Pour Boys Veal Marsala Wine Dinner

Fabulous Wine Flight with Pour Boys Veal Marsala Wine Dinner ...

 We were invited to fellow ‘Pour Boy’, (our wine group), Dr, Dan, and Linda for dinner. 

They prepared Veal Marsala with buttered mashed potatoes, Brussels Sprouts, and Tomatoes with herbs, crustin and goat cheese. 

Before dinner there grilled shrimp, cheese and mango blintzes, and a medley of artisan cheeses with fresh fruits, nuts and assorted biscuits. 

Over the course of the evening we had a wonderful wine flight starting with a Willamette Oregon Pinot Noir, a Napa Valley Diamond Mountain Cabernet, and finishing with a special limited release Shiraz. 

I took from our home cellar a bottle of one of our favorite Pinots. Readers of these pages know we don’t do a lot of Pinot Noir, but this is a special bottle we keep in our cellar for special occasions. We discovered and first tasted this label during a weekend getaway in the city (Chicago) during an enjoyable memorable afternoon lunch on the patio overlooking the Chicago River at Smith & Wollensky.   

Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2011 

This is from the estate of Grace and Ken Evenstad who settled in the Willamette Valley, Oregon in 1989 to craft  Pinot Noir wines equivalent to those of Burgundy from Oregon fruit. They established Domaine Serene, a 42-acre hilltop estate in the Dundee Hills in Yamhill County, effectively creating Oregon’s luxury wine industry. In 2001, they constructed a state-of-the-art, five-level, gravity-flow Pinot Noir winery. The notable Ken Wright, vintner and producer, was Domaine Serene's first winemaker.

In the ensuring years they acquired and developed several more vineyards in the area growing Domaine Serene to over 1,000 acres, with 300 planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Today they craft a portfolio of ultra-premium single vineyard designated labels, this reserve, an entry level cuvée, and also a line of Chardonnays, all sourced from individual estate vineyards.

In 2018, the couple was honored with Wine Spectator's Distinguished Service Award.

This ‘Evenstad Reserve’ label is the Domaine Serene flagship wine, a blend crafted from best select barrels each year to create a reserve wine that is consistent in both quality and flavor profile. The ‘Evenstad Reserve’ Collection has earned world-class accolades over the years, including Wine Spectator's #1 Pinot Noir in the World (2013) and #1 White Wine in the World (2016).

Domaine Serene aims for consistency and character in their flagship "Evenstad Reserve" Pinot Noir, a complex blend of fruit from different clonal selections and sites in the Dundee and Eola Hills. The 2011 was aged for 13 months in 55% new French oak. 

Producer’s Notes: "A true illustration of the art of blending, the Evenstad Reserve® Pinot Noir is a wonderfully complex wine that delivers an array of red fruits, caramel, baking spice, vanilla, dried flowers, and potpourri. On the palate, this elegant wine shows a harmonious balance of structure, richness and acidity with soft tannins and a clean, lingering finish. With clonal variation and site driven diversity, we are able to craft this wine to our precise and exacting standards year after year."

At fourteen years of age, this was at, but likely nearing the end of its prime drinking window. The label, foil and most importantly, the cork and fill level were pristine. 

This release was awarded 92 points by James Suckling and 91 points by Wine Enthusiast. 

Ruby colored medium bodied, smooth and elegant with bright ripe red berry fruits, floral, earthy, dusty rose petal, tangy acids and smooth polished fine tannins on the finish.

RM 91 points. 

https://www.domaineserene.com/shop/2011-domaine-serene-evenstad-reserve-pinot-noir-15l

With the dinner course we had this Napa Valley Diamond Mountain Cabernet.

Diamond Creek Napa Valley Diamond Mountain Red Rock Terrace Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 

We visited the magnificent Diamond Creek Vineyards and Winery back in 2011 as featured in this post - Diamond Mountain Wine Experience - Diamond Creek Vineyards.

We then tasted and acquired this wine together at the Diamond Creek Winery Chateau 2015 vintage release party on Diamond Mountain during our Napa / Sonoma Valley Wine Experience back in 2017- as featured in this blogpost -  Diamond Creek Open House 2015 Release Tasting.

Diamond Creek Red Rock Terrace Cabernet Sauvignon is one of four single vineyard designated lablels made by Diamond Creek with the Cabernet Sauvignon variety from estate vineyards on Diamond Mountain in nortern Napa Valley.

Known as the first Californian winery to bottle 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines from the same plot, Diamond Creek Vineyard is a benchmark for great winemakers. Founded in 1968 by Al Brounstein and his wife Adele Boots, this project started with identifying the differences in the soil composition and the slope of the terrain when planting the vines. They ended up with four vineyards with very special characteristics: Volcanic Hill, Red Rock Terrace, Gravelly Meadow, and Lake Vineyard - four unique plots with four distinctive exclusive wines with a marked character of their own. 

Following the death of the founders, the winery was acquired in 2020 by the exclusive Maison Louis Roederer.

Diamond Creek Red Rock Terrace Cabernet Sauvignon comes solely from the small Red Rock Terrace plot of less than 3 hectares of vineyards planted in reddish soils with a high iron content. Throughout the year they enjoy a warmer climate and are meticulously cultivated through environmentally friendly agriculture.

In the winery, once the best grapes have been selected to make Diamond Creek Red Rock Terrace Cabernet Sauvignon, they are crushed to ferment and macerate at a controlled temperature. The wine is then aged in 225-litre wooden barrels for about 18 months.

Diamond Creek Red Rock Terrace Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

We tasted this wine as part of the three labels vintage release tasting at the release party and it immediately became my favorite, and the benchmark against which the others were compared. This was the most vibrant and expressive fruit of the three, although the others' fruit gave way to more complexity with layer of accent flavors.

This release was awarded 99 points by Robert Parker’s Wine advocate in 2018, and 94 points Vinous and 93 points by Wine Enthusiast.

Two months ago in November, 2025,  Antonio Galloni wrote, “the 2015 has aged exquisitely”. While the legendary long lived anticipated maturity is projected to be 2032-2052, tonight this was spectacular and hard to imagine it will improve more with further aging. In 2018, Lisa Perrotti-Brown of Robert Parker gave it 99 points and projected anticipated maturity from 2020-2044.

Like that memorable tasting at the winery, tonight, this was fabulous, even better having aged ten years in bottle. 

Deep garnet-purple colored, medium full bodied, rich, round, structured, complex, layered blackberry, black raspberry and plum fruits with earthy notes of herbs, graphite, creme de cassis, dark mocha chocolate, cinnamon spice and licorice, hints of vanilla and cedar, with super ripe, fine-grained tannins on a polished finish. 

RM 95 points. 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/3430910

https://diamondcreekvineyards.com/red-rock-terrace/

https://diamondcreekvineyards.com/

With dessert, Dan opened another 2015 vintage, this special limited release Shiraz/Syrah from Washington State. 

Long Shadows Vintage Select Bin 898 Columbia Valley Syrah 2015

Dan acquired this limited release label crafted by legendary winemaker John Duvall, winemaker of the iconic Penfolds Grange Australian Shiraz. Duvall was recruited by Long Shadows to produce “Sequel” as part of the Vintners Collection series of master winemaker labels. 

We discovered Long Shadows and joined their wine club during our visit to the Long Shadows Cellars winery visit - featuring world class winemakers and Columbia Valley fruit, as part of our Seattle Culinary and Woodinville and Washington Wine Tour was a visit to the Long Shadows Wine Cellars tasting room back in 2018. 

This highly allocated limited release bottling was available only through the Long Shadows wine club - 125 cases were produced. It was rated 94 points by Wine Advocate and 93 points by Owen Bargreen.

This is a unique blend of 83% Syrah and 17% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Dark garnet inky purple colored, full bodied, dense, concentrated, complex structured blackberry, plum and black raspberry fruits with creosote, tobacco leaf, floral, clove and cinnamon spice notes on a tangy tongue puckering finish. 

RM 93 points. .  

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?3383466

https://longshadows.com/library/sequel-bin-898/15399

 

Pour Boys tasting red wines with blue cheese assortment

Pour Boys Wine Weekend Kick-off continues with red wine tasting with blue cheese assortment 

Following our Pour Boys Wine Weekend Kick-off Dinner, early dinner on the eve of our Pour Boys ‘Winers & Diners’ Gala Wine Dinner, we came home and had a relaxed evening socializing, catching up, and sipping some wines with artisan cheeses and fresh fruits. 

Inspired by the special feature in the current issue of Wine Spectator on blue cheeses paired with wines, I had gone out and picked up selection of Murray’s Blues - Cotswald, Cave Gorgonzola, Blue Stilton and Smokehaus Blue. We enjoyed these with assorted biscuits/crackers and fresh berries, pears and apples. 

All of these were fabulous and enhanced the wine pairing with the red wines. I especially liked the Cotswald and the Blue Stilton! 

We have many wines in our cellar acquired with fellow Pour Boy Bill, or tasted at special tastings or wine producer visits together. So it is that we pull these to revisit with Bill when the occasion arises. One such wine is from Arns on Howell Mountain that we visited together during our Napa Wine Experience in 2013 as featured in this blogpost - Arns Napa Valley Estate Vineyards Visit. We tasted and acquired this label at the winery that day.

Here we are with John Arns in the Arns Winery and Vineyarda barrel room. 

Arns "Estate Grown" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 

We first discovered Arns in Washington DC at Andy Bassin’s MacArthur Wines. Co-producer Sandy Belcher hails from Virginia and would take wine back to supply MacArthurs during her pilgrimages home. 

This release was part of the flight of Arns Cabs we tasted and subsequently acquired at the winery during our visit in 2013. 

This release was rated 92 points by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, and 90 points by Connoisseur’s Guide, 89 points by Wine Enthusiast.

Dark garnet colored with purple hues, medium to full-bodied, focused, concentrated, structured blackberry and blackcurrant fruit flavors with notes of dark mocha chocolate, cassis and expresso on a lingering tannin laced finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2445860

Another joy of having a cellar collection is to share favored wines with friends. Trolling the cellar, Bill came across and was eager to try this producer label which we opened to enjoy with the cheeses and fruits. 

Long Shadows Vintners Collection Pirouette 2017

We’re members of the Long Shadows wine club and hold nearly a decade of vintages of their various label releases.

Checking our cellar inventory, we hold nearly a decade of vintages of this label so we pulled one of the oldest in our holdings, and one year adjacent to a recent earlier release tasting. We supplemented our wine club allocation with several bottles of this label acquired at auction, which we opened tonight. 

As I wrote in a recent blogpost - Pirouette Red Blend at Sullivan’s Steakhouse Naperville, this is one of our favorite labels for a Bordeaux varietal red blend, a sleeper, not well known or sufficiently regarded, given the pedigree of the winemaker and the quality of the product. 

This is the Bordeaux varietal red blend from the Long Shadows Vintners's Collection that features world class winemakers and Washington State Columbia Valley fruit. 

This label is produced in collaboration with legendary winemakers Philippe Melka, named one of the top nine winemakers in the world by Robert Parker, and Agustin Huneeus, Sr., another legendary wine producer. 

We visited their initial collaborative project, August Huneeus’ Quintessa Vineyards, crafted by Philippe Melka, as part of our Napa Valley Wine Experience back in 2003.  

I’ve written about Philip Melka numerous times in these pages including that tasting at Sullivan’s Steakhouse post and previously - Château Boswell Napa Valley Estate Reserve Red Wine 2016. I featured Huneeus in a recent blogpost here - Faust Napa Cab with St Pat’s Dinner.

We’ve featured Long Shadows and their vintners collection in these pages, including our visit to their hospitality center and tasting room in Woodinville (WA), as part of Seattle Wine and Dine - Washington State Wines Tastings in Woodinville.

The 2017 Pirouette is a left-bank Bordeaux blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 13% Malbec, and the rest Petit Verdot, crafted from small lots from Washington State's finest vineyards.  It was aged 22 months in French oak barrels with 85% being new.

 

Winemaker notes - “The Cabernet Sauvignon, primarily sourced from a collection of Red Mountain’s best vineyards, gives Pirouette the structure and textured richness that has come to characterize this acclaimed growing region. A small percentage of old vine Cabernet from Sagemoor Vineyard, planted in 1972, adds complexity. Merlot brings juicy richness to the finished wine. Malbec from Sonnet Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills adds spice. Finally, Dionysus Vineyard’s Petit Verdot enhances the wine’s color and contributes to the wine’s layers of intense aromas and flavors.’

“The 2017 Pirouette has an expressive nose with a firm core of dark fruit and mocha flavors, displaying a layered concentration of black cherry and well-integrated oak spices. Vibrant and full-bodied across the mid-palate, this is a texturally pleasing wine with a broad and lengthy finish.” 

This was a blockbuster release, rated 96 points by Jeb Dunnuck and International Wine Report, 94 by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and 93 by Steve Tanzer.

Dunnuck wrote - “It can be drunk today but will develop additional complexity with 3-4 years of bottle age and keep for two decades or more.”

Dark ruby colored, full bodied, vibrant expressive expressive vibrant blackberry, plum and black currant fruits with savory accents of cinnamon and clove spice, bitter dark chocolate and crème de cassis with smooth polished tannins on a sumptuous finish.

RM 94 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?3581703

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3581703

https://longshadows.com/library/pirouette/6951

https://longshadows.com/

@LongShadowsWine

@unwindwine

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2025/04/big-reds-with-tomahawk-beefsteaks.html?spref=tw

Pirouette BYOB with Familiar Favorites at Entourage DG

Pirouette BYOB with Familiar Favorites at Entourage DG 

Seeking pre-weekend early Friday dinner, we dined at Entourage Entourage DG (Downers Grove) Downers Grove, intent of enjoying some of our familiar favorite Entourage dinner selections as featured in these pages in earlier blogposts. 

In the end, we ordered these same two entrees as with  a previous visit - Fontanafredda Barolo with Meatloaf at Entourage DG, as excerpted below.

It would’ve been nice sitting outside on the street front tables watching the workers and vendors set up the tents and the stands for this weekend’s Downers Fest, before the madness set in, but the skies opened with cloudbursts and thunder outside just as we were arriving. 

Taking advantage of their call ahead ‘priority’ seating option, we were promptly seated inside. With somewhat limited seating, and growing popularity, it’s becoming a tough seat for dinner so mid-afternoon is a smart time to visit Entourage for easier access seating, such as was the case today, in the dining room and at the bar.  

I’m almost reticent to share this secret as I don’t want to have to compete with bigger crowds for a table at this venue but I’d be remiss to not mention “‘Social Hour at Entourage DG!”,  Where Small Plates, Specialty Cocktails, Wines by the Glass and Beer are 1/2 off! Weekdays from 3PM - 5PM Sun - Thurs 8PM to close / Fri - Sat 9PM to close.” 

Reader’s of these pages know we’ve featured Entourage often, as it has become one of our favorite go to dining destinations in the western suburbs of Chicago in recent months, as shown in some of the links below - 

Spectacular dining experience at Entourage Restaurant Downers Grove

Lunch/Dinner Redux at Entourage DG

Plumpjack Reserve Napa Chardonnay at Entourage Restaurant Naperville

Signorello Hope’s Chardonnay BYOB at Entourage DG

Mother’s Day Eve Dinner - BYOB @ Entourage DG

Exec Team (Reunion) Dinner At Entourage DG

Taking advantage of the Social Hour, ‘early bird’ specials, we ordered the Rosemary Focaccia Bread - “Made Fresh Daily”, served with Mediterranean Olives and Sea Salt Butter. While it may be easy to discount this as a simple bread plate, it’s delicious! 

Additionally, prior to our main course, we enjoyed the Roasted Beets and Whipped Goat Cheese Salad - Arugula, Baby Gem with Spicy Pecans, Fennel, Hot Honey and Grapefruit Citrus Vinaigrette. As always, this was delicious - a wonderful pairing of flavors.

As intended when we set out for Entourage tonight, I ordered what is one of my favorite dishes on the menu, their signature Wagyu Meatloaf Sundae - Truffle + Parmesan Whipped Potatoes, Brioche, Wild Mushroom Gravy,  Vegetable Succotash topped with Crispy Onions.

This signature entree continues to be amazing, delicious and ample in portions - enough for a follow on take home meal. Two huge slices of meatloaf, and not enough of the delectable pomme puree’! But where would you put it in that tower, or what they call a ‘Sundae’!

Last time we ordered this, we actually ordered an extra to take home for a follow-on meal.  

Linda had what has become one of her favorite go-to dishes - the Spicy Shrimp & Jalapeno Grits - Blackened Wild Shrimp, Andouille Sausage, Charred Jalapeno, Charred Corn, Baby Peppers and Creole Cream.

This was equally delicious, but it’s too spicy for my tastes, okay for hers, although she set aside the Jalapeno’s. Nice portion size for a ‘small plate’.

Often, we bring two bottles of wine, a red and a white, to offer two choices based on what we end up ordering. 

Tonight, we brought from our home cellar just one BYOB special bottle that was an ideal pairing with my Waygu beef meatloaf. 

Long Shadows Vintners Collection “Pirouette” Columbia Valley Red Blend 2009 

Having just received the latest release of this label, as part of our wine club allocation shipment, I pulled the oldest vintage of this label to drink, as part of cellar inventory management rotation, from the nearly dozen vintages of this label that we hold in our cellar. We’ve actually supplemented our collection of this label with additional bottles from auction house Wine Bid (as shown below).

As part of the Vintner’s Collection portfolio, world class winemakers are selected to work in collaboration with Long Shadows to produce world class wines, sourced from fruit from the finest selected vineyards in Washington State Columbia Valley. 

This special bottling label is crafted by legendary winemakers Philippe Melka and Agustin Huneeus, Sr., teamed to combine the traditions of old world winemaking, the advancements of new world technology, and small lots from Washington State's finest vineyards to craft this red blend.

Pirouette is made by Philippe Melka, named one of the top nine winemakers in the world by Robert Parker, selected to produce this signature label for the Winemakers Collection.

We have long been fans of Philippe Melka and his signature labels Matisse and 'CJ', named for his children, and for his consulting winemaker contributions to a dozen of notable high end brands across Napa Valley.

While we had owned the various labels over the years, we really discovered Long Shadows at the Long Shadows Wine Cellars tasting room during our Woodinville Wine Experience. We joined their club and have been taking regular shipments of the collection ever since. They provide remarkable wines at great value relative QPR. 

Philippe Melka, widely recognized as one of the leading craftsmen of his trade, graduated from the University of Bordeaux, France, where he received a degree in geology in 1989. After taking a course in Terroir and Viticulture, he aspired to become a winemaker. After earning a second degree in Agronomy and Enology, he applied what he learned working at prestigious wineries in Australia, Italy, California and France, including some of the world's most revered producers, Petrus, Haut Brion and Dominus, among others.

In Napa Valley, Melka honed his craft while contributing to the production of several highly acclaimed wines from a number of the most elite estates including Marston, Seavey, Constant, Lail, Bryant Family, Caldwell, Quintessa (which is owned by collaborator in this label, Augustin Hunneus), Hundred Acre, and Vineyard 29.

Today, Philippe Melka and his wife, Cherie, reside at Melka Cellars in Napa Valley. Cherie is an accomplished wine professional and laboratory manager at Silver

This is one of our favorite, best drinking labels in our cellar, ideal for our red meat selections, a red Bordeaux varietal blend, that is more moderate in the blend than a Cab Sav predominate Left Bank, or a Merlot predominate Right Bank. This is a blend of  57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Malbec sourced primarily from Red Mountain in the Central Columbia Valley.. 

The Cabernet Sauvignon is from Red Mountain Vineyards, manifested in this wine in the structure and textured richness characterized by the grapes from this acclaimed growing region. From the Dionysus Vineyard, Petit Verdot adds layers of complex aromas and flavors. The remainder of the blend is from select Wahluke Slope vineyards. The Merlot brings juicy richness to the finished wine; Cabernet Franc adds a hint of earthiness; and Malbec contributes appealing spice and beautiful color.

This wine fermented in 400-liter wood barrels with wild yeasts. . 

This release was packaged in a painted bottle, while later vintages had the traditional printed paper labels.  

Winemaker Notes - “The 2009 Pirouette offers vibrant aromas of black cherry, violets, and incense that leap from the glass. Ripe currant flavors, hints of black olive, roasted coffee bean and vanilla nuances provide layers of depth, with excellent structure and polished tannins contributing to its lengthy finish.”

This release was rated 95 points and Cellar Selection by Wine Enthusiast, 93 by Vinous, and 91 points by Wine Spectator, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and Connoisseur’s Guide. 

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, elegantly polished, smoothly textured, a symphony of finely integrated layers of ripe blackberry and black cherry accented by notes of dark chocolate, cassis, spice and a nice complement of oak with silky tannins and soft mouthfeel on a lingering vibrant finish.

Dark garnet colored, full bodied, concentrated, intense, rich, round ripe black raspberry, blackberry and black currant fruits accented by bright sprites of cassis, dark chocolate, dark spices and herbs, complemented by notes of sweet oak, finishing with lingering perfume, length and seizing tannic grip. 

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=1443779

https://longshadows.com/

Long Shadows Sequel Shiraz 2015

Long Shadows Sequel Shiraz 2015

Wife Linda prepared roasted chicken with tomatoes, onions, peppars and cheese, served with baked apples and arugula and sweet potatoes, with toasted Parmesan sour dough bread. 

I had already pulled from the cellar this hearty Aussie Shiraz, the oldest in our vertical collection of this label spanning half dozen vintages.  

As chronicled in my recent blogpost, excerpted below, on the Long Shadows Vintner's Collection, this is part of the portfolio of six premium wines produced by legendary winemakers from around the world who are masters for their artwork with specific varietal wines.  

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/11/thanksgiving-feast-features-rhone-wine.html

At ten years of age, the label, foil, and most importantly the fill level and cork (shown) were ideal condition. This was likely at the apex of its drinking window, but will certainly hold for several more years to come. 

Long Shadows Wineries Vintner’s Collection Sequel Syrah 2015

This Sequel Syrah is crafted by legendary Syrah winemaker John Duval, known for the leading Syrah label from Australia, Penfold's Grange. We hold a OWC (original wood case) of the 1990 Penfold's Grange, commemorating Alec's birth year. That label was Wine Spectator's Wine of the Year for the year 1993. 

I wrote back then, “This could likely improve with some further aging as it could benefit from some time to settle and should improve with a couple more years to achieve more balance and harmony as it reaches the apex of its drinking window, which clearly will be another decade or more. With our deep cellar, we'd normally hold a bottle like this for a while before consuming but we tried it now since it is available still at Binny's, our local wine super store so we can go get some more to replace this bottle and stock up some more, (even though we're in the highest level of the Long Shadows wine club and will be receiving some in our shipment allocation; but that will be the next 2016 vintage and we'll want to hold the '15, as it is birthyear of two grandkids, Reid and Jessie.).” 

We just acquired a mixed case of vintage Long Shadows in their cellar clearance so we pulled this, the oldest vintage in our collection of this label as part of cellar management. 

Consistent with that earlier tasting …. 

Dark inky purple colored, rich, thick concentrated ripe black berry and black raspberry fruits, black pepper, smoked meat and subtle notes of camphor, vanilla and caramel. 

RM 93 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2777751

https://www.longshadows.com/

Pirouette Red Blend at Sullivan’s Steakhouse Naperville

Long Shadow’s Pirouette Red Blend at Sullivan’s Steakhouse Naperville 

To celebrate a major business transaction, we went out to dinner at Sullivan’s Steakhouse, Naperville. We both ordered steaks and from the wine list, a Red Bordeaux varietal blend from a notable producer and winemaker. 

I ordered the signature 8 oz filet of beef with a side of garlic mashed potatoes. 

Linda ordered the simple price fixe menu, a six ounce filet which came with Bordelaise sauce and a side of garlic mashed potatoes. Had we known it came with the potatoes, it would’ve saved us ordering a redundant duplicate order of such! Equally disturbing was the fact her filet seemed to be a larger portion and nicer cut than mine. C’est la vie. 

I was seriously considering ordering a lobster tail as a side to my steak, but opted for the lobster tempura starter instead, which provided us each a small tail. The impetus for this was to compare with lobster spring roles that we had as a starter at Bijoux Restaurant in Destin last fall. The spring rolls were much better! I would suggest a pass on the Sullivan’s tempura. 

The highlight of the dinner was our wine selection from the Sullivan wine list. This was a perfect pairing with the grilled beefsteaks. 

Long Shadows Vintners Collection Pirouette Red Blend 2014

This is one of our favorite labels for a Bordeaux varietal red blend, a sleeper, not well known or sufficiently regarded, given the pedigree of the winemaker and the quality of the product. This is the Bordeaux varietal red blend from the Long Shadows Vintners's Collection that features world class winemakers and Washington State Columbia Valley fruit. We’ve featured Long Shadows and their vintners collection, and our visit to their hospitality center and tasting room in Woodinville (WA) in these pages. 

We’re members of the Long Shadows wine club and hold nearly a decade of vintages of their various label releases. Checking out cellar inventory, we hold every vintage of this label going back to the year following this vintage, hence this was an obvious choice to find this aged vintage release of this label. 

This label is the collaboration of two legendary winemakers, Philippe Melka and Agustin Huneeus, Sr. teamed to combine the heritage of old world winemaking with the advancements of new world technology, using small lots from Washington State’s finest vineyards to craft this exotic red blend.

Agustin Huneeus entered the wine business in Chile in 1960 to lead Concha y Toro, a company he grew to become Chile’s largest winery. In 1971, he moved to New York, then later to California, continuing in the wine industry before becoming a partner and president of Franciscan Estates in 1985.

In addition to building Franciscan, he also built well-known California wineries Estancia and Mount Veeder and Veramonte Winery in Chile. In 1999, he left Franciscan to establish Huneeus Vintners, a portfolio that includes Napa Valley’s Quintessa where he worked with talented winemaker Phillip Melka.

The 2016 Pirouette is partially crafted by Philippe Melka, named one of the top nine winemakers in the world by Robert Parker, selected to produce this signature label for the Winemakers Collection.

We have long been fans of Philippe Melka and his signature labels Matisse and 'CJ', named for his children.

While we had owned the various labels over the years, we really discovered Long Shadows at the Long Shadows Wine Cellars tasting room during our Woodinville Wine Experience. We joined their club and have been taking regular shipments of the collection ever since. They provide remarkable wines at great value relative QPR. 

Philippe Melka, widely recognized as one of the leading craftsmen of his trade, graduated from the University of Bordeaux, France, where he received a degree in geology in 1989. After earning a master's degree in agronomy and enology, he worked at some of the most famous wineries in the world: Château Cheval Blanc, Pétrus and Château Haut-Brion, among others. There he developed a passion for and expertise in cabernet-based blends. 

He then went on to working at prestigious wineries in Australia, Italy, California.

In 1994, Philippe settled in Napa Valley where he developed his reputation making wines for such celebrated wineries as Hundred Acre, Quintessa, Bryant Family, Seavey, Constant, Lail, Dana Estates and Vineyard 29 before joining the dream project partnering with Agustin Hunneus from Quintessa and Allen Shoup at Long Shadows. 

Today, Philippe Melka and his wife, Cherie, reside at Melka Cellars in Napa Valley. Cherie is an accomplished wine professional and laboratory manager at Silver Oak.

The Pirouette Vintners' Collection label collaboration was launched with the inaugural 2003 vintage.

Philippe Melka, named one of the top nine winemakers in the world by Robert Parker, used small lots from Washington State's finest vineyards to craft this enticing red blend. Seeking to create a wine with complexity and layers, the winemakers chose a diverse selection of Columbia Valley vineyard sites, each contributing unique characteristics to the blend. 

The 2014 Pirouette checks in as a blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Petit Verdot, 17% Merlot, 7% Cab Franc and a splash of Malbec.  

This Cabernet Sauvignon dominant wine, sourced primarily from Red Mountain, displays structure, richness and a focused mouthfeel that has come to characterize Red Mountain Cabernet. Dionysus Vineyard’s Petit Verdot adds layers of complex aromas and flavors. Weinbau Vineyard (Wahluke Slope) Merlot adds bright, red and black fruit intensity.

Aged 22 months in French oak barrels (75% new) before bottling, unfiltered and unfined.

Winemaker Notes - “Deep in color and complexity, this wine combines expressive red fruit aromas with dark chocolate and blueberry flavors accented by hints of oak spice that evolve across the palate. A juicy yet beautifully balanced wine with a rich mouthfeel and persistent finish.’

“The growing season started early in 2014 and the dry, warm conditions that characterized spring set the stage for another hot summer season. Temperatures were consistently warm throughout June and July, hastening an early start to harvest, but the Columbia Valley’s balmy fall days and cool autumn nights allowed the grapes to reach full physiological maturity while preserving the fruits’ natural acidity and yielding high quality grapes across the board. In short, 2014 was a picture-perfect vintage that produced remarkably rich, flavorful wines.”

This 2014 release was awarded 94 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and called it “a killer wine from this estate, and possibly the best to date”. Wine Enthusiast gave it 91 points.

Inky dark garnet colored, full-bodied, complex, round, rich, forward, super ripe sweet blackberry and black currant fruits with notes of graphite, spice, dark mocha chocolate, smoke and herbs with ripe tannin on a lingering. The sweetness is almost off-putting. 

RM 93

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/2503071

https://longshadows.com/library/2014-pirouette/471

https://longshadows.com/

@LongShadowsWine

https://www.sullivanssteakhouse.com/

@unwindwine

Red and White for Surf and Turf

Red and white wines for surf and turf dinner - Matanzas Creek Sauvignon Blanc and Pirouette Red Blend

Mid-week dinner, we grilled on the deck, T-bone steaks with medallions of lobster. I pulled from the wine cooler a half bottle Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc to pair with the lobster, and from our cellar, this premium Bordeaux Blend to complement the steaks.

Both the lobster tails and the beef steaks were sourced from local grocer Mariano’s and were unfortunately disappointing. (We are spoiled from having had a family owned farm raising beef cattle from which, for decades, we would regularly get a quarter from a carefully selected cow to be butchered to our specifications.) 

Before dinner we had caprese salad with home grown basil and garden tomatoes. 

Matanzas Creek Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc 2018

I opened this Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc from a small format 375ml half bottle.  This is from Matanzas Creek Winery who for four decades have “focused on creating site-expressive wines”, the technical notes show this is sourced from no less than four vineyard sites spread across the wide Sonoma County appellation. 

This is from the vast portfolio of Jackson Wines, dating back to when Jess Jackson & Barbara Banke acquired the historic property and brand back in 2000. 

Matanzas Creek Winery has a storied history dating back to its founding in 1977 by socialite Sandra MacIver, the daughter of a scion of the historic Sears Roebuck and Company, and husband Bill, with Merry Edwards as the founding winemaker.

The first Matanzas Creek Sauvignon Blanc was produced in 1980. 

In 1984, in a prescient move, they planted what became known as the the Jackson Park Vineyard, with 90 acres of the iconic Pétrus Merlot clone. 

In 1989, the notable David Ramey was appointed winemaker who went on to establish ‘pedigree of outstanding 90+ point wines’. 

In 1996, Wine Spectator named founder Sandra MacIver one of the 20 most influential people in the modern wine industry. 

Current winemaker Marcia Torres-Forno was appointed in 2011. 

Today, Matanzas Creek Winery produces a dozen labels from modest entry level to premium offerings of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot and Pinot Noir as well as a Rose and sparkling wine, part of the broad Jackson portfolio of estates and brands. Their wines are “derived from nine different vineyards whose fruit has been individually harvested, fermented, and evaluated to create a shining example of what Sonoma County has to offer.”

Matanzas Creek Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc 2018

Crafted by winemaker Marcia Torres Forno, this Sauvignon Blanc is an interesting blend of 86.2% Sauvignon Blanc 9.5 % Sauvignon Musque and 4.3% Semillon. It is sourced from several vineyard sites across the Sonoma County appellation region: 56% Knights Valley, 25% Alexander Valley, 12% Dry Creek and 7% from Bennett Valley. 

Winemaker notes: Pale Straw colored, aromas of: fresh pineapple, white peach skin, white lily, jasmine, Oroblanco grapefruit, passion fruit. Flavors: guava, honeydew melon, shinko pear, jasmine, citrus blossom. Palate of light but flavor dense, this wine dances across the palate prompting salivation and a desire to take another sip.

This has a nice QPR - Quality Price Ratio in this casual pleasant sipper which should be readily available with 22,100 cases produced.

This release was rated 91 points by Wine Advocate.

I found this was surprisingly bright and vibrant with texture and buttery notes more like a Chardonnay.

Pale straw colored,  light to medium-bodied, Wine Advocate calls it “gregarious and energetic” - lacking polish and balance, round and bright, flavorful notes of buttery stone fruits, white and yellow peaches, quince, wet stone and hints of pineapple and citrus and subtle layer of spice with tangy acidity on a lingering mineral finish. 

RM 88 points. 

This was nicely paired with the caprese salad and stood up well to the rich flavorful buttery lobster. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?3370763

https://www.matanzascreek.com/wines

With the steak course, I opened this premium Bordeaux Blend. I love a more complex blend such as this to complement a hearty steak which we served with baked potato and sweet potato. .  

Long Shadows, Vintners' Series, “Pirouette” Columbia Valley Red Wine 2015 

Label from 2016

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

In accordance with the Long Shadows Vintner Collection program, this was produced by legendary winemakers Philippe Melka and Agustin Huneeus, Sr., “who teamed to combine the traditions of old world winemaking, the advancements of new world technology, and small lots from Washington State’s finest vineyards to craft this enticing red blend”, as noted on the rear label.

Comparable to much more expensive, sophisticated Bordeaux Blends, this is a fraction of the cost, Pirouette, is a tribute to the Long Shadows project, and provides a high QPR - Quality Price Ratio value afforded to Columbia Valley wines.

This vintage release is a Bordeaux Blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 11% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec. It was fermented in barrel and aged 22 months in 75% new oak.

This received 95 points from reviewer Jeb Dunnuck, 93 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Vinous, and 92 points from Wine Enthusiast.

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate said of this wine - “Of all the Long Shadow’s wines -- Michel Rolland's included -- this would be the most at home in contemporary Napa Valley.”

“Deep in color and complexity, this wine combines expressive red fruit aromas with dark chocolate and blueberry flavors accented by hints of oak spice that evolve across the palate. A juicy yet beautifully balanced wine with a rich mouthfeel and persistent finish.”

Dark purple garnet color, medium-full body, round and flavorful black currant and black raspberry fruits accented with blue fruit notes, bitter dark mocha chocolate and cassis with hints of clove spices, tobacco and graphite with firm but approachable tannins on a long lingering finish. 

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?2777748

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/