Spectacular Italian Dining in Rural Indiana

Spectacular Italian Dining in Rural Indiana

On Sunday, we traveled to Delphi, Indiana, 25 miles northeast of Lafayette, to wife Linda’s hometown, for a birthday celebration dinner for brother Stan, with sister Dr, Pat. 

We dined at Paretta’s Italian Ristorante on the courthouse square, city center Delphi, adjacent the Delphi Opera House, immediately opposition the Carrol County Courthouse - “La Tavola Where Everyone is Family”. 

In their words, “We carry on our heritage of immigrants who ventured to the United States in the late 19th century, seeking a fresh start and carrying with them the rich culinary traditions of Italy. At Paretta’s, we believe in doing things the hard way because it’s worth it. That means hand-rolling fresh pasta, creating mouthwatering dishes from scratch, and taking no shortcuts in our quest to serve you the finest Italian cuisine.”

What an incredible culinary discovery of this dine site -  quant, rustic, unpretentious, the food was outstanding, rivaling our favorite Italian dine sites at home, in Chicago, even New York City. 

The siblings, Linda, Stan and Pat

We could not have imagined such a delightful dinner, in a rustic Tuscan Mediterranean setting, with such extraordinary imaginative and thoughtfully prepared dishes. 

From the “Start the Table” appetizers we ordered the Bruschetta Board - Crostini Bread with Three Flavors - Margherita, Ricatta Honey and Pesto - three different preparations of bread and toppings - all were delicious,  and the Fried Ravioli with Marinera, Alfredo and Pesto Sausage - both were artfully presented and delicious, albeit the portions were small, suitable for two or three, but a stretch for four. 

For Main Course entrees we ordered the Baked Pasta - from the menu - choice of two types of pasta, penne or spaghetti, and choice of five preparations Marinara, Vodka, Alfreda, Bolognese or Pesto, and choice of addition of one of four meats, steak, meatballs, Shrimp or chicken. 

Linda ordered the Penne, Pesto and Steak, while Stan and I both ordered the Spaghetti, Bolognese and Meatballs. Both selections were extraordinary, artfully presented, delicious and ample proportions. 

Spaghetti, Bolognese and Meatballs 

Penne, Pesto and Steak 

Pat ordered the “Brunch Plates” the Calabrian Heat - Eggs, Calabirna Peppers, Pepperoni, Potatoes and Ricatta. 

For a finishing dessert course we had the home-made Tiramisu, which was delectatble. 

A surprising delightful and memorable outing, worthy of the journey. 

Our server Liz was great. 

Afterwards, on our way home, we drove seven miles north of town into the country to visit Arvin’s Acres Winery for a tasting flight of locally crafted wines. I wrote about that in a follow on blogpost - Arvin’s Acres Winery, Carroll County, Indiana. 

Family celebrates Independence Day and birthday

Family celebrates Independence Day and birthday together  

The family gathered at son Ryan’s house for a gala Independence Day and birthday celebration potluck dinner with grilled beefsteaks and fine wines, and fireworks.

Ryan grilled ribeye beefsteaks, Linda brought scalloped potatoes, Viv brought salad, Erin brought bacon wrapped scallops and home-made cheesecak, plus there was an ice cream birthday cake for g-daughter Marliegh’s birthday. 

I took from our home cellar two bottles from Ryan’s 1982 birthyear vintage year. Ryan served a medley of sparkling, white and big red wines. 

Chateau Cantemerle Haut Medoc 1982 

Chateau Cantemerle is the amongst the well-known Bordeaux estates you pass as you drive along the D2, the main route of the Left Bank of Bordeaux, heading north from the city centre of Bordeaux towards the Medoc, 22 km or a thirty minute drive north of the city. 

Chateau Cantemerle is also one of the oldest properties in the Bordeaux wine region dating back to the 12th century.The estate took its name from the Lords of Cantemerle in 1340 when Ponset de Cantemerle named the estate.

In 1892, the descendants of the last of the Villeneuve family, Jeanne Armande, Baroness Charles d’Abbadie, sold Chateau Cantemerle to the Dubos family after owning the estate for over three hundred years. At the time, the Dubos family also owned a vineyard in Margaux, Chateau La Tour de Mons. The last family owner, Bertrand Clauzel sold Chateau Cantemerle in 1981 to the SMABTP group.

The new owners set upon a much needed restoration of the estate, replanting as much as 50%, and making improvements to the cellars and the winemaking facilities. The SMABTP Group has continued increasing their holdings in Bordeaux with additional vineyard purchases on the Left and Right Bank including recently added Chateau Haut Corbin, Chateau Grand Corbin, and Chateau Le Jurat, located in the St. Emilion appellation.

The huge Chateau Cantemerle Vineyards cover 265 acre with225 planted to the designated Bordeaux varietals, 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. 

It is the goal of the estate to continue increasing the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in their vineyards over time. On average, the vines are close to 30 years of age. They have old Cabernet vines, which are close to 70 years of age.

While this is a fifth growth producer, the 1982 vintage was a classic legendary harvest, and as ‘all boats rise with the tide’, even the lesser renowned labels produced high quality collectable wines. Robert Parker wrote in 1995 of this release: “How can you bet against the bargain hunter's favorite Cantemerle in a vintage like the legendary '82? … 'This wine has turned out better than I would have thought. It is loosely structured, soft, and easy-going… The sweet, herb, peppery, and berry-scented nose is followed by a friendly wine with round, generous, medium-bodied flavors with no hard edges.

At forty five years, this is pushing this wine past its ideal drinking window, still in consideration only by the spectacular vintage, and being aged in a large format magnum. As shown the fill level was mid-neck, the label while intact was separated from the bottle, and most importantly, the cork was partially saturated by mostly intact. The bottom fifth of the cork separated upon extraction using a two pronged cork puller. 

This was double decanted three hours before serving. The color was dark garnet colored with only slight opaque discoloration setting in. The medium bodied fruit was starting to give way to damp earth and leather notes, with offputting tones of what I would call ‘sausage’ or bacon fat, setting in after several hours. 

At 45 years, the remains still approachable but diminished to 85 points. 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/37378

Another forty five year old wine, again beyond its prime drinking window, but still holding on as approachable. 

Beringer Special Select Late Harvest Johannesburg Riesling 1982 

At forty four years, the label, foil and most importantly the cork and fill level were still fine. When young, these wines are pale straw colored, darkening over time to golden, then brownish weak tea, and finally, coffee colored as this was tonight. Holding some residual sweetness with notes of black tea or coffee, but for the most part at the end of its drinkability. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?252638

Veuve Cliquot Brut Champagne NV

Greywacke New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc 2025

We featured recent vintages of this label in these earlier blogposts - 

Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc, and last year’s same day celebration …. 

Lede To Kalon and Greywacke showcase 4th of July Celebration

CheckerBoard Napa Valley Diamond Mountain Coyote Ridge Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

This is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Checkerboard estate vineyard on he upper reaches of Diamond Mountain on the northern Mayacamas Range above Calistoga, CA in northern Napa Valley. 

This is a single vineyard designated bottling sourced from the Checkerboard Winery Coyote Ridge Vineyard, located on a long ridge line that runs Eastward downhill from the Aurora Vineyard knoll on the upper reaches of Diamond Mountain. The vineyard blocks are on the hillside above Nash Creek Canyon to the South. The terroir consists of red iron oxide clay soil, a South and slightly Eastern exposure with the lower reaches at a 900 foot elevation, which allows the top of the summer fog line to reach the Vineyard. This creates an ideal microclimate and growing cycle for its vines.

Winemaker Martha Mcclellan’s notes - “So typically Coyote Ridge, the 2017 vintage of this single-vineyard offering is approachable and immensely enjoyable. Dusty barrel aromas laced with cinnamon and milk chocolate follow through on the palate and are joined by notes of dark cherry, dried cranberry, fig jam, and red spices. For the texture aficionados among us, the tannins are reminiscent of the finest silk and deliciously sweet. In its youth, the 2017 vintage of Checkerboard Coyote Ridge benefits from decanting prior to serving."

Dark inky purple, full bodied, brooding thick concentrated but smooth and polished black cherry fruits with bright brilliant expressive notes of cinnamon and milk chocolate with fine tannins on a silky finish. 

RM 94 points. 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/3871559

Lewis Alec’s Blend 2017

A family favorite, commemorating the Randy and Debbie Lewis’ grandson Alec, and designated a ‘signature’ wine of our son Alec. 

We love Lewis Cellar’s and their wines, one of the highlights of the wine producer visit tastings at our Pour Boys 2017 Napa Wine Experience.

I've often written in these pages about the fun we have with this branding, with its signature 'L' on the label, ala Laverne and Shirley, or wife Linda, or her mother Lucy, or our daughter Erin Leigh, or her daughter, our first grandchild/daughter Lucy! That coupled with the Hoosier heritage of Randy Lewis, Indy 500 race driver from our native Indiana, and, their affinity to family, naming labels after their grandkids - Alec, Ethan and Mason, we adopted Alec's Blend as a signature label for son Alec and feature it at family celebrations.

Lewis Cellars Napa Chateau Tasting

Lewis Cellars Alec's Blend is a rich, full-bodied red wine from Napa Valley, primarily a Syrah-based blend with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. It is known for its plush, fruit-forward profile with notes of dark berries, vanilla, and spice, and fine, polished tannins. The wine is made from grapes grown in top Napa appellations like Calistoga, St. Helena, and Rutherford.

Dark fruits (blackberry, blueberry, black cherry), vanilla, toffee, chocolate, espresso, and savory notes like pepper or bacon fat.

Afterwards, the family gathered for traditional neighborhood Fourth of July fireworks … 

Special tribute wines for Special Mom’s Mother’s Day Dinner

Special tribute wines for Special Mom’s Mother’s Day Dinner

For Mother’s Day dinner, we were joined by sons Sean and Alec, their wives, Michelle and Vivianna, and their daughters.

Linda prepared grilled Tomahawk Rib-eye beefsteaks, served with mashed potatoes, broccoli cheese casserole and grilled mushrooms, with veggie and fruit plates and ceasar salad.

For a wine accompaniment with dinner, I pulled from the cellar a wine flight that included a special label that is itself a tribute to mothers, and one that is a birthyear vintage tribute to daughter-in-law Vivianna.

With the appetizer, veggie and fruit plates and the salad course we opened this high QPR easy drinking Santa Barbara Chardonnay. 

Diatom Santa Barbara Chardonnay 2023

We featured this wine in recent blogposts - Diatom Santa Barbara County Chardonnay 2023.

Long Shadows Vintners Collection Chester Kidder Red Blend 2017

Wine legend Allen Shoup created the Long Shadows Collection of wines and named one wine in honor of his mother, Elizabeth Chester, and his grandmother, Maggie Kidder. He selected Long Shadows' Director of Winemaking and Viticulture, Gilles Nicault, to craft this New World blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and other classic Bordeaux varieties.

The Chester-Kidder Red Blend is from Long Shadows Vintner’s Collection which I have featured often in earlier blogpost pages … Long Shadows Cellars feature a portfolio of limited release premium wines crafted by world class winemakers who specialize in particular varietal wines, all sourced from Washington State Columbia Valley fruit. 

We visited Long Shadows and featured their unique wine offerings in this earlier blogpost. 

Long Shadows was the creation of Allan Shoup, leader of Chateau St Michelle from 1983 to 2000. There he introduced Washington State grapes to winemakers from around the world in collaboration to produce quality wines. Under his leadership, Chateau St Michelle became the largest producer of Riesling varietal wines in the world. 

After retirement from Chateau St Michelle he founded Long Shadows to produce world class ultra-premium wines in Washington with fruit sourced from there. He built a state of the art winery in Walla Walla and recruited a team of legendary producers to craft signature wines from the best vineyards' fruit from the Washington Columbia Valley. Three years into the new venture Long Shadows was awarded the Winery of the Year by Food and Wine Magazine. 

Shoup recruited a top winemaker with expertise and a track record producing best in class wine in each category or type of wine based on a style and varietal grape. Marketed under the Vintners Collection, each of the Long Shadows labels is a testament to the legend of the winemaker for each label based on each 

varietal.

Since the beginning, Long Shadows' Director of Winemaking and Viticulture Gilles Nicault, has overseen the operations of the winery and worked closely with the vintners to bring each winemaker’s vision to completion. Internationally renowned winemakers Randy Dunn (Feather Cabernet Sauvignon); John Duval (Sequel Syrah); Philippe Melka (Pirouette Red Wine); and the late legendary Michel Rolland (Pedestal Merlot) as participating partner winemakers in their respective wines. 

Gilles also crafts Poet’s Leap Riesling and Saggi, a Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon blend, in styles that remain true to their original winemakers, Armin Diel and Giovanni Folonari respectively. And finally, Gilles crafts this Chester-Kidder, a Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah blend, independently.

Gilles Nicault has served as director of winemaking and viticulture since Long Shadows inception in 2003. As resident winemaker overseeing daily operations at Long Shadows' state-of-the-art winery in Walla Walla, Gilles works with a group of celebrated vintners from around the globe. It is his job to ensure that each winemaker's vision is realized in the vineyard and the cellar.

Gilles grew up in southern France and graduated from the University of Avignon with a four-year degree in viticulture and enology. He honed his craft in the fabled hillside wineries of Côte du Rhône, Provence and Champagne. In 1994, already a vintner of rising fame in his homeland, Gilles traveled to Washington State to expand his winemaking skills. Here he worked for several top Washington wineries, including Woodward Canyon, before joining Long Shadows. Seattle magazine named him Washington State’s Winemaker of the Year in 2016.

Gilles works closely with the state’s top growers to execute a diverse winemaking protocol at Long Shadows’ state-of-the-art facility in Walla Walla to produce wines of exceptional quality, true to the Columbia Valley’s terroir. 

We wrote about this label in several blogposts, most recently ‘Long Shadows Chester Kidder with Filet of Beef.’

It is a unique blend of Bordeaux varietals plus Shiraz/Syrah for a big bold expressive red wine, ideally suited for pairing with the grilled beefsteaks. 

We hold a half dozen vintages of this label acquired as part of our Long Shadows Vault Club allocations. For this dinner, we pulled the 2017 vintage, the same vintage and from the same appellation that we served for Linda’s birthday dinner, of another favorite Columbia Valley Red Bordeaux Blend, Force Majeure Epinette, featured in this blogpost of that special dinner - Birthday celebration dinner at Morton’s Steakhouse Naperville.

The 2017 Chester-Kidder is a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Syrah, and 6% Petit Verdot. it was aged 30 months in French oak barrels with 85% being new. 

The grapes were sourced from vineyards in Columbia Valley, Washington. The Cabernet Sauvignon was from Candy Mountain AVA and gives this wine structure and textured mouthfeel; Stone Tree Vineyard (Wahluke Slope) adds juicy, ripe cherry flavors; Dionysus Vineyard Petit Verdot, a standout site for this variety, is blended to contribute balanced acidity and dark fruit character that lifts the finished wine.

This release was rated 95 points by pundit Owen Bargreen, 94 points and Highly Recommended by International Wine Review, 93 points and Editors' Choice by Wine Enthusiast, and 93 points by Jeb Dunnuck and James Suckling, and 92 points by Stephen Tanzer.

Winemaker’s Note - Dark in color with generous aromas of wild blackberries wrapped around a pleasantly earthy core that’s accented by hints of oak spice. On the mid-palate, graphite and black licorice are complemented by a burst of vibrant fruit that lingers across a lengthy finish. A beautifully integrated wine with a broad, polished mouthfeel.

Deep dark ruby colored, full-bodied, rich, vibrant, bold concentrated savory black plum, black currant, wild blackberry and blue berry fruits accented by cassis, herbs, graphite, black tea, bacon fat, tobacco and hints of cinnamon spice and eucalyptus and oak with velvety tannins on a lengthy tongue-coating finish.

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?3566693

https://longshadows.com/library/2017-chester-kidder/471

https://longshadows.com/

Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1991 

In a tribute to daughter-in-law Vivianna, the latest/newest mother in our growing family. we also opened a birth-year vintage Napa Cabernet Sauvignon we were holding in our cellar, from an iconic producer that we served at her and Alec’s wedding reception, and several other special events, as featured in these blogposts…. 

Big Bottle Birthyear wines for Wedding Celebration

Special Silver Oak Birthyear wines for Festive Holiday Open House, 

And, we recalled and shared our special unique visit to the Silver Oak cooperage, that is a foundation of the Silver Oak profile and brand … Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon is aged four years exclusively in this Missouri Oak before release … Cooper's Oak Winery and SILVER OAK Cooperage

We opened this producer’s Napa Valley label Cabernet from Viv’s birthyear vintage. We also still  hold the Alexander Valley and Bonny’s Vineyard labels of that vintage. 

At 34 years, while the label was a bit soiled, the foil, and most importantly the fill level and cork were still ideal. 

While past its prime, reaching the end of it optimal drinking window, showing a slight bit of haze or cloudiness, and taking on a bit of tartness in the aged fruit, this was still drinking nicely. 

Winemaker Notes - The 1991 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon has a vibrant ruby-red color. It has a nose of bing cherry and red pepper. This wine is light to medium bodied with a medium length finish. Enjoy now. May need decanting due to light sediment.

This was rated a whopping 95 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate back in 1995, 93 rating from Wine Spectator, and 90 points by Wine Spectator. 

Blogger, wine writer Tom Lee publishes the Zinfandel Chronicles and featured this wine in 2018 giving it 91 points, and advising to ‘drink soon’.

https://zinfandelchronicles.com/2018/01/1991-silver-oak-cabernet-sauvignon-napa-valley-bottle-notes/

Garnet colored with a slight bit of rust color and cloudiness setting in, medium bodied, dark ripe black cherry and black berry fruits starting to give way to a slight tartness, with notes of tobacco leaf, herbs, dusty rose and spice notes finishing with hints of that signature sweet oak and soft tannins and glycerin. 

RM 88 points at this stage. Time to drink up. 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/21346

https://silveroak.com/

Le Serre Nuove Bolgheri with Angeli’s Italian

Le Serre Nuove Bolgheri with Angeli’s Italian 

Returned home from an extended roadtrip away, we had two of our sons’ families over for dinner to catch up and give the grandkids/cousins play-time together. 

We ordered take-out from Angeli’s Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria - our usual favorites, Mussels, Eggplant Parmigiana, Veal Piccata, Veal Marsala, Portabella Ravioli, Fried and Grilled Calimari. 

Son Alec and I trolled the cellar and as he so aptly stated, “need an Italian wine for the Italian cuisine”, so we pulled this hearty Italian.

Tenuta dell'Ornellaia "Le Serre Nuove" Bolgheri 2019 

I wrote about this producer and this wine in an extensive blogpost last summer - Tenuta dell' Ornellaia Le Serre Nuove, excerpted here.

This wine, Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Le Serre Nuove, is produced by Tenuta dell' Ornellaia, the renowned winery located in the Bolgheri region of Tuscany, Italy, producers of the exceptional flagship blend known as Ornellaia. 

Bolgheri, where the estate is located, is a small village on the picturesque Tuscan coast, in the Maremma region near the Tyrrhenian Sea. Its distinctive terroir, characterized by a blend of sand, marl, marine fossils, clay, limestone, and pebbles, coupled with a mild maritime climate and cooling sea breezes, creates ideal conditions for growing high-quality grapes, particularly the Bordeaux varieties used in Ornellaia's wines. 

Ornellaia is somewhat of a legend, one of the first “Super-Tuscans”, the result of Marchese Lodovico Antinori’s vision and ambition to produce a great Bordeaux-style wine in Tuscany. The first vineyards were planted in 1981 and today have expanded to almost 250 acres. 

Today, the winery is owned by the Frescobaldi family, one of seven estates they own and manage across the Northern Italian Tuscany Bolgheri region, some of which have been in the family dating back to the 1300's.

I first discovered this wine dining at Italian Village in the city (Chicago) for a team business dinner, selected from the vast Italian Village extraordinary wine cellar list crafted and curated by friend Jared Gelband, Wine Director.

I wrote about this label in another previous blogpost in these pages, excerpted here. 

The Ornellaia vineyard totals 280 acres that are divided into more than 70 vineyard plots according to soil type, exposition and varietal. There are three major soil types: marine (sedimentary deposit from the sea), alluvial (marly, sandy clays with mineral veins), and volcanic (schist, gravel and porous soils). All the vineyards are about 3 miles from the Mediterranean shore. The mild maritime climate features sea breezes that keep the sky clear, low rainfall, and long summers that favor the development of aromatic compounds. Vineyards are planted at high density, from 5,000-8,700 hl/ha, and feature several training systems – spur-pruned cordon, single Guyot, and head-pruned vines.

Bolgheri, where the winery is located, is a small village nestled along the picturesque Tuscan coast, specifically in the Maremma region near the Tyrrhenian Sea. Its unique terroir, characterized by a blend of sand, marl, marine fossils, clay, limestone, and pebbles, coupled with a mild maritime climate and cooling sea breezes, creates ideal conditions for growing high-quality grapes, particularly the Bordeaux varieties used in Ornellaia's wines. 

Tenuta dell' Ornellaia was founded in 1981 by Marchese Lodovico Antinori. Antinori, a member of a prominent Tuscan winemaking family, was inspired to create wines of exceptional quality in the Bolgheri region. He planted Bordeaux varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot, which led to the first vintage of Ornellaia in 1985. The estate's commitment to quality and expression of the terroir quickly gained recognition for the wines, leading to international acclaim. 

Over the years, Ornellaia's ownership changed hands, though its dedication to quality remains a constant. Robert Mondavi acquired a minority stake in 1999 and full ownership in 2002. The Mondavi Corporation later entered into a partnership with the Frescobaldi family, another distinguished name in Tuscan winemaking. In 2005, the Frescobaldi family became the sole proprietor of Ornellaia, and continues to manage the estate today. 

Throughout its history, Ornellaia has benefited from the expertise of talented winemakers, including André Tchelistcheff in its early years, and Michel Rolland as a long-time consultant. Most recently, Axel Heinz served as the winemaker and Estate Director for over 17 years, and his legacy includes a project called Vendemmia d'Artista which involves collaboration with artists for special vintage releases. The current production manager for both Ornellaia and the super ultra-premium brand is Masseto is Marco Balsimelli. 

First released in 1997, Le Serre Nuove is the 'Second' wine of ultra-premium Ornellaia, produced to broaden the selection of wines crafted during the crafting of the base wines of Ornellaia. It is produced mainly from younger vines, but crafted to match the profile of freshness, accessibility and flexibility with structure, balance and intensity that showcase the great terroirs of the producer’s properties.

This was an ideal pairing with the zesty pasta dishes. 

Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Le Serre Nuove 2019

The 2019 Le Serre Nuove Dell' Ornellaia is 54% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot. 

This release was rated 95 by James Suckling, 94 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Decanter and Wine & Spirits, 93 points by Vinous and Wine Spectator, and 92 by Jeb Dunnuck.

Vinous wrote in /2022, “Give it a few years to come together.“ Jeb Dunnuck also wrote, “ Give this time.” 

John Gilman in his 2023 review wrote.”This is going to be outstanding once it is mature, though it needs at least a decade in the cellar to soften up its backend tannins. Drink between 2033-2075.”

We have a couple more bottles so using this and the previous tasting as a benchmark, we’ll try to be patient and give it some time before we try it again. 

Winemaker's notes - “With its hallmark deep colour, Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2019 has a lively balsamic vein. Soft and silky, elegant tannins and an enduring savoury finish fill the mouth.” - Olga Fusari – Winemaker - May 2021.

Winemaker Notes - “With its usual intense color, Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2019 has a nose full of fresh notes of ripe red fruits, accompanied by a lively balsamic vein with aromatic hints of cypress and eucalyptus berries. The wine is soft and silky in the mouth, filling it with an elegant tannic texture and a sapid and persistent finish.”

Consistent with last summer’s tasting … The winemaker’s description of “lively balsamic” best describes the predominate flavor sprite of this wine. Dark garnet colored, full bodied, the black currant and blackberry fruits are accented by that layer with savory notes of smoke, rosemary spice, black pepper, leather and hints of creosote and cedar with a lively moderate tannin laced finish.  

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4080770

https://www.ornellaia.com/en/

https://twitter.com/Ornellaia

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/4080770

Birthday celebration dinner at Morton’s Steakhouse Naperville

Birthday celebration dinner at Morton’s Steakhouse Naperville

Last week we had a birthday celebration dinner with two of our kids and spouses, featured in these pages in this blogpost - Birthday dinner celebration at Petit Vie Western Springs.

 

Tonight, we had another birthday celebration dinner with son Ryan and his family, dining at Morton’s Steakhouse, Naperville for a festive dinner. 

Naturally we ordered steaks, all prepared and presented perfectly, including my special “‘Pittsburgh style’, hot pink center, charred”.

For starters each couple share a wedge salad. 

For sides we ordered the Mashed Potato’s and the spinach and Brussels sprouts. 

I brought BYOB from our home cellar a couple special bottles from which to choose for pairing with dinner. We opted for this premium Washington State Columbia Valley Right Bank Bordeaux Blend. 

Force Majeure Épinette Red Mountain Red Blend 2015

We discovered, tasted and acquired this label while visiting the producer during our Walla Walla Wine Experience in 2018, which we featured in this blogpost - Force Majeure Vineyards Site Visit and Tasting.

Épinette is Force Majeure's Right-bank Bordeaux-inspired blend, and was named after an avenue in Libourne that leads to Pomerol and Saint-Émilion, the home of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

Épinette is also the name of a musical instrument akin to a piano, as well as a word for pine tree, which is a fitting nod to the locale's in Washington state.

Bordeaux blend in the 'Right Bank' style meaning it is primarily Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with smaller amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.

The 2015 is blended in a Pomerol style, 50% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot

The Merlot and Cabernet Franc are grown in the lower areas of the Red Mountain vineyard with its  deep, well-drained soils.

The Red Mountain Right-bank Bordeaux inspired blend, “Épinette,” spent 22 months in 75% new French oak after a long maceration and fermentation in both concrete and stainless steel vats. 

The blend changes each vintage, either being dominated by Merlot or Cabernet Franc, but in 2015 it is driven by Merlot grown in deep, loamy soils found in the heart of our vineyard. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

The Force Majeure Épinette was the perfect complement to our aged prime steak dinner, perfectly prepared 'Pittsburgh' style, served with mashed potatoes. 

This release was rated 95 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 94 points by Jeb Dunnuck, and  90 points by Wine Spectator 

Silky tannin' 'Legs' of Force Majeure Epinette

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, bright vibrant forward black berry, ripe black raspberry and black current fruits with notes of cigar box, mocha chocolate, hints of leather, anise, graphite and spicy oak with gripping but approachable silky tannins on the lingering finish. 

RM 94 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4507644

https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/

https://www.mortons.com/location/mortons-the-steakhouse-naperville-il/#menus

Tonight tasting was consistent with another tasting recently of this same label that we took BYOB at another steak dinner, featured in detail and replayed below. 

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2025/08/vintij-sandestin-food-and-wine-dinner.html

Vin’Tij SanDestin Food and Wine Dinner 

After a fun-filled afternoon of wine paired with foods at Vin’Tij Food & Wine, we booked a table for a follow-on Saturday night dinner. I wrote about that wine tasting in this blogpost - Wine tasting at Vin’Tij Grand Boulevard (San)Destin.

The plan was to drink BYOB one of the ultra-premium bottles we purchased in the Vin’Tij Wine Boutique for the occasion.

I write often in these pages about the price charged by restaurants for their wines, often expressed as a function of the retail price of the wine. It is customary that a restaurant charges 2 times the retail price of a wine. Often the restaurant price is 2.5 times or more. 

Establishments that combine a restaurant with a wine retailer provide the best and most economical scenario for the consumer whereby the restaurant price equals near the retail price - a 1:1 ratio. In this scenario, the restaurant is relying solely on the gross margin uplift between the wholesale price paid and the retail price charged the diner. 

Two such establishments exist in Destin, Vin’Tij and also Chan’s Wine World that is connected to and associated with the adjoining Wine Bar restaurants. Diners seeking a food and wine experience can leverage these policies for great value dining. And, they can take the opportunity to upgrade their wine choices with higher premium or ultra-premium wines they otherwise not be able to afford or justify for wine experimentation or appreciation!   

For our Saturday Night Vint’Tij dinner, we were joined by Richard and Victoria, friends and neighbors in our Destin residential community. 

Planning to order grilled beefsteaks for our entrees, I took BYOB a Washington State Columbia Valley Red Bordeaux Blend from Force Majeure. 

This is from Force Majeure Vineyards, originally called Grand Reve, founded in Woodinville, near Seattle, in 2004, a collaboration between businessman Paul McBride and vineyard manager Ryan Johnson who spent a decade managing vineyards in Eastern Washington’s prestigious Red Mountain AVA. 

McBride and his wife Susan then changed the winery name to Force Majeure, and hired winemaker Todd Alexander to oversee winemaking. Alexander was previously winemaker at Bryant Family Vineyard in Napa Valley. 

Jeb Dunnick of Wine Advocate has called Force Majeure “One of my favorite estates in Washington…”

We tasted and acquired this wine during our Force Majeure Vineyards Site Visit and Tasting back in 2018 as featured in these pages, and excerpted below.

One of the inspirations for and objectives of that 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 Carrie Alexander and Linda

Following our Woodinville (Washington) tasting experience where we tasted several fabulous  Red Mountain AVA wines, we were targeting there for our first Washington State wine appellation visit. Carrie convinced us to visit Walla Walla and we followed her guidance and were amply rewarded as it was a spectacular wine travel experience. Our Walla Walla AVA visit provided the opportunity to visit a vibrant wine region, meet some legendary winemakers on the Washington wine scene, and still experience the best of Red Mountain appellation wines as well!

Force Majeure have vineyards in the Red Mountain AVA where they grow Rhone varietals on the upper slopes and Bordeaux varietals on the lower blocks of the site. According to Carrie, the varietal blocks are based on the selection and matching of the grape varieties to the appropriate soil composition in the eight different soil types on the site.

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.

The site was formed by the ancient Missoula floods, winds and volcanic activity resulting in many small “micro-blocks,” each uniquely suited to specific grape varietals. The rocky upper-slope with shallow soil is well suited to the cultivation of Rhone varietals such as Syrah and Grenache, while the lower blocks of the vineyard are comprised of deep, well-drained Warden soils, where Bordeaux varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc excel.

This Force Majeure Épinette Right Bank Bordeaux style blend was a perfect complement to our aged prime steak dinner, including my perfectly prepared 'Pittsburgh' style, served with mashed potatoes, haricot verts and mushroom Bordelaise sauce. 

Force Majeure Épinette Columbia Valley Red Mountain Red Blend 2015

Épinette is Force Majeure's Right-bank Bordeaux-inspired blend, and was named after an avenue in Libourne that leads to Pomerol and Saint-Émilion, the home of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

Épinette is also the name of a musical instrument akin to a piano, as well as a word for pine tree, which is a fitting nod to the locale's in Washington state.

Épinette is a Bordeaux blend in the 'Right Bank' style meaning it is primarily Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with smaller amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.

The blend for this 2014 vintage was 58%  Merlot,  22%  Cabernet Franc 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and the remaining 5% Petit Verdot.

The Merlot and Cabernet Franc are grown in the lower areas of the Red Mountain vineyard with its  deep, well-drained soils. The wine was aged for approximately 22 months in mostly new French oak.

It was rated 94 points by Jeb Dunnuck, 93-95 points by The Wine Advocate, 92 by Stephen Tanzer and 90 points by Wine Spectator.

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, bright vibrant forward dense black berry, ripe black raspberry and black current fruits with notes of cigar box, earthy leather, anise, graphite and spicy oak and hints of dark mocha chocolate with gripping but approachable silky tannins on the lingering finish. 

RM 94 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4507644

https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/

https://vintij.com/