Showing posts with label Vintage Port. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vintage Port. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 13, 2021

Team Beef Tenderloin Dinner features 2002 Napa Bordeaux Varietals

Team Dinner features Beef Tenderloin 2002 Napa Bordeaux Varietal Wines

I hosted my leadership team for a team building planning session kick-off dinner at our house. Linda grilled beef tenderloin and sockeye salmon with baked sweet potatoes and Idaho potatoes, with haricot verts. We served a horizontal flight of Napa Valley Bordeaux varietals with the dinner, a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Cabernet Franc, and a Bordeaux Blend of all five, all from the same 2002 vintage.

As noted in my blogpost about the fun of serving from Big Bottles, tonight we served the Flora Springs Trilogy from Magnum.  

Prior to dinner we served a selection of artisan cheeses with a refreshing white Sauvignon Blanc, which also complimented the caprese salad course, and the salmon entree.

Cliff Lede Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2016

Prior to dinner we served a selection of artisan cheeses and a caprese salad accompanied by this Lede Sauvignon Blanc. 

As I've written numerous times in these pages, this is one of our favorite Sauvignon Blancs, one we keep on hand with each vintage release as one of our mainstay 'go-to' wines.

The primary vineyards and sources for Cliff Lede Napa Sauvignon Blanc are estate grown Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Musqué. Another vineyard located in eastern Rutherford has old vines planted to a heritage Musqué clone and Sémillon.

Two other old-vine vineyards, both in Calistoga, contribute to the blend, one planted to Sauvignon Blanc and the other to Sémillon. 

In many vintages, they also include grapes from a cooler climate vineyard on the east side of Napa, imparting vibrant acidity and finesse to the wine.

A vineyard in Chiles Valley, a small pocket in eastern Napa County, east of Napa Valley, adds complexity with old vines of Sauvignon Vert planted in 1947.

The Cliff Lede winery estate and vineyards with their picturesque sculpture gardens at Yountville Cross Road and Silverado Trail are one of our popular visits during our many trips to Napa Valley. We've had many memorable visits there with the most memorable, our private tour and tasting during our Napa Wine Experience 2009.

Cliff Lede Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2016

We hold nearly a half dozen vintages of this label and as part of cellar management, opted towards the oldest from 2016. It was still vibrant and refreshing and tasty at five years.

I wrote in a couple notes about this release that the peach sprites were more subdued or muted but tonight it resembled previous tastings where that was a highlight of the wine. Straw colored, light bodied, aromas of floral and apricot and flavors of peach predominate with tones of lychee, pear, apple, citrus and hints of lime with a crisp clean sharp tangy finish.

RM 90

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2616721 

Earlier tastings ...

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/03/cal-wine-flight-highlights-st-pats.html

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/10/cliff-lede-napa-valley-sauvignon-blanc.html

https://cliffledevineyards.com/

@CliffLedeWine 

Flora Springs 'Trilogy' Napa Valley Bordeaux Blend 2002

For the flight of Red Wines, we started with the most complex, a blend of all five Bordeaux varietals. Moreover, this was the most moderate and subdued wine, appropriately served first, before the more concentrated, bolder, bigger single varietals reds which would have overshadowed and overpowered this more delicate selection. 

We hold or have held over the years a dozen vintages of this label spanning three decades going back to the 1990, one of our favorite Napa Valley Bordeaux Blends. I chronicled this label in detail in a blogpost early last year

Tonight we served this from a larger format magnum. At nineteen years, this was still drinking quite nicely, still well within its acceptable drinking window, perhaps at its prime but not likely to improve any further with aging.

Tonight's tasting experience was similar to my notes from when I last wrote about this vintage release back in 2007 when I wrote, " Smooth, soft after an hour of settling, medium bodied but somewhat complex dark berry, black cherry, and a hint of essence of mocha on the medium finish." 

At that time, this release was awarded 92 points by Wine Spectator, 91 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Wine Enthusiast, and 90 points by Wine & Spirits. 

This release of this popular label was not limited to just three varietals as usual, this Trilogy contained all five Bordeaux grapes in the blend.

Dark garnet colored, medium bodied, elegant and more subdued sophistication as opposed to bigger, more concentrated, bolder Napa Valley Cabernets, blackberry, black currant and black cherry fruits with notes of spice box, herbs, a hints of dark mocha with moderate soft tannins on the lingering finish. 

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=64904

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2014/09/2001-vintage-napa-cab-comparison.html

https://www.florasprings.com/our-legacy/flora-komes/

@FloraSprings

Del Dotto Napa Valley Cabernet Franc 2002

Colleague Ken was one of our guests tonight and he is a big fan of Del Dotto wines so I pulled this from the cellar for him. We're huge fans of Del Dotto, one of the larger producer holdings in our cellar. 

We've visited Del Dotto's several Napa Valley properties numerous times over the years dating back to their early years in the mid-nineties. Our most recent visits and tastings were highlights of our Napa trips - Del Dotto Estate Cave Tour and Tasting during our Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2017. We then targeted the just opened Piazza Winery Delicacies Wine and Food Tasting Experience during our Napa Valley Wine Experience 2018. It was the highlight of our entire Napa trip.

I remember obtaining this label back when Del Dotto were producng was one of, if not the first vintage releases of this varietal in Napa Valley. Del Dotto were one of the first producers to bottle Cabernet Franc as a standalone bottling, a varietal typically used as part of a Bordeaux Blend to add depth and breadth of spice and structure or character to the blend. This is a great wine to keep on hand for special pairing with food highlighting the distinctive characteristics of this varietal. 

Like the other two 2002's, this was still drinking quite nicely, still well within its acceptable drinking window, perhaps at its prime but not likely to improve any further with aging.

I recall I had to bargain to obtain more than a very few of the allocated bottles at the time. Of course, by itself its big, bold. forward and expressive. 

At our last tasting of this release, four years ago, I wrote, "At fifteen years, this is aging very nicely and still holding well within its drinking window. Consistent with earlier tasting notes, dark garnet color, full bodied, bright cedar, cinnamon spice, raspberry, and hint of mocha on a big, long silky smooth tannin finish."

RM 91 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=19187

https://www.deldottovineyards.com/

@DelDottoWine

Robert Craig Napa Valley Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 

This was the WOTN - Wine of the Night, darker, bigger, bolder and more fruit forward than the others, perhaps reflecting Mountain fruit vs those from the Valley floor.
It was apparent why Robert Craig considered his favorite of his five Napa Valley Cabernets (Mt Veeder, Spring Mountain District, Howell Mountain, Napa Valley Mt George in some vintages. 
 
As the biggest wine, it was appropriately served last, so as not to overpower the 'lesser' more delicate,  complex wines.

We've written throughout these pages of our Robert Craig cellar collection, one of our largest holdings, and our numerous visits to the estate winery and wonderful memories of hosted dinners with, and Tribute to the late Robert Craig.

This is a blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc. 
 
Robert Parker gave this 90 points, Wine Enthusiast 91 points, and Vinfolio 94.
 
Dark inky garnet colored, full bodied, rich concentrated, structured black berry and black raspberry fruits integrated with notes of cassis, clove spice, currant and licorice, turning to silky smooth  finely textured, supple tannins on the supple finish.
 
RM 92 points.  
 

https://mcnees.org/winesite/labels/labels_California/lbl_CA_Robert_Craig_Mt_Veeder_cab_2002_remc.jpg 
 
 
@RobertCraigWine

After dinner Linda served grilled peaches and Tuxedo Chocolate cake with fresh berries. With the dessert court we opened this unique limited release Augusta Missouri Port.

Mt Pleasant Augusta Appellation Missouri Vintage Port 1988

For a dessert wine, I pulled from the cellar this label from the State of Missouri in light of the irony, that two of our guests tonight, colleagues Stacy and Kevin, are both from the area. Kevin actually knows this producer and has visited the winery on numerous occasions. 

We discovered and acquired this wine during a visit to Mount Pleasant Vineyards in Augusta, Missouri on our way to a Colorado ski trip thirty years ago shortly after its release. Interesting, amazingly, the Augusta Appellation AVA (American Viticultural Area) was the first government-appointed wine-growing district in the United States. 

We've held this thirty-three year old 1988 vintage release in our cellar since then, thinking we'd one day consume it with friends celebrating a 1988 anniversary or birthyear of one of their kids. That occasion never came, but tonight, it served its purpose commemorating the regional home of two of our guests.

Ironically, after thirty years, this producer winery was recently in the news as it was acquired by the Hoffmann Family of Companies, their sixth Missouri vineyard, adding to the 700 + acres that they already own in the area.

Mount Pleasant Vineyards is the oldest winery in the Missouri Augusta Appellation, established in 1859 with buildings dating back to the 1820’s, It was originally founded by the Muench brothers who built the first cellar in 1881, which is still used today to age Mount Pleasant’s estate-bottled wines including this award-winning Augusta Port. Their 1986 Vintage Port was the only Missouri wine to ever take a gold medal at the International Wine and Spirit Awards in London. 

The winery was closed and vineyards destroyed during prohibition. 

In 1966, it was revived when Lucian Dressel and his wife Eva purchased the property and Mount Pleasant was reopened as a winery. They replanted the vineyards with self-rooted vines and classic grafted European varieties, turning Mount Pleasant into a destination.

In 1980, Augusta was chosen to be the first government-appointed wine-growing district. The first officially designated American Viticultural Area (AVA) became known as the Augusta Appellation.

Keeping the winery in the Dressel family, Chuck Dressel’s family purchased Mount Pleasant from their uncle, Lucian Dressel, in 1992, and then, earlier this year in 2021, it was purchased and is being restored by the Hoffmann Family of Companies to it’s original colors and prestige.

Today, the Augusta estate grows nine grape varieties on 125 acres overlooking the Missouri River Valley.

Tonight, at thirty-three years, while this was past its prime, it was still within it acceptable drinking window, but nearing the end and time to drink. The color was garnet colored, albeit somewhat opaque as it was taking a bit of gray cloudiness, berry fruits with notes of raisin, dark mocha chocolate, hints of cassis, roasted nuts and bit of smoke and creosote on the finish. 

RM 85 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=616788

https://twitter.com/MtPleasantWine

@MtPleasantWine

 


 

 

 

 

 



Friday, June 4, 2021

Pour Boys Wine Dinner at Del Ray Beach Wine Kitchen

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.

Rick & Bob with Wine Director Ron Mitchell
in the cellar during our winter visit last year

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

We hold more than a dozen vintages of this label in our cellar dating back to the eighties. We visited Château Beychevelle and had a private tour and tasting during our visit to Beychevelle St Julien, Bordeaux in 2019. 

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."

This was awarded 98 points by 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. 

Dark ruby colored, full bodied, dense, mildly sweet with notes of figs, sweet cassis, vanilla, hints of creosote and toast with tongue puckering gripping sweet tannins on the lingering finish. 

RM 93

https://www.cellartracker.com/editnote.asp?iWine=2977974

http://www.fonseca.pt/

https://www.thewineroomonline.com/delray-beach

Max McCalman's works available at DelRay Kitchen Wine and Cheese Bar:




Saturday, September 5, 2020

Big Bottle Birthyear mania for Wedding Celebration

Our Cellar Collection and Gala Wedding Celebration includes Large Format Birthyear Vintage Wines

The large format big bottle mania continues for Sean and Michelle's wedding celebration weekend, we opened several birthyear vintage wines we have collected and were saving in our cellar for just such an occasion. We opened a six liter Imperial Napa Cabernet the night before. 

Fortunately, the 1985 vintage produced age-worthy wines suitable for long-term cellaring for thirty-five years. 

People often ask me about the practice of obtaining wines from a particular vintage year. Check vintage charts for your chosen region for your favored wine (s). If that region had a difficult vintage, check the other regions of the world. Chances are you'll find at least one that had favorable age-worthy harvests suitable for collecting.

My fixation on collecting birthyear wines for our children, and now grandchildren is evident in the cellar statistics - for just the 1985 vintage year, we hold 95 bottles in different 39 wines. I believe that is overstated somewhat by the lack of removing bottles consumed over the years. Never-the-less, it reflects the challenge to consume those bottles before they waste away, and offers an opportunity for an extensive, intensive vintage study. 

For the celebration weekend, I pulled the following bottles for a horizontal comparison tasting:

From St Julien Bordeaux,

  • Leoville Las Cases 
  • Ducru Beaucaillou 
  • Gruaud Larose, 

Other Bordeaux: 

  • Cos d' Estournel St Estephe
  • Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Pauillac
  • Sociando-Mallette Haut Medoc

Others:

  • Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Bosche Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Rutherford Hill Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Dunn Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Flora Springs Trilogy Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Freemark Abbey Bosche' Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Dow Vintage Port
  • Warre's Vintage Port

For the reasons noted, we will hold the following bottles for future tastings:

We hold vertical collections of these labels hence an opportunity for a broader tasting: Chateau Palmer and Silver Oak. this includes a collection of magnums for each of our four kids' vintage birthyears. 

Amazingly, several labels have projected tasting windows for further aging and consumption several years into the future, hence hold these bottles for an anniversary or baby or other notable celebration tasting. These include, Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Dominus Estate Napa, Dunn Vineyards Howell Mtn, Diamond Creek Napa, and Chateaux Lynch Bages,  Pichon Baron and Pichon Lalande. 

We opened these bottles, in large format magnums for tasting at the reception dinner:

  • Sociando-Mallette Haut Medoc
  • Château Ducru Beaucaillou St Julien
  • Château Gruaud Larose, St Julien
  • Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Pauillac 
  • Dow Vintage Port

Château Sociando-Mallette Haut Medoc 1985

Château Sociando-Mallet is a 225-acre estate in St.-Seurin-de-Cadourne, which is part of the Haut-Medoc appellation just north of the St Estephe appellation, north of the city of Pauillac, Bordeaux. 

The estate is today considered by some reviewers, including Robert M. Parker Jr., to be the jewel of the Haut-Medoc.  Though the estate is unclassified, Parker says the château makes “uncompromising wines of extremely high quality….Sociando-Mallet is easily the equal of many of the classified growths….” 

The vineyards are planted to 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc.

This release got 92 points from Vinous and 91 points from Wine Spectator.

The label and foil were in good condition, the cork was soft and partially saturated but extracted almost intact using a two pronged cork puller. 

I wrote about this label back in 2010 when we also tasted it from a magnum. At that time I wrote, "Medium bodied - bright lively forward red fruit flavors highlight with hints of raspberry, black cherry, anise and leather on a moderate tannin flavorful finish.Tasted from magnum - lots of life left - no signs of age in this 25 year old. RM 90 points."

Tonight this was dark garnet color, medium bodied, black berry and black cherry fruits with notes of black truffle, smoke, black tea with subtle notes of vanilla and tangy spice on a lingering modest tannin finish. 

RM 89 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=40950

https://www.sociandomallet.com/en

@Sociando_Mallet

Château Gruaud Larose St Julien Bordeaux 1985

Our visit, tour and tasting at the Gruaud Larose estate was one of the highlights of our tour of St Julien Bordeaux a year ago last month. We hold a horizontal collection of more than a dozen vintages of Gruaud Larose dating back to 1981, daughter Erin's birthyear, and the other kids' birthyears, several including this, Sean's 1985, in large format bottles.

We shared a virtual tour of our visit to Château Gruaud-Larose estate grounds, cellar, chai, library and hospitality center in St Julien from our unwindwine blogpost in these pages. 

This release got 93 points from Wine Spectator,  91 points from  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and 90 points from  Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar. Neal Martin from K&L Wine Merchants in the SF Bay Area gave it 92 points. 

Having a reputation for long lived wines, this 1985 Gruaud Larose showed few signs of diminution from aging and seemed to have a few years of life left although it was more closed and less expressive than the other labels. Earlier in the year I wrote it was showing its age - no doubt the difference in aging effects of a small versus large format bottle. At that time I gave it 89 points.

Like the other bottles served tonight, this was also acquired upon release and has been held in our cellar since. The label, foil and fill level were all pristine, in ideal condition. The cork, like the others was a bit soft and partially saturated, but extracted intact with a two pronged cork puller.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/03/covid19-shut-in-prompts-curbside.html

Dark garnet colored, medium to full-bodied, a bit closed and slightly subdued complex, ripe earthy blackberry and black current fruits with tones of tobacco leaf, truffle, hints of cassis and spice box, turning to slightly tart black cherry on the long floral full tannin laced finish.

RM 89 points.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/03/covid19-shut-in-prompts-curbside.html

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=20848 

https://www.gruaud-larose.com/

 

Château Ducru Beaucaillou St Julien Bordeaux 1985

Our visit to Château Ducru Beaucaillou in Beychevelle St Julien was one of the highlights of our trip to the Medoc last year. It has long been one of the signature wines that we collected for a horizontal of vintages that includes the birthyears of our four kids including large format bottles of this label and this magnum for the 1985 vintage. 

This release got 92 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and 95 Points from the Zachy's Buying Team from the wine merchant in Scarsdale, NY.

As we have held this bottle in our cellar since release back in the eighties, the bottle label, capsule and fill level were all in near perfect condition. The cork was a bit soft and slightly saturated from the bottom but extracted intact using a Ahso two pronged cork puller. The photo shown here shows the cork after having been reinserted and removed for a tasting of the remains the following day. 

This was dark garnet-colored, medium-full bodied, concentrated, pure, red and black currant fruits with a layer of cedar and notes of  truffle, damp earth, tobacco and cinnamon; a hint of mint with with super firm tannins on a long, silky finish.

RM 91 points.  

The Zachys Buying Team Notes from their trip for the 2014 releases: 

"95 Points, Zachys Buying Team: "We had this wine over dinner while in Bordeaux tasting the 2014s - easily one of the highlights of the entire trip. Perfectly mature and is currently drinking the way Bordeaux was intended to be consumed - with age and enough sweet fruit to complement the tertiary development. This wine is all about elegance, no hard edges, classic St Julien cedar, truffle, and damp earth are joined by tobacco and cinnamon. Tongue-staining, long finish. It is a wine that transports you back to old world style claret, where the wine doesn't clobb er at 12.5% alcohol. It is truly a special treat to have this wine with this provenance and condition."
 
Marilee Bostic, Certified Sommelier, Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) and most recently, the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Diploma in Wines and Spirits (DipWSET), works at The Grape D’Vine, a boutique wine store in Sparkill, New York, writes in her notes of this wine:

"The 1985 Ducru-Beaucaillou still packed a punch with primary aromas and flavors, including cassis, black raspberry, and soft rose petals.  Secondary notes included a layer of vanilla and chocolate mint.  Tertiary notes dominated as this wine was fully mature, with a patina of cherry pipe smoke, damp forest floor, and black truffles.  This wine was dry, with medium (+) acidity, medium alcohol, pronounced aroma and flavor intensity, medium body, and medium tannins that were velvety-soft.  The finish was no doubt long."  
 
I wrote about this wine earlier this year and gave it 93 points, when I wrote; "Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, muted aromas on the nose but elegant, balanced and full flavored, bright and expressive on the palate with black currant fruits accented by sensuous floral, cedar, tobacco leaf, hints of damp earth with super firm tannins and a long, silky finish."

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/01/ducru-beaucaillou-birthyear-vintage.html

Last year, in anticipation of our visit to the Chateau, we opened this label when I wrote; "Dark garnet-colored, medium- to full-bodied, Parker describes it as "a wine of extraordinary charm and elegance", a floral, cedary nose with red and black currants, plum, notes of spice and cassis, firm tannins on a long, smooth silky finish. Still has some years left but assuredly not likely to improve with further aging."

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/07/chateau-ducru-beaucaillou-1989-1985.htm



@DucruB
 
 
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Pauillac Bordeaux 1985
 
We visited the estate and walked the vineyards and grounds during our visit to the Medoc last year.  This was the BOTN - best-of-the-night, showing the greatest balance, elegance and complexity with nicely integrated fruits and flavors.

This label has been my favorite of many tastings occasions and continues to be one of my perennial favorites and has more often than not surprised us with its longevity and aging potential. 
 
This release got 93 points from John Gilman and 92 points from Wine Spectator.
 
John Gilman writes, "The 1985 has aged quite beautifully and is now drinking with great style and grace. The bouquet is a superb blend of cassis, dark berries, coffee, cigar wrapper, a dollop of fresh herbs, gravel, black tea and toasty oak. On the palate the wine is pure, fullish and beautifully complex, with a good core of fruit, lovely soil signature, melted tannins and fine length and grip on the very classy finish. This is not a powerful vintage of Pichon, but it is an utterly complete one!"
 
This was also served from a magnum. 
 
While this bottle was also acquired upon release and has laid in our cellar magnum rack adjacent the other bottles, the label was soiled and had completely detached from the bottle. The capsule was rather deteriorated but the cork, while slightly soft and partially saturated, extracted intact using a two pronged cork puller. 

This was dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, complex, elegant and polished with nicely integrated black berry and black currant fruits accented by notes of cassis, black tea, coffee hints of spice and earth with a long smooth tannin laced polished finish. 

RM 93 points.

http://www.pichon-comtesse.com/

@PichonComtesse

Dow's Vintage Port 1985 

For after dinner sipping and to close out our vertical tasting of 1985 wines for the evening, we opened this 1985 Vintage Port. 

We hold in our cellar several cases of Vintage Port wines but only from a few select vintages, mostly birthyears of our children, and classic Vintage Port vintage years. Note that only in years with an acceptable harvest that they declare it a Vintage year and release vintage designated release wines. 

Son Sean's birthyear 1985 was such a year, hence there are 1985 vintage release ports available. Such wines are notably ageworthy for long term cellaring, hence popular collectables for cellaring and holding for special occasions - classic 'special occasion' wine! 

Note that one should ensure they have an appropriate place with temperature and humidity consistency to cellar and store wine before investing in buying bottles to cellar for an extended period of time.

This wine got 93 points from James Suckling and Vinous and 92 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. 

This is classic Vintage Port, what one is supposed to taste like. Naturally, in its 35th year, we see the ageability of such a wine and the art of the possible, or what is to be expected when properly cellared. Too often, if consumed too early, they will present a medicinal or 'hot' alcohol tones until they have integrated, smoothed and settled. 

Dark black garnet colored, medium bodied, aromas of walnuts, dried fruit and fig/raisins, rich concentrated black and red-berry and ripe plum fruits nicely integrated with layers of clove spice, anise liquorice, notes of raisin, creosote and leather with a smooth long lingering clean silky smooth tongue coating finish. 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1897