Old and recent reds with ribeye steaks

Old and recent Big Reds with Grilled Ribeye Beefsteaks

We hosted son Alec & daughter-in-law Vivanna and their girls for grilled rib-eye beefsteaks dinner, served with roasted potatoes, grilled mushrooms and onions, which Alec grilled while Linda prepared most of the rest of the meal, 

They came over to bring cupcakes and to have cake for/with cousin/grandaughter Lilac’s birthday for whom we were babysitting. 

I was going to pull one of the wines from the producers we visited together during our Rhône Valley Wine Experience back in 2018, but I pulled from the cellar a special, vintage aged wine from Alec’s birth year, from that southern Rhône appellation that we visited. We had just tasted this producer’s wines at the SoWal Wine Festival in (San) Destin, FL, featured in these pages in blogpost - SoWal Wine Festival Sandestin.

We also pulled a more recent vintage big red for those not so inclined to enjoy an aged vintage release, and a white to pair with the artisan cheese that Alec and Viv brought. 

On their way over, Alec & Viv picked up an artisan English Stilton Blue Cheese at Murray’s cheese-shop inside the local Mariano’s grovery. We have fun with these cheeses ever since we used to visit the original Murray’s Cheese retail shop and adjacent wine bar restaurant on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village, Manhatten when we visited them when they were living in nearby Chelsea. 

I love this cheese selection which provided a perfect pairing with the remains of the Barsac Sauterne we had left over from our neighborhood wine tasting last week in Destin - featured in this blogpost  Neighborhood Wine Tasting and Small Bites Gathering. 

Château Cantegril Barsac Bordeaux 2019

This is a highly-regarded, unclassified sweet dessert wine produced by the Dubourdieu family, owners of the winery since 1924. The Dubourdieu family also owns Chateau Doisy Daene a producer of Classified Sauternes.

Chateau Cantegril has a 22 hectare plot on the chalky plateau of the Haut Barsac. It is located where once a fortified castle of the same name stood back in the Middle Ages.

Barsac dessert wines tend to provide high QPR - quality price ratios, as more modest variations of the neighboring Sauternes, which tend to be slightly sweeter and richer, and far more expensive, due to the very small yield of the late harvested grapes ‘Botrytisized’ grapes. 

It is a blend of primarily Sémillon, 65%, and Sauvignon Blanc, 35%, grapes grown in limestone-rich soils.

Fermentation takes place in barrels having separated each sorted pick of each individual plot. It is aged 12 months in french oak barrels.

Annual Production is 30 000 bottles

Golden colored, full bodied, thick unctuous, rich, sweet nutty caramel fruits, with notes of pear, white flowers, ginger and passionfruit, citrus, honey, and spice with balanced acidity.

RM 89 points. 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wineFamily/1407573

Château Boisrenard Châteauneuf-du-Pape 1990 

We opened a wine from Domaine de Beaurenard whose wine we tasted at the recent SoWal Wine Festival. It is from Chateauneuf-du-Pape, in the Rhone Valley that we visited together during our Rhone Valley Wine Experience (We visited to Château La Nerthe and Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe as the other highlight of our visit to the appellations Châteauneuf-du-Pape.)

The Domane de Beaurenard has been a family run estate for seven generations and is today run by brothers Daniel and Frederic Coulon. The estate includes 80 acres in Chateauneuf-du-Pape and 62 acres in the Cotes du Rhone Villages Rasteau appellation. Robert M. Parker Jr. calls Domaine de Beaurenard “one of the old, classic estates of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Their two offerings include the dark-colored regular cuvee and the barrique-aged Cuvee Boisrenard…Both are top flight Chateauneuf-du-Papes…”

The winery has a tasting room located on Av. Saint-Pierre de Luxembourg, the main route as you enter the village Châteauneuf-du-Pape from the south. 

Domaine de Beaurenard is another Chateauneuf du Pape estate that can be called a true, family affair. That’s because the vineyards have been in the same family for 7 generations. Domaine de Beaurenard dates way back to 1695. At the time, it went under the name of “Bois Renard,” which as you might guess, is where the special Cuvee, used for both their red and white wines got its name.

Today, Domaine de Beaurenard is managed by Frederic Coulon and Daniel Coulon. Domaine de Beaurenard has been producing, bottling, and marketing their own wine for close to 100 years. They began making their own wine at Domaine de Beaurenard in 1929.

Domaine de Beaurenard sits in the village Chateauneuf du Pape. The estate consists of just under 80 acres of vines in the Chateauneuf du Pape appellation, 70 planted to red wine grapes and 10 are reserved for making white Chateauneuf du Pape wine. The vines are located in 25 separate parcels, with much of their Grenache planted in the Cabrieres lieu-dit east of the village.

The estate is classic, typical appellation terroir with clay, limestone, and large stones in the soil. They have old vines, with some of the Grenache dating back over 100 years. Domaine de Beaurenard also owns abiout 35 acres of vineyards in the Cotes du Rhone Villages and 150 acres of vines in the Rasteau AOC. 

While Domaine de Beaurenard grows all 13 Rhone allowed grape varieties for use in their red wine, the primary grapes used in the blend are the three required varietals; Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre, plus  some Cinsault, and tiny amounts of Counoise, Muscardin, Terret and Vaccarese.

The winemaking facilities were modernized in 2004. 

This is their premiere label, sourced from the same estate vineyards and produced at the same winery as their other production labels. We’ve held this bottle in our cellar for three decades since acquiring it upon release. 

At thirty five years, the foil and label, and more importantly, the fill level and cork were still in ideal condition - evidence of the cellaring conditions for long term aging in our cellar. 

This was still in its drinking window although nearing the end as it is showing its age slightly with a slight amount of rust coloration and small bit of funkiness upon opening, which blew off for more approachability on day two. Still enjoyable drinking, it is time to drink up soon, in the next couple of years. 

This release was rated 95 points by Wine Advocate back in the summer of 2000.

The wine is aged in three different sized vats, 30 hectoliter foudres, 80 hectoliter truncated oak vats, and 228-liter oak barrels for between 9 to 18 months depending on the wine and the character of the vintage.

Winemaker Notes - “Made from parcels of old vines (60-90 years in age) planted in terroirs of great personality and complexity. Grapes picked when fully ripe and meticulously hand-sorted for extra concentration. Very low yield: 15-20 hl/hectare. These old vines were planted in a mix of varieties: the symphony of 13 varieties is thus in evidence, but with a majority of Grenache. This wine spends a long time in vats, and is matured in the most traditional ways: no filtration, 18 months' ageing in oak casks, fined with fresh egg whites, bottled and left to rest in the cellars.”

Dense ruby/purple-colored, full bodied, black fruits with hints of black tea, cassis and spice box touch of oak.

RM 90 points 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/30341

I also pulled a more recent Big Red Syrah for the ladies, less inclined to enjoy the mature, aged CDP. 

Lewis Cellars Ethans Syrah 2016

We love this big full throttle style of Syrah with thick, concentrated, rich round fruits. True to the wine profile, it was packaged in an extra heavy glass bottle. 

I've often written in these pages about the fun we have with this Lewis branding, with its signature 'L' on the label, ala the sit-com Laverne and Shirley, where Laverne always wore a large “L” on her sweaters,  which we also attribute to wife Linda, or her mother Lucy, or our daughter Erin Leigh, or her daughter, our first grandchild/daughter Lucy, and other grand-daughters Lavender and Lilac, when opening it for special family occasions such as tonight 

We’ve featured this producer and this label in several previous blogposts in these pages - Father's Day Special Dinner features favorite BBQ Ribs, Syrah and Zin, and Lewis Ethan's Syrah - Piazza Del Dotto Sangiovese, excerpted below.

We visited Lewis Cellars with our wine group during our Pour Boys' 2017 Napa Wine Experience, and, Alec and Viv also visited Lewis during their Napa Valley honeymoon getaway. 

We also have fun paying tribute to the ‘Hoosier’ heritage of proprietor Randy Lewis who was also a Indianapolis 500 race driver from our native Indiana, and, their affinity to family, naming labels after their grandkids - Alec, Ethan and Mason. We adopted Alec's Blend as a signature label for son Alec and feature it at family celebrations, we more often than not open Lewis wines for family occasions, such as tonight. 

This label, Ethan's Syrah, is made from cooler-climate vines, from mountain fruit crafted from small lots selected from Mt. Veeder and Pritchard Hill at the south end of the Vaca range on the eastern range, and Mayacamas range, respectively, on the western range forming and overlooking Napa Valley in between. 

Lewis Cellars Syrah is a nod to the great Rhône wines it's modeled after. It is aged in American oak. 

We love Lewis' style of big, spicy, concentrated wines that are balanced, yet full of black fruit and mature, mouth-coating tannins.

This was aged in American and French oak for 19 months.

This was stunningly good. Dark inky blackish purple, full bodied, concentrated, dense rich, the 100% Syrah fruit explodes in the mouth with flavors of ripe blackberries and blueberries, notes of clove spice, smoke and toast. and spice, tongue coating, chewy tannins on the long finish. Spectacular! 

RM 94 points.  

Winemaker's notes on this wine, "Savory  and  sweet  with  ripe  boysenberry  and  blue  fruit, lavender,  pancetta  and  white  truffle,  it  exudes  an  earthy,  engaging  character.  Vivid,  clean  and focused   on   the   palate,   the   wine  finishes   with  a  flourish  of  mineral   and  white  pepper."

Wine Spectator also gave this 94 points; "Plush yet well-structured, with luxurious blackberry, mocha and smoky spice flavors that build richness toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2025. — T.F."

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3060607

https://www.lewiscellars.com/

Christmas Celebration & Dinner

 We hosted the family for a gala Christmas celebration, exchanging of gifts, followed by dinner and an accompaniment of wine pairings. 

At grandson Jessie’s request, Linda prepared Beef Wellington, with roasted vegetables and potatoes and pasta.

Prior to dinner we served an extensive selection of artisan cheeses, charcuterie, shrimp cocktail, fresh fruits, salad and sweets with holiday punch bowl. 

We served a broad flight of wines beginning with Champagne, vintage Bordeaux and ultra-premium Napa Valley Reds. 

We started with two Brut Champagnes, both from special release festive Christmas bottles, one in large format Magnum.

G. H. Mumm Grand Cordon Brut Rose’ NV

We bought a case of this special bottling for the holidays and it has been extremely popular and well received over several dinners and holiday gatherings. I wrote about this producer and label in this blogpost about one of those events - Festive wine for Christmas Social Gathering.

Piper Heidesieck Cuvee’ Brut Champagne

There’s always room for Champagne, and always a crowd pleaser! 

I opened for the occasion this large format magnum special limited edition bottle of Piper Heidseick Brut NV Champaign.  This festive red bottle was released a couple years ago over the Christmas holidays and I bought a couple cases of the picturesque festive bottles for the holidays and for special occasions such as this. 

I also opened several of these large format bottles for son Alec and Viviana's wedding celebration dinner as featured in this blogpost at the time - Wedding Wines - Birthyear and Big Bottle Extravaganza Continues.

This is a traditional blend of primarily Pinot Noir (for structure) and Pinot Meunier (for fruit), with Chardonnay (for elegance). This is sourced from over 100 Crus (vineyard plots) throughout the Champagne region which provides consistency from vintage to vintage as well we as complexity and depth.

This perennial favorite was rated 92 points by Wine Spectator, and 90 points by Jeb Dunnuck and James Suckling.

Pale golden colored, medium bodied, creamy, fruity, fine, persistent bubbles highlight notes of fresh pear, apple, almond, hazelnut, brioche, and a touch of spice and lemon citrus with a smooth, balanced finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?1279843

Château Figeac St Emilion Grand Cru Classe 1990

I pulled from the cellar another large format magnum of this birthyear vintage right bank Bordeaux, from one of our favorite producers. We’ve served this wine at many special occasions including birthyear vintages for the kids’ wedding and anniversary celebrations. I wrote about this producer in this blogpost following one such occasion - Birthyear vintage Silver Oak Bonny's, Figeac for father-son dinner.

Our CellarTracker records indicate we have more than a decade of vintages of this label dating back to and including our kids’ birthyear vintages, 1981, 1982, 1985 and this 1990 release, many in large format bottles. 

This right bank blend is roughly one-third each of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. It was aged in 100% new oak.

This release was rated 96 points by Decanter, 94 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and 90 points by Wine Spectator and Jeb Dunnuck.

Winemaker Notes - “With its pedigree style, Château Figeac epitomises the elegance of the great wines of Bordeaux. Its unique style gradually shows through and develops over time. This great wine displays a distinctive rich nose that has wonderful aromatic complexity. On the palate, the Cabernet Sauvignon reveals lovely floral aromas in the first year then, as the wine ages, great structure on the palate. The Cabernet Franc brings lots of freshness in the tannins, and the Merlot contributes roundness and flesh. The attack on the palate is clean, the texture is silky, and the complexity elegant. The characteristic freshness of Figeac is underpinned by great length of flavor. With its long aging potential, the wine goes on in time to reveal hints of forest floor, leather, cigar-box and licorice – always with its hallmark elegance.”

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, writing about tasting this release as part of a vertical tasting at the Château Figeac property in June 2015 said, “The 1990 Figeac was drinking gloriously and this is perhaps the best bottle that I have tasted. It is noticeably deep in color, deeper and more lucid than many vintages from the 1980s. There is something still "old school" about this Figeac, but it certainly would be my pick from this era.”

At thirty-five years, the label, foil and most importantly, the fill level were ideal for the age. The cork was partially saturated but still intact and in decent condition. 

Deep garnet colored with an ever so slight rust hue showing age, medium-bodied to full bodied, black earthy currant, berry and plum fruits with notes of black olive and black tea, tobacco leaf and hints of black truffle and smoke with with chewy tannins on a tangy lingering finish.

RM 91 points. 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/179893

Ryan brought from his home cellar this limited release highly allocated ultra-premium Napa Cabernet. 

Seven Apart “Shale” Napa Valley Stags Ridge Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 

Seven Apart is from proprietor/producer Don Dady who purchased the Stags Ridge Vineyard in 2018. The property sits up on Pritchard Hill at the southern end of the Vaca Mountain range that forms the eastern wall of Napa Valley. 

At 1,400 feet, the vineyard faces the Pritchard Gap, looking to the south with a view to San Francisco Bay. At an elevation above the fog line, the site gets generous sun exposure with afternoon breezes that blow in from the San Francisco Bay to cool down the vineyard. The breeze is said to help balance the sugar levels and acidity of the grapes. 

The rocky mountain site is covered with giant rocks that winemaker Andy Erickson says “The soil is more like a cobblestone street. Scattered throughout, some of the rock are so large that we couldn’t install trellising into the ground!” According to him, the soil contributes big, round tannins and concentration to the Seven Apart Shale wine. 

The site was developed in 1999, when the volcanic rocks, some the size of small cars, were excavated, and the land was finally cleared and planted with grapevines. The resulting vineyard was named Stags Ridge.

Acclaimed winemaker Andy Erickson produces four distinct estate Seven Apart Cabernet Sauvignon wines: Seven Apart Expedition, Seven Apart Shale, Seven Apart Basalt, and Seven Apart Summit. 

“While it may seem odd to craft three Cabernet Sauvignons from the same vineyard, that’s also the challenge for me. Even within one vineyard, you might have one section that gives you one unique element and another section that gives you something completely different. I view it as my mission to create unique expressions of our dramatic vineyard site on Atlas Peak,” says Andy.

This label Seven Apart ‘Shale’ is named for the shale rock, fine-grained, laminated soil and rock in the Stags Ridge vineyard. The name refers to the ‘soft finely stratified sedimentary rock formed from consolidated mud or clay and can be split easily into fragile plates.’ As the name suggests, the “Shale” label represents the finer, more detailed side of Seven Apart winemaking. 

Winemaker notes - “Seven Apart Shale is beautifully layered,” opens Andy. “It is simultaneously hard, yet also easily pliable rock. This dichotomy of texture is really what we want the namesake wine to capture. It’s layered, but in a soft, gentle way that means you can dig into it easily.”

“While it may seem odd to craft three Cabernet Sauvignons from the same vineyard, that’s also the challenge for me. Even within one vineyard, you might have one section that gives you one unique element and another section that gives you something completely different. I view it as my mission to create unique expressions of our dramatic vineyard site on Atlas Peak,” says Andy.

Seven Apart Shale is more delicate. Andy describes the Seven Apart Shale as being crafted with softer tannins and a subtler aromatic profile.

When they harvest the grapes and collect the individual components from the different vineyard blocks,  they let them age for a year separately before they start crafting the blending. The winemaking team taste for specific components that have the elegance and finesse best suited to the Seven Apart Shale style and start forming a blend. Once the envisioned Seven Apart Shale blend is composed, the wine is aged 24 months in the finest French oak.

 

For the 2018 Seven Apart Shale, Andy and the Seven Apart team selected only 9 barrels to be ‘worthy of this final bottling’. Described as graceful yet powerful, the latest 2018 vintage was produced from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Stags Ridge vineyard. 

Winemaker notes - “At first sight, it shows a notable black-purple hue and great density. On the nose are intense aromas of black licorice and cassis, along with savory tones of teak oil, sage, baked bread, and chaparral. The wine brims with intense berry flavors, as well as soy, thyme, and orange blossoms. Along with the voluminous palate impression, the tannins are highly polished, making for a long, velvety finish.”

This label release was rated 94 points by Vinous, 93 pints by James Suckling,

Dark purple/ruby colored, full bodied, deep rich, round, powerful, expressive concentrated but finely integrated bright vibrant ripe blackberry, black cherry and black currant fruits accent by clove spice, graphite, mint, cedar, rose petals and cassis licorice with firm but silky polished tannins on the lingering finish.  

RM 95 points. 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/3905517

https://sevenapart.com/behind-the-bottle-1-seven-apart-shale-cabernet-sauvignon/

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?3975575  

We dove back into our cellar to find a suitable pairing with the Seven Apart and pulled this 100 point Napa Valley Bordeaux varietal blend from the same vintage. 

Continuum Napa Valley Proprietary Red Blend 2018

Like the Seven Apart, this is 100% estate grown and made, sourced from a single vineyard, the Continuum Sage Mountain Vineyard, high up on Pritchard Hill in the Vaca Range along the eastern ridge high above the town of Oakville. 

The Continuum estate is on the backside of Pritchard Hill, over the hill opposite the David Arthur estate and vineyards that we visited during our Napa Wine Experience in 2013, as featured in this blogpost - David Arthur Napa Valley Estate Vineyards and Winery.

We also visited Pritchard Hill and the Chappellet Vineyards estate down the road back in 2009. Within sight of the Continuum estate, Pritchard hill is the home to illustrious neighbors, iconic cult wine producers including Bryant, Colgin and Dalla Valle.

Continuum is from the iconic Mondavi Family who founded this brand after selling the historic Robert Mondavi to Constellation Brands. Continuum was set up in 2005, a partnership between Tim Mondavi, his father Robert, and sister Marcia, (who lives in New York). 

Initially, they produced a Bordeaux blend with grapes sourced from the famous To Kalon vineyard. Meanwhile, after an extensive search, they found the site 70 acre vineyard on Pritchard Hill, about half, 41 acres planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, a third to Cabernet Franc, and the smaller remainder to Merlot and Petit Verdot

After years of searching hillside estates, in 2008 and 2009, the family acquired contiguous parcels on the slopes of Pritchard Hill along the eastern ridge of Napa Valley, now known as Sage Mountain Vineyard, the core of Continuum Estate. 

The Continuum estate Sage Mountain Vineyard sitting high on Pritchard Hill along the eastern ridge above Oakville, overlooks Napa Valley with views in the distance of the San Francisco Bay.

In total, the vineyard is comprised of 38 distinct vineyard blocks planted to Bordeaux varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Merlot. The vineyards sit above the fog line at an elevation of 1300 to 1600 feet facing to the western and south with some blocks with slight northern and eastern views. Continuum credits this diversity of plantings in the volcanic soils with the complexity of the estate bottled wines. The rocky, volcanic soils of the site force the vine’s energy to produce low yields that contribute to the fruit’s depth and complexity.

The first three vintages (2005–2007) of Continuum were not from today’s estate vineyard but were sourced primarily from Marjorie’s Vineyard within the historic To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville, plus some fruit from Stags Leap District.

The first three vintages of Continuum, from 2005 to 2007, were sourced primarily from Marjorie’s Vineyard within the historic To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville, located on the valley floor near the Robert Mondavi estate, representing the family’s past, plus some fruit from Stags Leap District.

Before this acquisition, the property had been a conventionally farmed, rocky 70 acre vineyard that needed extensive work; Tim brought in former Mondavi colleagues to re-graft, replant, and convert it toward organic and biodynamic practices.

Following early vintages sourcing fruit from To Kalon and Stags Leap, the 2008 vintage was the first that included some fruit from the new estate site. From the 2012 vintage onward, Continuum has been sourced exclusively from Sage Mountain Vineyard on Pritchard Hill, making it a true single-estate wine rather than a blend of purchased valley-floor fruit.

Having developed and transformed the property and vineyard, they build winery facilities, completed in 2013, establishing the ability for the first time, the family were able to grow, produce, and bottle from a single estate the product of a singular site. The year 2013 also marked Tim Mondavi’s 40th year making wine as well as the 100th anniversary of Robert’s birth.

The 2018 Continuum has an average vine age of 20 years reflecting 38 acres of mature estate vineyard, planted in 1991 and 1996, with additional plantings in 2004 and 2010. 

This 2018 release is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Cabernet Franc, 9% Petit Verdot and 6% Merlot.

Winemakers notes - “The 2018 growing season was a winemaker’s dream given the overall cooler weather patterns paired with ample sunshine. The spring brought timely, abundant rainfall nourishing the earth and setting the stage for a healthy crop. Moderately cool temperatures post veraison allowed the fruit an extended hang time, retaining vibrancy and evolving character complexity. Berry size was smaller than average though berry count was up given the bountiful rain. Crop size was generous for the estate at 2.4 tons per acre-still quite small by any measure. Harvest began 135 days from bloom on September 27th, and continued at an unforced and purposeful pace, thanks to record cool weather in August and September. Harvest concluded on October 22nd.’

Wine Production - “Continuum is 100% estate grown, produced and bottled. All fruit is selectively hand-harvested at night. The fruit is then sorted before and after de-stemming, and gravity fed into French oak or concrete tanks. A three-day cold soak is followed by fermentation, receiving three to four pump overs daily, and délestage two to three times in total during the most active period. The wine remains on skins in tank for 20 to 40 days. All lots are then drained, basket pressed, and transferred with lees for malolactic fermentation and aging. In 2018, Continuum spent 22 months in barrel. 63 percent of French oak barrels were new and 35 percent were once used.A single concrete amphora was also used for aging.The wine clarified slowly and settled naturally in our cold barrel room, was racked sparingly and bottled without fining or filtration.Each vineyard lot was tasted and carefully considered many times to assemble the 2018 blend.”

Winemaker Notes - The 2018 Continuum shows energy and verve. The wine expresses purity and precision, with high tone aromatics of red and blue fruit, deep plum and rose oil. This vintage shows an approachable nerve of the land in the refined mineral quality on the palate. The surrounding native vegetation of bay and sage is evidenced in an earthy, savory profile. This is a shimmering, silky and harmoniously integrated wine with densely packed fine grain tannins.”

This was rated a perfect 100 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Wilfred Wong of Wine.com, and James Suckling, 99 by Wine Independent, 98 points by Vinous, 97 points by Jeb Dunnuck and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, and 94 points by Wine Spectator. 

Deep garnet-purple colored, full bodied, dense, concentrated, complex yet smooth, polished and elegant, integrated and balanced ripe red and black fruits, blackberry, blackcurrant and black cherry fruits with notes of mocha, cassis, graphite, black tea and dusty rose with gentle silky smooth fine grained tannins in the long finish. 

RM 96 points. 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/3778487

https://www.continuumestate.com/

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?3975575 

Hall Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon  2018

We also opened this Hall Napa Valley Cabernet from the same vintage. We’ve visited the Hall Rutherford estate vineyard and winery on numerous trips to Napa Valley, one in 2017, and previously back in 2013, and hold an extensive collection of their wines spanning more than two decades.  

Winemaker Notes - “Hall 2018 Napa Valley Cabernet is deep ruby in the glass, and displays effusive aromas of crème de cassis, dark plum, anise, and dried herbs. The palate is lush and layered with fine-grained tannins supporting flavors of dark berry, cocoa, and a hint of freshly turned earth. The long and supple finish showcases the impeccable growing season that allowed us to coax the very best from each of our unique vineyard sites.”

This was rated 93 points by Wine Spectator.

Dark garnet colored medium to full bodied, dense concentrated black berry and plum fruits with notes of cassis, dark licorice, tobacco leaf, black tea, black olive and pain grille’ with smooth polished tannins on the finish.

RM 92 points. 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/3883343

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2013/04/hall-napa-valley-rutherford-estate.html

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/08/hall-rutherford-winery-estate.html

Uriah Right Bank Blend with grilled beefsteaks

Uriah Right Bank Blend with grilled beefsteaks in celebration tribute

We attended grand-daughter Lucy’s graduation where she received several honors including giving a speech to the entire graduating class and guests. 

It’s hard to believe time passes so quickly and we’re so proud of her. 

We came home for a late dinner and pulled from the cellar one of our favorite wines from her birthyear vintage as our own mini tribute celebration. 

We ate some of the leftover ribeye steak from the other evening, along with baked sweet potatoes, ideally paired with this Right Bank Bordeaux blend. 

Uriah Spring Valley Vineyards Red Blend 2010

This was a fitting selection, not only as a birthyear vintage, but it is also a family oriented label and producer. All the Spring Valley Vineyars labels are named for a family member. This label “Uriah”, is named for the Spring Valley Vineyards founder Uriah Corkrum, grandfather of matriarch owner producer Shari Corkrum Derby. 

All of the Spring Valley wines are named for one of the ancestral or current family members and are showcased in an annual box set. Shown is our set commemorating the 2013 vintage releases, one of several in our collection. 

Uriah Corkrum was born in Walla Walla on June 1, 1866. He began successfully farming on his own during the 1880s. Unusual summer rain kept him from getting his harvested wheat to the warehouse so he lost everything in the depression of 1893. He persevered and, in 1897, acquired land in the area known as Spring Valley that is the site of the vineyards today. 

Uriah is featured on the flagship label Uriah Spring Valley Red Blend. This is our favorite label from the Spring Valley portfolio. 

Spring Valley Vineyard wines are all produced from 100% estate-grown fruit, a relative rarity in Washington. Washington State and regional powerhouse Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estates purchased the winery and the brand from the Derby family recently, but they continue to own and operate the vineyards.

We visited Spring Valley during our appellation visit to the Walla Walla (Washington) wine region in the fall of 2018. We visited the Spring Valley Vineyardtasting room in downtown Walla Walla, then ventured out to the vineyards and winery northeast of town. There, we met Dean Derby patriarch, and husband to Shari Corkrum Derby, grand-daughter of Uriah Corkrum, namesake for this label.

Meeting Mr. Derby was one of the highlights of our Walla Walla Wine Experience, especially since he has since passed on. We posted a Tribute to Dean Derby and memorium of that visit - Spring Valley Vineyard toward the end of 2021.

The Uriah label from Spring Valley Vineyards in Walla Walla, Washington is a “Right Bank” Bordeaux Blend, meaning it is Merlot based like those from the northeastern or right bank of the Gironde River.

We hold nearly a decade of vintages of this label including birth year vintages of several of our grandkids. We’ve tasted and featured this label from many vintages numerous times in these pages as featured in this collection of posts - https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/search?q=Uriah.

Spring Valley Vineyards “Uriah” Walla Walla Valley Red Wine 2010

This release was rated 94 points by Wine Spectator back in 2013, and was recognized “Top 100 Wines of 2013, Highly Recommended”.

In the Right Bank Bordeaux style this is 46% Merlot, 40%, Cabernet Franc, 6%, Petite Verdot, 5%, Cabernet Sauvignon and 3%, Malbec.

At fifteen years, the foil, label, and most importantly, the cork and fill level were perfect and this was likely at the apex of its drinking window, still young and capable of aging for several more years. 

I wrote about this wine back in 2013 when I wrote: “ This may be the most expressive Uriah I have tasted. It is the most complex on the front and most vibrant on the finish that I remember. We hold each vintage going back to 2002.”

Tonight was consistent with that earlier tasing. Dark ruby colored, full bodied, complex layers of tight spicy red currant and black raspberry fruits, accented by spicy clove, hints of smoky anise and tobacco, turning to a big mouthful of subtle cinnamon and hint of mocha on a tongue tingling acidic finish with smooth dusty tannins.

RM 92 points. 

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2013/12/spring-valley-vineyard-uriah-walla_19.html

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1267234

http://www.springvalleyvineyard.com/

Easter Celebration Family Dinner Vintage Bordeaux & Beef Tenderloin

Easter Celebration Family Dinner Vintage Bordeaux & Beef Tenderloin

We hosted the family for a gala Easter Celebration dinner and (grand) kids Easter egg hunt. 

For diner we grilled a complete beef tenderloin served roasted potatoes, broccoli casserole and creative and imaginative corn nibblets preparation, slices of the kernel sections off the corn cob roasted, that we discovered at Stacy’s beachfront Restaurant in Crystal Beach during our recent trip to Destin, FL. 

For a wine accompaniment with dinner I pulled from the cellar a flight of Bordeaux varietals red blend wines anchored by a magnum of Erin’s birthyear Château Léoville-Barton St Julien Bordeaux 1981.

Château Léoville-Barton Grand Cru Classé Saint-Julien Bordeaux 1981

It is always a privilege and pleasure to meet the always friendly and delightful Lilian Barton-Sartorius from Château Léoville-Barton at the annual tasting of the UGCB (Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB)). She is a regular visitor each year at the annual release tour visit to Chicago, unveiling/showcasing their most recent vintage release wines.

Lilian Barton-Sartorius - Château
Leoville and Langoa Barton

The Union is the association of 130 members of the top premier estates from the most prestigious Bordeaux appellations.

Ch. Léoville Barton is a Second Growth Saint-Julien estate, one of the three famous original Léoville estates (along with Léoville Poyferré and Léoville Las Cases). 

Until the nineteenth century, the Domaine de Léoville Barton was one of the largest and oldest crus in the Médoc extending from the vineyards of Château Beychevelle on the southern edge of the St Julien appellation, all the way to Château Latour at the northern border of St Julien and Pauillac. 

It was a result of the French Revolution that the estate was divided into three parts between the years 1826 and 1840, Château Léoville Las Cases, Château Léoville Barton and Château Léoville Poyferré.

The two Barton estates, still owned by the Barton family today (along with Ch. Langoa Barton), date back to founder, Irish trader Thomas Barton who arrived in Bordeaux in 1725. 

He was an important figure in the wine trade during his lifetime but didn't buy any vineyards. It was his grandson, Hugh, who first purchased Château Langoa in Saint-Julien in 1821, and later acquired a part of the Léoville estate, which would become Ch. Léoville Barton.

The estate remains in the family today under the stewardship of Lilian Barton and her children Melanie and Damien have both joined the family business. 

We toured the historic Château Léoville-Barton grounds and vineyards at the estate during our visit to Saint Julien back in 2019.

The 130 acre estate with its classicSaint-Julien terroir of rich gravelly soil along the Gironde River estuary is planted to the specified varietals, with Cabernet Sauvignon accounting for a little more than 70 percent, with the remainder Merlot and a small amount of Cabernet Franc.

The wine cellar still maintains large wooden vats, with some dating as far back as 1963, while much of the rest of the region moved to stainless steel, Léoville Barton remained loyal to its traditions. Following fermentation, the wine is aged in French barrels (60% new) for around 20 months. 

Tonight, this proved to be an extraordinary, perfect wine and food pairing that complemented and amplified both. 

I write often in these pages about such a pairing, when properly done will indeed attenuate the enjoyment of both the food and the accompanying wine. 

Château Léoville-Barton Saint Julien Bordeaux 1981

I recently purchased several bottles of the most recent 2022 release of this label. was replenishing my stock. I came across several bottles from the OWC (original wood case) from the acquisition upon release of this vintage label. This is also one of the few remaining labels we hold from that 1981 vintage, birthyear of our daughter Erin. 

While the 1981 Bordeaux vintage was a bit lackluster and less worthy of long term cellaring, this bottle in its 43rd year was amazingly in remarkable condition - the fill level being just below the foil, and the cork still holding together albeit a bit saturated. The label, as shown, was soiled, and the cork was slightly saturated, but still intact to be able to be extracted with an Ahso two pronged cork puller (shown). 

I know that holding this wine for more than four decades was less than ideal and was a bit concerned about the state of this wine, despite its known provenance, having been in our cellar since release. 

The wine, while showing its age with some minor signs of diminution from aging, ie. slight browning of the color, was still showing full round fruits, with depth and breadth of flavors and smooth supple structured tannins.   

What a relief to get aromas of fruit and appropriate positive accents, and good color as I decanted the wine. Even with the slightly deteriorated cork, this bottle was still very much approachable and within its acceptable drinking window! No doubt the age worthiness was accentuated due to the larger format 1.5l magnum bottle.

Alas, this is the joy of having a deep wine cellar with many vintages across which to compare, over time, even across the decades!  My Cellartracker records indicate we have more than a dozen vintages of this label dating back to this vintage and the iconic 1982, 1955 and 1990 vintages, which we're still holding as birth-year wines for our three sons. 

After three hours of settling prior to pouring, the wine showed remarkably well. Compare this to the 1981 vintage Chateau Palmer we opened at Christmas dinner which did not fare nearly as well. 

Dark garnet colored, medium to full bodied, complex yet nicely balanced and full round flavors of black currant and black cherry fruits accented by very nice notes of all earth, wood, spice and tobacco with some savory sprites of black olive and cedar, finishing with moderate smooth polished tannins the finish - a nice match to the savory sauce accenting our grilled beefsteak. 

RM 88 points. 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/159583

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2023/01/ugcb-2020-vintage-release-tour-chicago.html

https://www.leoville-barton.com/

https://twitter.com/bartonwine

@Bartonwine

We followed this wine with another Bordeaux that I featured in a separate follow on blogpost - 

Château Larmande St Emilion Grand Cru Classé for Easter Dinner.

Groth Birthyear Vintage Napa Cab for festive family holiday dinner

Groth Birthyear Vintage Napa Cab for festive family holiday dinner

Further to our Festive Christmas Eve family dinner featured in an earlier blogpost, we also opened an aged birthyear vintage bottle for the occasion.,

We hold in our cellar collection a horizontal of wines for each of our kids’ (and grandkids’) birth year vintages that we hold to open for special occasions and family gatherings. So it was that tonight I also pulled from the cellar a birthyear vintage wine for son Alec, joining us for Christmas Eve dinner. 

As our kid’s get older, the window for holding and tasting birth year wines is rapidly closing, and, we still hold a collection of wines that need to be consumed. In this case, for our youngest son Alec, the 1990 vintage was especially extraordinary.  

Three #1 Wine Spectator Top 
100 Wines from 1990 vintage

Three times, three different wines from the 1990 vintage were awarded #1 Wine of the Year by Wine Spectator Magazine as part of their annual Top 100 Wines of the Year.. 

This is a testament to the global success of the vintage, one was from California, one from Bordeaux and one from South Australia, a further testament to the amazing spectacular 1990 vintage. 

 

All these wines were acquired upon their release back in the early nineties, in some cases, even before being so recognized and heralded.  

We also hold large format bottles of birth year vintage wines for these years in our collection. I blogged about these wines and big bottles in a previous blogposts. 

Tonight, with the hearty beef roast dinner, I pulled from the cellar this 1990 Napa Cabernet for a wine pairing. 

Groth Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1990 

This is the standard Groth estate cuvee’ offering. It had 15% Merlot added to round out the blend. 

We visited the Groth Estate back in the late nineties for a tour and tasting.

Notably winemaker for this wine was none other than Nils Venge.  

This release awarded 90-92 points by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, and 90 points by Wine Spectator.  

The Wine Advocate Review was back in 06/1992. The Wine Spectator Review was a decade later  in 02/2001.

Parker referred to the classic Groth style - sweet, almost intensely opulent fruit flavors, silky tannins, and hedonistic.

At thirty four years of age, aside the soiled label, the foil, and most importantly the fill level and the cork were in ideal condition. 

This bottle was past its prime drinking window and was showing diminution from age. The body was slightly murky and the dark garnet color was taking on a slight brownish hue. The blackberry fruits were turning slightly tart and starting to give way to non-fruit flavors of earth, tobacco and leather, with notes still apparent of herbs, coffee, spice and cassis with tangy acid predominating on the finish. A momento tasting but time to drink up as a last vestige of this vintage cuvée. 

RM 86 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=35189

https://grothwines.com/

https://x.com/GrothWines

@GrothWines

@unwindwine