Showing posts with label St Helena. Show all posts
Showing posts with label St Helena. Show all posts

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Revana St Helena Cabernet 2009

Revana Family Vineyard Napa Valley St Helena Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

Friday night, end of week wind-down, we pulled this bottle from the cellar and took it BYOB to
Marinella Italian Restaurant in nearby Glen Ellyn (Illinois) for a change of pace. This was our first encounter at this neighborhood trattoria, another family owned and operated quaint friendly comfortable spot. It made us feel good about our local favorite regular eatery, Angeli's Italian. They have relatively comparable menus and prices, Marinella has a more extensive and imaginative winelist, was quieter and more intimate albeit a bit dated and quirky with the silk flowers on the tableside windowledge.

The Marinella winelist is totally Italian, featuring wines from the major wine regions - a nice selection, at a range of price points. They were accommodating to us with our BYOB special bottle we brought for the evening. Knowing of their wine selection, I would not be hesitant to dine there for a wine and dine experience, dependent on their wine list to complement the dinner. 

Linda had the scallops and shrimp in a vodka cream tomato sauce with pasta which was very good and nicely prepared. I had the meat filled ravioli which was lackluster and uninspiring since I asked for some pasta with meat and cheese and ended up with a tomato sauce and no cheese - so much for ordering by style and content rather than from a defined dish.

We may return in the summer as Marinella have patio dining that might be nice al fresco in appropriate weather.

In any event, our BYOB wine was a highlight of the meal - a nice complement to the entrees, albeit more elegant and complex than the meal warranted - Revana Family Vineyard St Helena Cabernet Sauvignon.

This was our first encounter with Revana. Records show I picked up a single bottle from Binny's our local wine superstore. It overachieved for the occasion but then again is a far more pricey bottle that would've been best served with an elegant meal.

Revana was founded in 1997 by Dr. Madaiah Revana, a successful Houston cardiologist, when he discovered and eventually acquired the small parcel of prime vineyard land in St. Helena while visiting Napa Valley. Dr. Revana was a fan of super premium Bordeaux wines and set out to grow highest quality Bordeaux varietal fruit to produce his own interpretation of such wines.

Dr. Revana dedicated himself to learning all he could about his new interest. He traveled the wine regions of Europe and the United States, learning along the way, and he became determined to create a vineyard estate from which he could craft his own world-class wines. Revana Family Vineyard was established to pursue that ambitious goal.

The The Revana Estate Vineyard sits on St Helena Highway north of town approaching Calistoga, in the neighborhood of the CIA (Culinary Institute of America), Markham, Freemark Abbey, Vineyard 29 and Grace Family Vineyards.

The northern part of Napa Valley where it narrows is framed by the Mayacamas and Vaca mountains. The hillside erosion from the surrounding mountains provides the gravel and soil resulting in the deep, well-drained soils that make up the Revana Estate. This section of the upper valley benefits from more moderate temperatures, a combination of warm days and cool nights, without the foggy mornings found in the lower valley or the extreme heat of Calistoga to the north.

The site has deep, well-drained gravelly alluvial soils, sloped pitch adjacent Diamond Mountain, with excellent exposure, warm days and cool nights, for terroir ideally suited for Bordeaux varietals, notably Cabernet Sauvignon.

In 1998, Dr. Revana hired acclaimed vineyard manager Jim Barbour to plant and maintain the 9-acre estate vineyard. He engaged renowned winemaker Heidi Barrett to craft exceptional wines from the Revana Estate vineyard from its first vintage in 2001. Revana enjoyed great critical success including the honor of being ranked number 4 in the world in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2010.

In 2011, Thomas Brown joined Revana Family Vineyard as consulting winemaker charged to continue the tradition of making world-class Cabernet Sauvignon in the Revana style. Brown earned the craft at several small wineries then progressed his winemaking career at Turley Wine Cellars where he was the assistant winemaker through 2001.

Brown became best known for the Cabernet Sauvignons that he has crafted for Schrader Cellars, Thomas also received numerous accolades from the press notably in 2010, Food & Wine Magazine named him Winemaker of the Year. Both Wine Spectator and The Wine Advocate have bestowed multiple 100 point scores on Cabernets made by Thomas. 

Revana has assembled all the elements to produce world class wines - a renowned accomplished winemaker, an inspirational vineyard with ideal terroir, and state of the art facilities.  We'll look forward to visiting the Estate on an upcoming visit to Napa Valley.

Revana Family Vineyard Napa Valley St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

This is a blend of Revana estate grown Bordeaux varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon  (93.3%), Cabernet Franc (5.7%), and 1% Petit Verdot. It was aged twenty months in French oak.
 
Dark blackish garnet colored, medium bull bodied, elegant, polished, opulent, well-balanced, nicely integrated concentrated but somewhat subdued sweet black cherry and black berry fruits with a layer of cherry cola highlighted by tones of tea, lavender, cassis and earthy wild berry, coffe bean and hint of caramel with smooth silky polished tannins on the moderate finish.

RM 91 points. 

Napa Valley Premiere Auction for this wine noted: "Revana 2009 features Clone 7, one of the historic Cabernet clones of Napa Valley and it lends power, concentration and rich flavors of cassis and berry to the Revana Cabernet Sauvignon blend. Renowned winemaker Heidi Peterson Barrett crafts the Revana Cabernet with a balance of refinement, ripe fruit flavors and a sense of the estate vineyard from which the wine comes."

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1269051
 
https://www.revanawine.com/

https://marinellaitalianrestaurant.com/




Wednesday, February 13, 2019

BV Tapestry Reserve Napa Cab 2004

BV Tapestry Reserve Napa Red 2004

Following the 2007 and '08 vintage Napa Cabernets last week, I wanted to compare with some other near vintages from that era. We hold a vertical collection of more than a dozen and a half vintages of this label dating back to the 1996-97 releases. We opened this to taste with leftover lasagna one night and beef tenderloin the next night. This was more fruitful and floral the second night than the first, sufficient such to warrant a a personal rating two points higher.

From the classic legendary Beaulieu Vineyards, one of the first historic producers in Napa Valley dating back to 1900. The Tapestry label was first released in 1990 as a complement to the premium flagship Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet. Tapestry is appropriately named as it represents a blend of all the classic Bordeaux varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. Tapestry is sourced mostly from the BV vineyards 1 and 2 at the famous historic Rutherford Estate along St Helena Highway, the same sources that provide grapes for the Georges de Latour Cabernet.

This is a quality sophisticated label that compares with higher priced premium labels and Bordeaux that sell for ten to twenty-five percent more. Its impressive that BV can produce a consistent quality wine such as this in large production.


Beaulieu Vineyards Tapestry Reserve Napa Valley Red Wine 2004

Consistent with earlier tasting notes, dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, nicely balanced and textured, a bit tight and closed initially, the brambly black berry fruits were highlighted by a layer of cassis eventually giving way to tones of tea, tobacco and cedar, with hints of anise and smokey oak on a moderate tannin lingering finish. After being open for a day the black berry and black cherry fruits revealed themselves accents by a violet floral layer.

RM 89 initially, 91 after opening on the second evening.

92 points Wine Enthusiast 

90 points Vinous 
90 points Wine & Spirits  




https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=410294

https://www.bvwines.com/

Sunday, November 25, 2018

Big Red Petit Verdot for Serious Sipping

Big Red Petit Verdot for Serious Sipping

Searching for a sipping wine with cheese and fruits and a movie, son Alec was looking through our Cellartracker cellar selections. "Petit Verdot?", he asked. I explained that Petit Verdot is one of the Bordeaux varietals but subordinate to the primary Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and lesser than Cabernet Franc which is used in the blend to add a bit of depth and spiciness. Petit Verdot, I explained is blended in, usually in small amounts, to add color and tannin structure, depth and concentration and flavor. It is characterized as adding intense black and blue fruit flavors and tones of pencil shavings, violet and leather. And some producers will bottle 100% Petit Verdot as a wine with special character. Sounds perfect for such an occasion, so we pulled a bottle of Whitehall Lane Napa Valley Petit Verdot.


Whitehall Lane Napa Valley Petit Verdot 2014

We discovered, tasted and acquired this wine during our Whitehall Lane winery visit and tasting at the Estate on Hwy 29, St Helena Highway just south of St Helena, Napa Valley. Whitehall Lane is the small road that abuts the property. They have 140 acres of vineyards of which just 2.4 acres are planted in this Petit Verdot varietal grapes which is used primarily for blending in the Bordeaux blends and for this special bottling.

Winemaker Jason Moulton says of this wine, "This Petit Verdot is like experiencing the dark side…with concentrated, full-bodied flavors. It is extraordinarily balanced with aromas of black currants, clove, blackberry pie, Agen prunes, cedar, and a hint of earth and dust. Its palate exudes flavors of black cherry cola, crème de cassis, tar, fresh black plums and toasted almond croissant. Its powerful chalky tannin mouthfeel truly lets you know THIS is Petit Verdot."

Dark inky blackish purple, full bodied, structured concentrated rich tongue coating black fruits, hints of clove spice and earth, with tongue puckering chalky tannins that form distinct 'legs' on the glass. This wine begs for hearty cheese, grilled steak or darkest mocha chocolate.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2545349

To accompany this wine, we pulled out award winning ten year aged sharp cheddar cheese from Fair Oaks Farm in Northern Indiana.

https://fofarms.com/

https://whitehalllane.com/

Saturday, March 3, 2018

Parry Napa St Helena Cab featured at Italian Village Chicago

Parry Napa St Helena Cab featured at Italian Village Chicago 

Parry Cellars Napa Valley St Helena Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Entertaining members of my new team from around the globe, I took them to legendary Chicago trattoria Italian Village for a special dinner. Wine Director Jared Gelband obtained a case of this limited production release, only 225 cases were produced, through personal connections to evaluate for the wine list.

Knowing this is a style of wine we love, being regular wine diners, he offered us a bottle for our special private dinner. We loved it and  then returned the next night for a team dinner and had several more of his limited few bottles.

Finally, we returned last night again for a private dinner and we had a bottle with our wine loving guests. Based on those tastings Jared is reaching back to source more, and introducing us to the producer to hopefully obtain some for our private cellar too.

Dark garnet inky purple colored, full bodied, rich concentrated by highly focused ripe black berry fruits are layered with sweet mocha chocolate and subtle hints of mint accented blue fruits on a silky tannin finish.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2621044

Parry Cellars is the dream project of owners Stephen and Sue Parry who acquired and 'retired' to the Estate. They report they are Napa Valley's smallest single vineyard winery. a family owned half-acre vineyard on the east side of the Silverado Trail, north of the town of St. Helena. The vineyard was planted with 1200 100% Cabernet Sauvignon vines by legendary Napa producer Dave Abreu in 1990, in rocky obsidian studded soil. Sustainably farmed and managed to produce about three tons of grapes each year provides about 200 cases of limited release production. The special bottling single vineyard production is available to wine club members and can be found at a number of select restaurants.

Parry's winemaker is Andy Schweiger. His tasting notes for the 2013 "... aromas of ripe plum with layers of blackberry, black cherry and hints of mint and eucalyptus. It has a velvet entry with a complex fruit profile leading to a well-balanced mid-palate of intense blueberry, cocoa, berry components and integrated tannins. It has a lingering finish balanced with elegant dark fruit and tannins."

The wine was aged for 19 months in 100% French oak barrels (44% new / 56% once-used).

http://parrycellars.com/

https://italianvillage-chicago.com/ 






Monday, July 31, 2017

Hall Rutherford Winery Estate Appellation Tasting

Hall Rutherford Winery Estate Appellation Tasting

Our visit to the Hall Rutherford Estate has been one of the highlights of previous Napa Valley trips so we recommended it as one of the short list visits to son Ryan and Michelle for their recent Napa trip. Based on his glowing report and recommendation, we decided to return to Hall for a tasting of their new releases during our recent Sonoma Napa Wine Experience 2017.

Like Del Dotto and some of the other top Napa producers, Hall have significantly expanded their operations, facilities, number of labels, and achievement of top ranked, most highly acclaimed ultra premium labels including the spectacular 99 and 100 point ranked wines which we tasted below.

We wrote in earlier visit blogposts about the spectacular Hall Rutherford estate and cave tours at the Rutherford estate sitting in the Sacrashe Vineyard, above Auberge du Soleil Relaix au Chateau, below the Hall estate residence. The facility has hospitality rooms above the wine production area, barrel caves and tasting room below.

The magnificent caves are sculpted into the mountain with bricks brought from an Austrian castle and features alcoves that create a galley of sculpture art.

The magnificent tasting room (shown left) at the end of the barrel cave features a large table for thirty guests underneath a massive chandelier fashioned from a thousand year old grape vine.

We were hosted this day by 'Wine Educator' Bob Childs (pictured below).

In the hospitality center, before we walked down the hill to the winery, barrel and tasting room caves below, we tasted:

Hall T-Bar-T Sonoma County Alexander Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2016

Walts "the Corners" Anderson Valley Pinot Noir 2014




The lower level winery underneath the hospitality center houses the large stainless steel cooling jacket shrouded fermentation tanks. Even the production facility is bathed in the light of artistic neon lights overhead. The custom built tanks are contoured to fit into the room. Centered between the adjacent rows of tanks are double doors that enter to the caves. The long barrel lined cave doubles as an art gallery with the many alcoves featuring sculpture artworks. At the end of the cave is the entrance to the tasting room.

We tasted the Hall Appellation tasting flight featuring the latest releases of a selection the Hall premium and ultra-premium labels from the different Napa appellations paired with specially prepared appropriate culinary chef's selections.


The Hall Appellation Tasting flight:

Hall "Bergfield" Vineyard St Helena Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 

This is from the Hall St Helena Estate Vineyard in the St Helena appellation which surrounds the town in a crescent shape to the north, east and south. St Helena is also the site of Hall's large St Helena operations on Hwy 29 just south of town with winery, production, and a hospitality center that offers the range of Estate and Hall branded labels. The ultra-premium and Platinum labels are reserved for the esteemed Rutherford site.

Winemaker Steve Leveque's notes: "The highly aromatic nose carries aromas of boysenberry, warm pie crust, brown spice, with floral and earthy undertones. Exotic flavors of wild berry coulis, 5-spice, black tea and cedar come through on the palate. Dense, lush and powerful tannins lead into a long and intensely fruity finish.

Hall Diamond Mountain Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

It was fortuitous and fitting to taste a Diamond Creek appellation selection following our visit to the legendary Diamond Creek Vineyards on Diamond Mountain earlier in the week. 

Like Diamond Creek's, Hall's description of the Diamond Creek appellation speaks to the porous volcanic derived soils which are memorialized in the Diamond Creek single vineyard designated labels.

Winemaker Steve Leveque's tasting notes: The flavors and aromas of this wine reveal a dusty and earthy character interwoven with notes of black cherry and German chocolate cake. Dense, silky tannins with a dark chocolate-like texture express age-worthy wine. The full power of this wine unwinds into a lengthy finish in the glass.

This wine was awarded 97 points by Robert Parker Wine Advocate.

I plan to acquire the '15 vintage of this label and look forward to comparison tasting it against the Diamond Creek Vineyards releases we acquired this week.


Hall Exzellenz Rutherford Sacrashe Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

This is sourced from the Sacrashe Vineyard that lies just above the winery adjacent to the estate residence. We hold some of the earlier single vineyard designated wines from this vineyard dating back to 1998. Who knew this would evolve and progress to such heights? Not often does one get to taste a 'perfect' wine. of course perfection is in the eyes ('eyze') of the beholder. This wine got 100 points from Robert Parker.

Parker wrote of this wine; "This hails from the foothills of Rutherford and refers to Kathryn Hall’s ambassadorship to Austria between 1997 and 2001. A prodigious wine with beautiful floral notes intermingled with blueberry, blackberry, black raspberry and graphite, the wine hits the palate with a full-bodied force, but nothing seems pushed, cloying or out of sync. Gorgeously pure blue and black fruits cascade over the palate, a full-bodied presentation with remarkable purity and complexity. The finish is a good 45-50 seconds, and while there is significant tannin, the extravagance of the fruit and glycerin generally conceal it. This is a remarkable, one-of-a-kind, world class Cabernet Sauvignon that should prove compelling for at least another 30-40+ years."

Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate. 100 Points.



 Hall Jack's Masterpiece Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

Another 'perfect' wine by most anyone's standards, this one got 99 points from Mr. Parker, as close to perfection as possible. This was another memorable wine of epic proportions.

Son Ryan obtained some '13 (birth year of his daughter (our grandaughter) Marleigh) during his recent visit, which is all gone. I'm planning to get the '15 on the upcoming release (birthyear of two grandkids, Jessie and Reid).

"The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Jack’s Masterpiece, which is a blend from their finest vineyards, displays super-sweet tannins, an opaque purple color and beautiful crème de cassis, blueberry and blackberry fruit. Its flawless integration of acidity, tannin, wood and alcohol and its opulent, full-bodied mouthfeel make for a true elixir and fabulous Cabernet Sauvignon to drink now or cellar for 25-30 more years. I would still try to defer gratification for 2-3 years prior to drinking this big boy."

Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate 99 Points.
 
Hall Bishop Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 

Our wines were paired with:

Applewood Smoked Trout Creme & Truffle Marieke Gouda

Sonoma duck Terrine & Cave-Aged  11 Month Gruyere

Cacciatore Salumi & Dolcelatte with Fig Conserve




Sunday, May 15, 2016

Edgewood Estate St Helena Triangle Premiere Lot 54 Napa Valley Malbec 2002

Edgewood Estate Vineyards St Helena Triangle Premiere Lot 54 Napa Valley Malbec 2002

With the kids and grandkids over for after church Sunday dinner, grand-daughter Lucy accompanied me down to the cellar to select the dinner wine. She chose this bottle sitting in the rack at her eye level, for its purple foil, her favorite color, and it turned out to be an excellent choice!

Purchased at auction, this Napa Valley Premiere label is a limited special release bottling for the famous Napa Valley charitable auction. This was ideally suited for our beef tenderloin Sunday dinner. Upon opening, the room filled with fruit and floral aromas. While initially a bit closed, the wine opened gradually, progressively over the course of the hour, and as it was being finished, we were all wishing we had more. This was even better than a previous bottle and recollections as per earlier tasting notes. At fourteen years of age, I sense this is drinking at the apex of its drinking window now, better than back in 2011, not likely to improve further with age, but certainly having several years of pleasurable drinking yet, if only we had more. This may have been the most memorable Malbec I've tasted to date.

This is a one of a kind - one time special selection Lot 54, from the 2002 vintage bottled for the 2004 Napa Valley Vintners annual Premiere wine tasting and auction. Its an eye opener to be on the lookout and pay attention to Napa Valley Malbec as a robust tasty food friendly wine.

One of the traditional “Bordeaux varietals”, Malbec has characteristics that fall somewhere between Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, used to add deep color and tannin based structure, backbone and complexity to the blend. These characteristics make for a delicious savoury and hearty wine that goes well with hearty cheeses and beef. This was delicious with our Sunday beef tenderloin dinner.

Full bodied - dark inky purple color. Big full fruit and floral aromas, huge full, nicely balanced and polished forward flavors of supple blackberry, black raspberry and ripe plum, accented by a layer of dark chocolate and spice turning to smooth tannins on the lingering finish.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=685671



Friday, December 5, 2014

Terra Gratia Napa Valley Red 2011

Terra Gratia Napa Valley Red 2011

Dr Dan obtained this from a wine broker who raves about the pedigree of the dynamic team that came together to produce this wine. He brought this BYOB to our dinner at Folklore Argentine Steak Grill in Wicker Park, Chicago.

Maurice and Paul Marciano, owners of Guess Jeans, bought the old historic Marciano Estate property located in St. Helena off Sulphur Springs Road back in 2006. The historical vineyard and homestead property, once owned by the Bourne Family and the Christian Brothers dates back to 1865. They contracted with winemaker Andy Erickson (Arrieta, Ovid, Favia, Dancing Hares, Dalla Valle, and formerly Screaming Eagle) and with David Abreu the well known vineyard manager to manage the vineyards. David Abreu has planted and managed the vineyards for Harlan Estate, Bryant Family, Araujo Estate, Staglin Family, Colgin Estate, Blankiet Estate, Pahlmeyer and Grace Family. The result is this 2011 Terra Gratia, a blend of Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. 
We opened this with our starter course and then tasted with our steak entrees. Dark garnet colored, medium to full bodied, the black and blue berry fruits are accented by tobacco and a layer of cedar. A slight woody grassy tone detracted from the fruit. It actually reminded of the red Bordeaux varietal wines they grow up in Southwestern Michigan. Perhaps this bottle was flawed? If left to age, or open longer, this tone might have burned off but a sitting at dinner did not allow time to do so. Dan has several bottles so we'll try it again and manage it differently and see if we get a different outcome. 

RM 87 points. 




Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Fifty-Row and Franciscan Estate Napa Cabs

Fifty-Row and Franciscan Estate Napa Cabs

Pair of Napa Cabs provided by AJ to accompany steak dinner at Forbes Mill Steak house in Los Gatos, CA w/ Mike L, David H and Allan B.

Fifty-Row Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

The second vintage of a wine from proprietor Paul Johnson made by winemaker Gary Galleron of former winemaking efforts at Grace Family, Vineyard 29 and Winehall Lane, Del Dotto, Hartwell and Seavey. The grapes are sourced 50% each from two well-known Napa vineyards from which Gary made great wine with in the past, the Morisoli Vineyard in Rutherford and the Lewelling Vineyard in the St Helena foothills.


This wine exhibits dark purple color, medium-full bodied; firm tight concentrated blackberry and black cherry with a layer of tea, tobacco, subtle mocha and mineral on a lingering tannin finish.

RM 90 points.

http://fiftyrow.com/

Franciscan Estate Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Dark purple color, full bodied, firm silky tannins with forward concentrated dark black cherry, black berry with a layer of cassis, hint of tobacco and touch of spicy vanilla and toasty oak.

RM 91 points.

http://www.forbesmillsteakhouse.com/