Showing posts with label Stags Leap District. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stags Leap District. Show all posts

Saturday, March 22, 2025

Premium Napa Reds for Family Birthday Celebration

Premium Napa Reds for Family Birthday Celebration 

 Son Ryan and Michelle hosted the family for daughter/grand-daughter Mackenizie’s birthday. Ryan pulled from his cellar a flight of premium wines for the occasion.


Before dinner, they served a selection of artisan cheeses: Rogue Creamery Oregon Blue, Italian triple milk soft cheese, and 1yr aged El Trigo DOP Manchego Sheep’s Mile from Toledo, Spain.


Rogue Creamery Oregon Blue, La Tur Italian triple milk soft ripened cheese,  1yr aged El Trigo DOP Manchego Sheep’s Mile from Toledo, Spain.

Caseificio dell'Alta Langa, from the village of Bosia, in the heart of Alta Langa, a short distance from Alba, Barolo and Barbaresco. Family run since 1881, continuing the work of their grandparents passed down from generation to generation the ancient practice of local shepherds in the production of cheeses based on mixed or goat's milk. 

Ryan pulled from his cellar this wine flight - ‘08 Pierre Moncuit BtB Champaigne, 2012 Kapcsandy Yountville Cabernet, and 2013 Cliff Lede SLD Cabernet. I brought from our home cellar a 2003 vintage Integrity Shiraz by Marquis Philips. 


Pierre Moncuit Blanc de Blancs Brut Grand Cru Champagne 2008

This is from the Grand Cru village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger in the Côte des Blancs. The hamlet, one of the world’s best sites for Chardonnay with its ideal great terroir, old vines, and learned winemakers, is also home to other notable producers such as Krug, Salon, Pierre Péters and Selosse. 

The estate is run by the mother and daughter team Nicole and Valérie Moncuit. Except for a Rose’, all their labels they produce are single vintage, single estate sourced wines that represent the terroir of the village. The 2008 vintage was one of the best in this century.

The 2008 Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru was given extended time on the lees for more than ten years resulting in added complexity that developed in bottle and was disgorged in November 2020. 

It has all the racy, laser sharp acidity of the vintage, and the delicate richness we can attribute to élévage — the wine ferments in stainless steel, to preserve fruit purity, and is allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation, converting crisp, apple-y malic acid into rounder, softer lactic. There’s no oak aging, but this latest shipment of the wine spent nearly 15 years aging in the bottle, a time during which flavors meld and become something rich, toasty and deeply mineral.

Any sharp edges this wine may have had on release have softened and relaxed, leaving a complex wine with great depth. And while some 2008 vintage Champagnes (ahem, Krug, Cristal) are selling for hundreds of dollars, Moncuit’s is available for much less.

Reseller’s notes - Baked apple tart, spice, apricot, orange peel, spice, hazelnut and coffee are some of the many aromas and flavors that shape this wonderfully complex Champagne from Moncuit. 

Antonio Galloni of Vinous gave this 94 points.

“Moncuit's Extra Brut …shows a different facet of its personality in this version, with lower dosage vis-à-vis the Brut version. Here the flavors are brighter and more sculpted throughout. Hints of toastiness, almond and tangerine oil add an exotic flair that makes the Extra Brut absolutely beguiling. Lower dosage seems to exalt the minerality and bright acids of the year, while pushing the fruit a bit into the background. Both Brut and Extra Brut bottlings are terrific; choosing among them comes down to personal preference. 94 points” Antonio Galloni, Vinous.

Kapcsandy Estate Yountville State Lane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

Ryan served from his cellar, a large format magnum, this 100 point ‘perfect’ wine (Robert M. Parker, Jr.) is from Kapcsándy (pronounced "Cup-chon-dy") Family Vineyard in Yountville, central Napa Valley, a father-son team of Lou and Louis Kapcsándy. 

Lou Kapcsándy emigrated to the U.S. from Hungary in 1956 and had a successful career in chemical engineering and manufacturing in the San Francisco Bay Area, then in Seattle. 

In 1998, Lou and his wife, Bobbie visited Bordeaux and the centuries-old estate, Leoville-Las Cases where they were inspired to retire in California and create a wine-based business in partnership with their son, Louis, Jr. There vision and goal was to produce wines of “First Growth” quality that could rival any region or winery in the world.

After a three month search they discovered the 20-acre parcel in Yountville, one the original crown jewels of Beringer Estates Private Reserve Cabernet, and acquiring the property in May 2000. They set upon a rigorous plan to redevelop the property including replanting the vineyard.

In 2002, the Kapcsándys completely replanted the vineyard site to 15 specific blocks, primarily Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and constructed a state-of-the-art winery in September 2005.  

Son Louis, born in Marin County, California and raised in Seattle attended the University of Washington where he played varsity football and gained a degree in economics. After graduation, he worked in Los Angeles in feature-film post-production.

Louis Jr. began his wine career in 1999 when he co-founded Grand Cru Imports LLC with his father, specializing in Bordeaux Cru Classé and Petits Chateaux wines. He moved to Bordeaux to learn the intricacies of the Place de Bordeaux (a network of chateau owners, agents, and merchants) working for negociant firm Maison Joanne.

While at Maison Joanne, Louis visited more than 100 chateaux and learned fermentation methods, then apprenticed at Jean Luc & Murielle Thunevin of Ch. Valandraud (St. Emilion). During this time, he learned both classic and cutting-edge winemaking techniques from Alain Vauthier (Ch. Ausone) and Peter Sisseck (Pingus, Ribera del Duero).

Louis (Jr) returned in 2002 to co-found Kapcsándy Family Vineyard with his father. Today, he is intimately involved in all vineyard and winemaking decisions.

In the early days, and for this release, Denis Malbec was the consulting Winemaker for Kapcsandy Family Winery. Denis was born at Latour, where he learned winemaking and vineyard management early on with his father, Jean-Noel Malbec who worked at Château Latour from 1947 to 1994, and his grandfather, Camille Malbec who worked in the vineyard from the 1920s until the late 1970s.

Denis initially studied viticulture and enology in Bordeaux and later in Reims, Champagne. He completed his studies with a “Tour de France” of the vineyards with work at Château Haut-Brion, Château Lagrange, the Pugnac Cooperative in Côte de Bourg, Léon Viollant, owner and wine merchant in Côte de Beaune, Duval Leroy, in the Côte des Blancs in Champagne and at Calvet, negociant in Bordeaux.

Denis started at Château Latour as one of the cellar workers in 1993 and took the position as enologist and winemaker at Château Latour in 1994 until 1999.

Denis and his wife moved to the United States in 2000, setting up base in St. Helena, working for such clients over the years as Charles Krug, Kapcsandy Wines, Respite Wines, Sodaro Estate and Medlock Ames. They also made Aliénor.

Denis worked with Kapcsandy Family from 2005 until he was tragically killed in a car accident in Yountville in 2016.

Today, winemaking duties are managed by the collaboration of consulting winemaker Tony Arcadia and Cellar Master David Sotelo. 

Tony left his well-established career in tech and engineering to follow his passion for wine after 20 years working as an engineer aboard Navy submarines and then IBM. 

He graduated from UC Davis’s oenological program and trained in France at Rhône-based Maison M. Chapoutier. Returning to the Napa Valley, he served as assistant winemaker at Nickel & Nickel in Oakville. 

In 2009, Tony joined up with renowned winemaker Heidi Peterson Barrett collaborating making wine together.

Tony’s addition to the winemaking team followed a career path parallel to Kapcsándys, from engineering background and training in France to pursue desire to cultivate vineyard-designated wines.

David Sotelo began his career in the wine industry Napa Wine Company, where he worked for 11 years before joining the Kapcsándy Family Winery team. He fondly recalls his first harvest at Kapcsándy in 2005 and the excitement of their first 100-point score from Robert Parker, Jr. for the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon-Grand Vin.

This 2012 Grand Vin Kapcsàndy release is a single vineyard designated label sourced, 100% from the State Lane Vineyard in Yountville, composed of 99% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Merlot. The wine was aged for 20 months in new French oak barrels.

This release was awarded 100 points by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, 99 points by Int'l Wine Review, 98 by Vinous, and 97 by Antonio Galloni.

All the pundits are consistent that this wine should last several more decades at the apex of its drinking profile. 

If you’ve been fortunate to taste a 100 point ‘perfect’ wine, you might be in for a surprise … they’re not a blockbuster that knocks you over with big forward fruits, or some other highlight, rather, they’re remarkable for their lack of excessive notes, and are flawless, and seamless in their polished harmonic integration.

Dark garnet colored, medium to full bodied, complex, rich, plush polished, a symphony of ripe black currant and raspberry fruits with floral violet, cinnamon spice, graphite and hints of black olive and cedar notes on a smooth silky tannin laced lingering finish. 

RM 94 points. 




Cliff Lede Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 

This is the standard Estate bottled Cabernet Sauvignon with fruit sourced from the hillside terraces of the Poetry Vineyard down the road and across the Silverado Trail from the winery, from the Twin Peaks Vineyard estate surrounding the winery, and a few neighboring vineyards in the Stags Leap District.

Notably, this is just across and down the road from Kapcsàndy Family Winery and vineyards of the label above. 

One of our favorites and mainstays of both Ryan's and my cellars, the Cliff Lede Stags Leap property is just down and across the road from Kapcsàndy property geographically. We’ve visited the estate several times during our Napa Valley visits and held several private tastings/tours there. 

This is a consistent crowd pleaser from vintage to vintage. We hold about a half dozen vintages of this label and they seem to hit their stride and be in their peak after a decade of cellaring. 

The wine is composed of small lots from Lede estate vineyard best blocks, representing a diverse range of carefully selected clones and rootstocks. From Poetry’s exposed, rocky terraces that are volcanic in origin, to the ancient riverbed alluvial soils of Twin Peaks, the breadth of contributing sites translates into a wine of impressive complexity.

Robert Parker gave this release 93 points. 

Producers’ Production Notes - “Hand harvested throughout the night, the fruit was immediately subjected to rigorous selection by our three-tiered sorting process, including our cutting edge optical sorter, with a goal of retaining only perfect berries. The selected fruit was gently delivered to specially-designed truncated tanks via gravity by our crane system, minimizing disruption of berry integrity. Cold soaks lasted approximately five days, and fermentations were managed by a combination of délestage and pumpovers. Extended maceration ranging from four to five weeks fine-tuned tannin profiles, allowing us to build mouth feel and wine complexity. The wine was aged in French oak barrels, 50% of which were new, for twenty-one months.”

Winemaker Notes - “Inky purple with blood-red tinged edges, the elegant and seamless 2013 Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon's multilayered perfume fills the glass with notes of violets, lavender, and spring flowers. Intertwined with the floral notes are heady layers of plum, blackberry, and red currents. Silky, unctuous flavors of smoked cardamom, cinnamon, and black licorice lay out on the palate and finish with the taste and texture of liquefied rocks.”

Dark garnet and dense purple in color, full bodied, bright vibrant black berry and black currant fruits with tones of anise, hints of cinnamon spice and oak with firm but smooth tannins on a lingering finish.

RM 91 points. This got 93 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and 91 points from Vinous



I brought from our home cellar this limited release premium label from Marquis Philips, predecessor to the widely popular Mollydooker brand. 

Marquis Philips Integrity Shiraz 2003 

We loved the Marquis Philips portfolio of wines and wrote about them extensively in these pages, and of course, today they’re the widely popular Mollydooker brand.



Marquis Philips was formed as a collaboration between the U.S. importer Dan Philips and Sparky and Sarah Marquis, highly-regarded Australian winemakers who brought Fox Creek to cult fame. They had a falling out between the founders in late 2005 and the Marquis started their own label, Mollydooker. (Marquis Philips wines made since about 2005 were overseen by Chris Ringland, another legendary Australian winemaker.)

While Marquis Philips wines were known for their eye-catching, often provocative labels such as the ‘roogle’, a cross between an eagle and kangaroo - representing the Aussie, American partnership. Mollydooker went on to create their own portfolio is whimsical eye-catching labels. 

Robert Parker wrote - Perhaps another way to think of these wines is that they are XXX-rated stuff. They’re not exactly wines for those wanting finesse, lightness, restraint, or intellectual challenge. These are totally decadent homages to joy and yumminess. Or. As a friend of mine said, they are ‘fragrantly delicious.'"

Because of Marquis Philips’ tumultuous history, the affordable wines are highly sought-after and difficult to obtain in the current market. We acquired a couple vintages of this, their ultra-premium flagship label at auction. This was our last bottle, I was saving for a special occasion.

Of course, the saga continues and becomes more interesting. The turmoil in the house of Philips continued as Sarah and Sparky then had a falling out of their own, and winemaker Sarah bought out Sparky. Sparky it turns out was a friend of my Australian employee representative when I was still running a software company! I had plans to visit Aussie wine country and meet Sparky, then Covid, and I never made the trip. 

Marquis Philips "Integrity" Shiraz McLaren Vale South Australia 2003 


Notably, we drank an earlier vintage release of this label at another special occasion - taking it to a highly acclaimed restaurant BYOB for our anniversary celebration dinner five years ago - as covered in this blogpost - Goosefoot Chicago Anniversary Celebration Dinner, excerpted below.


Marquis Philips 'Integrity' Mclaren Vale Shiraz 2001

This is the premium release from Marquis Philips, precursor to Mollydooker. and their Velvet Glove premium label. We acquired this at auction a decade ago ... packaged in special gift box - awaiting a suitable occasion for gifting or serving ... OTBN - Open That Bottle toNight! 

This (2001) got over-the-top 99 and 97 point ratings from Parker who called it 'virtually perfect'. 

Back in the day, winemaker and producers Sarah and Sparky Marquis considered this the finest they had ever produced. 

We hold a couple dozen bottles of their wines dating back two decades. 

Ironically, we hosted Aussie colleague Peter F this weekend in Chicago and it turns out he is a personal friend of Sparky back in Adelaide South Central Australia! 

That Integrity packed a walloping 16.2% alcohol but didn't come across as the least bit overpowering. Parker cited the anticipated maturity out to 2020 so it was supposedly still at but nearing the end of its apex. 

Similar to and consistent with that earlier release … 

Inky dark garnet purple color, full bodied, big rich concentrated and multi-dimensional, but not as big, forward or unctuously rich as some that we have had, the fruit was also a bit more subdued than expected, black berry fruits accented by white floral, cassis, leather, tobacco, tea and hints of vanilla with fine smooth silky tannins on a long finish. Perhaps the fruit has subsided over the almost two decades. 

At the time I gave the 2001 RM 93 points, tonight I give the 2003 92 points. 


https://mollydookerwines.com.au/

https://twitter.com/MollydookerWine

https://twitter.com/unwindwine

Robert Parker writings about Marquis Philips …

“Marquis Philips is the most exciting wine project to emerge from Australia, and perhaps the New World, in the last year. Run, don't walk to a client of The Grateful Palate and secure as much as you can of these wines. This must be the most exciting development that has occurred in the Southern Hemisphere over the last several years. Marquis Philips is a partnership between highly talented winemakers Sarah and Sparky Marquis and their American importer, Dan Philips (of The Grateful Palate). I favorably reviewed the stunning debut values of the Marquis Philips range in the 2000 vintage. Remarkably, the 2001s are even more amazing, and probably for the price, the greatest red wine values in existence ... anywhere! Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #143 (Oct 2002”

Robert Parker 93 - “The flagship offering, the 2003 Shiraz Integrity, is a slightly down-sized version of the massive 2002 and 2001. Nevertheless, it is an amazing, modern-styled wine. It boasts a dense purple color, a big, sweet nose of chocolate, espresso roast, blackberries, creme de cassis, Asian spices, and new saddle leather, full body, an opulent texture, and tremendous length. Drink this seductive, rich Shiraz over the next decade.”

“The highly respected South Australian viticulturists/winemakers, Sarah and Sparky Marquis, in partnership with their importer, Dan Philips of the Grateful Palate, successfully launched the inexpensive line of Marquis Philips wines several years ago, creating something of a monster because of their enormous crowd appeal. While 2003 is a lighter vintage than its predecessors, these offerings have turned out nicely. The handful of consumers who deemed 2002 too concentrated for such inexpensive wines will be delighted to learn that the 2003s are slightly lighter, but still loaded with character as well as flavor. They possess heavy duty, exuberant fruit, ripeness, and considerable personality.”
94 - Wine AdvocateReview Date: 02/2013


Saturday, February 22, 2025

OTBN 2025 in Charleston

OTBN 2025 in Charleston

We traveled to Charleston (SC) for a getaway weekend to visit fellow Pour Boy Bill and Beth. As is customary on the last Saturday night in February, we celebrated OTBN together, an abbreviated celebration in light of the travel and unavailability of several members of our traditional Pour Boys wine group. 

OTBN 2025 was our fourteenth straight year, since 2011, that we have celebrated together and fittingly, was an abbreviated replay of our OTBN - Open That Bottle Night - 2023, which was also held in Charleston, as featured in these pages in this blogpost, excerpted below.

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. OTBN is set aside to share and compare special bottles of wine, that have been held in our cellars, waiting for the special occasion to open, that hasn’t yet come, so as to eventually succumb to the inevitable, its time, open that bottle (to)night!

So this was our fourteenth straight year, since 2011, members of our Pour Boys (TM) wine group assembled to share and compare special bottles of wine.

And so, as we’ve starting following the seasons, we 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.

OTBN 2025 as in 2023 was hosted by Bill and Beth C at their home on Seabrook Island, SC. While the 2023 Saturday night OTBN dinner was held at the Seabrook Island Clubhouse Ashley Room private dining room, tonight we dined in their home on the island. As in ‘23, several members of our group were not able to attend due to family and other commitments, this year we were joined by special friends.


After a spectacular dinner Friday night, at Oak Restaurant in Charleston, we dined in at Bill and Beth’s for Saturday night with special friends Amy and Beth visiting from Kentucky. 

Bill & Beth prepared grilled beefsteaks with twice baked potatoes and haricot verts.


For starters Beth prepared Caesar Salad and crab cakes. 


Bill pulled from his cellar a medley of Napa Valley Cabernets for the occasion. 


The wine highlight of the evening, and my absolute WOTN - Wine of the Night, was Odette Nap Valley Cabernet.

Odette Stags Leap District Napa Cabernet 2015

Bill opened this big red in a large format magnum for the ladies, but I loved it before and after dinner for enjoyable sipping, and it was just as good over the following afternoon. This big red was so opulent and fruit forward it was almost a meal in of itself with its exuberant full round plump profile! 

This is from the Odette 45-acre estate vineyards in the heart of the Stag’s Leap District appellation nestled against the foothills on the east side of Silverado Trail just north of Napa town. 

It’s too bad this label is part of the Plumpjack Group with their unfortunate affiliation with Gavin Newsom. Never-the-less, despite the distractions and mis-directions, they produce some fabulous wines. 

This release was crafted by Odette winemaker Andrew Haugen.

A native from Southern California, he studied biology at Cal Poly in the Central California wine region around San Luis Obispo. There, he also took the available wine classes. Pursing his interest in wine, he gained experience at Stonestreet in Sonoma County for his inaugural 2012 harvest, then at Church Road Winery in New Zealand, Howard Park in Australia, and Gran Moraine in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, before joining Odette Estate Winery in 2015.

From that time he progressed from cellar master to enologist to assistant winemaker and eventually head winemaker for the Odette and their Adaptation labels. He works closely with long-time Vineyard Manager Oscar Renteria at Oso Vineyard, and a 129-acre site located in Pope Valley.

This Odette 2015 is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, and the rest 3% Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot.

4,000 cases were produced of this release. 

Winemaker’s notes for this release - “Opaque, dark ruby color introduces this wine that expresses dark fruit aroma and flavors. With spicy sweet oak complexity, the wine exudes dark fruit such as blackberry, black currant, blueberry and dark cherry. There are nuances of dark chocolate, chocolate berry truffle dusted with cocoa powder, cola, aromatic cedar, cinnamon, clove, graham crackers and a hint of tobacco. The body is very full with a soft entry, coupled with dark cherry/berry flavors that develop from start to finish. With great texture and mouth feel, this cabernet is full bodied, rich and opulent.”

This release was awarded 96 points by Jeb Dunnuck and Wine Advocate, 95 and ‘Top 100 Wines of 2018, Highly Recommended’ by Wine Spectator, and 95 by Wine Enthusiast who also noted it a ‘Cellar Selection’, and 92 by Vinous.

Deep inky purple-black colored, full bodied, concentrated rich opulent and expressive, complex, but polished and elegant, round sweet ripe raspberry, plum and currant fruits with spice-box, mocha chocolate, crème de cassis notes and accents licorice of cedar and pencil graphite finishing with full but smooth fine-grained silky tannins.

RM 95 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?2636415

https://www.odetteestate.com/

Prior to and with the dinner course Bill opened a couple of Napa Cabernet’s, a well known producer and label from Napa Oakville, and one sourced from Howell Mountain. 

Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

This is a producer we know well from Bill’s extensive collection of labels having been in their wine club for more than two decades. We’ve had many memorable tastings of this producer’s artwork together including several visits to the estate and winery in Napa Valley. We last tasted this wine together back in 2017 as featured in these pages in this blogpost - https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/10/freemark-abbey-napa-valley-cabernet.html.

In 2009 Bill and Beth and Linda and I visited the winery and toured the library and acquired vintage bottles from the library collection for special occasions including 1974 and 1978 vintage labels for an anniversary celebration dinner that night across the road at the CIA - Culinary Institute of America, Napa.
 
This is the standard Napa Valley signature label, one of their largest production labels with 24,332 cases produced of the 2013 vintage. 

Winemaker Notes for this release - “Opaque, dark ruby color introduces this wine that expresses dark fruit aroma and flavors. With spicy sweet oak complexity, the wine exudes dark fruit such as blackberry, black currant, blueberry and dark cherry. There are nuances of dark chocolate, chocolate berry truffle dusted with cocoa powder, cola, aromatic cedar, cinnamon, clove, graham crackers and a hint of tobacco. The body is very full with a soft entry, coupled with dark cherry/berry flavors that develop from start to finish. With great texture and mouth feel, this cabernet is full bodied, rich and opulent. In one word …. delicious.”

This is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. It was aged nearly 26 months in oak. 

This was rated 92 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and James Suckling. 

We last tasted this wine 

Opaque purple colored, medium full-bodied, concentrated, structured rich blackberry and blackcurrant fruits with notes of leather and tobacco leaf with hints of spice and mocha chocolate with moderate tannins on a flavorful lingering finish. 

RM 92 points. 



While the ladies enjoyed the more approachable fruit forward Odette, Bill and I dove into this aged vintage Bordeaux Blend for pairing with the grilled beefsteak.

Château Calon-Ségur St-Estèphe Grand Cru Classe Bordeaux 1995

This was a special vintge wine, ideal for such as tasting, from the Left Bank of Bordeaux. 

Linda and I visited the Château Calon-Ségur estate and vineyards just outside the village of St-Estèphe during our Left Bank Bordeaux tour in 2019. We hold the remains of a case we acquired on release and were interested to see how this is aging. We enjoy gifting this wine for weddings, anniversaries and special occasions with the heart on the label. 

Son Ryan brought this label to one of our Pour Boy’s wine dinners back on its tenth anniversary in 2016 featured in these pages in this blogpost - Mouton, Dominus, Insignia Highlight Big Red Wine Dinner.

This release was rated 97 points by James Suckling, 95 by Wine Spectator who rated it ‘Ranked #6 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 1998’, 94 by Wine Advocate, 93 by John Gilman, and 91 by International Wine Cellar. 

James Suckling wrote,.” It's one of the best Calons ever.” Robert Parker lauded this Calon-Ségur as one of the stars of the vintage. 

At 30 years of age, it shows no signs of diminution of age or reaching the end of the plateau of its drinking window, while it will not likely improve with further aging it should remain fine several more years. 

Dark garnet colored, medium to full-bodied, complex but nicely balanced, black cherry and black berry fruits with notes of leather, black olive, cassis, cigar box with smooth soft fine tannins and nice acidity on the moderate finish.

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1577

https://www.calon-segur.fr/en/


Sequoia Grove Henry Brothers Vineyard Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Bill also opened this big red Napa Cabernet from a well known producer, but little known vineyard source. 

Historic Sequoia Grove Winery estate sits on 22 acres in the Rutherford sub-appellation located in a renovated old barn just off of Highway 29, one mile north of the landmark Oakville Grocery. The winery takes its name from the two large Sequoia trees outside the main entrance and a small stand of additional trees that were planted in 1908. 

Sequoia Grove Winery was founded in 1978 by James and Barbara Allen who purchased the property in 1980 the same year as their first vintage. James’ brother Steve managed the vineyard at the time. James was also a founding partner of Domaine Carneros and was instrumental in creating the Rutherford sub appellation.

Since 2002, the winery has been owned by the Kopf family who own Kopbrand, the New York based wine distributor founded in 1944. They also own St. Francis Winery in Sonoma County and 50% of Domaine Carneros in partnership with France based Taittinger. 

The property has a long history with numerous owners dating back to 1895 and owner Dennis Downey from Ireland, who moved to Napa Valley in 1858 and purchased his 119 acre ranch in 1863. He had 45 acres planted to corn and 60 acres to vineyards of which much of 40 acres were overtaken by phylloxera.

The estate vineyards are planted with Bordeaux varietal grapes. Sequoia Grove also sources grapes from select vineyards around Napa Valley. Sequoia Grove Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon,  a 100% varietal comes from the estate as well as several premium vineyards in Oakville and Rutherford including the well known highly acclaimed Morisoli and a Beckstoffer owned property. 

Besides the estate vineyards adjacent the property, Sequoia Grove produce wines from a number of vineyards ranging from the southern part of the valley (cooler) to the warmer northern reaches in Calistoga. Many of these are offered as ultra-premium single vineyard designated labels. 

In addition to this Howell Mountain Perry Brothers Vineyard, they also source fruit from the tiny 4-acre Christian vineyard in Coombsville, the Tonella Vineyard, the well known legendary Stagecoach Vineyard on Atlas Peak, the Cambium vineyard, Lamoreaux Vineyard in the Oak Knoll District. 

In 2023 Sequoia Grove purchased over 100 acres on Mt. Veeder that used to be owned by Donald Hess, the founder of Hess Collection. About 75% of the site is forested with the remaining acres are planted to red Bordeaux varieties. We visited the Hess property back in the early ‘90’s and have driven by it many times on our visits to the mountain. The first vintage produced from this property by Sequoia Grove was in 2023.

For several years Sequoia Grove was known as ‘the three ‘M’s’ for Morisoli Vineyard and their winemakers Mike Trujillo & Molly Hill. Molly Hill was a graduate of the UC Davis Viticulture and Enology program. She traveled the globe, working and studying in Chile and New Zealand, as well as her native California, before settling in at Sequoia Grove to work with well-respected winemaker Michael Trujillo. They worked with viticulturist Jake Terrell on the Rutherford estate vineyards as well as a selection of growers on the Rutherford Bench, Pritchard Hill, Howell Mountain and the foothills of St. Helena, Yountville, and Oak Knoll.

Neither are with Sequoia Grove any longer and today’s Winemaker is Jesse Fox.

Winemaker notes - “The Sequoia Grove Howell Mountain Henry Brothers 2018 is a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon showcasing rich flavors of dark fruit, black cherry, and hints of oak, reflecting the unique terroir of Howell Mountain in Napa Valley. This region is known for its elevated vineyards and volcanic soils, contributing to the wine's balanced acidity and robust tannins.”

Dark garnet colored, medium to full bodied, while complex, this was not as concentrated or as expressive as many Howell Mountain Cabs, and was overshadowed by the huge Stag’s Leap Odette. Never-the-less, it showed smooth, polished blackberry and black plum fruits with notes of spice, dark chocolate and hints of pepper and pencil graphite with structured but approachable moderate tannins on the finished. 

RM 90 points. 


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 Night -  Bordeaux 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.

Wednesday, December 25, 2024

Christmas revelry includes ultra-premium wine flight

Christmas revelry includes ultra-premium wine flight

Christmas Day, we made the rounds to the kid’s homes to celebrate the holiday with their families in their own homes. We’re blessed that all four of our kids, and our eleven grandchildren are all here in the area. 

The afternoon stop at son Ryan’s house found him preparing a beef tenderloin for their gala evening celebration dinner with the in-laws. It afforded us the chance to taste the flight of wines he opened and set aside for the occasion. 


As part of the tasting opportunity/experience, we brought along from our cellar a premium Napa red from the same appellation, and a vintage desert wine.



We paired the wines with a selection of artisan cheeses Ryan set out for the occasion. They included:

  • Rogue River Blue
  • Farmhouse Truffle Gouda
  • Chardonnay Infused Creamy Toscana 
  • Brie



The wines flight:

  • Antica Terra Anequorin Willammette Chardonnay 2020
  • Hall Wines Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
  • Odette Stag’s Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
  • Shafer “Hillside Select” Stag’s Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
  • Alois Kracher Scheurebe TBA #9 Zwischen den Seen 2001 
  • Giraud Sauterne 2013

Antica Terra “Anequorin” Willamette Valley Chardonnay 2020

Antica Terra is a boutique winery with an 11-acre vineyard located in the heart of Oregon’s Willamette Valley on a rocky hillside with steeply pitched grades and panoramic views of the surrounding land  in the Eola-Amity Hills, founded by John Mavredakis, Scott Adelson and Michael Kramer.  

The first vines were planted in 1989 in a clearing within the oak savannah. The geology of the site is extremely unusual. In most of the region, vineyards are planted in the relatively deep, geologically young soils left behind by either the Missoula floods or the volcanic events that formed the Cascade Range. The remains of older pre-historic seabed rise to the surface with exposed boulders, steeply pitched grades without topsoil, amongst a fractured mixture of sandstone sown with fossilized oyster shells, leaving the vines to struggle. 

The west wind moves constantly through the vines. Clouds fissure over the vineyard and allow the sun to ray through, at an angle and with a clarity that makes the site feel bright, even on the bleakest day. But it’s what you can’t see and feel, those aspects of the site that the vines allude to as they strive to find balance, that make it a remarkable place.

In 2005, winemaker Maggie Harrison came on board. Harrison had been assistant winemaker to legendary Manfred Krankl of Sine Qua Non.  

Audrey Frick's notes on the producer for jebdunnuck.com: "Maggie Harrison is a first-generation winemaker, having grown up in the Midwest. With an educational background in International Relations and Conflict Resolution, she fell in love with wine while working in restaurants and set out to follow that passion and create wine. She went on to land the position of assistant winemaker to Manfred Krankl at Sine Qua Non, where she remained for eight years. She is currently the co-owner and winemaker for Antica Terra, producing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay since 2005, and is also responsible for the Syrah at Lillian Winery in Santa Barbara. Initially, it had been her goal to only produce a singular wine, but during blind tastings for blending, she felt the various components would not necessarily complement one another and would overpower or detract from the other. Rather than force them to homogenize, each of the wines bottled today chases the individual and opposing personalities each possesses. Her wines are impeccably expressive and worth seeking out if you can get your hands on them." 

Today, Antica Terra produce ultra-premium Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Rose. Maggie Harrison leads the winemaking team focusing on small-batch wines using meticulously sourced grapes from the best vineyards in the Willamette Valley crafting wines that show off the region’s unique terroir and individualized tastes. 

They taste about 150 samples over 10 days through a careful selection process that ensures they use only the best grapes. The wines are aged in French oak for up to 36 months. This method produces complex and age-worthy wines that highly desired.

This Aequorin Chardonnay and their Obelin Pinot Noir labels are only produced in certain vintages making them are rare and sought after. 

The 2019 release of this label was rated 98 points by James Suckling and 96 points by Jeb Dunnuck, 94 points by Wine Advocate.

This 2020 Aequorin Chardonnay was an extraordinary vintage due to the season faced with forest fires. As they tell it, Antica Terra Collective Tasting. “(This was the) Only chardonnay made in 2020, picked before the wildfire smoke decimated much of the Pinot that year. All we had was this: seven-fiftieths of the fruit we typically harvest, all white when typically, mostly red. The result -  A funky, savory, unique chardonnay. Musk melon, dank oak, charcuterie, plummy stone fruit. Maruchan chicken soup base and no one can tell me otherwise!! Distractions disappeared and left in their place, their opposite – a mindful possession, in clear and vivid form.”

Very unique and distinguishable - Greenish golden straw colored, medium bodied with tightly wound, intense brilliant focus, vivid bright vibrant razor-sharp acidity, complex textured ripe layers of fresh pear and orange citrus with notes of hazelnut, melon the producer refers to as Brioche and salted butter and oak notes on a long crisp tangy finish. 

RM 93 points. 

https://www.anticaterra.com/2020-aequorin-chardonnay/

Moving to the red wine flight …

Hall Wines Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

We’ve featured Hall Wines often in these pages highlighting our visits to their magnificent Hall Napa Valley Rutherford Estate vineyards, winery and cellars in 2013 and their Hall Rutherford Winery Estate Appellation Tasting in 2017.

We discovered, tasted and acquired this label at the magnificent Rutherford estate winery during that Napa Wine Experience in 2017. We then acquired more of  this highly allocated release as part of our wine club distribution. 

This is sourced from the Schweizer (75%) and Bench (25%) vineyards in the Stag’s Leap District AVA of Napa Valley The vineyards are bounded on the east by the warming Stags Leap Palisades, on the west by rolling hills and the Napa River, on the north by the Yountville Cross Road, and on the south by flatlands. 

Legend has it that quick and nimble stags would escape the indigenous hunters of southern Napa Valley through the landmark palisades that sit just northeast of the current city of Napa. As a result, the area was given the name, Stags Leap. 

While its grape-growing history dates back to the mid-1800s, winemaking didn’t really take off until the mid-1970s after a small but pivotal blind tasting called the Judgement of Paris, when a 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon won first place against its high-profile Bordeaux contenders, like Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Chateau Haut-Brion, international attention to the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley escalated rapidly.

Winemaker notes - “The dramatic diurnal shifts, emanating from the San Pablo Bay influences, ushers in cool nighttime air, which helps the grapes retain their tell-tale fresh acidity. The wine possesses bright red berry and plum flavors, with a vibrant and lengthy core of tannin.”

This 2015 Hall Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon was rated 97 points by Robert Parker, 95-97 by Jeb Dunnuck, and 93 points by Vinous. 

Deep inky purple-black colored, full-bodied, powerful rich concentrated but polished and nicely integrated ripe sweet black berry and black cherry fruits scented by earthy notes of pine, forest floor and bark with notes of spice, cigar box and hints of cassis with ripe, firm, grainy tannins on a long full finish.

RM 94 points. 




https://twitter.com/HALLWines

@HALLWines


Odette Stag’s Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

This is part of the Plumpjack group portfolio of wineries. We used to love their wines. I wrote about Plumpjack and their unfortunate demise into woke progressive politics in this recent blogpost - 
Plumpjack Estate Napa Valley Cabernet for meatloaf dinner, and in previous posts, Plumpjack Founders Reserve Cabernet, and Spectacular dining experience at Entourage Restaurant Downers Grove.
 in more detail in a recent blogpost. 

Odette Estate Winery was established in 2012, sitting on 45 acres straddling the Silverado Trail in the Stag’s Leap District in southeast Napa Valley. It was founded with a guiding philosophy of environmental responsibility and a commitment to preserving their special spot in the Stags Leap District for generations to come.

“Change is good, green is good, organic is good,” says Odette partner John Conover about the estate’s environmentally proactive approach to winemaking. “We’re doing it because it’s the right thing to do as stewards of the land.”

They subscribe to and practice Organic farming and their winery construction and operation reflect these priorities in their LEED designed facilities that promote a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five critical areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.

The winemaker for Odette is Andrew Haugen who gained interest in wine with the movie Sideways during his time at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He set out to deepen his knowledge, with his fascination with relationship between ‘site and soul’ in wines. Andrew joined the Plumpjack/Odette team in 2015 as Cellar Master, honing his skills and ascending to Enologist, Assistant Winemaker, and now Head Winemaker for Odette and also sister winery estate, Adaptation.

This release is actually a blend of Bordeaux varietals- 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 6% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot. 

Bring a classic traditional Left Bank Bordeaux Blend explains why this wine was wider and more complex and not as deep, so to speak, when compared to the other Napa Cabs. This likely showed best when consumed with the beef tenderloin. 

This release was awarded 97 points by Jeb Dunnuck. 

Dark garnet colored, full bodied, round, complex, concentrated ripe blackberry, black currant and black raspberry fruits accented by crème de cassis, licorice with notes clove spice and anise with bright acidity and smooth polished fine grained tannins on the long persistent finish.

RM 92 points. 


Shafer “Hillside Select” Stag’s Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

The highlight of our tasting, was this vintage release of the iconic flagship of legendary Napa producer Shafer Vineyards. I’ve written in these pages about our holding the predecessor to this label back with the Reserve release of Hillside vineyard back in 1982, which became Hillside Select in the follow year vintage release. That happened to be one of our birth-year vintage wine holdings for son Ryan which I featured in this blogpost - Birthyear Vintage Wine for Family Birthday Dinner, excerpted below.

Shafer Hillside Select is a classic Napa Valley premium label dating back to 1983. The prior year, 1982, was Ryan's birthyear, and for that vintage, Shafer produced this Hillside Vineyard Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon which thereafter from the following 1983 vintage would be known as Shafer Hillside Select.

Hillside Select is sourced from a collection of rugged, arid vineyard blocks that surround the winery in the Stags Leap District in Southeast Napa Valley.

Founder John Shafer was a native of Chicago, hailed from northern suburb Glencoe, and lived for a time in nearby Hinsdale, Illinois. He moved to Napa Valley in 1972 when the Shafer family purchased a 209-acre property including 30 acres of Scansi’s vineyards. In 1973-74 Shafer planted Cabernet Sauvignon, creating small hillside vineyard blocks such as Sunspot and John’s Upper Seven. 

In 1978, John produced his first Shafer Vineyards wine, a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from fruit sourced from John’s Upper Seven vineyard, a precursor to Hillside Select.

Doug Shafer joined his father John as winemaker in 1983. When he tasted the 1982 lot from the Sunspot vineyard block he was so impressed he talked John into keeping it separate from the others. With the Sunspot lot, Doug created this label, Shafer’s one and only Reserve Cabernet. Starting with the 1983 vintage, in 1984, the Reserve was rebranded as the first release ofHillside Select.

That inaugural release of Hillside Select, and those since, are sourced from the collection of 14 small vineyard blocks planted within an eons-old amphitheater-like structure of rock and volcanic soil that surrounds the winery. With scant soil nutrients and moisture, yields at harvest are meager and the berries are small, producing lush Cabernet Sauvignon fruit with dark color and intense, classic flavor.

I wrote about Shafer Vineyards in a detail blogpost back in 2021 as part of my review of the book A Vineyard In Napa by Doug Shafer, that chronicles the founding and history of Shafer Vineyards in Napa Valley 

It is about the life of John Shafer, a Chicago businessman, and his pursuit of a dream when he decided to pursue a second career by buying a plot of land that included a vineyard in Napa Valley back in the early seventies. 

He moved his family from their comfortable suburban lifestyle in an adjacent suburb from here, to a remote mountainside farmstead in rural northern California, and set upon developing vineyards, and ultimately, building a winery, a business and a brand.

The book, narrated by Shafer’s son Doug, follows their dual careers as they lived the history of Napa Valley and the American California wine business. Through it they learned the challenges, travails, science, technology and handicraft of planting and growing grapes, crafting wines, and building a brand and wine business- the three legs of the stool, as they called it.

So, it’s with a bit of reverence when I get the chance to taste this iconic ultra-premium label.

This release was awarded 96 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 95 points by Connoisseurs' Guide and James Suckling, 94 by Wine & Spirits, and 92 points by Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast which also coined it a “Cellar Selection“.

Winemaker notes for this release - “A newly opened bottle of 2006 announces itself with lifted, aromatic beauty. The lively, elegant nose is followed in the mouth with a core of juicy, black fruit, chocolate, black plums, cassis, black and red cherry, black tea, and vanilla and spice. Ripe, round, Stags Leap District tannins put together good structure for very long term aging.”

Dark garnet colored, full bodied, powerful, textured, rich, structured core of concentrated black berry and blackcurrant fruits framed by complex layers of bitter dark chocolate, licorice, cassis, cedary camphor, minty pine and lead pencil graphite with full round tannins on a long long lingering finish, well oaked, having been aged in 100% new French barrels. 

RM 95 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=544877

 

@unwindwine, @rickmcnees

More to come …. 

Alois Kracher Scheurebe TBA (Trockenbereene Auslese) #9 Zwischen den Seen 2001

It’s fascinating holding these wines over the years and seeing them darken from straw color to butter to gold, then weak tea and tea colored, and beyond! Top vintages of these “Ice-wines” can last several decades or more. 

Neusiedlersee in Austria is one of the classic growing regions for vinification of grapes for producing these wines, along with the Sauternes appellation in inland eastern Left Bank Bordeaux, the Niagara Peninsula escarpment in southern Ontario just above Buffalo, NY, and the western Canadian Okanagan Peninsula. 

This wine is from producer Alois Kracher, internationally regarded as one of the finest dessert wine makers. Their estate vineyards located in the Seewinkel, an area in the Burgenland region of Austra, along the eastern shore of Lake Neusiedl, called the Weinlaubenhof, 

Their estate has the terroir including the unique appropriate microclimate uniquely suited to the production of Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese wines. Their estate has 80 acres of vineyards planted with Welschriesling, Chardonnay, Traminer, Muskat Ottonel and this Scheurebe, such as in this label. 

After Alois Kracher passed away in December 2007, his 27 year-old son Gerhard took over responsibility of winemaking and continues to manage the winery with the same skills and acumen and successful outcomes as his famous father once did.

Source of Austria’s finest botrytized sweet wines, the Burgenland covers a lofty portion of Austria's wine producing real estate consisting of the smaller sub-regions of Neusiedlersee, Neusiedlersee-Hügelland, Mittelburgenland and Südburgenland.

Neusiedlersee, named for the lake that it surrounds to the east, is home to a great diversity of grape varieties but the region’s most notable wines, however, are the botrytis-infected, sweet versions.

We hold more than a dozen labels and vintages spanning more than two decades of Kracher premium dessert wines. We enjoy serving them for special occasion dinners with fellow eoephiles that appreciate the label. 

Trockenbeerenauslese is the highest in sugar content in the category of Austrian and German wine classifications. Trockenbeerenauslese wines, called "TBA" for short, are made from individually selected grapes affected by noble rot (i.e., botrytized grapes).

This means that the grapes have been left on the vine to ripen to the point that they gain a high sugar content, individually picked and are shrivelled with noble rot, often to the point of appearing like a raisin. They are therefore very sweet and have an intensely rich flavor, frequently with a lot of caramel and honey bouquet, stone fruit notes such as apricot, and distinctive aroma of the noble rot. 

Trockenbeerenauslese means literally "dry berry selection." This very sweet dessert wine is made from individually selected shriveled grapes that have the highest sugar levels with flavors concentrated further by the fungus Botrytis cinerea, or noble rot. 
Trockenbeerenauslesen rank among the greatest sweet wines in the world.

Winemaker Notes - “Medium gold in color. Attractive aromas of orange zest, floral characters and reminiscent of fresh grapes. Nutmeg, exotic fruit and a touch of honey on the palate. A very mineral finish.”

This release was rated 94 points by Wine Spectator and 91 points by Wine Enthusiast.

At 23 years of age, the label and foil, and most importantly the fill level and cork were in pristine condition. The color had evolved from straw to butter to gold to weak tea to tea colored. 

This was full bodied, rich, thick unctuous, concentrated syrupy nectar of honeyed apricot, grapefruit citrus, clove spice and nutmeg with roasted nut notes on the thick tongue puckering finish. 

RM 92 points. 

Wine Enthusiast said - “The most concentrated of the range of TBAs made by Kracher in 2001, this is almost too sweet, almost too concentrated. It is hugely liquorous, with very low alcohol because the sweetness of the grapes was too much for the yeasts, which gives it a character almost of intensely sweet, very pure grape juice.