Beau Vigne Old Rutherford Napa Cab

Beau Vigne Old Rutherford Napa Cab with Calogero’s Pizza 

Son Alec and D-in-law Viviana dined in the city at Juno Sushi in Lincoln Park, so we were called to grandparent babysitter duty. Alec arranged for pizza pick-up at Calogero’s Pizza, Naperville, their neighborhood pizza shop. He also set out a nice Napa Cab from his cellar for a wine pairing.

Calogero’s has become a regular dining experience when we serve at Alec & Viv’s. They take pride in their mission to create the highest quality food using only the best and freshest ingredients possible - certified imported Italian products and local fresh produce. All their meat comes from farm-fed, humanely raised cattle, toppings are 100% organic and arrive fresh daily. All of their cheeses are made from organic goat, sheep, cow and water buffalo milk, and the flour used to make their pizzas, breads and sweets are organic & imported from Italy.

The pizza and wine were wonderful - a perfect, delicious pairing with the arugula salad, bruschetta and the sausage and cheese pizza; ‘Bruschette al Pomodoro’ - wood fire bread with cherry tomatoes, basil, oregano, and evoo; ‘Salsiccia Pizze Rosse’ - Italian plum tomato sauce, basil, fresh mozzarella, fennel italian sausage, pecorino romano.

Beau Vigne “Old Rutherford” Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

This is a producer we know well as we hold a half dozen of their labels in our cellar (s) dating back nearly a decade. I featured this producer in detail in a blogpost last summer when we took their wine along on holiday - Beau Vigne Napa Valley Proprietary Red.

Ironically, we just ordered a half case of Beau Vigne wine earlier in the day from their just published winter releases.

As the producer exclaimed, “This is 100% Cabernet from a 100 Point Winery, a rare single vineyard designated label”. Old Rutherford is the sourced from the highly acclaimed Missouri Hopper Vineyard (known for year-over-year 96-99 point ratings). 

The producer writes, “The utmost rarity because you can’t always get this fruit (it’s an outright bidding war), and is reserved for some of the most expensive wines in Napa Valley.”

I wrote in a recent blogpost about getting ‘invested’ in a wine from a producer that doesn’t own or control their vineyard source (s). This is another such case, as the producer admits. 

While they call this wine “Old Rutherford”, the vineyard source is actually in the Napa Valley Oakville AVA. It is part of the iconic Beckstoffer Vineyard holdings. 

Located north of the town of Yountville in the Oakville AVA, Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper was originally part of a large piece of land owned by George C. Yount, from whom the town of Yountville takes its name. It is name for Charles Hopper who purchased it and gave it to his daughter Missouri in 1877. The land was planted to wine grapes, prunes and walnuts. 

In 1960, the land was purchased by Bruce Kelham as part of the historic Vine Hill Ranch and subsequently purchased by Beckstoffer Vineyards from the Kelham family in 1996. As noted in the release notes, the vineyard is today planted with multiple clones of Cabernet Sauvignon.

In 2002, the property was placed under a land conservation easement that forever prohibits non-agricultural development.

The total vineyard site is 46 acres of which 36 acres are planted to vines. 

Producer Notes - “The Old Rutherford project is a clonal micro-terroir look at different clones of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Rutherford Appellation. Our 2020 is a 50/50 blend of Clones 4 & 6. The fascinating thing is, this wine tastes young, with 10-15 years of aging potential. The integration is likely to become more apparent with 3 years of cellaring.”

Winemaker notes - “The 2020 Old Rutherford Cabernet displays an intense array of wild blackberry, boysenberry, blueberry jam and dark chocolate aromas. Its inky/ruby/purple color is accompanied by classic notes of dusty Rutherford and beautifully balanced French oak frame the dark berry flavors, with notes of graphite, cracked pepper, caramel, and blackberry adding depth to a long finish.”

Robert Parker’s assessment of Beau Vigne: “this winery is currently on a qualitative roll”, “wine that even eclipses the other fabulous wines in the Beau Vigne portfolio.’

This was delicious and exceeded my expectations. 

Dark ruby purple colored, medium full bodied, bright vibrant expressive sweet blackberry and boysenberry fruits accented by clove spice, graphite chalk from that famous ‘Rutherford Dust’, hints of bitter mocha dark chocolate and sweet oak on a smooth polished refined finish.

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?4591751

http://www.beauvigne.com/

Garric Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Garric Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

I wrote in a recent blogpost about wines/labels from producers who purchase grapes and have hired winemakers produce their wines. And how this practice has lead to the proliferation in the number of producers and labels. While it may produce some interesting wines, these are not wines to get ‘invested’ in since many may prove to be ‘one hit wonders’, so to speak. 

This may be another such label, two enthusiasts who dip into the wine business, buying grapes and having a hired winemaker to produce their own label. Dare I call this a ‘vanity’ label? It is a name formed from the names of the co-proprietors. 

"The name 'Garric' combines the first names of co-proprietors and Chicago physicians Gary Ochwat, a foot surgeon, and Ricardo Cajulis, a pathologist. The two began dreaming of owning their own Cabernet label after their many trips to Napa Valley, and bought a home in Calistoga in 2002. The next year, they purchased grapes from two different vineyard sites to make their inaugural wine, a 2003, crafted by winemaker Pam Starr." 

MaryAnn Worobiec wrote in the November 2007 Wine Spectator, "20 Exciting New Cabernet Labels to Watch". I don’t subscribe to this hype and think Wine Spectator was short sighted to do so. Notable wine producers purchase vineyards and invest in building a brand promulgated on the terroir of the site. Indeed the great iconic brands cross multiple generations of family owned estates. 

That said, in any event, such labels can provide some great wines, but only time will tell if they last across multiple vintages so that they allow for comparisons from one year to the next. I’ve written in these pages about an earlier similarly situated Wine Spectator article about new producers that emerged with the 1994 vintage - Twenty New Producers, Hot New Labels to Watch, which formed our Napa wine discovery and pursuit and collecting for decades to follow! In retrospect, they all were founded on or ended up with estate wines from vineyard holdings. 

Garric first appeared in 2003, seemed to hit their stride with this 2007 and near vintages, but disappeared from the scene in 2016. 

CellarTracker, with its vast number of collectors’ inventory of millions of bottles is a valid testament of a producer’s and label’s presence. The CellarTracker mentions of Garric Cellar wines shows 23 labels across five wines from 2002 to 2014. A couple were only produced in one or three vintage years, with this Garric Cabernet (their ‘flagship’) label showing a dozen continuous vintages. (From CellarTracker - “CellarTracker is the leading cellar management tool with hundreds of thousands of collectors tracking more than 158 million bottles. CellarTracker has also grown to become the largest database of community tasting notes with 10 million such notes as of early 2023.”) 

My CellarTracker record shows I purchased this 2007 vintage release from Binny’s Beverage Depot, the Chicagoland big box wine superstore, in 2010, so they had a sufficient distribution presence. Published records indicate they produced 545 cases of this release. 

The Garric Cellars website and domain name are dark, hence the brand has for intents and purposes disappeared completely.

Garric Cellars GRX Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

At seventeen years, the label, foil and most importantly, the fill level and cork were in pristine condition. This wine had another decade of life remaining in its prime drinking window. 

Never-the-less, this was enjoyable drinking for the evening. From the winemaker: "2007 gave us a beautifully concentrated wine with soft velvety tannins. Bright purple black color. The nose shows off layered complexity, loaded with aromas of sweet blueberries, currants and black cherries with a hint of caramel and vanilla. In the mouth, the wine reveals flavors layered with sweet blueberries, cassis, plums and black cherries. The wine is chewy and has great balance with a long luscious finish. The wine can be approached early with decanting, yet will age effortlessly for 15+ years. This is undoubtedly the most profound Garric to date!"

545 cases were produced

We enjoyed this with winter comfort food chili dinner and a selection of artisan cheeses.

Dark blackish garnet colored, medium to full bodied, full round bright vibrant concentrated black berry plum and black currant fruits were accented with sprites of spice, cassis and tobacco leaf with chewy grainy tannins on the lingering finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?862654

www.GarricCellars.com

Juslyn Napa Valley Perry’s Blend Cabernet

Juslyn Napa Valley Perry’s Blend Cabernet 2002

With delicious grilled tenderloin beefsteaks and avocado sandwiches I pulled from the cellar this two decade old aged Napa red blend. 

This is from Juslyn Vineyards, founded and developed by Perry and Carolyn Butler back in 1997 when their dream became a reality and they sold their Silicon Valley tech business and purchased and moved to the Spring Mountain estate. 

The British ex-pats had moved from the UK to California to start the IT company in the mid-1980's. During weekend trips to Napa Valley they developed a passion for wine and the wine country lifestyle that Napa Valley offered.

They bought a picturesque 42-acre property located slightly above historic Spring Mountain Vineyard winery. The land was once a small parcel of the 540 acres that California wine pioneer Charles Krug originally acquired as the dowry of Caroline Bale, who he married in 1860. 

The site sits near another one of our favorite producers, Fantesca Vineyards and Winery, near the bottom of Spring Mountain, just above the town of St Helena. 

The Butlers set about having a villa and gardens built, along with a winery facility, which Butler named Juslyn, for daughter Justine and wife Carolyn. 

Butlers were IT (information technology) people with no expertise in the wine business other than Butler trained as a chef in England. They turned to Renteria Vineyard Management, led by Salvador and Oscar Renteria, who produced outstanding grapes for many prestigious Napa Valley vineyards to select the most appropriate varieties for the vineyards and develop them to produce the highest quality fruit.

They set about to develop vineyards in the rocky soils of the Spring Mountain estate replanting old abandoned vineyards with Bordeaux varietals - 90% Cabernet Sauvignon with small amounts of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

Upon moving to Napa Valley, the Butler’s met Art Finklestein (the founder of Judd’s Hill Winery). He made several home vintages for them. Still several years away from the maturation of their estate vineyard, in 1998 and for several years following, they purchased grapes for their early vintages until their first commercial release in 1998. 

Long time Napa winemaker, Craig MacLean was their founding winemaker. They eventually hired Brian Kosi as winemaker. A graduate of the University of California-Davis, Kosi’s career includes positions at Acacia Vineyard, Opus One, Plumpjack Winery, Beaulieu Vineyard and Freemark Abbey. 

The first wine produced under their ownership from their property was in 2000. Their first Estate Cabernet release in 2000 was a mere 80 cases, increased in 2001 to 170 cases, a wine that displayed elegance in the style of premier cru Bordeaux. Each Estate vintage increased production and improved, growing over the following two decades to about 3 tons/acre from the 8-acre hillside vineyard. 

Located in the Spring Mountain District AVA, one of the very best growing regions in the Napa Valley, grapes produced in this AVA are sold at a premium price. Average grape price in Napa Valley is around $7,000/ton; in 2017 the Juslyn owners were offered $20,000 per ton for their Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

Stephanie DeMasi joined their small team in 2003 and worked with the Butlers as General Manager  until 2019. She answered an ad that Perry and Carolyn had placed for a General Manager. Her prior local wine experience involved working with Cathy Corison (well-regarded Corison Winery) and helping launch the Bounty Hunter Wine Shop in the city of Napa. She progressed to also become a partner in the brand.

The Juslyn Vineyards Perry’s Blend was sourced from both their Spring Mountain estate vineyards and some of the most highly regarded vineyards in Napa Valley. The Butler’s met Andy Beckstoffer owner of several legendary vineyards in the early years during their visits to Napa, and arranged to source fruit for this wine from some of Beckstoffer’s heritage vineyards including To Kalon, Dr. Crane and Georges III. 

Initially they simply called the wine, “Napa Blend”. During a visit to the property, wine pundit Robert Parker advised that he thought this name was too generic. Despite the fact that they had already submitted the wine to the TTB for approval, Parker wrote about it in his Wine Advocate newsletter and referred to it as “Perry’s Blend”. Calls immediately came into the winery asking for that wine and the name stuck … notably a tribute to both Mr. Parker and Perry. In later years, the wine was sourced entirely from their Spring Mountain estate fruit.

The Justyn estate was in recent years listed for sale. It was represented as “40 + acres - 6 acres planted to very high quality vines which, due to their close spacing, produce very high quailty yields that are more like 16 acres; plus an additional 4 acres that can be planted”.

The Juslyn Vineyards Wine business at the time held approximately $7.0M in inventory (2 vintages of casked wine and current vintage wine in bottle) plus about $1m plus hanging on the vines for the then current 2021 vintage.

I both hate it and love it that while trolling down in our wine cellar for a nice red blend to enjoy with grilled tenderloin beefsteaks, I come across this vintage aged wine. 

Juslyn Perry's Blend Napa Valley Red Wine 2002

This release was awarded 93 points by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, and 91 points by Wine Enthusiast. 

The 2002 Perry’s Blend was 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot.

At 22 years of age, the label and foil, and most importantly the fill level and cork were in pristine condition. 

Dark ruby colored with a slight grayish brownish hue settling in showing a slight diminution from aging, past its prime but sill enjoyable and should remain in drinking window for a couple more years; medium to full bodied, the black raspberry and black currant fruits were offset with notes of wood, leather, black tea and hints of cedar with moderate tannins on the lingering tangy acidic finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://juslynvineyards.com/

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=274387

https://juslyn.com/

Frisson Napa Valley Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon

Frisson Napa Valley Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

We were invited to son Alec and Vivianna’s for dinner on their return from their holiday with the in-laws in Naples. With pizza, to watch our Alma Mater Indiana demolish our perennial rival Purdue in what may be called the Route 66 Game (IU 66 - PU-0), Alec opened from his cellar this Napa Valley Atlas Peak Cabernet that he picked up at one of the on-line retailers. 

This is from Frisson, a producer I’ve never heard of, which is not surprising given the proliferation of producers and labels over the last several years - from 300 to over 500. Of course with the finite amount of vineyards lands, and strict restrictions on development, there are many dollars chasing the limited supply of wine grapes from the now seventeen different Napa Valley Appellations, and non-designated sites. 

Naturally most vineyard land owners and contract growers have established distribution in place for their brands and product. Many of these new producers lack their own vineyard sources so they end up buying excess or available fruit in the marketplace. I’ve written in the past about the dynamics of getting ‘invested’ in such brands. These are not for collectors who relish in vertical collections, comparing wines from a single site across multiple vintages. This may not be possible if the producer has limited access to a site source, or purchased a one-of or limited duration supply of fruit. 

Also, caveat emptor, that a vineyard owner will want to maximize production in a stellar vintage, holding as much fruit as possible to leverage their brands, and established distribution. Where as, in a lesser vintage, they may choose to liquidate (*) their inventory to other producers, so as not to dilute (* - puns intended) their own brand with substandard, marginal, or less than stellar fruit. 

This is not to say that some fabulous wines are not available from such producers. And, many well known labels and brands rely on contract growers for their fruit, through long term established supplier agreements - Lewis Cellars, and Freemark Abbey with their Bosche’ Vineyard label as prime examples.     

With that said, this producer, Terry Davis, writes, “Frisson is a French word meaning a moment of intense excitement, a thrill; a word which aptly describes our story and philosophy.’

“One evening we met a winemaker who shared our philosophy and vision – to make truly fine wines that exemplify the energy of the New World, honed with the sophistication of the Old World approach. Our Frisson began!’

“After purchasing a prized allocation of 2007 Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon grapes our journey as vintners came to life.”

This is another collaboration of entrepreneur/investor and winemaker. (See my most recent blogpost of similarly situated collaboration on a Washington State premium label). 

The Frisson website continues, excerpted here; - “Like about everyone else who has come to Napa Valley, Terry Davis dreamed for years about becoming a part of the Napa Valley world of wine.”

“He met Wayne Donaldson, winemaker, (who) told him of his desire to make a great Cabernet. Terry said if he came across the right grapes he would give him a call.”

The story continues … “Next thing Terry knew, he and some friends had bought three tons of Diamond Mountain grapes. One of his partners said, “Let’s get this straight… you don’t know a damn thing about making wine, just met this guy and you want me to invest? Do you think I’m crazy? I’m in!”’

CellarTracker records show no less than fifty different labels from this producer dating back to the 2010 vintage. 

The Frisson website identifies no less than three winemakers; “Morrisey, a former student of New York University’s elite film school, spent ten years in show business as an electrician and cameraman before choosing to reinvent himself and try his hand at winemaking. While attending graduate school at the University of California, Davis, he secured a harvest internship at Château Pétrus in Bordeaux in 1997. He later worked under famed Napa Valley winemaker Tony Soter, founder of Etude Winery, who helped him refine his approach.”

Another, Winemaker Paul Colantuoni crafted the Frisson 2018 Yountville Label. He gained experience at Rocca Vineyards, where he crafts their Yountville wines.

Ryan Woodhouse, Wine Buyer for well regarded and established Bay Area Wine Retailer K&L wrote about the Frisson Rutherford label: “As it says on the back of this bottle: "Frisson - noun: a sudden strong feeling of excitement or fear; a thrill." Despite not knowing this word previously, it quite accurately described how I felt when I saw the vineyard sourcing for this wine...and the price! The 2019 Frisson Rutherford Cab is sourced 65% from Georges III Vineyard and the remaining 35% from Melrose Vineyard! A fabulous, rich, ripe, modern Cab from one of the most famed vineyards in all of Napa for this price!?”

This label we tried tonight is from Napa Valley Atlas Peak. If was awarded  91 points by The Wine Advocate, and 90 points by James Suckling.

Dark garnet colored, medium to full bodied, black berry and black cherry notes with nots of cedar, vanilla, spice and herbs turning to firm but approachable tannins on a lingering finish. 

RM 90 points. .

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?3845886

https://www.frissonwines.com/

Plumpjack Estate Napa Valley Cabernet for meatloaf dinner

Plumpjack Estate Napa Valley Cabernet for meatloaf dinner 

For an intimate dine-in Saturday night, Linda prepared one of my favorite comfort foods, meatloaf with carrots, onions and potatoes. For the occasion I pulled from the cellar an ultra-premium Napa Cabernet. 

Given the political ties of this producer, I’ve relegated our collection of their wines to when dining or tasting with my left leaning liberal minded friends. But, with the recent landslide election results, I felt a sense of celebration were in order and pulled this to enjoy on our own! 

At I wrote in earlier blogposts in these pages, this used to be one of our favorite producers until the producer became so terribly political and extremist radical in ideology - several listed and linked here. 

Plumpjack Reserve Napa Chardonnay at Entourage Restaurant Naperville

Plumpjack Napa Valley Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

Plumpjack Founders Reserve Cabernet - Seasmoke Chardonnay - Paul Misset Clos Vougeot Vieilles Vignes

We still hold a collection spanning more than a two decades dating back to the earliest vintage releases of this label, 1996 and 1997. Back in the early days, our visits to the winery estate in Napa, and wine dinner (s) with their winemaker were highlights of our trips to the region. 

In any event, tonight this was fabulous, ideally paired with the beef meatloaf and sides. I opened a more recent vintage of this label to accommodate Linda, who prefers younger, more approachable wines, never-the-less, a twenty-one year old vintage release! 

Plumpjack Estate Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

The simple summary of the history of the winery, as written in Wine Bid is that PlumpJack, in Oakville, was founded by Gordon Getty, fourth child of legendary oil tycoon J. Paul Getty, a San Francisco composer and philanthropist, and major benefactor financial support to Gavin Newsom, former San Francisco mayor and current Governor of California.

The entrepreneurs opened a wine shop in San Francisco in 1992 called PlumpJack, a reference to Shakespeare’s character Sir John Falstaff, who enjoyed food and wine. The partners founded the PlumpJack winery in 1997 when they acquired 53 acres of vineyards on Oakville Cross Road. The PlumpJack Group now also includes resorts, hotels, restaurants and spas. 

The winery specializes in premium Cabernet Sauvignon, though it also makes a Syrah. Robert M. Parker Jr. notes that all the PlumpJack wines “are fabulous, thanks to the brilliant efforts of winemaker Tony Biagi and consultant Nils Venge.”  

Of course, we’re huge fans of Nils going back to those days, and more recently, his son Kirk. Our cellar is full of Venge wines as witnessed by the number of mentions in these pages. 

A bit of wine world trivia: PlumpJack was the first Napa Valley producer to use screw caps.

This release was rated 95 points by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. Back in 2013, he wrote, “The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate (finished with a screw cap) possesses a dense ruby/purple color as well as a stunningly pure nose of creme de cassis, graphite, licorice, forest floor and a hint of black truffles.’ 

“Full-bodied and velvety textured with stunning opulence that expresses this tenderloin sector of Napa Valley so brilliantly, a multidimensional mouthfeel and a blockbuster finish, this profound wine (14.8% natural alcohol) appears even superior to what I remember tasting in its infancy.” 

Back in 2013 Parker wrote, “At $68 a bottle, it-s a steal for a wine of such world-class quality! The finish lasts for 40-45 seconds. While it has reached its plateau of full maturity, there is no danger of it falling apart for at least another 15-20 years. Bravo!” Of course that price has doubled, even tripled in the decade to follow. 

Wine Enthusiast didn’t like it and gave it 86 points. A mystery, leading me to wonder if they had an ‘off’ or aberrant bottle, but then again, they would surely sort that out. They panned it saying, “Pickles and dill in the nose, with underlying cherries and blackberries. In the mouth, it enters brawny and rustic, and very tannic. The fruit is locked down. Seems sound, but disappointingly tough. Could develop, but it's a gamble. Tasted twice.”

Our bottle was traditional cork, not screw top which came along later. At twenty-one years, the critical fill level, cork, and the label and foil were pristine. Tonight this was delicious, dark garnet colored, full bodied, complex yet elegant, smooth polished, a symphony of black berry fruit flavors with bright vibrant sprites of spice, truffle, crème de cassis and bitter dark chocolate. 

RM 94 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?152506

Pasta dinner features Premium Napa Red & White Wines

Pasta dinner features Premium Napa Red & White Wines

We were invited to Sunday Night dinner at Son Alec’s and D-in-law Vivianna’s. We were joined by son Sean and D-in-law Michelle. 

This allowed our four grand-daughters a chance to be together with their cousins - so much fun, and so important to their bonding together and learning to play with near aged kids. 

Alec and Viv prepared a delicious Bugatini pasta with a lobster vodka cream sauce with lobster medallions.

Prior to dinner we enjoyed several artisan cheeses that Sean’s and we brought - a baked cheese, an aged Gouda, and a truffle infused goat cheese - all great pairings with the evening’s wines. 

I brought from our home cellar one of our currently favorite drinking Chardonnays and Alec opened a big Napa Red. 

I’ve written often in these pages about the fun we have with the ‘V’ labels from various producers, most notably Kirk Venge. This big rich flavorful may be at its peak right now and shows as one of the best Chardonnay’s in our cellar right now, ideally paired with the rich pasta sauce and lobster medallions. 

Not ironically, we opened this same label with a similar dinner for the Christmas holiday dinner a couple of years ago with the same folks. I wrote about that dinner and this wine and producer in detail in a blogpost in these pages at that time, excerpted below - Venge Brown Ranch Chardonnay.

For Christmas eve dinner, Linda prepared a delicious lobster bisque soup with medallions of lobster. I pulled from the cellar this Venge Napa Carneros Chardonnay for an accompaniment. We were joined by Alec and Vivianna for a festive intimate dinner. 

The name Venge has been synonymous with Napa Valley wines for as long as I have been of drinking age since the '70's, but the Venge family wine affiliation actually goes back much earlier, to when Knud Venge emigrated from Denmark to the United States in the early 1900’s. Knud's son, Per Venge, entered in the wine and spirits business and started Vencom Imports, focusing on importing Western European wines and spirits. Per's son, Nils Venge, started in, then left the family business in the 1960's to study viticulture at UC Davis and set the family name in the California winegrowing community.

The Venge family planted viticultural roots in 1976 with the purchase of a 17-acre estate in the Oakville District that was planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, establishing them among the winemaking pioneers of Napa Valley.

Buddy, AJ with Nils and Kirk Venge

We met Nils and Dianna Venge on numerous occasions at Napa events and visiting the Venge Vineyards in Oakville during the nineties. We first met their son, Kirk Venge, who engaged in winemaking from an early age while they were developing the Rossini Ranch Vineyards, Winery and caves up in Calistoga. We visited Nils at the Penny Lane Family Reserve Vineyard in Oakville, then drove up to meet Kirk at the Rossini Ranch site in the eastern foothills of Palisade Mountain near Calistoga back in 2002. 

Kirk took over Venge Vineyards in 2008 and has established himself as a talented winemaker making wines in his own style. Kirk has continued the Napa Valley heritage crafting wines from select vineyard sites across Napa and Sonoma Counties worthy of bearing the Venge family name.

We've been collecting Venge wines since their earliest days. We now have fun collecting them with their notable "V" branding to enjoy with our daughter-in-law, Vivianna, as her 'signature' wines.  

We also enjoyed this wine, BYOB, recently with seafood at BeachWalk Cafe in Destin (FL) during our vacation getaway -https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2024/10/henderson-beachwalk-cafe-dinner-with.html

Venge Vineyards Brown Ranch Vineyard Los Carneros Napa Valley Chardonnay 2018 

This is a single vineyard designated label sourced from the 30 acre Brown Ranch Vineyard in Carneros, named for the previous cattle rancher owner Nadine Brown. The vineyard is bordered by HdV’s Hyde Vineyard and Beaulieu’s Vineyard No.9 on Old Sonoma Road in the Carneros district, straddling the rolling hills in the southernmost parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties. The cooling winds from the nearby San Pablo Bay, combined with the abundant midday California sunshine, create an ideal environment for producing elegant wines that combine power and finesse, with a perfect balance of crisp acidity and well-ripened fruit.

The property, formerly associated with Saintsbury Winery, was purchased in 2012 by the Renterias. 

The property was planted with twenty nine acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay but most of
the vines were afflicted with Eutypa, a fungi disease also known as the Dead-arm Dieback, which causes trunks or arms of the vines to essentially rot and die. Like the famous Dead-Arm Shiraz label from McLaren Vale, Australia, rather than pulling the vines out, the vineyard managers kept the rootstock, cut off the trunk just above the soil and nurtured a bud to grow into a new trunk. Like the Dead-Arm label, focusing all the mature rootstock energy into one vine branch resulted in rich, full, concentrated fruits. 

The Brown Ranch’s hillside alluvial soils, with Dijon Clone 76 set into the pre-existing rootstock, produces this rich full round Chardonnay, worthy of the iconic Venge name.

Winemaker's notes: The Dijon Clones are modern strains of Chardonnay carefully isolated from grapevine nursery blocks in France. These strains are selected for their incredible ability to produce the best of what the varietal has to offer and therefore have become quite popular with cool climate growers today. The cool and often foggy climate of the Brown Ranch Vineyard, located in central Carneros, Napa, allows for a slow growing season and optimal ripening. This climate aids in the balancing of acidity and lifting tropical aromas in the fruit and thus, in the finished wine. The vines were carefully hand harvested and delivered cool to the winery.

 

Winemaker's Notes: "This wine is stylish and freshly balanced, featuring a light, pale straw presence in the glass with a bouquet of fresh orange citrus, toasted pine nuts, mild allspice, rocky flints, and toasted oak. Crisp, savory pineapple, sweet delicious apple, savory stone fruit, and ripe pear lead into mouthwatering deliciousness. 

The grapes are blended into used French Oak barrels according to a Burgundian style of winemaking, light handed on the usage of new French Oak keeping it to an average of 45%.

495 Cases were Produced

This release was rated 93 points by Wine Enthusiast and Jeb Dunnuck and 92 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. 

Golden lemon colored, medium to full-bodied, full, round, concentrated, complex opulent fruits with a layer almost bordering on butterscotch, accented by notes of baking spice, hints of lemon, grapefruit, ginger and a touch of peach and almond nut cream, with bright acidity, depth and balance on a full long finish. 

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3517412

https://www.vengevineyards.com/

@VengeVineyards  

Alec then opened this big Napa Red from Beau Vigne Cellars

Beau Vigne “CULT” Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

This is from the Beau Vigne portfolio of Napa Valley Cabernets that Alec, son Ryan and I all hold in our cellars. Beau Vigne was founded by Ed and Trish Snider in 2002 and quickly gained notoriety on a parade of rave reviews, such as Robert Parker calling it “one of my favorite wineries,” and over in the ensuing years, his Wine Advocate time and again honoring it with scores of 96–98+ points.

We’ve featured Beau Vigne wines in detail in earlier blogposts in these pages - Beau Vigne Reserve Proprietary Red Wine.

Interesting that Kirk Venge, who produced our Chardonnay tonight, was winemaker at Beau Vigne for a period. Initially, it was first-class winemaker Dave Phinney, then Kirk Venge, and then followed by current winemaker Julien Fayard who crafted this 2019 release.

 

This 2019 CULT release is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grown on Beau Vigne’s gravelly estate vineyard in Rutherford and their impeccable site on the Oakville Bench that neighbors To Kalon, Missouri Hopper, and Martha’s Vineyard. For the final blend, he hand-selected barrels to create a wine that shows its exceptional quality in every sip.

Winemaker notes for this release - “Deep-purple in color, the 2019 Beau Vigne CULT Cabernet shows penetrating blackberry and blueberry aromas accented by rich notes of mocha, allspice, Maduro tobacco, and black licorice. Full-bodied and opulent, it’s built on firmly gripping tannins that complement the texture of the ripe black fruits and slide into a long and savory finish.”

While the Chardonnay complemented the lobster medallions, this rich full round full bodied red enhanced and illuminated the rich pasta sauce - both ideal pairings which amplified the enjoyment of both the food and wines. 

This 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Cult is the 11th Anniversary release of this label. It is composed of 99% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Petit Verdot. The producer states. “We think is the finest CULT produced to date.”

It was aged twenty months in French oak barrels, 80% of which were new, then blended from select “best lots dedicated to captivating flavors profiles.”

Winemaker notes - “Crushed black currant and bing cherry aromas. Among these scents are black licorice, clove, and melted dark chocolate. Flavors of shortbread, blackberry, and plum hit the palate. Loamy black truffle elements add layers of savoriness to the long finish.”

It was rated 93 points by Vinous who called it the “finest wine I have tasted from Beau Vigne.” It received 92 points by Wine Advocate and 91 points by Jeb Dunnuck. 

Don’t be taken aback by the $150 published price from the producer, their wines are often deeply discounted in special promotions and can be found discounted in distribution, even at Costco. Newcomers to fine wine often mistake that obtaining wine directly from the producer will get them the best deal. It’s the aim of the producer to set the price and associated value of the wine, avoiding undermining such with their direct pricing strategy.   

Deep garnet colored, full bodied, rich, round, forward bright vibrant black currant and plum fruits accented by notes of licorice, graphite, lavender, spice and leather with a full tannin laced lingering finish. 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?4179405

https://www.beauvigne.com/

Diamond Mtn Napa Cab Duo for birthday celebration gathering

 Napa Cabernet Diamond Mtn Duo and aged Birthyear vintage for birthday celebration gathering

Son Sean and D-in-law Michelle hosted a gala family and friends gathering for grand-daughter Lavender’s third birthday. 

As we typically do when we get together for such occasions, Son Ryan and I coordinated our wine selections for a comparison tasting. Ryan took from his cellar a Diamond Mtn Napa Valley Cabernet, so, I took one from the same appellation for a comparison tasting. 

The kids were entertained with a bounce house, mini soccer nets and bags. 

Having just returned from DisneyLand, the young grand-daughters were enchanted by the princesses there and hence were delighted to be visited by Princess Cinderella for the occasion.   

Meanwhile, we enjoyed a comparison tasting of two wines from the Napa Valley Diamond Mountain appellation. While I can’t determine one way or the other, I am intrigued by the possibility that these two wines might be sourced from not only the same appellation, but perhaps the same vineyard, or nearby vineyards. 

Cliff Lede Diamond Mountain Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

This is one of Ryan’s favorite labels from the broad Cliff Lede portfolio of wines in his collection.  We have fun with this appellation since it shares the name wife/daughter-in-law Michelle, nee Diamond. 

Located at the north end of the Mayacamas Mountain range that borders the western edge forming Napa Valley, below the Napa/Sonoma border on the ridge, above the town of Calistoga, just north of St Helena, Diamond Mountain is one of the highest elevation AVAs in Napa. 

The unique terroir of the appellation is ideally suited for Bordeaux varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon with volcanic soils, extremely high-drainage that stresses the vines, forcing them deep into the earth in search of water. The elevation makes for increased sun exposure to allow Cabernet to ripen to full maturity, yielding the kind of intensely concentrated, thick-skinned clusters that make wines with power and longevity. 

Commenting on the vineyard source for this label, Winemaker Christopher Tynan wrote: "Our Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon is from an exceptional, low-yielding vineyard with volcanic ash soils in the Diamond Mountain appellation, nestled into the Mayacamas Range on the northwest side of Napa Valley. The sun-drenched mountain vineyard has northeastern exposure and late afternoon breezes that ripen the fruit slowly and evenly. Planted and farmed by David Abreu Vineyard Management, this extraordinary site of old vines planted on a steep incline with a historic Napa field selection produces an age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon with dark fruit, intense structure, minerality and perfume.”

“A deep garnet-black in color, this distinctly pedigreed Cabernet offers a lovely array of brooding dark fruit flavors and scents. Fresh aromas of black currant, crushed blackberries, and warm plum soar with savory layers of Chinese hoisin, black olive tapenade, and dried tobacco. The long opulent palate tastes of liquefied minerals and possesses a voluptuous raspberry liqueur-like texture. With proper time in the decanter, distinctly complex Diamond Mountain aromas of old pine forest and cedar emerge and intertwine seamlessly with the luxurious flavors."

Initially tannic and closed in youth, over a decade in bottle has allowed this single vineyard Cabernet to integrate and open up, revealing layers of dark fruits and minerality and earthy complexity. 

Knowing Ryan was bringing this single vineyard designated label, I pulled from our cellar a limited production vintage release from the same appellation. 

I am intrigued by the possibility that these wines may have sourced from the same site, or locations in close proximity. They had very similar tasting characteristics and profiles, despite the fact they were a dozen years apart. 

Marco Di Giulio "Mark K Vineyard" Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2002

To compare in a side by side tasting, just like an earlier tasting last year which I featured in a blogpost, excerpted here, I brought this rare limited release Diamond Mountain vineyard private label from winemaker Marco Di Giulio. We hold a half dozen different labels of Marco Di Giulio releases from legendary vineyard sources, Mt Veeder Pym Rae, Progeny and this Diamond Mountain Mark K, all between 2001 and 2004 vintages, this 2002 being the oldest of this label. 

For a period of releases, Marco Di Giulio developed unique hand-crafted wines minimalist style wines available under the winemakers' label and branding in limited quantities. They could be found in the boutique and specialist wine shops in Napa Valley or in the 'after market' via wine auctions. They were classic vineyard expressions of terrior, that unique expression of each vineyard's distinctive character, produced in very small quantities of 200 to 300 cases. His approach to winemaking was minimalist, letting the vineyard and each vintage speak for itself. As he says, he wants to “taste” each vineyard.

Marco produced his wines at Bin to Bottle, a high quality custom crush facility for a number of small Napa Vintners in South Napa where he is a partner. 

As he wrote on his Marcowines website, Marco was born and raised in San Francisco, California, shortly after his parents had emigrated from Tuscany and become successful Bay Area restaurateurs. Along with wonderful Italian meals, wine was an everyday part of their North Beach household life. As a result, Marco inherited his family's appreciation for great wine and food.

Marco developed an in-depth knowledge of winemaking and viticulture through education and experience in the industry. He graduated with a degree in Fermentation Science from the University of California at Davis in 1985.

After two years at Buena Vista Winery, Marco worked as cellar master at Pine Ridge Winery for more than four years. His next stint was as the production manager for Atlas Peak Vineyards, followed by his 1994 appointment as winemaker for Pezzi King Vineyards. Just before the 1995 harvest, he became the winemaker at Pepi Winery in Oakville. 

While making Pepi Wines, he also took charge of the Lokoya brand after the death of celebrated winemaker and mentor Greg Upton. It was at Lokoya that Marco's reputation for making world class Cabernet Sauvignon was first established.

Marco release his own label wines between 2001 and 2004. Today, Marco serves as consulting winemaker to many top labels and devotes attention to his personal projects:  Vintage Wine Estates, Bin to Bottle, Lookout Ridge and Marco DiGiulio Wines where he strives to produce wines that reflect the rugged landscapes of the vineyard sources.   

Marco Di Giulio "Mark K Vineyard" Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2002

Marco Di Giulio obtained the fruit for this label from Norm Kiken Cabernet Sauvignon from his Diamond Mountain Mark K Vineyard. Marco began working with the Kiken vineyards when he was the winemaker for Lokoya. Norm Kiken became renowned for his Reverie wines and collaborated with Diguilio in sharing a few tons of Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Mr. Kiken (pronounced KICK-en) bought 40 acres on Diamond Mountain ioutside Calistoga, for $1.4 million and built himself a home and a winery, called Reverie. 

The Reverie vineyards and winery were located in a unique valley on Diamond Mountain in Napa Valley, once known as the Bonsell Property that became now divided between the iconicDiamond Creek Winery, and the former Von Strasser Winery and Reverie.

Reverie Winery specialized in producing ultra premium Bordeaux varietal blends that reflect the uniqueness of its terroir. The vineyard was principally planted in 1989 to Cabernet Sauvignon

(2 clones on 14 acres); Cabernet Franc (6 acres); Merlot (2 clones on 6 acres) and small amounts of Petit Verdot, Malbec, Barbera, Tempranillo, Grenache and Roussanne. 

For this wine, grapes were sourced from the Reverie Vineyard next to Diamond Creek and the former Von Strasser higher up on Diamond Mountain just south of Calistoga in Napa Valley. 

The 2001 vintage was a classic example of what Diamond Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon appellation has to offer.  The aromas that jump out of the glass are pure Diamond Mountain District with loads of cherry cough drop and black cherry fruit.  The oak adds layers of spice and a warm vanilla character. 

Giulio wrote of this release, "On the palate, the wine exhibits exceptional balance and nuanced character while still being big enough to handle anything you put it up against.  As in the nose, black cherry is the predominant fruit.  The mouthfeel is silky smooth and rich and the finish seems to go on forever.  Layers of brown spices and red fruits show themselves as the wine opens up in the glass."

On release, Di Giulio wrote of this wine, my sense is that with proper cellaring, this wine could easily continue to improve for another 8 to 12 years.

It took ninety minutes to open and reveal its true character. This was similar profile to the Lede but not as dark, rich or concentrated. There was still life left in this twenty year old, showing no signs of diminution from age.

Garnet colored, medium full bodied, black berry and black raspberry fruits with notes of cassis, black tea and hints of clove spice, oak and vanilla bean with smooth polished tannins on a lingering nicely balanced acidic finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=302285

http://www.marcowine.com/Marcowine/Marcowine.html 

I featured Marco Digulio wines in more detail in earlier blogposts in these pages - https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/06/marco-di-guilio-pym-rae-vineyard-mt.html.

Here are some other blogposts of this Marco DiGuilio label release -https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/04/marco-diguilio-diamond-mtn-cabernet.html, 
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/12/close-out-2020-with-diamond-mtn.html.

To commemorate the family occasion and gathering, I also brought from our cellar an aged Napa Cabernet from Sean’s birth year vintage. 

Spring Mountain Vineyards Spring Mountain District Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1985

Over the years I collected birth year vintage releases for each of our kids, and then most recently, for our grandkids. The kids’ birth year wines are past their prime drinking windows and need to be consumed as they’re at risk of being beyond approachable drinking. At these late stages, presenting these vintage releases and trying them is a novelty and serendipitous. We nearing the end of these vintage selections. 

My CellarTracker records indicate I acquired two bottles of this release from Auction at WineBid back in 2009. 

At nearly forty years, it’s remarkable that this wine still had any life left and was approachable for tasting. The label, foil, and most importantly and relevant, the fill level and cork were still in ideal condition, a testament to the conditions in our cellar for aging appropriate wines. 

Remarkably, the producer still shows this wine in their library collection available for purchase by wine club members. 

Their notes on this label vintage release. “This long lived Cabernet Sauvignon exudes aromas of leather, maple syrup, cherry compote, dried cranberries, smoke and forest floor. The wine presents a soft approach with a solid mouth feel. The flavors on the palate mirror its aromas of dried cranberry, cherry, plum, smoke, leather and mineral.”

This wine was 100%  Caberent Sauvignon, Estate Grown & Bottled at the property high up Spring Mountain District in Napa Valley. It was aged 22 months in new French oak.

Winemaker’s Comments - “1985 was a long, warm growing season and the wines from this vintage show ripe aromas and flavors. This wine is no exception. There are sweet ripe plum aromas with loads of spice and layers of dry flowers, caramel and cocoa. The entry is full and polished, the flavors echoing the aromatic promise of dried fruits, spices and vanilla. A bit like a rum-raisin cake in a glass. The acid keeps the wine alive, though I would recommend drinking this wine in the near future and keep in mind the possibility of bottle variation with a wine of this maturity. The cork was easily extracted and in excellent shape. This is a mature Napa Valley Cabernet and will benefit from a bit of aeration.”

Additional Notes - “The grapes for this long-lived Cabernet came primarily from the Wild Horse Estate vineyard in Oakville. A small percentage of fruit came from the young Miravalle vineyard which surrounds the Villa Miravalle that is showcased on the label. The 1985 vintage had a stellar growing season that produced ripe, rich and fleshy wines with superb balance. Bud break came early and the dry, cool weather resulted in a long harvest wth even ripening - ideal weather conditions for a great vintage.”

Dark garnet colored, medium bodied, the plum fruit flavors still holding on were giving way to notes of black tea, leather, earth and the remains of accents of spice, tobacco with moderate tannins. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?1213034

https://www.springmountainvineyard.com/wines

Clark Claudon Napa Cabernet 2004

Clark Claudon Napa/Pope Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

For a quiet evening at home, watching our latest binge-worthy series, Condor on MGM+, we opened an old favorite wine from our extensive collection from this favorite producer, with homemade chicken tortilla soup. 

After our recent anniversary, I am currently opening twenty year old 2004 vintage wines as a mini celebration, and a calibration of how that vintage is aging and holding up in our cellar. 

Here following is an updated re-post of earlier posting about this wine and this producer from October 12, 2023.

Clark-Claudon Estate Grown Napa/Pope Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

The producer, Clark-Claudon estate is situated on the ‘backside’ of Howell Mountain in an area known as Pope Valley. We have fun with this label as fellow Pour Boy Bill and Beth C's maiden name is Pope. Clark-Claudon's 17 acres of vineyards are carved out of a 117 acre property located on the north east side of Howell Mountain between Ink Grade and Howell Mountain Road, from 800 ft to 1,200 ft elevation. It’s shallow, mountain soils, cool evening breezes and excellent sun exposure are ideal for a low yield of small, intense Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot grapes. The 17 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon are planted with clone 7 which grows well in hillside rocky soil and produces small berries with concentrated flavors. A small vineyard block is planted to Petite Verdot. After completing their initial vineyard planting, Clark decided to leave the  remaining 100 acres of forests, creeks, meadows and ponds in their natural state which serves as a preserve for native birds and wildlife.

Interesting, following my discussions in recent blogpost about the terroir and appellation specificity line of demarcation being at the 1200 foot elevation level to differentiate between Howell Mountain and Napa Valley designation, we have another such-situated Napa/Howell Mountain Cabernet. Similar to the Viader Napa Valley Cabernet Red Blend from earlier tastings, and the Blue Hall Vineyard Camiana Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon that we drank the other night, this Clark Claudon Napa Cab vineyard is at 1000 foot elevation on the lower reaches of Howell Mountain. That terroir distinction doesn't apply here as the Clark Claudon property is on the backside of Howell Mountain which never sees the fog that is experienced on the Napa Valley side of the hill. 

We have been collecting this label since its introduction back in 1993 and hold two decades of vintages since. 

We first met Tom Clark and Laurie Claudon-Clark during our Napa Wine Experience 1999 when we hosted them at one of our wine producer dinners. That night, held at what was then Pinot Blanc Restaurant in St Helena (see picture above/left), we tasted Clark Claudon 1995-96 against ten year old 1989 Bordeaux. 

During our Napa Wine Experience visits of 1997 through 2000 we hosted gala tasting dinners with the "'Undisccovered Dozen', emerging new wine producers to watch", featured in an article in Wine Spectator Magazine. Many of these producers released their inaugural vintage releases in or about the 1994 vintage. Those producers and winery visits included Plumpjack, David Arthur, Clark-Claudon, Robert Craig, Del Dotto, Elan, Paradigm, Pride Vineyards, Snowden, Nils Venge and White Cottage and are featured variously on my winesite http://www.unwindwine.com. An complete index of my tasting notes of these wines over the years is on the site at this link to California Producers Index. These producers make up a foundation of our wine cellar collection even today. In many of these wines, we still have vertical selections, several dating back to those early release vintages.   

We love the distinctive unique Clark-Claudon packaging with the tall slender bottles. An interesting and trivial wine-geek's observation about the Clark-Claudon branding and packaging; as mentioned, we hold close to a score of vintages of this label. 

All our vintage holdings but this one, the 2004 release, are packaged with the wax cap inside the rim of the bottle, topping the cork, as shown left. This one, 2004, has a 'traditional' foil top of the bottle (shown below). Not sure why?

This release was awarded 93 points from Wine Enthusiast who wrote, " ... it really needs time. Give it until after 2008, if you can keep your hands off, and will come into its own after 2010."

A decade later, going on seventeen years, this release is holding its own very nicely and showing no signs of diminution whatsoever. The fill level, label and most importantly the cork were in perfect condition.

Wine Enthusiast wrote, "The 2004 Clark-Claudon Napa Cabernet Sauvignon blends fruit from all over the winery's estate, combining multiple expressions of the fruit. The higher portions of the estate yielded fruit that was rich, deeply colored with intense tannins. The lower portions of the estate produced softer, more perfumed wine." 

Tonight's tasting was consistent with previous tastings in 2015, 2016 and most recently in the Spring of 2021. In 2016 I wrote it was more expressive than earlier tastings. I sense this is at its peak, not likely to improve further, but grand and capable of aging several more years none-the-less.

At twenty years, the fill level, label, foil and most importantly the cork were all still in pristine condition.  

Like before, the room filled with dark berry fruit aromatics as soon the cork was pulled. This was dark garnet colored, rich, full, concentrated, but nicely integrated and elegant black berry and black currant fruits with accents of cassis, mocha, floral and notes of spicy oak and hints of black cherry on a lingering fine-grained silky tannin finish.

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=229261

In seeking to replenish this bottle with a more recent vintage of this wine, I looked in distribution and found none in Chicagoland, but got this response when searching national beverage superstore Total Wine - "We could not find this item at Pensacola, FL (our select store), But we found it at Denver, CO." We'll be reaching back to the producer directly, as well as looking in the secondary market. 

https://www.clarkclaudon.com

@ClarkClaudon 

Earlier tasting posts ...   

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2015/01/clark-claudon-howell-mountain-napa.html

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2015/12/festive-holiday-dinner-showcases.html

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2016/05/clark-claudon-napa-valley-cabernet.html

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/03/clark-claudon-napa-cabernet-2004.html