Hall 1873 and Oracle Napa Valley Cabernet with grilled tenderloin

Hall ”Eighteen Seventy-Three” and Oracle Napa Valley Cabernet with grilled tenderloin 

With fellow ‘Pour Boy’ Bill, and Beth visiting from Charleston, we stayed in for the evening and Linda grilled beef tenderloin , served with ceasar salad, twice baked potatoes, haricot verts and garlic bread. 

With dinner we enjoyed two ultra-premium Napa Cabernets, Miner Oracle from our Destin wine cooler, and Bill brought from his home cellar in Charleston this Hall 1873. 

Hall ”Eighteen Seventy-Three” Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Bill acquired this through his wine club allocation from one of our favorite producers of highly acclaimed Napa Cabernets, this label commemorates the founding year of their historic Napa Valley vineyard.

The property above St Helena was originally planted to grapes by Captain William Peterson back in 1873. It was further developed such that during the 1930’s and 1940’s, it produced nearly 40 percent of Napa Valley production. 

Hall has become one of the premiere Napa Valley producers of ultra-premium Cabernets. We’ve visited the magnificent Hall Rutherford estate vineyards and winery several times as featured in these blogposts - 

Hall Rutherford Winery Estate Appellation Tasting, and 

Exzellenz and aged Robert Craig Mt Veeder for holiday celebration gathering.

Craig and Katherine Hall have built an extensive estate of vineyards that now encompass more than 300 acres of classic Bordeaux varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc. They have been innovators in adopting  cutting edge technology to yield the highest quality grapes to produce a broad portfolio of highly acclaimed wines.

This label commemorates the founding of the first winery on the historic property back in 1873 when Captain William Peterson came to Napa and established a pioneering winery on their St. Helena property. Throughout the 1930’s and 40’s, the site grew to become Napa’s most important winery, producing nearly 40% of its entire vintage. 

This Hall ”Eighteen Seventy-Three” is a blend of fruit taken mostly from sites in the eastern hillsides of Napa Valley from the mountain slopes that frame Napa Valley along the northern edge of the Vacca Mountains from Howell Mountain to the north, Rutherford where the Hall Estate is located, and Atlas Peak to the South. 

We took this an earlier vintage of this label BYOB to a wine dinner recently that was rated 98 points by Wilford Wong of Wine.com, and 95 points by Wine Enthusiast, featured in these pages in this post - Preview Night Dinner at The Belmont Naperville. 

This release was rated 93 by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 92 points by Vinous and 91 points by Wine Enthusiast.

Blend: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker Notes - “Deep garnet color. Complex fruit aromas of ripe blackberry, subtle warm oak and plum. On the palate, pronounced flavors of dark fruit, cocoa nib, wet stone, and baking spice are supported by firm, structured tannins and bright acidity round out the powerful finish.”

Dark blackish garnet colored, full bodied, round forward concentrated bright expressive vibrant rich ripe blackberry and black currant fruits with expressive notes of black tea and cinnamon with notes of creme de cassis, bitter dark chocolate, tobacco and oak with expressive plush tannins and bright acidity on a huge spicy finish. 

RM 93 points

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/2602610

https://www.hallwines.com/

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/3555904

Miner Family Winery "The Oracle" Napa Valley Bordeaux Blend 2021 

This is another wine we have fun with since our son works for Oracle, the enterprise software giant. Also, Linda’s hometown, Delphi, Indiana high school mascot and sports teams were the Oracles. 

This wine's name pays homage to founder Dave Miner and his former career as a founder of Oracle Software, and the ancient Greek concept of an oracle as a source of inspiration.

We served and wrote about this Miner Family Winery flagship “Oracle” Cabernet which was a hit last spring at a neighborhood gathering in a blogpost at that time , excerpted here. 

Miner Family Winery was founded by Dave Miner with their first vintage in 1996. Dave was born in Chicago and then lived in Southern California for a number of years, graduating from the University of California, San Diego with degree in English and American Literature. It was during this time that he became interested in wine. 

Dave was working for then upstart Oracle in software sales when his uncle Bob Miner, who happened to be one of the co-founders of Oracle, was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer and passed away prematurely in 1994 at age 52. In his final days, Bob asked Dave to help him manage the operations at the family vineyards and winery Oakville Ranch, (predecessor to Oracle Family Winery). Dave quit his sales job and joined Oakville Ranch which at the time owned the property that is now Miner Family Winery. At the time they made a limited amount of wine and operated a custom crush facility. Miner Family Wines was one of their clients. We still hold several vintage labels of Oakville Ranch in our home cellar which we have featured in this blogposts such as this one - Oakville Ranch Vineyard Napa Cabernet.

In 1999 Dave and his wife Emily (who worked at Oakville Ranch) purchased the winery and accompanying 18 acres. They were not able to plant vineyards on their steep hillsides due to the county ordinance prohibiting new vineyards on slopes greater then 20%, they opted to install solar cells instead – some 1,750 panels. Miner Family only owns 1/2 acre of vineyards; a tiny vineyard of Cabernet Sauvignon planted in front of the winery. They source premium grapes for their wines from partner growers mainly in Napa Valley. 

The Minor winery is located just above the valley floor – high enough in elevation that one has panoramic views looking over the vines to the west and the Mayacamas mountain range. 

This is the flagship of the Miner porfolio of Bordeaux and Burgundian wines, several Chardonnays and some Pinot Noirs. They also produce some Rhone style wines based on Rhone varietals, and some other varietal wines, not typically produced in Napa Valley.  These wines include Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Sangiovese and Tempranillo, as well as the traditional Napa Valley Bordeaux varietals.

This flagship Oracle label is a Bordeaux blend produced from select premium Bordeaux varietals sourced from prime eastern Napa Valley hillside locations, including the renowned Stagecoach Vineyard and Volker Eisele Vineyard.

The 2021 release is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Cabernet Franc and 10% Merlot.

It was aged 22 Months in 60% new French oak. 3,586 6-packs were produced. 

This released was rated 94 points by James Suckling and 93 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.

Winemaker Notes - Miner Family's flagship wine, a full-bodied, red blend, grants a nod toward elegance. This Bordeaux-style blend is silky, reserved and supremely balanced. Lush aromatics of raspberry and dark cherry with a hint of eucalyptus, The Oracle is decadent, but with finesse. Earthiness and layers of dried flowers and cocoa integrate harmoniously into a finely balanced marriage between tannin and acid, providing the structure that ensures, like all impeccable beauties, this wine is sure to age gracefully.

Deep garnet-purple colored, full bodied, complex and concentrated, tightly structured yet elegant, nicely balanced and polished, black raspberry, blackberry and blueberry fruits accented by notes of cassis, dark chocolate, black tea, black olive and hints of leather and lavender, with firm, fine-grained tannins, on the long fragrant finish.

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?5087056

https://minerwines.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/21Oracle.pdf

https://minerwines.com/

Chappellet and Rivers-Marie Chardonnay at Vintij Grand Blvd

Chappellet and Rivers-Marie Chardonnay at Vintij Grand Blvd 

Traveling to Destin, FL, visiting The Cove, our vacation rental home, we were joined by fellow Pour Boy Bill C, and Beth for a get away get-together. We introduced them to several of our favorite food and wine venues including lunch at Vin’Tij Food & Wine, Grand Blvd Destin. 

We’ve featured Vin’Tij often in these pages, in blogposts such as these - 

Wine tasting at Vin’Tij Grand Boulevard (San)Destin

David Arthur Chardonnay at Vintij Grand Blvd

Delightful wine lunch at Vintij Grand Boulevard

We dined al fresco on the patio, enjoying the Florida autumn sunshine! 

Beth ordered the MARYLAND LUMP CRAB CAKE, Charred Corn-Black Bean Salsa & Lemon Caper Butter.

Bill ordered the Shrimp and Grits, House Made Andouille, Plum Tomatoes, Parmesan Basil Grits & Lemon Caper Butter.

Linda ordered her regular favorite, the SEARED TUNA, Marinated Cucumber Salad, Sriracha Kewpie Mayonnaise, Chili Oil & Ponzu.

I was a bit under the weather and went with the zesty soup, and then the WARM BLEU CHEESE & GRAPE TART - Red Wine Crust, Roasted Grapes, Roasted Red Peppers, Candied Walnuts & Balsamic Reduction.

We paired with our food a couple of hearty Chardonnays from the Vin’tij retail wine shop.

Chappellet Napa Valley Sangiacomo Vineyard, Carneros Chardonnay 2021

We all visited the Chappellet estate vineyards and winery, high atop Pritchett Hill, Napa Valley during our Wine Experiences back in 2009 and 2013. 

We’re big fans of Chappellet Cabernet wines but had never experienced any of their Chardonnay labels so this was a new discovery. 

Label from 2023

This 100% Chardonnay is sourced from the Sangiacomo Vineyard in Carneros AVA at the bottom of the conflucence of Napa and Sonoma Valleys.. 

The Sangiacomo family are master viticulturists and multigenerational winegrowers who have been farming since 1927. Their cool, windswept vineyard in Sonoma’s Carneros region is ideally located bordering San Pablo Bay, where the grapes slowly mature, developing intense varietal character, while retaining excellent acidity and finesse. 

Winemaker’s Growing Season & Harvest Notes - “The 2021 growing season began with one of the driest winters on record, followed by a mild spring and summer with no adverse heat events. Due to the lack of precipitation, canopy growth was limited and the vines produced very small berries and clusters. To ensure ideal ripening and flavor development we closely monitored vine water stress and applied a highly targeted irrigation strategy.’

“While the drought conditions yielded a small crop, the long, temperate growing season combined with ideal weather during harvest produced exceptional quality Chardonnay, with lovely structure and concentration, excellent underlying acidity and soaring varietal flavors.”

Wine Notes and Statistics

Winemaker Phillip Corallo-Titus

100% Chardonnay; Robert Young, Hyde and Catarina Clones

Harvested Sept. 6 – Sept. 16, 2021

100% Malolactic fermentation, aged in 100% French oak, 35% new

Bottled July 2022 - 1,020 cases were produced

Winemaker’s Tasting Notes - “ Made from this coveted fruit, this mouth-filling wine displays beautiful layers of  stone fruits and citrus, as well as French oak-inspired layers of vanilla and spice. This tantalizing Chardonnay displays lavish aromas of honeydew melon, lemon zest, white peach, nectarine and tropical flowers, with sophisticated hints of vanilla, nutmeg, clove and brioche from aging in French oak. While the palate is creamy and rich, with lovely depth and structure, enlivening natural acidity adds poise and energy to the juicy citrus and stone fruit flavors as they glide to a long, vibrant finish.”

This release was rated 95 points and “Cellar Selection” by Wine Enthusiast, 94 points by Jeb Dunnuck,93 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, and 92 points by Wine Spectator.

Golden straw colored, full bodied, full round complex, forward pear and peach fruits with nutty spices and brioche notes on a lengthy buttery finish. 

RM 92 points. 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/4458839

https://chappellet.com/

Rivers-Marie Sonoma County Anderson Valley Chardonnay 2021

This limited release label is from up and coming superstar winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown. He founded ​Rivers-Marie in 2002 with Genevieve Marie Welsh, a boutique winery in Calistoga, California, renowned for its single-vineyard Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. They focus on minimal intervention and sustainable practices, seeking to showcase the unique character of each vineyard and vintage. 

In 2010, they acquired the notable Summa Vineyard, from which they produce highly acclaimed Pinot Noirs.

Since 2016/2017 they have produced six select vineyard designated Chardonnays from the Sonoma Coast and Sonoma County. 

The Sonoma Coast vineyards for our Chardonnay program are closer to each other than any other varietal they produce.

This single vineyard designated label is distinctive, sourced from the Bearwallow Vineyard, from a small 1.5 acre block deep in Anderson Valley. Thomas says of this label, “The epitome of meticulous farming is what always comes to mind first when I think of Bearwallow. This deep end Anderson Valley site has been a part of our program since 2016 and we enjoy its different nature from all the tiny clustered Sonoma Coast vineyards that make up the majority of our program. This bottling always has a distinctive yellow fruited character complemented by a saline and roasted nut character. Our little 1.5 acre Wente clone block has matured into one of the unique coastal Chardonnays we taste every year.”

This release was rated 94 points by Jeb Dunnuck and 91 points by Vinous

Deep golden colored, full bodied, full round, rich concentrated and forward yellow apple, pear with notes of nuts and mineral and hints of apricot, herbs and floral with a sharp focused finish.  

RM 92 points. 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/4503440

https://www.riversmarie.com/wines/chardonnay/

https://vintij.com/

Seafood and David Arthur Chardonnay BYOB at Waterway Cafe in Palm Beach Gardens

Seafood and David Arthur Chardonnay BYOB at Waterway Cafe in Palm Beach Gardens (FL)

Vacationing with friends in Singer Island, Florida, we dined at the trendy, chic, picturesque Waterway Cafe waterfront restaurant in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. 

The iconic Waterway Restaurant is on the Inter-Coastal waterway transformed in 1986 on the former Waterway Marina site. The extraordinary and amazing restaurant consists of a main contemporary skylighted dining room, cozy lounge area wtih a fireplace, waterfront/waterside dining areas including a Tiki Bar, Florida’s only floating bar, boat-up dockage Boat Bar for boaters, waterfront terraces, and flexible private dining spaces.

The main dining room skylight bar …

And cozy fireside lounge and dining room … 

The Tiki Bar and waterview dining terraces  ...

And the fabulous, iconic floating bar and adjacent moorings are a signature highlight, refreshed to match the new main bar/dining room designs …

All this provides an unbeatable,  memorable, on-the-water and waterway experience in a fabulous setting with spectacular views, and the entertaining coastal waterway boat traffic. 

The menu features fresh imaginative seafood entrees, steak, pizzas, the usual salads and some amazing desserts. 

Our entree selections included a pizza shared by our friends …

Linda ordered the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake with Roasted Corn Salsa / Key Lime Mustard Sauce. She loved it, especially the Roasted Corn Salsa relish! 

I had the Pistachio Crusted Grouper with Roasted Seasonal Vegetables and Honey Basil Lime Vinaigrette, with a side of Au Gratin potatoes … both were delicious! 

We took BYOB a special favorite Napa Chardonnay from one of our favorite producers that we enjoyed recently from a different vintage, featured in this blogpost - David Arthur Chardonnay at Vintij Grand Blvd. This provided a comparison tasting of two near vintages of this label. 

David Arthur Napa Valley Chardonnay 2021

A highlight and targeted visit of our Napa Wine Experience 2013 was our visit to David Arthur Napa Valley Estate Vineyards and Winery. I wrote about that day in this blogpost - David Arthur Napa Valley Estate Vineyards and Winery.

We written in earlier posts, we've been collecting and enjoying David Arthur wines since the late nineties since the 1997 vintage but have been pacing our consumption as we watch this wine age and achieve its true potential. The property is situated up at the end of Long Ranch Road up atop Pritchard Hill in the Vaca Mountain range. The drive up offers some spectacular vineyard views and vistas of the Napa Valley below. The adjoining vineyards represent some of the premier producers of Napa Valley wines - Brand, Bryant, Colgin, Continuum, Montagna, the new Del Dotto property Villa Del Lago, and Ovid. Not (yet) designated an appellation, never-the-less, it is fast becoming one of the premiere wine growing areas of Napa Valley.

David Arthur wines represent the unique terroir of the mountain with its rough rocky terrain. They have 21 acres on their Pritchard Hill estate (left) planted in the Bordeaux varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petite Verdot, as well as Sangiovese and Nebbiolo which go into their unique Meritaggio.

We first discovered this wine when we purchased a case back of the 1997 vintage release and still hold about half of those bottles, but we quickly turned and became fans of their Cabernet Sauvignon and their flagship wine Elevation 1147, creatively names for the vineyard site situated 1200 feet above the valley floor. All are crafted 100% from estate grown grapes. This visit offered us the opportunity to experience (and acquire) their latest vintage releases as well as their new Three Acre and Old Vines labels Estate bottled Cabernet Sauvignons and a new release bottling of David Arthur Napa Valley Cabernet Franc.

David Arthur, named for the grandfather of the owner/producer, is a family affair consisting of three generations of the Long family, who over the years acquired the mountain land to raise cattle. Today it is operated by brothers David and Bob along with Joye Long, all are co-owners, with David acting as General Manager and his daughter Laura running the office and daily operations.

A point of interest and fun part of this trip was the fact that Linda (nee) Long and Pat (nee) Long, daughters of Indiana farmer Ned Long were with us. Wife Linda and I were joined on this Napa trip by sister/sister-in-law Pat (Long), so it's only fitting we saved our David Arthur visit and this Long reunion for this trip together.

Adding to the Long legend and heritage on Pritchard Hill, adjacent to the David Arthur vineyards are Long Family Vineyards owned by Napa Valley legends Bob and Zelma Long, who gained notoriety in the 70s as chief enologist at Robert Mondavi Winery. Divorced from Bob, today, Zelma and husband Phillip produce wines in Germany and South Africa under their Zelphi label..

David Arthur Napa Valley Chardonnay 2021 

Like the 2019 vintage of this label from that recent tasting, the grapes for this vibrant and expressive wine are grown in the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley at the southern end of the valley floor. The close proximity to San Pablo Bay provides a cooler climate for which these vines thrive. Morning fog and cool off-shore breezes allow the fruit extended hang time resulting in lower sugars and higher acidity.

Winemaker Notes - “A golden straw color with tints of green offers aromas of ripe Bartlett pear and Fuji apple. There is a freshness to the fruit as well as notes of lemon rind, pineapple and white fig. The oak spice is subtle with vanilla bean crème brulee notes. The palate is broad and expansive yet a mineral acidity balances the texture while flavors of white peach, green apple skin and kiwi carry the length of the palate.”

This release was rated 95 points by James Suckling.

Golden colored, full-boded, rich round, creamy textured and balanced, notes of apple, pear and accents of almond and hints of caramel and whisper of butterscotch with a long expressive finish. 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?5167578

https://www.davidarthur.com/

For dessert, we had the outrageous decadent Waterway signature Snickers Explosion - Layers of chocolate cake, Snickers, and Reese’s pieces ice cream, blended with Butterfinger pieces, for four. 

Forman Chardonnay and Den Hoed Red Blend

Forman Chardonnay and Den Hoed Limited Release Columbia Valley Cabernet for surf and turf dinner 

Sister and Bro-in-law Pat & Rodger came to town to join us for a rare Cubs-Yankees stand-off at our beloved Wrigley Field. 

Linda prepared a surf & turf dinner with King Salmon and tomahawk ribeye beefsteak with haricot verts and baked potatoes. 

With the salmon I opened from the cellar this robust Chardonnay. 

Forman Napa Valley Chardonnay 2017

This is from Forman Winery and Vineyards in Napa Valley, founded by winemaker Ric Forman in 1979. 

Ric got BS and MS degrees in Food Science at the notable U.C. Davis and went on to be founding winemaker and viticulturist at Sterling Vineyards, north of St Helena where he spent ten years before purchasing the Forman winery and vineyard property. 

The Forman property is located on Big Rock Road, off Old Howell Mountain Road, just off Silverado Trail above the landmark Meadowood Resort. 

The estate consists of 11 acres of vineyards that are divided into three parcels, each one planted to the four Bordeaux varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. 

The largest vineyards sits in a three-million-year-old riverbed which is comprised of gravel/sand deposits. Directly above the winery the steeply sloped plot is composed of more dense and larger volcanic rock, so much so that extensive dynamite explosions to break up the rock in order to enable planting on the site. 

Forman released the first Forman Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon in 1983 and the first Chardonnay in 1985. In 1988, they excavated the third wine cave in Napa Valley, which today has become commonplace in highly developed properties. 

We hold a half dozen vintages of this label, this being the oldest, opened as part of cellar inventory management. This 2017 release was rated 92 points by Antonio Galloni - Vinous who describes their style as “understated style by Napa Valley standards”. 

This release was sourced from the Rutherford Bench Rutherford Star vineyard located behind the Rutherford Grill. It was whole-cluster pressed and aged on its lees for 7 months in Burgundy barrels with no malolactic fermentation to preserve structural crispness and elegance.

Winemaker Notes - “A passion for a more austere Chablis style wine from this noble grape has been Forman's goal for more than 36 years. Since 1980 the Rutherford Star vineyard in the heart of the Rutherford Bench appellation has been the source of the Forman Vineyard Chardonnay. It has continued to produce consistent quality over the last 20 years. The wine emphasizes and develops a minerality which, with age, develops into a very racy and elegant food worthy wine.”

Golden straw colored, medium bodied, Chablis like, crisp, rather austere mineral driven with subdued tropical fruits, lemon citrus and apple notes with crisp acidity.

RM 90 points. 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/3145230

https://formanvineyard.com/

The grilled tomahawk ribeye beefsteak was thin sliced and served. 

For pairing with the steak, I pulled from the cellar a rare limited production Washington State Columbia Valley Cabernet for an ideal food wine pairing. We follow this winery and obtained this special release bottling at auction since this wine has a rather disparate lengthy family connection. 

We met the sister of the producers, the Den Hoed brothers, vintner farmers in Yakima Valley, Washington, at the wedding of our niece, who married their nephew. Den Hoeds grow grapes for several producers and also produce some limited release select labels of premium wines. 

For this release they partnered with Alan Shoup, founder of the Long Shadow’s Vintners Collection that we acquire as Club Members and feature often in these pages. The Den Hoed brothers and their partnership with Shoup, and this release were featured Wine Business News back then upon release. 

https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/67838

From the Wine Business.com New Release - Sep 29, 2009: 

Washington Growers Bill and Andy Den Hoed Debut Den Hoed Wine Estates in Partnership with Allen Shoup and Rob Newsom

Long-time Columbia Valley grape growers, brothers Bill and Andy Den Hoed of Grandview, Wash.; Long Shadows founder, Allen Shoup; and Boudreaux Cellars owner/winemaker Rob Newsom will release their 2005 Den Hoed Marie's View red blend.

The partners have quietly worked on this project since establishing a joint venture in 2005. The wines are named for the Den Hoeds' parents, Dutch immigrants who first planted grapes in the Columbia Valley in 1956.

Shoup led Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estates for twenty years and founded Long Shadows Vintners in 2002, a partnership of internationally acclaimed vintners. Newsom made his first ColumbiaValley wine in 1998. The Den Hoed family had considered winemaking for decades, but it wasn't until they began working closely with Shoup and his Long Shadows winemaking partners John Duval and Randy Dunn - who were buying grapes from the Den Hoeds - that the idea for Den Hoed Wine Estates took hold. 

Wallula Vineyard photo from Wine Business News

In 2008, Shoup and a group of investors formed a partnership that purchased 80% of the 750-acre Wallula Vineyard from the Den Hoeds (who kept 20% and a management contract). 

The Den Hoeds began carving this unique vineyard out of the "benches" of a steep, south-facing bluff in Washington State's Horse Heaven Hills in 1997. The property's elevation drops more than 1,000 feet from the top of the hillside down to the edge of the Columbia River, resulting in a vast assortment of micro-climates.

Shortly after purchasing the site, Shoup renamed the property "The Benches" and saved the name "Wallula Vineyard" for the earliest planted vines and a large biodynamic vineyard planted for Randall Grahm.

We first tasted and wrote about Den Hoed wines at chic upscale Canlis Restaurant in Lake Union, suburban Seattle, when we were together for our Seattle Culinary Wine Weekend.  

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/08/canlis-restaurant-seattle-extraordinary.html

Canlis Restaurant Seattle Extraordinary Wine Dine Experience

We then acquired some at auction and featured it in several posts in these pages:

Den Hoed Cabernet at Beach House Restaurant Kauai

Den Hoed Marie's View Walula Slope Horse Heaven Hills Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2023/03/den-hoed-maries-view-walula-slope-horse.html

Den Hoed at Son Ryan's for Bulls Play-in Game

Den Hoed Andreas Wallula Vineyard Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

As I wrote in previous posts. this is named for the patriarch founder, Andreas Den Hoed, who married Marie Den Hoed in 1956 and they planted their first vineyard on their property that year. After two years in the Army Andreas returned to the farm. 

In the early years, they paid the bills growing mint. He continued to plant more vineyards as resources allowed, expanding acreage almost every year. In 1988, their two sons Bill and Andy joined the business as partners in a new project, with acreage planted to vineyards. 

The father and sons team continued to expand in the Yakima Valley for the next 5-6 years. After several years of searching, in 1997, they purchased a 550 acre parcel of land bordering the Columbia River in the Wallula Gap. Since then the vineyard has earned a reputation as one of the finest in the region. It is sited in a picturesque growing location nestled high above the mighty Columbia River south of of the town of Kennewick. The wines produced from this vineyard have proven to stand the test of time and can stand up and hold their own against the best wines of the new world. 

Andreas is a limited production estate wine which celebrates their family history and showcases the Wallula Vineyard. It is a robust Cabernet Sauvignon crafted by Gilles Nicault of the notable Long Shadows Vintners Collection of wines that we collect as prime members of their club. We also discovered Long Shadows during that Seattle, Woodinville Wine Weekend. 

Canlis Lake Union night view

That was our first tasting experience of Den Hoed wines, and being priced below the median on the extensive Canlis winelist, we were dubious yet had high expectations. The Andreas met our most lofty hopes and expectations and was a highlight of our extraordinary meal.

So, how fitting it was that that Canlis dinner was a mini family affair as wife Linda and son Ryan joined me at this legendary family restaurant. Moreover, a subplot to the story, our niece Anna Long, married into the Van Hoed family, farmers, wine growers, viticulturists and winemakers from the famed Walula Vineyards in the central Washington wine region.

Tonight we opened another Den Hoed label, Marie's View from a vineyard so named on the Walula Slope in the Horse Heaven Hills Washington State Appellation. 

We discovered Long Shadows Cellars during that trip and since joining their club, we've acquired a vertical collection of a half dozen vintages of their premier labels of renowned producers crafting world class wines from Washington State fruit.

The winemaker is the local well known Rob Newsom of Boudreaux Cellars. 

This was a perfect complement, pairing with the grilled beefsteaks. 

This vineyard is named for Marie Van Hoed, wife of founder Andreas, mother of the current generation producers. 

This was awarded 92 points by Wine Enthusiast and 90 points by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. 

Den Hoed wines are packaged in an extra heavy bottles with the most incredible deepest punts (that indentation in the bottle around which sediment collects).  

The Den Hoed Wine Estates partnership sourced grapes from small blocks in the Wallula Vineyard section of The Benches. 

The 2005 Marie’s View spent 24 months in French and American oak. A mere 136 cases were produced.

Newsom made the 2005 Marie's View, a blend of 36% Syrah, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, and 12% Sangiovese. 

Densely colored inky garnet purple, medium full bodied, concentrated, firmly structured, full round black berry, black currant and plum fruits with notes of creosote, cassis, cedar and hints of pepper with a vibrant acid backbone and firm tannins on a pleasurable lasting finish. 

RM 92 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2799196

https://www.denhoedwines.com/

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/3505677

Cain Five Napa Valley Bordeaux Blend

Cain Five Napa Valley Bordeaux Blend

Son Alec and Vivianna came over to join us to watch the World Cup Semi-final. They brought pizza’s and a my half of a recent case purchase of wine he and I split - Cain Five. 

This is from Cain Five, named for the Cain Vineyard in the Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley and the five Bordeaux varietals that they grow there. The 500 acre Cain Ranch high atop Spring Mountain was founded in 1980 by Jerry and Joyce Cain. The “Five” refers to the five Bordeaux varietal grapes grown on the 90 acres of vineyards planted, and included in the Red Bordeaux Blend. 

Today the estate is owned by Jim and Cindy Meadlock and managed by Wine-Grower/GM Christopher Howell and Vineyard Manager Ashley Anderson-Bennett. The winemaking team for the most part have been working together for nearly twenty vintages and more. They produce 12000 cases annually of three labels, Cain Five and Cain Concept The Benchland, both Estate Grown & Bottled on the single Cain Vineyard and Cain Cuvée including fruit from other Napa Valley sources.

The Cain vineyard represents the terroir factors of the site - steep slopes, the thin clay soils, the high mountain elevation above the valley inversion, and the aromatic plants and forest that embrace the vineyard plots and fill most of our watershed. 

This 2014 release of Cain Five was the five Bordeaux varietals 100% Cain Vineyard, Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley, 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 8% Malbec, and 7% Petit Verdot. Production was 4,977 (9L) cases, release on September 1, 2018.

Producer’s Notes - “2014 Cain Five is, quite simply, the most beautiful wine ever to have come from the Cain Vineyard. We’ve simplified the label, too. No more clutter of varietal percentages. All you really need to know is that the Cain Five came from the Cain Vineyard: estate grown—estate bottled—harvested and vinified in 2014. If you know anything about this wine, you’ll know that it is a Cabernet Blend of five varieties (hence, Cain Five), but the most important thing is that it grew in just one place: the Cain Vineyard. Five Varieties—One Vineyard.’

Producer’s comments on the 2014 vintage … 

“2014 will be known as the third and last (for us) of the three drought years: 2012, 2013, and 2014. The most shocking of these three years was 2014, when up until the end of January, we had received virtually no rain at all. And then it rained. And rained. In February our reservoirs were filled. In March, it continued to rain. With our soils fully saturated like a sopping wet sponge, the soil warmed up slowly, the vines awoke from dormancy slowly, and thus it would not be an early year. When all the plants finally came back to life in 2014, it was a glorious spring, almost like a desert bloom after the rain, with wildflowers everywhere. The vines were flush with new growth. Clearly, the soil was alive. After that worrisome winter it seemed like everything just flowed.”

Winemaker’s notes for this release - “The color is relatively dark—not opaque—with no sign of evolution. The aromas are discrete: fruity—floral—herbal—spi — and pure. On the palate, the wine has a certain density, but now the tannins have melted and this wine just flows. This is a wine for the ages. Drink now or forever.” 

At twelve years, this is subtle and refined, aging gracefully and will potentially improve further for perhaps as much as a decade or farther. 

This release was rated 96 points by James Suckling and 92 by Wilfred Wong of Wine.com.

Dark garnet colored, medium to full bodied, smooth elegant polished nicely integrated black berry and currant fruits with note of sweet tobacco, dried herbs, earthy forest floor and hints of dark mocha chocolate with smooth, silky tannins and bright acidity on the long finish. 

RM 93

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/2711521

https://www.cainfive.com/

Pizza and Big Red for USA Watch Party

Pizza and Big Red for USA Watch Party

We gathered at son Alec’s to watch the USA in the World Cup. Alec ordered in pizza’s from Freedom Brother’s in Naperville. I took from our home cellar a favorite big red ‘pizza wine’ for the occasion. Before pizza they served salad and triple cream Brie and Carmella Gouda artisan cheeses. 

Venge Vineyards ‘Scout's Honor’ Napa Valley Red Blend 2019 

We’re long time fans of Venge wines dating back three decades. This big red blend is named for the family golden retriever who used to roam the vineyards. This is a mainstay of our cellar that we keep on hand for such occasions. We have a half dozen vintages of this label in our cellar, drinking and cycling the oldest, replacing it as we go with the latest current release. 

Since 2018, current releases are the new branding of a painted wine bottle as opposed to the more traditional and modest glued paper label. 

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

Earlier release winemaker notes suggest “The result is an unpretentious, generous mouthful of red wine that we recommend be opened and enjoyed immediately upon release.”

The 2019 Scout's Honor is a blend of 63% Zinfandel, 16% Charbono,12% Petite Sirah and 9% Syrah. 

This release was barrel aged for 14 months in 50% new American Oak and the balance in once used tight grain French Oak.

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

Winemaker Notes - “The small, individual lots of fruit were destemmed into a combination of stainless steel tanks and open top fermenters, where whole-berry fermentation took place for an average of 20 days. No conventional pumps were used in the making of this wine. Only diaphragm air pumps, forced air pressure movement, or bulldogging, and transfers by gravity were employed to preserve the pure fruit integrity in the wine.”

This release was rated 93 points by Wine Enthusiast and 90 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

This is always a crowd pleaser, great with hearty cheeses, BBQ, tangy pasta or pizza. 

Dark inky purple colored, full bodied, rich concentrated brambly ripe black berry and black raspberry fruits, spicy tobacco, dusty earth, hints of anise and black pepper and toasted oak with chewy gripping tannins on a long lingering tongue puckering finish.

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?3922323

https://www.vengevineyards.com/