Mouton, Dominus, Insignia Highlight Big Red Wine Dinner

Mouton, Dominus, Insignia Highlight Beef Tenderloin Big Red Wine Dinner

A 'pour boys' wine dinner was held with wine buddies Dr Dan and Bill C, when Bill and Beth were back in town to celebrate son Drew's baby's christening. We hosted a wine dinner that featured a line-up of ultra-premium classic reds. Highlights of the wine flight included Mouton Rothschild, Joseph Phelps Insignia and Dominus.

I pulled from the cellar 1984 vintage Mouton Rothschild to commemorate Drew's birthyear and paired it with a near year 1986 vintage Dominus. Dr Dan brought a Dominus 2006 and a Phelps Insignia 2007 to punctuate the dinner flight. Bill brought a Constant Cabernet Franc 2007 and a Camiana Howell Mountain Cabernet.  Son Ryan attended and brought a Chateau Calon Segur 1995.

For the opening we served shrimp cocktail and a cheese flight of artisan cheeses with two whites, Lanson Champagne and Ken Wright Chardonnay. To transition to the red flight we served a unique Mollydooker Goose Bumps Sparkling Shiraz.

The ensuing red flight accompanied dinner. Beth brought a dinner salad and Linda prepared her notable spectacular beef tenderloin (shown left) with scalloped potatoes and a medley of grilled vegetables.

For dessert, Linda served a trio of petit fours with mixed fresh berries with which I poured Kracher Scheerube Trockeberrean Auslese (TBA).

If the wine flight looks ambitious, it should be noted that Bill and Beth's sons Will and Matt also joined in the tasting, and Ryan's friend CJ dropped in and joined in during the evening as well. 

The wine flight ....

Pre dinner -
Lanson Champagne NV
Ken Wright Cellars Chardonnay 2009
Mollydooker Goose Bumps Sparkling Shiraz 2006 

Dinner course -
Altamura Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1999
Calon Segur 1995
Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1984
Dominus Estate 1986
Dominus Estate 2006  
Joseph Phelps Insignia 2007 
Calera Ryan Vineyard Mt Harlan Pinot Noir 2013.
Camiana Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
Constant Diamond Mountain Winery Diamond Mountain District Estate Cabernet Franc 2007

After dinner - dessert / cheese course -
Alois Kracher TBA #12 Zwischen den Seener Scherube 1998 

For brevity, I won't repeat previously featured wines that are featured elsewhere in this blog, but rather will link to those reviews.

Lanson Champagne Brut Rosé Rose Label NV Champagne Blend

We served this label just last weekend at a family dinner. That post is linked here. 

Ken Wright Cellars Washington/Oregon Chardonnay 2009

I discovered Ken Wright Cellars' wines when I traveled to Seattle during a two year engagement there back around the millenium. Since 1994, he primarily has been producing terroir driven vineyard designated Pinot Noirs sourced from more than a dozen different vineyards released under almost as many labels. Ken Wright Pinot Noirs are from nearly a dozen highly regarded sites including Del Rio Vineyard in the Rogue Valley, Ciel du Cheval in Washington's Red Mountain district, and Seven Hills Vineyard in Walla Walla. The Ciel du Cheval vineyard is the prime site for Force Majeure wines, a featured producer of a recent producer tasting posting.

Ken Wright has distinctive branding of its family of vineyard designated Pinot Noirs, with the bottle labels featuring original artwork depicting caricatures or art drawings associated with the history, legend, geography or nature associated with that particular site.

Some Ken Wright vineyard artwork labels are shown here (right).

He also produces a small amount of Chardonnay sourced from a primary vineyard in Washington and this label, a blend sourced from sites in Washington (73%) and Oregon (27%). In recent vintages he has only produced a limited production of two white wines, a pinot blanc and Chardonnay from Celilo Vineyard near White Salmon, Washington.

This was light honey/straw colored, medium body with tones of stone fruits, hint of almond, apricot, ginger or almost a whisper of cognac on the slightly sweet finish.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1043077

http://www.kenwrightcellars.com/

Mollydooker Goose Bumps Sparkling Shiraz 2006

I often remark in these pages about the Australian sense of humour. This wine defies logic and even description  ... what were they thinking when they produced this? To say this is unique is an understatement. At fifty dollars a bottle, one can get a nice and authentic French Champagne. I don't think their (Champagne's) franchise is in jeopardy with this offering.

Dark purple color, medium full bodied, dark brooding black and blue fruits accented by spice, tones of cassis, pepper and hints of bitter dark chocolate. The bubbly was very subdued leaving us to wonder if this bottle had been compromised and lost some of its fizz. I think so but I vaguely remember our last bottle of this we had a Christmas a while back.

RM 85 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1163061

https://mollydookerwines.com/

The red wine flight ...

Altamura Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1999

We've had this in the cellar for more than a decade waiting to be unveiled. It could've been held for another decade. A classic Napa Cabernet in every sense, it seems to be at its apex now, not likely to improve with further aging, but showing no signs diminution whatsoever.

In 2009 Wine Spectator wrote "The 1999 California Cabernet vintage was a great success when it was released, delivering many of that decade's best wines. Now 10 years old, the top Cabernets of that harvest have, for the most part, aged the way wine lovers who cellared them hoped they would; time has worked to their advantage."

Founded in 1985 by Frank and Karen Altamura on 400 acres that have been in the family since 1855,  Altamura was the first winery located in the Wooden Valley about nine miles northeast of the town of Napa. Wooden Valley is bordered by the Vaca Range to the east and "Napa Mountain" to the west. Altamura vineyards lie in the southeastern hillsides of Napa Valley at elevations of 700 to 1000 feet. 

The area produces rich concentrated fruit that has been used in well-known labels including Caymus, Groth, Pahlmeyer, Stags Leap and Mondavi. Frank started his winemaking career at Sterling in 1976, then on to Trefethen in 1979, then Frank worked at Caymus with Chuck Wagner and Randy Dunn before setting out on his own.

Altamura said at the time that this was one of the most intense wines they had produced. Dark garnet colored, medium to bodied, concentrated forward bright vibrant expressive sweet black raspberry, black currant and sweet blueberry fruits with tones of mocha, spicy oak and cinnamon, with hints of leather and cigar box with long chewy tongue coated finish of silky smooth soft tannins.

RM 92 points.

A comment from fellow Cellartracker UNIONST from Montclair .. "wine spectator just did a blind retrospective tasting of napa valley cabernets from the 1999 vintage. this wine tied for first, beating out heavy hitters like insignia, bryant family, bond melbury and vecina, spottswoode, viader, silver oak alexander valley and napa valley, harlan, colgin herb lamb vineyard, cakebread, etc."

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=144753

http://www.altamura.com/

Chateau Calon Segur St Estephe 1995

Chateau Calon-Ségur Grand Cru Classe St. Estephe Bordeaux 1995 

Robert Parker says this is one of the great sleepers of the vintage.

Dark ruby/purple colored, medium-full bodied, classic Bordeaux with earthy, leathery black berry and black raspberry fruits accented tones of cassis, cedar and hints of black olive and mocha with a long smooth floral finish

RM 92 points. 

97 points James Suckling; 95 points Wine Spectator'; 92 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate; 91 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar







Château Mouton Rothschild 1984

Considering the lackluster poor 1984 vintage in Bordeaux, this is remarkably holding its own after 32 years and not only still has life left but showed quite well and was impressive drinking. I should've known it would still be holding up but couldn't be sure. Glad I pulled it out to try but wish I had more. Such a classic wine, I remember purchasing it even though  its been almost three decades, and I remember drinking the other bottles back at the time. This is our last bottle of this vintage. 

Slightly opaque, dark garnet colored, medium bodied, nicely balanced, classic Bordeaux characteristics of dark berry, plum and black cherry fruits, tones of floral, earthy leather with cigar box and tobacco. leaf with light mouthfeel, silky smooth polished tannins on a moderate subdued pleasant finish.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=11506


 Dominus Estate Red Wine 1986

Like the Mouton Rothschild, Dominus is one of the world's great classic Bordeaux varietal wines.

It is the work of legendary Christian Moueix, son of Jean-Pierre Moueix, the famed wine merchant and French producer of classic Bordeaux wines including Chateaux Petrus, La Fleur-Petrus, Trotanoy in Pomerol and Magdelaine in Saint Emilion.

Christian Moueix discovered Napa Valley and is wines in the late 1960s, while attending the University of California in nearby Davis. In 1981, he discovered the historic Napanook vineyard near Yountville that had been the source of fruit for some of the finest Napa Valley wines in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1982,  he entered into a partnership to develop the vineyard and, in 1995, became its sole owner. He named the Estate and wine ‘Dominus’ or’ Lord of the Estate’ in Latin, to underscore his commitment to stewardship of the land. 

I remember the anticipation of tasting this wine when I purchased a case of the 1986 vintage upon release back at the time. Friends and family have often heard me tell this story .... I tasted a bottle from the case every couple of years with similar results ... 'interesting, complex, tightly wound, closed and uninspiring, is that all there is to this wine?' Then after about twenty years, I tasted another bottle and exclaimed, "Ahah, THIS is what this wine is supposed to taste like!"

Impatience was/will be punished, and patience will be rewarded, for those that had/have the resolve to put this wine aside and let it age gracefully to develop, finally settle, and open to reveal its true character and potential. But by then, when it finally presented its potential, I only had a couple bottles left. This is one of those remaining bottles, which at age 30 is better than ever, now revealing its full potential and true character.

The 1986 Dominus Estate was the fourth vintage produced by the John Daniel Society. The grapes were grown solely at the Napanook Vineyard in Yountville, along Hwy 29 in southwest Napa Valley. This vintage was the first of the “second series” of Dominus Estate with the 1986 through 1988 vintages using Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc in the blend. - the '86 release being 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc and 8% Merlot.

Those early vintages had distinctive branding of a label art series with each vintage label having a portrait of producer Christian Moueix by well-known American artist Jim Dine. This series ended in 1991 with subsequent labels all being the simple plain design, up until the most recent release in 2013, returning to this tradition with a portrait of Moueix returning.

The 1986 Dominus Estate has a dark garnet/ruby color, medium bodied, an aromatic floral nose, this wine shows elegance, finesse and excellent balance, a complex symphony of red and black fruits with layers of mineral, earthy leather, spice, truffle, hints of cassis and tobacco turning to a smooth, polished long finish with pleasant acidity.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1424

http://www.dominusestate.com/

Dominus Estate 2006 

Perhaps the Dominus 2006 reflects a change in style to produce wines that are more approachable at an early age, a popular trend to market wines favored by a larger audience. Or, the 2006 reflects the outstanding vintage with all the elements of terroir coming together. Dominus says, 'the 2006 epitomizes the best qualities of Cabernet Sauvignon in a top terroir of Napa Valley. At first, the wine displays tremendous power. Then, it surprises by the purity of the fruit and the lingering finesse. It clearly possesses a fantastic aptitude for aging.'

“When I drank Dominus 2006 in Europe recently, it confirmed what is for me the best definition of a great wine,” Christian Moueix declared. “This wine travels well. Dare I say that the 2006 vintage is our best so far.”

This release is incredible - a huge powerful forward wine that explodes out of the glass - rich concentrated, complex, a massive wine. Dark garnet/ruby colored, full bodied, brooding chewy mouthfeel that coats the tongue, ripe forward black berry fruits punctuated by a layer of chocolate, coffee beans, truffles and cigar box, turning to big chewy firm tannins that are tamed by being well integrated. This is a huge wine that begs for cheese, chocolates, beef and more - not for the feint of heart. Incredible, indeed.

The 2006 blend is comprised of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot. No Merlot was used in the blend this year.

RM 96 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=528169

Joseph Phelps Insignia 2007  

Son Ryan said this morning, the morning after, its a pity to try so many spectacular wines all at once, they overshadow each other. Better to have one to enjoy it. Oh well. 

This is another incredible classic wine. This should serve as a benchmark for excellence, against which other wines will be compared. Its as near perfect as it can be. I remember doing the  cult  wine flight out in Napa several years ago and this is what it was like.

This is another Bordeaux blend that provides complexity and sophistication but punctuated by Napa Valley big bold forward concentrated fruits. 

This is elegance personified, silky smooth, polished, sexy, sensuous, the words can't do justice to this wine. Delicious. Memorable. Put some away to revisit again, and again and again. 

The blend of the '07 Insignia is Cabernet Sauvignon 88%, Merlot 8%, and Petit Verdot 4%.

RM 98 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=674245

Calera Ryan Vineyard Mt Harlan Pinot Noir 2013. 

As I wrote in these pages last week, this may be the best release of this label I have tasted, being by far the most vibrant and expressive forward fruits I can remember. 

Citing the metaphor of taking a knife to a gunfight, this Pinot Noir is no match for the bigger, more forward, firmer and tighter Cabernet Sauvignon based wines. Relatively speaking, it is big for a Pinot, but lighter and smaller than these Bordeaux varietal wines featured tonight.

This is not a wimpy wine but powerful, as Pinots go, yet smooth and polished, a symphony of concentrated dark berry fruit flavors with layers of black raspberry, black cherry, hints of cranberry, graphite and tones of tobacco leaf, spices of thyme, bay leaf and floral violets with a long lingering tightly wound fine grained tannins on the finish.

RM 92 points

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Vinous both gave this 95 points Vinous; Wine Enthusiast gave it 92 points and a Cellar Selection

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2041534

http://www.calerawine.com/

Constant Diamond Mountain Winery Diamond Mountain District Estate Cabernet Franc 2007

Our visit with Bill and Beth to the Constant Vineyards estate high atop Diamond Mountain was one of the highlights of our Diamond Mountain Appellation Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2011.

This was a great punctuation mark on the Bordeaux varietal wines as Cabernet Franc is used in the blend to add spice and highlights to the Cabernet and Merlot varietals.

This was bright dark ruby/purple colored, medium to full bodied, this was bright vibrant full forward black berry and currant fruit with a bold punch of sweet almost cinnamon spice accented by tones of mocha chocolate, soft sweet oak with dusty lush pleasing tongue coating lingering tannins.

RM 93 points. 

Bill's notes from Cellartacker - "Deep purple color. Light nose of fig and light floral aromas belie a wonderfully flavored Cab Franc. Opens with a bit of sweetness on the front palate, cocoa on the mid palate, silky tannins and a long lingering finish highlighted by cassis and a touch of oak. A wonderful accompaniment to smoky, bacon infused chowder and prosciutto wrapped, stuffed chicken breast in a sweet and spicy pepper sauce.

WCC 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=694548

http://www.constantwine.com/



Camiana Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Bill also brought this from his cellar. The wine is full bodied and dark inky purple color, the nose is perfumed with violets, cedar box and dusty earth, The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon flavors are complex, tight and dry, with big firm tannins masking the intense concentrated black berry and black cherry fruit accented with tobacco, hints of cassis and sweet oak.

RM 92 points. 

This wine is great now but should be laid down for five to 10 years.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1268057






.
For the dessert course ...

Alois Kracher TBA #12 Zwischen den Seener Scherube 1998 

Amazingly, the drinking window for this wine on Cellartracker is 2009 - 2027!

Brownish orange tea colored, full bodied, thick chewy, rich unctuous, concentrated sweet honey, smoky almonds, lychee, sweet ripe caramel apple, apricot, pear and balanced citrus acidity, the lychee, caramel/vanilla, orange blossom finish goes on and on.

RM 93 points. 

At 356 g/L of residual sugar, this has over three times the sweetness level of Coca-Cola but its fruit nectar essence makes for sensuous pleasant sipping.
 
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=40335

Gala celebration dinner features Phelps Backus - Insignia Napa Cabernets

Gala celebration dinner features Phelps Backus and Insignia Napa Cabernets - a 'once (or twice) in a lifetime' tasting flight!

I've written often in these pages about various and customary investment strategies for building a wine cellar. Pick a varietal, a region/appellation profile that you like, determine key vintages that reflect the best of that wine, and pick key vintages you wish to commemorate for birth or anniversary years or other special occasions, all according to an acceptable budget. The result should be a selection of wines for all occasions - every day wines, once a week and once a month wines, and once a year or once in a lifetime special occasion wines.

Saturday was one of those special occasions warranting special wines... Attending Dr Dan's daughter Hillary's wedding, he gathered and served two very special wines for our reception dinner - Joseph Phelps Bachus and Phelps Insignia, from various vintages, showcase highlights from Dan's cellar collection.

Joseph Phelps Napa Valley Oakville Backus Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

You know its a special wine when each bottle label has its own serial number. This is the premier selection of the Joseph Phelps collection.

This 2005 release tasting was a bit closed and tight, at ten years old this has many years of life yet and may not even have reached its peak drinking window.

Dark inky garnet purple colored, smooth polished nicely balanced black berry and black raspberry fruits, tones of anise and cedar turning to a hints of dark mocha on the long lingering silky smooth tannin finish.

This is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon with 24 months in new oak.

Tasted alongside several Insignias its hard to pick a favorite. More on that below as we parsed the various vintages of Insignia.


Joseph Phelps Insignia vertical selection/collection - 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

What a treat to parse these different vintages. While the venue didn't allow for a technical tasting, since the bottles were dispersed across the select tables, and brought out serially by the servers, the selection of the flight was extraordinary and a very special treat indeed. And being a gala celebration, it didn't allow for discrimination of one glass to the next, hence, I won't endeavor to try to handicap or comment on each vintage, rather some comments and remembrance notes.

While Backus may be the ultra-premium label, Insignia is the flagship of the Joseph Phelps brand. It is a Cabernet based blend of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with highlights of Bordeaux varietals and an occasional Malbec, that vary from vintage to vintage. Annual production is around a thousand cases plus.

Phelps Insignia 2008
rear label

Phelps Insignia 2010
rear label

As I review my photo's of the labels. which is a great way to capture the tasting flight order, I note that the while the rear labels of Insignia cites the blend for that vintage, it does not reference the vintage (shown left)! What a shame since its impossible to match the blend to the vintage unless one pairs the photo of the front label with the rear label.

I cant imagine why they do this and find it hard to believe it is done on purpose, as much as I find it hard to believe that it is an oversight, being the flagship of such a sophisticated label, with so many years history. Frankly, its unfortunate and bit irritating when trying to recreate a tasting experience and learn from and critically review the various vintage reflections.

We started with the 2006 and that set a benchmark for the evening. Moving to the 2008, Bill cited that as his preference, while I favored the 2004. The '06 was tight and a bit closed while the '08 came across as more approachable and open.

More approachable still was the '04 which was not as firm, bold or concentrated, but tended to have more sweet tones which I tend to favor. Linda liked the more approachable '04 as well. Then the '10 was presented and it seemed to eclipse all the others in a symphony of refined polished perfectly balanced flavors.

Tonight's experience was consistent with my earlier tasting notes for this (2004) release: Dark ruby and inky purple color, full bodied, this required about an hour to open and reveal its true character and fruits - complex but elegant and polished rich deep concentrated notes of blackberries, cassis, with hints of rich, crème caramel, sweet oak and cedar with smooth polished finely integrated tannins on the long finish.

My photo log indicates we tasted the '07 in the series and I admit I don't have recollection or reflection on that release. Imagine that! Since it doesn't stand out one way or the other, then the fact is it was fine refined quality drinking and fit the occasion. 

All the releases showcased classic Insignia characteristics - complex concentrated full bodied jammy black berry, black raspberry and plum fruits with full gripping but smooth polished tannins on long lingering silky finishes.

Thanks, Danny for sharing a splendid flight - the best of the best ... from your cellar with us pour boys wine aficionados! I'd be remiss to not post a picture of our host, the father of the bride!

OTBN 2014

OTBN - Open That Bottle Night 2014

This night's tasting featured a varied selection of wines following a couple themes. One  commemorating this year being the 4th decade for Linda and me featured the four decade anniversary vintages of '74, '84, '94 and '04. The others reflected the spirit of OTBN, to bring whatever label was desired for drinking that night. As is always the case, the occasion produced a great tasting event of fabulous and interesting wines, great wine and food pairings, fellowship, friendship and fun.

Bill and Beth hosted and prepared a great wine friendly dinner of beef tenderloin, duck breast, scalloped potatoes, haricot verts, green salad, caprese salad and a desert course. Before dinner there was a selection of artisan cheeses, and shrimp cocktail.  A mixed green salad was accompanied by a cold tomato based soup.

The 'line-up'.

The OTBN (Open That Bottle Night) tradition calls for the event to occur the last Saturday night in February. This year's event was postponed twice, initially due to an outbreak of the flu and then for another conflict. So we declared tonight's tasting to effectively became our fourth OTBN in this column. See our 2011, 2012 and 2013 OTBN reports.

As written in this blog to explain previous OTBN's, here's the story. Credit (or blame) for this annual wine bachanalia goes to Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher, wine columnists for the Wall Street Journal. OTBN - Open That Bottle Night, was conceived for those that have a special bottle of wine or champagne hidden away being saved for a special occasion that for whatever reason hasn't happened.  

Every year since 2000, on the last Saturday night in February, Open That Bottle Night (OTBN) has been celebrated - the time to uncork and enjoy that cherished but here-to-for elusive bottle. OTBN was conceived by Gaiter and Brecher to say, what the heck, go for it, Open That Bottle (to)Night. They realized they weren't alone - having that special bottle set aside for an occasion that just never happens. On this night, you don't need an excuse or a reason - just do it! Take advantage of OTBN to open that bottle and enjoy it! Enjoy it by yourself, or better yet, enjoy it with someone special, or even better, with a group of special friends. Have everyone bring such a bottle and let the story telling begin, because amazingly, every OTBN bottle has a story or some meaning, or not. What the heck, Open That Bottle (To) Night!. Let the fun begin.   

The ritual for all our tasting events starts with the 'lineup', the exercise of lining up the bottles in the planned order of tasting. This is a fun debate that by default conforms to the prescribed tasting conventions - starting with the lighter and simpler wines first since a heavier or heartier wine will overpower lesser wines and you'll lose all sense of discrimination or calibration for them.

More precision on tasting order is:

Dry before sweet: This is probably the most important of the following rules, so if in doubt - opt for the "dry before sweet" rule. Sweet wines typically carry a long finish - drinking a dry wine with a short finish following a sweet wine with a long finish will almost always leave the dry wine tasting sour.

Old before young: Mature wines tend to provide the most subtle, elegant, and finessed nuances and should be sipped first to honor the complexity of the flavors that aging provides. Younger wines bear more tannin and fruit and will often wipe out some of the subtle qualities of older wines if tasted first.

White usually before Red: White wines are usually more delicate than reds - which is why many presume that red should always follow white. However, in some cases (ex. light Pinot Noir vs. full-flavored Voigners) sweeter wines pack a longer finish than dry wines, so save your sweet syrupy whites to follow drier reds for optimum flavor.

Light-bodied before full-bodied: The delicate flavors and aromas found in light-bodied wines will be missed entirely if consumed following tannic, robust reds.

Once the initial tasting order is set, part of the fun is testing it to see if we got it right based on the actual tasting results. Most often we get it right with just a few tweeks along the way. Again on this night, this was the case. 

Before we ventured into the flight, Bill served a pair of chardonnays with the pre-meal shrimp and assorted cheeses - Sancerre 2012 and Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Chardonnay 2009.

We started the red wine flight with two 1984 California Cabernet Sauvignons - Guenoc Lake County, and Silver Oak Napa Valley.

Guenoc Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon 1984

The story behind this bottle goes back to a tasting that occurred in July 1998 when I served a large format six liter bottle of this wine to colleagues from around the world at a global country managers meeting. Colleague Pete F and I entertained the group and I hosted a special wine tasting featuring 16 different wines from their respective countries from my cellar. One of the highlights of the tasting culminated with the 6 liter bottle the label of which we all signed (left). 

My notes from that event - "What do you expect from a 14 year old Lake County Cab? What a pleasant surprise to find this one full of berry, plum, cherry and an earthy mocha chocolate. This was tasted from a six liter bottle which no doubt held the fruit." 

The story about tonight's bottle resulted from our visit to the winery in the early 90's seeking a bottle of 1984 from their library. They said there weren't any for sale. When I told them I was holding this 6 liter bottle in my cellar for a special occasion and I wanted some from that vintage to 'test' before serving, they kindly obliged with a couple bottles. This is the last remaining bottle from that purchase. Read more about large format bottles.

I was prepared to dump this and move on to the next bottle, expecting that I had held onto this thirty year old for too long. Not to be as we were pleasantly surprised to find it was still holding was eminently drinkable, albeit with diminished color, structure and fruit being whispers of what they once were as noted above. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=34985

Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1984

Notice (above) the Silver Oak '84 bears the old historic 'silver' label that today is used only for the Alexander Valley release while Napa Valley is now adorned by an upscale painted bottle branding and packaging.

As with the Guenoc above, this was still drinkable although it had diminished color and fruit. That Silver Oak signature oakiness still predominated and stood out over the subdued earthy berry and cedar leathery finish. 

RM 84 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/editnote.asp?iWine=22527


Leoville Barton St Julien Bordeaux 1994

From Bill's cellar. From a more modest Bordeaux vintage, this still showed classic left bank complexity of earthy leather and notes of cedar with smooth polished subdued blackberry fruit accent with a hint of anise on a nicely refined lingering tannin finish.

RM 89 points. 


https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1174





Château Malescot St. Exupéry Margaux Bordeaux 2004

Bill had open this magnum of this savory Bordeaux to start the evening. 

Dark garnet colored, medium bodied with huge floral perfume aromatics that typify the best of Margaux. They give way to pleasant, nicely balanced black raspberry and black currant fruits with tones of anise, expresso, and hints of spicy mocha on a leathery tobacco finish. 


RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=87208




La Rioja Alta Viña Ardanza Reserva 2004

Lyle brought this Tempranillo based Rioja Reserva.

Garnet colored, medium bodied, black fruits give way to earthy, tobacco, spice, smoke and leather with a long balanced finish.

RM 90

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=844857




Peter Michael Les Pavots Sonoma County Knights Valley Red Wine 2005

Ernie brought these two Peter Michael selections from his cellar.

Les Pavots is an estate bottled Bordeaux blend from the slopes of Mt Helena above the eastern Knights Valley in Sonoma County.

Dark ruby colored, elegant and polished, full bodied with full complex concentrated layers of blackberry, black raspberry and blackcurrant with tones of black tea, cigar box and hint of dark mocha and cedar on a silky smooth finish.

Blend: 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot & 2% Petit Verdot

This got huge reviews and scores - 95 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator
and 93 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

RM 95 points.

 http://www.petermichaelwinery.com/

Peter Michael Esprit Des Pavots 2004

’Esprit des Pavots' literally means “The Spirit of the Poppies.” This wine is sourced from the original Les Pavots vineyard blocks recently replanted with the rarest and best clones of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

Dark ruby colored, full bodied, bright vibrant expressive full forward concentrated rich berry and plum fruits, smooth and polished despite complexity from hints of mocha, anise and black tea with full tannins on the lingering finish.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=224266

Joseph Phelps Insignia Napa Valley Red Wine 2004

Dan brought this and the Dominus Estate from his cellar - two napa Valley Bordeaux Blends. This may have been my favorite of the evening although the Les Pavots was a close second.

A blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 12% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec

Another huge point scorer with  97 points from Wine Enthusiast, 94 from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator.

Dark ruby and inky purple color, full bodied, this required about an hour to open and reveal its true charachter and fruits - complex but elegant, balanced and polished, rich deep concentrated notes of blackberries, cassis, with hints of rich, crème caramel, sweet oak and cedar with smooth polished finely integrated tannins on the long finish.

RM 95 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/editnote.asp?iWine=165834


Dominus Estate Napa Valley Red Wine 2010 

While this got a 100 point rating from Robert Parker, the most noted major reviewers, like so many Dominus releases, it may take a decade or more for it to reveal its full potential.

While clearly a spectacular wine, at this young age, its a bit closed and tight suppressing its fruits and other nuances.

Blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot

Dark garnet colored, full bodied, firm, dense concentrated complex layers of black fruits, black tea, creosote and anise with hints cedar of spice and dark chocolate with firm tight but well integrated tannins on the finish.

RM 94 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1374630



d'Arenberg Dead Arm McLaren Vale Shiraz 2004

Ernie also brought this from his cellar. The '04 is as big and dense as Dead Arm gets but was not as sweet as some vintages.

Dark inky black purple color, full bodied, thick, dense, tongue-coating unctuous layer of ripe plum, black raspberry, ripe blueberry and a layer of anise and black cherry with a spicy long firm tannin lingering finish.

RM 92 points.

 https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=246254



Taylor (Fladgate) Vintage Port Quinta de Vargellas 1974

I acquired this bottle at the legendary British wine merchant Berry Bros. & Rudd at their shop at 3 St James's Street London back in the early eighties. Back then of course you carry it in your hand luggage on the airplane.


Single Quinta Vintage Port (SQVP) is a title given to Port wines produced from a single vineyard (quinta) and from in a single vintage.

This is regarded by many as the most exciting category of port wine, since it offers the winemaker the opportunity to explore a more terroir-driven approach to fortified winemaking. An emerging style, SQVP started to gain popularity after 1986 when transportation restrictions were raised and smaller estates started to enter the market.

Single-quinta, or single-vineyard, vintage Porto is produced only in exceptional years in which a general vintage is not declared. Quinta de Vargellas vineyard has been part of the Taylor Fladgate estate for more than a century. It is known as one of the top 100 vineyards in the world with the highest percentage of old vines of any quinta in the Douro, with 60% over 75 years old. 


The 1974 vintage was a moderate year that was not declared by the major port houses. Some excellent single harvest colheitas were produced. For the vintage ports, despite a huge crop, very few vintage port-wines were bottled from this year and the bottles are very rare.

Quinta de Vargellas is the flagship of Taylor Fladgate's declared vintage Portos. In the best undeclared years, Quinta de Vargellas is produced on its own as a single-quinta vintage Porto.

While top vintage Vintage Ports often age for several decades, these SQVP's tend to last a decade or two so at forty years of age, this was pushing the limits of its aging window. Furthermore, the bottle and cork showed some signs of seepage although I don't recall ever noticing this in the cellar. Lastly, upon decanting, there was no less than a half a cup of sediment resembling coffee grounds in the bottom of the bottle. 

This was a bit lean in body and the color was a bit opaque and showed tones of rust color with an orangish hue. It had a big aromatic nose and flavors of intense concentrated black berries, black raspberry, and anise, with tones of cloves, cedar and touch of smoke with a big strong layer of high alcohol. It open immediately and continued to soften throughout the evening. It was drinkable and a tribute to our 1974 anniversary celebration but clearly nearing its end of life.  

Two nights later this was smooth and nicely balanced and resembled a moderate cognac which we enjoyed with some caramel, chocolate and berries. 

RM 85 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=36107

Taylor Fladgate Vintage Porto Quinta de Vargellas 1995

Lyle is a big port enthusiast and he matched my Taylor Fladgate with this vintage selection. 

Dark ruby colored, medium bodied, intense berry, dried raisins, fig with layers of cedar and anise with a long fruity, alcohol laced finish. 

RM 88 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=19047




The OTBN crew and their wine contributions to the flight are pictured below.

The hosts - Bill and Beth. 

 The author/blogger of unwindwine blogspot.

Grand Tour Chicago - Wine Tasting Extravaganza

Grand Tour Chicago - Wine Tasting Extravaganza

One of the ultimate wine tasting experiences besides actually visiting wine country is Wine Spectator's annual/bi-annual* Grand Tour - a wine tasting extravaganza of over two hundred producers. While its not a substitute for visiting wine country, it is an opportunity to meet the winemakers or producer representative directly, rather than their local distributors, which is the case is most tasting events.

There is something for everyone from standard bearer First Growths to breakout producers and new vintage releases, some revealing the artwork of new winemakers. A highlight is discovering new emerging labels or established labels entering new markets. Such was the case with the 2011 Grand Tour bi-annual visit to Chicago. Again this year it was held at Navy Pier's Grand Ballroom.

* Most cities including Chicago host Grand Tour every other year. 

Grand Tour in the Navy Pier Grand Ballroom

Such a broad and diverse offering can be daunting. One can approach the challenge of so many choices several ways - look for new discoveries, focus on known producers' new releases, wander serendipitously or randomly, or some combination thereof. We develop a detailed plan of what producers we want to visit and then determine tasting based on what they are serving - avoiding lackluster features and offerings we've already experienced. Our tasting route follows countries and regions that we know and collect - no room for experimentation in our plan.

Tasting so many wines in one evening quickly overwhelms the palate so we taste wines with which we have previous experience or familiarity. Lack of or diminished palate discrimination hinders wandering into new realms.We also focus on the more complex sophisticated wines early and move to the bigger, 'narrower' wines from there. You probably figured out by now - we taste reds and don't spend time on whites at such an event - the sole exception being Inniskillin Niagara Peninsula Riesling Icewine 2007 which was according to plan.

 We tend to focus on our selections and not be tempted to venture off plan otherwise one will never get through their preference list. We've been very diligent in keeping to our plan over the years although we deviated moreso this year than previously due to the size of our group.

Rick with Dan Kosta of Kosta Brown

Our preference list was only fifteen  percent of those available which is still thirty wines. I hit all but the most of the last half dozen which were ports as I ventured off and did explore some discoveries in chosen categories, such as the Aussie Shiraz's mentioned below, for example.

In the Pinot Noirs, we tasted perennial favorites Kosta Browne Russian River Valley 2009, Domaine Serene Evensted Reserve 2007, and Freestone Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2007, as all were pouring as yet untasted new releases.

The first growth Bordeaux features were Chateau Mouton Rothschild serving the spectacular 2005 vintage and Chateau Margaux pouring their 2004. We started with these as the chance to taste First Growth Bordeaux wines is a special occasion and valued experience. A Pauillac comparison was available with the Lynch Bages 2005, and the Pontet Canet 2008. Margaux was best represented of the Bordeaux appellations with Chateau Margaux, Chateau Palmer 2004, Brane-Cantenac 2003, Du Tertre 2005, and Giscours 2005. St Estpehe was represented by long favorite Cos d'Estournel. Standouts from the Bordeaux' besides the Mouton were Lynch Bages, Brane-Cantenac and  the Cos d'Estournel. Conspicuously modest and subdued was the Chateau Margaux '04 - perhaps too young to reveal itself.

Consensus highlight of the 'Big Cab' offerings was the Joseph Phelps Insignia 2006 with its rich chewy forward fruit and complexity. Notable entries were Niebaum-Coppola Rubicon '06, Beaulieu Vineyards Georges De Latour '07, Cliff Lede Poetry '07, and Beringer Private Reserve 2007 Cabernet Sauvignons. We passed on the Robert Mondavi Reserve Cabernet, Chateau St Jean Cinq Cepages and Etude. A new release offering that showed well was Gemstone Vineyards Yountville Ten (10th Anniversary Release) 2006 which is now made by Phillip Melka. The consensus underachievement was the Caymus Special Select 2008 as I was alone in our group to give it high marks.

We overlooked and missed the 2007 HALL "Exzellenz" Sacrashe Vineyard Red Wine ($165) not recognizing yet another new label, which was unfortunate given her recent spectacular releases of her Kathyrn Hall label. We skipped the Provenance having just recently enjoyed their 2007 Cabernet (perhaps their best to date). 

The Australian Shiraz category featured several new discoveries including Two Hands 'Zippy's Block' Single Vineyard Ronnefeldt Road Marananga Barossa Valley Shiraz 2007, D'Arenberg poured their highly rated 2006 vintage Dead Arm, Penfolds their RWT (we skipped both having already tasted), and Mollydooker poured their top shelf Velvet Glove Shiraz 2009. Two other Australian Shiraz discoveries of the evening were the Chateau Tanunda very limited release 2008 'The Château' - '100 YEAR OLD VINE' Shiraz and Hentley Farm 'Clos Otto' Barossa Valley Greenock Creek Shiraz 2008. Pictured at left is Chateau Tanunda's Dagmar O'Neill pouring 100 Year Vines Shiraz for Bill C.




The Grand Tour remains a highlight of our tasting experiences each year. At $200 it is not for the every day casual wine drinker or those content/satisfied to drink modest wines. For those looking to test their palate discrimination, to explore a wide variety or broad selection of wines, then the tour offers just that. of course there are many wine tasting opportunities out there that are less extravagant. With so many selections, care must be taken to pace, spit, and cleanse - not drink/taste too much too fast, spit rather than drink (swallow) if you're looking to taste more than you would normally drink, and rinse and cleanse your palate with the furnished water, bread, or crackers regularly to maintain any sense of discrimination. 

This year,  based on lessons learned in years past, we ate just before arriving which reduced the distraction of the institutional buffet food., and time taken from the wines. As we're not getting younger and some have bad knees, next year we'll absolutely have to pre-arrange for transportation back to the hotel - and as such we got hotel rooms in the city to simplify getting home at the end of the long evening. All that said, we're 'All-In', looking forward to the next Grand Tour, which regretably but also thankfully is at least a year away!

The folks from Hentley Farm (above)  and their
'Clos Otto' Barossa Valley Greenock Creek Shiraz 2008

The jury - Rick, Ernie, Bill, Dan, Eric and Lyle.