt Harlan, Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir.

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

Thanksgiving feast and wine flight

Thanksgiving feast and wine flight

We gathered for customary Thanksgiving dinner feast with turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, yams, green bean casserole, brussel sprouts, cranberry salad and fresh baked crescent dinner roles. We served an accompanying wine flight.

From the cellar I pulled a classic Champagne, then a white Bordeaux blend, a California Zinfandel, then friend Jared stopped by and opened a Barbaresco Nebbiolo. Jared Gelband is wine director at the legendary Italian Village restaurant. When he stops by, we can often count on him to bring an interesting label to share and compare.

Bertrand Senecourt Beau Joie Special Cuvee 'Sugar King' Demi-Sec NV Champagne

A blend of 50% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, & 20% Pinot Meunier for the sweetest of champagnes.

This Beau Joie Champagne is distinctive in it's packaging with the bottle 'wrapped' in a basket-like shroud of 100% copper — Triple Black Limited-Edition Bottle. The 'Suit of Armor' is inspired by the Armor worn by the knights that protected the Kingdom.

From their website:

The copper scrap in transformed into artwork – In order to avoid the unnecessary waste of valuable copper, Beau's encasing is uniquely created from 100% second-generation copper scrap and turned into a functional piece of artwork.

Functionality – Beau's innovation-driven, functional design was specifically designed for the hospitality industry. No one knows more about serving the finest products and creating an experience than the industry itself.

Beau’s suit of armor keeps the champagne colder longer, reducing the amount of energy required to bring the bottle to serving temperature and eliminating the need for ice bucket storage during consumption. It also provides improved grip when opening and serving, while the bottle’s rubber punt ensures enhanced stability when pouring.

The bottle’s patented design also allows for decorative enhancements such as flowers or plumes to complement the distinct design aesthetic of individual venues.

Light golden straw colored, light, refreshing, clean, crisp, flavorful, nicely integrated and balanced fruits. Delicious.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/barcode.asp?iWine=1762719

http://www.beaujoiechampagne.com/

Château Picque Caillou Blanc, Pessac Leognan, Graves, Bordeaux 2011

We recently pulled from the cellar this white Bordeaux and took it BYOB to local seafood eatery Chinn's 34th Street Fishery in Lisle (IL). As I wrote that night, we hold a half dozen bottles of this White Bordeaux Blanc, too oft overlooked in the cellar, passed over for something more exiting as we're Red Bordeaux drinkers. That night, we pulled this to try and actually brought a back-up wine in case it wasn't up to the call. The gals liked it a lot.

This was a nice accompaniment to turkey, dressing and the potatoes and veggies.

Golden colored with slight brownish hues, nose of citrus and stone, notes of mineral melon with a layer of slightly grassy undertones, yet pleasant with nice balance and acidity. A nice match for the seafood entrees.
Time to drink.

RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=1372699

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/11/chinns-34th-street-fishery.html

Carlisle Sonoma County Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel 2014

They say Zinfandel is ideal with turkey, the balanced forward full bodied fruit goes well with the dry white meat. It sounds awkward when it is also ideal for BBQ, but it seems to be so. This zinfandel is supplemented with 11% Petite Sirah.

This wine was highly rated getting 92-94 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Vinous, 93 points from Wine Spectator, and 92 points from Wine Enthusiast. I don't necessarily share their enthusiasm although it was tasty, easy drinking and a nice compliment to our holiday dinner. 

Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, bright, expressive forward complex black berry and black raspberry fruits, notes of anise, pepper, hints of vanilla and oak.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2291450


Friend and wine buddy Jared stopped by and brought this Barbaresco Nebbiolo to share. Readers of this blog will know Jared Gelband as the Wine Director at Italian Village, whom we visit often for wine dinners.

Pertinace (Cantina Vignaioli) Barbaresco Vigneto Marcarini Nebbiolo 2013

This producer Cantina Pertinace is a winegrowers' cooperative which identifies with its territory, the region and DOCG appellation of Barbaresco. The label is named after a great historic local personality, Elvio Pertinace, who was born in Alba, in the hamlet in which the winery is located.

 The winery is located in Pertinace in Treiso, Piedmont, one of the four villages in the Langhe famous for the production of Barbaresco DOCG. The coop and Vignaioli winery was founded in 1973 and is comprised of thirteen members. They all shared a tie with the Langhe hills and the same objective, to build a business and brand based on the best wines possible, produced from the Nebbiolo grape from Barbaresco.

The started to bottle their wine the late 70's, expanded their facilities in the 80's, upgrading to the latest state-of-the-art technologies, and added their own bottling in 1990.

Today, the coop consists of fifteen members including the original historic founders, the winery producing 700.000 kg of grapes, totaling around 450 thousand bottles in the name of Barbaresco. Their distribution now reaches globally with presence in the United States, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Poland, South Korea and Hong Kong.

The wine, 100% Nebbiolo spends 18 months in Slavonian oak casks.

Bright Ruby red color, medium-full bodied, bright black cherry and red berry fruits with notes of plum, prune and black tea with hints of nutmeg, clove and cinnamon with round velvety tannins on a fruit filled finish.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2456929

https://www.pertinace.com/en/

Ducru Beaucaillou Vertical Showcases Pour Boys Wine Dinner

Ducru Beaucaillou Vertical Showcases Pour Boys Wine Dinner

Following our trip to St Julien - Bordeaux recently where one of the highlights of our trip was a visit and tour of Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, and another, our visit to Château Branaire Ducru, we were eager to explore a vertical tasting of the Second Growth grand vin.

During our recent Pour Boys Sassicaia owner dinner, I suggested we focus our upcoming dinner on Bordeaux - St Julien and offered a range of producers I could support. Over the ensuing weeks we selected Ducru-Beaucaillou as our featured producer for this evening's dinner. As noted by the boys at dinner, not many small groups could muster a vertical tasting of such a great wine spanning three decades.

Our dinner was hosted by Lyle and Terry and it was our first time there to see their new wine cellar. Lyle and Terry's pied-a-terre is in the city in Chicago's trendy West Loop neighborhood. The area has exploded in recent years with the new McDonald's world headquarters and the nearby Fulton Market district and its emergence as a high tech mecca anchored by Google and many others. The meteoric rise in popularity and property values in the area not only justifies Lyle's investment in his custom designed and built cellar, but suits the upscale feature requirements of upscale neighborhood residences.

Lyle and Terry prepared a spectacular dinner of beef tenderloin with roasted potatoes, asparagus, butternut squash, all capped off by Terry's decadent orange cake and cheese cake desserts with chocolate ganache, fresh berries and cherry jubilee.

 

Before dinner, they served grilled breaded scallops, salmon and an assortment of artisan cheeses, cheese dips and olives. The opening dinner course included a dinner salad and cream of mushroom soup.

John kicked off the appetizers and early courses with a garagiste Champagne.

Tarlant NV Champagne

The white wine flight consisted of a selection of premium and ultra-premium chardonnays from Burgundy, south central California Santa Rita Hills, and north California Sonoma County, and a Riesling.

The white flight:

Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Ruchottes 2012
Sea Smoke Streamside Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay 2012

Peter Michael Ma Belle-Fille Sonoma County Chardonnay 2006

Dönnhoff Tonschiefer Riesling Dry Slate 2018 

To pivot or transition from the whites to the Bordeaux red flight Steve brought this Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Burgundy.

Domaine François Gerbet Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots 2010

The red Bordeaux flight:

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 1989

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 1998

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 2000

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 2009

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 2014

Le Croix de Beaucaillou 2008 

Château Branaire-Ducru 2016

and 

Cos d'Estournel St Estephe 1996

After dinner, the dessert was accompanied by two dessert wines:

Chateau Coutet Premier Cru Classe Barsac 2013

Niepoort Vintage Port 1977

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1879011

http://chateau-ducru-beaucaillou.com/ 

https://twitter.com/DucruB
@DucruB

Four days in Provence - Aix - Meyrargues

Four days in Provence - Aix-en-Provence - Meyrargues

We traveled to the South of France and stayed in the city of Aix-en-Provence in the Centre Ville as our base of operations. Aix-en-Prce' as it appears abbreviated on roadsigns is thirty miles north of the coastal port city of Marseille, the largest city in the region of Provence, which is the state in the southeastern corner of France from the Rhone River east to Italy along the Mediterranean coast. 

We stayed in an Air-BNB apartment with three bedrooms and three baths, living room and kitchen with a wonderful patio overlooking the rooftops with the hills in the background. 

Our apartment was a block walk to the main expansive plaza street Cours Mirabeau that extends from the Fontaine de la Rotonde circular at the bottom to the anciant historic Fontaine Moussue midway, up to Fontaine Du Roi René in the square at the top. The street is filled with shops, merchants, banks, cafes, restaurants and the marketplace of merchants that set up daily until evening along both sides of the expansive street. 

There is much to explore in the city centre, within a short walking distance of our apartment, scores of restaurants bars, bistro’s, pizza parlours, and dozens of sidewalk cafes. 

Most of the eateries are authentic French but there are restaurants serving and catering to wide range of international and ethnic cuisines – Thai, Japanese, Lebanese, Korean, English pubs, Indian, Italian, Mexican and American. There are several ‘specialty’ restaurants with their own focus menu such as ‘Croique Jacque’ that specializes in duck, duck and duck in several variations. 

For Dejeuner (breakfast) there are dozens of Patisserie Boulangerie and cafes that serve the traditional Petit Dejeuner (little breakfast of croissant and coffee). 

 

Many restaurants open only for dinner, many open for lunch, close up for the afternoon and reopen for dinner. 

There are but a few ‘fine dining’ establishments one finds or expects in the big cities of Paris, London, New York or Chicago which avoids the car payment costly meals with expensive wine lists. 

Wine selections are moderate and modest with focus on Southern French regional wines from Cotes de Provence, Luburon, Languedoc, the Rhone River valley regions, and a handful of offerings from Bordeaux and the Borgogne. 

During the day, the main Cours Mirabeau street is filled with a festive market with scores of merchants setting up pop-up stands selling sportwear, jewelry, art, leather goods, nougats, cheeses and regional fashions. 

Street musicians play to the crowd at all hours and at prime time a small band played to the crowd as couples danced nearby.

A highlight of our visit was an evening with our ‘host’ family, Jean Claude and Mireille, parents of Phillip who was an exchange student that lived with us on two different tours. His residency and friendship with our son Alec contributed to Alec’s fluency in French. Visiting the region to see Phillip and meet his family was one of the reasons for our trip, together with our son and Viv, his fiancée, to the south of France. 

On Saturday evening we journeyed northeast of town to the Village of Meyrargues where we were treated to a traditional Provencal dinner – beef in mushrooms, garlic and a red wine reduction, simmered for two days resulting in a rich thick stew. This was served over polenta.

We dined in the garden in a delightful setting in the back yard below the picturesque Meyrargues Chateau castle up on the hill above the house.  

Before dinner we enjoyed a couple of preparations of tapenade, made from olives and olive oil pressed from the trees on the property. We then enjoyed pate' foie gras, both served with baguettes and an assortment of breads. These were served with a wide assortment of juices, waters and wines starting with Veuve Virey Champagne Brut Rose, then Veuve Virey Champagne Brut.

Our dinner course was accompanied by a selection of wines from Jean Claude's personal wine cellar - Gevry-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes Bourgogne (Red Burgundy) followed by a 2007 Domaine de la Maurelle Gigondas Southern Rhone, leading to a Bordeaux, Bernard Magrez, Chateau Perenne Cote de Blaye Cru Borgeois 2004. 

Bernard Coillot Gevry-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes Bourgogne

Following the main course was the salad course – the freshest greens imaginable served in simple olive oil, with or without garlic.  This was accompanied by a Provencal Coteaux du Provence Rose, the traditional and signature wine of the Luberon. 

Bernard Magrez Chateau Perenne Cote de Blaye Cru Borgeois 2006

Domaine de la Maurelle Gigondas 2007 

Turning to the cheese course, we were served a selection of six French cheeses – Roquefort, a creamy Camembert, Goat Cheese, a cow’s milk cheese, an Ementhaler and a Brie. All were delicious and each was presented with a tutorial on its history, geography and preparation. 

The cheese course was accompanied by one’s choice of the selection of wines and of course champagnes. 

The final course included a selection of no less than six flavors of Artisan Glacier en Provence - ice cream – Sorbet Citron with Basil, Coconut with Chocolate, Melon, Lavender with Honey, Peach sorbet, one with a touch of chocolate, and one with herbs de Provence.

The lavender and honey was an incredibly unique signature offering from the Luberon - a fascinating experience – a cross between a culinary sensual overload 
and perfume! 

Check out unwindwine.blogspot.com for more postings on following days in St Tropez and Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and our follow on trip to Bordeaux.

Easter Family Dinner Features WLW Reserve

Easter Family Dinner Features WLW Reserve

The family gathered for Easter dinner featuring Linda's beef tenderloin, haricot verts, and mashed golden potatoes. Ryan and Michelle brought salad and Erin and Johnny brought chocolate bunny cake. Prior to dinner we had shrimp cocktail, assorted cheeses and vegetables and dip.

For salads and pre-dinner Ryan brought a vintage Pierre Paillard Les Maillerettes Champagne and I opened a Stonestreet Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc.  For dinner I pulled from the cellar a twenty year old Whitehall Lane Winery Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.


Pierre Paillard Les Maillerettes Champagne Blanc de Noir 2010

This is one of Ryan's favorite Champagnes that he brought from his cellar for the holiday dinner. Blanc de Noir means it is Pinot Noir based vs. Chardonnay based which would be called Blanc de Blanc, the result being bigger and more powerful than Champagnes being Chardonnay based or a blend in between.

This release got 92 points from Vinous and 91 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. 

Parker writes "... sweet cherries, great purity and elegant intensity. Full-bodied, round and fruity on the palate, but pure, fresh and precise, this is a superb Pinot with great elegance and length. Lovely salinity."


This powerful Pinot Noir Champagne comes from a less than 1/2 acre parcel in the grand cru of Bouzy planted in 1970 called Les Maillerettes. These old Pinot vines are the source special selections from the Paillard family and provides bottlings, which will cellar for a long time.

RM 89 points.

Stonestreet Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc 2015

I opened this simple, pleasurable light drinking wine for before dinner or  sipping out on the deck over the course of the delightful spring afternoon. Sauvignon Blanc is one of the purest most natural easy sipping wines which we try to keep on hand for such occasions.

The Winemaker writes about this label, "This Estate Sauvignon Blanc is a blend of several blocks planted at 900 ft. elevation. It displays everything one would expect from Sauvignon Blanc grown at altitude in rock-driven soils: exotic fruit character grounded by serious textural and structural components.

Wine Enthusiast wrote, "Stonestreet consistently delivers complex, refreshing renditions of Sauvignon Blanc. Grassy on the nose, with an exotic tease of pea shoot, it seemingly vibrates on the palate with lemon, grapefruit and apricot flavors."

Straw colored, light medium bodied, this was bright notes of grapefruit and green apple with tones of passion fruit and hints of pear and peach on the tangy finish.

RM 88 points.


Whitehall Lane Winery Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1999

We visited Whitehall Lane Winery on just south of St Helena on St Helena Highway during our Napa Valley Wine Experience 2018. We tasted selections from their broad portfolio including their current release premium Cabernet label.

This was a perfect complement paired with the beef tenderloin, and or it would've gone well with hearty cheeses or the darkest chocolate.

This was dark garnet colored, full bodied, complex and tightly structured with black berry and black currant fruits accented by tones of creosote, earth, leather, dusty charcoal, hints of cedar and oak with firm tannins on the long lingering finish.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=5743



Reignac Bordeaux Supérieur 2005

Michelle's mother and sister Agnes toured our wine cellar and were eager to taste a Bordeaux Blend. I pulled this Reignac 2005 as a good representative bottle, at thirteen years of age from a good vintage and well rated.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate liked this release and gave it 93 point. Wine Spectator gave it 90 points.   

This is a blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon. It is from fruit sourced from a large 200-acre vineyard on a high plateau in the Bordeaux Supérieur appellation near the village of Saint-Loubès.

This is dark inky blackish purple, medium full bodied, firm structured black berry and black cherry fruits with notes of tobacco, leather, graphite, spice box, anise, cedar and leather with big, ripe, dusty tannins on a long lingering finish.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=212134

Gala Holiday Dinner features Napa Cab Pairings

Gala Holiday Dinner features Napa Cab Pairings

 We hosted a holiday dinner with 'Pour Boy' wine buddy Dr Dan and Linda, neighbors Mark and Shirley and colleague Rick and wife Debbie. Linda prepared her classic beef tenderloin with scalloped potatoes and haricot verts and a dinner salad and fresh baked bread. We were joined later with Sean and Michelle.

Dan brought this one of a kind Special Barrel Selection 25th Anniversary release Cabernet Sauvignon from Saddleback Cellars aptly named 'Nils' for founder, patriarch and Napa winemaker legend Nils Venge. He also brought a 1996 vintage Brunello Montalcino. Ironically I had just been down in the cellar seaching for tonight's dinner wines and came across and considered a 1996 Saddleback Cellars Oakville Cabernet, essentially the same wine  as the Nils. So, this bottle provided both a vertical (multiple vintages of the same wine) comparison tasting of this label, and a mini-horizontal comparison(multiple wines from the same vintage) tasting of two same aged vintage wines, 1996.

For a further horizontal and near vertical comparison tasting, I also pulled a 1996 release of Paradigm Napa Cabernet, another Oakville appellation wine. Extending the vertical theme / approach, we later also opened a 2004 release of the Paradigm (albeit a 2006 would've completed the symmetrical comparisons).

Rick and Debbie noticed my extensive collection of Del Dotto wines and commented on their memorable visit to the Del Dotto Estate Cellar Tour and Barrel tasting. Hence, we pulled a couple of Del Dotto wines to complete our tasting flight for the evening, a vintage 1997 Cabernet Franc, and a Piazza Del Dotto Petit Verdot. 

For the appetizer course, Mark brought a selection of artisan cheeses and shrimp cocktail hors d'oeuvres, We served a vintage Champagne and pair of Sauvignon Blancs including our favorite, Cliff Lede.

Somewhere during our wine talk over dinner the conversation turned to Negociant wines and private labels. Dan and Linda were just returned from Thanksgiving weekend and wine tasting at the Inn at the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina. They talked of their two million bottle wine sales, the majority sourced from Northern California fruit and juice. I pulled a Ninety+ Cellars Lot 150 Cabernet Sauvignon as a classic fun example of such wines. More below.

Wines w/ shrimp cocktail hors d'oeuvres course -

Michel Gonet Blanc de Blancs Champagne 2009

Wines with artisan cheeses and salad course:

Cliff Lede Sauvignon Blanc 2015

Whitehaven Winemakers Select Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018

Red wines flight:

Saddleback Cellars Napa Valley Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 1996

Saddleback Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Nils Special Barrel Selection 25th Anniversary 2006
Paradigm Napa Valley Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 1996
Paradigm Napa Valley Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2002

Ninety+ Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 150 2013

Del Dotto Napa Valley Rutherford Cabernet Franc 1997 

Del Dotto Piazza Napa Valley Rutherford Petit Verdot 2015

Canalicchio di Sopra Brunello de Montalcino 1996 

Michel Gonet Blanc de Blancs Champagne 2009

This is a vintage Champagne, as opposed to a common NV (non-vintage) blend of several vintages. 

The Michel Gonet family have been producing wine for 7 generations, since 1802. Michel Gonet expanded and improved the winery in 1973. He has since retired and turned winemaking over to daughter Sophie Signolle who manages Champagne production. She is President of Women Winegrowers of Champagne and also "l' Universe du Gout en Champagne."

The family owns 40 hectares (about 80 acres) of vineyards stretching south from the city of Epernay on the Côte des Blancs, part of which is the finest classified Grand Cru vines located in Avize, Mesnil sur Oger and Oger, the most renowned terroirs of Champagne. The vineyards' are of the finest terroir in Champagne with exceptional climate, protected by the mountain of Reims from the cold North winds and rainfalls in the Marne valley. The characteristically chalky sub-soil combines with ideal exposure to the sun. This Blanc de Blanc is composed of Chardonnay which is 80% of Gonet production. The remaining is Pinot Noir used to produce Blanc de Noir Champagne.

We visited the area during our Champagne Wine Experience back in 2006. 


Cliff Lede Estate Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2015

This is the latest release of one my favorite Sauvignon Blancs. Light straw colored, medium-light bodied, harmonious nicely balanced layers of subdued citrus, peach, pear and lychee fruit with a refreshing crisp clean, smooth acidity finish.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2324460

 

Saddleback Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Nils Special Barrel Selection 25th Anniversary 2006

We first met Nils Venge back in the mid-nineties when he was winemaker for Del Dotto Vineyards and Winery. We visited Nils at the Penny Lane Estate and vineyard back in 2001 when we acquired a selection of Venge Vineyards and Saddleback wines.

I was not aware of this label and was delighted that Dan discovered this and acquired some to bring and share for our dinner.

This was dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied with full forward black berry and black cherry fruits accented by notes of spice, black tea, leather, and dusty rose with full smooth silky tannins on the finish.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=673349

Saddleback Cellars Napa Valley Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 1996

To compare with the Nils 2006 special release above, we opened this 1996 Saddleback Oakville Napa Cabernet. Initially a bit tight and closed, we decanted and aerated this bottle and it opened a bit more and reveal its native character and fruits over the course of the next hour.

The two Saddleback wines had remarkable similarity, being potentially the same wine but ten years removed. They showed the same basic profile and character but the '96 showed darker blackish garnet with slight hints of gray color, the same fruit profile albeit slightly subdued, accented by the same notes above of smoke, dusty leather, earth and tea.

RM 89 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=73478

To compare with the '96 Oakville Napa Cab above, we also opened this Paradigm Cabernet from the same appellation and same vintage.

Paradigm Napa Valley Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 1996

This provided an interesting comparison with the other '96 Oakville Cabernet sitting side by side. This wine had the same color and body as above. We also decanted and aerated this bottle which accentuated its bouquet and flavors which emerged further after about thirty minutes. The Paradigm showed fewer aromatics and more subdued fruit than the Saddleback above, but opened a bit more over the next hour. 

We tasted and acquired this wine during a winery visit back in 1999.

My wine tasting notes for this label from back in 2009. "This wine is showing its age, probably beyond its apex, or any chance for improvement, but still within the drinking window. Showing some diminution of fruit, giving way to non-fruit charcoal and earth tones, yet, revealed some of its native fruit character at some point during the evening.'

"I opened, decanted and then rebottled and recorked this wine an hour before setting out for the restaurant. Upon decanting it released huge aroma's of berry fruits and some floral. After opening for serving the fruit was a bit muted for almost an hour before revealing black berry and hints of sweet black raspberry, giving way to a layer of charcoal, anise and spice. Tannins were moderate on the lingering finish. This wine is still showing okay but should be consumed over the next few years."

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2014/08/vintage-napa-reds-vs-bold-barolo.html

 

Ninety+ Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 150 2013

Dan and Linda spent Thanksgiving weekend visiting the Inn at the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina where they tasted Estate and other private labeled wines. They produce two million bottles per year although only a fraction are from grapes grown locally. The remaining majority are sourced from Northern California fruit and juice. 

We talked about Ninety+ Cellars who produce a large portfolio of wines, sourced from numerous producers and growners from around the globe. Each label is named with a unique 'Lot' number indicating the source and vintage release. This is done to anonymize the source typically acquired under non-disclosure agreements to maintain their secrecy, since they don't want to be revealed and thereby conflict with their brands. 

In this particular case, Lot 150 Cabernet Sauvignon, 'sparklers' were acquired, the name given for bottles of wine already filled but not yet labeled. The labels are applied last to avoid them being torn, stained or soiled during storage or shipping. In this case, labels were not yet applied as the wine as sold to a third party private label marketer who applied their own labels accordingly. The issue was that they had already corked the bottles with branded corks identifying the source producer, undermining their quest for secrecy or confidentiality. Only upon opening the wine is the originator source revealed! One of the reasons for seeking anonymity is that often, as in this case, the private label wine is half the price of the original source producer label, providing great QPR (quality price ratio).

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, firm structured backbone, complex concentrated blackberry and black currant fruits with layers of firm bone dry tannins with notes of oak, spice, hints of dark mocha, anise, leather and dust. Needs a bit more time to settle and not for the feint of heart with the rock hard tannins but if you like that style (which I do) then this is a great find at a good QPR (quality price ratio) value. This is a blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, with Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot aged 22 monthsin French Oak. As noted by others, and in my blogpost (url below), and my label/cork picture submission, the source for this wine is Spring Mountain Vineyards.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/01/ninety-plus-cellars-lot-150-spring-mtn.html

Del Dotto Napa Valley Rutherford Cabernet Franc 1997 

We served this Cabernet Franc to compare against similarly aged Cabernet Sauvignons to contrast the different character of the Bordeaux varietals where Cab Franc is introduced into the Blend for spice, breadth and depth alongside the firmer Cabernet Sauvignon and the softer Merlot. We chose Del Dotto that Rick and Debbie visited during their trip to Napa Valley. This is one of the last remaining bottles we acquired on release back in the late nineties.

Consistent with tasting notes from two years ago, "Tonight's tasting was more consistent with notes from a few years ago, dark ruby color, medium to full body, spicy black berry and black currant fruits are still vibrant in this nineteen year old, accented by tones of earthy leather, cedar and tobacco with hints of anise on the smooth tannin finish."

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=35491

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/12/del-dotto-napa-gio-and-cab-franc-1997.html

Del Dotto Piazza Napa Valley Rutherford Petit Verdot 2015

We tasted and acquired this wine as part of the during our Del Dotto Piazza DELICACIES Food and Wine Experience Tasting at the winery during our Napa Wine Experience this summer. 

Like the Del Dotto Cabernet Franc above, we served this Petit Verdot to compare against similarly aged Cabernet Sauvignons to contrast the different character of the Bordeaux varietals where Petitot Verdot is introduced into the Blend for backbone, structure and color, as well as further breadth and depth, alongside the primary core Cabernet Sauvignon and or  softer Merlot.

Dark blackish garnet colored, full bodied, nicely balanced, firm forward concentrated black berry and black cherry fruits, with notes of mocha, spice and hints of pepper spice with smooth lingering tannins. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2757017

Later Dan and Sean and the girls opened this vintage release '96 Brunello which rounded out our horizontal tasting of that release.

Canalicchio di Sopra Brunello de Montalcino 1996 

Dan brought this to our wine tasting this summer too. This is 100% Sangiovese for very pleasant easy drinking - ideal for food or hearty cheeses.

Garnet colored, medium bodied, black berry and black cherry fruits with notes of earth tones, tobacco box and sweet brown spices with a tangy long spicy finish.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=637618

More to follow ...