Robert Craig Affinity and Beef Bourguignon - A Perfect Pairing

Beef Bourguignon and Robert Craig Affinity for a Delicious Perfect Food and Wine Pairing

Following our dinner the other night featuring Beef Bourguignon and a Napa Valley Bordeaux Blend, we did a repeat with leftovers and another similarly situated wine selection. Tonight we pulled from the cellar a Robert Craig Affinity, his Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Bordeaux Blend. This turned out to a perfect 100 point wine and food pairing.

I've written often that Robert Craig Napa Valley Cabernets are one of the largest holdings in our cellar dating back to the inaugural release vintage back in 1993 and 1994. Affinity is the basic Bordeaux Blend aside several appellation specific Cabernet Sauvignons in the Robert Craig portfolio. I've written how Robert intimated that he was most proud of this label and went to lengths to keep the price affordable so it could used as an entry point introduction to the brand and portfolio.

I could not imagine a wine that would be better suited for tonight's spectacular delicious dinner. This evening we had the beef over buttery cheese mashed potatoes rather than the linguini noodles.

Robert Craig Affinity Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Bordeaux Blend 2005

This is a classic example of the optimal pairing of wine with food accentuates and amplifies the enjoyment of both! We've had at least of dozen vintages of this label over the years and I don't recall any one that I enjoyed more. 

This vintage release is a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot.

Winemaker Notes - "Expansive ripe black cherry and currant aromas, with spice, black tea and violet notes. Bright and abundant dark fruit flavors and black currant liqueur are intertwined with sweet spice box, licorice and violets. Opulent black cherry drives the lively, long-lived finish. A rich, multi-layered Cabernet that balances power with finesse.'

"The 2005 Affinity marries the power and richness of Napa Valley hillside Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot for a complex, supple and stylish Bordeaux-blend, backed by silky, ripe tannins. Luscious fruit flavors of great depth and purity are hallmarks of Affinity together with integrated tannin structure for long-term aging."

This release was awarded 90 points by Wine Advocate and 89 points by Wine Spectator. Robert Parker called it a "elegant Margaux-like stylish, graceful wine".

Dark garnet colored, medium bodied, well-balanced, full round rich intense flavors of black currant and black cherry fruits with notes of cinnamon spice, sweet cassis, toasty oak, graphite, and hints of cedar. 

RM 93 points.

At eighteen years the fill level was ideal as was the foil, the label was slightly torn, and most importantly, the cork was slightly saturated and a bit soft from some past seepage, but still intact.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=442936

https://robertcraigwine.com/

@RobertCraigWine 

BV Tapestry with Beef bourguignon

Beaulieu Vineyards (BV) Napa Valley Tapestry Reserve Bordeaux Blend, fabulous pairing with Beef bourguignon

Friday night dinner, Linda prepared a beef bourguignon with - sirloin steak with carrots, onions, rosemary and hot-house tomatoes, with sherry port wine, over linguini noodles. It was delicious, enhanced mightily by an aged vintage Napa Valley Bordeaux Blend. 

Beef bourguignon or bœuf bourguignon, also called beef Burgundy, and bœuf à la Bourguignonne, is a French beef stew braised in red wine, often red Burgundy, and beef stock, typically flavored with carrots, onions, garlic, and a bouquet garni, and garnished with pearl onions, mushrooms, and bacon. 

I love selecting a Blend over a single varietal wine as it adds breadth and complexity to complement the beef and savory vegetable and spice flavors. Indeed, the French have been perfecting their blending to produce complex elegant sophisticated wines to pair with and complement foods for over five hundred years!

Beaulieu Vineyards Napa Valley Tapestry Reserve Bordeaux Blend 2002

We hold a vertical collection of nearly two dozen vintages of this label dating back two and a half decades. It represents good value - QPR (Quality Price Ratio) in a Napa Valley sourced Bordeaux varietal blend. This is especially true when comparing this label to their Georges de Latour Reserve Cabernet which sells for twice the price, often with similar ratings and rankings. 

Beaulieu Vineyards (BV) ("Quelle beau lieu!" or "What a beautiful place.”) is one of the oldest, most storied estates and producers in Napa Valley, Its founding dates back to 1900 when Georges de Latour and his wife Fernande initially purchased a four-acre ranch with the vision of making Napa Valley wines that would rival those of their native France.

They expanded their land holdings over the next several decades, many of which are still part of the BV portfolio today. In 1903 they purchased 127 acres in Rutherford, which they named "BV Ranch No. 1." In 1910 another land purchase was made, known as "BV Ranch No. 2."

In 1923, Georges de Latour purchased the Fred Ewer Winery, a building that dates back to 1885. Its four original stone walls remain the core of today’s Beaulieu Vineyard winery in Rutherford sited along St Helena Highway 29, mainstreet of Napa Valley. This purchase increased Beaulieu’s production dramatically allowing Beaulieu Vineyard’s business to thrive and increase fourfold in the 1920s,

Since its first release in 1990, BV have produced Tapestry Reserve as a tribute to their French heritage and homage to the classic Bordeaux blends and Clarets. It is sourced from a selection of specific vineyard blocks of top-quality grapes that give Tapestry the combined attributes of terroir expression and a round, approachable tannin structure. Roughly half of the Cabernet Sauvignon was grown on the famous western benchland of the Rutherford American Viticultural Area (AVA) and the balance from the Calistoga, Oakville, and St Helena AVAs. The Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec are sourced exclusively from BV estate vineyards in Rutherford. Two styles of Cabernet Franc lend complexity and intrigue: one from cooler Sonoma Valley providing fresh acidity and a slight herbal character; the other from warmer Calistoga adding ripe and expressive red fruit notes. 

In 2010, legendary winemaker Michel Rolland joined Beaulieu Vineyard as a blending consultant on their reserve wines. 

I pulled a twenty-one year old 2002 vintage release from the cellar, 'Goldilocks' age, not too old, but not too young. It proved to be an ideal pairing with the hearty beef bourgogne dish, accentuating the enjoyment of both! 

My wine tasting notes index shows fourteen vintages of tasting notes of this label. It shows we tasted and I reported on this wine back in February 2006 when I wrote:

"Feb 2006 - Beaulieu Vineyards Napa Valley Tapestry Reserve 2002 - RM 92 WE 90 - Dark medium bodied, smooth easy drinking, Bordeaux blend showing loads of plum, cherry and currant fruit as well as vanilla spice notes from oak aging. Tasted at Indigo Restaurant in SPG." 

At twenty-one years, the fill level, label (slightly stained and soiled), foil, and most importantly the cork were all still in ideal condition. 

While still very much in its drinking window, this was showing some diminution from age with the vibrant fruits just starting to give way to non-fruit flavors of earth and wood. Still, it was consistent with that earlier tasting. 

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, full round plum, black cherry and black currant fruits with notes of cassis, cedar, spice and toasted oak with a hint of dark mocha chocolate, on a moderate firm tannins finish. 

RM 90 points. 

This release was awarded 92 points by Wine & Spirits, 90 points by Wine Advocate and Wine Enthusiast.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=198670

https://www.bvwines.com/

Ristow Estate Quinta de Pedras Cabernet Sauvignon 1999

Ristow Estate Napa Valley Quinta de Pedras Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1999

We had Dr Dan and Linda over for Sunday night dinner and Linda prepared delicious beef bourguignon. I had considered an aged Bordeaux but pulled from the cellar this vintage big Napa Cab for the occasion. 

Prior to dinner with a selection of artisan cheese, fruits and nuts we opened this unique sipper - Moët & Chandon Petite Liquorelle - a cognac infused rich desert and sparkling wine. Linda found this cleaning out the pantry. We don't know where we got it or how long we've had it but it has been several years at the very least. It was very tasty, dark tea colored, full bodied, sweet, nutty with tones of sweet mocha. Like everyone else on Cellartracker reviewing this, there were no sparkling bubbles in it. It was novel and fun sipping as an aperitif, or as a digestive.

For our dinner we served this Ristow Estate Napa Cab. Ristow was located in the eastern hills of Napa Valley between Silverado Trail and Soda Canyon Road, a few hundred yards south of the Stags Leap District near the intersection of Oak Knoll and Silverado Trail. 

Ristow Estate was founded when Brunno Ristow, a plastic surgeon from Brazil, bought the property just east of the Silverado Trail in 1983.

Brunno and Urannia Ristow planted 9 acres of Cabernet in 1989 just south of the Stags Leap District. They called the vineyard Quinta de Pedras, Portuguese for "place of stones," aptly named for the topography of the rocky, inhospitable ground.

"From the very beginning, when we wanted to plant, people said, 'Are you crazy? There's no soil here,'" says Urannia, 55, whose family farmed coffee and vegetables in her native Nicaragua.

In 1991, they bought an additional 10 acres on softer ground. Encouraged by the quality of their early crops, they bought and planted eight more contiguous acres in 1992.

In those first few years, they sold the grapes to Raymond, Shafer, Leonetti and William Hill wineries. Brunno had intended to bottle a Ristow Estate label, but waited until the 1995 vintage by which time he was pleased with the vineyard's quality and volume of grapes. In 1995 they produced 1,000 cases. 

Winemaker Pam Starr, 39, joined Ristow in 1997 and crafted the 1996 Quinta de Pedras Cabernet Sauvignon which was already in barrel. After working with the vineyard for three years, Starr recommended replanting Block 1, the original vineyard. The rock was so thick in some places that even a massive bulldozer was unable to penetrate it. It took nearly six months and expenses skyrocketed costing $30,000 an acre just to split the rock.

The 1997 vintage Quinta de Pedras' was awarded 94 points by Wine Spectator with 1684 cases produced. Ristow also grew Merlot and Petit Verdot, but they didn't make the final blend and Ristow released 100% Cabernet until the 2001 vintage release. 

Cecilia de Quesada Harris (Ristow's daughter, step-daughter) began working in the family wine business in 1998 running the marketing and sales for Ristow Estate. In 2005 Cecilia and her husband Wil took over Ristow. They also created Pedras Wine Company, the second generation of vintners to produce Cabernet Sauvignon from the family’s Ristow Estate vineyard. Wil a polo player owned El Ragon Argentine restaurant in San Francisco's North Beach, an MBA, he used to own some vineyards in Mendoza, Argentina. Brunno continued to oversee vineyard operations

The Harris's inserted Jamey Whetstone, 37, as winemaker to replace Starr. He was an assistant at Turley. The wines were made at the Napa Wine Company from 40% of the production, the remainder was sold to neighbor Signorella, Joseph Phelps and Maclean.

The vineyard was sold in 2012 but the Harris' continued with the Pedras label sourced with fruit from a historic vineyard in Rutherford. They produce limited production of their Pedras Cabernet Sauvignon, and from 2016, Pedras rosé of Pinot Noir sourced from Sonoma County. Their recent releases were 2017 Pedras Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, 2016 Pedras Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, and 2017 Pedras Pedras Rosé of Pinot Noir.

Cellartracker shows 27 vintages of Ristow Estate Quinta de Pedras Cabernet Sauvignon with vintage releases as late as 2016, however, only a dozen bottles are indicated in inventory and no tasting notes posted for the vintages 2006 through 2016. They also all show the same label photo. The last indication of life for the brand was 2005. Some published reports cite between 100 and 130 cases were produced of the Ristow label in the following years.

At twenty-one years, this 1999 Ristow Cabernet Sauvignon, Quinta de Pedras Vineyard was outstanding and showed no signed of diminution from aging whatsoever. There is much life left in this release, I could imagine it lasting another ten years. The label, foil and cork were perfect, the neck caked with a layer of sediment. 

For the 1999 release, the Ristow Estate winemaker was Pam Starr and production was 1960 cases. 

Winemaker's Tasting Notes:

The dark purple colored wine exudes aromas of cassis, blackberry, chocolate and exotic spices. These generous flavors follow the aromas with wonderful concentration and acidity on the palate. The intense flavors are balanced by a mineral earthiness reflective of the distinctive rocky terroir, the thumb print of the Quinta de Pedras Vineyard. The wine possesses soft but persistent tannins that finish seamlessly and provide structure for aging.

My notes: Such a complex wine could easily of been mistaken for an aged, quality Bordeaux. Dark inky blackish purple colored, full bodied, intense bouquet of ripe black fruits exploded from the bottle upon opening, blackberry, plum, and black currant with aromas of exotic spice, herbs, anise, and dust,  fruit forward on the palate with ripe black fruits, cassis, dark mocha, spice, leather, earth, and a seamless integration of acid, alcohol and tannin with a long finish that went on and on and on.

RM 92 points.

This was was awarded  94 points by Wine Enthusiast and 92 points by Wine Spectator.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=23873

http://mcnees.org/winesite/labels/labels_California/lbl_CA_Ristow_Napa_quinta_de_pedras_cabernet_1999_remc.jpg