Robert Craig Napa Valley Affinity 2004

Robert Craig Napa Valley Affinity 2004

From one of our favorite producers, with a perfectly prepared Pittsburgh style strip steak prepared by Linda at home, I pulled from the cellar this long time favorite, Robert Craig Napa Valley Affinity 2004.


Indeed, we've been collecting this wine since its' inaugural vintage in 1993 and we still hold more than a dozen vintages. Crafted to provide a sophisticated Cabernet Sauvignon at a reasonable price with early gratification, Affinity defies this approach with its age worthiness.

R&L with Robert at Harvest Party

We may hold more Robert Craig wine in our cellar than any other producer. We've been fans of Robert Craig since the early nineties. We've been to many events at the winery as well as several private functions with Robert, his wife Lynn, and Rachel and various members of the Craig team.  

This ten year old 2004 remains consistent with earlier tasting notes, deep dark purple inky color, the ripe berry fruit aromatics, full body, ripe berry fruit, accented by a undercurrent of caramel are starting to give way to a layer of anise, tobacco, leather and firm full tannins on the long fruit filled finish. Tasted from a 375 ml split. In this smaller format, it may be starting to show its age.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=323482

http://www.robertcraigwine.com/

Wine Bottle Sizes...Bigger is Better

Right Bottle Sizes...Bigger (or Smaller) is Better
 

Rick with Salmanazar served
at daughter Erin's wedding

There is great novelty and fun in opening and serving wine or Champagne from a large bottle. For parties, business dinners, special occasions, private dining, any gathering of a group, there is a bottle size to fit the occasion. 

As mentioned in my last post, "Large format bottles serve festive celebration dinner", we're big fans of serving large format bottles for special occasions. As noted, our collection of large format bottles commemorating the birth years of each of our kids was the basis for our large bottle feature in Wine Spectator Magazine. Those bottles were a big hit and great fun as well as a tribute at our kid's weddings.  

For a large gathering, besides the utility of not having to open so many bottles, a large bottle also affords another unique opportunity - its also fun to have all the quests sign the label of a large bottle as the labels are proportionately larger with the large bottles.

Michelle & Sean - 6L Napa Cab
for their rehearsal dinner

From my blog posting from a recent wine tasting (see Half Bottle Mania offers twice the tasting options), I chose half bottles that allowed for a more extensive tasting. While the fun of big bottles is evident, its not as widely known or practiced that opening half size bottles offers twice the number of tasting experience options in the same setting.

Opening small format bottles that evening allowed us to taste seven different wines instead of perhaps three had we opened regular or standard size bottles. You've no doubt see such small format bottles where they are used for single servings such as for individual consumption on airplanes or in hotel mini-bars. 

Just this week, there was a news feature about  Moët & Chandon unveiling a vending machine offering single serving wine bottles for swank shoppers at tony upscale department stores in London.

Bottle Shapes 

For starters, there are different shape bottles for different wine types. The most common shape bottles are those associated with red wines from Bordeaux or California. These 'Bordeaux' bottles have straight sides and tall shoulders (shown left). 

Notably, many of the popular California wines from Napa and Sonoma are of the Bordeaux varietals, that being, made from grapes generally grown in Bordeaux and comprising Bordeaux wines - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot.  White wines using the same bottle shape are Sauvignon Blanc or Semillon. 

Wines grown from grapes most common and popular in the Burgundy wine region of France are Pinot Noir  and Chardonnay. Those wines are associated with bottles with gently sloping shoulders (shown right), often sturdy, heavy bottles, with a slightly fatter girth than the Bordeaux style wine bottles. 

For the most popular wine bottle shape, that associated with Bordeaux and Napa/Sonoma varietals, there are 13 different bottle sizes. The larger sized bottles are produced in less quantity than the standard size bottle, and are always worth more than just double or proportionately the price of the regular size bottle. 

Many California Cabernet Sauvignons, Red Bordeaux, and Red Burgundies are produced and subsequently collected in these larger formats. It is generally accepted that wine will age better - longer, more gracefully and uniformly in a large format bottle - hence another reason for their popularity with collectors. 

I recall seeing several Nebuchadnezzars (12 to 16 liter bottles) and a couple Sovereigns (50 liter bottles) in one California wine producer's cellar for his personal collection as well as to serve their library (shown left).

Horizontal Selection of 1981 Bordeaux and California large format bottles from Rick's Cellar that were served at daugher Erin's wedding.
Not shown: 1981 Chateau Palmer, Lynch Bages, Ducru Beaucaillou, Cos' d_Estournel, Chateau Beaucatel and Silver Oak large format bottles.

 

The 13 Standard Bordeaux/California Bottle Sizes
SPLIT Made only for Sparkling Wine.	187 ml.	1/4 of a standard bottle
HALF-BOTTLE	375 ml.	1/2 of a standard bottle
BOTTLE	750 ml.	1 standard bottle
MAGNUM	1.5 liters	Equal to 2 standard bottles.
DOUBLE MAGNUM	3 liters	Equal to 4 standard bottles.
JEROBOAM - This is what Champagne and Burgundy call their 3 liter bottles. Equal to 4 standard bottles.
REHOBOAM	About 4.5 liters.	Equal to 6 standard bottles.
JEROBOAM	5 liters	Equal to about 6 3/4 standard bottles.
IMPERIAL	6 liters	Equal to 8 standard bottles.
METHUSALEM - This is what they call an "Imperial" in Champagne and Burgundy.
SALMANAZER This one is a case of wine in one bottle.	9 liters	12 standard bottles.
BALTHAZAR	12 liters.	Equal to 16 standard bottles.
NEBUCHADNEZZAR	12 to 16 liters	Depending on the country of origin this will be from 16 to 20 standard bottles.
SOVERIGN	50 liters	67 standard bottles.

Champagne has its own distinctive popular shape and also comes in its own range of sizes. The design of the Champagne bottle also has gently sloping shoulders. Because of the pressure inside a sparkling (bubbly) wine bottle (as much as 90 psi or three times the pressure in a car tire), they have thicker glass and have a deep 'punt'  or indentation on the underside. Champagne is the most popular and most common in using small and larger bottles. The magnum is a double sized bottle (1.5 liters) and is one of the best selling sized bottles for Champagne. We've all seen the winner of a Formula One race spraying the crowd from a large format, Jeroboam (4 liter bottle) of Champagne. Or more likely, one has see the locker room scene of the World Series or NBA champions, spraying the room from magnums of Champagne. 

Display of range of bottles offered at Moet Chandon Champagne House in
Epernay, Champagne, France

Standard Champagne Bottle Sizes

Bottle Name	Bottle Equivalency	Capacity
Split	1/4 bottle	18.7 cl
Half	1/2 bottle	37.5 cl
Bottle	1 bottle	750 ml
Magnum	2 bottles	1.5 l
Jeroboam	4 bottles	3 l
Rehoboam	6 bottles	4.5 l
Methuselah	8 bottles	6 l
Salmanazar	12 bottles	9 l
Balthazar	16 bottles	12 l
Nabuchadnezzar	20 bottles	15 l

So, for your next special occasion where you'll be serving wine, that being a gathering of one, or four or more,  think to right-size the bottle to the occasion, seek out a large (or small) bottle for the utility, novelty and for fun.

Half Bottle Mania offers twice the tasting options

Half Bottle Mania offers twice the tasting options

Half Bottle Mania - Twice the tasting options -
Napa Cabs, Shiraz, Bordeaux, IceWine Flight

For a gala tasting with friends TRR and Don K to discuss wine collecting and cellar management planning, and purchasing strategies, I chose half bottles for a more extensive tasting. While the fun of big bottles is evident, its not as widely known or practiced that opening half size bottles offers twice the number of tasting experience options in the same setting.

Opening small format bottles this evening allowed us to taste seven different wines instead of perhaps three had we opened regular or standard size bottles. This allowed a Napa Cabernet tasting as well as a comparison against a similar vintage Bordeaux  and a Australian Shiraz, and a Ice Wine too. It also allowed a comparison of a selection of Napa Valley appellations' terrior and style - Oakville, Mt.Veeder, Howell Mtn, against a blend of those locations, and a Bordeaux blend.

As we most often do, we enjoyed these wines BYOB over dinner at our local neighborhood bistro Angeli's Italian. The big reds were spectacular with their Butternut Squash Gnochi in rich sweet brown sugar and vanilla sauce, and my favorite dish, and off-menu preparation of veal in a rich blue cheese brown sauce on angel hair pasta.

Prior to the red tasting we did an initial tasting at home of artisan cheeses with Cliff Lede Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2007, then a small grilled flank steak taster against the Clark-Claudon and Larmande reds .

Anti pasta course flight:

Cliff Lede Napa Valley Stags Leap District Sauvignon Blanc 2007

This may be my favorite Sauvignon Blanc. A staple to keep for any wine tasting as a tasty starter, transition wine between courses, or by itself with salad, fruit and cheese or a seafood, light pasta or veggie dish.

While a bit more pricey than average, it stands up against classic Sauvignons costing twice as much. We visited Cliff Lede and did a magnificent tasting there during our Napa Wine Experience 2009.

Lemon colored, medium bodied, nicely balanced acidity, subtle oak, citrus and remarkable peach fruit flavor that turns to lemon with hints of mango, passion fruit and tangerine on the finish. Fabulous complement to lobster with a dash of lemon butter. starter. First tasted at the winery - got some at home - a staple white for the cellar. 

RM 90 points. 

 
The flight:

Clark Claudon Howell Mountain Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

We've been collecting this Howell Mtn classic since our Napa Valley Wine Experience 1999. We have a vertical collection back to their inaugural 1993 vintage and have tasted this in Napa Cab wine flights with the same outcome as earlier Big Cab tastings - the concensus favorite of the group ...

Deep dark purple - full bodied - explosive aromas of ripe dark berry fruits, big mouth-full of forward complex but polished spicy black and edge of red berry fruits, violets, layers of mocha and oak with a long lingering tannin finish.

The 2004 Napa growing season was condensed with early bud break, warm days, cool nights and one challenging heat spike. The result was a small harvest of intense, flavor packed fruit from an unusual, but exceptional year that is showing and drinking well and should last another decade.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=229261


Yates Family Vineyards, Napa Redwood Estates, Aldon Perry Reserve, Napa Valley Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

This was discovered and acquired during our Napa Valley Mt Veeder Appellaton Experience 2011.

A bit of acid heat initially that soon wears off to a pleasant smooth drinking wine. Deep garnet color - full bodied bursting with complex layers of rich forward black currant, blackberry, ripe sweet black raspberry fruits, tones of cinnamon spice, anise and hints of floral, sweet oak, white pepper and tobacco leaf, finishing with moderate smooth tannins on a rich full finish.
RM 92 points.

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1012016 

Paradigm Oakville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1995

This wine was tasted and acquired during the same Napa Valley Wine Experience 1999  as the Clark Claudon above.

Fragrant, soft supple tannin, medium body, the layers of cherry and black currant fruit are being overtaken by earthy leather, licorice, and herbs, with under-currants of spice and cedar.  

RM 89 points. 

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=5875

    








Robert Craig Affinity Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Robert Craig produces this blend of Napa Valley Cabernets from his various vineyard sources on Mt Veeder, Howell Mtn and Napa Valley. He also sources fruit from Mt George and Spring Mtn distict for his wines. He calls Affinity 'three mountains and a valley cabernet'. Its produced for early enjoyment but we continue to find it ages well too. We continue to hold a vertical of this wine dating back to the inaugural 1993 vintage. This wine was a highlight of the evening and was a perfect pairing with the grilled rib-eye steaks, and also went especially well with the the pre-dinner double Gloucester cheese.

Consistent with earlier tasting notes, deep dark purple inky color, huge ripe berry fruit aromatics, full body, ripe berry fruit, accented by a undercurrent of caramel with a hint of anise, tobacco and firm full tannins on the long fruit filled finish.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=323482


Château Larmande St Emilion Grand Cru Classe Bordeaux 2005

Château Larmande produces about 9000 cases per year and is known for consistent quality and generally a good value. The estate is planted predominantly in Merlot covering 60% of the vineyard, with 30% Cabernet Franc and just 5% Cabernet Sauvignon making up the balance. 

The 2005 vintage was above average and produced a wine that is already approachable but should last another ten to fifteen years. Bottles are recognizable by the unique lavender colored foil.

Medium bodied, full aromas of floral perfume, moderately complex flavors of red berry and plum fruits accented by subtle spice and hints of cherry-cranberry, nice texture and smooth moderate tannins round out the finish.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=351693

www.chateau-larmande.com


D'Arenberg Dead Arm McLaren Vale Valley Shiraz 2002

Dead Arm refers to the (one armed) vines that when afflicted in the early days of the last century were spared from being turned under and emerged to produce highly concentrated fruit from the single remaining arm that survived after the loss of the other side of the vine.

Typically a big fruit forward complex wine, the 2002 was a bit more subdued and muted than its normal big forwardness but what was an off-tone of minerality. Lacking that uber ripe almost raisin-fig with a layer of cedar predominating, this still held that complex black berry fruits with tones of pepper, spice, and cassis and hint of vanilla with a big long bold finish that has a slight tone of tangy cherry.

Linda likes this ripe boldness but its a bit too much to my liking it needs to be tasted with hearty meats, even bar-b-que, or artisan cheeses, such as tonight when it complemented the beef tenderloin, marinated pork tenderloin and then the course of dark chocolate deserts.

RM 89 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=27221

Inniskillin Niagara Peninsula VQA Oak Aged Vidal Eiswein 2004

We visited this classic Ice Wine producer during our visit to the Niagara-on-the-Lake isthmus nestled between Buffalo, NY and Toronto. 

The fruit was a bit more muted and subdued than earlier tastings with it giving way to a layer of smoke and wood. Aromas of apple blossoms, apricot with hint of cinnamon-raison bread. On the palate, this beautifully rich dessert wine follows through nicely with mix of apricot, mango and a strong honeyed fig component. The overall finish has good length with tantalizing flashes of exotic fruit and spice.

RM 91 points.
 
http://www.inniskillin.com/en/ice/searchWines.asp?AppellationID=3&TypeID=Vidal

Grgich Hills Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1996

Grgich Hills Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1996

I opened this half bottle from the cellar to enjoy with a grilled steak, baked potato and steamed snow peas for which it was a perfect complement. It was consistent with my earlier tasting notes but this time I gave it a slightly better rating. This is interesting given this was from a half bottle which would tend to age less gracefully than a standard size. My recent blogpost about bottle sizes and their effect on aging. As noted, the half bottle (375 ml) was ideal for occasions such as tonight when I was the only person drinking wine with dinner. Also, note that Grgich features large format bottles in magnum, three (double magnum), five and six liters, in Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon on their website from recent vintages dating back to 2005. This is worth checking out if you have one a key fun celebration event or a commemorative year you'll want to celebrate down the road. 

Grgich and its heritage is a Napa classic that gets overlooked in all the hype and some of the sensationalism of some of the newer labels. Mike Grgich is a legend in Napa Valley. He helped put Napa Valley wines on the map as the when the  1976 Chardonnay he crafted for Chateau Montelena beat the very best wines in France in a now famous blind tasting in Paris. This event was memorialized in the wonderful book "Judgement of Paris" and the entertaining movie "Bottle Shock". This tasting is a simple testament to the longevity of this label. Grich Hills winery reflects Napa as it was in the eighties (or even seventies) as opposed to the glitz of the millenium.

There was no sign of diminution from age in this seventeen year old Napa cab.

Slightly opaque garnet color, medium bodied, this exhibited moderate nose with flavors of dark berry fruit, a slight cherry tartness detracts from the fruit somewhat, there are hints of cedar and herb on the moderate tannin finish.

RM 87 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3198

http://www.grgich.com/ 





  

Wine Bottle Sizes - Bigger is Better

Wine Bottle Sizes - Bigger (Sometimes Smaller) is Better

Millenium Vintage Release
Salmanazar served at
daughter Erin's wedding.

Republished from my Winesite. Big bottles are fun! They're great for parties, gala dinners, and of course especially for celebrating special occasions.  There are 13 different bottle sizes. The larger sized bottles are produced in less quantity than the standard size bottle, and are typically worth more than just the proportionate incremental size price of the regular size bottle. 

Champagne* is most popular and common in using larger bottles. We've all seen champions such as Formula 1 Race winners shaking and spraying the large bottles of Champagne from the winner's podium, the World Series and NBA locker rooms, and so on.... Moreso, we've seen the smaller format bottles which provide the convenience of portion size packaging such as for use on airplanes or as available in wine shops for individual dining or such as for picnics. Another great use of small format bottles is when conducting a tasting of several wines, smaller bottles allow for more choices. Our friend Andy M has been known to show up at a wine tasting with a six pack corrugated carton containing half-bottles (375ml) of quality vintage wines.

The magnum is a double sized bottle (1.5 liters) and is one of the best selling sized bottles for Champagne. Many California Cabernet Sauvignons, Red Bordeaux, and Red Burgundies are produced and collected in large (r) formats. It is generally accepted that wine will age better - longer, more gracefully and uniformly in a large format bottle - hence their popularity with collectors. There is also great novelty and fun in opening and serving a large bottle. Often for special occasions, one will have all the quests sign the label of a large bottle as the labels are proportionately larger with the large bottles allowing room for such celebratory signings. Look for large format bottles in the wine rooms and special bottle rack in quality wine shops.

The novelty of our Rick's large format bottles and labels from the vintage years of our kid's birth years was the basis for our feature in Wine Spectator Magazine. This provides a great combination of birth year wines and large formats for gala celebrations. (We're now monitoring the recent vintages, birth years of our new grandchildren).
 

Horizontal Selection of 1981 Bordeaux and California large format bottles from Rick's Cellar
Served at daughter Erin and Johnny's wedding
Not shown: 1981 Chateau Palmer, Lynch Bages, Ducru Beaucaillou, Cos' d_Estournel, Chateau Beaucatel
and Silver Oak large format bottles.

Large format bottles in legendary chef's restaurant cellar in Chicago.

The 13 Standard Bordeaux/California Bottle Sizes
SPLIT Made only for Sparkling Wine.	187 ml.	1/4 of a standard bottle
HALF-BOTTLE	375 ml.	1/2 of a standard bottle
BOTTLE	750 ml.	1 standard bottle
MAGNUM	1.5 liters	Equal to 2 standard bottles.
DOUBLE MAGNUM	3 liters	Equal to 4 standard bottles.
JEROBOAM - This is what Champagne and Burgundy call their 3 liter bottles. Equal to 4 standard bottles.
REHOBOAM	About 4.5 liters.	Equal to 6 standard bottles.
JEROBOAM	5 liters	Equal to about 6 3/4 standard bottles.
IMPERIAL	6 liters	Equal to 8 standard bottles.
METHUSALEM - This is what they call an "Imperial" in Champagne and Burgundy.
SALMANAZER This one is a case of wine in one bottle.	9 liters	12 standard bottles.
BALTHAZAR	12 liters.	Equal to 16 standard bottles.
NEBUCHADNEZZAR	12 to 16 liters	Depending on the country of origin this will be from 16 to 20 standard bottles.
SOVERIGN	50 liters	67 standard bottles.

rd Champagne Bottle Sizes

The Standard Champagne* Bottle Sizes

Bottle Name	Bottle Equivalency	Capacity
Split	1/4 bottle	18.7 cl
Half	1/2 bottle	37.5 cl
Bottle	1 bottle	750 ml
Magnum	2 bottles	1.5 l
Jeroboam	4 bottles	3 l
Rehoboam	6 bottles	4.5 l
Methuselah	8 bottles	6 l
Salmanazar	12 bottles	9 l
Balthazar	16 bottles	12 l
Nabuchadnezzar	20 bottles	15 l

Display of range of bottles offered at Moet Chandon Champagne House in
Epernay, Champagne, France

* Of course Champagne refers to the wine region in the northeast corner of France known for its world famous sparkling wines. Only wines produced in this geographic area bear the trademarked Champagne designation and label. All others are 'sparkling wine'. Some now claim to be produced using the  méthode champenoise reflecting the traditional method developed in the Champagne region over the centuries for applying secondary fermentation to gain the effervescence or 'sparkling' or bubbles in such wines. 

Calera Mt Harlan Selleck Vineyard Pinot Noir 1993

Calera Mt Harlan Selleck Vineyard Pinot Noir 1993

As featured previously in this blog, Josh Jensen and his legendary Calera Vineyards were featured in Marq Devillier's wonderful 1994 book - "The Heartbreak Grape: A California Winemaker's Search for the Perfect Pinot Noir". The story tells the tale of Josh's quest to grow the very finnicky Pinot Noir grape in California in the early days before Pinot was cultivated here. In pursuit of his dream to create authentic Burgundian style wines, he sought to find the place in California suitable to achieve that goal. It tells of his research to find the right terrior - all the attributes of the right location, soil, climate, drainage, and other nuances of 'place' that make up the character and personality of a wine from grapes of a particular site. Josh chose Mt. Harlan, an area not then know for grapes or winemaking. The rest, as they say, is history. While it is a human interest tale, it also provides a rich insight into the challenges and travails of setting up a winery, and a business, and achieving one's dream to make noteworthy wines. 

Calera’s Mt. Harlan Vineyards are located in Hollister, California, in the Gavilan Mountains, 25 miles east of the Monterey Bay. The site was chosen for its limestone soils and ideal climate. At an average elevation of 2,200 feet it is among the highest and coolest vineyard sites in California.

Calera Pinot Noirs are single vineyard designated meaning they are each named for and produced from fruit sourced from one vineyard each. Their five vineyards planted in Pinot Noir are named for Josh's father (Jenson), Mills, a neighbor who mentored Josh in his early years, Reed, for one of Josh's dear friends and early investors, and in this case Selleck, for a family friend whom Josh attributes to introducing him to wine. In 2002, the Ryan label appeared, named for Calera's vineyard manager since 1979. We've had fun with this wine collecting it for our #1 Ryan, serving it in celebration of his wedding a few years ago, and holding it in our cellar for special Ryan oriented occasions! The vineyards are enumerated and featured on the rear bottle label as shown left.

As in the great region of Burgundy which inspired Josh to pursue his dream of making great wines in the old world authentic style, he planted the varietals of Burgundy, Pinot Nor and Chardonnay. Calera states that wines produced from their Mt. Harlan Selleck Vineyard are concentrated and complex with aromatic perfume and minerality in the Burgundian style to meeting Josh's objective of creating wines in the style of the old world classics.

 Found this 1993 Selleck in the back of the wine cooler, where it would have been staged, removed from the cellar for immediate drinking at some point. Thankfully, this is our last bottle of this vintage/label. Our tasting notes for this wine go back every other year to 2003, indicating we started drinking this wine in its tenth year. It is definitely beyond its drinking window, perhaps exacerbated by the fact it's a half (375ml) bottle (which likely aged less gracefully than regular or large format bottles. See my blogs about bottle sizes and aging.)

This '93 was light bodied, opaque slight rust colored, concentrated, slightly harsh, rather hard, raisiny black fruit that overtakes the black pepper, spice, hints of coffee and layer of leather. Still drinkable but not for the feint of heart. Drink it soon. Full size bottles may be less diminished from their aging.

RM 80 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=252733
 
Enjoy Calera wine, and the book!