Pour Boys Summer Wine Dinner

Pour Boys Summer Wine Dinner 

Dr Dan and Linda hosted our Pour Boys Wine Group (sans Bill and Beth C who were traveling in St Julien, Bordeaux this week) for a gala summer dinner. 

As is customary, we each brought a couple bottles of wines to share and compare for pairing with the food. 

The ‘three amigos’ were reunited with Bob and Gloria flying in from Miami for the occasion. 

Besides Linda and I and Bob and Gloria, we were joined by Dan’s friends, Joe and Linda, and Linda S, as well as our Pour Boys Wine Group regulars, Ernie, Eric and Cathy and Lyle and Terry. 

Dan laid out his usual selection of artisan cheeses, nuts, chocolates, crackers and smoked salmon. 

The dinner feature theme this evening was ‘Sausage’ and there were five different sausages for the entree course, accompanied by corn on the cob, baked beans, potato salad, bean salad, quiche casserole and accoutrements. 

The sausages included Joe’s homemade Italian Sausage with cheese, Sheboygan Bratwurst, Polish Sausage, Chicken Sausage, and Dan’s legendary family favorite, Cavapcici. 

After dinner there was a dessert sundae bar with ice cream and toppings, and a broad selection of Linda M’s home baked cookies, brownies, pierogis and assorted artisan chocolates, nuts, fresh berries, melon and pineapple with yogurt.

The collective group brought a wide selection of white and red wines as well as sparkling wine and champagne before dinner, and after dinner ‘sticky’ dessert wines and a vintage port. 

The White Wine flight included  …

Domaine Wachau Ried Traunthal Gruner Veltliner Federspiel 

Dr Loosen Erdenner Treppchen Mosel Riesling Ausliese 2019 

Darioush Napa Valley Viognier 2010 

Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Chardonnay 2020   

Sea Smoke Sta Rita Hills Chardonnay 2018

The Red Wine flight included …

Le Fonti Poggino Gran Selzione Chianti Classico 2018

Nino Negri Valtelina Superiore Inferno Ca’ Guicciardi (Nebbiolo) 2020

Sea Smoke Southing Sta Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2018

Peter Michel “Les Pavots” Knights Valley Red Wine 2012 

Chateau Magdeleine St Emilion Premiere Grand Cru Classe 2011 

Hickinbotham “Brook’s Road”  McLaren Vale Clarendon Shiraz 2020 

After Dinner dessert wines … 

Chateau d’Yquem 2013 

Far Niente Dolce Napa Valley Late Harvest 2014

Graham’s Vintage Port 1991 

Unlike our typical wine dinners, that most often feature red meats and customary pairings of sophisticated Red Wines, tonight’s entree theme offered the chance to showcase and focus on White Wines as select food/wine pairings. 

The White Wines … 

Domaine Wachau Ried Traunthal Gruner Veltliner Federspiel 

Eric brought this classic Austrian Gruner Veltliner that he and Cathy tasted and acquired at the winery during their trip to the region last summer. 

Dr. Loosen Erdenner Mosel River Valley Treppchen Riesling Auslese 2019 

I brought from our cellar this highly rated premium Mosel Treppchen Riesling Auslese from a classic legendary producer.  Only the finest most select grapes are used in the “Auslese” (outstanding) bottling. This release was rated 95 points by both Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and James Suckling. 

Darioush Napa Valley Viognier 2010 

I also brought this interesting Viognier from ultra-premium Napa Valley producer Darioush, tasted and acquired at the winery during our Pour Boy’s Napa Valley Wine Experience 2017 - Darioush Napa Valley Estate Winery Visit & Tasting. 

This was the favorite wine of Dan’s daughter, Lauren, who accompanied us on that trip, which was also Linda A’s first Napa Valley wine experience. Darioush was also the featured producer at the first wine dinner we had with Bill and Beth C, which was the beginnings of what became our Pour Boys Wine Group. 

Also, Dan was our guest at a special Darioush Winemaker dinner at Everest Restaurant in Chicago hosted by owner producer Darioush and Shaptar Khaledi celebrating their collaboration with Olivier Bernard and Domaine de Chevalier in Pesaac Leognan Bordeaux. This was held back in 2004.shortly after Linda and I visited the winery and did a barrel tasting with winemaker Steve McDevitt during the construction of their magnificent hospitality center.

We had two wonderful ultra/premium Chardonnay’s …. Both offered great pairings with the sausage selections.

Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Chardonnay 2020   

Joe brought this classic, legendary Napa Valley crowd pleaser from Chateau Montelena. Of course, this was the label that put American wine on the map having won the historic blind tasting “Judgement of Paris”, chronicled and recreated in the wonderful entertaining wine movie, “Bottle Shock” - (Trailer).

 

Sea Smoke Sta Rita Hills Chardonnay 2018

Dan opened from his cellar collection, wine club allocation, Sea Smoke, a great comparison tasting to the Montelena. 

The Red Wines … 

Le Fonti Poggino Gran Selzione Chianti Classico 2018

Eric brought this Italian Sangiovese blend, acquired by one of his partners at the producer during a visit to the Chianti region in Northern Italy. 

https://www.lefontipoggibonsi.it/

Nino Negri Valtelina Superiore Inferno Ca’ Guicciardi (Nebbiolo) 2020

We tasted and Dan acquired this premium Nebbiolo at one of the Italian Village featured producer wine dinners. We’ve dined together at several Italian Village producer wine dinners, the most notably arguably being the memorable Sassicaia Owner Dinner and Vivere Vertical Tasting.

Peter Michel “Les Pavots” Knights Valley Red Wine 2012

Ernie brought from his home cellar one of my favorites, this vintage aged highly allocated ultra-premium Alexander Valley Bordeaux Blend from Peter Michel.

Chateau Magdeleine St Emilion Premiere Grand Cru Classe 2011

Dan contributed from his cellar this vintage aged Bordeaux.  

Hickinbotham “Brook’s Road”  McLaren Vale Clarendon Shiraz 2020 

Lyle brought from his home cellar this highly rated allocated limited release Aussie Shiraz. It received 95 points by Wine enthusiast. 

After 40 years of Hickinbotham family ownership, the property was purchased by the Jackson family in 2012. The pedigree of the Hickinbotham Vineyards was long established in that prior to the change of ownership, grapes from the 85-hectare vineyard were only sold to an esteemed list of winemakers including including Penfolds, Clarendon Hills and Hardys. Hickinbotham grapes were credited to legendary flagship wines like Penfolds Grange and Eileen Hardy Shiraz. Only Clarendon Hills released vineyard-designate wines bearing the “Hickinbotham” name.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4365339

https://www.hickinbothamwines.com/wines/brooks-road-shiraz

Sea Smoke Southing Sta Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2018

Dan opened his cellar to share this wine club acquisition ultra-premium Sta Rita Hills Pinot. 

After dinner there was a dessert sundae bar with ice cream and toppings, and a broad selection of Linda M’s home baked cookies, brownies, pierogis and assorted artisan chocolates, nuts, fresh berries, melon and pineapple with yogurt. 

The dessert wine flight …

Chateau d’Yquem 2013 

Far Niente Dolce Napa Valley Late Harvest 2014

Graham’s Vintage Port 1991

Lyle brought from his cellar collection this premium Vintage Port. This is one of the last remaining bottles of the four cases he acquired of this label upon release. We’ve enjoyed tasting this wine over the last three decades as it has aged gracefully. 

At 30 plus years, the label, foil and most importantly the fill level were ideal for the age. Lyle was able to extract the cork using an ahso two pronged cork puller, necessary as the aged cork was starting to crumble and would’ve most likely disintegrated using a customary corkscrew. 

Vintage Port is only produced in ‘declared’ vintages, those of sufficient quality to warrant the designation.The 1991 vintage was the first ‘Declared Vintage’ for six years – the longest gap between declarations for decades. (The previous declared vintage, 1985 was son Sean’s birthyear, in which we acquired and still hold a broad horizontal collection of labels commemorating such.) 

At thirty-four years, this is entering another stage of its tasting profile, perhaps, some would argue, now reaching the apex, but, the last stage of its optimal tasting window.

Chateau d’Yquem 2013 

Ernie brought from his home cellar, multi-decade vertical collection, this ultra-premium classic Sauternes Chateau D’Yquem, considered a ‘first growth’ by many, always a special treat! We’ve enjoyed this label in several of our wine dinners including D'Yquem, Quintessa, Saxum Highlight OTBN 2016 - Three tastings flights.

Far Niente Dolce Napa Valley Late Harvest 2014

Linda S brought this imaginative, rare, ‘new world’ late harvest Sauternes style ‘botritized’ dessert wine, Dolce - a wonderful comparison to the classic ‘old world’ legend Chateau d’YQuem. Ironically, I pulled from our cellar and considered bringing this same label, albeit a different (older) vintage. It was great that Linda brought this for a special comparison and pairing. It also allowed me the opportunity to witness the aging of my vintage bottle (s). 

This is from ultra-premium Napa Valley producer Far Niente who boast being “America’s only winery to specialize in a single, exquisite dessert wine crafted in the cherished Sauternes style”. 

They have fun with this wine they call Dolce, which derives it’s name from “Dolce far niente", an Italian phrase that translates to "the sweetness of doing nothing".

This is a 90-10 blend of Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc, sourced from the 20-acre Dolce Vineyard situated east of Napa in Coombsville at the foot of the Vaca Mountains. This was aged 30 months in 100% new French oak. 

We enjoyed this wine together with Dan and Linda, Bob and Gloria, and Bill and Beth, at our festive Pour Boys Wine Dinner at Del Ray Beach Wine Kitchen.

Photo (left) taken from that dinner. 

https://farniente.com/wineries/dolce

Thanks and kudos to Linda and Dan for hosting another festive gala dinner. 

Spectacular dining experience at Entourage Restaurant Downers Grove

Spectacular dining experience at Entourage Restaurant Downers Grove

Couples from our ‘Pour Boys’ wine group dined at the newly opened Entourage Restaurant in Downers Grove. 

This is the same Entourage as in Naperville, operated by the Vai Restauarant Group who also operate nearly adjacent VAI’s that was voted the best Italian restaurant 4 years in a row by Naperville Magazine; 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024! 

The new Entourage opened three months ago in Downers Grove on Main Street at Burlington, immediately opposite the Metra train station. 

Our dinner was spectacular with delectable entrees, sides and desserts with impeccable service by Nanette and the waitstaff team, hosted by proprietor Anthony Vai. 

Based on my rave recommendations from our earlier experience at Entourage Naperville, all but one of us ordered the Chilean Sea Bass, which everyone thought was over-the-top delicious. Our other diner had the prime filet beefsteak. 

As with our earlier dinner at Entourage Naperville, Miso Marinated Chilean Seabass with Broccolini, Charred Peppers, Shiitake Mushrooms with Black Truffle Risotto, Yuzu and Sake Butter Sauce was out of this world delicious. 

For sides, we had the lobster Mac and Cheese, Pomme Purée, and the lobster bisque, all of which were equally delicious. 

For dinner wine accompaniments we brought from our home cellars, BYOB two favorites, SeaSmoke Chardonnay and a Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona Brunello di Montalcino. We supplemented the wine flight from the carefully selected Entourage wine list with two perennial premium labels we know well from Napa producers Plumpjack and Shafer. 

Sea Smoke Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay 2015

I brought this from our home cellar, which actually was from Dan who acquired this from his club allocations. 

Owner Bob Davids collected the top wines of Burgundy and in the mid-to-late 1990s, Davids began planning to produce wines that could equal the finest wines of Burgundy. After years searching the globe for a site with the terroir capable to create such wines, his search ended in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA that appeared to have the perfect microclimate, soils, and exposure to grow world-class Burgundian inspired Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs.

Sta. Rita Hills is the coolest, westernmost sub-region of the larger Santa Ynez Valley appellation within Santa Barbara County. The climate of Sta. Rita Hills is a natural match for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, thanks to the crisp ocean breezes and well-drained, limestone-rich calcareous soil that allow grapes to ripen evenly, while retaining brisk acidity and harmonious balance.

Davids began planting the Sea Smoke Estate Vineyard in 1999. Just 100 days after Sea Smoke’s inaugural release of their debut 2001 vintage, Sea Smoke Pinot Noir was recognized by Wine Spectator as one of the “Top 100 Wines in the World,” an accomplishment that was repeated by the 2002, 2003 and 2004 vintages. 

Almost a quarter century later, Sea Smoke is recognized as one of the world’s great vineyards, producing wines that regularly receive critical acclaim, such as Forbes calling Sea Smoke “one of, if not the finest, plots in California,” and Wine Enthusiast referring to it as “one of the appellation’s first superstar wineries,” and “most celebrated vineyards.”

The Sea Smoke estate is located on south-facing hillside bluffs with ideal sun exposure to produce grapes with optimum flavor, color and tannin development. The heat of the day is moderated each evening by a marine fog layer (sea “smoke”), which travels up the Santa Ynez River canyon, cooling the vines and providing extended hangtime. This allows the grapes to ripen to perfection, creating wines that are rich, supple and sophisticated.

At nearing a decade, this 2015 Sea Smoke Chardonnay was probably nearing the end of the apex of its drinking window with a few years of cellaring potential remaining, but not likely to improve any further. 

Winemaker notes: “An elegant Chardonnay with aromas of Lychee, honey suckle and grapefruit zest. The wine is complemented by a focused mid-palate of warm croissant, Peach and the refreshing cool climate acidity of our estate vineyard.”

This release was aged sixteen months in 26% new French Oak. 

This release was rated 94 points by Wine Enthusiast

Deep golden honey colored, medium to full bodied, rich, round, expressive fruits with an essence of caramel, almost butterscotch like, accented by the buttery citrus and lychee fruits with hints of apple, melon, subtle peach and melon with a chalky note on the moderate acidic finish. 

RM 93 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3046103

Plumpjack Reserve Napa Valley Chardonnay 2022

About the only thing that we can agree with CA Gov. Gavin Newsom on is his investment and ownership interest in Plumpjack that he acquired through political benefactor connections, and the wines produced on their quaint estate on Oak Cross Road. 

We’ve visited the estate sitting east of Groth Winery and Vineyards, across from Silver Oak, just off the Silverado Trail in southeast Napa Valley several times over the years. Some of these visits were chronicled in these pages's blogposts - Plumpjack Napa Valley Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon, and  Plumpjack Founders Reserve Cabernet.

We hold a dozen vintages of their Reserve wines dating back to the early 1995, ‘96 and ‘97 vintages, acquired before Newsom gained such notoriety for his buffoonery in politics. 

We had this same label on our earlier visit to Entourage Naperville. I wrote more about our experiences with Plumpjack in that earlier blogpost.

Plumpjack Reserve Napa Valley Chardonnay 2022

This Chardonnay is sourced from grapes grown in two vineyards in Napa Valley – one in the southern Napa Los Carneros appellation near San Pablo Bay, and another in St. Helena in the Central Valley. Just 30 miles apart, Los Carneros can be 10-15° cooler than St. Helena. Due to this difference and other important differences, such as soil type, these two vineyard sites vary significantly in character and expression. When blended, these differences in expression add layer upon layer of flavor to the nose and palate, creating a beautiful and complex Chardonnay.

Winemaker's notes - The 2022 PlumpJack Reserve Chardonnay is a gorgeous, multi-faceted wine. The nose delivers layers of aromas—apple, baked pear, and lemon curd mingle with white peach, apricot, and honeysuckle with a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon just beneath the fruit. The palate is energetic and dynamic, beginning with a rich, mouth-filling texture reminiscent of lemon curd, followed by bright acidity that evokes lemon zest and honey-crisp apples. Finally, the beautiful acidity pulls the wine through the back of the palate, creating a long, structured finish.

Light straw colored, light medium bodied, crisp, tangy citrus with notes of apple and pear with bright acidity on the lingering finish.

RM 89 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4703905

https://plumpjackwinery.com/

Shafer Red Shoulder Ranch Carneros Chardonnay 2023

Like the Plumpjack, this is also sourced from a site in the Carneros District, from the Shafer Red Shoulder Ranch® estate vineyard.

Winemaker notes: “The 2023 is true to the outstanding vintage with brilliant, elegant aromas and flavors of citrus peel, honeycomb, white flowers, apricot, pineapple, and warm river stone all held together with effortless structure, lithe balance, and brightness that comes from pitch-perfect acidity.”

Very similar to the Plumpjack, light straw colored, medium bodied, slightly smoother and more balanced, a similar taste profile of apple and pear notes accented by citrus sprites with a bright acidity on the finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=5069467

Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona Brunello di Montalcino 2013 

Lyle has become the master of Brunello, acquiring a broad collection in his cellar, that he graciously shares with us when we get together. 

This Brunello di Montalcino is from the town of Montalcino located about 70 miles south of Florence with a climate slightly warmer and drier than that of its neighbor, Chianti. Both areas are known for the Sangiovese grape, but Montalcino has its own clone called Brunello. 

The Brunello vineyards surround the village of Montalcino, covering the rolling hills with varying elevations. The valleys with deep deposits of clay that produce wines typically bolder, more concentrated and rich in opulent black fruit. The hillside vineyards produce wines more concentrated in red fruits and floral aromas; these sites reach up to over 1,600 feet and have shallow soils of rocks and shale.

Brunello di Montalcino by law must be aged a minimum of four years, including two years in barrel before release and once released, typically needs more time in bottle for its drinking potential to be fully reached. 

At thirteen years of age, this is likely at the apex of its drinking window, but will no doubt age gracefully for another decade or more. 

Wine Advocate gave this release 96 points. 

Dark ruby colored, medium-to-full bodied, smooth, polished and balanced dried cherry and black fruits with notes of spice, herbs , hints of tar, cedar, anise and dark mocha with subtle oak tones on a moderate, silky tanning finish. 

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2633090

Via’s produce their own desserts in house under the direction of executive chef.

From the broad selection we shared the incredibly delectable Chocolate Heath Bar Crunch Cake - Dark Chocolate Ganache, Toffee Crunch, Whipped Cream, Chocolate Sauce, Caramel Sauce, Seasonal Berries and Cocoa. This was fabulous. We enjoyed it with latte’s and then took the remainder home to enjoy with fresh berries, fresh whipped cream and Linda’s home baked dark chocolate brownies. 

With the dessert course, back at home, we pulled from the cellar this aged 20 Year Tawney Port as an ideal pairing accompaniement. I wrote about this label in detail in a recent blogpost, excerpted below. 

Taylor Fladgage 20 Year Tawney Port

Port is one of the great classic wines of the world. Produced in the Douro Valley of Portugal, a UNESCO cultural site for its historical significance, port, along with Champagne, is the ultimate celebration wine.

Taylor Fladgate is one of the most highly respected producers of aged Tawny Port wines. Their 20 Year Old Tawney is purported to be the most popular 20 Year Old Aged Tawny Port in the United States.

Taylor Fladgate blends its magnificent 20 year old Tawny Ports from its extensive reserves of old cask aged Ports matured in the firm’s cool historic cellars (known as ‘lodges’) in Oporto on Portugal’s Atlantic coast.

The 20 Year Old Tawny Port is fully matured in seasoned oak casks each holding about 630 litres of wine. Over the many years of ageing, the Port wine gradually takes on its characteristic amber ‘tawny’ colour, slowly developing complex mellow flavours and the smooth luscious palate which are the hallmarks of this style of port. In the 20 Year Old tawny, the fruit has mellowed further than in the 10 Year Old, and the spicy, nutty aromas of ageing are more powerful and intense.

This label was awarded 95 points by James Suckling, 94 points by Wine & Spirits, and 93 points by Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator.

James Suckling wrote, “The aromas to this beautiful tawny port are saturated with burnt orange peel, caramel, candied fruit and hints of honey-coated nuts. Full-bodied, very fruity and dense with intense nut and mahogany flavors. Hints of sultanas, chocolate and coffee. Extremely creamy, long and flavorful. Delicious all the way. Better served slightly chilled. (6/2019)”

Wine & Spirits - “A complex and satisfying Tawny, this sits on the cusp of maturity with freshness continuing to infuse its deepening flavors. That freshness arrives in bold scents of orange zest and juicy citrus flavors, while the maturity mellows those flavors into layers of Marcona almond, date and sweet oak-smoke notes. It finishes with a hint of schist in the tannins. For fruit and cheese at the end of the meal. (12/2016) “

Wine Advocate- Robert Parker wrote, back in 1995: "It is my opinion that Taylor's tawny ports are the best of their type. When tasted against other tawnys, they all exhibit more aromatic personalities, greater fruit and ripeness, and a wonderful sweetness and length. Although I find the Thirty-Year-Old Tawny admirable, I prefer the richer, more vibrant Twenty-Year-Old Tawny."

Wine Advocate notes: “On first taste, this was simply Taylor: big, concentrated and serious. Simply filling the mouth on first taste, this shows fine complexity for its age and it does everything else rather brilliantly. Succulent and inviting, it finishes with waves of concentrated flavors. The fruit remains lifted and and it has a bright, transparent feel. It is hard to resist, often seeming like a bit of an overachiever. (MS) (12/2015) “

Producer’s Tasting Notes: “Intense amber tawny colour. Opulent and voluptuous nose of complex spicy, jammy and nutty aromas, hints of orange flower and a fine oakiness coming from the long period of aging in cask. The palate is full of very rich and concentrated flavour and has a long mellow finish.”

Complex and elegant, full, rich, deep, intense long spicy flavors of wild berries, fig, dried apricot and mango with deep nutty notes, spice, caramel, chocolate, and melange of dried fruits.

https://www.taylor.pt/us/port-wine/20-year-old-tawny

https://entouragerestaurant.com/

Pour Boys End of Summer ('23) Wine Dinner

Pour Boys End of Summer ('23) Wine Dinner Extravaganza

Our Pour Boys wine group gathered in Northwest Indiana for our end of summer / early fall wine dinner hosted by Dr Dan and Linda. As always, the group brought a spectacular wine flight to accompany the extensive dinner offering. Dan and Linda prepared smoked beef brisket BBQ which set the tone for robust hearty full fruit forward wines. 

As usual, Dan set out an extensive selection of charcuturie, meats and sausages, and artisan cheeses, three types of grilled shrimp and mushrooms. 

For dinner, Dan and Linda prepared bratwursts, grilled chicken breasts, smoked beef brisket and pulled pork, followed by an extensive medley of sides and salads. 

 

The Pour Boys collectively brought an extensive wine flight worthy of a feast, and a serious wine tasting.

As has become his custom, 'Champagne John' brought two bottle of vintage Champagne:

Bollinger Extra Brut Champagne RD 2007 (De'gorge 10 Juillette 2020)
Charles Heidsieck Rose' 2008 

Bollinger Extra Brut Champagne RD 2007 (De'gorge 10 Juillette 2020)

 The blend of this 2007 vintage is composed of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay. It features 91% Grands Crus and 9% Premiers Crus. A total of 14 crus can be find in the blending. The fermentation is entirely in oak barrels.

Bollinger R.D. is sold just a few months after being disgorged, with a very low dosage known as “extra brut”, at just 3 grams per litre. The recent disgorgement guarantees the remarkable freshness of the wine.

The 2007 vintage marks a return to the roots of the R.D. cuvée and its historic label with the original material and legendary font of the 1952 vintage, once again showing the date of disgorging.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3916398

https://www.champagne-bollinger.com/en/wine/bollinger-rd-2007/ 

Charles Heidsieck Champagne Brut Millésimé Rosé 2008

Another special bottling, a blend of 63% Pinot Noir (including 9% of red wine) and 37% Chardonnay, this rosé from Charles Heidsieck is sourced from 11 grands and premiers crus sourced from Les Riceys in the far south of Champagne.

 It was awarded 98 points by James Suckling, 96 points by Decanter, and 95 points by Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator.

Beautiful rose colored, superbly balanced and tasty, toasted nutty character, perfect acidity with hints of apple, dried cherry and raspberry red fruits.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3321069

 

Eric did the honors of opening the Champagne with Dan's 'champagne sword' ... 

Dan followed the Champagne flight with an ultra premium vintage Chardonnay:

Sea Smoke Sta Rita Hills Estate Chardonnay 2014

We've had many vintages of this label over the years and I believe this vintage, at this age, tonight, was the best ever - in its sweet spot, at the apex of its drinking window! 

It was rated 93 points by Wine Enthusiast and 91 points by Wine Spectator.

Straw colored, medium bodied, concentrated white peach flavors predominate with notes of pear on a full smooth elegant finish.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3022299

https://www.seasmoke.com/ 

Followed by another Sea Smoke label from Dan's cellar, club allocation, pivoting to the reds ...

Sea Smoke Botella Sta Rita Hills California Grand Cru Pinot Noir 2009

This limited release label is from Dan's cellar and wine club allocation. 

It was rated 92 points by Wine Advocate. 

Garnet colored, medium bodied, dark fruit with accents of smoke, licorice and leather with a smooth polished lingering finish. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1102815

And the red flight continued; as I've written often in these pages, the order of tasting is based on a intricate studious mating dance we go through at the beginning of each event, establishing the tasting order based on previous experiences, sweetness, age, depth, weight and boldness and body. 

Much of the fun of the evening is determining in retrospect how accurate we were in determining the best or optimal tasting sequence. Invariably we're very close to being right on, or within a very few, very minor variations or adjustments, swapping a couple bottles' order, for the ultimate tasting experience!

Here is the tasting order of the evening, which as usual, was spot on, and required little of no modification as the evening went on. Of course, such changes are the basis of fun, animated and lively discussion for the wholehearted wine geeks!

Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto 2008

Dan offered this ultra-premium Sangiovese blend from his cellar. It received 94 points from James Suckling and Wine Advocate.

Full bodied, dark intense concentrated  black fruits with notes of mocha, spice and hints of tar on a chewy tannin laced long finish. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1799632

Ernie followed with his customary ultra-premium Bordeaux blends ... two spectacular releases ! 

Peter Michael Les Pavots 2005
Lynch Bages Pauillac Bordeaux 2010

 

Peter Michael "Les Pavots" Knights Valley Bordeaux Blend 2005

This is a Bordeaux 'right bank style blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot & 2% Petit Verdot, akin to a St.-Emilion or Pomerol. 

It was rated 95 points Int'l Wine Review and Wine Advocate, 93 points by Vinous, and 92 points and "Top 100 Wines of 2008" by Wine Spectator.

Delicious! We drank this wine from the Reserve Winelist at our Pour Boys dinner at the Del Ray Beach Wine Room back in 2021.  Tonight was consistent with that tasting when I gave it 94 points. 

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/06/pour-boy-wine-dinner-at-del-ray-beach.html

Ernie brought this label to our Pour Boys OTBN night in 2014. 

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2014/06/otbn-2014.html 

Deep ruby colored, full-bodied, complex and multi-dimensional yet impeccably balanced, elegant and harmonious; dark currant and black raspberry fruits with spices, tobacco, leather, chocolate and cassis notes with a smooth silky finish. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=505831

For me, while the Les Pavot was elegant and complex, the more expressive and forward Lynch Bages, along with the Del Dotto Syrah were the WOTN - Wines of the Night (due to the smoked BBQ pairing), along with the Sea Smoke Chardonnay! With a grilled beefsteak, the Les Pavots and Lynch Bages would've been a wonderful duel!

Château Lynch-Bages Pauillac Bordeaux 2010

This is a spectacular wine, it was rated 98 points by Jeb Dunnuck and James Suckling, 97 points by Wine Advocate, and 96 points by Wine Spectator (also Cellar Selection), Wine Enthusiast and Decanter.

Dark garnet colored, full-bodied, layered, complex and multi-dimensional yet smooth, elegant and polished;  classic Pauillac dark berry and currant fruits accented by notes of cassis, cigar tobacco, and lead pencil graphite, with hints of oak and clove spice turning to firm, powdery tannins and lively acids on a long silky finish. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1123088

Then on to the Big Reds ... to accompany the BBQ ...

Bill brought this rare Carlisle Napa Valley Hayne Vineyard Zinfandel 2012

Followed by Lyle's, Seghesio Cortina Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel 2015

Then on to the Syrahs/Shiraz's ... 

I brought from our cellar this aged vintage classic label of which we've had great fun over the years, of which there are several stories across the group ... this was amazingly resilient and still going strong at 28 years.

D'Arenberg McLaren Vale "Dead Arm" Shiraz 1995

Consistent with earlier tastings, I first published a note on this wine in pre-blog days back in 2005, which I chose and opened from our cellar for my birthday dinner.

Eric brought this classic Chateau Tanunda "Chateau" 100 Year Old Vines Barossa Shiraz which we all discovered and of which we captured our unfair share of the extremely limited US/Midwest allocation through a special arrangement during the Grand Tour Chicago - Wine Tasting Extravaganza back in 2011. Lyle loved it and gave it WOTN while Bill thought it might be reaching end of its prime drinking window. 

Pour Boys at that 2011 Wine Spectator Grand Tour

Tanunda 100 Year Vine Shiraz 2008

John brought this classic, highly allocated rare Washington State Shiraz which he also brought from the 2012 vintage to our Pour Boys OTBN 2020 ~ Open That Bottle Night.  I wrote about the label  and producer extensively in my post of that event.

Cayuse Bionic Frog Walla Walla Valley Shiraz 2013

Bill brought this rare ultra-premium label from a well known favorite producer - I've never seen this label from a producer we thought we knew well.

Killikanoon Attunga "1865" Clare Valley Shiraz 2004

Another spectacular wine - an embarrassment of riches throughout this tasting. We love the Killikanoon "Oracle" label and never knew about this ultra-premium label from them. This special limited release label is released only in years of exceptional quality.

This Attunga "1865" single vineyard, Clare Valley Shiraz is named due to its source, from some of Australia's oldest living vines - 900 individual Shiraz vines, planted in 1865. According to winemaker Kevin Mitchell, it is the oldest commercially active vineyard still producing in the Clare Valley. 

This was rated  98 points by Wine Advocate and 97 points by Wine Advocate. 

It appears very little of this very limited release makes it to America. Cellartracker, which we use to track our wines, and the marketplace, has over 10 million reviewer tasting notes and has no listing for this label.

Deep purple-colored, full round, rich, concentrated yet elegant and polished, black and blue fruits with notes of floral, creosote and crushed rocks. 

https://kilikanoon.com.au/collections/back-vintage-wines/attunga

 

We closed the red wine flight with this label we tasted during our tour and tasting at the producer's estate Del Dotto Napa Valley Cave Tour Barrel Tasting, and acquired during our Del Dotto Piazza DELICACIES Food and Wine Experience culinary tasting at the producer's other property estate, Piazza Del Dotto, back in 2018. 

Tonight's tasting was consistent with my last bottle tasted earlier back in 2019. 

Del Dotto Cinghiale For Ross Seaview Sonoma County Vineyard Syrah 2014

To close, Lyle brought what has become somewhat custom, a vintage port dessert wine for the final course (s). Terry brought her decadent, spectacular orange cake, which Dan and Linda served alongside gourmet chocolates, chocolate cake and a selection of ice creams including sea salt caramel, and others.

Dow Vintage Port 1997

A classic vintage port from a spectacular vintage. This was awarded 95 points by Wine Spectator and 94 points by Wine Enthusiast, and 92 points by Int'l Wine Cellar.

Ruby colored, medium-full bodied, black currant fruits with bittersweet cocao, notes of dark mocha, expresso, sweet fig and herbs with a long smooth balanced finish. 

Unlike Attunga above with no Cellartracker listing, this classic label is four digit 2186 out of the hundreds of thousands of labels registered. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2186 

Notice, Two-fisted Dan directing the orchestrated proceedings ... 

Thanks all for another spectacular wine and dine evening.