Sea Smoke - Cliff Lede highlight FLW Tour Picnic

Sea Smoke and Cliff Lede Highlight Historic Architectural Sites Tailgate Picnic

We traveled to Charlestown, SC for a getaway weekend to visit recently transplanted dear friends, fellow 'Pour Boy' wine buddy Bill and Beth C. We did an immersion in their new city to explore the history, culture, architecture and cuisine (see posting of our Charlestown Culinary Tour). We chose this weekend to take advantage of the special event, opening of the Frank Lloyd Wright Auldbrass Plantation over in Yemassee, SC.

After touring the magnificent FLW property we enjoyed a secluded tailgate lunch at a nearby park at the site of the old historic Old Sheldon Church, originally known as Prince William's Parish Church. The church was built between 1745 and 1753 and was burned by the British in 1779 during the Revolutionary War, rebuilt in 1826, and then burned again in 1865 during the Civil War.

Bill and Beth prepared a picnic lunch and Bill brought a selection of some of our favorite wines for the occasion to accompany sandwiches, salads, snacks and dessert under the Spanish moss draped majestic towering oaks trees. 

Cliff Lede Vineyards Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2015

This is the latest release of one of our favorite Sauvignon Blancs which I consider among the best representations of this varietal, which typically is the truest expression of a grape varietal fruit.

As written in an earlier blogpost in these pages, this vintage release is actually a blend composed of 82% Sauvignon Blanc, 14% Sémillon, 3% Sauvignon Vert, and 1% Muscat Canelli varietals. The result is a complex wine with layers of fruit flavors that blend together in a harmonious pleasant drinking wine.

The fruit for the Lede label is sourced from vineyards in the eastern Rutherford appellation (old vine Musqué clone and Sémillon), a vineyard in the southeastern hills of Napa Valley, grapes from a cooler climate vineyard on the east side of Napa, and some old vines of Sauvignon Vert from the Chiles Valley in eastern Napa County.

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.

RM 90 points.

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

Sea Smoke Southing Cenral Coast Santa Rita Hills Estate Pinot Noir 2009

This is a classic California Pinot from the Santa Rita Hills appellation on the Central Coast. The branding name 'Sea Smoke' depicts the fog that rolls in from the ocean to then burn off as the day warms up from the interior valley heat. The effect of this daytime sun and heating, and subsequent night time cooling gently soothes the grapes, only to start the cycle again the next day. The result, like the Las Alturas Pinot we had with dinner the evening before is a full bodied, bright, vibrant expressive Pinot Noir, concentrated and complex but nicely balanced and polished with forward fruit flavors.

This 2009 vintage got high marks from all the critics, 92 points from James Suckling, 91 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar. Wine Spectator said this wine should drink well out to 2021. 

The winemaker's tasting notes describe the "goal for Southing is to create the ideal marriage of complexity and elegance. The seductive nose of the 2009 Southing exhibits fresh leather, rose water, black cherry, violets and hint of macerated cherry. The fine tannins and minerality are enhanced by our estate vineyard’s  characteristic cool climate acidity."

Bill's Cellartracker notes on this wine; "Wow, this has really hit its stride. Dark garnet color. Dark, sour cherry, smoke and a bit of pepper on the palate. Medium bodied with a dry, mineral finish. Apparently I have been drinking my Southing too early."

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1025980

Auldbrass Plantation with Charles Osgood on CBS Sunday Morning

https://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/beaufort-county/old-sheldon-church.html 

Belle Glos Las Alturas Pinot Noir 2014

Belle Glos Las Alturas Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2014 at Burwell's Charlestown

We spent a getaway weekend in Charlestown, SC, where we discovered the city, took in a rare tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright Auldbrass Plantation estate, and then escaped to Seabrook Island to visit friends for the weekend.

While in town we took in the 2 1/2 hour Charlestown Culinary Tour that highlights Charleston's Historic French Quarter. The walking tour traverses the historical neighborhoods dropping in to a collection of the city's hottest and historic restaurants showcasing food creations that make up Charlestown's history and culinary scene from traditional favorites to recent innovations. The tour highlights cuisine of favorite locally-owned and operated restaurants, conducted by Glen - a former chef, foodie and evangelist for the food scene of the Holy City. This is a great introduction to the culture, history, personalities and attitudes of all things food in this vibrant city.

Glen leads the tour through the streets with a half dozen stops revealing background, insights and perspectives of the Charlestown food scene with the chance to sample a variation of the spectrum of food offerings - barbecue, shrimp skewers, oysters, shrimp and grits, blueberry shakes, BLT, and decadent dessert. All the while Glen shares the latest happenings of the cityscape, chef's, sommeliers, and restaurants.

One of the many tips he offered was Burwell's Stone Fire Grill that features steaks and seafood selections cooked over a 1,400 degree, wood-fire oven, or 700 degree stonewood fired grill in the open kitchen adjacent to the bustling dining room (above). We dined at Burwell's that evening and had a great dinner validating his recommendation was a great choice.

We selected from Burwell's wine cellar (shown left) wine list this Belle Glos Las Alturas Pinot Noir to accompany our steak dinners. Normally, we'd order a Cabernet Sauvignon to go with a hearty grilled steak but the selective wine list offered two of our favorite Pinots at reasonable prices.

We're not normally Pinot Noir drinkers, favoring bigger more robust, more forward wines with concentrated fruit. Yet, I selected this Pinot for our dinner and it did not disappoint, standing up nicely to the steaks as well as seafood entrees. If one blind tasted this wine, they might think it is a Petit Sirah with its deep color and firm but refined approachable tannins. While it still maintains some of the flavor profile of a Pinot with that dusty rose tone, this is big and complex with tasty concentrated forward fruit.

Belle Glos is the brand developed by Joe Wagner, son of the legendary Chuck Wagner, owner of the well known Caymus brand and producer of the ultra-premium "Special Selection" Cabernet. Joe has also launched the popular moderately priced Meiomi brand. The Belle Glos brand is devoted entirely to distinctive, single-vineyard Pinot Noirs sourced from properties in Sonoma County, the Sonoma Coast and this one down in the central coast Santa Lucia Highlands.

With the emphasis on single vineyard designated labels, its all about terroir, that sense of place associated with vineyard with its distinctive soil, climate or micro-climate, elevation, terrain, location relative to coast, mountains or other influences - all those elements that contribute to a particular wine. And since they are based on factors associated with a location, climatic and seasonal variations aside, they will be relatively consistent from year to year, vintage to vintage, thereby becoming part of the brand and identity for that label.

The vineyard notes say of this wine: "The Spanish term ‘Las Alturas’ means ‘the heights’, a fitting name for this vineyard located on one of the highest grape-growing benches in the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA. The vineyard sits at an elevation between 540 and 1210 feet where the sunny but very cool climate creates a wine bearing all the hallmarks of this coastal region: robust, expressive, full bodied and balanced by a firm acidity.

Nestled between the Santa Lucia Mountains and the western side of Salinas Valley, Las Alturas benefits from early morning fog which rolls in most days from Monterey Bay then burns off within a few hours. Gusty winds funnel in from the bay throughout the afternoon, moderating the overall temperature and contributing to one of the longest growing seasons in California. The high winds also result in smaller berries with very thick skins, giving us more color concentration. Another attractive characteristic of this vineyard is the low-vigor, free-draining sub-soil made up of a calcareous base underneath a layer of sandy loam. This complements our farming techniques to further reduce our yields per vine and augment the fruit’s intensity."

Belle Glos "Las Alturas" Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands Monterey County Pinot Noir 2014

This was deep ruby red in color with intriguing aromas of sun-warmed blackberries, ripe plums, with hints of black licorice. A complexity of dark berry fruits unfold on the palate; blackberries and bing cherries along with dark chocolate flavors. Vanilla and cedar oak undertones on the mid-palate further enhance the wine. The overall impression is rich with refined tannins, firm acidity and explosive layers of ripe fruit.

RM 91 points.
92 points Wine Spectator

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2498033 

http://belleglos.com/

https://charlestonculinarytours.com/activities/charleston-downtown-culinary-tour/

http://www.burwellscharleston.com/