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

 

Del Dotto Napa Vineyard 887 - Pirouette 2016

Long Shadows, Vintners' Series, Pirouette Columbia Valley Red Wine 2016 and Del Dotto Napa Valley Vineyard 887 St. Helena Connoiseur's Series Colbert French Oak Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

Following our gala Pour Boys tomahawk ribeye wine dinner last weekend, we regroup and visited Dr Dan and Linda at their Indiana home. After further researching the Chateau Boswell Estate Red Wine that Dan brought and served at our dinner, I realized this was a Pillippe Melka crafted wine. On further review, I found that another Pillippe Melka wine, that we hold in our cellars, Long Shadows Vintners Series Pirouette, is a similar blend and from the same vintage, also, that got the same rating from the wine reviewer pundits. 

While Chateau Boswell is Napa Valley fruits and Pirouette is Columbia Valley, Washington State fruits, based on the other similarities I thought it would be interesting and fun to taste and compare the two labels. Hence, I took from our cellar the 2016 Pirouette to taste with our dinner. 

Prior to dinner, Linda served a selection of artisan cheeses. We brought what has become one of our absolute favorites, creamy Delice de Bourgogne.  

 
For dinner, Dan and Linda served kabobs of beef, chicken, green peppers and onion, salad and Linda's signature chili. They also served three cheese stuffed peppers and grilled tomatoes stuff with cheese and spinach.

Long Shadows, Vintners' Series, Pirouette Columbia Valley Red Wine 2016

We discovered and acquired this wine during our visit to the Long Shadows tasting room in Woodinville during our Washington State Wine Experience in 2018. 

Considering that the Napa Valley Chateau Boswell and Long Shadows Columbia Valley Pirouette are from two disparate wine regions, there was a remarkable similarity in the tasting profile and character of the two wines - indications of the effects of the winemaker's influence in the final product. 

Remarkably, the Pirouette costs a fraction of the Boswell, a tribute to the Long Shadows project, and the high QPR - Quality Price Ratio value afforded to Columbia Valley wines. 

This vintage release is a Bordeaux Blend of 68% Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, Petit Verdot (8%), Cabernet Franc (6%) and Malbec (3%). It was fermented in barrel and aged 22 months in 75% new oak.

This received 97 points from reviewer Jeb Dunnuck, 93 points from Wine & Spirits, 91 from Wine Enthusiast and 90 points, a Cellar Selection from Wine Spectator James Suckling. 

The Pirouette shared the same dark purple garnet color, medium-full body and black currant and black raspberry fruits. It was accented with blue fruit notes, cinnamon and clove spices, hints of tobacco and graphite with firm but approachable tannins on a long lingering finish. 

The Pirouette was more firm, concentrated and firmly structured than was the Boswell. From my tasting notes and blogpost, we tasted the remains of Boswell two days later at which time it was softer, smoother, more sensuous and balanced. We didn't have the benefit of a follow on comparison of the Pirouette two days later, but will perhaps do so in a future tasting. It was slightly less polished and elegant, slightly more fruit forward, concentrated and unctuous, and lacked the ultra ripeness tones of the Boswell fruits. 

RM 94 points. 

This showed consistently as a tasting earlier this year of this label.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/02/long-shadows-duo-showcase-katy-business.html 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3107408

https://longshadows.com/ 

Pour Boys tour Del Dotto Caves

Following the Pirouette, Dan pulled from his cellar this ultra-premium single-vineyard designated select Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. This was especially fun to taste this label as it represents some pleasant memories of our Napa Valley wine tours. Dan and we all tasted and then procured this wine during our Napa Valley, Del Dotto Winery and Caves Tasting and Tour in 2018. 

This single vineyard designated select label is crafted from fruit from the Del Dotto 887 St Helena Vineyard. This vineyard is named for the address, 887 St Helena Highway, on the south approaches into the town. 

Rick & Linda with David Del Dotto, 2003

Located on the south end of the St. Helena Appellation, Vineyard 887 is one of the highest rated vineyards in Napa Valley. It is purported to be the favorite vineyard of the producer. This picturesque vineyard consists of nine acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, planted in 2000. 

This vineyard shows the typical St. Helena characteristics of lush, fruity berries, with easily accessible tannins on the palate. 

The inaugural vintage of an 887 Vineyard single vineyard designated wine/label was in 2004. By 2012 it was receiving 96-98 point ratings from Robert Parker. 

The property also is the site of a guest cottage, amidst the vineyard surrounded by the vines. Linda and I had the pleasure of staying in the cottage during a Napa Valley Del Dotto winery, estate, vineyards and cave tour back in 2003 (left).

The single vineyard designated label didn't exist back then, it came along the next year, but we didn't discover the label until our 2018 estate and winery visit and tour. We purchased this label at that time, much in remembrance of that earlier visit, and had great anticipation of tasting this wine again, which we finally did tonight. 

Del Dotto Napa Valley Vineyard 887 St. Helena Connoiseur's Series Colbert French Oak Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 

This is a classic Napa Valley Cabernet Savignon. In the crafted in the unique Del Dotto method, it is part of the Del Dotto Connoisseur's Series where the same wine will be aged in different oak barrels of different oaks for the ultimate comparison tasting experience. This version was aged in Colbert French Oak. Robert Parker gives this wine 95 points and an aging window of 2018 out to 2040. 

We have hosted wine dinners where we served a selection the Connoisseur Series of the same wine aged in different oaks. Only the discriminating experienced enophiles appreciated and discerned the differences. 

Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, complex, concentrated, forward, structured black berry and tangy black currant fruits with notes of pipe tobacco, black tea, graphite and hints of milk chocolate, anise and spicy cinnamon turning to firm but silky smooth approachable tannins on the long tangy acidic lingering finish. Needs a few more years to settle, soften and integrate further.

RM 94

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2743499

https://www.deldottovineyards.com/our-wines

Château Boswell Napa Valley Estate Reserve Red Wine 2016

Château  Boswell Napa Valley Estate Reserve Red Wine 2016

As stated in our posting of our gala wine dinner the other night, we opened this ultra premium label, brought by Dr Dan from his cellar. He brought this in recognition of the destruction of Château Boswell in the ravaging Glass Wildfire that swept above Napa Valley just last week.

Château Boswell dates back forty years, when Richard Thornton Boswell founded a Napa Valley winery with the goal of excellence in small lot French Style wine production with wines sold directly to the client. At that time, The Wall Street Journal remarked upon his unique concept of a "Boutique" winery at a time when the other 71 wineries in the Napa Valley sold mostly through distribution. Today, Château Boswell remains among a handful of privately owned family wineries amidst the 554 wineries in the Napa Valley.

Château Boswell was founded in 1979 along the Napa Valley's Silverado Trail, under the guidance of Napa's foremost oenological consultant of the era, Andre Tschelistcheff. Their stated goal was to 'capture California’s purest representation of terroir from storied vineyards, Napa Valley’s Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard, Northern Santa Barbara’s spectacular Rita’s Crown, Radian and Bentrock Vineyards, Sonoma Coast's Sun Chase Vineyard, and from the Russian River Valley, Ritchie, Rued, and Dutton Sebastopol Vineyard designated Chardonnays.' Surprisingly, Boswell doesn't attract too much attention, given the pedigree of their vineyard sources and the quality of the winemaking. 

Boswell's initial vision was to focus solely on the noble Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon varietal in his stone winery sitting on the hill side along the Silverado Trail in Saint Helena. That vision and the resulting wine portfolio has expanded and become vastly diversified to include wines from many of California’s most treasured vineyards. Today, the Boswell family, under the direction of Susan Boswell, continues that mission, to craft the finest wines with the greatest expression of terroir.

Building upon the vision and tradecraft of famed winemaker André Tchelistcheff who helped launch the original winery with his immense knowledge and tradition, Boswell builds on that legacy and history in their continued quest for excellence lead by a current era legendary winemaker, Philippe Melka assisted by Associate Winemaker Allison Nunnikhoven. 

Of course we know and enjoy Phillipe Melka wines from his own private label, as well as his participation as a contributing winemaker to the Long Shadows Vintners Series, where nine of the world's leading winemakers crafting world class wines from Washington State Columbia Valley fruits.

Melka started at the top: his first job out of school was at the legendary first growth Bordeaux Château Haut Brion. From there, he took a position with the reputable Moueix Company and was sent to Dominus Estate in California Napa Valley Yountville to study soils in 1991. He returned to France in 1993 to deepen his expertise at Château Petrus. 

Melka has been fortunate to have been trained and influenced by some of the most notable personalities in the wine business such as Jean Delmas and Jean Philippe Masclef from Haut-Brion, Christian Moueix and Jean Claude Berrouet from Petrus, Paul Draper from Ridge, Daniel Baron from Silver Oak and the globetrotting wine consultant Michel Rolland with whom he continues to work with on consulting projects. Michel Rolland is also a consulting winemaker along with Melka in the Long Shadows Collector Series Project. (We were fortunate enough to recently acquire some of Rolland's MR Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon for our cellar collection which we will look forward to experiencing when a suitable occasion warrants). 

He returned to Napa Valley in 1994 and founded Atelier Melka in 1995. Since then he has served as winemaking consultant for some of Napa’s most highly regarded properties including Boswell as well as Hundred Acre, Quintessa, Bryant Family, Seavey, Dana Estates and Vineyard 29. Robert Parker named Philippe Melka, one of the top nine winemakers in the world.

Château Boswell produces 5 wines from the Napa Valley; our Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc blend, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, RTB Red wine which is a blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, At Anchor Cabernet Sauvignon, and tonight's featured wine, Boswell Napa Valley Red Wine, which is a blend of fruit sourced from 3 Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards, and a touch of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Merlot.

As I mentioned above, at our gala wine dinner the other night, we opened this ultra premium label, brought by Dr Dan from his cellar, in recognition of the destruction of Château Boswell in the ravaging Glass Wildfire that swept above Napa Valley just last week. 

Ideally, we would hold this wine for at least and perhaps a dozen years before opening. Never-the-less, it was spectacular. Had this been opened, decanted and allowed to settle for a couple hours before tasting, it would've no doubt vied for WOTN - Wine of the Night.

Jed Dunnuck gave this 96+ points yet called it 'backward', but went on to say this is a 'serious red that has lots of blackcurrant fruit as well as terrific intensity in its tobacco, leafy herbs, graphite, and lead pencil aromas and flavors. Possessing full-bodied richness, and building tannins, it holds onto a beautiful sense of elegance and balance.'

It was aged 18 months in 70% new barrels. 

On opening this was tight and restrained. Only on follow on tasting two days later did this reveal its potential of what is to come, polished, elegance, a symphony of flavors. Dark purple color, medium-full bodied, soft sensuous black and blue fruits with well behaved silky tannins offering nicely integrated and balanced notes of tobacco, hints of sweet mocha, spice and herbs. 

RM 95 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2819783

http://www.chateauboswellwinery.com/