Rivea Restaurant Best Award Wine Cellar Tour

Rivea Restaurant Best Award Wine Cellar Tour

For our annual bootcamp and academy, to be followed by our international conference hosting over 20000 guests in Las Vegas, we held a gala reception at the Skyline Lounge and Rivea Restaurant atop the Delano Hotel / Mandalay Bay.

I took the opportunity to tour the magnificent Rivea wine cellar. There are so many extraordinary highly rated wine cellars in Las Vegas that each is overshadowed by the next. No less than 77 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence awarded winelist restaurants are in metro Las Vegas with 46 holding the prestigious Best of Award of Excellence. This ranks with the 78 in Los Angeles, 79 in San Francisco and 83 in Chicago.

An Award winning designation is a mark of distinction and such a wine cellar is one of the crown jewels of awarded restaurants. Of course, I'm a wine geek oenophile and I start with the wine list awards as a requisite criteria when I'm searching for a restaurant for a fine dining outing.

Rivea is the highly acclaimed Las Vegas restaurant, of international super-star chef Alain Ducasse, following his legendary venues in Saint-Tropez and London, with French and Italian influenced cuisine.

Rivea and the Skyline lounge sport direct express access via private elevator, a vibrant elegant, chic but laid back atmosphere, and arguably the best views of the Las Vegas skyline from high atop the Delano Hotel, hence the namesake Skyline Lounge.

The atmosphere controlled working showcase wine cellar adorns the interior wall of the main dining room. Its divided into three separate sections with appropriate temperature controls for whites, reds and special collectable selections. The wine collection and winelist features 8500 bottles of 1700 different label selections.

The high end prestigious labels is predominant with the best First Growth Bordeaux, Burgundy and premium and super premium California wines, as well as mid-tier labels and a selection of carefully chosen more modest entree level labels for those not wanting to part with a car or house payment for a bottle of wine.

The high end First Growth Bordeaux selections included the most expensive bottle on the list I found, Chateau Lafite Rothschild for $17000, several Chateau Mouton Rothschilds dating back to 1982, and an extensive selection of Chateau d'YQuem vintages (shown left).

Some of the other highlights include some of my favorite super second Bordeaux including a double magnum of Chateau Leoville Las Cases 1989 and several vintages of numerous other Bordeaux such as Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande.

From California, they hold several of my favorite wines which I hold in my cellar including Clark Claudon and Dunn Vineyards from Howell Mountain and Napa Valley.

They also hold some imaginative selections such as the large format five liter Imperial of Washington State Columbia Valley La Sorella 1999 (shown right), and rare Sadie Family Columella Castro Bonae Spei Syrah from South Africa.

I was graciously hosted by Sommelier Matthew George, pictured, who works under the leadership of Wine Director Harley Carbery, who is also assisted by Sommeliers Coltin Short and Norman Acosta.

George, a Las Vegas native, has been working on his wine tradecraft for close to a dozen years. He's in pursuit of his Advanced Sommelier certification having passed parts of the certification exams in each of the last two years.

We enjoyed sharing numerous vintage reviews and tasting encounters, restaurant and cellar reviews, as well as wine stories such as our mutual acquaintance encounters with SOMM sommelier DLynn Proctor, global ambassador for Penfold's legendary Grange.

Watch for our wine dinner reviews of Rivea and plan an evening there for a notable wine dining experience. Tell them you read about them here!

https://www.delanolasvegas.com/en/restaurants/rivea.html

Delano Hotel Las Vegas Skyline Lounge
and Rivea Restaurant

One of three cellar compartments

Chateau Leoville Las Cases
Double Magnum

Penfolds Legendary Grange Highlights Tasting Flight

Penfolds Legendary Grange Highlights Tasting Flight

We attended a tasting event of the Penfolds line-up including legendary Grange held at Binny's new wine superstore in Oak Brook, IL.  At 170 years of age, Penfolds is one of the oldest producers in Australia. They were named Australian Wine Producer of the Year 2014 by the International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC). Their  flagship wine ultra-premium Grange is one of the most prestigious labels in the world as well as from Australia.

The 1995 Wine Spectator wine of the year was the 1990 vintage Penfold's Grange. We still hold an original wood case of 1990 Grange to commemorate son Alec's birth year. Hence, the chance to taste Grange is a special treat, as is the opportunity to learn more about this classic wine. Our collection of birth year wines of our kids, including our large format bottles was the basis for our cellar being featured in the Collecting section of the June 2001 issue.

The extensive Penfolds portfolio consists of entry level, select, special vineyard selections and is headed by The Penfolds Collection, consisting of fifteen different labels featuring special selections of Shiraz, then Cabernet Sauvignon, and also including Mouvedre, another Rhone blend, Chardonnay and a Riesling. They also offer a line of fortified wines which are their original heritage.

Tonight's tasting flight featured nine different wines culminating in two vintages of the classic Grange. The program was currated by Penfolds Ambassador and Education Director DLynn Proctor. What fun to meet DLynn in person having enjoyed watching his pursuit of his Master Sommelier Certification in the entertaining documentary movie SOMM which is a feature on Netflix.

The wine flights were accompanied by an assortment of cheeses, prosciutto, olives, and French bread.


The flight included:

• Penfolds Bin 51 Riesling 2013
• Bin 8 Cabernet/Shiraz 2011
• Bin 389 Cabernet/Shiraz 2011
• Bin 28 Shiraz Kalimna 2011
• Bin 128 Shiraz 2012
• Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
• Penfolds RWT Shiraz 2010
• Penfolds Grange 2009
• Penfolds Grange 2010

The wines were poured in an informal setting from three tables but the group was small allowing for engaging discussion, access to pours, ability to ask questions and have informed discourse.

The event was staffed and supported by Team Binny's, Southern Wine and Spirits and the Prestige group which is the parent company of Penfolds.

The wines:

Penfolds Bin 51 Riesling 2013

The author with DLynne Proctor

From Eden Valley, with its high altitude and cool climate, this is a white wine that can be enjoyed upon release or held for long term cellaring. The winemaker suggests optimal drinking window through 2020.

The winemaker cites "floral, spicy jasmine, mandarin blossom and underlying French marigold amongst perfumed bath salts and an intriguing wet slate minerality accented bylime zest.

Fine, long and linear natural acid encompassing the entire length of the palate – talc, slate, mineral - Citrus bursts with lime juice. Fine, long and linear natural acid encompassing the entire length of the palate – talc, slate, mineral. One for the ages - classic Australian bone dry Riesling."

Straw colored, light bodied, crisp, clean, nicely balanced acidity.

RM 88 points.

Bin 389 Cabernet/Shiraz 2011

A totally different experience than the Grange, but understandable at a fraction of the price, this is more in the style of the big dense chewy Shiraz' that we love and enjoy regularly.

Bin 389 Cabernet/Shiraz 2011 - This is known as 'poor man's Grange' or DLynne called it 'baby Grange'. It is sourced from some of the same blocks as Grange and is produced in the same style - a blend of Shiraz and Cabernet from multiple districts - South Australia. Barossa Valley, Coonawarra, Padthaway, Robe, McLaren Vale, Langhorne Creek and Clare Valley. Also, perhaps most notably, components of the wine are matured in the same barrels that held the previous vintage of Grange!

Dark garnet colored, full bodied, dense, concentrated, complex black berry fruits accented by tones of spicy mocha, coffee, hints of tar and vanilla oak on a lingering moderate tannin finish. A slight off tone of metallic detracts from the accent tones on the finish.

A blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon and 49% Shiraz.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1491815

Bin 28 Shiraz Kalimna 2011
Bin 128 Shiraz 2012
Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

Penfolds RWT Barossa Valley Shiraz 2010

Penfolds RWT Shiraz is named for ‘Red Winemaking Trial’, the name given initially to an internal project to develop this wine back in 1995. No longer a ‘Trial’ RWT Shiraz was launched in May 2000 with the release of the 1997 vintage. 

Dark inky blackish purple color, medium to full bodied, complex black berry fruits, with soft subtle tones of blueberry, boysenberry and plum, accented by nicely integrated sweet oak, floral spice, hints of earth and anise with silky fine tannins on a smooth long finish.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1572039

Penfolds Grange 2009

Grange is the ultra-premium flagship of the brand that is blended from the finest picking of the most select fruit sourced from vineyards from several appellations across South Australia from Penfolds and several  growers with long term relationships with the company. The pickers make as many as ten passes through the vineyards selecting the finest bunches of grapes. The wine is aged in 100% new American Oak for about seventeen months. 

Dark garnet inky purple colored, medium to full bodied, a symphony of elegant complex balanced black berry, black raspberry and black cherry fruits accented by sweet spicy oak, hints of anise and subtle tone of sweet mocha chocolate turning to silky smooth polished lingering tannins. Delicious.

RM 96 points. 

The 2009 Grange Shiraz is a blend of 84% Barossa, 8% McLaren, and a bit of Clare Valley and Magill fruits with a touch of 2% of Cabernet Sauvignon.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=856948

Penfolds Grange 2010

The 2010 release is the 60th consecutive vintage release of Grange. The core is Barossa Valley Shiraz (85%) the remaining 15% shiraz (and 4% cabernet sauvignon) from the Clare Valley, Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale and Magill Estate.

The vintage got 100 points from James Suckling, 99 points from James Halliday and Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, and 98 points from Wine Spectator.
 
Dark inky purple colored, medium to full bodied, powerful, concentrated but balanced and polished black berry and black cherry fruits hint of blue berry with dark spices, tones of smoke, anise, hints of tar and cedar with complex firm but smooth and polished lingering tannin finish. Needs some time to settle.

RM 95 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=939407

https://www.penfolds.com/