Big Red Wine Flight for BBQ Rib Dinner

Big Red Wine Flight for BBQ Rib Dinner

Continuing our family reunion and related festivities, Linda prepared BBQ ribs and we opened a couple Big Red Blends suited for the pairing. As is our custom, we have fun with wine labels and we served two signature wines, one, Alec's signature namesake wine, and one of the 'V' wines that we commemorate to Vivanna, this one from Venge Vineyards. Also, as Alec and Viv just acquired their new puppy, this is a tribute as this label honors the late and beloved Venge family pet and vineyard dog, Labrador Retriever, Scout.  We met Scout when we toured the vineyards with patriarch, legendary winemaker Nils Venge back in the mid-nineties. 

Lewis Cellars Alec's Blend 2003 

More on Alec's Blend 2003 from my last tasting and blog post five years ago. 

Venge Vineyards Scout's Honor 2018 

This is a mainstay of our cellar that we keep on hand for such occasions. We have a half dozen vintages of this label in our cellar, drinking and cycling the oldest, replacing it as we go with the latest current release. This is the latest, most current release in which they introduced the new branding of a painted wine bottle as opposed to the more traditional and modest glued paper label. This was our first tasting of this vintage release that just appeared in distribution in Chicagoland in recent weeks and is slated for general distribution this winter. 

This wine is based on a tradition of producing a full bodied, robust, fruit filled red wine based on old-vine Zinfandel and blended with dry-farmed Petite Sirah, old-vine Charbono, and finished with mountain vineyard Syrah. 

The result is an unpretentious, generous mouthful of red wine that we recommend be opened and enjoyed immediately upon release.

The blend for this release is 63% Zinfandel, 16% Charbono, 12% Petite Sirah, and 9% Syrah; aged in 50% new American Oak and the balance in once-used tight grained French Oak for 14 Months.

Grapes were farmed and harvested from four single vineyards in Napa Valley. The Zinfandel was picked from two, old-vine (60 to 100+ years old), dry-farmed vineyard sources: Venge’s newly acquired “Signal Fire Vineyard” estate, and the Frediani Vineyard—both located in the heart of Calistoga. The Charbono is from old, dry-farmed vines (60 to 100+ years old) also planted in the Frediani Vineyard. Robbie Mondavi’s Oso Vineyard located on Howell Mountain supplies the Petite Sirah; the Syrah from  Napa’s finest, from Stagecoach Vineyard, high in the mountains of the Atlas Peak AVA.

The Winemaker notes sum it up perfectly: "The result is an unpretentious, generous mouthful of red wine that we recommend be opened and enjoyed immediately upon release.'

"This vintage has a gorgeous, concentrated assemblage of violets, anise, honeysuckle, blue herbs, and a touch of vanillin. The palate is pure richness with loads black fruits and currants, pepper spice, and an enveloping masculinity of char and tannins from the Syrah, Charbono and Petite Sirah. A seamless balance and mouth coating deliciousness lead to a wine that is quite pleasing to the senses. Cellared correctly it will age for 5 to 8 years."

Everyone loved this wine, especially with the tangy BBQ ribs. 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.vengevineyards.com/ 

Finally, in follow up to our Mt Veeder Appellation tasting the other evening, another wine from a producer that we visited and tasted during that Napa Mt Veeder Wine Experience back in 2011.

Godspeed Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 

We discovered and acquired this wine at the vineyard/producer during our Napa Mt Veeder Wine Experience back in 2011. I wrote back in 2015 about this label, "This was drinking very nicely in its twelfth year and may be at its prime, not likely to improve further with more aging. This 2004 was the best showing of this label that I have had to my recollection. This is a small production label from this boutique producer. Ironically, I saw some available just this week at Total Wine in Minnesota.' 

"Dark blackish purple/garnet colored, medium-full bodied, aromatic, black berry and black raspberry fruit flavors, a bit tight and firmly structured with tones of truffle and spice with hints of cedar, tobacco and green pepper, turning to moderate tannins on the long finish."

As this has aged another five years, it has lost some of its finesse and polish. RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1106764

  https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2016/12/godspeed-mt-veeder-cabernet-sauvignon.html

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1106764

 

Godspeed Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Godspeed Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Eric and Cathy brought this to our OTBN gala last month. We both discovered and acquired this wine at the vineyard/producer during our Napa Valley Mt Veeder Wine Experience back in 2011.

Godspeed Vineyards is a small production label from this boutique producer. Ironically, I saw some available at Total Wine up in Minnesota just the week prior to my previous tasting back in 2016.

Godspeed is a small production boutique grower on Napa Valley Mount Veeder situated in a remote location to the north end of the vast Mt Veeder appellation up on Mt Veeder Road above the town of Yountville down below.

Godspeed Vineyard

Goodspeed vineyards, first planted in 1987, possess terroir for growing classic Napa mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, with steep hillsides and mixed sedimentary and volcanic soils. The hillside vineyard sits at an average elevation of 1500 feet above the valley facing predominantly East, Northeast. Temperatures are usually 10-12 degrees cooler than the valley, and the vineyard is generally above the morning fog, giving longer days of sunshine, which normally allows for an earlier harvest.  The vines snake across the hillside slopes producing small clusters of deeply concentrated grapes.

The vineyard is the project of Larry Stricker and his son David. Larry is an acclaimed architect who has created world class resort hotels, including the Phoenician in Scottsdale, Arizona; the Marriott Desert Springs Resort and a series of Hawaiian properties including the Halekulani, Kahala Resort, Kapalua Bay Hotel and the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel.

Bill, Jan, Linda, Bill and Beth with David Stricker

Godspeed sells most of their Godspeed Mount Veeder estate grown fruit to recognized wineries including Sbragia, Newton, Mayacamas, Robert Craig, Bremmer, William Hill & Monticello.

Since 1990 they kept about half the vineyard production and bottled their own hand crafted wine under under the Godspeed label.

Godspeed grows and produces four different varietal estate wines under the Godspeed brand: about 500 cases each of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, some Malbec and about 600 cases of Trinity, a unique blend of estate grown Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah sourced from partner grower.

For the 2005 vintage year, the blend was: 42% Godspeed Vineyards, Mount Veeder, Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Godspeed Vineyards, Mount Veeder, Malbec, and 33% Monticello Vineyards, Oak Knoll, Syrah.

In some years, they also produce a Non-Vintage Late Harvest Chardonnay dessert wine they call "Amen". 

The 2013 Sbragia "Godspeed Vineyard" Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon sold for about $80 and was awarded 94 points by Wine Enthusiast and 93-95 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.

Godspeed Vineyards Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
 

Tonight, Linda prepared for dinner chicken marsala in a brown sauce with brown rice so I pulled this aged Napa Cab as a pairing complement.

My last published tasting note for this label was back in 2016 when I wrote, "This was drinking very nicely in its twelfth year and may be at its prime, not likely to improve further with more aging. This 2004 was the best showing of this label that I have had to my recollection."

This was dark blackish purple/garnet colored, medium-full bodied, aromatic, black berry and black raspberry fruit flavors, a bit tight and firmly structured, the fruits are starting to give way to a predominant tone of licorice, notes of creosote and cedar with hints of truffle, spice  tobacco and green pepper, turning to moderate tannins on the long finish.

RM 87 points.

In 2012 this was awarded 92 points by Wine & Spirits Guild of America.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1106764

Lasted tasted and published at https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2016/12/godspeed-mt-veeder-cabernet-sauvignon.html.

https://godspeedvineyards.webs.com/

Godspeed Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Godspeed Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

A colleague Stan stopped over to talk business so I pulled this from the cellar to taste with a selection of artisan cheeses.

We discovered and acquired this wine at the vineyard/producer during our Napa Mt Veeder Wine Experience back in 2011. This was drinking very nicely in its twelfth year and may be at its prime, not likely to improve further with more aging. This 2004 was the best showing of this label that I have had to my recollection. This is a small production label from this boutique producer. Ironically, I saw some available just this week at Total Wine in Minnesota. 

Dark blackish purple/garnet colored, medium-full bodied, aromatic, black berry and black raspberry fruit flavors, a bit tight and firmly structured with tones of truffle and spice with hints of cedar, tobacco and green pepper, turning to moderate tannins on the long finish.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1106764

Godspeed Mt Veeder Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1998

Godspeed Mt Veeder Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1998

Godspeed Vineyard on Mt Veeder

We bought a case of half bottles (375ml) of Godspeed Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 during a visit to the producer high atop Mt Veeder during our 2011 Napa Valley Mt Veeder Wine Experience. We knew at the time that it was nearing end of its drinking window but thought it would serve as 'pizza' wine - suitable for casual every day drinking. We didn't drink (all of) it and this is the result as its now beyond its drinking window.

Clearly past its drinking window at this stage and borderline drinkable at all. Rust bricking at the rim and a barnyard funkiness settling in on the nose and overtaking the remaining fruit tones. Tasting with some hearty cheese but likely will pour and open something else. Still consumable but life is too short for wine such as this when I know better. Perhaps some remnant as a cooking wine but caveat emptor. Drinking from a 375 bottle. Perhaps the 750 and larger are not so far gone since larger bottles generally age better than smaller ones.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=79478

Mt Veeder Appellation Tasting Replays Napa Tour

Mt Veeder Appellation Tasting Replays Napa Tour

When Beth and Bill (joining later just off the late flight from LHR) joined us for dinner with sister Jan visiting from California, we pulled from the cellar a selection of Napa Mt Veeder wines to replay our wine tour there together. This was one of our numerous Napa trips where we focused on but one appellation and its wines to gain appreciation for the nuances of all the elements that represent that appellation and its distinctive terroir. Moreover, sticking to one appellation simplifies logistics and scheduling. This is especially useful or beneficial on Mt Veeder which is the largest and most geographically spread of all Napa appellations. 

Our Napa Valley Mt Veeder appellation trip with Bill and Beth and Jan and Bill featured visits to producers Godspeed, Yates and Rubissow, among others, so for our reunion gathering we selected those producers' wines to reminisce the trip. We tasted Yates Fleur de Veeder Merlot and Cheval 2007, Rubissow Merlot 2006, and Godspeed Trinity 2006. These were accompaniment to our dinner of grilled sirloin, sweet corn, fresh bruschetta and a medley of chocolates. 



Yates Family Vineyards Mt Veeder Fleur de Veeder Merlot 2007

We opened the dinner wine flight with this Merlot from Yates Family Vineyards which was also the first stop on our 2011 Napa Valley Mt Veeder weekend. What a nice surprise. This was dark inky purple colored and full bodied with full, forward, flavorful rich fruit of black raspberry, a layer of spice and dark mocha with a hint of cassis on a big long lingering finish. In a blind tasting this might have passed as a big Aussie shiraz!. What an opening! In retrospect we should've opened this last or next to last as it overpowered and overshadowed the wines to follow.

RM 90 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1092213

http://www.yatesfamilyvineyard.com/


Godspeed Vineyards Napa Valley Trinity 2006

We tasted this wine during our visit to Godspeed on our Mt Veeder Appellation trip.  This is listed in CellarTracker as a Bordeaux Blend but Trinity is a unique blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (42%), Shiraz (33%) and Malbec (25%). I am not aware of this combination blend from any wine producing region around the world. The 'old world' wine producers have been doing this for hundreds of years while the 'new world' producers in the emerging wine countries have been doing this for decades. Over five centuries, Bordeaux (producers) have become masterful at blending a primary varietal (Cabernet Sauvignon) and then complementing it with lesser amounts of other varietals to add breadth (Merlot), depth (Cabernet Franc), color and structure (Petiti Verdot) to the final blend. The result is a symphony of flavors that round out the wine. I don't see this becoming a popular blend of these three otherwise primary varietals listed above that typically are stand-alone or anchor varietals. Rather than being complementary and harmonious to each other, I sense they're competing to be the 'lead' or predominant varietal in this blend. 

This was medium to full bodied, moderately complex from black berry and black cherry fruit flavors that give way to a layer of cassis, tobacco leaf and charcoal on a moderate tannin finish.

Linda likes big bold full throttle wines and she liked this. I couldn't get my arms around it.
RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1540228

Rubissow Mt Veeder Merlot 2006

We tasted and procured this wine at Rubissow high atop Mt Veeder during our Mt Veeder Appellation tour. My recollection of this wine was the profile of the Yates Fleur de Veeder that we tasted next to this as reviewed above - full bodied with rich extracted fruit. Tonight this was leaner and lighter than I remembered and hence expected. I am looking ahead to trying this again as we still have a half case in the cellar.

Tonight this showed dark garnet purple color, medium body with black berry fruits, slightly tart black cherry with a hints of spice, tobacco, touch of mocha and coffee bean.

RM 87 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=872497






Yates Family Vineyards Cheval Mt Veeder Cabernet Franc 2007 

Another Yates selection that we tasted and obtained during our visit to the Yates Winery and Vineyards high atop Mt Veeder. This is 100% Cabernet Franc which in Bordeaux is used in the blend to add breadth and depth with its spicy tones. Standalone as a single varietal bottling this is very pleasant drinking.

Full bodied - forward black berry, black raspberry and spicy clove with a hint of cassis and bitter dark chocolate with a lingering tannin flavorful finish. 


RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1092208

http://www.yatesfamilyvineyard.com/

Godspeed Napa Valley Mt Veeder Cabernet 1998

Godspeed Napa Valley Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 1998

Godspeed Vineyards on Napa Valley Mt Veeder

We visited Godspeed Vineyards (left) during our Napa Valley Mt Veeder Appellation tour last spring when we picked up this wine in regular and 375 half bottles. Consistent tasting notes with earlier tasting although my recollection is that tonight this wine showed a little more fruit than previous tasting. Never-the-less, it is showing its age and diminishing as the fruit is giving way to other elements. 

The initial black cherry and black berry fruits have given way to a frontal layer of anise with cedar and leather giving way to a hint of raisiny fig and touch of dark chocolate with firm lingering musty tannins. While perhaps best suited for pizza or heady cheeses. it was a great complement tonight to a grilled tenderloin steak with spicy pepper spinach and grilled mushrooms.. Drank from a 375 bottle picked up at the winery last spring.

RM 84 points.

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=79478

Godspeed Napa Valley Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 1998

Godspeed Napa Valley Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 1998

We visited Godspeed during our Mt Veeder Appellation tour last spring when we picked up this wine in regular and 375 half bottles. This wine is showing its age and diminishing as the fruit is giving way to other elements.

The initial fruit has given way to a frontal layer of anise with cedar and leather giving way to a hint of fig and dark chocolate with firm lingering musty tannins. Okay for pizza or heady cheeses. Drank from a 375 bottle picked up at the winery this spring.

RM 84 points.

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=79478