Signorello & Del Dotto Napa Wines Paired with Vie Western Springs Fine Cuisine

Vie in Western Springs Locavor Fine Cuisine Matched with BYOB Signorello & Del Dotto Napa Wines

We dined at tony Vie in Western Springs at their Chicago Restaurant Week four course price fixe special evening with daughter Erin and S-in-law Johnnie, arranged by son Ryan.

They offered a meat and a fish entree selection so I took two special Napa bottles BYOB - Del Dotto Napa Valley Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 1999 - a special year for the kids, and Signorello Estate Napa Valley Hope's Cuvee Chardonnay 2010.

A wine course and or beer accompaniment course was offered but we took advantage of and appreciated Vie's corkage fee/accommodation. 

The wines were a highlight of the localvor fine dinner course pairings shown below.

First Course

Chicken cassoule: braised leg, sausage and chicken bacon, white beans, roasted turnips, preserved asparagus, tarragon pesto,

or,

Tempura fried pickled summer beans, roasted sweet potatoes, harissa mayonnaise, arugula (shown left). Imaginative and tasty.

Second Course

Creamy squash soup, ginger granola, yogurt,

or,

Roasted and pickled beets, watermelon radish, savoy cabbage, smoked ramp and buttermilk ranch (shown right).This was delicious but, while ever so subtle and refined, the smoked tone in this course, when followed by the smoked entree, in combination was a bit much.

Third Course

Pan-roasted steelhead trout, sauerkraut pancake, parsnip puree, wood grilled onions, smoked apple butter vinagrette, dill (shown left). The girls both had this and enjoyed it.

or,

Wood grilled pork sausage, smoked ham, toasted polenta, confit celery root, grilled meyer lemon, marcoot creamery tomme, preserved tomato pork broth. Johnnie and I both had this and while it was good, the smoked ham overpowered the tasty pork sausage.

Also, the double smoked selection of the smoked entree following the smoked beet salad was a but much.







The wines:

Signorello Hope's Cuvee Napa Valley Estate Chardonnay 2010

We discovered and acquired this wine at a winery dinner/visit at the magnificent setting overlooking lower Napa Valley vineyards during our Napa Wine Experience 2013.

I selected this hearty full, forward Chardonnay that I knew would accompany the fish entree as well as the first and second starter and salad courses and I was right.

Read through my blog postings and you'll know I am predominantly a red wine drinker. While I enjoy an occasional glass of white, most often with appropriate food, I don't normally get excited about a white wine. This Chardonnay was the exception,  memorable and special. This was the first bottle from our winery purchase that we have opened at home and it met all my high expectations.

This Hopes Cuvée Chardonnay was full bodied but nicely balanced and polished for very pleasant drinking. It is bursting with flavorful fruit with layers of peach and poached pear giving way to hints of honey, almond, nutmeg, vanilla and creamy soft spicy oak. There is very pleasant full mouth-feel with rich texture on the palate with a long lingering finish of sweet mellow oak. It was a great accompaniment to the carefully prepared, complex fine cuisine courses.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1401845

While it wasn't listed on the Vie website when I planned and selected the wines for the evening, their wine list featured the Signorello flagship Padrone Napa Cabernet. It would have been fun to have a Signorello wine flight for our dinner experience. We'll plan this for a future visit. Padrone is Signorello's flagship wine, produced in honor of Ray Signorello Sr., the patriarch of the family and founder of the estate.

http://signorelloestate.com/ 


Del Dotto Vineyards Napa Valley Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 1999

We have a vertical collection of this wine dating back to the inaugural vintage release in 1993. Del Dotto is one of our favorite Napa producers and we've visited the winery many times over the years. A tour of the sensational Del Dotto winery and cave was a highlight of Erin and Johnnie's Napa trip. So, it was fitting to select a Del Dotto for our dinner together. The 1999 vintage commemorates a special benchmark year for the kids too.

This 1999 vintage was the artwork of legendary winemaker Nils Venge crafted from Rutherford appellation fruit. At sixteen years, this is a testament to the aging potential of this label as it is still full, firm and vibrant and is just starting to show its age as tones of earth, leather, and tobacco are starting to set in. These tones turned to bright floral notes after being open an hour.

Dark garnet colored, full bodied, firm gripping forward black berry fruits laced with that classic Rutherford dust, complex but nicely balanced with intense dark cherry, black currant and blackberry fruits, a layer of cedar and spicy tangy oak on a lingering finish of tight structured tannins. This was a great complement to the complex mix of tastes in the wood grilled pork sausage and smoked ham entree that matched well with the wine's complexity.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=616988

http://www.deldottovineyards.com/

After dinner, the Fourth Course dinner selections were:

Mascarpone cheesecake, spiced cookie butter, heirloom citrus, and tangerine sorbet, or,

Apple and raspberry galette, milk chocolate gelato, and raspberry preserves (shown right). This was spectacular.

Vie Restaurant, Western Springs, IL
http://www.vierestaurant.com/ 

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 1988 with Waterleaf Glenn Ellyn French inspired dinner

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 1988 with French inspired dinner at Waterleaf in Glen Ellyn

We dined with son Ryan and D-in-law Michelle at the Waterleaf restaurant in the Culinary Arts Center at COD (College of DuPage) in Glen Ellyn. I took BYOB from the cellar this Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 1988. The aged Bordeaux was a perfect accompaniment to the French inspired cuisine.

Waterleaf features a pric fixe selection of choice of starter, entree and dessert which two of us selected.

To pair with my BYOB wine, as a starter I had the Chicken Liver Mousse with Cherry Compote and Toast Points.

For entree selections, I had the Grand Marnier Coffee Glazed Duck Breast with Carrot Puree and Raspberry Reduction (left), and Ryan had the Filet Au Poivre with Potato Croquettes and Pea Puree (below).

Before dinner we had the Henry Mandois Brut Champagne, NV, and then with the girls' seafood entrees, we ordered Chappellet Napa Valley Chenin Blanc 2011 from the Wine Spectator award winning winelist.

For dinner entrees, Linda had the Sea Bass and Michelle had the Crusted Scallops (shown below).

Waterleaf's service was a bit lacking as it was a bit slow and inattentive. While the pairing of our vintage Bordeaux with the pate, steak and duck were highlights of the meal, the wine service was slow and a bit awkward. It took three requests for them to finally decant and serve our wine, which by the time it was in the glass we were almost finished with the pate starter. When the entrees were finally served, the duck entree was warm, not hot. Service aside, all the food selections were delicious with nice picturesque presentations, as shown. 

For desserts, we had the Sorbet Selection, the Maple (Creme) Brulee (which was void of Maple?) (below) and another.

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou St Julien Bordeaux 1988

Before heading to the restaurant I opened and decanted the Ducru for three hours, then recorked it. The cork was perfect and the fill level of the bottle was 1/4 up the neck.

The color was bright ruby with no sign of diminution from age. Upon opening the room filled with huge aromas of violets, berry fruits, green pepper, leather and cigar box. The wine was medium bodied, with complex bright flavors of black berry, black cherry with earthy tobacco leaf, very modest tannins and a short finish.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=21784

http://www.cod.edu/waterleaf/index.aspx 

Waterleaf Sea Bass was superb

Waterleaf Crusted Scallops

Waterleaf Filet Au Poivre with Potato Croquettes
and Pea Puree

Waterleaf Maple Creme Brulee

Waterleaf Sorbet Selection - Chocolate, Berry, and Ginger

Conn Valley Anthology Highlights Capital Grill Board Room Dinner

Conn Valley Anthology Highlights Capital Grill Board Room Dinner 

For an important client dinner, we dined in the Board Room at the Capital Grill in Chicago. Readers of this blog know that I place high emphasis on the wine and food combination pairings, coupled with value, and hence choose the restaurant and my entree based on the winelist selections, offset or influenced by the corkage policy. That said, one would be right to infer that I lost the vote (or deferred to rank) on the restaurant selection to dine at Capital Grill this evening. Sorry Jared.

I find it more than a bit irritating that they don't publish a more complete list online to aid the diner in advance dinner planning. While this may be okay for a personal social outing or impromptu dinner, I believe an important client business dinner warrants and deserves better info for appropriate planning. 

Capital Grille tout their winelist as "having more than 350 world-class wines ....  hailing from nearly every wine growing region on earth. Old World and New World gems, little-known labels on the brink of stardom, and a Captain’s List featuring some of the world’s most celebrated wines." The Sommelier  Selections they feature on their website are very limited and mostly uninspiring wines.

While this description of their wine offerings may be technically correct, it leaves an impression of depth and breadth in a wine selection. I consider it rhetoric as I don't think it offers either, unless you look at California Bordeaux varietals - Cabernet, Merlot and Blends. The European and ROW (rest of world) selections are very limited.

Perhaps this limited selection would be acceptable for the serious wine drinker if it was selective in signature wine offerings -  those that are at the critical intersection of 'reasonably' priced and delectable wines. Naturally if you can afford $200 for a bottle, then you can find a pleasant impressive sipper. I find it hard to pay $110-125 for a mediocre uninspiring wine. Sure, the winelist is filled with many of my cellar favorites that I own and enjoy at home and am pleased to serve guests, but those wines that cost $40 to $50, the mainstay of my and many serious consumer cellars, but those wines cost $150 or more on the CG winelist.  Even on a business expense account, I find this difficult to justify.

Again, as is typically the case, I cant afford to drink my own cellar in most fine dining restaurants.

This angst is exacerbated by the vintage selections, or lack thereof.  I carefully selected a quality classic, favored Napa Valley mainstay label, Joseph Phelps, Cab 2010, but they were out of this vintage and tried to sell an alternate.

I craftily selected from the Captains List a unique boutique label - a single vineyard designated Ken Wright Cellars Pinot Noir 2011, winning out over a colleague's preference, Domain Drouhin 2011. I discovered Ken Wright during my years commuting to a large software firm in suburban Seattle back before the millennium. In the end, we were served a 2012, and while I thought this would be a great discovery to share with colleagues, it turned out to be a disappointment - certainly not worthy of a Captain's List feature selection.

In the end, we did discovered a gem on the Captain's winelist that was a huge hit. Even then, we captured the last two bottles, so this will not available on our next visit, or to the next diner.

Our server was apologetic and noted they will soon be offering a interactive tablet based virtual winelist. Perhaps this will result in greater accuracy and currency in the data, but it won't address the selection and pricing challenges or concerns.



Ken Wright Cellars Carter Vineyard Pinot Noir 2012

I hold several of these wines going back to the turn of the millennium when I discovered it in the Pacific Northwest. I distinctly remember a tasting featured in my wine journal with a wine post for the 1997 vintage of this wine tasted back 1999.

Located in rural Carlton, Oregon, near the farm of a dear friend, Ken Wright Cellars specializes in featuring quality select vineyard designated wines - most notably Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with special emphasis on Pinot which they believe is best at reflecting the unique character of the location where it is grown - terroir.

Ken Wright sources fruit from nearly a dozen sites in the Northern Willamette Valley, known especially for outstanding  Pinot Noir. Compared to other Pinot Noir regions around the world, the region is extremely cool, offset by a long growing season. The Wright Cellars source Pinot Noir vineyards span five different appellations or AVAs including well know Dundee Hills, McMinnville, the Coastal Range and this one, Eola Hills.

Tonight's selection is from the Carter Vineyard near Canary Hill in the Eola Hills AVA and features mature vines planted back in the mid-eighties. Sited low on the hillside at just 325 feet elevation,  the leaner, less fertile soil stresses the vines to produce more concentrated extracted fruit. Carter Vineyard wines tend to be firmer than Canary Hill when young, then age nicely to reveal darker vibrant earthy fruits.

This wine in recent years has been highly acclaimed with rave reviews. Tonight the 2012 vintage of this wine was lean and astringent lacking balance and polish and coming across rather flabby, ruby colored, light bodied, cherry and hints of cranberry with a layer of earthy dusty rose on the tangy spicy moderately tannin finish.

RM 87 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1499592

http://kenwrightcellars.com/
 

Conn Creek Napa Valley Anthology 2010

This was a big blockbuster stand-out hit, enjoyed by all. When finished, rather than switching to another bottle for a comparison tasting, which I would normally do, we had a second bottle, which happened to be their last. It was smooth, polished and nicely balanced which is a bit surprising given the blend of all five Bordeaux varietals was sourced from no less than twenty-one different vineyard sites across the range of diverse Napa Valley appellations.

The Blend:
 - Cabernet Sauvignon, 78% from Atlas Peak (Stagecoach), Calistoga (Surber & Frediani), Stags Leap District, St. Helena (Collins), and Spring Mountain (Crowley)
 - Petit Verdot, 8% from Napa Valley (Rodeno)
 - Cabernet Franc, 7% from: St. Helena (Carpenter), Atlas Peak (Stagecoach)
 - Merlot, 4% from Atlas Peak (Stagecoach)
 - Malbec, 3% from Yountville (Herrick


Medium bodied, dark garnet colored, rich, nicely balanced symphony of smooth soft sweet black berry and black raspberry fruits highlighted by layers of vanilla mocha, cinnamon, and sweet spicy oak, with silky fine grained tannins on a smooth polished lingering finish.
 
RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1392790

https://www.conncreek.com/Wines/anthology/2010-anthology

https://www.thecapitalgrille.com/

Inovasi for Superb Wine & Food Pairings

Inovasi for Superb Wine & Food Pairings

An evening outing landed us at Inovasi Restaurant in tony Lake Bluff. We discovered a vibrant atmosphere in a chic stylish setting with fine-crafted dinner plates and perfect wine-by-the-glass pairings. It was a perfect getaway from a hectic stressful day in the pleasant comfortable setting. A half dozen entree selections include Steak Frites, Shepherds Pie, Baked Haddock, Wild Sockeye Salmon and Crispy Chicken Thigh or Grilled Chicken. There's a larger selection of imaginative small plates and appetizers. A carefully and thoughtfully selected wine list also offers a dozen red and white wines by-the-glass. The result was two great value wine finds that perfectly complemented our meal for a delightful and memorable dining experience.

Inovasi roasted beet salad (half)

We started with the Roasted Beet salad that was delicious with fried onion, goat cheese and a spicy peanut vinaigrette. My Steak Frites was perfectly prepared and nicely presented in a tasty butter au jus reduction. Linda chose the Haddock served on a bed of smoked lentils with a bit of spice.

With my steak I tasted Aviary Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 from the By-The-Glass (B-T-G) list. It was a perfect pairing complementing the beef and the au jus reduction. It was also spectacular with the roasted beet salad with feta cheese and peanut ragu.

Aviary Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

This was a pleasant surprise, exceeding my modest expectations for a B-T-G selection. I am not familiar with this producer or label and upon researching it further found it in distribution throughout the northeast US. Perhaps the setting and an ideal food pairing taints my perspective but I'd say at the $20 retail price point on offer, this is an exceptional QPR (Quality Price Ratio) and I'd say go get a case for every day as well as special occasion drinking. Its a perfect blind tasting candidate!

According to their website, Aviary source grapes from 'nearly a dozen distinct vineyards from Calistoga... to Coombsville'.  Gregory Ahn the Executive Winemaker/GM works with a team of consulting winemakers and a cellar crew to craft the grapes and wines to his specifications.

This is serendipity as it provides a wonderful wine find and dining experience such as this evening. But for lack of terroir or consistent sourcing, one can't infer anything from one label to the next label or even vintage to the next which may be totally different. This the the state of non-estate bottled or broker negotiant labels. Enjoy it while you can .. but caveat emptor with each label. One time you might get premium or ultra premium grapes in a 'private label', the next it may be excess production, or sub-standard product not suitable for the primary flagship label. There's fun in the hunt and great reward when it turns out to be winner at a great price such as tonight. There were 4900 cases of this produced so you should be able to find it.

This was dark garnet colored, medium to full bodied, moderately complex but nicely balanced, the muted aromas deceive the burst of Blackberry fruit on the front pallet followed by a layer of black currant, cassis with a hint of dark chocolate and tones of tobacco and tea on the smooth moderate tannin finish.

The blend is Cabernet Sauvignon 88%, Merlot 8% and Petit Syrah 4%.

RM 91

 https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1702857

http://aviaryvineyards.com/


Barrique Sonoma County Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2012

With Linda's entree we chose this Barrique Sonoma County Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2012. Once again, this was an unknown label or producer. This wine is produced by Brack Mountain Wine Company, made from hand-selected blocks from one of the oldest vineyards on the Sonoma coast. A recent earlier vintage of this label was offered by K&L in the Bay Area, one of our favorite wine merchants for their value, selection and expertise, for under $15. Even at the suggested retail $20 price it represents great value.

This was magenta colored, light bodied, flavors of dusty rose with notes of red fruits accented by a layer of rhubarb, hints of black tea, earth and a touch of tangy white pepper.

RM 88 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1727500

http://brackmountainwine.com/

Amanda's Hoboken for Elegant Casual Fine Wine-n-Dine Experience

Amanda's Hoboken for Elegant Casual Fine Wine-n-Dine Experience

Weekend getaway, our first trip to Hoboken helping son Alec relocate there, we came across Amanda's and dropped in seeking a wine and dine experience. While the 'Wine Bar' sign attracted us, don't let it mislead you, this is a full service, full menu, fine dining restaurant, much to our delight. Everything that followed was spectacular, meeting or exceeding our highest hopes and expectations in every respect. The menu offered a wide variety of seafood as well as beef, pork, chicken and lamb selections.

When presented with the wine list I was uninspired and underwhelmed. I asked the server if there were any wines not listed on the wine list and he promptly produced an extensive bound wine list offering five times more selections featuring many French and American favorites.

There were several very notable special offerings such as Chateau Figeac St Emilion 1982 ($600) and Chappellet Pritchard Hill Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 1976. There were a dozen favorites that you'll see featured in my cellar list and on the pages in this blog. There was also a list of large format bottles and offerings by glass.


While the vintage and top labels were priced accordingly, we were looking for something a bit more modest. We found a half dozen tempting selections in our price range and we opted for a Château Calon-Ségur St Estephe 2004. I thought this 'lesser' vintage would result in an approachable wine that would drink well young (nine years young) and go well not only with my Angus Beefsteak, but also Alec's mussels and Linda's Scallops entrees. I half expected this to be unavailable since I thought it represented good value, the list offered a half dozen back-ups any of which would have been ideal and delightfully suited for our tastes.

Everything went according to plan and as hoped. The ambiance was delightful, service was impeccable and the food was outstanding.

We have Château Calon-Ségur in the cellar going back to the eighties and OWC's (original wood cases) from '95 and '96. We also hold this 2004 vintage but haven't tapped it yet.




The 2004 Château Calon-Ségur was medium bodied, dark garnet colored, bright and vibrant with black and red berry fruits with a muted slight earthiness, a layer of slightly sweet cassis with a touch of tobacco and smoke leading to a smooth moderate tannin finish.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=89644

http://amandasrestaurant.com/


We look forward to returning to Amanda's as a highlight of our visits back to the Jersey side of he Hudson.

More Amanda's...

The family getaway weekend to Hoboken - the spectacular panorama Hoboken view of the Hudson and NYC.

Lancasters Steak & Seafood with Benton Lane Pinot Noir

Benton Lane Pinot Noir with Salmon at Lancasters Bloomington

For a dinner on the road last week in downstate Bloomington, IL, I settled in Lancaster's Steak and Seafood restaurant downtown. Dining alone is one of the worst parts of traveling on the road so I usually select fast food or a place to get it over with quickly. If I do venture on sit down dining, I'll be adventurous and seek a place that might prove distinguishable. Laying over in Bloomington, I chose Lancaster's thinking I'd do classic, safe midwest fare.

Dining alone allows but one glass of wine which makes the selection typically challenging to find something worthwhile let alone notable. I'll also seek the best pairing of food and wine available which is difficult when limited to the by-the-glass selection. My foray was further daunting when I opted for a baked salmon entree tempting fate for seafood in a rural inland tertiary city. What a delightful surprise in this pairing choice - baked salmon and an Oregon Pinot Noir - a real winner!

Lancaster's Baked Salmon entree featured honey, Dijon and toasted almond crusted, maple-soy glaze, roasted asparagus and a choice of side dish - mashed roasted potatoes.

For the wine selection I chose a by-the-glass selection from the wine list, Benton Lane Estate Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2010.

The pinot was nicely structured and bold enough to stand up and nicely complement the sweet maple and forward soy glaze. Medium bodied, slightly opaque ruby colored, it presented red berry and strawberry fruits giving way to a layer of spice accented by smoke and pepper with hints of mocha on the moderate finish.

The wine was such a hit I bought a bottle at Binny's upon arrival home and we enjoyed it with artisan cheeses and fruits later in the week. It provides a nice QPR - quality price ratio at $22. We drink very few Pinot's because our favorites are all in the $60 range - not realistic for our daily drinking budget. This is a nice discovery.

I've seen the Benton Lane label (or lack thereof) many times but this was the first time I'd ever tasted it. Their packaging features a painted bottle featuring a postage stamp facsimile label - very creative, stylish and memorable. I'll definitely revisit it and keep some on hand for casual easy drinking at a reasonable price point.  

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1362849

http://www.lancastersrestaurant.com/

The baked salmon entree selection.

Lancaster's was tastefully decorated, comfortable, stylish, almost cosmopolitan in a historic rustic building with tin-type ceilings and brick walls. The  selection was good, prices acceptable and service personable, folksy and friendly. Most notably, the tempting food and wine pairings were numerous and my first adventure, despite being a bit daring, was a hit. I'll be back for more and look forward to my next trip downstate!

The Benton Lane imaginative and fun packaging design.

Bennett Family Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

Bennett Family Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

For a team dinner, we dined at Tuttos Restaurant in Milwaukee. Standing out from the fairly typical selection of wines by glass was this Bennett Family Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2006. After but one sip I ordered the bottle to accompany our dinner entrees. This was a nicely polished, flavorful, complex but easy drinking Napa Valley Cabernet that represented good value for the price (QPR). While they didn't list the vintage on the winelist I later inquired and found it turned out to be the 2006 vintage which we first discovered and last tasted at another fine dining restaurant, Kinzie Chop House in Chicago. See my unwindwine.blogspot post of that dinner. 

 

This must be a one and done producer release as I haven't seen and can't find any other vintage releases of this wine. The restaurant say they have quite a bit of this wine so its worth a revisit to partake of this again.

Like the first tasting, the Bennett opened with aromas of dark plum, black cherry and mocha, dense flavors of candied dark fruit and subtle hints of vanilla,  oak and a touchc of spice. The finish is smooth and velvety, with elegant tannins. The Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of fruit from the Estate Lynch Family vineyard in Rutherford and select other sources throughout the Napa Valley.

RM 89 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=743028 

 

http://www.tuttomilwaukee.com/ 

Club Lucky Bucktown Chicago celebration dinner features special BYOB Flight

Club Lucky Bucktown Chicago celebration dinner features special BYOB Flight

To celebrate Michelle's Ides of March thirtieth birthday, and their expecting daughter, Ryan booked a gala dinner at neighboring Club Lucky in Bucktown, Chicago. They did a great job accommodating our group of 16 and handling our BYOB special selections commemorating Michelle's birthyear, the year they met, and their anniversary year. Service was superb especially considering our large group and our special handling of our wines.

The food was equally spectacular, even including the anti-pasta salad and grilled calamari starters. The chef's selection Tortellini with asparagus and chicken was good but outclassed by the regular feature Tortellinis filled with chicken and herbs with english peas and pinenuts in vodka cream sauce. The Salmon Oregatano was also very good, served Mediterranean style with white wine, oregano, Italian parsley, fresh lemon and potato wedges. I opted for the Rigatoni with veal meatballs baked with escarole, fresh mozzarella cheese, and marinara which went superbly with the Viader Red wine blend.

To celebrate the gathering Ryan brought a 2001 Chateau Gruaud Larose St Julien Bordeaux and a La Dame Montrose St Estephe Bordeuax 2008. I added a 2001 Viader Napa Valley Proprietary Red Blend. Later, back at the house with birthday desserts featuring artisan cupcakes and Linda's chocolate mousse, we opened a 1983 Hardy's McLaren Vale South Australian vintage port.

While we've been fans of the Cordier conglomerate's Chateau Gruaud Larose from the St Julien appellation since the early 80's and hold a deep vertical selection of this wine in our cellar dating back to 1978, its been especially rewarding and great fun to be a part of son Ryan's discovering this wine. The highlight and one of the events contributing to this was tasting the 2010 vintage while meeting David Launey the winemaker taste the new release with him at the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux Chicago 2010 release tour together. Ryan and I are now on a discovery tour of our own discovering/revisiting this wine together. Regrettably I didn't have any 1983's left to bring tonight although we still have magnums or double magnums of 1981, 1982, 1985, 1989 and 1990 releases. The 2001 didn't disappoint, in fact was a surprise in its accessibility, suppleness and forward fruits. 

Chateau Gruaud Larose St Julien Bordeaux 2001

Ironically, like the 2010, this was surprisingly expressive and vibrant for a Gruaud Larose, medium full bodied, deep purple color with full forward black and red berry fruits and classic left bank Bordeaux nuances of floral, subtle earth, leather and smoke leading to a layer of cassis, oak and exotic spices, ending in silky smooth polished tannins on a firm lingering finish. 

RM 90 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4765


La Dame de Montrose St Estephe 2008

Lacking the pedigree of the almost super second Gruaud Larose, this second wine of St Estephe producer Chateau Montrose, while not as complex, concentrated or polished, presented itself respectably well. The 2008 second label La Dame de Montrose was 28% of the estate’s production. The blend is surprisingly 56% Merlot and 44% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Deep ruby purple colored, medium to full bodied, the focused but somewhat subdued dark berry and currant fruit gives way to a layer of mineral and smooth soft tannins on the finish.  

RM 88 points.  

Viader Napa Valley Proprietary Red Blend 2001 

We also enjoyed this wine with the producer at An evening with Delia Viader back in late 2005 in Chicago. We then visited the property up on Howell Mountain during our Napa Howell Moutain Wine Experience - Viader back in 2008. This was my run away favorite of the evening although this might come across a bit sweet for some, it reflects a style that is most suited to my preference - bold, forward, expressive fruits with sweet nuances of oak, mocha and spice - very true to the Howell Mountain terrior. Interestingly, Viader, sitting at an elevation of 1200 on lower Howell Mountain, is designated Napa Valley appellation. The Howell Mountain appellation starts at that level which is the highest elevation point that the overnight and morning fog reaches. 

Dark ruby colored, full bodied, vibrant full forward blackberry fruits are accented by sweet chocolate mocha with tones of cedar and tobacco giving way to sweet spicy oak with lingering smooth silky tannins on the finish.

The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Cabernet Franc.

 RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=10043

 

Thomas Hardy's Reynella McLaren Vale South Australian Vintage Port 1983

After dinner we retreated to Ryan and Michelle's where we had artisan cheeses and desserts with fresh fruit - Bellavitano with French Bread, artisan cupcakes, and Linda's rich chocolate mousse with fresh berries. To accompany these we opened a Hardy's McLaren Vale South Australian vintage port blended from old vines shiraz.  

Although the cork was very soft and spongy and the fill level was nearing the bottom of the tall neck, the color was ruby colored although it was slightly murky, yet it tasted fine - super ripe red and black berry flavors, hints of dark mocha, almost raisiny fig flavors, blackberry liquor tones, anise, a layer of soft sweet essence of brandy and a sweet aftertaste on the lingering finish.

RM 88 points.

19% alcohol. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=389343    

Freemark Abbey Cab Vintage Horizontal Selection

Freemark Abbey Cab Vintage Horizontal Selection

For a festive holiday dinner at Bill & Beth C's, Bill pulled a selection of aged vintage Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignons from his new expanded cellar which now includes magnum racks. I added a Freemark Abbey Bosche 1992 to match with his 1991 which we compared with the Estate 1986 selection. For starters Bill opened at Freemark Abbey 'Bootleg' Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2003 which we enjoyed with aged sharp cheddar and aged gouda artisan cheeses and mixed fresh berries.

Freemark Abbey has a long storied history in Napa Valley dating back to 1886 at its location on Rt 29 just above St Helena. Its modern day name dates back to 1939, when the three owners – Charles Freeman, Markquand Foster and Abbey Ahem – combined their names to form the moniker “Freemark Abbey.”

The Bosché vineyard designated selection dating back to the 1970 vintage was one of the first designated Cabernets in Napa Valley, following the legendary Heitz Cellars Martha's Vineyard first gaining such status in 1966. The fruit is sourced from the historic John Bosché 23-acre vineyard on the Rutherford Bench which Freemark Abbey procures and bottles exclusively.

In 1976, when wine expert Steven Spurrier conducted the now legendary 'Judgement of Paris' blind tasting made famous by the book of that name by George Taber, and then the recent popular movie "Bottle Shock", that pitted the upstart wines of California against the establishment of France; of the 12 American wineries chosen to compete, only Freemark Abbey had two wines represented – a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon. In an upset that shocked the wine world, California wines won every category of the tasting, putting Napa Valley firmly on the world stage.

We're longtime fans of Freemark Abbey, witness by the fact we're opening bottles going back to the mid-eighties. Our Freemark Abbey experience highlights include our visit to the winery during our Napa Wine Experience 2009, when Bill and I had a fun time touring their library cellar with Cellar Manager Barry Dodd (Bill and Barry, left). That day, we purchased two aged vintage selections - 1974 and 1978 commemorating our anniversary years, which we tasted that evening across the road at Graystoke Manor at the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) in St Helena.

The '92 Bosche that I brought last evening is one of the remaining bottles that I arranged to obtain through winery partner Jeff Jaegar whom I met at a another Freemark Abbey event, a tasting at Binny's in Naperville, back in the early nineties. Upon learning of our collection of large format bottles commemorating our kid's birth-years, Jeff sent us an Imperial of 1981 Jaegar Vineyards Napa Valley Merlot which we served at daughter Erin's wedding.

This evening we enjoyed the Freemark Abbey cabernet sauvignons over dinner of stewed beef bourguignon on toast points with pearl onions, carrots, fresh mushrooms and spinach raggout. The  wines were further enhanced with a desert selection of fresh  berries and pecan caramel squares.

The flight:  

• Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1986
• Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Bosche Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1991
• Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Bosche Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1992
• Freemark Abbey Napa Valley 'Bootleg' Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

Freemark Abbey Napa Valley 'Bootleg' Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

 This rare limited release label is only available from the winery. It derives it name from the fateful miscue (or perhaps not?) in the barrel house when the wrong wines were blended together during the 2003 vintage. We discovered and tasted this wine during our winery visit in 2009. The resulting Blend was set-aside and bottled under this special 'Bootleg' label. 


The character and profile of this wine rendered it almost as an aperitif served with the predinner cheeses.

Dark purple garnet colored, medium bodied this exhibited super ripe almost raisiny black fruits and high alcohol essence of bourbon nose and tastes - layers of ripe dark berries, plum and prune, accented by high acid, oak, pepper and hints of 'Rutherford dust', eucalyptus and menthol. A bit over done for my preference but engaging none-the-less.

RM 86 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=798073 

http://www.freemarkabbey.com/ 

Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1986

What a surprise in this 25 year old. Who would expect this longevity in an Estate Napa cab? Like a wine of this age, upon opening and decanting this was closed and subdued with slightly tart black cherry fruit masked by leather, tobacco, tea and a slight earthiness. Over the ensuing three hours it mellowed and softened as the fruit exhibited more polish and balance with a surprising highlight of floral bouquet increasing throughout the evening. Eventually this could have passed as a vintage lower left bank Bordeaux save the modest tannins.

RM 87 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=835266
 
Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Bosche Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1991

This bottle was suprisingly lean and austere, not what I recall from this Napa vintage generally, but revealed such against the '92 which showed markedly differently. Garnet colored with a brickish rim, this was light bodied with properly balanced but slightly tart black cherry and black berry fruits accented by tobacco, tea, cigar box and leather on a short modest short finish.

RM 86 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=249611


Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Bosche Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1992


The highlight of the evening made for an interesting and fun vertical comparison. Still vibrant with life left, while nearing the end of its drinking window this has a fews years left and shows no signs of diminution. Dark garnet colored and medium bodied yet with distinctive 'legs' (or 'curtains' as my British friends call them), this exhibited polished and balanced concentrated black berry fruits with layer of spice, hint of smoke, eucalyptus, tobacco and spice box on a moderate smooth, integrated moderate tannin finish. 

RM 89 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=12605