Sepia Michelin Star Restaurant Chicago

 Sepia Michelin Star Restaurant Chicago for a spectacular food and wine dining experience

Son Sean and D-in-law Michelle invited us to dinner at Michelin Star Sepia Restaurant in Chicago. For the occasion, I pulled from our home wine cellar this ultra-premium birthyear vintage wine for Sean’s birth year. We took this BYOB wine despite the fact we also did the Wine Pairing option with the Price Fixe dinner. 

Sepia in the trendy west loop neighborhood on Jefferson Street is recognized with the coveted Michelin Star. We were fortunate enough to be seated in one of the private dining alcoves off the main dining room, a stylish warm intimate setting with a heavy curtain wall, brick wall, and photo galley wall adorned with Sepia photographs. 

The exclusive price fixe menu offers four courses of four diner’s choice options each, plus additional optional caviar and/or cheese courses. 

The wine pairing serves a select wine for each course selection from their Best of Award Wine Spectator wine list. Even the starter course matched three different carefully and thoughtfully selected sparkling wines with our three different starter selections. 

Prior to the starter first course we were served a delectable amuse-bouche of tartare on brioche with a sweet jam spread.

The First Course selection offerings:

Kanpachi Crudo, toasted rye chili crisp, pickled ramp,smoked cream cheese,

Caramelized Onion Consommé, delice de Bourgogne, sourdough selected by Linda,

Steak tartare toad in a hole, horseradish, brioche, dill, and, chosen by Michelle,

Roasted Foie Gras, ginger consommé, peanut, snow pea selected by Sean and Me.

The wine pairings for this course selections were distinctively different, matching the food selections.

Paired with the Foie Gras was Le Quattro Terre Franciacorte Brut

This is from the Franciacorte appellation in the Lombardy wine region in northern Italy, the Italian ‘Champagne’ district. It is made in the methods champonaise French style from traditional grape varieties Chardonnay 65% and Pinot Noir 35%. 

This label is sourced from five Chardonnay vineyards located in the municipalities of Adro, Corte Franca, Passirano and Ome and one Pinot Noir vineyard located in the municipality of Cazzago San Martino.

https://www.quattroterre.it/en-us/

The pairing with Linda’s Consommé selection was Michel Arnould "Réserve" Grand Cru Verzenay Brut Champagne.

This is a blend of 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay, entirely from estate vineyards in the Grand Cru of Verzenay. The hazelnut Pinot character, so unique to the village of Verzenay, is pronounced in this wine. The texture is full and the bead is refined. 

The Brut Reserve Grand Cru owes the strength of its aromas and its affirmed body to the Pinot Noir from Verzenay, and owes its delicacy to the Chardonnay.

Winemaker notes - Hints of soft fruits (peach, apricot, plum) accompanied by a sensation of exotic fruits. A sharp attack on the palate and then transpires an impression of harmony and stability. Once again we find these hints of soft fruits but no longer crystalised, to which we can add flavours of almonds and hazelnuts. 

The Second Course

Lightly Smoked Ocean Trout, kohlrabi, mussel emulsion, selected by Sean,

Gai Yang Chicken Wing Zampone, blood orange, cilantro, smoked chicken jus,

Crispy Ricotta Gnudi, celery root giardiniera, belper knolle, sunflower seed, selected by Michelle, and,

Roasted Scallop, green curry custard, finger lime, english pea, selected by Linda and me.

Sean loved and raved about the Smoked Trout, one of the highlights of the evening, and the best such dish he says he had ever tasted!

The trout was an ideally paired with this crisp white from the Vinho Verde appellation from the Minho River area, close to the Atlantic in Northern Portugal. Known for concentration and depth, both mouth-filling and refreshing, these wines have depth and textures that are both elegant and energetic. The nose carries an airy effervescence with blossoms and fresh ginger, while the mouthfeel is like juicy white-fleshed stone fruits with a long wash of grippy mineral sensations. The only Vinho Verde that could be 100% Alvarinho had to come from Quinta do Santiago's specific area of Menção e Melgaço.

Michelle chose the Ricotta Gnudi for her second course.

It was paired with this Italian varietal Nebbiolo, native grape from the Italian Piedmont wine region. This was an ideal old world classic style with rich earthy notes of Piedmont soil, tar, savory herbs and Shittake mushroom with elegant, refined fruit. Written to be Ghemme at its best, elegant yet powerful. 

Linda and I both selected the Roasted Scallop.

The Scallop was minimally cooked and we both would have preferred pan seared, or, cooked slightly more. The highlight of the dish may have been the English pea, green curry custard with lime. 

The wine pairing with the scallop was a German Riesling Kabinett - Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett, Mönchhof 2021. 

This is produced from grapes harvested from the steepest vineyards along the Mosel River in northwest Germany. The Mönchhof estate has is known for expressing ripe stone fruit and slate flavors that represent the unique terroir of the area. We visited the Mosel River Valley during our trip back in the mid-1980’s. Our tastes in wines have evolved significantly from those days. 

Rather than a sweet full wine such as this, I would’ve preferred a more delicate crisp Sauvignon Blanc. Linda would’ve preferred a round buttery Chardonnay. In any event, part of the culinary journey is experiencing the Chef’s and Sommelier’s interpretation of the wine pairing. 

The third, main course:

Grilled short rib, morel mushroom crab rangoon, smoked béarnaise, crispy nori. This was selected by Linda, Sean and me.

Michelle selected the Lamb Loin, cauliflower, pistachio dukkah, curried jus, lamb belly doughnut,

The Chef’s, Sommelier’s wine pairing with the lamb was a Napa Valley Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon from Frog’s Leap Rutherford Vineyards from the historic 2020 vintage.

Frog's Leap "Estate" Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 

This is from the iconic Frog's Leap winery estate in Rutherford that has been farmed by John Williams since 1981, now in concert with his son Rory.

Frog’s Leap were fortunate to release full production of their flagship wine during the chaotic vintage of 2020. After a very dry winter over 2019-2020 with only half normal rainfall, the deep-rooted vines compensated by naturally producing a light crop, about 25% below average. Major heat waves set in during harvest in mid-August and early September. Vineyard practices helped protect the vines during the high heat. 

The bulk of their Cabernet harvest was complete and ready to be picked when the tragic historic Glass fire broke out on September 28th, just six miles to the north. The remaining five blocks to be picked were harvested within the next two mornings. The fire’s smoke stayed to the north on the 28th and through the the 29th, as they finished picking. 

Unlike many Napa producers, Frog’s Leap 2020 Cabernet was unaffected by the fires. Due to smoke damage from the fires, many producers were not able to produce any crop, or were severely limited to what they were able to pick before the fires erupted. 

The fruit for this release was sourced from Frog’s Leap estate Rutherford vineyards - 34% Red Barn vineyard, Rutherford, 40% Chevez-Leeds vineyard, Rutherford, and 26% from the Williams-Rossi vineyard, Rutherford. It is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc.

It was aged 20 months in new to 5-year-old French oak barrels, 10% new.

Relieved and confident that they had produced a fine wine for the vintage, Rory said about this release, “I intend to be opening bottles of the 2020 vintage 40 years from now with my daughter Alma, who was born in 2020.”

This release was awarded 94 points by Decanter and 91 points by James Suckling.

Bright garnet colored, medium full-bodied with classic rustic Rutherford dusty tannins, brambly black currant, raspberry, and black cherry fruits with notes of tobacco, spices and black tea.

RM 91 points.  

The other entree course offerings were: 

Roasted Monkfish, little neck clams, white asparagus, horseradish-hidden valle, and,

Potato and Gruyère Agnolotti, lamb bacon, crispy potato, parmesan butter.

With the Short Rib, we had two fabulous wine pairings, the Chef’s and Sommelier’s selection, a Spanish Rioja Tempranillo Reserva ….

Señorío de P. Peciña Tinto Reserva is from the La Rioja designation of origin produced by Bodegas Hermanos Peciña. It is a blend predominantly made up of Tempranillo (95%), with a small amount of Graciano and Garnacha (5%).

The grapes come from various selected vineyards in the San Vicente de la Sonsierra region. The soils there are predominantly clay-limestone, and the planting density is high to produce rich concentrated wines. 

It was aged for 36 months in American oak barrels with an average age of four to five years, then it was aged another year and a half in the bottle before release.

Luis Gutierrez of RobertParker.com gave this 93 Points.

Bright garnet colored, medium bodied, bright vibrant full concentrated ripe spicy fruits, with notes of earth, leather and vanilla and a touch of smoke and dusty rose, with polished chalky tannins. 

RM 93 points. 

And of course, our BYOB special birth year vintage bottle from our home cellar, 1985 Chateau Léoville-Las-Cases, St-Julien, Bordeaux. The classic wine from the legendary producer is considered a crown jewel of the St Julien appellation. Many consider it on par with the iconic first growths, it is known as one of the ‘super seconds.’

The estate is the largest and highest regarded of the three Léovilles, the greatest in quality and, in the opinion of many, it should be among the first growths. 

This is one of my absolute favorite, revered wines. Our visit to the Chateau was one of the highlights of our trip to St Julien Bordeaux back in 2019. We acquired a case of this wine upon release back in the mid-eighties and have still hold a couple bottles.

At going on forty years, the fill level was high neck, the foil and label were pristine, and the cork was intact but a bit soft and spongy. 

In 2020, Jeff Leve of The Wine Cellar Insider wrote, “One of the stars of the vintage, this is drinking perfectly today.” In March 2022 Robert Parker wrote, “My favorite vintage from this château to drink today is the 1985 Léoville Las Cases. More giving than the brooding 1986, and more complex than the 1982, the 1985 is in its prime today.”

Tonight’s tasting was consistent with my last review in 2019 when I wrote:

Deep garnet colored, medium-full bodied, elegant, complex but nicely integrated dark berry and black cherry fruits with notes of floral violets, tobacco, oak and hints of graphite, cigar box and leather on a tangy black cherry lingering finish of supple smooth, polished tannins. Over the course of the evening, it opened more to reveal layers of floral and fruits and accents.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/07/chateau-leoville-las-cases-1985.html

This release was awarded 98 points Vinous and 98 points by Wine Spectator, and 95 points by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, Decanter and the Wine Cellar Insider. 

In their 98 point review, Vinous wrote, “The 1985 Léoville–Las Cases is not just one of the finest vintages from this Second Growth, but one of the high points for the entirety of Bordeaux in this decade. Here it eclipses the 1985 Lafite-Rothschild with ease. A perfect marriage of structure and a degree of elegance that maybe the property has not matched before or since.”

This is a classic Left Bank Bordeaux blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?4819

We then chose the optional additional cheese course.

Tête de Moine, corn financier, huckleberry chutney, thyme.

This was an incredible, imaginative artful creation, the thinly and delicately sliced cheese was amazingly formed to resemble a flower.

The pairing was this Italian Moscato d’Asti from Lombardy.

Stefano Perrone is one of the region's large producers. Souring grapes from north-facing sites, limiting yields, annd strict grape selection, he makes wines delicate and balanced.

We then turned to the dessert course. 

I chose the Cannelé de Bordeaux, buttered rum diplomat cream, roasted pineapple sherbet, tarragon, a burst of flavors!

Cloud Cake, frozen sheep’s milk yogurt, rhubarb, chamomile was Michelle’s selection.

Sweet Pea Pavlova, white chocolate, coriander, meyer lemon sorbet was Sean’s selection.

And finally, Linda chose the Manjari Chocolate Torte, buckwheat, caramelized banana, coffee cocoa nib ice cream.

The dessert course wine pairings …

The Sepia team … professional, attentive, accomplished, and in the pursuit of perfection.

executive chef andrew zimmerman

chef de cuisine kyle cottle

sous chef brian daley & jayme cannava

pastry chef erin kobler

pastry sous chef melissa santiago

sommelier alex ring

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?4819

https://www.sepiachicago.com/

@SepiaChicago

https://x.com/unwindwine

Destiny Neighborhood Beef Tenderloin Wine Dinner

Destiny Neighborhood Beef Tenderloin Wine Dinner

Visiting our favorite getaway Destiny Cove vacation rental in Destin, Florida, we hosted a dinner with friends and neighbors. Linda prepared a full beef tenderloin, sliced into filets of beef, served with baked potatoes, haricot verts and mixed green salad. 

Before dinner we served a variety of artisan cheeses, fruits and mixed nuts. 

To accompany the dinner we opened a wine flight with varietal wines for each course. 

With the salad course we served a Washington State Chardonnay. 

With the main course we opened a medley of red wines - an aged vintage Napa Cabernet, an aged simple easy drinking Sonoma Cabernet, and a complex Washington State GSM Blend. 

Our guests brought for the dessert course a selection of artisan cupcakes from the bakeshop just outside our community gate and carrot cake cupcakes, which we paired with a flight of dessert wines from Italy and Austria.

Moffett Livingston Stanley's Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1997

We were planning a mini-family reunion last month in Destin so I brought for that occasion several 'family' wines, whimsically sharing names with certain family members, such as this Stanley's Vineyard label and so named brother-in-law.

This is named for 'Stanley', a family name in the owner/producer John Livingston's family. John resettled his family in St. Helena, Napa Valley in 1976 as an idyllic place to raise his six children, not necessarily with any forethought of joining the wine business. However, in 1984, they began pursuing their learned passion in wine and began producing Cabernet wines.

John Livingston was a geologist, and became intrigued with finding vineyards suitable to produce Stanley’s Selection Cabernet wine, seeking an optimum combination of stony hillside soils, eastern exposures and suitable micro-climates. In the ensuing years he found such vineyards, also chosen for sound farm management and proven consistency. All the vineyards were only a few acres in size, too small for big wineries but perfect for Livingston Stanley Cabernet. The 'Stanley’s' Vineyard label was blended from six small parcels in Napa by legendary winemaker John Kongsgaard.

Moffett Vineyards and the Livingston Moffett Winery, continued to be operated by Diane and John Livingston and were assisted for 22 years by their son Trent who helped grow the family winery from the cellars to the marketplace. Diane and John retired and sold the winery in 2005, resulting in a generational transition with Trent as successor of Moffett Vineyards.

Trent and his wife Colleen Moffett relocated in 2014 to the northern Willamette Valley to pursue making 4 different Pinot Noirs from 3 different Willamette Valley sub-appellations, all the while remaining connected with Napa Valley through Moffett Vineyards.

In addition to the Moffett Vineyards heritage, Trent and Colleen are co-producers of Screenplay Wines and C&T Cellars. .

This is the last of three bottles we acquired back upon release. We drank the first two bottles back in 2010 and 2014 and still held this bottle a decade later in our cellar. 

At two and a half decades, this was still holding its own, only perhaps slightly diminished from age at a quarter century, testament to the longevity of the ‘97 vintage Napa Cabs.  

This release was awarded 93 points by Wine Enthusiast and 90 points, Wine Advocate, Robert M. Parker, Jr. Upon release, Parker said it should drink well for fifteen years.

Winemaker's notes - "For the 1997 vintage, John chose four mostly one- to two-acre vineyards: Price, next door to Spottswoode; Walther, near Caymus; Corbett, adjacent to Moffett Vineyard; and Gemstone, with five clones of Cabernet along with Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petite Verdot. Yields ranged between of 2.5 to 4.5 tons per acre. It was aged in a combination of French and American oak."

Tonight, this was largely consistent with my earlier tastings, dark ruby colored, medium bodied with blackberry, black cherry and currant fruits, starting to give way slightly with notes of black tea with hints of anise and bitter dark chocolate with a bit of spice, plum with tone of cedar on the medium to firm tannins and acid balanced finish.

RM 89 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=162762

http://moffettvineyards.com/

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2014/12/livingston-moffet-napa-cab-with-beef.html

Another label we were holding for our bro-in-law, a fan of the namesake producer, we opened this for casual drinking with cheeses, fruit and nuts before dinner. 

Dan Aykroyd Discovery Series Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

This was a futile inglorious attempt at producing a novelty namesake branded wine by comedian and Saturday Night Live fame Dan Aykroyd, who folks say, should've stayed with acting.

Winemaker Notes - "The grapes are sourced primarily from the Alexander Valley, which with its cool mornings and evenings and warmer inland climate allow the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes to fully ripen. The wine is aged in 60-gallon French, American & Hungarian oak barrels for added complexity and increased concentration. This process also brings out softer tannins and a more fruit-forward palate."

 

Cellartrackers panned this wine, albeit they tend to be sophisticated wine drinkers. This exceeded my expectations, which admittedly were very low. I was open minded and opened it prepared to dump it, but while simple and uninspiring, it was okay for casual sipping with some cheeses before dinner. Several guests found it enjoyable and suitable for casual easy sipping.

Wine Enthusiast gave this 82 points. I didn't find it resembled their profile - "Overripe and bitter .... dry, with raisin and grapeskin flavors that have a Porty, tannic edge."

Ruby colored, medium bodied, dark berry fruit, notes of tobacco, smoke and black tea with an abrupt finish. RM 82

 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=649869

 

With the dinner we opened this Rhone varietal red blend. 

 

Force Majeure "Parvata" Red Mountain GSM - Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre 2017

 

We've opened this wine and featured it several times in these pages. We first featured this label in our Force Majeure Vineyards Site Visit and Tasting report as shown here:

October 2018

Force Majeure Vineyards Site Visit and Tasting

Force Majeure Vineyards Site Visit and Tasting

One of the inspirations for and objectives of our Walla Walla Wine Experience 2018 was to visit Force Majeure vineyards. We first met Force Majeure winemaker Todd Alexander and marketing, distribution and branding exec Carrie Alexander during the Chicago stop of their promotion tour in 2016 when we hosted them at Italian Village in Chicago. Since then we've acquired a respectable collection of Force Majeure wines, hence, they were one of our shortlist priority visits when we planned our Washington State, Columbia Valley wine trip.

Force Majeure Parvata Red Blend 2017 

We originally discovered and acquired this label during our visit to Force Majeure in Walla Walla back in 2018. We hold three vintages of a mixed case from our wine club allocation orders.   

This is from their Force Majeaure Red Mountain Vineyard site in the central Columbia Valley. The Red Mountain site was the very first vineyard on the steep, rocky upper slopes of Red Mountain. Developing the Red Mountain estate vineyards involved carefully matching varietal and clonal selections and vineyard trellising and irrigation to the eight distinct soil types in the vineyard.

Parvata means “mountain” in sanskrit, and hence is the name for Force Majeure's southern Rhône style blend, grown in the sandy, loamy soils of the lower section of the Red Mountain vineyard.

Parvata is a a classic Rhone River Blend that the French, and in the new World, the Australians, call GSM, for the blend of the three Rhone varietals, (25%) Grenache, (23%) Syrah, and (42%) Mourvedre. 

But this 2017 Parvata is a blend of Rhone varietals, somewhere between a GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre) and a CDP (Chateauneuf-du-Pape of which 70% is typicall GSM, the total can be from a possible thirteen sanctioned varietals). This release is 42% Mourvedre, 25% Grenache, 23% Syrah, and 'lesser' varietals, 4% Cinsault and 5% Counoie - 100% sourced from the Force Majeure Red Mountain Estate vineyard.

We've posted blogspots of the 2015 and 2016 releases but this is our first tasting of the 2017 release. It seems to be less fruit forward than the earlier releases.  

This was consistent with those earlier tastings. Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, this is black fruits accented by white pepper, dried herbs, leather and tobacco notes with bright lively acidity.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3519567

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/10/force-majeure-vineyards-site-visit-and.html

https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/ 

@ForceMVineyards 

We then served artisan cupcakes brought by neighbor Jan, and cupcakes brought by Debra. With the sweets, we opened several dessert wines from different regions with different profiles.

Alois Kracher Nouvelle Vague TBA - Trockenbeerenauslese Chardonnay No. 7 2001

We brought this from our home cellar and were holding it for a special occasion such as this. We hold a vast collection of labels and vintages from Kracher who offer a broad portfolio of dessert wines from Austria. This is from Seewinkel, an area in the Burgenland region of Austria, along the eastern shore of Lake Neusiedl,

Kracher is internationally regarded as one of the finest dessert wine makers. After Alois Kracher passed away in December 2007, his 27 year-old son Gerhard took over responsibility of winemaking and managing the winery. He carried on the tradition with the same veracity and dedication that his famous father once did with the same outcomes of extraordinary notable award winning wines.

Weinlaubenhof Alois Kracher estate vineyards possess a microclimate uniquely suited to the production of Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese wines. They have nearly 70 acres of vineyards planted with Welschriesling, Chardonnay, Traminer, Muskat Ottonel and Scheurebe.

This release was awarded 95 points by Wine Spectator, 94 points by Wine Enthusiast. and 18/20 points by Jancis Robinson.

Winemaker Notes - "Attractive aromas of ripe stone fruit, apricot jam, nuts and fresh herbs characterize this Welschriesling TBA, along with a silky texture and highly balanced acidity with pleasant floral notes on the elegant, salty finish."

In the fall of 2020 I wrote: "As I have written in the past, at their most desirable (to my taste preference) these wines are rich, thick, unctuous, and voluptuous with apricot marmalade, mango, toffee/brown sugar, and caramel notes. This may have been there at some point and perhaps passed that stage of its aging profile. If so, then it is time to drink although it will no doubt continue to age gracefully for several more years. But the rich, sweet apricot fruits nectar was diminished somewhat and has turned more to a smokey charcoal layer over the fruits which were more subdued. Delightful never-the-less

Copper and tea colored, full bodied, thick structured, rich concentrated notes of sweet orange marmelade, apple and apricot fruit nectar with of pain grille, honey and nutmeg spice on a long unctuous textured finish. 

 

RM 92 points.

From an earlier posting: https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/08/kracher-trockenbeeren-auslese-tba-7.html

In winter of 2018 - I gave this 91 Points.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/11/thanksgiving-feast-features-rhone-wine.html

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=19086

Ca' della Vignalta Colli Euganei Fior d'Arancio Fiore del Deserto Moscato (Muscat) Passito 2015

From Veneto, and area formerly part of the Colli Euganei DOC, it was established as a separate DOCG in 2010. The Veneto DOCG appellation specifies some significant production rules: 

• Grapes for Passito must be dried on or off the vine to achieve a minimum potential alcohol level of 15.5%
• Minimum alcohol level: 4.5% for Bianco dolce (10.5% potential); 6.0% for Spumante (10.5% potential); 9.0% for Passito (15.5% potential); 10.5% for Bianco secco
• Residual sugar: Minimum 100 g/l (10.0%) for Bianco dolce, Spumante, and Passito
• Aging: For Passito, minimum 1 year (ERD = November 1, V+1)

Az. Agricola Vignalta Fior d ' Arancio Colli Euganei have 346 acres of vineyards on the side of the highest of the Euganean hills outside the village of Arquà Petrarca southwest of Paduea, Italy, seventy kilometers southwest of Venice. They are planted primarily to Moscato as the principal White Grape Variety, with an average age of vines of 16 years.  The grape is particularly suitable for the production of complex and intensely aromatic Passito wines that perfectly pair with desserts and biscuits. They produce 76,700 cases per year of which 5.000 – 7.000 bottles are this Orange Muscat based Passito, produced in 375 ml bottles.

Az. Agricola Vignalta produce a wide portfolio of red, white, dessert and sparkling wines. This sweet muscat wine is predominantly based on Moscato Giallo grapes, which produce sweet and fresh wines, with distinguishing citrus notes. The label includes three different styles: dry white wine, sweet Passito, and bubbly spumante.

Fior d ' Arancio Colli Euganei Passito DOCG : it is a complex wine, with a bright golden yellow color that reaches light amber with time. It reveals aromas of yellow fruit in syrup, apricot and acacia honey. It manages to maintain a good balance between flavor and sweetness.

Winemaker notes -  "With its amber yellow colour and golden reflections, our Fior d’Arancio Passito captures at first sight thanks to the bright shades that it shows in the glass. The perfume is complex and elegant: balsamic notes of canned fruit, dry dates, candied figs, jams, honey, eucalyptus and vanilla stand out from the bouquet. Each sip is warm, embracing but not cloying and has a delicate almond husk final taste. Rich and balanced. Vinification: drying grapes in “fruttaio” for 4 months, crushing and squeezing rasin to obtain a very sweet must, fermenting in French oak barrel for 18 months."

Descriptions of the color of these wines vary based on the age and stage of their aging profile. These dessert wines start out golden or pale straw colored, and darken over time, turning deep golden, then light brownish, darker to orange rust, then a copper color, and finally even to a blackish weak coffee color. High quality versions from top vintages can age for fifty years or more.  

Tea copper colored, full bodied, complex  sweet notes of figs, hints of honey, raisins almonds and sweet tea on a smooth pleasant finish.

RM 91.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2734338

https://www.vignalta.it/en/

Team cook-out dinner features grilled beefsteak and diverse wine flight

Team cook-out dinner features grilled beefsteak, salmon and broad diverse assorted wine flight

This continues our earlier post on the cookout dinner we hosted for my global team, wherein I wrote about the white Napa Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc blend we served to accompany the grilled salmon. 

Over the course of the Salmon, grilled T-bone beefsteaks, assorted salads, cheeses, fruits and desserts, we opened a broad diverse wine flight of white, red, red blend, tawny port, and pair of dessert wines. 

We served a Sauvignon Blanc from Blackbird Vineyards and were discussing their vineyard site on Oak Knoll Road at Big Ranch Road in southern Napa Valley, down the road from Trefethen Vineyards and Winery. 

Guest and colleague Rick K mentioned he was a member of the Trefethen wineclub and collected several of their wines over the years. Mark B, visiting from the UK, discussed the likely geneaology of the Trefethen name and his shared Welsh family heritage. 

Hence, I pulled from our cellar a special Trefethen select blend as an additional pairing with the grilled T-Bone steaks, and comparison with the other Napa Cab, Clos du Val.

To accompany the grilled T-bone beefsteaks, I opened the pair of red Napa Valley Cabernets starting with . Clos du Val Napa Cab in a large format magnum bottle. Both were ideal pairings with the steak.

Clos du Val Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Clos Du Val is French for “small vineyard estate of a small valley,” was founded in 1972 in the historic Stags Leap District by Franco-American entrepreneur John Goelet. Monsieur Goelet conducted a global search for vineyards where he could build a world class winery - and craft world-class wines. His search ended with the purchase of 150 acres in the Napa Valley Stags Leap District, and 180 acres in the Carneros region at the bottom of Napa Valley near where it meets Sonoma, near the confluence at the top of San Pablo Bay.

In 2012, Clos Du Val’s Winemaker Kristy Melton became only the third winemaker in the four-decade history of Clos Du Val. Previous she had worked at Seresin Estate in New Zealand, and Iron Horse and Saintsbury in California.

I first posted a tasting of this label back in November 2015 when I noted "I like this wine" and rated it 93 points; "Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, a symphony of smooth polished complex flavors - tightly wound blackberry, black cherry, hints of plum and currant fruits accented by tones of black tea, black olive, hints of vanilla, light toast, and tobacco on the finely integrated supply sinewy tannin finish."

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2015/11/clos-du-val-napa-valley-cabernet.html

I then wrote about it again almost a year ago to the day on 7/16/2021 when I wrote: "At eight years, this is just now starting to hit its stride and has a long life ahead and may not yet have reached the apex of its drinking/aging profile. It might settle down and integrate a bit further for more polish and nuance, but it is delicious now as it is."

'Bright garnet/purple colored, medium full bodied, vibrant, forward expressive blackberry, dark cherry and black currant fruits with notes of graphite, smoke, floral, herbs, black tea and tobacco turning to firm but smooth approachable tannins and a pleasing bright tangy lingering finish."

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/07/clos-du-val-napa-valley-cabernet.html

This Clos Du Val 2013 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was rated 95 points by Antonio Galloni of Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Vinous, and 92 points by James Suckling.

Served from large format magnum which I believe contributed to its being somewhat more settled balanced than earlier tastings, at nearing a decade, this is hitting its stride and likely at or nearing the apex of its tasting profile and window. 

Consistent with earlier notes, bright ruby purple colored, medium full bodied, bright vibrant, complex but nicely balanced blackberry, black currant and dark cherry fruits with bitter dark chocolate, baking spice, black tea, with some smoke and leather on a tangy acidic finish and moderate soft tannins on the finish. 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2122040

https://www.closduval.com/

As mentioned, based on the discussions about Trefethen above, and the unique nature of this label and its heritage, I pulled from the cellar this red Bordeaux blend from them.

Trefethen Dragon's Tooth Napa Valley Red Wine 2018

We discovered and wrote about this label when we visited the Trefethen Estate winery and vineyards at the entrance to Napa Valley just above the City of Napa in the Oak Knoll District during our Napa Wine Experience in 2013.  

Founded by Eugene and Catherine Trefethen in 1968, today, it is managed by the third generation of the Trefethen family.

This label is a tribute to the winery's matriarch Catherine Trefethen, who was from Welsh ancestry. 

This is an interesting, unique blend of Malbec and Petit Verdot, 100% Estate, sourced from new plantings from the rockiest part of Trefethen's vineyard where obsidian flakes occasionally remind them of the toothy smile of Y Ddraig Goch (The Red Dragon) guardian and symbol of Wales.

The blend for this release is 49% Malbec, 27% Petit Verdot and 24% Cabernet Sauvignon. 

 

Winemaker Notes for this vintage release: "This wine opens with expressive aromas of cherry and blackberry accented with notes of fig, tobacco leaf, and sarsaparilla. Full-bodied and balanced, the integrated flavors of ripe dark fruit lead to a lush and abundant finish."

 

This release was awarded 94 points by James Suckling, 92 points by Vinous, 91 points by International Wine & Spirits Competition, and 90 points by Wine & Spirits and Decanter World Wine Awards.

 

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, perhaps too young to reveal its true character and potential as it was a bit tight and closed, still full round ripe black cherry and berry fruits with notes of dark mocha, spice, leather and black tea notes with full tannins on a long finish.

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3774917

https://www.trefethen.com/ 

At this point, one of our guests mentioned a liking to port wine which turned the discussion to suitable and appropriate after dinner wines for such an occasion. I returned from the cellar with a half dozen bottles from which the group selected a Tawny Port and a pair of diverse dessert wines. 

Cockburn's Twenty Year Tawny Porto Director's Reserve (Bottled in) 1994

Our British guest, Mark, noted the proper pronunciation of this producer's name, which is British, Scottish, is "CO-burn", with the ck being silent. 

Cockburn's dates back to 1815, when Robert and John Cockburn, two brothers from Scotland, bypassed the stuffy merchant’s fair in Porto and bought the best grapes directly from farmers upriver in the Douro region of Portugal to produce their own wine, which continued thereafter to this day. 

Cockburn's 20 Year Old Tawny is blended from older, mature, cask aged wines and then refreshed by the addition of younger wines. The average age of this blend is no less than 20 years.

Notably, this Bottle numbered OP 293941, was bottled in 1994, one of the best most highly acclaimed vintages years for port in history. That would render this wine to be going on 20 plus (2022-1994) 28, or 48 years of age. 

This is interesting in that while they indicate on the label that this bottle was produced in 1994, it is not a Vintage Port, since the actual wine is a blend from the highest quality wine frmo across numerous vintages, with an average age of twenty years, hence called a "20 Year Tawny." 

Cockburn produce their flagship premium Vintage Ports in designated vintage years, which is the custom in Porto, a '10 Year Tawny', a '20 Year Tawny', and a 'Late Bottled Vintage' (LBV), sourced from the same vineyard that produces the Vintage Ports, the LBVs are aged in large oak vats for four to six years before being bottled, produced to be ready to drink.

It was wonderful, not the least showing any diminution from age whatsoever. It was enjoyed by all, not just the more hearty robust aged wine aficionados. The Cellartracker drinking window for this wine was 'Drink by 2017', rendering this warning, "This wine is past its drinking window. DRINK UP!!" I dutifully updated the Cellartracker Drinking Window to 2024, based on our experience with this bottle.

My photo of this bottle, with my watermark 'www.mcnees.org/winesite', indicates I published it before I obtained and started using the 'www.unwindwine.com' internet domain name and branding.  

Winemaker Notes for Cockburn's 20 Year Old Tawny although not necessarily this release: "The wine is star-bright, in color somewhere between rose hip pink and dark honey. A seductive, delicate nose evokes subtle hints of raisins, cedar wood, walnuts and cinnamon. Silky and light yet still with a distinct grip the wine is very much alive. The finish is nutty and sinewy and lasting. The character of this wine is similar to that of a fully mature vintage port of a very great year."

Of course, due to the age of our bottle, it was darker, more the color of iced tea.

The recent Cockburn 20 Year Tawny was awarded 94 points by Wine Spectator and 91 points by Wine Enthusiast.

Dark golden colored resembling iced tea, full bodied, rich, unctuous, notes of smoke, nut, hints of butterscotch, toffee and honey. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=620571

More to come .. being updated further ... 

Continuing the wine journey, we opened a pair of aged vintage dessert wines with the dessert course which also included assorted cheeses and fresh fruits. 

We opened, in small format, 375 half bottles, an Italian and a French dessert wine, two disparate styles, profiles and tastes. 

Calvalchina Bianca Del Veneto Passito IGT 2004 Trebbiano Blend 

Several from our group know and have had this wine together during our team dinners at Italian Village, Chicago, many of which have been chronicled in these pages.

I've written about this label on numerous occasions as this is one of the several remaining bottles from a case of 24 half bottles we acquired of this wine for every day casual sipping, ideal for such occasions such as this evening.

Upon release the color of this wine was straw, then turned to butter, and over time has consistently darkened to honey color and it is now the hue of weak tea.

Consistent with some earlier notes, back in 2016 I wrote: Medium-full bodied, the apple fruits, subtle tangerine and hint of apricot and peach flavors have given way, overtaken by tones of burnt caramel, smoke and nut on a flavorful lingering finish.

RM 87 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=436980

Then to compare with a different style and varietal from a different region, we turned to a Sauterne from Bordeaux from a near vintage allowing for nearly a horizontal (same vintage comparison) tasting of similar purpose produced wines.

Château Suduiraut 1er Grand Cru Classe' Sauternes Bordeaux 2002, 2005

The full flight photo above shows a 2005 vintage release of this label. That is the bottle we consumed this evening. Additionally, we had the remains of this 2002 vintage release from a few nights earlier that we also finished out tonight.  

This is a label we know well as we have a vertical collection spanning more than two decade of vintages. As I written often in the past, its great fun to watch these Sauternes wines age and turn from the straw color on release, darkening over time to butter, then honey colored to weak tea colored.

Dark honey colored, medium full bodied, not as sweet and unctuous as some vintages, the fruit is more subdued lacking the apricot nectar and honey of some vintages. This showed plenty of botrytis, with predominate notes of smoke accented by marzipan, almond, ripe apple, and hints of  vanilla on the tongue cloying finish. 

This was a perfect compliment to the fresh berries, selection of profiteroles and chocolate desserts.

RM 91 points.

Tasted from a 375ml half bottle.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=18468