Showing posts with label Vintages. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vintages. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 28, 2022

Grand Cru Bordeaux 2019 Vintage Release Tour Chicago

Grand Cru Bordeaux 2019 Vintage Release Tour Chicago

After a Covid pause, the UGC Bordeaux (Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB)), annual release tour returned to Chicago this week unveiling/showcasing their 2019 vintage release wines. The event was postponed last January and rescheduled to this week. The Union is the association of 134 of the top premier estates from the most prestigious Bordeaux appellations. This year's North American tour visited Houston, Miami, New York, Chicago, and San Francisco.

As in previous years, our 'Pour Boys' wine group helped conduct the event in Chicago. It is such a pleasure, honor and privilege to work the event, meet the producers, and of course taste the wines. From our service to the event over the last dozen years, we've developed many contacts and friendships with the winemakers, owners, ambassadors and commercial directors of our favorite and long-time collected Bordeaux estates. We greatly appreciate their effort to conduct this tour and to visit our fair city each year. 
 

Breaking from tradition, the event moved from the Drake Hotel and its magnificent grand ballroom to the Great Hall of Chicago's Union Station. The Great Hall proved to be a spectacular setting with its magnificence. This was ironic and very special for me as my office for my 'day job' is actually in the office tower built over the operating Union Station  “double-stub” station, where the 24 tracks approach from two directions, the only such one in the United States. I commute into this station each day that I work in the office.

Chicago Union Station is a iconic building originally designed by legendary Chicago architect and city planner Daniel Burnham. It opened in May 1925 after ten years of construction at a cost of $75 million ($1 billion in today’s dollars). 

Today, Chicago Union Station is the nation’s 3rd-busiest station overall, and it is Amtrak’s 4th busiest. It serves more than 300 trains per day carrying more than 3 million Amtrak customers and 35 million Metra passengers annually. Six of Chicago Metras' 11 routes operate into and out of Union Station with nearly 130,000 Metra passengers passing through the station on an average weekday, and more than 42,000 each weekend. 

Its awe-inspiring looks are the result of sweeping Indiana limestone exteriors and larger-than-life ornate interiors. This grandeur centerpiece is the Great Hall, the station's main waiting room spanned by a 219-foot-long, barrel-vaulted skylight that soars 115 feet over the room. The skylight ceiling was blacked out during World War II in order to make the station less of a target for enemy aircraft.



 The Grand Staircase in the Great Hall was made famous in the modern era when it was featured in the movie The Untouchables, noted by several of the visiting wine producers. 

We work with the UGCB Events Manager, Olivier Crombez, host Mike Wangbickler and his Balzac Communications team preparing the room and the wines, checking in trade registrants, and standing in for producers who faced travel or other disruptions, presenting and pouring their wines. 

Several times over the years, several producers or their representatives were delayed in travel or had other disruptions and we were called in to service to pour their wines, hence we earned our moniker, the 'Pour Boys'.

One hundred and four producers were represented at the event that was attended by over five hundred members of the trade, media and industry. The evening event, open to the public, again was sponsored by Doug Jeffirs, Wine Director for Binny's, the midwest beverage super store, was attended by over four hundred wine enthusiasts.
 
Working and attending this event is the penultimate highlight of my wine interests and activities each year, meeting the producers, and of course, tasting the latest vintage release.
 
The 2019 Vintage is especially notable for me since we were in Bordeaux during this vintage season. It was unseasonably hot during our visit to the Left Bank and it was quite dry and producers were hoping for some rain. Some wines in 2019 were heat stressed due to the dry summer which may introduce some prune notes to some wines, but in the end it appears was not excessive so as to diminish the outcome generally. 
 
The searing summer heat was one of the hottest on record for Bordeaux. By July, many of the vineyards were suffering from the extreme rain shortages. By the very end of July when we were there, they saw some heavy rains bringing much needed relief to the vines.
 
Based on the weather conditions of the year and the balance and character of the wines, this is a superb vintage, one with serious aging potential. After a humid spring came the dry, hot summer, with intense heat waves at the end of June and in July. During our visit, staying in Margaux, we actually heard the canons in the middle of the night, fired into the storm clouds to disrupt potential hail that could damage the vines and delicate fruit. We then journeyed to Paris from Bordeaux and it was over 100 degrees there for several days. 
 
Fortunately, the rainstorms in July and August, and again in September came just when needed and helped the grapes hold acidity, which resulted in wines with nice balance and freshness. Some say tt was a year when Cabernet Sauvignon grapes shone. 
 
Opinions on 2019 ranges from 'aromatic, seductive like the 2015s and the structured, classic, truly great 2016s', others call it a mix of the structured 2010s and open, plush 2009s or opulent 2015s, with more purity and finesse'. 
 
I was called to duty to pour the Chateau Troplong Mondot from Saint-Emilion. Aymeric de Gironde, CEO sees 2019 as “a dual vintage, with charm and sexiness, but also backbone and length.” 
 
Over one hundred producers attended the event, and as stated, we greatly appreciate their effort to conduct this tour and to visit our fair city. Some of the usual suspects, friends, favorite labels and attendees are shown below.





  


 





 


Saturday, December 17, 2016

Del Dotto Napa Cabernet - The 1998 Vintage

Del Dotto Napa Cabernet 1998 BYOB at Angelis Italian Naperville

Winter storm warning with light snow and plunging temperatures didn't deter us from venturing out for Friday night dinner at Angelis Italian, our favorite (Naperville) neighborhood Trattoria. We took BYOB this 1998 Del Dotto Napa Valley Cabernet.

I have written often in these pages about the '98 vintage of Napa Cabs. It was much maligned by the pundits and was generally regarded as a disappointing vintage. The inferiority of the vintage was exacerbated by the fact it was 'surrounded' by stellar vintages. In fact the run-up to the '98 vintage was a run of four years of highest rated seasons, then '98, then another blockbuster year in '99.  Generally, any vintage of the nineties was a collectable highly rated vintage except '98. So it was that this vintage was the one to avoid, there were many great wines available, and the follow on year added to its demise as a non-collectable, non-respectable wine, a vintage to be avoided.

Here are the vintage reviews from Wine Spectator for the period.

Vintage WS Rating Vintage Review
199997
DrinkTremendous depth, concentration and structure from a cool, moderate year; ageworthy
199884
Past peakCool, damp year with mostly green, herbal wines marked by gritty tannins; few memorable bottles
199799
DrinkHuge crop of ripe, opulent, fleshy, concentrated wines, from near-perfect weather; super in Sonoma, too
199696
DrinkA sleeper, with a remarkable number of compelling wines; warm year with fine concentration and depth
199597
DrinkSurprisingly fine year, with wines marked by great flavors, balance and structure
199497DrinkA showy year all around; ripe, complex and fleshy, with excellent depth

The Cellartracker community average rating for this wine is 86.7 (points), vs 91.8 for the '97, and 92 for the '99. I say, buy it up, drink it up, and enjoy!

So why is one vintage better than another? The 1998 vintage was a difficult year for growers due to the effects of the El Niño weather pattern that brought unusually cool weather and rain, both early in the spring and sporadically later in the season. This resulted in a fruit set that was small and late. The cooler temperatures continued on into the summer, with a few periods of heat where growers were concerned with sunburn. The result was uneven ripeness, irregular-sized berries, and an overall sluggish ripening. While September brought more suitable, drier, warmer weather, the harvest was delayed into late October, with some wineries finishing as late as November.

There was a silver lining in this clouded vintage with many great values emerging. Here is another testament to refute the prevailing views. There were many sleepers of the vintage, and because of their tainted lineage, they were and still are great bargains with high QPR (Quality Price Ratio). I've written often that I think the '98 has consistently been more approachable, and more pleasant drinking than the much heralded, revered '97, and could be obtained, in many cases (no pun intended), for half the price.

Note, this is not applicable across the region, we hold some Napa Cabs that live up to the deplorable reputation of the vintage, and are indeed the cause, not the effect. But, we're consistently rewarded for having gone against the prevailing views and stocking up on '98's that have proven wonderful wines with respectable aging potential, despite the belief they would be early gratification but short-lived.

Del Dotto produced such a wine in their Napa Valley Cabernet. This wine, even eighteen years later is delightful, while the '97 is just now starting to open and reveal its potential. Up until recently, I would have preferred the 98 over the 97. Their aging curves may only now be intersecting, and perhaps crossing.

My on-line wine journal shows nine reviews of this wine dating back to our tasting of it at the winery in 2000. The earliest reviews rated it 92 points, indicating that early gratification, but half of them over the last six years were ranked 90 points. Only now is this wine starting to show its age as I deducted a point from my last four consistent reviews of this wine.

Shown left, we're tasting Del Dotto Napa Cab with David and Yolanda Del Dotto at our favorite dining spot/table, at Tra Vigne, in St Helena, during our 1999 Napa Wine Experience Tour

We hold over a dozen vintages of this wine going back to their inaugural vintage in 1993. We are now starting to appreciate its aging potential as some of the vintages are just emerging to reveal their true potential. I recently wrote the same thing, about such a phenomenon, regarding the great, super premium Dominus, Napa Valley Estate Red Wine, that twenty, even thirty years later, it opens to show its true greatness and potential. While perhaps not Dominus' equal, some of the Del Dotto releases are showing some of the same traits.

Del Dotto Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 

Cellartracker reviewer AlphaWillie wrote of this wine: "This bottle was great and did not have any of the issues that others have reported."

My view: "A sleeper of the vintage, a consistently pleasant, nice drinking wine, belaying and despite its lackluster reviews. Still life left, this was dark garnet colored, medium bodied, still vibrant and lively, nicely balanced, moderately complex black cherry fruits accented by tobacco leaf, leather, tones of tangy spicy oak and modest but pleasant tannins on the finish".

RM 89 points.

My early reviews of this wine attribute to it a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 5% Cab Franc.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=616987

http://www.deldottovineyards.com/




Saturday, January 30, 2016

UGC Bordeaux 2013 Release Tour Chicago 2016

UGC Bordeaux 2013 Release Tour Chicago 2016

The UGC Bordeaux' (Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB)) producers' annual North American tour descended on Chicago this week to showcase their 2013 vintage release. The UGC is an association of 133 grands crus producers from heralded Gironde estates. My blogpost from last year's tour event talked in more detail about the UGC and the Bordeaux classification.

Once again, the event is organized by Napa based Balzac Communications, under the direction of Founder Paul Walker and CEO/Principle Mike Wangbickler. About 450 members of the trade and media were treated to taste the latest vintage release from eighty-two producers that were scheduled to attend.

Then, about 250 attendees attended the evening session that is open to the general public, hosted and orchestrated by Doug Jeffirs and the wine team from Binny's Beverage Depot, the Chicagoland superstore.

As in recent years, the event is held in the magnificent ballroom (left) of the Drake Hotel on Chicago's North Michigan Avenue Magnificent Mile, overlooking the famous Lake Shore Drive curve and Oak Street Beach.

Its a wonderful event and we're grateful to the producers who participate in this ambitious and rigorous trip across North America.

This year the itinerary has been expanded to eight cities as new stops have been added for public events in collaboration with select merchants in Florida and Canada, such as the Binny's event here in Chicago.

Its a pleasure to meet the Chateau owners, winemakers, commercial and marketing representatives who attend from the Chateaus. I recognize and appreciate the huge investment and commitment of their time and effort to participate.

This year the weather in Chicago was unusually mild and warm, more than offset by the blizzard that hit the Northeast dumping two feet of snow on New York. Lucky for the tour the storm hit over the weekend reducing disruption, unlike the last two years when several producers faced flight delays and some cancellations.

Once again, the Pour Boys wine team participated to assist the attending Paul and Michael of the Balzac Communications Group team who manage the event - setting up, registering participants, and standing in for producers pouring their wines, hence the name Pour Boys, obtained in recent years when many of the producers were no-shows or late arrivals due to winter storms.

The Pour Boys are avid wine collectors, our wine dinner group that meet regularly for wine centered tastings and social events - shown left, Ernie, Dr Dan, with Paul W, Lyle, me and Bill, as the core group. Such an event is great fun, an escape and vast departure from our normal daily duties tending to corporate litigation, dentistry, high tech, and retirement, when not working these events.

Members of the trade may also recall us from last fall's Grands Crus Classes of St Emilion 2015 Chicago tasting.

Son Ryan and I both attended with special interest this year since 2013 was the birth year of his son Richard Reid, as well as my other grandson John Richard (Richie). So, we're looking to invest in a horizontal collection of 2013 wines to commemorate their birth year as is our practice. Indeed, my collection of my kids' birth year wines was the basis for my cellar being featured in the Collector section of Wine Spectator Magazine back in June of 2001.

The next generation represented by Jared Gelband (shown with me, left), Sommellier at the Wine Bar in the Intercontinental Hotel Chicago, special friend of son-in-law Johnnie and daughter Erin.

The 2013 Bordeaux vintage presented some challenges for the winemakers, starting off as one of the coldest and wet starts to a growing season in more than 40 years and a later than expected harvest. One silver lining to the intense cold faced early was that it may have helped hinder potential diseases in the vines. An impact of the difficult year were lower crop yields, which when managed properly can still result in some fine wines from Producers with terroir, care and attention to detail, and a bit of luck. Watch for lower volumes in the premium labels with more volume attributed to the lesser labels.

A benefit for consumers may be a moderation in prices if they properly reflect the challenging 'lesser' vintage. Looking back on some other similar years, perhaps 1991 and 1992 following the spectacular 1990, these releases provided some good values for more moderate priced drinking.

Most likely, these wines will be ones to provide earlier drinking gratification rather than be properly structured for long term aging. This provides collectors a possible chance to enjoy these off year wines while the greater vintages continue to mature.

Bordeaux along with the rest of France endured a cold February and March, and May was especially cold and wet. Things only got worse in June with an early storm as the cool wet weather continued. Finally warm days came in July with early heat spikes, but still excessive moisture persisted with another storm coming late in the month, perhaps the worst storm in a decade or more.

Finally things improved with warmer days and sunshine arriving in August and continued into September, only to be faced with another storm late in the month.

With the shorter season and less heat, along with lower yields, also look for lower and less developed tannins from the lesser ripe fruits, look for highlights of 2013 to be the white Bordeaux, especially the Sauternes and Barsac.

This was evident in the tasting as the Sauternes and Barsac appellation seemed to be the highlight (left) with all labels showing well. I personally especially liked the Latour Blanche which stood out with its apricot punctuated forward fruits.

The St Julien appellation stood out with highlights being Chateaus Talbot and Beyechevelle. It was a surprise to see David Launay, former winemaker for Gruaud Larose attending again this year, but this time representing Chateau Grand-Puy-Ducasse (and Chateau Meyney, not presented).

I thought the Pauillac standout was Pichon Baron. I sensed it would be when I opened the bottles earlier, in preparation for the opening of the event, when the room burst with aromatics of floral and berry fruits.

Chateau Clinet and Chateau Troplong Mondot were both notable from the right bank.


Canon-le-Gaffeliere was remarkably light, almost delicate, with a layer of sweetness ... ready for early drinking gratification, but not built for long term aging.

The always delightful, Bernard Olivier attended representing Pessac Leognan Domaine Chevallier, but the evangelism duties were attended to by son Hugo while Bernard tended to ambassadorial duties as presiding President of the UGC. I watch and enjoy observing this transition as I enjoy the experience with my own son Ryan in the progression of his wine appreciation and knowledge, as well as his own cellar collecting.

The 2013 vintage should provide some lower priced wines that will provide earlier near term drinking. 




The Chateau represented on this year's tour.


1 Château de Chantegrive Graves
2 Château Carbonnieux Pessac Léognan
3 Château Les Carmes Haut Brion Pessac Léognan
4 Domaine de Chevalier Pessac Léognan
5 Château de Fieuzal Pessac Léognan
6 Château de France Pessac Léognan
7 Chateau La Louviere Pessac Léognan
8 Château Latour Martillac Pessac Léognan
9 Château Malartic Lagravière Pessac Léognan
10 Château Olivier Pessac Léognan
11 Château Pape Clément Pessac Léognan
12 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Pessac Léognan
13 Château Canon Saint Emilion Grand Cru
14 Château Canon La Gaffelière Saint Emilion Grand Cru
15 Château La Couspaude Saint Emilion Grand Cru
16 Château La Dominique Saint Emilion Grand Cru
17 Château Troplong Mondot Saint Emilion Grand Cru
18 Château Villemaurine Saint Emilion Grand Cru
19 Château Beauregard Pomerol
20 Château Le Bon Pasteur Pomerol
21 Château La Cabanne Pomerol
22 Château Clinet Pomerol
23 Château Gazin Pomerol
24 Château La Pointe Pomerol
25 Château Clarke Listrac Médoc
26 Château Chasse Spleen Moulis en Médoc
27 Château Maucaillou Moulis en Médoc
29 Château Beaumont Haut Médoc
30 Château de Camensac Haut Médoc
31 Château Cantemerle Haut Médoc
32 Château Citran Haut Médoc
33 Château Coufran Haut Médoc
34 Château La Lagune Haut Médoc
35 Château La Tour Carnet Haut Médoc
36 Château La Tour de By Médoc
37 Château Angludet Margaux
38 Château Brane Cantenac Margaux
39 Château Cantenac Brown Margaux
40 Château Dauzac Margaux
41 Château Giscours Margaux
42 Château Kirwan Margaux
43 Château Lascombes Margaux
44 Chateau Malescot St Exupery Margaux
45 Château Prieuré Lichine Margaux
46 Château Rauzan - Ségla Margaux
47 Château du Tertre Margaux
48 Château Beychevelle Saint Julien
49 Château Branaire Ducru Saint Julien
50 Château Gloria Saint Julien
51 Château Gruaud Larose Saint Julien
52 Château Lagrange Saint Julien
53 Château Langoa Barton Saint Julien
54 Château Léoville Barton Saint Julien
55 Château Léoville Poyferré Saint Julien
56 Château Saint Pierre Saint Julien
57 Château Talbot Saint Julien
58 Château d’Armailhac Pauillac
59 Château Clerc Milon Pauillac
60 Château Grand Puy Ducasse Pauillac
61 Château Grand Puy Lacoste Pauillac
62 Château Lynch Bages Pauillac
63 Château Lynch Moussas Pauillac
64 Château Pichon Baron Pauillac
65 Château Lafon - Rochet Saint Estèphe
66 Château Ormes De Pez Saint Estèphe
67 Château de Pez Saint Estèphe
68 Château Phélan Ségur Saint Estèphe
69 Château Coutet Barsac
70 Château Doisy Daëne Barsac
71 Château Bastor - Lamontagne Sauternes
72 Château de Fargues Sauternes
73 Château Guiraud Sauternes
74 Chateau Clos Haut Peyraguey Sauternes
75 Château Lafaurie  Peyraguey Sauternes
76 Château de Rayne Vigneau Sauternes
77 Château Suduiraut Sauternes
78 Château La Tour Blanche Sauternes

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Cal Cab Classics - Karl Lawrence Reserve Morisoli Vineyard 2005 - Spring Mtn Elivette 2003

Cal Cab Classics - Karl Lawrence Reserve Morisoli Vineyard 2005 - Spring Mtn Elivette 2003

With AJ and Lori, Saturday afternoon at Vintages on Santana Row in San Jose, bought and poured two class premium California Cabernet Sauvignons with cheese, olives and pasta salad from the neighborhood gourmet deli.It doesn't get much better.

Karl Lawrence Reserve Gary Morisoli Vineyard 2005 - Dark purple color - medium-full bodied. Complex, polished and smooth but somewhat subdued nose and fruit flavors of black currant, black berry and black cherry fruits with hints of tobacco and anise on a well balanced lingering finish. Perhaps needs more time to open and fully reveal itself.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=341570


Spring Mountain Elivette Napa Valley Red Wine 2003

A Bordeaux style blend. Dark purple color, full-bodied - complex and polished but a bit closed and tight with subdued full forward flavors of black berry and black cherry fruit with hints of spice, cedar, and touch of coffee flavors, This one too will evolve for a few more years to further reveal itself.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=794181