Buehler Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Buehler Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

We heated up left over steaks from the other night and I pulled this casual sipper from the cellar. I wrote about this label back at the beginning of the year in these pages when I posted the following:

A long time producer of modest offerings, this is one of those situations where 'all boats rise with the tide', in a top rated vintage, second and third labels or so rank producers can produce wines above their usual pay grade or weight class, whatever metaphor you wish to apply. Buehler also produce two premium label Cabernets from their reserve selections and a single vineyard designated label.

Buehler Vineyards estate has been producing wine in the Napa Valley for over four decades under the direction of the Buehler Family. Buehler have three hundred acres five miles east of St Helena situated high in the mountains above Conn Valley and near the base of Howell Mountain. The Buehler Estate vineyards are planted primarily to Cabernet Sauvignon and some Zinfandel. 

The mountain terroir has a topography of steeply sloped hillsides with eastern exposures against very gently sloping hills with southern and southwestern exposures. The soils reveal the tumultuous geologic past of the Estate; extensive faulting resulted in at least three distinct soil types. 

Grapes grown on the different terrains and soils give different characteristics to the finished wines; often as distinct as the differences across various Bordeaux varieties. This allows for crafting a blend showing the variety of Cabernet Sauvignon for a complex multi-faceted wine.

Buehler Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

The 2018 season offered nearly perfect growing conditions for growers in the Napa Valley. The year was warm throughout the growing season but cooled right around harvest allowing everyone to pick their grapes slowly without the threat of over-ripening. 

 

Buehler benefited from a great vintage with all the stars aligning for a great wine that they offer at a price point more affordable than most other mountain grown Napa Cabernets. At street price around or under twenty five dollars, this represents good value and should be fairly readily available. A bit of flabbiness gives away its price point but it provides tasty and pleasant sipping none-the-less. Makes for a great pizza or party wine for casual sipping or respectably sharing with (non oenphile) friends.

This release was awarded 93 points by Vinous, 92 points by James Suckling, and 90 points by both Wine & Spirits and Wine Spectator. 

Winemaker Notes; "The wine is brimming with fruit aromas and flavors biased to the black fruit end of the Cabernet spectrum: plums, blackberry, and black currant. Rich and full-bodied on the palate, this Cabernet drinks well on release but will soften and develop with additional age."

 

This is a nice tasty casual sipper with good QPR at $23, consistent with that earlier tasting. 

 

Garnet purple colored, medium-full-bodied with round ample ripe black-currant blackberry and some blueberry fruits, accented with notes of graphite, dried herbs, floral, mocha, spice and leather ending with moderate tannins on a flavorful finish. 

RM 90 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3773753

http://www.buehlervineyards.com/ 

https://twitter.com/buehlerwines 

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2022/01/buehler-cabernet-sauvignon-2018.html

Melka CJ Napa Valley Cabernet BYOB at Carnivore & Queen

Phillippe Melka 'CJ' Napa Valley Cabernet BYOB at Carnivore & Queen

We went out to dinner with son Sean and d-in-law Michelle and dined at Carnivore & The Queen in adjacent Downers Grove, IL. I took from our wine cellar BYOB this Napa Valley Red wine to accompany our entree dinner selections - NY Strip Steak and Bone-in Veal Chop. 

 

Closing in on celebrating our grandaughter's, Sean and Michelle's daughter, Lavender's first birthday, this was a fun choice with its whimsical label with the child's hand-prints on the label and foil, as this label is named for and dedicated to the winemakers' two children. 

There's another reason I selected this label, from producer Phillippe Melka, a producer we know well and hold several of his labels across two decades of vintages. Phillippe was the mentor for Eric White of Galena Cellars Vineyards and Winey in Galena, IL, whom we met during our stay in the estate guest house during our getaway holiday week before last.

Philippe and co-proprietors and co-winemaker for Melka Estates, wife, Cherie Melka produce four distinct brands that reflect their philosophy of soil driven wines:  Métisse from Napa Valley, Mekerra from Sonoma Valley, Majestique from sites around the world and CJ, also from Napa Valley.

Both Philippe and Cherie are both academically prepared for their distinctive careers and achievement in winemaking.  Philippe having degrees in Geology, Agronomy and Enology; and Cherie in Microbiology from the US and a diploma in French Studies from the University of Bordeaux III. 

Philippe learned winemaking and vineyard techniques from legendary prestigious estates such as Haut Brion, Chittering Estate, Badio O Coltibuono, the Moueix domains and Dominus.  Cherie was more self-taught as a enologist gaining her wine knowledge from equally impressive estates such as Ridge Vineyards, Beaulieu and Silver Oak Cellars.  Their combined science backgrounds and extensive experience in the industry make them a perfect team in their winemaking endeavors.

The Melka brand started in 1996, when Philippe and Cherie moved back to Napa Valley from France and set out to produce their own brand, despite each working for different wineries.  They started modestly with only two wines in 1996, Métisse and CJ for a total case production of 500.

After years of consulting, Philippe and Cherie opened up Melka Wines, in 1996, celebrating their first vintage of a Bordeaux styled Red Wine labeled Melka Metisse with a total production of 500 cases. Soon after, Melka’s success would eventually lead him to 3 more labels, the Mekerra, Majestique and the first vintage of CJ in 1996, the year Jeremy was born with production of only 200 cases.

Melka Estates started with Philippe and Cherie Melka sourcing fruit for their first two labels, two wines  named in honor of their two children Chloe and Jeremy and Metisse. They have since grown to four collections, CJ (a red blend very approachable in its youth sourced from premium vineyards throughout the Napa Valley), Metisse (a word that means ‘blend of cultures’ with wines from the Napa Valley), Mekerra (from the property they own in Sonoma County) and Majestique (single vineyard wines from outside of the Napa Valley). As a footnote, one quickly realizes the affinity the Melka’s have for the letter ‘M’.

Philippe grew up in Bordeaux, earned his degree in Geology at the University of Bordeaux and later his Master’s degree in Agronomy and Enology. His first wine job was at Château Haut Brion in Bordeaux. His first introduction to the Napa Valley came in 1991 as an intern with Christian Moueix, proprietor of Chateau Petrus in Bordeaux and Dominus in Napa Valley. Philippe came to Dominus to study soils – then spent a few years as a traveling winemaker and ultimately settled in the Napa Valley in 1994.

Melka CJ Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Cherie earned a degree in Microbiology at Northern Arizona University and worked for a while in pharmaceuticals as a laboratory technician. In 1989, she moved to California and took her first winery job for Paul Draper at Ridge Vineyards where she ran the lab for five years. It was here that she met Philippe who was working the vineyards.

The list of Napa wineries that Philippe has worked with over the years reads like a whose whose list of the valley – Alejandro Bulgheroni Estate, Brand, Bryant Family, Dana Estates, Lail, Hundred Acre and Tusk Estate among many other well-regarded brands.

The vineyards that contribute to the making of Melka wines are sourced from relationships with growers over the 20 years that they’ve been making this wine. Two primary sources of fruit for CJ are Soda Canyon, a unique area in Napa Valley near Oakville with hillside fruit, and Broken Rock has brought more fresh crushed rocks, good acidity and more massive tannins. 

This was a perfect complement to my NY Strip grilled beefsteak and sauteed portabella shiitake mushrooms with red wine reduction, and, the Dark Chocolate Flowerless Torte cake for dessert. 

At eighteen years, the fill level, label and cork were perfect. This was most likely at the apex of its drinking window and profile and will not likely improve with further age, but should last up to another decade.  

This is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Petit Verdot.

This release got 92 points from Wine Spectator.

 Dark inky garnet colored, full bodied, firm, structured, tight, concentrated ripe, rich and lush blackberry and wild berry fruits with pointed notes of gritty eucalyptus cedar notes, black tea, dark mocha and cigar box with firm focused tannins on the finish. 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=283194

https://www.melkaestates.com/

https://twitter.com/MelkaEstates

https://carnivoreandthequeen.com/

Culler La Pallette Napa Valley Red Wine 2005

Culler La Pallette Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Red Wine 2005

We opened this vintage aged Napa Cabernet for a Thursday evening dinner of leftover beef brisket, some artisan cheeses. This is largely a replay of the last tasting of this label back in March 2020.

We discovered and acquired this label during our Napa Valley Howell Mountain Wine Experience when we visited Ladera Winery up on Howell Mountain. The producer of this label, Karen Culler, was the winemaker for Wolf Family Vineyards and Ladera Vineyards. She produced this label and another Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon cuvees under her own label.  

Karen Culler worked at Mondavi and set out on her in 1997. This label appeared in '97 and lasted for a dozen plus years until the '10 vintage, the last vintage recorded. 

This 2005 Proprietary Red La Palette is a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Petit Verdot, all from Alexander Ranch fruit.

This label was awarded 93 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and 91 points by Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar. 

As I wrote back in 2020, when I compared this at seventeen years of age to an earlier tasted back in 2008, this tasted much better and was more impressive than as noted in my tasting notes from the (earlier) previous recorded tasting back in 2008 when I wrote: "October 3, 2008 - Culler La Pallette Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 - RM 89 - Dark inky purple, fruit forward gooseberry, currant, red raspberry and silky firm tannins on the finish."

At that time I awarded this 89 points and I remember the tasting and found it interesting but rather uninspiring. Tonight, this was much more expressive and vibrant. Immediately upon opening, aromas burst from the bottle and filled the room.  

Consistent with that earlier tasting note in March 2020 when I wrote: "this was dark inky purple, fruit forward gooseberry, currant, red raspberry and silky firm tannins on the finish." 

 

However ...

 

This has lost some of it vibrancy from earlier and is likely at the end of it prime drinking profile and will start to diminish going forward, but still has several years of life left. Earlier in that previous tasting, it was more expressive and vibrant than I remember, and was more complex and polished, medium full bodied, black currant and black berry fruits with accents of floral, bitter chocolate, spice, graphite and notes of cedar on the tangy acidic lingering smooth tannin laced finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=499912

Mt Veeder Winery Reserve Napa Cabernet 2003

Mt Veeder Winery Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

I pulled this from the cellar to enjoy with left over Lasagna from restaurant dinner earlier in the week and it proved to be a tasty pairing. 

The 31-acre estate Mount Veeder Winery was founded in 1972 by Michael and Arlene Bernstein. In 1982, the Bernsteins sold the winery, and it has had several other owners since then. Today it is owned by Constellation Brands, the international wine and spirits conglomerate who have acquired several storied Napa Valley properties and brands including Robert Mondavi and this Mt Veedery Winery. The brand remains to this day producing ultra-premium Bordeaux based red wines.

Michael and Arlene Bernstein were the first to plant grapevines on Mount Veeder in 1970. When 59 of their original Cabernet cuttings took root and flourished, they knew they were on to something. Encouraged by their friend and Napa legend Robert Mondavi, the Bernsteins established the first winery on Mount Veeder, hence their brand is synonymous with the storied appellation.

At the time, the Mount Veeder AVA did not exist. Undaunted, Michael and Arlene became the driving force behind its establishment. They later made history as the first vintners in Napa Valley to plant Petit Verdot, and the first to plant all five of the classic Bordeaux varieties on the same property.

Today, Mount Veeder Winery has three vineyard ranches nestled high in the Mayacamas Mountains, producing powerfully flavorful, concentrated wines that express their unique mountain terroir high above Napa Valley. The estate ranches range in altitude from 1,000 to 1,600 feet in elevation to provide diverse microclimates for a wide variety of growing conditions and fruit profiles. All of the key Bordeaux grapes prosper, keeping with the tradition of being the first vineyard in California planted to all five Bordeaux varieties.

The Mount Veeder vines are planted on wide terraces of earth cut into steep slopes resembling a giant staircase. At elevations of 1,000 to 1,600 feet, they're in a microclimate very different from the Napa Valley floor. Above the fog bank, they are exposed to the gentle morning sun and protected from the afternoon heat by the surrounding mountains allowing the grapes to ripen slowly and evenly. In in autumn, approaching harvest, the mountain's cool days and warm nights mean extra hang time. 

We're huge fans of the Napa Valley mountain fruit wines, so much so that we've devoted several of wine trips exclusively to one mountain appellation per trip. Our Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2011 was devoted to and focused solely on Mt Veeder producers and wines. Another Mt Veeder producer estate visit from that trip is featuered on this link.

At nineteen years, this vintage predates my Cellartracker records and wasn't picked up from earlier record systems, so I don't have history of when or where I acquired this bottle, but its likely been in our cellar since original release. 

This is undoubtably at the end of its prime drinking window and will not improve with any further aging, but it was still holding its own and showing well. The foil, label, fill level and most importantly, the cork, were all in pristine condition, a testament to our cellar conditions for long terms aging. 

Wine Enthusiast gave this a 94 rating and Best of the Year and Cellar Collection accolades. 

Wine Enthusiast wrote: "As good as the winery's '03 Cab was, this is even better. It's almost all Cabernet Sauvignon, with a few drops of other Bordeaux varieties, and is so long, rich and deep in flavor, it just has to cellar well. The tannins currently star, and they're tough and gritty, but six or more years will start to melt them, leaving behind pure, sweet, black fruit." 

Garnet colored, medium bodied, complex tangy blackberry and black plum fruits with notes of tobacco, black tea and some spice with smooth polished supple tannins on the elegant finish.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=334346

https://www.mtveeder.com/

@cbrands @RobertMondavi  

 

 

Chicago Experience - Museums, Architecture and Smith Wollensky Riverside Lunch

Chicago Experience - Museums, Parks, Architecture and Smith & Wollensky Lunch with Private Reserve Wines

Last weekend we took advantage of living near the City of Chicago and all that it has to offer with world class museums, architecture, and restaurants - all things we love to explore and experience. 

Friday evening we dined at Chez Joël Authentic French Bistro in Little Italy restaurant district, one of our favorite such outings.

Saturday, we toured the magnificent Art Institute of Chicago, attending the final weekend of the Cezanne special exhibit. We've been members for decades and frequent there often and take in all the major exhibits. The Art Institute was rated No. 1 in the world on their list of the World's Best Museums. It has 300,000 pieces of art from the likes of Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Claude Monet, Rembrant, and many other famous artists. Among the most famous works is “American Gothic,” that famous 1930 farmer/pitchfork painting by Grant Wood, and my favorite, (shown below), Night Hawks by Edward Hopper.

Linda and Cezanne's "Bathers"

Rick and my absolute favorite -
NightHawks by Edward Hopper

We then walked through Millennium Park with its unique iconic CloudGate (aka the Bean), Lurie Gardens, and the Pritzker Pavilion which this weekend was hosting Jazz Fest, one of the many music festivals held in the park and across the City throughout the summer. 

We then toured the new 6-acre Lakeshore East Neighborhood Park with its urban botanic gardens and fountains adjacent the spectacular architecture of the new neighborhood development that includes the undulating 101 story 1,198 ft supertall skyscraper St Regis Tower Hotel and Residences designed by award-winning architect Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang, originally known as the Wanda Vista Tower.

We capped off the afternoon with lunch on the esplanade overlooking the Chicago River Walk at Smith & Wollenksy steakhouse in Marina City, one of our favorite dining spots on a sunny summer afternoon downtown Chicago.

The River Walk was bustling with people and the river was full of boat traffic with the Water Taxi and the numerous tour boats filled with tourists and weekenders amidst the flotilla of private boats and hoards of kayaks.

With lunch we ordered two WBTG selections from the Smith & Wollensky winelist to go with my BBQ ribs and Linda's crispy battered shrimp in spicy lobster butter sauce and our side of creamed corn.

The Best of Award Wine Spectator winelist is presented on an electronic interactive tablet that showcases its 350 selections from the inventory of 5,500 bottles.

Smith & Wollensky Private Reserve Meritage Red Blend

This is a private label special bottling is from Girard Winery in Calistoga, Napa Valley.  It is crafted by Girard vintner Pat Roney and winemaking team, Marco DiGiulio and Glenn Hugo. Girard offer a dozen Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux varietal premium wines sourced from their estate as well from numerous vineyard growers across Napa Valley.

This private label offering is sourced from some of the finest Napa vineyards select fruit from the best sites ranging from mountaintop to valley floor sources that reflect wines that are authentically Napa.

This Meritage, which is registered trademarked term for an American Bordeaux varietal blend, is a rich, aromatic cuvée (blend) comprised of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. 

Winelists' notes: "Shades of plum and spice mingle with a hint of French oak to complement the intense flavor of our USDA Prime beef. The lengthy, warm finish lingers on the palate. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec."

This vastly exceeded our expectations for a 'house wine' - especially one offered BTG - by-the-glass! This is a testament to the wine team at Smith & Wollensky and shows the care and attention they give to their wine program. 

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, complex, nicely integrated, smooth polished blackberry, black raspberry and plum fruits with notes of leather, subtle oak, mocha chocolate, hints of vanilla and tobacco with a pleasant lingering finish.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4425168 

https://www.smithandwollensky.com/our-restaurants/chicago/

https://twitter.com/smithwollensky

https://twitter.com/girardwinery

Next .... I tasted ...

Groth Napa Valley Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

On our last visit to Smith & Wollensky, earlier this summer, I tasted BTG the Duckhorn Napa Valley Merlot which was delightful and a perfect pairing with our food. I was tempted to order that wine again but in the interest of adventure, and exploring another wine offering, I ordered this estate Napa Cabernet from Groth in Oakville. 

This follows a recent tasting of an aged vintage release of this label at home, from our cellar featured in this blogpost, Groth Napa Oakville Cabernet and Grilled Beefsteak.

Today, this premium estate Napa Cabernet was overshadowed by the Private Label Meritage featured above. Perhaps it was the pairing with the food, such that this might have called for a juicy grilled beefsteak. It also most likely needs several more years to integrate and perhaps soften further to be more approachable. Antonio Gallini writes, "I would prefer to cellar the 2018 for at least a few years." Wine Spectator wrote, "Best from 2023 through 2035."

Wine producer description - "A breathtakingly beautiful place set among centuries-old oak trees and a patchwork of meticulously planted vineyards, Oakville has become recognized as one of the world’s preeminent wine regions. Here soil and climate coalesce, allowing us to produce elegant, age-worthy and immensely enjoyable Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon. The fruit for this delicious wine comes from our sustainably farmed estate vineyard and carefully selected lots from our grower neighbors."

Winemaker's Notes: "The 2018 Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon is an attractive ruby-garnet color that is strikingly intense. When swirled in the glass, it unleashes an array of aromas. The initial blueberry and fresh blackberry aromas are joined with rose petal, black tea, cigar box and baking spices. When tasting the wine, the texture is immediately noteworthy. It is at the same time extremely soft but also rich and balanced. Flavors of toast and vanilla mingle with blackberry and tart red currant, then transition to a juicy and long finish."

This was awarded 94 points by Antonio Galloni and Vinous, 92 by Wine Spectator and Decanter, and 91 points by JamesSuckling.com.

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, complex, intense, concentrated, tightly structured (WS said it has a 'racy edge') black berry fruits with notes of black tea, cigar box, baking spices and hints of anise with a long finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://grothwines.com/wine/2018-cabernet-sauvignon-oakville/

https://www.smithandwollensky.com/our-restaurants/chicago/

To round out the busy holiday weekend, Sunday, I conducted public tours at the historic Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park, as a Docent Interpreter for the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust. 

Grassi Napa Valley Cabernet with grilled beefsteak

Grassi Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 with grilled beefsteak

We took this bottle from our home wine cellar on our cross country roadtrip to drink BYOB or with a carry-out dinner. We didn't get to it on our trip but since it had been 'agitated' from the travel and subjected to temperature variations in the car, we needed to consume it soon rather than return to the cellar for further aging. 

We opened this to accompany dinner that Linda prepared of grilled rib-eye steak with haricot verts and baked sweet potatoes. Tonight's tasting was consistent with a previous tasting of this label that we posted back in April, 2021, re-posted below.

Grassi Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

As I wrote earlier, this is one of several vintages we hold from 2005 through 2011 of this label and is the first we have tasted. Normally as part of cellar management one will drink the older wines first as they're more likely to lose their drinking window. An exception is a lesser vintage that may have less aging ability than a more robust vintage. To that caution, I chose the 2011 to drink. It exceeded our expectations in every respect and showed no cause to worry about rushing to consume the rest from that vintage at ten years of age.

Being from a lesser lackluster vintage, Napa 2011, our expectations were modest but were exceeded as this showed bright vibrant expressive complex black fruits of currant, black berry and black cherry with notes of olive, spice, cigar box and hints of graphite, oak and vanilla. 

Wine Advocate gave this ratings of 89 to 92 points. Antonio Galloni gave it 94 points. I gave it 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1822405

http://grassiwines.com/

Ladera Napa Valley Lone Canyon Cabernet at Morrie's Steakhouse, Sioux Falls

Ladera Napa Valley Lone Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

For our getaway roadtrip, we took nearly a case of wine to enjoy during our overnight stays and dinesite dinners. During an overnight stay in Sioux Falls, SD, we dined at Morrie's Steakhouse which proved to be perfect venue for the occasion - a fine wine and dining experience. With our grilled beefsteak and salmon entrees, we took from our home cellar this BYOB Napa Cabernet which proved to be a perfect accompaniment pairing for the dinner. 

We dined at Morrie's Steakhouse in Sioux Falls. For dinner I ordered the grilled New York Strip beefsteak, perfectly prepared 'Pittsburgh style', my favorite, hot pink center with charred outside, served with whipped potatoes. Linda had the Salmon entree. Our server Erin was attentive, professional, and adept at serving our vintage wine.

We discovered, tasted and acquired this wine during one of our visits to the winery up on Howell Mountain above Napa Valley, during our Napa Valley Howell Mountain Wine Experience in 2008.

https://mcnees.org/winesite/napa/napa_08/napa_08_ladera.htm

We featured our visit to the winery in previous blogposts in these pages.

We last tasted and posted about this wine just a couple months ago when I reposted about this producer and label, we discovered this wine and purchased it following our visit to the Ladera Vineyards estate and winery up on Howell Mountain in 2006 and then again during our Napa Valley Howell Mountain Wine Experience 2008. 

We'd driven past the property, formerly the historic Chateau Woltner many times over the years on our treks up Howell Mountain in northeast Napa Valley.

The fabulous historic winery building consisted of production and barrel storage below and a rustic tasting room upstairs. It is surrounded by spectacular gardens, beds of lavender, and of course the vineyards. 

 

Ladera was founded when Stotesburys moved their family to Napa Valley from Montana in 2000 when they acquired a historic Howell Mountain property featuring an 82-acre vineyard. For the next 16 years, this property served as the home for Ladera.

With deep agricultural roots, and decades of experience as ranchers, Pat and Anne Stotesbery acquired the Napa Valley mountain vineyard in 1996. The following year, they purchased their second vineyard, Lone Canyon, embracing life as full-time winegrowers and vintners. In 1999, they founded Ladera, which means “hillside” in Spanish and Italian, and made their debut vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon. Ladera initially primarily focused on Cabernet Sauvignon of which we still hold a several cases of four different labels across several vintages from this era.  

Around 2008, their son Dan visited us while on a wine promotion trip to/thru Chicago and we took him around to several of the local wine merchants in the area.  

Stotesburys sold the Ladera land on Howell Mountain in 2016, following the next year selling their Lone Canyon and the Mount Veeder property.

Ladera Lone Canyon Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Ladera produced several labels of Cabernet Sauvignon including several sub-appellation designated labels from Howell Mountain and this one from Lone Canyon, Napa Valley. 

Lone Canyon Vineyard is located on the flanks of Mt. Veeder in the western hills of the Napa Valley. The ranch consisted of 480 acres of which 75 were planted to vines. 

The topography is very steep in some areas with elevations reaching 1,100 feet above sea level. The elevations, as well as its specific location in Napa Valley, contribute to the unique climate at Lone Canyon. The clay loam soils are of moderate depth and are very well drained.

Winemaker's Vineyard Notes: The 2004 Ladera Lone Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon is truly an expression of the Lone Canyon vineyard. The unique terroir of this vineyard allows the fruit to showcase the vintage at hand. 

This is one of several bottles we still hold from a couple of  mixed cases we acquired during our winery visit back near its release. 

Winemaker Notes: The 2004 Lone Canyon Cabernet is a perfect example of how rich and lush the wines from this property can be. This wine is exuberant in color and the aromas are alive with spicy and herbal fruit. The nose provides earthy, brambly undertones with brilliant dark fruit. A full bodied entry hits the palate with flavors of dark cherry and licorice. The wine is layered with textures that are bold and masculine yet maintain tannins of a velvety character. The dark fruit flavors blend with the complex tannins to produce on extremely long fruit finish.

This was awarded 91 points by Wine Spectator and 90 points by Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar.

Tonight, this was consistent with our earlier tasting experience and published notes for this wine.  

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, firm, tight and concentrated complex black berry and black raspberry fruits with notes of black tea, cassis, mineral sage and herbs with fine smooth tannins on the lingering finish.

RM 91 points. 

Upon selling their vineyard properties, “It was too big for us, and taking care of it was more than a full-time job,” says Pat. “We wanted to focus our energies on doing what we love the most—making great wines. Because of the relationships we have formed, we are fortunate to be able to partner with Napa Valley’s greatest growers in pursuit of this vision.”

 

Ladera has evolved, moving away from owning vineyards and instead partnering with several of Napa Valley’s most respected growers, to source fruit from acclaimed sites. “Over the course of our first 20 years, our love of mountain vineyards took us from Mount Veeder to Lone Canyon to Howell Mountain and beyond,” says Pat. “From each location we learned a great deal, which made our wines better and better. Today, this knowledge and experience, along with the freedom and ability to work with Napa Valley’s greatest vineyards, is resulting in our finest wines ever.”

Today, after more than two decades producing estate wines in Napa Valley, they continue to produce extraordinary mountain-grown Cabernet Sauvignons, along with acclaimed Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays from their Pillow Road Estate Vineyard in the Russian River Valley. They reside and host wine tastings and events from their winery new location on Silverado Trail in Calistoga.  

One Cellartracker writes about this wine: "Screaming awesome. Can totally see why Harlan bought this vineyard. Incredible cedar, cassis, cherry liquor, minty herbal notes, silky long finish, such a Bordeaux feel, seems perfect right now. Wow. 95 points." 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=355631

https://www.laderavineyards.com/

http://mcnees.org/winesite/napa/napa_08/img_napa08_ladera_winery_remc.jpg

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/08/ladera-napa-valley-cabernet-sauvignon.html

https://twitter.com/laderavineyards

https://www.morriessteakhouse.com/

Hall Estate Napa Cabernet at Harry & Izzy's Steakhouse Indy

Hall Estate Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon at Harry & Izzy's Steakhouse Ind7

We dined with dear friends Eric and Cathy at Harry & Izzy's in Indy and ordered from the winelist this standard-bearer estate Napa Cabernet. 

We hold a dozen labels from Hall and close to a decade of vintages of this label, so it is one we know well. This was our first encounter with this vintage release and it exceeded our expectations, prompting us to rush out the next day and pick up several bottles. 

Our tours and visits of the Hall Rutherford Winery Estate Appellation Tasting, cellar and cave tasting room have been highlights of several of Napa Wine Experiences. We enjoyed meeting Kathryn Hall at their Flagship namesake Kathryn label 2015 vintage release tour wine club tasting in Chicago in 2018, pre-covid. We first discovered Hall and their Napa Valley wines during our Napa Valley Wine Experience back in 2003.

Our first Rutherford estate tour and tasting was after its opening back in 2013. https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2013/04/hall-napa-valley-rutherford-estate.html

Hall Estate Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

This may be one of the best releases of this label that I remember, resembling the higher priced premium and ultra-premium labels from their extensive portfolio of a dozen Napa Valley Cabernets. 

Even though this is their standard estate label, its a sophisticated Bordeaux blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Merlot.

This is sourced from vineyards throughout Napa Valley, from Hall organic estate vineyards to 'small rugged hillside' sites of our partner growers. Hall states: "By blending these various lots, we create a rich panorama on the palate, a landscape of complexity and character that clearly depicts Napa Valley."

Winemaker notes for this release: "Our 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 tannin 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 exceptional estate bottling reflects the near perfect growing season of the Napa 2018 vintage. Hall describes the "season began in late February. Our Spring weather was mild, and allowed for extended flowering that produced very uniform grape clusters. Temperatures throughout Napa remained steady and warm during the majority of summer and fall, without any heat spikes, making for a long and unhurried harvest. The resulting wines are incredibly smooth and polished, with magnificent texture and color."

This is one to pick-up and enjoy for early gratification or hold for a decade or more. It will be fun to see how this evolves from graceful cellar aging for some time.

Wine Spectator, James Molesworth gave this release 93 points.

 

Dark inky purple garnet colored, full bodied, complex with rich concentrated dark berry fruits accented by layers of dark mocha, crème de cassis, oak, earthy tobacco and slight hint of cedar on the lingering tannin laced finish. 

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3883343

https://www.hallwines.com/2018-hall-napa-valley-cabernet-sauvignon

 

https://twitter.com/HALLWines

 

https://www.harryandizzys.com/

 

https://twitter.com/harryandizzys 

 

Boys Night Out Cellar Tour and Tasting

 Boys Night Out Cellar Tour and Tasting - Lokoya and Plumpjack Napa Cabs

We gathered at son Ryan's and his neighbor Dave's for a gala cellar tour and tasting. I took from our cellar these two aged twenty-five year old vintage classic Napa Cabernets.

Lokoya Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 

This is from winemaker producer Chris Carpenter who besides Lokoya crafts Cardinale, La Jota, Mt Brave and Hickinbotham Wines. We acquired this label on a Napa trip and visit to Cardinale back around the milenium upon release. 

Lokoya, established in 1995, produces a collection of four distinct Cabernet Sauvignons from four of Napa Valley’s most celebrated mountain appellations: Mount Veeder, Spring Mountain and Diamond Mountain on the western wall of Napa Valley in the Mayacamas Range, and Howell Mountain from the eastern wall framing the valley. All are limited-production wines of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, fermented with native yeast, and bottled unfined and unfiltered, resulting in the purest expression of 'place'. 

Chris writes on the Lokoya site: "Cabernet Sauvignon as lens, site as conveyor—the grape variety and winemaking for the four wines remain consistent, allowing the vineyard sites to shine with the climate, soils and sunlight all fully expressed in the glass.'

"Given the high elevation of the sites, the vineyards demand constant attention. The deep understanding of the vineyard trajectory in each vintage comes from Winemaker Christopher Carpenter’s years of expertise. Intervention is kept to a minimum both in the vineyard and in the cellar, leaving the fruit to express itself as naturally and eloquently as possible."

This is sourced from the W.S. Keyes estate Vineyard at the northeastern side of Napa Valley’s Vaca Range, Howell Mountain Appellation. The estate W.S. Keyes Vineyard was planted in 1888, and has been the exclusive source for the Lokoya Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon since its first vintage in 1995. The vineyard sits at 1,825 feet, high above the fog line, where temperatures are cool but moderate, and Cabernet Sauvignon in particular thrives with extra time to ripen. The vineyard is subjected to a steady breeze and sunlight, surrounded by a forest of ponderosa pine. The lean, quick-draining soils force the vines to struggle, yielding small grapes that possess deep, concentrated flavor with a signature minerality and earthy undertone.

Lokoya Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 1997

At twenty-five years, from a ideal vintage with expected longevity, this was probably at its apex, nearing the end of it prime drinking window, and not likely to improve any further with aging. The fill level, foil, label, and most importantly, the cork, were all in ideal condition. 

 
Winemaker notes: "Wines from Napa Valley’s mountainous slopes need time to develop and show their full potential. Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon’s profound tannin structure and concentration of flavor provide the optimal profile for aging. These are wines meant to lay down and mature for 30 years or more." 

 

So, here we are, exhibiting patience and opening this at twenty-five years.

“Our goal is for Lokoya to be something that people in the wine world will recognize forever.”

– Winemaker Christopher Carpenter

This label release was awarded 93 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and 91 points by Wine Spectator and Vinous. Robert Parker notes, "Several 100 point scores from Robert Parker have launched this wine to Cult Status."

Dark inky purple-colored, full bodied, dense rich but balanced and nicely integrated dark berry and black plum fruits, a layer of smoke and leather settling in perhaps due to age at 25 years, with earth, spice, hints of cassis with smooth polished tannins on the long finish.  

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=29584

https://www.lokoya.com/

Plumpjack "Estate" Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

I also brought this Napa Oakville Estate Cabernet. 

We still hold half a dozen vintages from this era, many Reserve labels, and selected this one based on my tasting notes from historic tastings, and to allow for a mini-horizontal tasting of this vintage in its twenty-fifth year.

This is from the estate attributed to Gavin Newsom, current Governor of California, but its widely known that the history of the estate and label is from the investments and holdings of Gordon Getty, philanthropist and descendant of the legendary J.P. Getty oil tycoon and industrialist. 

Getty and Newson first teamed up to open a simple wine store in 1992 in the Fillmore neighborhood of San Francisco. They called it PlumpJack Wines, inspired by one of Shakespeare’s memorable characters, Sir John “PlumpJack” Falstaff, a down-to-earth, fun-loving, irreverent character, rivaled only by his fierce loyalty to Prince Hal (Henry V), with whom he shared many goblets of wine at the local tavern.  

Building on this branding, they acquired a century-old 42-acre vineyard in the Napa Valley, dating back to 1881, one of the oldest operating wineries in the Napa Valley, known originally as Mount Eden Winery, from part of the Fagiani Ranch.  

Proprietors James and Anne McWilliams hired winemaker Nils Venge to restore the vineyard and produce wines under the name of Villa Mt. Eden Winery. In 1986 they sold the brand to Stimson Lane Wine & Spirits, of the U.S. Tobacco Co.  The deal allowed Stimson Lane access to the vineyards but the wine was made offsite.  In 1994 Stimson Lane gave up the lease on the Oakville estate vineyard property and moved the Villa Mt. Eden brand to its current home at Conn Creek Winery.

From there, in 1995, PlumpJack Estate Winery was born when taken over by Newsom and Getty. We've visited the estate on Oakville Cross Road, down from Groth and across from Silver Oak, and acquired those earliest vintages of this label during our numerous Napa Valley wine excursions during the nineties and in the following years. During the nineties it was one of our favorite wineries to visit and was one of our favorite labels - before the political partisanship overtook the persona of the brand. 

Plumpjack "Estate" Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon  1997

This label release was awarded 94 points by Wine Enthusiast and 90 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. 

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, balanced black berry and black currant fruits with notes of smoke, black tea, tobacco and cedar setting in, perhaps from age, finishing with spice, oak and hints of anise with moderate lingering tannins. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=12725

https://plumpjackwinery.com/

Groth Napa Oakville Cabernet and Grilled Beefsteak

Groth Napa Valley Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon and Grilled Beefsteak

Sunday night dinner on the deck, Linda grilled one of the special extra thick cut T-Bone beefsteaks from our team dinner last weekend. Served with whipped potatoes and wedge salad, our steak dinner was a perfect setting and pairing for this aged Napa Cabernet from our cellar. 

We hold more than a decade of vintages of this label dating back to the 1990 vintage, birthyear of son Alec. Linda and I first visited the Groth Estate and Winery back in the mid nineties.  

Dennis and Judy Groth grew up in the Santa Clara Valley, eventually to be known as Silicon Valley. Dennis began his career as an accountant earning his  CPA in 1968. In 1978, he became CFO of Atari, the electronic games company, moving up to President in 1984. Atari was eventually sold to Time Warner.

In 1981, Dennis and Judy purchased a 121-acre vineyard parcel in Oakville, Napa Valley, and in 1982, added a second 44 acre vineyard just south of Yountville. 

The Groth Oakville Estate sits on the valley floor in the heart of the Napa Valley in the Oakville AVA, home to the finest Cabernet Sauvignons. The property is adjacent to Opus, Silver Oak and Plumpjack vineyards. The Groth estate 121-acre vineyard was originally planted between 1972 and 1974 by Justin Meyer, who went on to achieve great acclaim with Silver Oak.

The Groths moved with their family to Oakville in 1985 taking up residence on the estate. 

Today, Groth Oakville Estate is run by their daughter Suzanne Groth. Growing up in Napa Valley, living amongst vineyards with an estate winery, she decided early on a career in Wine.

After four years with the Henry Wine Group, a California wine distributor, selling fine wine to restaurants and retailers in the San Francisco Bay Area, she returned to the family business in 1998, working in sales, public relations and marketing before ascending to President and CEO in 2017. 

She says, “It was only after selling other people’s wine that I was able to appreciate how very special Groth Vineyards was.” 

It didn’t take the Groth family long to realize just how special their Oakville Estate was when they gained early recognition when Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate gave their Groth 1985 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon the distinction of being the first 100-point Napa Valley wine.

Since then, Groth wines have been ranked on Wine Spectator’s prestigious Top 100 Wines list eight times in the winery’s history, most recently in 2019, when the 2016 Reserve Cabernet was No. 4.

Groth Napa Valley Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

Michael Weiss, winemaker for Groth said: "The 2006 vintage in Napa Valley has, with age, turned into one of the best so far this century." 

This was a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Merlot, aged in French Oak barrels for 20 months, 50% new French Oak. It was awarded 93 points by Wine & Spirits and 90 points by Wine Enthusiast.

At sixteen years this may be at its apex, but certainly has another decade to go at this level. I extended the Cellartracker drinking window from 2018 to 2026.

The fill level, label, foil and cork were in perfect condition.

Dark blackish garnet colored, full bodied, complex, concentrated, structured yet perfectly balanced, smooth polished black berry fruits are highlighted by notes of cassis, graphite, dark chocolate, black tea and hints of anise with soft velvety tannins on a long lingering finish. 

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=624737

https://grothwines.com/

@GrothWines

Family dinner features broad diverse wine flight

Family dinner features broad diverse wine flight - Robert Craig, Del Dotto, Pirouette, Domaine Pegau and Hill Estate 

I wrote in the previous post about sister Jan and Bro-n-law Bill visiting from California with daughters Jenna and Krysta and her new grand-baby to meet the cousins, the family gathered at our house for a family reunion dinner. Linda prepared beef tenderloin and ribs with asparagus, whipped potatoes and mac-n-cheese, salads and desserts.

We opened a broad diverse wine flight to accompany the dinner courses and selections. 

For the beef tenderloin, we opened a series of reds including this family oriented and run Napa Cabernet from Del Dotto Vineyards, followed by Robert Craig, two of the largest selections in our cellar collection spanning three decades. 

We also opened a Long Shadows Pirouette Red Blend, from their Vintner's Collection, another producer label of which we own a broad collection spanning many vintages going back more than a decade.

For the ribs' accompaniment, son Ryan brought a CDP and son Alec brought a Napa Syrah to round out the flight.

A separate post covered the white wine offering I opened - Long Shadows Poet's Leap Riesling. 

Del Dotto Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Connoisseurs Series Juppilles Oak 2000

Del Dotto is one of the largest holdings in our cellar dating back to the inaugural vintage release back in 1993. Our association with Del Dotto dates back to several of our Napa Wine Experiences and wine producer and winemaker dinners back to the mid-nineties.

My blogpost features our last visit there during our Napa Valley Del Dotto Estate Cave Tour and Barrel Tasting in 2017.

Tonight, I opened a large format magnum bottle of Del Dotto Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from the 2000 vintage, an Estate and a bottle from their Connoisseur's Series.

Del Dotto produce this unique series featuring a wine aged in different oak barrels with different types of oak sourced from around the world. The premise is that different varieties of oak have specific characteristics that will act upon the wine differently resulting in subtle flavor variations.

The Del Dotto Connoisseur's Series features as many as nine different oaks in which they age the same wine. Oaks barrels are produced with wood sourced from numerous forests around the world including America and France - French Allier, Bertranges, Colbert, this one from Juppilles, Marsannay and Troncas oaks, and American Missouri and Minnesota oaks. As with the whole collection, the resulting differences are subtle and may not be discernible except to the most discriminating oenophile, but they provide a unique and interesting tasting experience. 

Del Dotto Connoisseur Series Cabernet
Sauvignon served at an earlier wine tasting

Still holding its own at two decades plus two years, this is certainly reached its prime and will not improve further with aging but was not showing any diminution from age, perhaps due to large format bottle, which tends to age better. 

Dark garnet purple colored, medium to full bodied, modest structure, black berry fruits, notes of cassis, black tea, leather and hints of creosote on a moderate finish. 

RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=530962

https://www.deldottovineyards.com/

@DelDottoWine 

Robert Craig Mt Veeder Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2001

We're long time fans of Robert and Marilyn and the Craig team and their 'artwork'. Our friendship with Robert and our 'Affinity' for his wines dates back at our first visit to Robert Craig during our Napa Valley Wine Experience in 1996, and then again at our Robert Craig featured producer wine dinners during our Napa Wine Experience 1998, and again in 1999.

We visited Robert Craig's estate high atop Howell Mountain with Jan and Bill back in 2008 (shown right) and we visited Robert Craig during our Napa Valley Mt Veeder Appellation Trail together in 2011.  

 

As I have written in these pages in the past, we've dined and tasted with Robert and Lynn Craig at the winery, in Chicago, and at numerous Napa Valley events over the years. I recall Robert saying that this label, the Mt Veeder was his favorite. 

 

Our Robert Craig collection of these labels is one of the largest holdings in our cellar collection. Our records show we still hold over four cases of this label over fifteen vintages dating back to the inaugural vintage in 1993.

Tonight's tasting was consistent with our last one when we opened this label release in August 2018 when I wrote: "I like this wine: This was still drinking well but likely past the apex of its drinking window, not to improve further with aging, but still holding its own at seventeen years of age. Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, bright forward firm structured backbone of tangy black cherry and blackberry fruits accented by notes of cedar, spicy oak, leather, tobacco leaf and tea with firm but smooth approachable tannins on the finish." 

RM 90 Points

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/12/robert-craig-veeder-cinq-cepages-byob.html 

https://mcnees.org/winesite/napa/napa_08/img_napa08_robt_craig_friends_lunch_remc.jpg

https://robertcraigwine.com/

@RobertCraigWine

We also opened another Long Shadows Vintners Collection label, Pirouette, a red blend crafted by legendary producer/winemakers Phillip Melka and Agustin Huneeus, Sr.

Long Shadows Pirouette Red Wine 2004 

This is the Bordeaux varietal red blend from the Long Shadows Vintners's Collection that features world class winemakers and Washington State Columbia Valley fruit.

Two legendary winemakers, Philippe Melka and Agustin Huneeus, Sr. teamed to combine the heritage of old world winemaking with the advancements of new world technology, using small lots from Washington State’s finest vineyards to craft this exotic red blend.

Agustin Huneeus entered the wine business in Chile in 1960 to lead Concha y Toro, a company he grew to become Chile’s largest winery. In 1971, he moved to New York, then later to California, continuing in the wine industry before becoming a partner and president of Franciscan Estates in 1985.

In addition to building Franciscan, he also built well-known California wineries Estancia and Mount Veeder and Veramonte Winery in Chile. In 1999, he left Franciscan to establish Huneeus Vintners, a portfolio that includes Napa Valley’s Quintessa where he worked with talented winemaker Phillip Melka. 

Philippe Melka attended the University of Bordeaux earning a master's degree in agronomy and enology, before working at some of the most famous wineries in the world: Château Cheval Blanc, Pétrus and Château Haut-Brion, among others. There he developed a passion for and expertise in cabernet-based blends. 

In 1994, Philippe settled in Napa Valley where he developed his reputation making wines for such celebrated wineries as Hundred Acre, Quintessa, Bryant Family, Seavey, Dana Estates and Vineyard 29 before joining the dream project partnering with Agustin Hunneus from Quintessa and Allen Shoup at Long Shadows. 

The Pirouette Vintners' Collection label collaboration was launched with the inaugural 2003 vintage. This, the second release in 2004 was a unique red blend consisting of 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 13% Petit Verdot and 11% Syrah. 

Seeking to create a wine with complexity and layers, the winemakers chose a diverse selection of Columbia Valley vineyard sites, each contributing unique characteristics to the blend. Grapes from the Horse Heaven Hills vineyards (32%) contributed depth; Wahluke Slope (24%) provided richness, concentration and dark fruit; Columbia Valley (25%) added ripe fruit character; the Yakima Valley (5%) gave the wine its balance and acidity; and Petit Verdot from Ciel du Cheval on Red Mountain (14%) further enhanced balance and complexity.

The Winemakers' Tasting Notes for this label release: "A full spectrum of bright aromas and flavors gives the 2004 Pirouette wonderful complexity and style. Cabernet Sauvignon makes for a rich, structured wine; Syrah and Merlot add vibrant, dark fruit and a hint of licorice and spice; Petit Verdot contributes to its balance and liveliness. Lush and concentrated, the flavors continue through a lingering finish."

The wine was aged 21months in 100% all French oak (75% new) barrels.

This release was awarded 93 points by Wine Advocate.

The expressive nose offers up pain grille, scorched earth, blueberry, and blackberry liqueur. This is followed by a thick wine with silky tannins, superb depth and richness, and layers of flavor.

This was consistent with earlier tasting, CT records show we last opened this label and tasted it over the holidays in December 2018 when I wrote: "I like this wine: While it is a blend of Bordeaux varietals Cabernet, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, it also contains a percentage of Syrah. It seems the Syrah almost predominated with a residual sweetness un-befitting the blend. The blend is 49% Cabernet, 37% Merlot, 13% Petit Verdot and 11% Syrah. It is showing no signs of diminution from aging at fourteen (now eighteen) years and seems to still be at the apex of its drinking window.'

"The cork came apart on opening so the server had to decant this and strain it to remove the crumbled cork and residual sediment. Bright ruby colored, medium-full bodied, vibrant, rich concentrated forward black and blue fruits with highlights of black cherry, notes of cassis, spice and hints of cedar and creosote giving way to sweet almost obtuse bing cherry notes on the tangy lingering finish." 

RM 90 points.

https://longshadows.com/

@LongShadowsWine

For pairing with the baby back ribs, we opened two bottles brought by Ryan and Alec respectively.

Domaine du Pegau "Cuvée Reservée" Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2003

We drove past the Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape estate and vineyards during our tour of the area during our Rhone Valley Wine Experience in 2019. Our visit to the estate of Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe was the other highlight of our visit to the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, and then to a visit to Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/08/a-visit-to-chateau-la-nerthe.html

We lasted tasted this label when Ryan brought this from his cellar to a family celebration dinner on my birthday back in 2015 when I wrote: "This was tight and a bit closed with the fruits subdued and overtaken by a layer of black tea, tobacco leaf, with hints of creosote over the black berry fruits. This needs bold zesty bar-be-que to offset the tight firm black fruits and non-fruit layer." Tonight's tasting experience was consistent with then. At that time I gave this 87 points. I'd add at least another point perhaps reflecting the complementary pairing with the food. 

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2015/05/pichon-baron-and-viader-v-1999-flight.html

This blockbuster vintage release got 99 points from Jeb Dunnuck. 98 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and 97 points from Wine Spectator. 

Robert Parker wrote about this release in Wine Advocate back in 2010: "The 2003 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee stands out as one of the all-time great wines made by Laurence Feraud and her father, Paul." Later in 2014 he wrote, "Starting with the 2003 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée Reservée, this wine showed spectacularly on release, closed down for a few years, and has now emerged, at close to full maturity, and is straight-up fabulous."

Parker's tasting notes at that time referred to 'currants, garrigue, pepper and beef blood'.

Wine Spectator in 2006 cited this "Highly Recommended, #5 in Top 100 Wines of 2006" and described it with notes of "bramble, licorice, tar and pain d'épices flavors before a flitter of game and garrigue on the finish."

Its a tough comparison, this old world style compared to the modern era style and more robust, vibrant and expressive fruits from Bordeaux varietals. A wonderful tasting when compared with the BBQ ribs in any event. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=19857

Hill Family Estate Napa Valley Clarke Vineyard Syrah 2018

Alec brought this hearty Syrah to pair with the ribs. We've written often in these pages about his discovering this producer and their portfolio during his and Vivianna's Napa Valley honeymoon that was disrupted by the raging fires. They acquired this label as part of their wine club allocation shipment. 

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/12/hill-family-estate-origin-napa-valley.html

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2022/03/hill-family-estate-napa-cabernet-2018.html

Winemaker's notes about this wine: "The Clarke Vineyard in American Canyon has a cool breezy climate that brings out the depth and finesse of the Syrah grape. Clone 877 is used for body and raspberry chocolate fruit, and a little Clone 383 for extra color and smoky complexity. A small amount of Viognier was co-fermented with the Syrah to add its exotic appeal. We brought the grapes in on October 23 at 27 Brix. We gave the tank 3 days of cold soak before adding FX10 yeast, then pressed it on November 4. The 2018 Clarke Syrah offers intriguing aromas of dark plum, black cherry, iris flower and wafts of mezcal. The wine glides across the tongue with flavors of raspberry and melted milk chocolate."

Dark purple colored, full bodied, notes of blackberry and black raspberry fruits accented by dark mocha chocolate hints of smoke and black tea. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3975107

https://store.hillfamilyestate.com/product/2018-Clarke-Vineyard-Syrah