Pour Boys Wine Dinner at Wine Kitchen Wine Cellar in Del Ray Beach
The
Pour Boys descended upon
Del Ray Beach to visit Bob & Gloria in their sunshine state home for a mini-reunion. We held a wine dinner in the private cellar dining room at Wine Kitchen in Del Ray Beach. We dined there on our previous trips to the area and planned a dinner in their cellar private dining room on our next trip into town.
I first wrote about the Delray Beach Wine Room Kitchen Wine and Cheese Bar after our first visit back in 2019. They boast to have "The World's Largest Selection of Wine by the
Glass!" with over 200 hand-selected wines available through their
Enomatic wine dispensing machines. Bill and I visited there again when we were in town later in the year and had a Spectacular Wine Cheese Pairing featuring Cliff Lede Poetry 2004.
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Rick & Bob with Wine Director Ron Mitchell
in the cellar during our winter visit last year |
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A major attraction of the venue for serious wine aficionados is their extensive wine cellar of fine wines with a Reserve List of top
vintage wines dating back several decades. Most importantly, they offer
such wines at close to retail prices rather than marking them up 1.5, 2
or two and a half times retail or more.
The Reserve Wine List includes extraordinary vintage
selections of premium and super premium wines including First Growth
classified Bordeaux that are also offered at fair market price or
current retail prices for such wines, a fraction of what most other
restaurants would charge.
With this enticement, we reserved the private dining room for our gathering. Dr Dan and our two Lindas and I flew in from Chicago, and Bill and Beth C drove down from Charleston.
We selected a flight of extraordinary wines, perfectly paired with the selection of artisan cheeses and charcuterie, our pre-entree selections, our entrees and the dessert courses.
One of the showcase highlights of the Del Ray Wine Kitchen, beyond the wine BTG (By-The-Glass) selections and the Fine and Rare Cellar Collections, is their Cheese program.
The Cheese program is designed and developed by world-renowned
Maître Fromager and James Beard award-winner Max McCalman. He was America's first restaurant-based Maître Fromager. Max was honored by L'Esprit Alimentaire (French Food Spirit Awards) in NYC. Max is the author of Mastering Cheese which received the World's Best Book on Cheese award in Paris at the 16th Annual Gourmand World Cookbook Awards and was designated a finalist by the prestigious International Association of Culinary Professionals.
Max has also written two more books on cheese - "The Cheese Plate"
(Clarkson Potter Publishers, 2002), which was nominated for awards by
the James Beard Foundation and by the International Association of
Cooking Professionals, and Cheese: A Connoisseur's Guide to the World's Best (Clarkson Potter, 2005), an expansive reference on the world's finest cheeses and their wine pairings, which won a 2006 James Beard Award.
Max personally currated our cheese and charcuterie plates from the incredible selection of over 80 cheeses and a broad variety of
charcuterie meats in a Mix & Match offering. In addition to the cheeses were olives, almonds and artichoke hearts. Max was so into the cheeses and the whole culinary experience, he made no effort to leverage the opportunity to promote or commercialize his brand. Earlier in the day I asked that he come in and meet us and bring and sign copies of his book which we looked forward to purchasing. We never got around to it. A missed opportunity for all.
The Wine selected was guided by Wine Director Ron Mitchell.
Our wine flight journey started with this extraordinary white with the cheese and charcuterie selections.
Kongsgaard Napa Valley Carneros Chardonnay 2016
John Kongsgaard and his wife Maggy are fith-generation Napa natives. They began their Napa Valley wine experience in the 1970s planting The Judge vineyard on the Kongsgaard estate family land near Napa. The inaugural Kongsgaard wines came in 1996.
Today, in addition to their legendary signature estate The Judge labels, they produce a portfolio of Napa Valley varietal wines - Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc and Albariño. They craft their wines in
their underground winery — a cave dug into the volcanic rock, high on the
eastern rim of the Napa Valley where they have also planted their spectacular
mountain vineyard.
My son's and I had the Kongsgaard Carneros Hudson Ranch Syrah for my father-son birthday celebration dinner just a couple weeks ago. This is sourced from the same vineyard as tonight's Chardonnay.
Kongsgaards source the fruit for this label as well as their Syrah from several perfect acres in the Napa
Carneros, of which they direct the farming under long-term contracts. They also source fruit from several sites near the winery. They write that "these
intensely farmed, shy-bearing vineyards and their traditional
low-intervention winemaking produce powerful, graceful wines—vivid
expressions of vineyard and variety". Production is limited to what they,
along with their son Alex, hand craft in their own proprietary labels.
This release was awarded 97 points by The Wine Advocate and 95 points by Vinous / IWC (International Wine Cellar). It should be noted that the 2016 Kongsgaard "The Judge" Napa Valley Chardonnay was awarded 100 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.
Golden colored, medium full bodied, rich, focused, complex, round, decadent fruits of what Wine Advocate calls "nectarine, spiced pears and apple pie... and candied ginger", with stunning sprites of what I struggled to describe as nutty almond and nutmeg with a long smooth sumptuous finish.
RM 95 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2719612
www.kongsgaard-wine.com
We then moved to a flight of red Bordeaux blends wines that were a perfect pairing with our next courses. This provided a nicely diverse but balanced trio to compare.
From the charcuterie we shared a 56 ounce tomahawk ribeye steak sliced for sharing by the group.
Château Beychevelle St Julien Bordeaux 2010
As usual, we were attentive to the tasting order of the wines based on our experience and knowledge of their character, profiles and the vintages. We tasted this first in our flight of three reds. In the end, we were correct in our approach in all respects.
The Chateau Beychevelle 2010
blend consists of Cabernet Sauvignon (54%), Merlot (38%), Cabernet
Franc (5%) and Petit Verdot (3%).
This release was awarded 95 points
by James Suckling,
94 points by
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Wine Enthusiast, 93 points
by
Wine Spectator, and 91 points
by Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar.
Suckling summed this up well, "Beautiful aromas of blackberries, currants and flowers. Very
aromatic. Full body, with ultra-fine tannins and gorgeous fruit. It's
polished and very refined. One of the best Beychevelles in years."
Wine Enthusiast also captures the style and approach, "Beychevelle's style privileges elegance over weight, and such is
the case with the 2010. It's a pure-fruited, ripe and lightly tannic
wine, emphasizing a blackberry note."
This was the lightest, and most approachable of the three labels. Ruby colored, medium bodied, soft, nicely balanced, initially slightly astringent on opening (what Stephen Tanzer referred to as 'medicinal'), it opened up and that blew off after 1/2 hour to reveal pleasant black currant and black berry fruits, notes of floral, earthy leather, herbs and hints of plum on the smooth moderate finish.
RM 91 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1358113
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Pauillac 2011
We toured the estate and grounds of the Pichons, Chateau Pichon Baron and the adjacent Chateau Pichon Lalande (shown left), during our Bordeaux trip to the Medoc, the same trip we visited
Château Beychevelle.
This is another one of our favorite labels that we hold going back more than three decades, including our kids' birth-year vintages, several in large formats.
Next in the tasting order, despite being from a lesser, lighter vintage, this was bigger and more complex than the Beychevelle.
Classic Pauillac in its profile and character, dark garnet colored, full bodied, more tight and firm with its structured backbone, complex black berry fruits with notes of smoke, anise and graphite with a firm long tannin laced finish.
This was a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 12%
Cabernet France, and 2% Petit Verdot.
This was awarded 95 points
and a *Cellar Selection* by Wine Enthusiast,
93 points
James Suckling, 92 points by
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, and 91 points
by Wine Spectator.
Dark garnet purple colored, full bodied, concentrated with weight and power, rich black fruits
with blackberry, dark-chocolate, cassis, spice, tobacco and hints of cedar with firm tannins on a long, intense finish.
RM 93
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1355736
Peter Michael Les Pavots Sonoma County Knights Valley Red Wine
Fellow Pour Boy Ernie was not with us tonight. but we toasted him with this super premium Sonoma County Bordeaux Blend that he collects as a member of their club. In retrospect, as I research and write this blog, I see
Ernie served this same label to us at our OTBN wine gathering tasting in 2014.
We hold a few bottles of this in our cellar.
The 2005 Les Pavots is a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23%
Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot.
This was awarded 95 points
by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 93 points
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, and 92 points
by Wine Spectator.
While this was last in our tasting order it might've been best placed in the middle but it was great to compare the Bordeaux and then move to the Californian.
This was the most elegant, polished and refined of the three wines, more complex, fuller, more round than the Beychevelle, but more approachable than the more powerful brutish Pichon.
Parker likened this wine more to a Right Bank Merlot based blend, "a sensational
wine, with a style that suggests a hypothetical blend of a great
St.-Emilion and Pomerol".
Ruby colored, medium full bodied, smooth and harmonious layers of black berry, black raspberry and currant fruits with notes of tobacco, mocha and hints of anise and graphite on a soft silky tannin laced lingering finish.
Consistent with my earlier tasting six years ago, "Dark ruby colored, elegant and polished, full bodied with full complex
concentrated layers of blackberry, black raspberry and blackcurrant with
tones of black tea, cigar box and hint of dark mocha and cedar on a
silky smooth finish." At that time I gave this 95 points.
RM 94 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=505831
http://www.petermichaelwinery.com/
After dinner we had dessert selections, Parisian Beignets, Crispy Pâté à Choux, Cinnamon & Sugar, Salted Caramel, Spiced Ganache, Passionfruit Curd and decadent Double Dark Chocolate Cake, Coconut Dulce de Leche, Sweet Shiraz Jam, Dried Blueberries, Hazelnut Crumble.
With the delicious dessert course we took advantage of the BTG program and tasted two perfect accompaniment dessert wines.
Dolce Napa Valley Late Harvest 2013
This Dolce Late Harvest White dessert wine is a meal course in itself! Dolce is one the most notable late harvest wines in America, first crafted in 1985 by the partners of
Far Niente. Dolce stands as standard bearer. Wine Enthusiast
lovingly calls it "one of the greatest sweet California wines in memory".
Dolce’s 20-acre vineyards are located in Coombsville, east of the city
of Napa, and are situated at the base of the Vaca Mountains, which
define the eastern border of the valley. The volcanic soil is loose and
well drained, and the west-facing vineyard is protected from the
prevailing winds so that the damp, morning fog of autumn—a very
important factor in the development of Botrytis cinerea—hangs longer
amongst the vines, often until midday. A combination of high humidity
followed by drying conditions encourages, but does not guarantee, the
growth of Botrytis. As the mold develops, its coverage is seemingly
random with individual berries succumbing to Botrytis at different
rates, if at all.
With a classic
blend of late harvest Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc varietals in the style of a classic Bordeaux Sauterne, Dolce is the only
American winery dedicated to producing a single late harvest wine.
Dolce
has produced a wine in every vintage, yet in small, unpredictable
quantities; testament to the incredible difficulties presented every year
in the effort to make Dolce. "Dolce is an extraordinary wine bred from a
combination of sunshine, soil, fog, expertise and dedication; a wondrous
luxury, limited by nature to always being a gift of absurd rarity."
Dolce is a blend of 89% Semillon and 11% Sauvignon Blanc.
Winemaker's Notes: "The 2013 Dolce offers lifted and youthful aromas of orange zest, vanilla
bean and butterscotch with subtle notes of minerality and oak-derived
spices. The entry is juicy, and Dolce’s signature texture is lively and
enduring on the palate leading to a mouthwatering finish. Flavors of
orange, pear and dried apricot mingle together with rich caramel notes
and hints of minerals that make this vintage a delicious expression of
the season’s exceptional ripeness."
After nearly three years in French oak, this luxurious vintage shows
bright stone-fruit aromatics and flavors, elegant caramel undertones and
has a texture like silk.
RM 94 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2547948
Fonseca Vintage Port 2016
Winemaker's Notes: "Dense
purple black with a narrow purple rim. The nose opens with very fine
pure black fruit, a fusion of black cherry, cassis and blackberry jam
aromas, with notes of crushed mint, an ethereal fragrance of violets and
undertones of ripe tropical fruit. The year has added an additional
layer of purity and refinement to the subtle, complex Fonseca fruit
character, as well as an attractive minerality. The palate is supported
by a vibrant acidity and taut, wiry tannins that provide structure but
also texture and volume. The fresh berry flavours carry into the long
finish A finely crafted and perfectly balanced Vintage Port."
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and James Suckling,
and an extraordinary consensus 97 points by Wine Enthusiast, Wine Spectator, Decanter and the Tasting Panel.
Parker said, " Don't even think of buying it if you aren't prepared
to cellar it. The 2030 start date that I have will not be even close to
late enough if you want harmony and complexity. To me, this is the best
of the three 2016's from the Fladgate Group this issue (Croft and Taylor
being the other two), thanks to its pure intensity, but time will tell
if it becomes as sexy as I'm sure Taylor's will be. In the meanwhile,
Fonseca looks like one of the greats of this vintage."
We're holding in our cellar releases of this label dating back to the eighties, most notably the 1985 vintage, birthyear of son Sean.
http://www.fonseca.pt/
https://www.thewineroomonline.com/delray-beach
Max McCalman's works available at DelRay Kitchen Wine and Cheese Bar:
