Showing posts with label Seabrook Island. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seabrook Island. Show all posts

Saturday, February 25, 2023

OTBN - Open That Bottle Night - 2023

 OTBN - Open That Bottle Night - 2023

The last Saturday in February brings the annual OTBN wine event – Open That Bottle Night – the 24th such event since its creation in 2000 by Dorothy Gaither and John Brecher wine columnists for the Wall Street Journal.

And, for the twelfth straight year, since 2011, members of our Pour Boys (TM) wine group assembled to share and compare special bottles of wine, that have been held in our cellars, waiting for the special occasion to open, so as to eventually succumb to the inevitable, its time, open that bottle (to)night!

As is becoming our custom, we’re starting to follow the seasons, and congregate in the south during the winter, and the north during the other seasons. As such, we gathered again at Bill and Beth C’s in Charleston, SC for this years' gala.

This year’s event was hosted by Bill and Beth C at their home on Seabrook Island, SC. The Saturday night OTBN dinner was held at the Seabrook Island Clubhouse Ashley Room private dining room. 

 

Several members were not able to attend due to family and other commitments but we'll look forward to having them participate in our other scheduled events this spring, summer and fall, back in Chicago-land.

This year, while we defy any theme other than the spirit of OTBN, we narrowed some of our selections to a couple of vintages, since we all have rather deep and broad cellar collections that offer at times perhaps an overwhelming range of choices.

To that end we brought a couple mini horizontals - multiple labels from the same vintage - a selection of 1995 Napa Cabernets and one of 2015 vintage premium Chardonnays - Mayacamas Napa Valley Mt Veeder and Sea Smoke Santa Barbara County Santa Rita Hills.

The Chardonnays from two of our favorite producers were an ideal comparison tasting of two diverse contrasting styles, and perfect accompaniment to the Seabrook Club Sea Scallops and the Salmon entree selections. 

We tasted the Mayacamas wine at the estate winery with Bill and Beth during our Mayacamas Mt Veeder Napa Valley Winery Visit during our Spring 2011 Napa Valley Mt Veeder Wine Experience. Both Bill and Dan are collectors as members of the Sea Smoke wine club and source this iconic premium label.
 

 
The Napa Valley Cabernet Savignon Horizontal flight from 1995. 
 

This year, a few new designations or declarations emerged, perhaps for the future. From our selection of a dozen and a half bottles of wine, to be enjoyed over the course of the weekend, not just limited to the Saturday evening gala, we discovered, or decreed some new notables or mentions from our wine flight.

The Highest Achievement or Achiever award, or recognition went to Freemark Abbey Bosche’ Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1995. This wine stood our from the other two similarly situated labels – same grape varietal, same vintage, similar or neighboring proximity appellations.

The also rans were Del Dotto Napa Valley Rutherford appellation Cabernet Sauvignon, and Plumpjack Reserve Oakville Cabernet.

The Del Dotto probably was most predicable, meeting or pretty much living up to expectations, consistent with my earlier recollections. Folks thought it had a mustiness to it that I attributed to Del Dotto's preponderance of oak. 

We visited the estate together during out Del Dotto Rutherford Cave Tour and Barrel Tasting during our Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2017.

Reading my earlier tasting notes on this label, indeed I cited the preponderance of oak in the tasting profile when I wrote in 2011, "Only starting to show a hint of age but still life left in this sixteen year old - dark garnet color, medium-full bodied, oak predominates the taste accented by spicy black cherry, berry, plum and cedar with hint of leather, cigar box and vanilla with well-integrated tannins on a long complex finish." RM 91 points. 

Like tonight, this was consistent with my previous tasting fifteen months earlier in 2010. "Starting to show a hint of age but lots of life left in this fifteen year old - oak predominates the taste accented by spicy black cherry, berry, plum and hint of vanilla , with smooth polished well-integrated tannins on a long complex finish."

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=890767

The Plumpjack, being the Reserve single vineyard designated bottling from McWilliams Mt Eden vineyard, probably underachieved, especially when considering the lofty expectations set by the producer at the winery when they pressed to supplement or top up our holdings for a mere $700+ per bottle.

We tasted and acquired this wine during our first visit to the Plumpjack estate back in 1999 when we actually hosted winemaker May Pisor for a winemaker dinner with our wine group at Meadowood Country Club in Napa (right).

The Freemark Abbey Bosche' was full, round, complex, yet polished and elegant, showing no signs of diminution whatsoever after 28 years, and was even better the next evening!  It showed very similar profile and characteristics as the TOR, below. This is not surprising perhaps since the Bosche' vineyard is adjacent to the Beckstoffer ToKalon vineyard

Once again, perhaps this should not have been a surprise. Tonight's tasting notes are remarkably consistent with my previous tasting of this label nine years earlier when I wrote: "At a horizontal tasting of Napa Cabernets, this label proved to be one of, if not the tasting highlight (s) of the evening. My own Cellartracker notes and rating from 9/2/2013, about eleven months ago accurately apply to tonight's tasting - I wrote: "An eye-opening standout of th(at)e evening featuring a horizontal tasting of five 95 vintage Napa Cabs, this was medium to full bodied with bright vibrant forward ripe plum and black raspberry fruits accented by tones of currant, clove, hints of vanilla and sweet oak with smooth polished silky tannins on the finish. Lots of life left in this eighteen year old." 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=780698

These were great comparisons and accompaniments to the Seabrook Club filets of beef entrees. 

While interesting, and somewhat complex, the Plumpjack was what I will politely call, delicate, subdued in its nuances, certainly a style and profile very different from the boisterous blustery bold fruit bombs we so often favor and enjoy – more akin the style of some of our other highly regarded selections, below.

Perhaps the most highly acclaimed or rated bottle of the evening (WOTN- Wine of the Night) was the Bacchus label by Joseph Phelps, brought by Dan from his wine club vertical collection of this label. Our visit, private tour and Joseph Phelps Napa Spring Valley Winery Tasting was one of the highlights of our Napa Valley Wine Experience together in 2017.

Next in line might be the TOR To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon predominant Cuvee' Bordeaux varietal blend. This is produced by vintner and proprietors Tor and Susan Kenwood, part of a portfolio of a dozen labels of single vineyard designated wines sourced from some of the premier vineyards across Napa Valley and crafted by Winemaker Jeff Ames. 

This label is sourced from six blocks of 83 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and two blocks of Cabernet Franc from the world renowned To Kalon vineyard. To Kalon owned by Andy Beckstoffer provides under grower/producer contracts, fruit for some of the most storied labels in Napa Valley such as Opus One. It is sited across Highway 29, St Helena Highway, from that property, adjacent and behind Robert Mondavi Winery, up against the Mayacamas foothills. It is also source for the Poetic Justice label below.

Here is where the surprise of the evening, or weekend emerges. 'Hooray for Bosche,’ the single vineyard designated label from long-time favored and widely held and collected producer Freemark Abbley. Wine buddy Bill holds an extensive collection of this producer, followed by me, with labels dating back three decades. These pages are filled with comparison tastings of these labels over the years between Bill and me. 

We also made a discovery of a new label (to us), Poetic Justice from the Bounty Hunter, from a collection from the producer that Bill acquired as part of a winning bid at a fund raising charity auction. Lucky us, as this was an exciting new label/producer discovery, perhaps a new category for us for future wine tastings. 

This was released negociant style by Bounty Hunter, notable long time Napa Valley reseller of super premium boutique and bespoke wines. This label release was a collaborative project with legendary winemaker Philip Melka crafted from fruit sourced from the To Kalon vineyard. We've acquired several super labels from him over the years and have attended a couple premier tastings currated by him.

Bill's Cellartracker notes for this tasting that captured this perfectly. "Wow! What a pleasant surprise. This was full of red fruit, raspberry and cherry. Full bodied with well integrated tannins. This was delicious on a pop and pour basis. 73% Cabernet Franc and 24% Cabernet Sauvignon. All the flavor was there and plenty of body. Missing a little complexity and depth but really delicious." WCC 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1443207


Lyle brought from his cellar the Dissident from Mark Ryan. We tasted this and the Poetic Justice in a run up to the dinner. This exceeded expectations, providing a very nice complex but balanced approachable wine for casual sipping in the afternoon with cheeses and fruits.

Mark Ryan wines are the artwork of Mark Ryan McNeilly, a self taught winemaker who learned the craft working with well known producers, acquiring Bordeaux varietal grapes from renowned vineyards in the Columbia Valley Red Mountain appellation. He produces an extensive portfolio of wines from across the region, but is most notably known for several art crafted Bordeaux Blends.

We discovered, tasted and acquired this wine when we visited and conducted a Mark Ryan Columbia Valley Wine Tasting in his Woodinville, Washington tasting room during our Seattle Culinary and Washington Wine Tour in 2018.
 
Today's tasting was consistent with my notes from that experience: "Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, dark berry, black currant and black cherry fruits are accented with notes of spice, mocha and hints of cedar with subtle tannins on a lingering finish." RM 91 points. 
 

The closing wine flight for the dinner, and over the weekend, was a collection of dessert wines and a big brawny Aussie shiraz, the premium Clarendon Hills Astrallis label, best suited for the after dinner chocolate course.


The weekend featured several selections of artisan cheeses, charcuterie, fresh fruits and assorted nuts, biscuits and crackers. 

 


What fun, and how ironic that our long favored cheese purveyor, Murray's Cheese, where we shopped and dined at their wine and cheese shop and restaurant wine and cheese bar in Greenwich Village in NYC numerous times over the years, was subsequently acquired by Kroger, and as such, their artisan cheeses are now available here at home at our local Mariano's, and down in South Carolina and their local Harris Teeter, as well as at specialty wine and cheese shops! 

And the Dow Vintage Port and Astrallis with Chocolate cake! Recognition for Linda's birthday (and my recent retirement).

 
The wine flight for this year’s events:

Chateau Leoville Barton St Julien Bordeaux 1986 - we'll hold this as part of a vertical or horizontal for an upcoming event.

Mark Ryan Dissident Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

The trio horizontal wine tasting of 1995 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons

-        Del Dotto Rutherford Napa Valley Estate

-        Freemark Abbey Bosche' Vineyard from Oakville Appellation

-        Plumpjack Reserve Oakville McWilliams Mt Eden Vineyard

Joseph Phelps Bacchus Oakville Cabernet 2012

A duo of Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Oakville Cabernet Sauvignons

Bounty Hunter Poetic Justice 2009
TOR 2009 from magnum

Beringer Private Reserve Napa Valley Cab 2008

And the dessert, cheese, chocolate courses flight:

Clarendon Hills Astrallis Syrah 2011
Alois Kracher Chardonnay TBA Trocken Bereen Auslese #7 Nouvelle Vague 2001
Alois Kracher Chardonnay TBA Trocken Bereen Auslese #9 Nouvelle Vague 2002
Dow Vintage Port 1994


Previous Pour Boys OTBN Events

Pour Boys OTBN 2019 - Open That Bottle Night

Pour Boys OTBN 2018 - Open That Bottle Night

Pour Boys OTBN 2016 - Open That Bottle Night 

Pour Boys OTBN 2015 - Open That Bottle NightBordeaux Anchors OTBN 2015

Pour Boys OTBN - Open That Bottle Night 2014

Pour Boys OTBN 2013 - Open That Bottle Night 2013

Pour Boys OTBN 2012 - Open That Bottle Night

Pour Boys OTBN 2011 - Open That Bottle Night.

 

Friday, May 24, 2019

Domaine Serene Grand Cheval Red Blend 2015

Domaine Serene Grand Cheval Red Blend 2015

During our getaway weekend to Charleston Seabrooke Island visiting friends and fellow 'Pour Boy' Bill and Beth, we dined on the Kiawah Island village green for their Friday night summer concert series. We had an ideally sited table at the 48 Wine Bar which offers a superb selection of fine wines by the pour or by the bottle.

48 Wine Bar on Kiawah Island and 64 Wine Bar here in our hometown Naperville, are of the same owners. Both offer a wide selection of wines from the old and new world - California, Washington, and Oregon, Australia,  Argentina and Italy. They provide the opportunity to taste the wines from the serving stations, or by the bottle, with a selection of wine appropriate foods - starters, salads, sandwiches, select entrees, a selection of cheeses and charcuterie, and desserts - in a casual, trendy wine-food setting. 

From the selection, we were tempted with several selections for our favorites, Alpha Omega, Lewis Cellars, Cade, Cakebread, Caymus, Duckhorn, Mondavi, Odette - numerous ultra premium selections from Bond, Opus and Chateau Margaux, and numerous imaginative offerings for experimentation and discovery. 

We opted for a discovery wine - a new as yet unknown label, from a known trusted favorite producer. We selected this Grand Cheval Red Blend from well known Domain Serene, who are mostly known for their Willamette Valley, Oregon Pinot Noirs. 

Grand Cheval is a signature wine dedicated to Founder Jim Evenstad's grandfather, Carl Michelson, a Norwegian immigrant, and named for his legendary grand work horse that he used to work the fields and pull the sleigh to make his livelihood on the family farm back in Northern Minnesota. 

Grand Cheval is a Red Blend, sourced from select fruit from the Domaine Serene premiere Dundee Hills vineyard and various Oregon Walla Walla Valley Vineyard sites. We visited the Walla Walla appellation last fall and gained great appreciation for their wines. 

As I have written in these pages, the Walla Walla AVA is America's newest and 'most distinct' appellation. Also, it traverses the Oregon and Washington State border, the only American AVA to span two states. 

Notably, the grapes selected for Grand Cheval are sourced from Oregon Walla Walla vineyards. The label is based on some component of Syrah and Pinot Noir varietal grapes. 

Domaine Serene Grand Cheval Oregon Proprietary Red Blend 2015


'Grand Cheval' is a unique proprietary blend of Syrah and Pinot Noir, which is sourced from the Seven Hills Vineyard in Walla Walla, as well as vineyards in the Dundee Hills. Pinot Noir is not generally considered a grape blending but the balance seems to work as neither grape dominates or overpowers the other. 

Garnet colored, full bodied, complex, concentrated expressive black fruits of black berry, black cherries and plums with notes of cassis, coffee and a touch of charred wood and black tea, a bit of heat on the firm tannin laced finish.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3035724

https://www.fortyeightwinebar.com/

https://www.domaineserene.com/

Monday, November 6, 2017

Classic Diamond Mountain Cabs Steak Wine Dinner

Classic Diamond Mountain Cabs - Diamond Creek and Constant anchor grilled steak Wine Dinner

Visiting wine buddy fellow 'Pour Boy' Bill, and Beth in their new paradise on Seabrook Island in SC, we were treated to an elegant wine dinner featuring two classic Diamond Mountain Napa Valley Cabernets. Our estate tastings at Diamond Creek Vineyards and Constant Diamond Mountain Estate Vineyards up on Diamond Mountain were highlights of our Diamond Mountain Napa Valley Wine Experience together back in 2011.

Following our tasting or the 2006 Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon recently where it was showing so well at the apex of its drinking window, it was exciting to do this comparison tasting of two such extraordinary wines from this vintage.

This horizontal tasting of these two wines from the the same vintage and same Diamond Mountain appellation illustrates two dimensions of this wine growing district - mountain fruit from the top tier of the mountain near the summit, and fruit from the lower reaches of the mountain where the cool mountain breezes wafting over from the Pacific and the Sonoma side of the hill collide with the heat of the Napa Valley down below.

Diamond Mountain District AVA is located in towards the North end of the Mayacamas Mountain Range that separates Napa Valley to the east from Sonoma Valley to the west in the northwest corner of Napa Valley above the town of Calistoga. The location to the north end of the valley and its higher elevation than most of Napa Valley, renders it less susceptible to the cool fog that rolls up from the San Pablo Bay at the bottom of the valley, and more direct exposure to sunlight.

One of the most distinctive characteristics that make the Diamond Mountain AVA unique is its soil or range of soils. Much of the areas is comprised of highly porous volcanic rock, while the Diamond Creek that flows down the mountainside and carves out the basin that forms Diamond Creek Vineyards has the a variety of soil types. Indeed Diamond Creek is famous for its legendary single vineyard designated bottlings from four different vineyards, each with its distinctive soil type. Aptly named are the vineyard labels, Red Rock Terrace, Volcanic Hill, and this Gravelly Meadow (shown below).

The porous volcanic soil of Diamond Mountain contains minute particles of volcanic glass that give the area its name. It also allows the surface to cool down quickly despite the increased sunlight, gently soothing the grapes overnight. The elevation of the AVA at over 400 feet also keeps it cool relative to the hotter valley floor below.

The AVA is defined by the Napa-Sonoma county line on the west at the summit of the hill, Petrified Forest Road on the north, the 400 foot line of altitude running parallel to Route 29 down below to the east, and the adjacent Spring Mountain District to the south.

We visited Diamond Creek Vineyards back in 2011 and then again recently during their release open house during our Napa Sonoma Wine Experience 2017 at the end of summer, the month before last.

Interesting fun facts about Diamond Mountain AVA

When the AVA was proposed in 1999, and was undergoing public review and comment, one property, Diamond Mountain Vineyards, objected to the western border being on the Napa-Sonoma county line, since it would split their property in half. This debate dragged on for
several months culminating in the decision was to keep the boundary on the Napa-Sonoma line. The controversy continued since the proposed  "Diamond Mountain AVA," actually would have been primarily sited in Sonoma County since much of Diamond Mountain including the peak. Ultimately a compromise was reached and it was called Diamond Mountain District AVA since it is a sub-appellation to Napa Valley. 

 Diamond Creek Vineyards Napa Valley Gravelly Meadow Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

Bill's Cellartracker tasting notes for this wine this evening: "The hit of the evening out of strong flight of Cabernet. Indigo in color. Floral nose with a hint of damp leaves. Black raspberry, tea and a bit of oak on the palate. The signature Bordeaux like earthy, mineral quality that is so typical of the Gravelly Meadow vineyard is very much in evidence. Deep, delicate, layered and complex."

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=529081

http://www.diamondcreekvineyards.com/ 

Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyards Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 

The Constant estate sits high atop Diamond Mountain overlooking Sonoma to the West and Napa to east. It is one of but a handful of properties that traverse both sides of the summit with vineyards in each. We were fortunate enough to be hosted by Freddie Constant (shown left) during our tasting visit there back in 2011, before Freddie's untimely and unfortunate passing.

The higher elevation with its glass diamond reflective soil, high drainage and sun exposure gives Constant rich, concentrated highly extracted fruit - more obtuse than the more sophisticated elegance of the Diamond Creek below.

Bill's Cellartracker notes for this wine this evening- "Deep indigo in color. Nose of ripe raisin, bramble and a hint of creosote. Huge, bold and full bodied. Black and blue fruit, cola and tea on the palate with a long, lingering finish. Strong, grippy tannins and lots of life left. Need to check back in another two years."

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=694607

https://www.constantwine.com/