Showing posts with label cabernet sauvignon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cabernet sauvignon. Show all posts

Saturday, February 17, 2024

Gala Family Birthday Celebration features fun novelty namesake wine

Gala Family Birthday Celebration features fun novelty namesake label wine

Son Alec and D-in-law Vivianna hosted a gala family birthday celebration for grand-daughter Marylin's second birthday. 

Family and friends gathered for beef tenderloin, shrimp cocktail, a selection of artisan cheeses and charcuterie, dips, fresh fruit, salads, and, of course, birthday cake and ice cream.


Alec pulled from his wine cellar several white and red wines for the occasion. As is customary in what is becoming somewhat of a tradition, I pulled from our cellar a novelty namesake wine as well. 

Hill Family Estate Vineyards Napa Valley Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

We featured Hill Family Estate Vineyards in these pages in detail last March in this blogpost - Hill Family Estate Napa Cabernet 2018.
We wrote about how As newlyweds, son Alec and Vivianna visited Hill Family Estate during their forest fire shortened honeymoon in Napa a year ago September. They visited the new Hill Family Estate winery, located just minutes south of Yountville just off Ste Helena Highway 29, the western main artery of Napa Valley. They tasted this wine there and since then have acquired wines as part of their wine club allocations.

Doug Hill founded Hill Family estate vineyards back in 1977 when he acquired his first vineyards. Since then, eleven different vineyard locations have been added to the Hill Family Estate portfolio, mostly in Napa Valley and its environs now covering more than 100 acres in numerous significant sub-appellations within Napa Valley.

For nearly four decades, the fruit was sold to the likes of Far Niente Winery, Silver Oak Cellars, Duckhorn Vineyards, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Caymus Vineyards, Cakebread Cellars and a host of other winery luminaries. Hill Family grapes were considered among the finest grown in the prestigious Napa Valley. 

Around the turn of the century, Ryan and Carly Hill approached their father with the vision to establish the family winery with the family name on it. Hill Family Estate was born in 2001 with the first fruit that would become Hill Family Estate wines. A total of around 980 cases were produced and released in 2004. The new brand was immediately acclaimed and gained national prominence with numerous Awards and industry plaudits. 

Hill Family Estate winemaker Alison Doran joined the team and crafted the inaugural 2001 vintage. Alison was introduced to  Doug while he was growing grapes and she was making wine for Lewis Cellars, another one of our benchmark favorite producers, and the other estate visit tasting the kids attended during their shortened honeymoon. Alison  developed her skill while being mentored by renowned wine expert Andre Tchelistcheff, completing a degree in winemaking at UC Davis and spending time in the legendary  wine region of Alsace, France. Today, Doug and  Alison work closely together selecting the highest quality  grapes and producing ultra premium wines

Today, the Hill Family owns 120 acres of vineyards  with properties on Atlas Peak, in Carneros, Oak Knoll and American Canyon. They are 100% family-farmed, family-owned and  family-operated.Production ranges between 9,000 to 12,000 cases  annually sourced from 12 different estate vineyards allowing them to select the  highest quality fruit for their wines.  

The Hill Family portfolio has grown to over twenty five different labels across the broad range of varietals, blends, and single vineyard designated offerings.  
 
Hill Family Estate opened a tasting facility in downtown Yountville, directly down from the famous French Laundry Restaurant of Chef Thomas Keller and Keller’s Bouchon Restaurant, a classical French bistro also located in Yountville where Ryan Hill was formerly a sommelier.  
 

We've had several Hill Family Estate wines with Alec and Vivianna and I believe this may have been the best label so far. 

We had another one of their special limited release premium labels available to Hill Family Diamond Club members that Alec acquired as part of Alec's club allocation during Father's Day Grilled Steak Wine Dinner last year. 

Winemaker notes - This release was blended from fruit from several Hill Family Napa Valley vineyard sources. The high elevation Baker Vineyard up on Atlas Peak at 1,200 ft. providing intense tannins and color, was blended with vineyards from the valley floor and cooler areas - Windy Flats on the western foothills in Wooden Valley, and Beau Terroir is in the Carneros foothills. Also included in the blend was fruit sourced from Beau Terre, Hansen, and Villagio vineyards on the valley floor. Added to the blend was some Malbec and Merlot to add complexity of aromas on the nose along with fruit and oak spice, and finally some Syrah to add density without astringency.

"Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon is accumulating a well-deserved reputation for intensity and finesse. At 1,500 ft. elevation, the Baker vineyard is a series of different volcanic soil types carved out of heavy chaparral in Foss Valley with a southwestern exposure, featuring several clones and rootstalks selected for their suitability to the thin, rocky soil. 2018 had nice rainfall and a long growing season, with bloom in early June, and veraison around August 14. The Cabernet Sauvignon had big color and big tannins and showed off the potential of the site and to create elegance and complexity. We did an optical sort and used F15 yeast, letting the fermentation reach 97 degrees at its highest point. Atlas Peak is not for everyone. It needs to settle down and evolve for a while in bottle to soften and broaden the structure. But for the collector who wants to see their investment pay off, this wine is ready to age and grow for a long time."

:The 2018 Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon aromas burst out, with many layers of cassis, mocha, sage and blackberry. Mountain tannins underlie the midpalate and persist to the end The palate is dense and focused, with mountain tannins and plenty of structure that will act as scaffolding for this wine to grow in the future."

Interesting that Atlas Peak has emerged as a favorite in another wine tasting of several labels from the same vintage release including this gala winemaker tasting event -
Some other wines from this sub-appellation -
I found this dark inky purple garnet colored, full bodied with bold, full round complex expressive ripe black berry, raspberry and black currant fruits with a layer of soft sweet mocha, with notes of spice, floral and hints of cassis on a lingering tongue puckering tangy acidity silky tannin laced finish. 

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3881100

https://hillfamilyestate.com/product/2018-napa-valley-cabernet-sauvignon/  

https://hillfamilyestate.com/

https://twitter.com/HFEWine

@HFEWine
Gathering of clan McNees for
family birthday celebration

Nova Wines Napa Valley Marilyn Merlot 2011 

We then opened from our cellar a (almost) namesake wine for grand-daughter Marylin that we have fun with for these occasions. We featured Marilyn Merlot and their portfolio of wines in these pages in earlier blogposts including this one back in 2014 - Marilyn Merlot and Norma Jean Wines - A Study in Branding

The 2011 features a relaxed, playful image of Marilyn Monroe in a green, low-cut blouse, short black skirt and timeless fishnet stockings with black peep-toe pumps. Like the wine, a fashion that never goes out of style.

Winemaker’s Note: The 2011 vintage Marilyn Merlot is the 27th release of this fine wine. It is a straight Merlot this year . The wine was aged in 100% oak barrels, 35% of which were new for this vintage. Aromas of Ripe Strawberry and cherries, primarily thyme and lavender complement the oak components of vanilla and smoke from the wood. Moderate alcohol and good acidity make this wine a good pairing with fine foods. Vineyard loc ations for this wine are from our longtime growers in Yountville and Oakville regions of the Napa V alley. -- John McKay."

:With a resurgence of interest for our 25th/SILVER ANNIVERSARY in 2011, and the sexy Red Dress in 2012, people continue to talk about the quality and collectability of Marilyn Merlot,” says Donna Holder, an owner of Marilyn Wines, "but Marilyn wouldn't have just collected these wines, she would have drunk them." That’s because “the wine lives up to its reputation, plush, soft, and sultry" according to Leslie Sbrocco, author of "Wine for Women". And when they try it, reviewers admit to “surprise” at the high quality."

We have fun with these wines and find them okay for casual sipping on such occasions. 
 
At a dozen years of age, this was dark ruby colored, medium bodied and taking on some of the non-fruit characteristics of a Bordeaux varietal late in its tasting window with earthy woodiness and some smoke and leather setting in taking over from the brambly black berry notes. 

Saturday, January 13, 2024

Grgich Hills Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Grgich Hills Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

We had left over beef bourgogne for dinner so I pulled from the cellar this premium Napa Cabernet for pairing. This is the flagship estate wine from Grgich Hills, one of the most storied legendary producers with a historic past. 

Founded by Miljenko “Mike” Grgich in 1977 with Austin Hills, the winery has been family-owned and operated since

Miljenko “Mike” Grgich was born and raised in Croatio in a winemaking family. He came to American and Napa Valley in 1958. He worked for Lee Stewart, founder of Souverain Winery and an early Napa Valley pioneer, then Christian brothers before Beaulieu Vineyard where he spent nine years working alongside the legendary Russian winemaker André Tchelistcheff. 

In 1968, Mike became chief enologist at Robert Mondavi Winery, considered the most innovative winery at the time. “In 1969, I made my first Cabernet for Robert Mondavi,” Mike recalls. “In an important blind tasting, fifteen California winemakers proclaimed ours to be the best Cabernet in all of California.”

In 1972, Mike joined Chateau Montelena as winemaker and limited partner.

Miljenko “Mike” Grgich first gained international recognition at the epoch “Judgement of Paris Tasting” of 1976 when, in a now-historic blind tasting, a panel of eminent French judges blind tasted a flight of fabled white Burgundies of France and a small sampling of upstart Chardonnays from the United States Napa Valley. When the scores were tallied, the world was shocked to learn the French judges had chosen the 1973 Napa Valley Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, crafted by Mike Grgich,  as the finest white wine in the world. The results stunned the international wine establishment and put US and California wines on the map, and earned winemaker Mike Grgich a reputation as one of the greatest winemakers in the world.

Austin Hills of the namesake coffee company, founded Hills Vineyards and developed his own label in 1975. After the Judgement of Paris in 1976, Austin contacted Mike Grgich with a proposal to join forces to produce world class wines in Napa Valley.

Austin Hills had broad business experience and money to invest, since he and his sister, Mary Lee Strebl, had just sold the coffee company. Austin wanted to produce world-class wines and was looking for a winemaker to do that. Mike had extensive winemaking and management experience and now had the reputation as the American winemaker who beat the French.

Austin grew up in the Hills Bros. Coffee company family, founded by his grandfather and grand uncle in 1878 in San Francisco. Austin acquired a business background, earning a B.A. degree from Stanford University and M.B.A. from Columbia University, before working at Hills Bros. Coffee, Inc. Starting as an assistant coffee buyer, he worked his way up to Vice President and finally Chairman of the Board.

Today, Austin is Chairman of Grgich Hills Estate, and also president of Hills Vineyard, and an active member of San Francisco society, serving on a wide variety of boards. 

The Hills Vineyard should not be confused with Hill Family Vineyards of Napa Valley, long time Napa Valley grape growers and vineyard owners who produce a portfolio of wines often featured in these pages.   

The two men were an ideal match for success with their combined complementary business and viticulture and winemaking skills, so Mike Grgich joined forces with Austin Hills in a partnership in 1977, forming Grgich Hills.

The Grigh Hills winery and vineyard was established in Yountville in the center of Napa Valley on the valley floor. Mike first discovered the property in 1958 as an ideal site to produce quality grapes due to its ideal sun exposure and excellent drainage. 

Today, the 63-acre Yountville vineyard is planted to classic Bordeaux varietals - 53 acres Cabernet Sauvignon, 5.4 acres Petit Verdot, and 5.1 acres in Merlot. A 25-acre plot is the second oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vines, planted in 1959. These vines are showcased in a vineyard designated latbel, "Yountville Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon".

Grgich Hills expanded the Yountville Appellation vineyards in 1984. 

In 1992, Grgich Hills was selected Winery Of the Year by Wine & Spirits magazine, and, Mike Grgich appeared on the cover of Wine Spectator magazine, “California’s Old World Master-Few Can Challenge Mike Grgich in crafting World-Class Wine.”

By 2007, Grigh Hills had grown to 366 acres spread across five vineyards throughout Napa Valley - 34 acres in Calistoga, 18 in Rutherford, 163 in American Canyon, 88 in Carneros, and the original 63 in Yountville.

Able to use estate grown grapes exclusively in the production of their wines, they changed the name to “Grgich Hills Estate” to recognize their wines as 100% estate grown. 

In 2016, Miljenko "Mike" Grgich released his long-awaited autobiography, A Glass Full Of Miracles. At 94 years of age, Mike Grgich retired as president and passed on the baton to his daughter, Violet. He remains active in winery operations as Founder and Winemaker Emeritus, and is a Vintners Hall of Fame Inductee and James Beard Award Winner.

A Croatian TV documentary about his life, “Like the Old Vine,” won the Grand Jury’s Special Award from France’s Oenovideo Film Festival. 

Violet Grgich grew up accompanying her father in the vineyards and cellar. She spent her summers at the winery, doing everything from bottling line work to laboratory analysis and working in the tasting room.

She attended the University of California, earning a BA in music while taking classes in biology, chemistry, and enology. After graduation, she returned home to Grgich Hills to continue her education in the wine business, learning beside her father.

After a period to receive her Master of Music in harpsichord at the world renowned Indiana University School of Music, Violet rejoined the winery fulltime in 1988. Today, she is responsible for daily management of the winery, as well as sales and marketing. 

Ivo Jeramaz serves as Winemaker and VP of Vineyards & Production,  responsible for the day-to-day operations in the cellar and the vineyard, including naturally farming Grgich Hills’ 366 acres. 
 
Ivo was born in Grigh's home country Croatia to a family of grape growers and was involved in making family wine from boyhood. After earning a masters degree in engineering from the University of Zagreb in 1986, he came to Napa Valley to join his uncle, Miljenko “Mike” Grgich,  Over the ensuing three decades at Grgich Hills Ivo learned the classic style and art of winemaking from his uncle, supported by the science and technology, and from what he gained from enology and viticulture courses at University of California, Davis.
 
Joining Mike’s daughter, Violet Grgich as President, and Ivo Jeramaz, Mike’s nephew as Winemaker/VP, the next generation of the Hills family has also found a home in grapes, rather than coffee beans: Austin’s youngest son, Justin, and Ivo's oldest daughter Maja Jeramaz have joined Grgich Hills continuing the family legacy.
 
Today, Grgich Hills Estate produce a portfolio of Bordeaux varietals, Chardonnay and Zinfandel. Mike was intrigued about the Croatian origins of Zinfandel and obtained a single Croatian Crljenak Kastelanski cutting, taken from one of the last nine Crljenak plants in existence. It is planted and continues to thrive in Grgrich's Calistoga Vineyard.
 
In April, 2023, Mike Grgich reached centenarian status. The winery celebrated with the release of two “Centennial Wines;” the 2020 Paris Tasting Commemorative Chardonnay, and the 2019 Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon.
 
Grgich Hills Estate Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
 
This is 100% estate grown fruit, a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc, sourced primarily with grapes from the Grgich Yountville vineyard supplemented from Grgich Rutherford and Calistoga vineyards.
 
This release was awarded 93 points by James Suckling, 92 points by Wine Advocate and 90 points by Connoisseurs Guide and Vinous. 
 
Bright garnet-purple in color, medium full bodied, expressive ripe blackberry and blackcurrant fruits with floral, cassis, tobacco, licorice, cedar and earthy notes, with a hint of clove spice turning to tight crisp acidity and grainy tannins on the finish. Still young at five years, this might benefit from a little more time to settle and integrate.
 
RM 91 points.  

 
https://www.grgich.com/product/2018-cabernet-sauvignon-napa-valley/

https://twitter.com/GrgichHills

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

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 


Thursday, November 9, 2023

James Restaurant "Cab is King" Wine Dinner w/ Bell Wine Cellars Wines

 The James Restaurant "Cab is King" Wine Dinner featuring Bell Wine Cellars Napa Valley Cabernets

We attended the "Cab is King" Wine Dinner with Bell Wine Cellars at The James Restaurant in nearby Geneva (IL). The evening featured a carefully curated multi-course menu prepared by The James Executive Chef, Steven Blackburn, and his culinary team. Each course was thoughtfully paired with a wine from Napa Valley Bell Wine Cellars crafted to enhance the unique characteristics of the food and the wines, creating a harmonious symphony of flavors.

We were joined by fellow Pour Boy Lyle and Terry who came out from the city (Chicago) to attend the event. 

We learned of the event during our lunch at The James last month which we featured in these pages - The James Geneva features wine friendly menu and fine wines.

The dinner was held in the fabulous Sun Porch dining room which provided an elegant picturesque setting for the memorable evening. 

The wine flight featured an extraordinary selection of Bell Wine Cellars' finest limited production and allocated wines. 

Bell Wine Cellars is an ultra-premium Yountville (Napa Valley) winery known for small-lot, single clone, Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as other Bordeaux varietals, Chardonnay and Syrah. They produce several limited production Single-Clone appellation (AVA - American Viticultural area) specific designated Cabernet Sauvignons from leading vineyard sources across Napa Valley. 

Tonight's flight featured four of the Bell Wine Cellars' Napa Valley Cabernets, three Cabernet Sauvignons, a Cabernet Franc and a sparkling white Blanc de Noir from Sonoma County. 


A small independent winery was founded by winemaker Anthony Bell; he recently retired and the Bell Wine Cellars estate and winery in Yountville were taken over and are owned today by the Berberian and Spanos Families.

Visiting from California presenting the wines was Bell Wine Cellars Director of Sales, Hillary Cole, who guided the tasting flight, sharing insights and stories about the wines and their unique characteristics.

Hillary's journey as a Wine Master follows an incredible career as a military linguist and counter-terrorism analyst. Her work travel in national security intelligence took her to Europe where she had the opportunity to visit vineyards in the finest wine growing regions where she was drawn to the serenity and romance of the settings, such a stark contrast to her work. 

Following her government service she earned her MBA and immersed herself in Sommelier studies. She worked her way to become General Manager and Sommelier for three Sacramento-area restaurant groups running the wine program at Ella Dining Room and Bar in Sacramento. 

Hillary completed several wine certification programs, her favorites included French Wine Scholar, Champagne Master Level, Napa Valley Wine Expert, and The Business of Wine. She continues her studies of the French language and is currently a Bordeaux Master candidate. Building on her background in business, wine, and leadership afforded her the position as Director of Sales at Bell Wine Cellars.

Hillary represents the new Bell Wine Cellars team that was brought in by the new owners, the Berberian and Spanos Families.

The Berberian Family were prominent wine and spirits wholesalers for five decades in California and Nevada, and then, owners of the Bank of Agriculture and Commerce, launched in 1965 in Stockton, California. Ron Berberian grew the bank to 11 branches, serving San Joaquin and Contra Costa Counties.  The Berberians’ longstanding knowledge and expertise of quality wines eventually brought them to Napa Valley where Ron and Dea are dedicated to enhancing the experience of visiting Bell Wines and offering the best quality award-winning wines.

The Spanos Family, today most known as owners of the NFL Los Angeles Chargers, were notable in real estate development and construction, and equally known for their philanthropy to education, health, and youth initiatives. Native to Northern California over several generations, Napa Valley and the wine industry always held their interest and admiration with their affiliation with Bell Wine Cellars dating to 2002.

Bell Wine Cellars team with several leading notable growers to source grapes from some of the premiere vineyards that represent the varied appellations of Napa Valley. 

The Bell Wines served tonight were crafted by founder and winemaker Anthony Bell who has since recently retired. Going forward this will be overseen by Winemaker and General Manager John Hazak. A native of southern California, John earned a Master of Science degree in Viticulture and Enology from the University of California, Davis before working in the Cotes-de-Nuits, Burgundy.  Returning from France in 2005, John honed his skills as Assistant Winemaker at Provenance Vineyards under seasoned winemaker Tom Rinaldi, then at Sterling Vineyards as an Associate Winemaker, heading their production of all white wines and Reserve red wine tier. 

He returned to Provenance Vineyards in 2015 to direct production of Provenance and Hewitt wines where he modernized Provenance into a small-lot, luxury Cabernet house, then doing the same at Beaulieu Vineyards in 2017.

John joined Bell Wine Cellars in February of 2020.  His previous experiences paved the way to Bell, where he hopes to continue Bell's vision of craft winemaking and constant improvement, while starting a new chapter with this team. 

"At Bell Wine Cellars, above and beyond is second nature. We encapsulate these efforts as Napa’s most prolific researcher and producer of Single-Clone Cabernet Sauvignon, a labor of equal parts love and diligence to express Cabernet Sauvignon as its own purest ingredient." John Hazak,Winemaker & GM.

The dinner menu featured five courses each thoughtfully paired with a Bell Cellars wine. I write often in these pages about the importance and impact of optimally pairing food and wine, accentuating and amplifying the enjoyment of both. 

The James Executive Chef, Steven Blackburn presented each course and discussed its preparation followed by Bell Cellars Director Hillary Cole who presented the accompanying wine, its composition, source and characteristics in applying it to the course.

The 'Welcome Starter' was a Fried Brioche Munchkin - fresh baked brioche bread injected with Manchego cheese custard, served with Bell Wine Cellars Blanc de Noir Brut Sonoma County NV sparkling wine.

This elegant sparkling wine is made from two of the three traditional grapes used in the Champagne region of France: Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The Pinot Noir (83%) hails from Carneros region, which straddles the southern region of Napa and Sonoma Valleys. The Pinot Meunier (17%) comes from the coastal area of Sonoma.  This traditional Champagne is a blend of the different grapes from different growing conditions, building complexity into the wine, produced in the classic méthode champenoise tradionelle. (Of course, only wine produced in the Champagne region of northern France can legally be called Champagne. Those produced elsewhere are relegated to the moniker 'sparkling wine'.)

This traditional Champagne production method entails adding a dosage of sugar, yeast, and wine to start the second fermentation in the bottle, followed by time-consuming hand riddling to separate the yeast following fermentation. The traditional method creates small, tight, delicate bubbles and an added complexity to the wine. 
 
This non-vintage Blanc de Noirs sparkling wine was disgorged in December of 2021 with the grapes grown primarily in the 2018 growing season.  

Producer's Tasting Notes - "Fresh and lovely as an aperitif to start any dining experience or perfect on its own, this sparkling wine pairs with everything, no matter what or when the occasion. Noting a very faintly salmon-tinged pink color, very fine bubbles and a gentle mousse, the wine opens with a fresh and lively nose of light strawberry and the scents one might find in a bakery early in the morning. The palate is delicate and refined, with toasted almond and unsweetened marzipan characterizing the entry. The beautiful but balanced acidity from these cool growing regions supports merengue, marshmallow and the strawberry flavors into the finish, livening up your taste buds for food. Our Brut is finished in the dry style. The Pinot Noir adds texture, body and strawberry aromas to the blend. The Pinot Meunier  contributes finesse, elegance, freshness and floral hints to the blend."

The first course was Oak Braised Short Rib - charcoal roasted carrot with dry aged beef fat powder, confit cipollini onion, sage demi glas and watercress.

 
Paired with this course was Bell Wine Cellars Napa Valley Rutherford Appellation Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
 
Wine for this label was sourced mostly from the legendary Beckstoffer Rutherford AVA Vineyard, and the remainder from the equally iconic BV Ranch #3 vineyard originally planted and tended to by legends George de Latour and André Tchelistcheff of Beaulieu Vineyards in the early part of the 20th century, this historic vineyard carved out of the original Rancho Caymus land grant.
 
We discussed the BV Ranch vineyards in these pages just last week when we tasted and wrote about their BV Tapestry with beef bourgogne.

The well drained gravely, loam sedimentary soils formed from after volcanic rock provide a moderate stress to the vines, limiting yield and increasing qualitative potential. The region is influenced by the Valley’s layer of morning fog and afternoon breeze, creating a long growing season which allows tannins to fully ripen and create the signature dusty texture that the appellation is known for, “The Rutherford Dust”.

It was also one of the first vineyards involved in the development and commercial planting of the different clones of Cabernet Sauvignon.

It was aged 20 months in 100% French Oak, 20% new. Slightly more than 9000 cases were produced.

The Second Course was Grilled Swordfish served in a delicious black plum reduction sauce with fresh plums, crispy haystack parsnips and fall spice radicchio.
 

This was paired with Bell Wine Cellars Napa Valley Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2018.
 
This is sourced from the Neal Vineyard in the Howell Mountain AVA of northeast Napa Valley sited on a ridge almost overlooking the Napa Valley floor. The vineyard is owned and farmed by Mark Neal, son of Jack Neal, one of the original farmers of modern Napa Valley winegrowing.  
 
The volcanic soils of the Vaca Mountain range including Howell Mountain at the north end of the range, stress the grapevines, being thin and well-drained, but it is this specific combination of qualities that lend this mountain Cabernet its structure.  A slightly western-facing aspect allows the warm afternoon sun to push the fruit to an ideally ripe state in time for harvest. The result is a classic expression of the Howell Mountain terroir with full firm structured, concentrated dark saturated fruit with classic spice for an approachable Cabernet Sauvignon.  
 
This wine is 99% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 1% Merlot added for softness and complexity, and was aged in 27% new French oak and mostly once-used oak barrels for 20 months with minimal racking. The wine received about ten months of bottle aging prior to release.
 
Winemaker's Tasting Notes - "Our inaugural appellation blend from Howell Mountain is a dark garnet color in your glass. It beckons with a multi-layered nose of blackberry cobbler, sweet tobacco, new leather and sage. The flavors echo the aromas with dark plum, dry persimmon, hints of cinnamon and a fine worn-in wood expression. The texture is broad and lush, with a creamy mouthfeel that integrates dusty tannins and a bright acidity. We are proud to share our first appellation blend from one of the premier locations for Cabernet Sauvignon in the Napa Valley." 

Only 440 cases were produced. 
 
 
The Third Course was Waygu Flatiron Steak with petite Yukon crisps, garlic aioli and fried rosemary in a beef jus reduction. This course was the highlight of the evening for me. 
 
 
This course was paired with Bell Wine Cellars Atlas Peak Napa Vally Cabernet Sauvignon 2018.
 
This label is sourced from the Elan Vineyard located on the Eastern slopes of Atlas Peak at south end of the Vaca Mountain range that forms the east boundary wall of Napa Valley. It sits at an elevation of 2100 ft above sea level in the upper reaches of the range.

The vineyard is part of the Elan Estate owned by winemaker Patrick Elliot Smith who developed of the site building on his more than 40 years of experience in vineyard development and management. Patrick and his wife Linda purchased the property in 1979 and Patrick started clearing the very rocky land himself, while living in a tepee, and he continues to do most of the manual work himself. 

We visited Patrick and Linda Elliott Smith and tasted and acquired their Elan Winery and Vineyard wines during our Napa Wine Experience back in 1998, when they were crushing their grape and producing their wines at Monticello Winery in Southern Napa Valley. We still hold a half dozen vintages in a vertical collection of Elan Wine which we've featured in these pages - Napa Valley Atlas Peak Cabernet duo.

This was my WOTN - Wine of The Night - the most expressive, finely balanced and integrated for the most elegant and polished representation of the Bell Cabernets.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4304422 

The Fourth and final course was Chocolate French Silk Pie - dark chocolate mousse, white chocolate mousse, dark cocoa nibs and brown butter crust. 

This course was paired with the Bell Wine Cellars Napa Valley Oak Knoll AVA Cabernet Franc 2019.

This wine is sourced from the Chang Vineyard which is situated along the Silverado Trail on the southeast side of the Napa Valley, noted for a great stone wall along the back property line. 

The sub-appellation Oak Knoll AVA is distinguished by a cooler microclimate, second only to the Carneros AVA. The vineyard was planted on rocky but porous loam-chalky soils rich with volcanic rock. Although the temperature is cooler than upper valley, the east side aspect provides sufficient sun exposure for this early ripening variety. The winemaker notes that wines produced from this vineyard are characterized by raspberry and violet flavors as well as dark fruit and great tannin structure thanks to proper maturity and vigor restrain of the soil.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4821368

This was the WOTN - favorite wine of wife Linda and several others in our group.

We enjoyed the Bell wines such that we and our guests acquired each of the Cabernets featured this evening for our cellar collections. 

The opportunity to compare each of the appellation wines in one sitting was very special, indeed, especially when optimally paired with extraordinary food.

https://www.bellwine.com/

https://thejamesgeneva.com/

https://twitter.com/unwindwine

@unwindwine 

https://twitter.com/PassionatePour1

@PassionatePour1

Thursday, October 12, 2023

Clark Claudon Napa Cabernet 2004

Clark Claudon Napa Cabernet 2004

For a quiet evening at home, watching a pre-recorded showing of 'The Voice' from earlier in the week, we opened an old favorite wine from our extensive collection from this favorite producer, with a selection of cheeses and sourdough bread. 

Here following is a updated re-post of earlier posting about this wine and this producer.

Clark-Claudon Estate Grown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

The producer, Clark-Claudon estate is situated on the ‘backside’ of Howell Mountain in an area known as Pope Valley. We have fun with this label as fellow Pour Boy Bill and Beth C's maiden name is Pope. Clark-Claudon's 17 acres of vineyards are carved out of a 117 acre property located on the north east side of Howell Mountain between Ink Grade and Howell Mountain Road, from 800 ft to 1,200 ft elevation. It’s shallow, mountain soils, cool evening breezes and excellent sun exposure are ideal for a low yield of small, intense Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot grapes. The 17 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon are planted with clone 7 which grows well in hillside rocky soil and produces small berries with concentrated flavors. A small vineyard block is planted to Petite Verdot. After completing their initial vineyard planting, Clark decided to leave the  remaining 100 acres of forests, creeks, meadows and ponds in their natural state which serves as a preserve for native birds and wildlife.

Interesting, following my discussions in recent blogpost about the terroir and appellation specificity line of demarcation being at the 1200 foot elevation level to differentiate between Howell Mountain and Napa Valley designation, we have another such-situated Napa/Howell Mountain Cabernet. Similar to the Viader Napa Valley Cabernet Red Blend from earlier tastings, and the Blue Hall Vineyard Camiana Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon that we drank the other night, this Clark Claudon Napa Cab vineyard is at 1000 foot elevation on the lower reaches of Howell Mountain. That terroir distinction doesn't apply here as the Clark Claudon property is on the backside of Howell Mountain which never sees the fog that is experienced on the Napa Valley side of the hill.

We have been collecting this label since its introduction back in 1993 and hold two decades of vintages since. We first met Tom Clark and Laurie Claudon-Clark during our Napa Wine Experience 1999 when we hosted them at one of our wine producer dinners. That night, held at what was then Pinot Blanc Restaurant in St Helena (see picture left), we tasted Clark Claudon 1995-96 against ten year old 1989 Bordeaux. 

During our Napa Wine Experience visits of 1997 through 2000 we hosted gala tasting dinners with the "'Undisccovered Dozen', emerging new wine producers to watch", featured in an article in Wine Spectator Magazine. Many of these producers released their inaugural vintage releases in or about the 1994 vintage. Those producers and winery visits included Plumpjack, David Arthur, Clark-Claudon, Robert Craig, Del Dotto, Elan, Paradigm, Pride Vineyards, Snowden, Nils Venge and White Cottage and are featured variously on my winesite http://www.unwindwine.com. An complete index of my tasting notes of these wines over the years is on the site at this link to California Producers Index. These producers make up a foundation of our wine cellar collection even today. In many of these wines, we still have vertical selections, several dating back to those early release vintages.  

We love the distinctive unique Clark-Claudon packaging with the tall slender bottles. An interesting and trivial wine-geek's observation about the Clark-Claudon branding and packaging; as mentioned, we hold close to a score of vintages of this label. 

All our vintage holdings but this one, the 2004 release, are packaged with the wax cap inside the rim of the bottle, topping the cork, as shown left. This one, 2004, has a 'traditional' foil top of the bottle (shown below). Not sure why?

This release was awarded 93 points from Wine Enthusiast who wrote, " ... it really needs time. Give it until after 2008, if you can keep your hands off, and will come into its own after 2010."

A decade later, going on seventeen years, this release is holding its own very nicely and showing no signs of diminution whatsoever. The fill level, label and most importantly the cork were in perfect condition.

Wine Enthusiast wrote, "The 2004 Clark-Claudon Napa Cabernet Sauvignon blends fruit from all over the winery's estate, combining multiple expressions of the fruit. The higher portions of the estate yielded fruit that was rich, deeply colored with intense tannins. The lower portions of the estate produced softer, more perfumed wine."

Tonight's tasting was consistent with previous tastings in 2015, 2016 and most recently in the Spring of 2021. In 2016 I wrote it was more expressive than earlier tastings. I sense this is at its peak, not likely to improve further, but grand and capable of aging several more years none-the-less.

At nineteen years, the fill level, label, foil and most importantly the cork were all still in pristine condition. 

Like before, the room filled with dark berry fruit aromatics as soon the cork was pulled. This was dark garnet colored, rich, full, concentrated, but nicely integrated and elegant black berry and black currant fruits with accents of cassis, mocha, floral and notes of spicy oak and hints of black cherry on a lingering fine-grained silky tannin finish.

RM 92 points.

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

In seeking to replenish this bottle with a more recent vintage of this wine, I looked in distribution and found none in Chicagoland, but got this response when searching national beverage superstore Total Wine - "We could not find this item at Pensacola, FL (our select store), But we found it at Denver, CO." We'll be reaching back to the producer directly, as well as looking in the secondary market.

https://www.clarkclaudon.com

@ClarkClaudon 

Earlier tasting posts ...  

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2015/01/clark-claudon-howell-mountain-napa.html

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2015/12/festive-holiday-dinner-showcases.html

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2016/05/clark-claudon-napa-valley-cabernet.html

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/03/clark-claudon-napa-cabernet-2004.html

Friday, September 29, 2023

Blue Hall Vineyard Camiana Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

Blue Hall Vineyard Camiana Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon with grilled beefsteak fajitas

Wife Linda prepared grilled beefsteak fajitas with roasted peppers and onions with roasted corn aioli. I pulled from the cellar this Howell Mountain Cabernet for a great wine accompaniment. 

As I have posted before in these pages, wine buddy and fellow Pour Boy Bill C introduced us to this wine when he and son Matt acquired a case or more and shared with us a mini-vertical collection of four different vintages. We served and wrote about this wine earlier this summer at a wine dinner with neighbors Mark and Shirley and wine buddy fellow 'Pour Boy' Dr Dan and Linda.

As I wrote previously, this is from Blue Hall Vineyard, a 5 acre site on Howell Mountain owned by two medical doctors, Andrew Zolopa & Annie Talbot. Vintner and owner, Dr. Andrew Zolopa, was a world-renowned researcher and was instrumental in starting the HIV/AIDS program at Stanford University in 1994 and was a professor at the Stanford School of Medicine for twenty years.

Andrew traveled regularly to Napa to enjoy fine wine and in 1998 purchased property on Howell Mountain to build a home away from home. Sitting near the top of Howell Mountain at an elevation of 1,700 feet above Napa Valley, the property was in the geographic heart of the Howell Mountain sub-appellation, surrounded by world famous vineyards (owned by Beringer) and forested hillsides. 

Zolopa planted the five acre vineyard of which 3 acres was planted entirely to Cabernet Sauvignon in 2000-01. The vineyard was adjacent to notable vineyards owned by Beringer.

Zolopa named the vineyard Blue Hall Vineyard, deriving its name from the famous Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson who spent his honeymoon in a cabin on the side of Mount St. Helena in the summer of 1880. Stevenson was inspired by the purity of the blue sky and exclaimed that it was as if he had entered "the blue hall of heaven." The name reference “Blue Hall” was from the book “Silverado Squatters”, written by Stevenson – a book that featured much about historical Napa Valley.

Andrew named the wine Camiana" after his daughters Camille and Juliana. They appointed Ted Osborne as winemaker, who was self taught building on experience working at Passing Clouds in Australia, Rupert & Rothschild in South Africa, and Chateau du Seuil in Bordeaux. Coming to America, he put in time working for two well-known Napa wineries, Cakebread and Storybook Mountain, the northern most winery in the Napa Valley

Blue Hall produced their first vintage release wine in 2004, a 100% estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon. Only 80 cases were made, which they held until after their first commercial release in 2005. While the 2004 was technically their first vintage, it was released after the 2005 as a library wine. That 2004 release, despite the additional year in the bottle was their “biggest” wine out of their first few vintages. They produced the label annually until 2013, their last vintage produced. 
 
This is one vintage of a vertical collection we acquired with/from fellow wine buddy and 'Pour Boy' Bill C who acquired a case of vintages with son and fellow collector Matt back in 2012. We're still holding four vintages of that collection and this is the oldest release from the selection.

Our notes on the inaugural Camiana Howell Mtn Cabernet Sauvignon 2004.

Camiana Blue Hall Vineyards Napa Valley Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
 
We last tasted this wine back in 2015 in a comparison tasting of Howell Mountain Napa Cabernets, when I wrote, 'The wine is full bodied and dark inky purple color, the nose is perfumed with violets, cedar box and dusty earth; The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon flavors are complex, tight and dry, with big firm tannins masking the intense concentrated black berry and black cherry fruit accented with tobacco, hints of cassis and sweet oak. This wine is great now but should be laid down for five to 10 years.' Tonight, the fruit seemed more expressive and open, but coming across boldly, lacking finesse, balance or polish, coming across as youthful and, as written before, needing time to settle and harmonize.

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2015/01/dunn-vineyards-howell-mtn-and-napa-cabs.html

Our first tasting of this wine was upon receipt back in 2012 when I wrote:  The 2007 Camiana is full bodied and dark inky purple color, the nose is perfumed with violets, cedar box and dusty earth, The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon flavors are complex, tight and dry, with big firm tannins masking the intense concentrated black berry and black cherry fruit accented with tobacco, hints of cassis and sweet oak. This wine is great now but should be laid down for five to 10 years.

Tonight, at sixteen years, the fill level, foil, label and most importantly the cork were all in ideal condition. The wine was a bit more settled and integrated than initially but still a bit slightly obtuse and forward. Tonight I gave it RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1268057

http://www.bluehallvineyard.net/