Gibbs Napa Valley Chardonnay 2015

Gibbs Napa Valley Chardonnay 2015 

A casual weekend night with soup, cheese and crackers and homemade caramel corn in front of a TV movie, this Napa Chardonnay was a perfect casual sipper for the occasion. 

The producer Gibb's family date back to the early 1950's when they were growing walnuts, dates, and a small selection of grapes in Napa Valley. Dr. Lewis Gibbs Carpenter, psychologist, was a lifelong farmer and cattle rancher in Gilroy, bought land on the valley floor and moved his family to Saint Helena. By the 1970s, he had replaced most of the nut and fruit orchards with several Bordeaux varietals of grapes, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Merlot, which were beginning to gain international attention following the 'Judgement of Paris' in 1976.

Gibbs' flagship vineyards include the Cross Creek Vineyard located in the valley created between Howell Mountain and Glass Mountain, on the lower reaches of Howell Mountain overlooking Silverado Trail, stretching from the perennial Howell Creek in the west to the year-round natural springs of Howell Mountain. Their other notable Napa vineyard is Centa Vineyard located at the narrowest point of Napa Valley on Lodi Lane at the Silverado Trail.

Gibbs' wines are featured in the Studio, a new vintner collective tasting room and retail space in downtown Napa.

In 2000, Lewis’ son-in-law, Craig Handly, and his wife Susan began making wine from Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc  estate grown grapes. Over the next decade, Handly honed his skills making private label wines and bottling under the Terroir Napa Valley and Sentall labels. 

 

When Lewis passed away in 2013, the Gibbs label and brand were introduced, based on the fruit that Lewis had been nurturing for 60 years. Today, Gibbs produces Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sauvignon Blanc come from those same vineyards planted by Lewis over forty years ago.

 

Craig and Susan’s son Spencer Gibbs Handly, joined the family business after college in 2014, growing grapes and making wine from family estate vineyards, Spencer had been working the vineyards since a child when Lewis taught him to drive a tractor at the age of five. Today he is active in all aspects of the business.  

 

Gibbs Napa Valley Chardonnay 2015 

 

This Gibbs Napa Valley Chardonnay was aged 6 months in 30 - 40% new French oak. 

 

This is a great value, high QPR wine. 

 

Straw colored with sprites of light mango color, this is medium bodied, nicely balanced with pear and melon fruits accented by predominate notes of butterscotch caramel, with hints of butter, floral and oak turning to a nice  refreshing clean moderate acidic finish.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3019154

https://gibbsnapavalley.com/wines/

 

 

Conway Deep Sea Napa Cab 2009

Conway Family Wines Deep Sea Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

Selecting a pizza wine, for sipping with Friday night pizza, I pulled from the cellar this ten year old entry level Napa Cab. Its been four days short of exactly four years since I last tasted and posted a tasting note about this label. At that time I wrote that it had been a year ago that week, that I wrote in these pages about Conway Family Wines sending me a kind note from them about my post. At that time, I had just opened their wine for a casual weekend evening of wine, fruit and cheese.

As I have written before in these pages, I found and obtained this wine downstate Illinois at the wine merchant Friar Tucks. I tasted it and then went back and bought more. Previously, I found this producer's Syrah and went back and bought more, twice, ending up buying out their entire stock. After buying out this Cabernet, I returned to the same retailer again later and discovered they had another case on the shelves which I acquired and shared with a colleague. Such it is with these wine finds.

Based on the earlier tasting experience with this wine, we only consumed only half the bottle the first evening we opened it and found the remainder of the bottle when revisited the next evening was as good or even better than it was initially. Such it is with hearty well structured wines of a half dozen years of age. This was the same as the notes from my earlier tasting experience, when we opened re-opened it, it improved upon revisiting the following day!

Here are my notes from the previous but similar tasting of this wine, earlier this year.

Earlier I wrote that one should consider this a Negociant wine since, according to the wine producer, it is sourced from a "number of the finest, well regarded vineyards within Napa AVA’s of Rutherford, Atlas Peak and Pritchard Hill, with each one contributing their unique characteristics to our blend".

According to the producer's release, "the dark fruit notes along with distinctive and pleasant chalky sagebrush notes greet your nose at first. This Cabernet has as plush an entry as we’ve seen in a lot of years. A round, soft, mouth filling wine that shows a smooth backbone of tannins and balanced acidity. The finish wraps up nicely with a lingering reminder of the mature dark fruits, ever so slight a hint of new oak, and the ever present palette of flavors that make Cabernet so sought after!"

This has incredible QPR - quality price ratio, at its price point below $20. The wine producer lists it at $39. 

As with earlier tastings, reported on earlier, this was dark garnet colored, medium to full bodied, full fruit forward black berry and black cherry fruits with a layer of smoke, spice and hints of graphite and tea, turning to tones of sweet mocha, almost caramel like, with nice balance and smooth polished tannin finish.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1517213

http://www.conwayfamilywines.com

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2015/12/conway-family-wines-deep-sea-napa.html

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2016/10/conway-wines-deep-sea-cabernet-sauvignon.html

Goldschmidt Hilary Napa Oakville Charming Creek Cabernet

Goldschmidt Hilary Napa Valley Oakville Charming Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 

We hosted wine buddy, fellow Pour Boy Dr Dan and Linda for a wine dinner. We came across this label, Oakville, single vineyard designated Napa Cabernet, namesake to Dan's daughter, so we picked it up for the occasion. 

On further investigation of this label we learn it is the product of Yolyn and Nick Goldschmidt,  owner/vintners, with Nick, the winemaker. Hailing from New Zealand, Yolyn and Nick have spent time living and working in the wine areas of New Zealand, Australia and South America. They operate out of winery offices in Healdsburg from where they operate Goldschmidt Vineyards, a "'vehicle' by which Nick and Yolyn present their innovative way of wine making and wine presentation. There are two brands under their portfolio – the prestigious Goldschmidt Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon label, and the international Forefathers label', according to their website'.

"The Goldschmidt Vineyard label is a program designed to showcase single vineyard source wines from both the Alexander Valley and Napa Valley Oakville appellations. The goal is to create wines that highlight the distinct characters, benefits and attributes derived from these site specific harvests. Goldschmidt Vineyards Cabernets are crafted with the best possible resources to achieve exceptional richness, quality and balance – the hallmarks of world-class wines."

I deduce they are negociants, of sorts, procuring excess fruit from numerous sources and crafting their own wines under their own series of private labels. Several of the wines are  named for their children, which they furthr explain that, "Joined periodically in the field by their five children, the Goldschmidt expertise is being passed down to the next generation, as evidenced in the wines released under the labels Chelsea Goldschmidt, Hilary Goldschmidt and Katherine Goldschmidt."

This label is sourced from the Oakville district in Napa Valley, so it was a fitting comparison to the Plumpjack Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon that we also served this evening. 

Goldschmidt describes the Oakville appellation, "where the coolness of the south meets up-valley warmth in perfect equilibrium. Oakville isn’t too hot; it isn’t too cold. It’s just right. That’s why Cabernet Sauvignon from Oakville so perfectly expresses the essential qualities of the varietal in deep, complex wines that can last for decades."

They attribute the source for this label is "Charming Creek, located on Route 29 just north of Oakville Cross Rd. One retailer says of this label, "this particular Oakville Cabernet comes from a secret vineyard that borders OPUS ONE on the North Side…  Sounds expensive right?  Fortunately for us, this one was created by Nick Goldschmidt whom many of you recognize from his Crazy Creek Cabernet which is arguably the best value in California Cabernet."

I admit, I came across this at Cosco, which further leads me to believe it is a negociant sourced 'excess fruit or bulk wine' produced, packaged and sold under private label. As I have often written in these pages, the challenge with such labels is that they often are the 'second' picking or are composed of fruit not selected for the primary label. And, they're one-time wonders, not subject to long term contracts, hence any concept of terroir is a one time chance encounter. For a collector, don't fall in love with it because you may never see it again, or not in a string of continuous releases. If it proves to be that good, it'll end up back in the grand vin.

On the other hand, these labels often provide great QPR - quality price ratio, available at times for a fraction of the grand vin price. Hence, they're typically anonymized by the private label and the source is obfuscated so as not to diminish the primary source's brand and price point, as indicated by this retailer referring to the 'secret' vineyard. While under such circumstances, once in a while you get a sixty dollar wine for forty bucks, in this case, I think one got a thirty dollar wine for that price-point.

Alas, this was characteristically, lesser fruit and a lesser effort, belaying the potentially premium or ultra-premium source. Even if they reproduce in next year in a follow on vintage, I won't hold my breath for it to be memorable, or even a significant QPR value. 

Goldschmidt Hillary Napa Valley Oakville Charming Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 

Winemakers' notes: "The old Clone 7 Cabernet Sauvignon vines here give perfumed aromatics but also silkiness, deep color, power and richness. Also typical of Clone 7, the wines age very gracefully and show good acidity and structure when older. After 10 years this vineyard will still show dark fruits and supple tannins."

"Tasting Note: Deep garnet-purple; concentrated aromas of chocolate and black cherry alongside notes of cinnamon and hazelnut. The entry of this wine is juicy with a silky-smooth texture that builds through the mid-palate. Blackberry and black current flavors are supported with well-integrated oak. Nicely balanced and shows the fresh acidity on the finish that Oakville is known for."

Dark garnet purple colored, medium bodied, straightforward black berry fruits with note of mocha, cinnamon and hazelnut with bright acidity that seemed a bit flabby and obtuse on the finish. 

RM 87 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3122527

https://goldschmidtvineyards.com/wines/united-states/hilary-goldschmidt/

Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Chardonnay 2017

 Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Chardonnay 2017

For casual Sunday night dinner, Linda prepared Mahi Mahi in cornmeal crust with butter and lemon with asparagus and Miso rice. I pulled from the cooler this everyday casual sipper Columbia Valley Chardonnay from Chateau Ste. Michelle. At a sub fifteen dollar price point, this is definitely one of those wines to keep on hand for casual every day sipping. Its an amazing value at this price with great QPR - Quality Price Ratio, and is a high overachiever. Amazing they can produce this quality in such quantity so as to be generally available to the masses. 

We visited the fabulous Chateau St Michelle estate during our Seattle Culinary and Washington Wine Tour two years ago. They've done an amazing job promoting and establishing Washington State as a top wine producing region and have built an impressive extensive portfolio of wines. 

Chateau St Michelle has also become a cultural icon in the greater Seattle area with their extensive grounds that also serve as a concert venue for major events and groups. We attended a major concert there headlined by the iconic Steve Miller Band and Peter Frampton.

Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Chardonnay 2017

This is sourced from Chardonnay grapes from vineyards throughout the Central Washington State Columbia Valley. 

This label was #34 on Wine Enthusiasts Top 100 Best Buy List for 2019. It was awarded 89 points by both Wine Enthusiast and Wine & Spirits.

Straw colored, light medium bodied, bright tangy notes of golden green apple with lively buttery spice sprites of lemon zest and subtle oak.

RM 89 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3210103

https://www.ste-michelle.com/2017-chardonnay/5637159689.p

 

 

 

Bread & Butter California Chardonnay 2017

Bread & Butter California Chardonnay 2017

Picked up this low-cost Chardonnay at Sam's Club to try for simple every day summer sipping. We opened it with dinner of sauteed cod and it was a perfect pairing.

This is a reasonable QPR selection for an every day wine - ideal for such an occasion as mid-week dinner selection.

Bread & Butter California Chardonnay 2017

This was awarded 93 points at the NY International Wine Competition. If you scour enough festivals and events you'll find a top rating eventually for a label.

Winemaker Notes: "This Chardonnay opens with rich notes of vanilla bean and almond husk, reminiscent of a decadent crème brûlée. The creamy notes are balanced by a soft minerality and a hint of tropical fruit. Those creamy notes continue to your palate where they are joined with bright acidity and well-integrated oak that leads into a long, creamy finish."

The producer downplays the fact this is a 'California' wine citing the producer's locale as being Napa, California, that the inattentive might take to mean this is a Napa Valley wine which it is not. The narrative defines it aptly as a California Chardonnay, meaning the grapes are sourced from California with no further specificity offered or required. It notes that it is 'Vinted and Bottled' By the producer, Bread and Butter, whose website offers a broad portfolio of varietals - Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Rosé, all non-specific California designated.  

At a $15 retail pricepoint this meets expectations for pleasurable casual every day sipping. S

Slightly brownish straw colored, medium light bodied, rather single dimensional with forward expressive notes of vanilla and buttery oak on the long finish the producer describes as creamy.

RM 86 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3155096


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

Dunham Trutina Red Wine 2010

Dunham Cellars Trutina Columbia Valley Red Blend 2010

As written last night, we discovered Dunham Cellars Cabernets on-line with Winebid.com. Having been awakened to the brand, when we saw this label at local merchant Vin Chicago, we grabbed it, tried it, liked it, and went back and bought some more. That was back with the 2009 vintage, and we then purchased the 2010 vintage when it arrived the following year.

At a price point of $25, this provides reasonable QPR - Quality-Price-Ratio when compared with equivalent quality Bordeaux Blends and Cabernets from California and Washington State.  

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate says, "This is the least expensive, yet the richest of the lineup" from Dunham Cellars.

Dunham Cellars Trutina Columbia Valley Red Blend 2010

This vintage release label got 91 points from Wine Enthusiast. 

The 2010 Trutina is a blend of 63% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Syrah. The fruit is sourced from Washington State Columbia Valley Vineyards: Lewis Estate Vineyard, Double Canyon Vineyard, Phinny Hill Vineyard, Yellowbird Vineyard and Frenchtown Estate Vineyard.

We've tasted a half dozen bottles of the 2009 vintage release but this is our first encounter with the 2010. 

Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, smooth and approachable, complex bright vibrant blackberries and black cherry fruits with notes of mocha chocolate , hints of cassis, spice box and notes of sweet oak with tangy acidity and smooth tannins on the lengthy finish.

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1428241

https://www.dunhamcellars.com/

Columbia Crest H3 Les Chevaux Horse Heaven Hills Red Blend 2013

Columbia Crest H3 Les Chevaux Horse Heaven Hills Red Blend 2013

Its easy to find a superb drinking wine for $40. Its hard to find one for $25. Imagine a sophisticated complex pleasant drinking Red Blend for under $20. Buy it, try it, and go and get some more for high QPR (quality-price-ratio) every day drinking.

We opened this for casual easy shipping over the course of a couple evenings, comparing and standing up against several wines. For the price point, it held its own and stood up well against wines multiple times its price. 

I write often that buying wine for home consumption for a wine lover entails everyday wines, once a week wines, once a month wines, and special occasion or once a year wines. Here is a wine worthy of serving for special dinners and quests at everyday drinking prices.

The question I get asked more than any other is what is a high value quality drinking wine at everyday prices. This is such a wine - a 'Rick's Pick'.

Columbia Crest H3 wines is AVA designated wine from the Horse Heaven Hills. Les Chevaux is French for “the horses”, named for wild horses that once roamed the region. It is a blend of Merlot, Syrah, Malbec with small portions of Cabernet Franc and a little Viognier red varietals from Horse Heaven Hills, in the Columbia Valley in Central Washington State. The wine was aged in a combination of French and American oak barrels for around 22 months.

Wine Spectator gave it 90 points.

 This is great every day drinking but good enough to serve at a nice wine dinner as well. Its readily available as over 70,000 cases made. Amazing that they can produce this quality and value in such quantities.

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, firm, concentrated, complex, dark berry and plum fruits with notes of dark mocha chocolate and leather with hints of licorice with nice approachable tannins on a supple finish.

RM 88 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2057908

Chateau St Jean Cinq Cepages Cabernet Sauvignon 1998

Chateau St. Jean "Cinq Cépages" Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon 1998

As the Coronavirus shut-in continues, our family and friends are having fun with our virtual wine tastings sharing texts and videos of our wines and dinners.

Friend and colleague Tom R texted me that he opened a 2003 vintage release (he's so proud that he has now mastered his 'ahso', two pronged cork puller) of this label and asked if he had waited too long? I replied, "absolutely not, we're still holding a dozen vintages of this label dating back to the mid-nineties". So, when Linda prepared grilled tenderloin steak with mashed potatoes and green beans, I pulled from the cellar this aged vintage release from 1998 for the pairing.

Chateau St Jean is one of the premier producers in Sonoma County and their winery chateau estate is a showcase highlight of the Sonoma Valley.

Our private tastings at the 1920's chateau with views of the Grand Lawn and Estate Vineyards and in the Reserve Room have been the highlights of our trips to the region including our 2017 Sonoma Wine Experience and our Sonoma Harvest tour in 2009.

Chateau St. Jean "Cinq Cépages" was one of the first classic Bordeaux Blend labels from the region and has always represented good value, high QPR relative to the top Bordeaux labels. It was the Wine Spectator #1 wine in the annual Top 100 list in 1999 with the 1996 vintage release. At that time the release price was $28, a remarkable value at the time. From then on, the label exploited its #1 legacy and notoriety and boosted the price point, but it still represents reasonable comparable value. 

Chateau St. Jean "Cinq Cépages" Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon 1998

At twenty-two years of age, this 1998 vintage release was still drinking nicely and holding its own, despite being from a lackluster vintage that was expected to have a short lifespan drinking window. The color is taking on a slight opacity and grey hue and the fruits are starting to give way to non-fruit flavors so it is starting to decline and should be consumed over the next year or so.

I have written often in these pages about the 1998 vintage release of Napa and Sonoma Valley Cabernets. Jancis Robinson of Jancis Robinson.com wrote of the 1998 vintage, "The vintage was slammed by some critics, and shame on them, for many terrific wines came from 1998, after the rush-to-judgment were made."

This was an over-achiever for the vintage exceeding expectations on release and in the years since. 

This classic Bordeaux Blend contains the five Bordeaux varietals, hence the name Cinq Cepages for the 'five flavors'. This release is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 6% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit-Verdot.

Robert Parker awarded this release 89-91 points, and Wine Enthusiast 90 points.

There was dense sediment in the bottle. This was dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, firm structure, tightly wound but nicely balanced with complex black currant and black cherry fruits with sharp acidity accented by briary herb, earth, cedar, hints soy and anise with moderate tannins on the long finish.

RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2027

https://www.chateaustjean.com/wines/cinq-cepages

Dunham Cellars Trutina Red Bordeaux Blend 2009

Dunham Cellars Trutina Red Bordeaux Blend 2009 for delightful mid-week dinner

The Covid19 shut-in continues and we remain at home enjoying intimate dinners and wines from our cellar. I have joked that if such a situation occurred, we'd be stocked for up to year with wines from our cellar, and here we are, albeit hopefully for a couple weeks duration.

Tonight, Linda prepared an imaginative meal with our leftover pot roast, asparagus, roasted walnuts, artisan cheese and fresh blueberries. I pulled from the cellar what proved to be a perfect match for the occasion - Trutina from Dunham Cellars in Washington State.

We hold close to a dozen vintages in a vertical collection of Dunham Cellars flagship Cabernet Sauvignon Red Wine Blend going back to the nineties. We discovered these Bordeaux varietal wines from Columbia River Valley in Washington, not well known for being a Bordeaux varietal region several years back. We stopped by the Dunham Cellars winery and tasting room during our trip to Woodinville, Washington, site of over a hundred tasting rooms of Washington State wines during our Seattle Culinary and Washington Wine Tour year before last.

We discovered this second label from Dunham at Vin Chicago when they still had their brick and mortar store in Naperville. We bought some, tried it, and went back and bought more. We still hold about a half case and are being rewarded for doing so.

This Trutina Walla Walla Red Blend from our cellar was a perfect compliment to the beef pot roast with grilled asparagus, fresh berries, roasted walnuts and artisan cheese and accompaniments dinner.

Trutina is a second label from Dunham at a lower pricepoint offers great QPR (Quality to Price ratio) in this complex and expressive red wine blend. We continue to find many of the Columbia Valley Reds have great quality and aging ability and offer great value over their French and California counterparts.

Dunham Cellars 'Trutina' Columbia Valley Red Wine 2009

Tonight, this was consistent with our earlier tasting experience which is recorded in these pages from 9/18/2018, while not as complex or polished as the flagship label, Trutina was very impressive going on a decade of age.

This showed bright garnet and inky purple color, medium full bodied with huge aromatics of floral and lavender with full forward bright vibrant flavors of black currant and black cherry fruits with a layer of vanilla and sweet caramel mocha on a full cloying lingering tannin finish.

The blend is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 6% Syrah, and 4% Malbec.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1456899 

https://www.dunhamcellars.com/

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/09/dunham-cellars-trutina-columbia-valley.html

Delray Beach Wine Room Kitchen Wine and Cheese Bar

Delray Beach Wine Room Kitchen Wine and Cheese Bar offers spectacular wine selection at extraordinary values

Visiting friends Bob and Gloria in Florida, they took us to the Wine Room Kitchen Wine and Cheese Bar in Delray Beach. They boast to have "The World's Largest Selection of Wine by the Glass!"  with over 200 hand-selected wines available through their Enomatic wine dispensing machines. The Italian made, state-of-the-art machines are equipped with a wine-preservation system which guarantees to serve a fresh pour every time in pre-calibrated 1oz, 2.5oz, or 5oz size servings.

More noteably, they have an extensive wine cellar of fine wines with top vintage wines dating back several decades. Most importantly, they offer such wines at close to retail prices rather than marking them up 1.5, 2 or two and a half times retail or more.

I've written in these pages about the margins various dinesites extract from their winelist selections and the resulting values offered to patrons. This is the best value, highest QPR dining site I have ever experienced anywhere.

Moreover, they have a Reserve Wine List of extraordinary vintage selections of premium and super premium wines including First Growth classified Bordeaux that are also offered at fair market price or current retail prices for such wines, a fraction of what most other restaurants would charge.

The secret to the extensive collection and extraordinary values provided by the Wine Room and Kitchen is that it is sourced from the personal private cellar of the owner, a long time collector of fine wines. He shares his extensive cellar collection with patrons, and uses the restaurant outlet to 'thin' his cellar collection.

As shown, there is on offer a dozen vintages and labels of First Growth Bordeaux, Mouton Rothschild, Chateau Latour and Margaux. There are several vintages of Penfold's Grange, and a similar offerings from top rank California producers as well.

We started with a pre-dinner cheese and charcuterie plate and ordered a bottle of Washington State Quilceda Creek CVR - Columbia Valley Red Bordeaux Blend.

At the near retail price for a current vintage release, I originally thought it was a mistake on the wine list and offered at close to half price. On further investigation I realized this was the norm for all offerings, including old vintages.

As Bob and Gloria are not obsessive oenphiles, with the level of interest or enthusiasm for wines as me, they also don't share my level of investment I might spend on a special bottle.

This provided a perfect opportunity to share a favorite selection of a vintage fine wine at a great value price to suit even a modest budget or appetite. The same could be said for our next selection, another Washington State wine from a legendary cult producer, Cayuse.

Then, there is a spectacular Charcuterie and Cheese selection. There are on offer over 70 cheeses available à la carte, matched with charcuterie or in pre-selected composed cheese flights below. There is a cheese master who can assist with accompaniments for entree selections as well as wine pairings. Our cheese plate was another memorable highlight of our visit.

Quilceda Creek CVR - Columbia Valley Red Bordeaux Blend 2011

This is a Bordeaux Blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. It was projected to improve with age and drink well for a decade. At this stage, it is very likely drinking at the apex of its drinking profile and window - certainly so for wine geeks such as me who enjoy drinking aged wines, later in their aging window/profile.

This was awarded 91 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar. 

Quilceda Creek owners/winemakers Alex and Paul Golitzin produce outstanding Bordeaux Blends with their Columbia Valley label at the pinnacle of Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon. We love this label and consider it a high QPR great value more affordable alternative to the flagship that costs 2-3x more.

K&L, the SFO Bay Area wine merchant cite this wine represents a great value and has received an average score of 92 points from the Wine Advocate over the past five years. The 2011 Quilceda Creek Red Wine Columbia Valley is a blend of declassified lots that didn't make it into their flagship wines that cost several times more in price. It was a delicious accompaniment to our selection of artisan cheeses and charcuterie. 

The fruit for this label was sourced from all the Quilceda Creek vineyard sites, Columbia Valley vineyards - Champoux, Discovery, DuBrul, Galitzine, Klipsun, Palengat, Shaw, Tapteil and Wallula. 

The Blend was aged for 22 months in 100% French Oak.  

Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, fruitful, plush, sweet ripe cherry, currant and boysenberry fruit flavors with accents of mocha chocolate, creme de cassis, graphite, spice and hints of licorice and coffee.

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1753715

https://www.quilcedacreek.com/

We had dinner reservations at another restaurant in town but ended up staying at Delray Wine Room and Kitchen for dinner too. Bob ordered the fresh salmon, Gloria and Linda had the fresh day's catch Red Snapper, and I had the beef in puffed pastry with whipped potatoes and red cabbage. 

For dinner wine selections we ordered from the wine list another Washington State cult wine Cayuse and Pride Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Cayuse Cailloux Vineyard Walla Walla Viognier 2011

We tasted another Cayuse label at our recent OTBN gala wine event the other night. At that time I noted that Cayuse is a limited production boutique producer whose wines are much sought after and highly allocated. 

This Cayuse Viognier is another unique label offering on the winelist, an interesting and imaginative pairing with the seafood entrees. 

This release got reviewed 93 points by Jeb Dunnuck and 92-93 by David Schildknecht, both for The Wine Advocate. Dunnuck wrote of the 2011 Viognier Cailloux Vineyard, "One of the best examples of the variety coming out of Washington".

Golden straw colored, medium bodied, Dunnuck writes of notes of 'white peach, citrus rind, liquid mineral and hints of white flowers'.

Schildknecht wrote, "Baron’s 2011 Viognier Cailloux Vineyard is redolent of acacia and honeysuckle along with lime and orange zests, ... also of pungent floral and white pepper .... reminiscent of Roussanne or even of Riesling from Austrian Urgestein."

RM 89 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1444903

https://cayusevineyards.com/
 

Pride Cellars Napa Sonoma Valley Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

Bob was up for drinking a red with his salmon entree and I ordered hearty beed so we also ordered this Napa Cab, one our favorite labels. There were more than a dozen different vintage label releases of Pride Spring Mountain Cabernet and the Reserve on the winelist. I selected the oldest vintage of the Estate bottling that I had not already tasted. Once again, this was offered at close to the fair market retail price, a high QPR value offerings.

Napa and Sonoma Valley ? What gives? As the label notes, this is sourced from the Pride Mountain estate vineyard, high atop Spring Mountain above Napa St Helena, 53% from Napa and 47% from Sonoma. The vineyard is one of two wineyards along the Mayacamas Range separating Napa Valley to the east, and Sonoma Valley to the west, that straddles the summit and actually can be attributed to both Napa and Sonoma Valley.

The other (so situated vineyard) is Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyard further north along the range summit atop Diamond Mountain. We have visited and know and have wine in our cellar from both vineyards - having visited Pride during our Napa Valley Wine Experience in 1998, and Constant during our Napa Wine Experience 2011.

Pride Family acquired this property in 1990 and have been producing Cabernet Sauvignon from this Estate vineyard since 1994. Interesting, we have had or still hold bottles dating back to the 1994 vintage, some that we tasted and acquired during our visit in 1999.

Another reason for this selection tonight is that we gave mutual fellow fraternity brother and fellow Pour Boy wine buddy Dr Dan a large format magnum of this label for his (second) wedding present. Dan and Bob both brothers, were college roommates, and Bob and Gloria were with us, all together at the ceremony and celebration occasion.

This is a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot.

Winemaker's Notes for this release. "Sumptuous nose of dried black cherries overlays a sweet background of cassis. A caressing texture initially coats the mouth with pure flavors of black cherry that give way to dark berry, subtle cedar, smoke and graphite on a long evolving finish framed by just the right amount of acidity. This wine is all about balance with supple ripe tannins providing a beautiful foundation for the ample dark fruit and with nuanced acidity giving structure and lift without bite. An absolute pleasure to roll around the mouth."

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar gave this 91 points.

Bright garnet ruby colored, medium full bodied, full forward blackberry fruits accented by notes of bitter dark chocolate, black tea, and hints of creosote and tones of graphite, cedar and oak with supple full tannins on the lingering finish.

RM 91points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/editnote.asp?iWine=2960628

https://www.pridewines.com/

http://www.thewineroomonline.com/delraybeach/

Floral Springs Trilogy Napa Valley Red Blend 2010

Floral Springs Trilogy Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend 2010 with grilled tenderloin steak dinner

Midweek dinner at home with grilled tenderloin steak, baked potatoes and grilled asparagus spears I pulled from the cellar this Bordeaux Blend from Napa Valley. We have collected and served Trilogy from Floral Springs for decades and still hold nearly a dozen vintages dating back to 1990 in our cellar.

Trilogy is Flora Springs’ flagship wine, dating back to 1984 when they decided to make the finest wine possible sourced from the highest quality wine lots from their estate vineyards in Napa Valley. Back then it was one of Napa Valley’s first proprietary red blends. 

It has long provided sophisticated drinking at good value. Indeed, the name Trilogy refers to the three primary Bordeaux varietal grapes in the blend, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc although they also grow and sometimes include in the blend the other Bordeaux varietals, Malbec and Petit Verdot. In line with that theme, four different generations of the branding and label imagery going back to the 1980's have all adorned the three grape varietals' leaf shapes in the label artwork.

To this day, this Bordeaux-style wine continues to be sourced from the Floral Springs Komes-Garvey estate vineyards. The Komes and Garvey’s have always been farmers first, and over the years the family has acquired 500 acres throughout Napa Valley, 300 of which are planted to vineyard. With estate properties stretching from the cool, rolling hills of Carneros to the famed sub-appellations of Oakville, Rutherford and St. Helena, Flora Springs produces varietal wines ranging from Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay to Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and the other red Bordeaux varietals.

Each year the family selects a small percentage of the yield for their own wines, selling the remaining fruit to neighboring Napa Valley wineries. This selection puts the focus on quality, not quantity, resulting in hand-crafted wines that meet the family’s exacting standards.

Flora Springs was founded by the children of Jerry and Flora Komes. Jerry and Flora were married back in 1935 in San Francisco but moved throughout California and Texas over the years as Jerry pursued an engineering career with the giant San Francisco engineering firm Bechtel. The couple had three children, Mike, John and Julie, and eventually settled back in San Francisco when Jerry settled in a corporate job in international relations at Bechtel HQ in the Bay Area.

When Jerry retired in 1976, he and Flora began looking for a place to retire in Napa Valley. They came upon a property at the end of West Zinfandel Lane in St. Helena, and Flora saw magic hidden behind the decades of neglect, overgrown ivy, and the shifting rock walls of the old ghost winery.

“There are so many wonderful things about Napa Valley and St. Helena. I just fell in love with that property and that was it.” Jerry and Flora purchased the estate believing it to be the perfect place to grow grapes and become farmers. But when their son, John, proposed that the old winery building on the property be revived, Flora Springs became a new career for Flora, Jerry and their children.

They had the wisdom and prescience to craft a Bordeaux style blend from Napa Valley sourced Bordeaux varietals in the early days as Cabernet was becoming the king of Napa Valley. We've collected this wine since those early days and still hold bottles dating back to our kids' birthyears in 1990-91.

Perhaps whimsically, I latched on to this as a regular favorite partly due to the namesake that wife Linda is a descendant of the Flora family, founders of her hometown Flora, in Indiana, no relation of course to the California Napa Flora (first name) Kombs. 

To this day, Trilogy is a mainstay go to label in our cellar offering quality sophisticated drinking at reasonable value relative to the premium Napa and Bordeaux Blends. Hence, to fullfil the urge for a Bordeaux with our steak on this evening, we opened this decade old Trilogy.

Floral Springs Trilogy Napa Valley Red Blend 2010

The 2010 Trilogy is a blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 4% Malbec and 1% Cabernet Franc. 

I last opened this label on 9/6/2014 when I wrote: "This was dark inky purple colored, full bodied, concentrated rich black berry and black raspberry fruits accented by complex layers of cassis, tobacco, dark chocolate mocha, hints of caramel and soft sweet oak on the smooth silky tannins on the long lingering finish."

RM 92 Points

Wine Enthusiast also gave this 92 points, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave it 91 points as did Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar.

Parker said it was "Reminiscent of both Napa Valley and Bordeaux, it should drink well over the next decade or more. (8/2013)" Steve Tanzer said it was, "The best of these big reds in 2010."

Connoisseurs Guide said, "It is still at odds with itself and wants cellaring in spite of its pretty first face. (8/2013)". Wine Spectator said, "this is tannic from start to finish, so patience is required. Best from 2014 through 2024. (Web-2013)"

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1455817
 

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2014/09/2001-vintage-napa-cab-comparison.html

https://www.florasprings.com/our-legacy/flora-komes/

Clos l'Église Côtes de Castillon 2005

Clos l'Église (Côtes de Castillon) Bordeaux 2005

Friday night, quiet dinner at home, Linda grilled some steaks and vegetables and I pulled from the cellar this middle-aged vintage Bordeaux for simple, pleasant drinking accompaniment from this 'lesser' appellation.

Château Clos L’Eglise is a 40-acre estate in St-Magne de Castillon in the appellation of Côtes de Castillon, lying at the easternmost edge of Bordeaux's Right Bank, adjacent to the larger and more famous St.-Émilion. 

Côtes de Castillon is a lesser appellation, also known as one of the 'satellite' appellations. The main town of Castillon-la-Bataille lies on the Right Bank of the Dordogne River which flows into and meets the Gironde river above the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary that flows westward to the Atlantic. 

A smaller appellation consisting of  2,900 hectares (7,500 acres). most of the domains are less than 10 hectares (25 acres), never-the-less, it produces 22 millions bottles of Merlot and Cabernet Franc based red wines a year. 

Adjacent to Saint-Emilion, Côtes de Castillon has the similar terroir of plateau and hillslope, about 20% of the vineyards lying on the Dordogne’s silty plane and on a sandy area in the east of the appellation rising up to a limestone plateau which twists around a number of wooded hills and valleys, eventually reaching 117m at Saint-Philippe-d’Aiguilhe. The terroir is climatically a bit cooler than St Emilion, making the harvest a little later, and requiring good vineyard management.

The always dapper Count Stephan von Neipperg,
Château Canon-La-Gaffelière 
at UGCB 2016 Release Tour Chicago

Many St Emilion producers are expanding into the area. Stephan von Neipperg, well known owner of Château Canon-la-Gaffelière and La Mondotte in Saint-Emilion, was the first on the scene when he bought the 30ha Château d’Aiguilhe in 1998. He has been followed by other Saint-Emilion luminaries including Gérard Perse of premier grand cru classé Château Pavie, who acquired Sainte-Colombe, Clos l’Eglise and Clos des Lunelles (formerly Lapeyronie), and Gérard Bécot of Château Beau-Séjour Bécot, who launched Château Joanin Bécot with his daughter Juliette in 2001.

Red Côtes de Castillon wines are Merlot-based, offering complex and elegant flavors of red and black fruits. Wines from the best Côtes de Castillon producers can present excellent value (QPR - Quality Price Ratio) for fans of the St.-Émilion Grand Cru style. All wines from Côtes de Castillon may also carry the regional appellations of "Bordeaux" or "Bordeaux supérieur".

The Château Clos L’Eglise estate is owned by Gérard Perse, a French businessman and one-time bicycle champion. Perse sold two supermarket chains to finance his entry into the world of winemaking. He owns several Bordeaux estates, including Château Pavie and Pavie-Decesse. He stopped making wine under the Clos L’Eglise label after the 2008 vintage and since then used the estate’s grapes as part of the blend for his new Esprit de Pavie, a second wine for Pavie. Robert Parker cites that Clos L’Eglise was one of the least expensive wines produced by Gerard Perse.

Clos L’Eglise is a blend of 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Back in May of 2019 I wrote about this wine,  "Dark garnet purple colored, medium bodied, dark berry fruits accented by notes of leather, tobacco, tea and hints of menthol, turning to nice fine grained tannins on the lingering finish."

RM 88 Points

Stephen Tanzer gave this wine 90-91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=230916

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/05/clos-leglise-cotes-de-castillon-bordeaux.html

Pouilly-Fuisse, Chiles Valley Cabernet Duo

Jean-Paul Paquet Domaine les Vieux Murs Pouilly-Fuisse, Chiles Valley RustRidge Cabernet Duo Offer High QPR Complement to Business Dinner

Visiting our nation's capital on the eve of important client meetings, we dined with dear friend and alliance partner Jim K at his favorite neighborhood eatery and our regular meeting point, Idylwood Grill and Wine Bar in Falls Church (VA), where we dined regularly together for years.

Tucked away off the sidestreet in a strip mall behind a shopping plaza, Idylwood touts itself as French, Italian and Modern American Cuisine. Not overextended, they do all these very well with attentive service in an comfortable and intimate setting.

Idylwood Grill offers a modest but excellent, imaginative and well selected winelist to accompany the range of menu offerings, with many high QPR, great value selections. The wine list includes 44 white wines and nearly 70 red wines, with selections from California, Oregon and Washington among the U.S. wines, as well as international wines from Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, Italy and Spain.

I ordered one of my favorite dishes and it was outstanding, truly delightful in the style that I prefer, Flounder Francaise, Flour-Egg Dipped with Lemon Butter Sautéed. Vegetables and Potatoes. What a treat to have one of my favorite entrees twice in a week, both served my way. Tonight's selection was as good as last week's dinner at Rosebud Steakhouse in Chicago at almost half the price!

Prior to dinner we enjoyed grilled calimari and the avocado salad, both were excellent. 

Idylwood Sautéed Flounder Francaise

From the winelist we ordered this Burgundian Pouilly-Fuisse Chardonnay, a good value high QPR selection.


Jean-Paul Paquet Domaine les Vieux Murs Pouilly-Fuisse 2018


From the Fuissé region in the south of Burgundy is 250-300 metres above sea level, this appellation is often overlooked. This is 100% Chardonnay grown in the limestone and clay soils of the Mâconnais vineyards. The Domaine Les Vieux Murs vines are 30 to 50 year old.

Producer Jean-Paul Paquet is joined by his son Yannick in the family business. Yannick has travelled widely to broaden his knowledge and has earned a great reputation. 

Straw colored, medium bodied, a predominant mineral and citrus character, complex with notes of fruity lemon, apple, tropical fruit, nut, grass, and wet stone, hints of vanilla and smoke, nicely balanced with crisp acidity and good texture.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3491106


RustRidge Estate Chiles Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

For a red selection, as a regular VIP diner, Jim was offered this special vintage selection that was not on the winelist.


This Cabernet Sauvignon is from the reputable but lesser known Chiles Valley,  just over the hill and to the east of Napa Valley, that as a result of its lower profile, offers good value over its high priced neighbors.

The estate winery sits about 1000 feet above the Napa Valley floor on the eastern side of the divide between Napa and Chiles Valleys. The day time climate is similar to the Oakville and Rutherford areas but the temperature are several degrees cooler at night. The cooler nights and the higher elevation delay bud-break which occurs two to three weeks later than the rest of Napa Valley. As a result, the grapes are harvested later in Napa Valley which, in part, lends distinctive flavor and character to the wines.

The secluded property was once a large thoroughbred horse ranch. Grape vines were planted in the mid 70's to Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel.

The property was purchased by the Meyer family in 1972 and the winery was founded by Stan and Grant Meyer in 1985. Their daughter Susan Meyer, Winemaker and her husband, Jim Fresquez, took over the operation in 1990. Helping Susan handcraft the estate-bottled wines produced by RustRidge is distinguished consultant winemaker Kent Rosenblum. The winery is housed in a renovated cattle barn.

Today, Susan and Jim follow their two passions: wine and horses. They produce about 2000 cases of craft wines annually, as well as breed and race thoroughbreds. Each spring; about the time new buds form on the grape vines, new foals are born. 

At thirteen years of age, this vintage release showed deep dark garnet scarlet colored, medium full bodied, concentrated rich blackberry and black cherry fruits. seductive dark chocolate and cola notes, hints of dried sage and black olive tapenade with gripping but ripe tannins are followed by a long and complex lingering finish.

RM 91 points.

This was aged 32 months in 25% New American and French Oak, 474 cases were produced.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=889610

https://www.rustridge.com/index.php

http://idylwoodgrill.com/

@IdylwoodGrill

Bogle Merlot Cugino's Italian Lansing Michigan

Bogle Merlot at Cugino's Italian Dining in Grand Ledge, (Lansing) Michigan

Visiting client State of Michigan in Capital city Lansing, we dined in nearby town of Grand Ledge at local favorite, Cugino’s Italian Restaurant.

I ordered the Fettuccine Florentine,  Fettuccine alfredo sautéed with spinach, combined with mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan cheese, spices and topped with grilled chicken.

From the modest winelist I ordered BTG (by the glass) Bogle Merlot, a classic reliable California high QPR (quality price ratio) Central Valley and it was a perfect complement to the entree. A delightful dining experience in a lively setting and great value pricing.

Bogle California Merlot 2016

From Bogle Vineyards, located in Clarksburg situated minutes from Sacramento in the California Central Valley, this offers great value and good reliable every day drinking at this pricepoint. 

Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, moderate berry fruits accented by tones of mocha, tobacco, cedar and hints of oak in this basic moderate pleasant sipper.

Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator both give this 86 points.

RM 86 points.


https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3022763

Cugino’s Italian Restaurants
 

Chateau Buena Vista Napa Cabernet

Buena Vista Chateau Buena Vista Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

I drove all the way up to the Binny's in Bloomingdale to pick up a case of wine that was out of stock in the other stores. I got into a protracted discussion with wine consultant Don Rauba and one thing lead to another resulting in him sharing a taste of this wine remaining from an earlier tasting. I liked it and bought some but didn't recall at the time until I came home and checked my blogposts that we tasted this wine when visiting out east last summer when I wrote this note.

At that time, Alec has picked this up at the local wineshop in Westport, CT. From the legendary Buena Vista Winery with arguably one of the more colorful histories of the wineries in California with its founder, the self-proclaimed “Count of Buena Vista,” Agoston Haraszthy, an eccentric pioneer of California wines.

We visited the Buena Vista winery estate during one of our first visits to the Napa Sonoma wine country back in the mid-eighties. Founded in 1857, Buena Vista was one of California’s first premium wineries. The legendary brand is being re-born today under the vision of owner Jean-Charles Boisset. The estate and winery is located just outside the town of Sonoma, the original winery is now a California Historic Landmark.

The Count immigrated from Europe in 1840 in pursuit of opportunity in the burgeoning American West. Following the spirit of the forty-niners in search of gold in the hills of Northern California, Haraszthy sought “purple gold” – the perfect ‘terroir’ where he could grow grapes to make exceptional wine. He ultimately settled in Sonoma, birthplace of California and capital of the short-lived California Republic, where he founded Buena Vista Winery in 1857.

In the 1860’s Buena Vista covered more than 6,000 acres that ran up into the foothills and past the Mayacamas Mountain range into what is today Napa County.

In 1861, founder Count Haraszthy journeyed to Europe in search of the finest grapevines. In Bordeaux, he obtained Cabernet Sauvignon and brought choice cuttings back to California where he planted them at Buena Vista, thereby bringing Cabernet Sauvignon to the Napa Valley.

The inaugural release of this new label offering, Chateau Buena Vista Cabernet Sauvignon, was in 2013 as Buena Vista returned to Napa Valley. In recent history, Buena Vista has generally been considered and known for Sonoma Valley wines, based on its popular historic winery and cellar near downtown Sonoma.
 

This new addition to the Buena Vista portfolio is packaged in a large oversize heavy bottle of a premium wine but is moderately priced for a Napa Valley Estate Cabernet thereby offering good QPR (Quality Price Ratio). At $40, this drinks like wines tasting half again to two times more.  

Buena Vista Chateau Buena Vista Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

 

This 2016 release was sourced from Oak Knoll to St. Helena, from vineyards along Napa Valley’s eastern slope. The backbone of this is grapes from 10 acres of the Bartalucci Vineyard just south of St Helena, in Napa Valley near Raymond vineyards, a recent acquisition for Boisset. 

Like this earlier tasting, but sweeter than I recall or reported, this was bright garnet colored, medium full bodied, rich and opulent with intense structure, slightly obtuse, rich aromas and flavors of sweet ripe black berry, black cherry and black currant with notes of milk chocolate and touches of spice and licorice, fine-grained tannins that are soft with a full-bodied mouthfeel and a long, lingering finish.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3304073

https://buenavistawinery.com/