Showing posts with label OTBN. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OTBN. Show all posts

Saturday, February 28, 2026

Pour Boys Wine Group - OTBN 2026

Pour Boys Wine Group - OTBN - Open That Bottle Night 2026 

For the fifteenth year in a row, our Pour Boys Wine Group gathered together to celebrate OTBN - Open That Bottle Night. As is customary, the annual OTBN wine event – Open That Bottle Night OTBN is held on the last Saturday night in February. This year was the 25th such event since its creation in 2000 by Dorothy Gaither and John Brecher wine columnists for the Wall Street Journal. OTBN was established to set aside to share and compare special bottles of wine, that have been held in our cellars, waiting for the special occasion to open, that hasn’t yet come, so as to eventually succumb to the inevitable, its time, open that bottle (to)night! 

Tonight's wine flight offered an extraordinary selection of wines including no less than five 100 point perfect score labels!  While we don't subscribe to the ratings and rankings as our true north, they do provide a valid benchmark for judging a label.

Last year, we all traveled to Charleston (SC) for a getaway weekend to visit fellow Pour Boy Bill and Beth as featured in this blogpost - OTBN 2025 in Charleston.

OTBN 2026 was our fifteenth straight year, since 2011, that we have celebrated together,  Last year we traveled to Charleston (SC) for a getaway weekend to visit fellow Pour Boy Bill and Beth.  That an abbreviated replay of our OTBN - Open That Bottle Night - 2023, which was also held in Charleston, as featured in these pages in this blogpost, excerpted below. 

Invariable, OTBN provides an opportunity to gather with like minded friends and share and compare a selection of spectacular wines!!!
 

The last two years we followed the seasons, striving to head south during the winter, and back north during the other seasons. After our October gathering, it was decided Chicago was a more amenable meeting point this year so we agreed to host on the traditional end of February date.  

This year we were joined by regular’s Lyle, Dan, and John (below), who came in from Williamsburg, and Eric & Cathy who just returned from a tour in Italy. 

We were joined this year by son Ryan and two of his wine buddies, Brian W and Mark C, and son Alec. 


My remarkable wife Linda, loves to cook, and single-handedly prepared a wonderful dinner of tenderloin Beef Bourguignon, an extensive medley of roasted vegetables, pomme purée, and a course of ramekins of lobster medallions with fresh croutons and butter, a fresh mixed salad and extensive charcuterie and cheese course. 

She also spent the previous day preparing the Chocolate Mousse and Beef Bourguignon sauce. 


 

Prior to dinner there was an extensive selection of artisan cheeses, charcuterie, fresh fruits, mixed nuts, artisan chocolates and shrimp cocktail.  


 

As to be expected, we had a fabulous extensive flight of extraordinary wines - Champagne, whites, reds, and dessert wines.

As he is known to do, “Champagne John” brought two exceptional single vintage Champagnes.  

Krug Brut 2011 

The final blend of this vintage is forty-six percent Pinot Noir, thirty-seven percent Chardonnay and seventeen percent Pinot Meunier. 

This was a star in a challenging vintage ... It was rated  98 points by James Suckling, 97 by Jeb Dunnuck and Wine Spectator, 96 by John Gilman and 94 by Decanter. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4926833

https://www.krug.com/en-int 

Tattinger Champagne de Comtes Grands Cru Blanc de Blanc 2007 

Another highly acclaimed top rated label - this was rated 98 points by James Suckling, 97 and Cellar Selection by Wine Enthusiast, 96 by Decanter, Vinous and Int'l Wine Review, and 95 by Wine Advocate and John Gilman. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1555753

https://www.taittinger.com/en 

In addition, for the cheese and salad course shrimp and lobster, there was a diverse selection of interesting white wines - a traditional Napa Chardonnay, two Rhône blends and a Spanish Priorat. . 


Merryvale 'Silhouette' Napa Valley Chardonnay 2017

This Napa Valley label is sourced from “the best Chardonnay blocks on the historic Stanly Ranch and Hyde vineyards” in Carneros.  This bottling represents the best Chardonnay fruit of the vintage. 

The wine captivates with aromas of orange blossoms, jasmine, and candied pineapple, evolving as it opens. Full on the palate, the unctuous mouthfeel is brilliantly supported by the wine’s natural acidity, leading into a long finish that showcases the traditional minerality and freshness of Stanly Ranch.

This premium limited release label is packaged in a distinctive heavy painted bottle showing the 'silhouette' images of the producers. 
 
 
Winemaker Notes - The 2017 Silhouette Chardonnay has an intense nose filled with exotic fruit notes including pineapple, stone fruit and tangerine, and a fragrant vanilla finish. The mouth is very round with a nice sweetness and very clean minerality. The wine is dense and ample with a touch of sweetness and citrus (yuzu) finish. A very balanced and elegant wine with a stylish touch of oak and a beautiful finish.

It was rated 95 points by Jeb Dunnuck, and 92 points by James Suckling, Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.

The wine fermented in barrel with native yeasts and full malolactic. It was aged 16 months with the full lees in 40% new French oak. 700 cases were produced. 
 
 
 
Lillian California Rousanne 2015

This is produced by Maggie Harrison, legendary winemaker who gained fame working at Sine Qua Non, known for ultra-premium Shiraz. This white wine is a unique Rhône Valley varietal, Rousanne.


From the winery: "The goal with all Lillian wines — Roussanne, Syrah, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon — is to work with these historical, noble varieties in a sun-drenched place but raise the wines in such a way that gives the wines levity.  

Lillian is also winemaker for the ultra-premium Antica Terra, in Dundee, OR, who shares the winery and tasting room with Lillian.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2739240

https://www.lillianwinery.com/

https://www.lillianwinery.com/lillian-wines/

E. Guigal “La Doriane” Condrieu (Viognier) 2014

This is from iconic prolific producer E. Guigal, known for their vast portfolio of wines - this Northern Rhône Viognier is a blend of five-choice parcels from the Condrieu appellation, vinified separately and blended just before bottling.. 

It the was rated 96-97 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 95 by Wine Spectator, and 93 by James Suckling and Vinous. 

Parker’s Wine advocate writes - “The 2014 Condrieu la Doriane is a sensational white with full-bodied richness, awesome purity and integrated acidity. Deep, rich, lengthy and profound, it’s up there with some of the greatest Condrieu ever made.”

Winemaker Notes - “La Doriane is a luxury cuvée of Condrieu that E. Guigal has produced since the 1994 vintage. A great success since the firstvintage, the wine always seems richly oaked and very fruity when young, transforming in 3-4 years into a seamlessly complex,aromatic and vibrant wine. La Doriane contradicts the accepted wisdom that Condrieu does not age well.” 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2118402

Another unique white varietal … 

Laurel Blanc Clos i Terrasses Priorat 2023
 
 
This is the artwork of producer/winemaker Daphne Glorian, the visionary behind Clos i Terrasses, long celebrated for her exceptional red wines in Priorat. The Priorat wine region in northeastern Spain, is 90 miles southwest of Barcelona in the Catalonian province of Tarragona. It is the only other appellation besides the Spanish region of Rioja to achieve the highest quality level in Spain, Denominación d’Origen Qualificada (DOQ).

In 2023, Glorian expanded with this inaugural release of Laurel Blanc, crafted from Priorat’s Clos i Terrasses estate vineyard  on a recently acquired 13-hectare parcel in Les Manyetes near Gratallops on the Mediterranean coast.

The Laurel Blanc 2023 is a blend crafted with 85% Garnacha Blanca, 8% Chenin Blanc, and 7% Viognier. The grapes were hand-harvested in early meticulously destemmed and gently pressed using a manual press. Fermentation occurred with native yeasts in a combination of 400-liter barrels and amphorae, where the wine matured for seven months. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?5283639

https://www.europeancellars.com/wine/laurel/

Moving to the dinner course of Beef Borgogne and roasted vegetables we had a broad diverse flight of exceptional reds … 


In the true OTBN tradition of opening bottles that have long been held in the cellar waiting for that special moment, I served three aged vintage classics from Napa, Bordeaux and McLaren Valley …. Both 1986’s, at forty years were still in good condition, label, foil, and importantly, the corks and fill levels. Same for the 1990 vintage release. 
 

Dominus Napa Valley Red Blend 1986 

This classic wine is the US Napa Valley offering from this legendary French producer Christian Moueix - owner of an extensive collection of some of the world's greatest vineyard properties. He founded the Napanook vineyards and winery in 1983 on the historic property that George Yount planted some of the very first vines in Napa Valley back in 1838.
  
This is the next to last bottle of a full case I acquired on release. Opening one every couple of years, it wasn’t until bottle 8 or so that it started to show its true potential. The last bottle opened was past prime and at the end of its drinking window. This one, a couple of years later was still approachable and enjoyable, more so on day two. 

Back in those days, from 1983 to 1991, Dominus labels were were a ‘artist series’ of pencil, chalk or watercolor drawings of the legendary producer, Christian Moueix, making for a fun collection. We still hold bottles from those years 1983, ‘86, ‘88 and ‘90, at least. 
 
In a horizontal tasting of the 1986 vintage releases Robert Parker's Wine Advocate wrote - "One of the richest, densest, most concentrated offerings in the entire tasting, it also proved to be one of the best-balanced, with better integration of acidity and tannin than many 1986s exhibited." He rated this 93 points.   
 
At forty years, the label, foil and most importantly the fill level and cork were still in ideal condition, taking into account their age! The cork extracted entirely intact using an 'Ahso' two pronged cork puller. 
 
 
 

Chateau Montrose St Estephe 1986 

Interesting mini-horizontal tasting of these two 40 year olds wines. I recall reviews of the 1986 Bordeaux release and pundits talking about how long it would take for those wines to be ready to drink. Parker said his grandchildren would benefit from aging some of those labels. 
 
Tonight, this was very much approachable, enjoyable, still in its drinking window, with a few years yet to go. 
 
This bottle was acquired upon release back in 1988 and has been stored in our cellar ever since. At forty years, the label, foil and most importantly the fill level and cork were still in good condition. The cork was partially saturated but still extracted intact using an 'ahso' two pronged cork puller. It might have been retrieved using a traditional corkscrew but is clearly nearing the end of its functional life.  
 
Decanter rated this 98 points and wrote, "This is a masterclass in the ageing aromas of Bordeaux."
 
Dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon (67%
), with Merlot (27%
) and Cabernet Franc (6%
). 

Wine Spectator rated it 95 points and a *Spectator Selection*. Wine Advocate gave it 92 points. 
 
We drove by the Montrose Chateau estate and vineyards during our Bordeaux region tour in 2019.  
 
 
 
http://www.chateau-montrose.com/ 

Penfold’s Grange Hermitage 1990 

This is part of our special birthyear vintage collection where we hold several bottles from the birth year vintages of our kids. This label in particular is special as it was also Wine Spectator’s #1 Wine of the Year back in 1995 and was rated 100 points, and a near perfect 99 points by Decanter.
 
Penfolds Grange has been awarded over 30 perfect scores from top wine critics around the world, including 100 points from both Wine Spectator and Robert Parker's Wine Advocate for the 2008 vintage and eight perfect scores for the 2018 vintage.

In addition to serving this at son Alec and Vivianna’s wedding celebration, we also toasted their engagement with this label as well. We’ve featured it in these previous wine posts - 


In a tasting back in September 26, 2020, it was WOTN - Wine of the Night in a tasting.
In a previous tasting in October, 2019 ... 

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/10/parents-son-dinner-features-birth-year.html

October 26, 2019 - Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, flawless, elegant, polished, harmonious, perfectly balanced, silky smooth flavors of concentrated black berry and black raspberry fruits with notes of vanilla, licorice, spice, black truffles and oak with hints of spice and cedar turning to fine grained tongue puckering tannins on the long lingering finish.

Consistent with earlier tasting of this label, dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, flawless, elegant, polished, harmonious, perfectly balanced, silky smooth flavors of concentrated black berry and black raspberry fruits with notes of vanilla, licorice, spice, black truffles and oak with hints of spice and cedar turning to fine grained tongue puckering tannins on the long lingering finish.
 
 

Dan brought Kathryn Hall Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 

We’ve visited the magnificent Hall Rutherford estate vineyard and winery on several occasions and met Kathryn together at the Kathryn Hall Vertical Tasting - Hall Wine Release Tour 2015. Our visits to the Hall Rutherford site have been highlights of several of our Napa Valley Wine Experiences including our trip in 2013 and again in 2017.

Dan also brought a Chateau Montelena Chardonnay 2017 

Lyle brought his customary Vintage Port for the dessert course, and a Super Second Bordeaux … 

Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou St Julien Bordeaux 2014 

This is one of our favorite producers of which we hold a large collection dating back four decades. Our Visit to Château Ducru Beaucaillou was a highlight of our visit to the St Julien Appellation in Bordeaux back in 2019. 

Beside the Champagnes, and the Viogner, John brought a fabulous arguably Super Second Margaux …

Chateau Palmer Margaux Bordeaux 2016

John brought this spectacular 100 point ‘super second’ Margaux, from one of our favorite producers. 

Upon opening, I immediately considered this a candidate for WOTN - Wine of the Night!

At ten years old, this is just beginning to settle and integrate and start showing its true character and potential. We’re still holding this label going back to our kid’s birth years, 81, ‘82, ‘85 and ’90. We opened the ‘81 in magnum format for Christmas dinner just last year. 

It was rated 100 points by Wine Enthusiast, Vinous and Jeb Dunnuck, who rated this 100 points and wrote, "The finest vintage I’ve ever tasted from this estate, surpassing the 2009 and 2010, the 2016 Château Palmer."

It was rated 98 points by James Suckling, Wine Advocate and Decanter.  

This release is a blend of 47% each of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, with the balance Petit Verdot, all of which was brought up in 65% new French oak. This release should keep for half a century. (Jed Dunnuck) 

We stayed within walking distance of the Chateau during our Bordeaux wine Experience back in 2019. Regrettably, we played phone tag over several days and were never able to synch up to confirm our tasting tour. We did walk over and see the magnificent Chateau and grounds. 


https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2594466 

https://www.chateau-palmer.com/en 

Primissimo Puglia Salento Negra Amaro 2021 
 
Eric & Cathy just returned this week from Italy and brought this limited release Italian Nebbiolo that they obtained while staying at the Producer’ estate winery … 

Primissimo is an organic wine produced by Guy Martin, a Michelin-starred chef who discovered, fell in love with and acquired wine estates and a nine acre vineyard in Nardò in the heart of Solento, in Puglia in Southern Italy. The site is organically farmed land, the vines grow in clay-limestone soil, nourished by the ample sun and the Mediterranean climate - “exceptional terroir gives the wine its structure and roundness, and a strong Mediterranean identity that is both wild and controlled.”

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=5696827

Son Ryan arrived with wine buddies Brian W and Mark C, each with a couple of notable wines to share and compare. 

Ryan brought from his cellar two spectacular 100 point labels …

Sine Qua Non “The Hated Hunter” California Syrah 2017

 
This classic, highly allocated label is named after winemaker Manfred Krankl’s grandfather. The 2017 Syrah "The Hated Hunter" is 82.4% Syrah, 7.8% Petite Sirah, 5.2% Mourvèdre, 2% Grenache, and the rest a mix of varieties that spent just over 23 months in 59% new French oak. 

Sine Qua Non produce Rhone Ranger wines from primarily Rhone varietals sourced from four different vineyard sites in the Central California Coast.

It was rated 100 points by Jeb Dunnuck, 98 points by Wine Advocate, and 96 points by Vinous. 

This may have been the clear WOTN - Wine of the Night, except I would put it in almost its own category ... apart from the Bordeaux varietal labels.   

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3368169

http://www.sinequanon.com/ 

Cliff Lede Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Cliff Lede is one of our favorite Napa Valley producers. We've visited the estate several times and our tastings there have been highlights of several of our Napa Valley trips.  

https://www.mcnees.org/winesite/napa/napa-09/lede-0909/napa_harvest_09_lede.htm 

This was arguably my WOTN - Wine of the Night, (amongst the Bordeaux varietals, although the Turnbull was notable, and the Bordeaux blends were in a class by themselves). 

This was rated a perfect 100 points by Jeb Dunnuck, 98 points by Wine Advocate, 96 by Int'l Wine Review, 95 by James Suckling, Wine Spectator and Vinous/

Suckling wrote, "The Cliff Lede, 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon is pure perfection in a glass. This extraordinary wine is unquestionably one of the finest in this report and has an awesome, singular style that's hard to believe."
 
Jnt'l Wine Review wrote, "The 2016 Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon from Cliff Lede is an absolute monster. This colossal wine instantly grabs your attention with its impressive opaque, dark inky color and intense aromas of ripe black and blue fruits which are joined by fresh violets, graphite and sweet exotic spices that all come together and burst from the glass."
 
Vinous wrote, "The 2016 is one of the finest editions of Cliff Lede's To Kalon Cabernet I can remember tasting."
 
 
 
Ryan's buddies Brian and Mark brought the Laurel Blanc Priorat, above, and some notable big Napa Valley reds. … 

Stalworth Napa Valley Rutherford Bench Cabernet Sauvignon 2021


This is the product of Sabrina and Timothy Persson who took over the family Napa Valley winery in 2012. They farm two vineyards on the Rutherford Bench of Napa Valley, known for narrow alluvial fans that spill out from the Mayacamas foothills along the western edge of Rutherford and Oakville. These ancient deposits marry depth and complexity with natural drainage, compelling the vines to reach deep into the soil while tempering vigor. 

The two vineyards showcased by Stalwørth sit along Napa Valley’s western benchlands and share the hallmarks of the Rutherford Bench, yet each brings its own distinctive voice. 

The Rutherford vineyard is a small, organically farmed site producing more red-toned fruit with supple tannins and graceful texture. 

The Oakville vineyard is a small, dry-farmed vineyard at the base of the Oakville Grade, yielding darker fruit with a refined, velvety structure. Together, these vineyards capture the full range of the western benchlands’ character, complementing each other in balance and expression.
It is crafted by legendary winemaker Celia Welch. 

Turnbull Black Label Oakville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 

Turnbull Winery sitting on St Helena Hwy in Oakville, are owners and farmers of four premiere estate vineyards in Napa Valley, 90 acres in Oakville and 60 acres in Calistoga dating back over four decades. 

This is their ultra-premium label sourced from the Oakville vineyards, primarily from the Leopoldina vineyard and the remaining 30% of the fruit from the Fortuna vineyard. 

The Fortuna vineyard sitting atop the Oakville bench with a western exposure was the original homestead of the pre-vine era Weitz cattle range and then home to the first vines planted in the area. 

The remainder is from the historic Fortuna vineyard site from pre-Prohibition and originally sourced by the venerable Christian Brothers winery. Fortuna sits at the base of the gently sloping Oakville Bench, on the eastern side of the Oakville appellation. 

Only 62 cases were produced in this select bottling. 

This release was rated 96 points by Vinous and Wine Enthusiast (Cellar Selection), 95 points by Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator and 92 by James Suckling.


https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4115879

https://www.turnbullwines.com/ 

Altamura Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

Altamura Vineyards and Winery, established in 1985 by Napa natives Frank and Karen Altamura, is the only winery in Wooden Valley located within the Napa Valley appellation. Born and raised in Napa Valley, Frank began working with his cousin, a vineyard manager, right out of high school working at Sterling Vineyards in 1976, the at Caymus with mentor Charlie Wagner for five years.

Their sprawling 400 acre Altamura Ranch in historic Wooden Valley, on Mt George at the south end of the Vaca Mountain range that forms the eastern wall of Napa Valley, high above the town of Napa. The historic ranch was settled by members of Karen Altamura’s family back in 1855. Frank and Karen cleared 65 acres and planted Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese on six different sites. Caves were dug and they constructed a stone winery at the Altamura Family home in Wooden Valley.

We visited the Altamura estate winery on one of our first Napa Valley trips back in the late 1980's. 

Their hillside and valley floor estate vineyards in Wooden Valley are at elevations of 700 to 1000 feet with diverse soil types on the ranch which are similar to the Rutherford Bench and the mountainous regions of Howell Mountain, Pritchard Hill and Mount Veeder.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3830998

https://www.altamura.com/ 

Son Alec arrived and brought this interesting Napa Cab .. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3830998

https://www.altamura.com/

Soquel Partner’s Reserve Atlas Peak Stagecoach Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Soquel is a small winery on Glen Haven Road in the Santa Cruz Mountains high above the south end of Silicon Valley. They also produce several labels in concert with several neighboring growers partners as well as this label, sourced from the historic Stagecoach Vineyard on Atlas Peak in Napa Valley. 

This label was rated 95 points by Wine Advocate, 93 by Vinous and 92 by Jeb Dunnuck.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3005686 

https://soquelvineyards.com/ 

For finishing the evening Linda prepared her delectable chocolate mousse. For an accompaniment, Lyle opened his signature Vintage Port, and I opened a limited production Austrian dessert wine. 

As the night wore on, the boys raided the cellar and pulled some additional interesting reds to taste and compare … including the Penfold’s Grange, mentioned above, and this limited release Diamond Mountain selection … 

Constant Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

At twenty years, this is very much in stride at the apex of its drinking window. We tasted and acquired this label at the Estate, high atop Diamond Mountain during our Diamond Mountain Wine Experience - Constant Vineyards & Winery back in 2011. 

Taylor Fladgate Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port 1995

If John is the 'Champagne guy', Lyle is the 'port guy' ..., although he's acquired a collection of and has been bringing some spectacular Brunello's in recent years ... as well as the occasional Bordeaux ... 

Taylor’s is one of the oldest of the founding Port houses dating back to 1692. 

The Taylor's Port Quinta de Vargellas vineyard was acquired in 1893 and is now a Class A vineyard, one of the pre-eminent among the wine estates of the Douro dating back to the 1820s. It ranks among the great vineyards of the world.

Wine Spectator cited this as "Ranked #10 Top 100 Wines of 1998", and gave it 92 points. 

Vinous rated it 94 points, and John Gilman gave it 91 and gave it a drinking window out until 2030 - "Drink between 2011-2030"

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

https://www.taylor.pt/ 

And I pulled from our cellar some aged TBA's from Austria … 

Kracher Welschriesling Trockenberenausliese Zwischen Den Seen Number 8

From the Austria, Burgenland, Neusiedlersee region, we hold more than two dozen labels of this Austrian producer’s releases spanning more than two decades. 

https://mcnees.org/winesite/labels/label_library_pages/label_library_Europe.htm 

These rare ultra-premium dessert wines are fun to watch as they age, turning from straw colored, to butter, to golden, to weak tea and to tea colored, as shown here at twenty-five years. 

They were great to taste over the ensuing week for sipping with a variety of entrees and desserts. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=19088 

http://www.kracher.at/ 

 


At the risk of missing some wines, and numerous photos, and not clipping Links to other pages, I’m publishing this now, before it’s ready, as I’m getting on a jet plane and don’t know when I’ll get an opportunity to finish this post … Watch for updates and a cleaned up version … 

And THANK YOU to all that attended for sharing some great wines!!!
 
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Location: 4R52PP4H+4X

Saturday, February 22, 2025

OTBN 2025 in Charleston

OTBN 2025 in Charleston

We traveled to Charleston (SC) for a getaway weekend to visit fellow Pour Boy Bill and Beth. As is customary on the last Saturday night in February, we celebrated OTBN together, an abbreviated celebration in light of the travel and unavailability of several members of our traditional Pour Boys wine group. 

OTBN 2025 was our fourteenth straight year, since 2011, that we have celebrated together and fittingly, was an abbreviated replay of our OTBN - Open That Bottle Night - 2023, which was also held in Charleston, as featured in these pages in this blogpost, excerpted below.

The last Saturday in February brings the annual OTBN wine event – Open That Bottle Night – the 24th such event since its creation in 2000 by Dorothy Gaither and John Brecher wine columnists for the Wall Street Journal. OTBN is set aside to share and compare special bottles of wine, that have been held in our cellars, waiting for the special occasion to open, that hasn’t yet come, so as to eventually succumb to the inevitable, its time, open that bottle (to)night!

So this was our fourteenth straight year, since 2011, members of our Pour Boys (TM) wine group assembled to share and compare special bottles of wine.

And so, as we’ve starting following the seasons, we congregate in the south during the winter, and the north during the other seasons. As such, we gathered again at Bill and Beth C’s in Charleston, SC for this years' gala.

OTBN 2025 as in 2023 was hosted by Bill and Beth C at their home on Seabrook Island, SC. While the 2023 Saturday night OTBN dinner was held at the Seabrook Island Clubhouse Ashley Room private dining room, tonight we dined in their home on the island. As in ‘23, several members of our group were not able to attend due to family and other commitments, this year we were joined by special friends.


After a spectacular dinner Friday night, at Oak Restaurant in Charleston, we dined in at Bill and Beth’s for Saturday night with special friends Amy and Beth visiting from Kentucky. 

Bill & Beth prepared grilled beefsteaks with twice baked potatoes and haricot verts.


For starters Beth prepared Caesar Salad and crab cakes. 


Bill pulled from his cellar a medley of Napa Valley Cabernets for the occasion. 


The wine highlight of the evening, and my absolute WOTN - Wine of the Night, was Odette Nap Valley Cabernet.

Odette Stags Leap District Napa Cabernet 2015

Bill opened this big red in a large format magnum for the ladies, but I loved it before and after dinner for enjoyable sipping, and it was just as good over the following afternoon. This big red was so opulent and fruit forward it was almost a meal in of itself with its exuberant full round plump profile! 

This is from the Odette 45-acre estate vineyards in the heart of the Stag’s Leap District appellation nestled against the foothills on the east side of Silverado Trail just north of Napa town. 

It’s too bad this label is part of the Plumpjack Group with their unfortunate affiliation with Gavin Newsom. Never-the-less, despite the distractions and mis-directions, they produce some fabulous wines. 

This release was crafted by Odette winemaker Andrew Haugen.

A native from Southern California, he studied biology at Cal Poly in the Central California wine region around San Luis Obispo. There, he also took the available wine classes. Pursing his interest in wine, he gained experience at Stonestreet in Sonoma County for his inaugural 2012 harvest, then at Church Road Winery in New Zealand, Howard Park in Australia, and Gran Moraine in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, before joining Odette Estate Winery in 2015.

From that time he progressed from cellar master to enologist to assistant winemaker and eventually head winemaker for the Odette and their Adaptation labels. He works closely with long-time Vineyard Manager Oscar Renteria at Oso Vineyard, and a 129-acre site located in Pope Valley.

This Odette 2015 is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, and the rest 3% Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot.

4,000 cases were produced of this release. 

Winemaker’s notes for this release - “Opaque, dark ruby color introduces this wine that expresses dark fruit aroma and flavors. With spicy sweet oak complexity, the wine exudes dark fruit such as blackberry, black currant, blueberry and dark cherry. There are nuances of dark chocolate, chocolate berry truffle dusted with cocoa powder, cola, aromatic cedar, cinnamon, clove, graham crackers and a hint of tobacco. The body is very full with a soft entry, coupled with dark cherry/berry flavors that develop from start to finish. With great texture and mouth feel, this cabernet is full bodied, rich and opulent.”

This release was awarded 96 points by Jeb Dunnuck and Wine Advocate, 95 and ‘Top 100 Wines of 2018, Highly Recommended’ by Wine Spectator, and 95 by Wine Enthusiast who also noted it a ‘Cellar Selection’, and 92 by Vinous.

Deep inky purple-black colored, full bodied, concentrated rich opulent and expressive, complex, but polished and elegant, round sweet ripe raspberry, plum and currant fruits with spice-box, mocha chocolate, crème de cassis notes and accents licorice of cedar and pencil graphite finishing with full but smooth fine-grained silky tannins.

RM 95 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?2636415

https://www.odetteestate.com/

Prior to and with the dinner course Bill opened a couple of Napa Cabernet’s, a well known producer and label from Napa Oakville, and one sourced from Howell Mountain. 

Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

This is a producer we know well from Bill’s extensive collection of labels having been in their wine club for more than two decades. We’ve had many memorable tastings of this producer’s artwork together including several visits to the estate and winery in Napa Valley. We last tasted this wine together back in 2017 as featured in these pages in this blogpost - https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/10/freemark-abbey-napa-valley-cabernet.html.

In 2009 Bill and Beth and Linda and I visited the winery and toured the library and acquired vintage bottles from the library collection for special occasions including 1974 and 1978 vintage labels for an anniversary celebration dinner that night across the road at the CIA - Culinary Institute of America, Napa.
 
This is the standard Napa Valley signature label, one of their largest production labels with 24,332 cases produced of the 2013 vintage. 

Winemaker Notes for this release - “Opaque, dark ruby color introduces this wine that expresses dark fruit aroma and flavors. With spicy sweet oak complexity, the wine exudes dark fruit such as blackberry, black currant, blueberry and dark cherry. There are nuances of dark chocolate, chocolate berry truffle dusted with cocoa powder, cola, aromatic cedar, cinnamon, clove, graham crackers and a hint of tobacco. The body is very full with a soft entry, coupled with dark cherry/berry flavors that develop from start to finish. With great texture and mouth feel, this cabernet is full bodied, rich and opulent. In one word …. delicious.”

This is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. It was aged nearly 26 months in oak. 

This was rated 92 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and James Suckling. 

We last tasted this wine 

Opaque purple colored, medium full-bodied, concentrated, structured rich blackberry and blackcurrant fruits with notes of leather and tobacco leaf with hints of spice and mocha chocolate with moderate tannins on a flavorful lingering finish. 

RM 92 points. 



While the ladies enjoyed the more approachable fruit forward Odette, Bill and I dove into this aged vintage Bordeaux Blend for pairing with the grilled beefsteak.

Château Calon-Ségur St-Estèphe Grand Cru Classe Bordeaux 1995

This was a special vintge wine, ideal for such as tasting, from the Left Bank of Bordeaux. 

Linda and I visited the Château Calon-Ségur estate and vineyards just outside the village of St-Estèphe during our Left Bank Bordeaux tour in 2019. We hold the remains of a case we acquired on release and were interested to see how this is aging. We enjoy gifting this wine for weddings, anniversaries and special occasions with the heart on the label. 

Son Ryan brought this label to one of our Pour Boy’s wine dinners back on its tenth anniversary in 2016 featured in these pages in this blogpost - Mouton, Dominus, Insignia Highlight Big Red Wine Dinner.

This release was rated 97 points by James Suckling, 95 by Wine Spectator who rated it ‘Ranked #6 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 1998’, 94 by Wine Advocate, 93 by John Gilman, and 91 by International Wine Cellar. 

James Suckling wrote,.” It's one of the best Calons ever.” Robert Parker lauded this Calon-Ségur as one of the stars of the vintage. 

At 30 years of age, it shows no signs of diminution of age or reaching the end of the plateau of its drinking window, while it will not likely improve with further aging it should remain fine several more years. 

Dark garnet colored, medium to full-bodied, complex but nicely balanced, black cherry and black berry fruits with notes of leather, black olive, cassis, cigar box with smooth soft fine tannins and nice acidity on the moderate finish.

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1577

https://www.calon-segur.fr/en/


Sequoia Grove Henry Brothers Vineyard Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Bill also opened this big red Napa Cabernet from a well known producer, but little known vineyard source. 

Historic Sequoia Grove Winery estate sits on 22 acres in the Rutherford sub-appellation located in a renovated old barn just off of Highway 29, one mile north of the landmark Oakville Grocery. The winery takes its name from the two large Sequoia trees outside the main entrance and a small stand of additional trees that were planted in 1908. 

Sequoia Grove Winery was founded in 1978 by James and Barbara Allen who purchased the property in 1980 the same year as their first vintage. James’ brother Steve managed the vineyard at the time. James was also a founding partner of Domaine Carneros and was instrumental in creating the Rutherford sub appellation.

Since 2002, the winery has been owned by the Kopf family who own Kopbrand, the New York based wine distributor founded in 1944. They also own St. Francis Winery in Sonoma County and 50% of Domaine Carneros in partnership with France based Taittinger. 

The property has a long history with numerous owners dating back to 1895 and owner Dennis Downey from Ireland, who moved to Napa Valley in 1858 and purchased his 119 acre ranch in 1863. He had 45 acres planted to corn and 60 acres to vineyards of which much of 40 acres were overtaken by phylloxera.

The estate vineyards are planted with Bordeaux varietal grapes. Sequoia Grove also sources grapes from select vineyards around Napa Valley. Sequoia Grove Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon,  a 100% varietal comes from the estate as well as several premium vineyards in Oakville and Rutherford including the well known highly acclaimed Morisoli and a Beckstoffer owned property. 

Besides the estate vineyards adjacent the property, Sequoia Grove produce wines from a number of vineyards ranging from the southern part of the valley (cooler) to the warmer northern reaches in Calistoga. Many of these are offered as ultra-premium single vineyard designated labels. 

In addition to this Howell Mountain Perry Brothers Vineyard, they also source fruit from the tiny 4-acre Christian vineyard in Coombsville, the Tonella Vineyard, the well known legendary Stagecoach Vineyard on Atlas Peak, the Cambium vineyard, Lamoreaux Vineyard in the Oak Knoll District. 

In 2023 Sequoia Grove purchased over 100 acres on Mt. Veeder that used to be owned by Donald Hess, the founder of Hess Collection. About 75% of the site is forested with the remaining acres are planted to red Bordeaux varieties. We visited the Hess property back in the early ‘90’s and have driven by it many times on our visits to the mountain. The first vintage produced from this property by Sequoia Grove was in 2023.

For several years Sequoia Grove was known as ‘the three ‘M’s’ for Morisoli Vineyard and their winemakers Mike Trujillo & Molly Hill. Molly Hill was a graduate of the UC Davis Viticulture and Enology program. She traveled the globe, working and studying in Chile and New Zealand, as well as her native California, before settling in at Sequoia Grove to work with well-respected winemaker Michael Trujillo. They worked with viticulturist Jake Terrell on the Rutherford estate vineyards as well as a selection of growers on the Rutherford Bench, Pritchard Hill, Howell Mountain and the foothills of St. Helena, Yountville, and Oak Knoll.

Neither are with Sequoia Grove any longer and today’s Winemaker is Jesse Fox.

Winemaker notes - “The Sequoia Grove Howell Mountain Henry Brothers 2018 is a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon showcasing rich flavors of dark fruit, black cherry, and hints of oak, reflecting the unique terroir of Howell Mountain in Napa Valley. This region is known for its elevated vineyards and volcanic soils, contributing to the wine's balanced acidity and robust tannins.”

Dark garnet colored, medium to full bodied, while complex, this was not as concentrated or as expressive as many Howell Mountain Cabs, and was overshadowed by the huge Stag’s Leap Odette. Never-the-less, it showed smooth, polished blackberry and black plum fruits with notes of spice, dark chocolate and hints of pepper and pencil graphite with structured but approachable moderate tannins on the finished. 

RM 90 points. 


Previous Pour Boys OTBN Events


Pour Boys OTBN 2019 - Open That Bottle Night

Pour Boys OTBN 2018 - Open That Bottle Night

Pour Boys OTBN 2016 - Open That Bottle Night 

Pour Boys OTBN 2015 - Open That Bottle Night -  Bordeaux Anchors OTBN 2015

Pour Boys OTBN - Open That Bottle Night 2014

Pour Boys OTBN 2013 - Open That Bottle Night 2013 

Pour Boys OTBN 2012 - Open That Bottle Night

Pour Boys OTBN 2011 - Open That Bottle Night.

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