Gala Family Anniversary Celebration Dinner at Uptown Cafe, Bloomington, IN

Gala Family Anniversary Celebration Dinner at Uptown Cafe, Bloomington, IN

For the fiftieth anniversary of our college graduation and marriage, we gathered the entire family back at our Alma Mater, Indiana University in Bloomington (IN) for a gala celebration. 

We rented a motor coach and took the kids and grandkids on the Rick & Linda Memories Campus Tour of our beloved school and what is arguably one of the prettiest college campuses anywhere. 

Readers of these pages know we’re into family, friends, food and wine, and this post exemplifies that and as such is amplified by the integration of it all in all respects! 

We arranged for a photographer to capture some special moments of us, the entire family, and each of the kids and their families. 

Here we are all gathered together on the IU campus Jordan River walk.

Saturday evening, we hosted a special dinner at Uptown Cafe that included some special memorable wines commemorating our graduation and marriage vintage year, and the birthyear vintages of our oldest kids, and the next generation first grandchild. 

The next generation … 

And the next generation … 

We were also joined by Sister Dr Pat and Rodger, and fellow Pour Boy wine buddy Dr Dan and Linda. 

We dined at the trendy upscale Uptown Cafe, just off the courthouse square in Bloomington, IN. 

Opened In 1976, by Chef Michael Cassady at the age of 26, as a 30-seat café that could only be described as "dineresque," it evolved to the current landmark Uptown Cafe which since 1999, has been a family business, with wife, Crystal and their six sons who each have contributed at one time or another.

Inspired by Chef Paul Prudhomme, Uptown offers a variety of food featuring hearty, regional cooking styles with Louisiana New Orleans Cajun flair. 

Uptown delivered a wonderful wine and dining experience with impeccable service from Dina and wine director Sommelier Vivi.

The private back room was perfect for our gathering for the adults and the eleven grandkids. We loved the atmosphere with its stylish warm cosmopolitan vibe of the bar and dining rooms decorated with warm woods and the brightly colored stylish soulful artwork of Wayne Mann paintings, a local Bloomington artist musician with a New Orlean’s flair. 

More Uptown Cafe gallery Wayne Mann photo’s at bottom of this post. 

We planned the dinner well in advance, ahead of time, selecting the menu, starters and beverage options. We made arrangements to have some special wines available to commemorate the special occasion. 

The dinner was prepared under the direction of Chef Adam Noffsinger, who coincidentally is the son of one of Linda’s sorority pledge sisters. They had discussed our preparations for the dinner when they made the connection. 

Adam returned to Bloomington, IN after an impressive extensive career in culinary studies and work experience. After earning a degree in Hospitality Management at Purdue University, he studied Culinary Arts and Chef Training at the CIA - Culinary Institute of America, in Hyde Park, NY. From there he spent time at legendary Three Michelin Star Restaurant Daniel in New York, as Sous Chef at Park Hyatt Chicago, Chef de Cuisnie at Grand Hyatt in Tokyo and Alexander Steakhouse in San Francisco.

Alec, Adam and the author

Highlights of the entree selections were

- Grilled New York Strip served with Mashed Potatoes, 

- Gorgonzola-encrusted Filet Mignon with Port-Shallot Demi Glace served with Mashed Potatoes,

- Blackened Tuna with a Sweet Habanero Sauce, served with Basmati Rice

- Uptown Pot Roast, served with Mashed Potatoes

- Polenta Marinara

On the tour bus, and then at dinner, we had from magnum of vintage Champagne from first grandchild, Lucy’s birth year. 

Canard Duchene ‘V’ Champagne 2010

Charles Heidseick Brut Reserve NV

Canard Duchene ‘V’ Champagne 2010

We often have fun with the ‘V’ label from Venge Vineyards with our dauther-in-law, Vivianna. This ‘V’ label is named for Victor Canard, who founded the Maison Canard-Duchêne in 1868. This vintage release marks Canard-Duchêne’s 150th anniversary. In commemoration of the special year, from a special vintage harvest, Laurent Fédou, cellar master of the House writes of this release, “Selected from the premier quality and character of several plots of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from an exceptional terroir ‘V’ (is) an embodiment of the House’s history and Laurent Fédou’s savoir-faire, was born.”

Winemaker’s Tasting Notes: 

Nose: slightly toasted, and upon aeration, pastry, baked lemon, and white floral notes.
Eye: straw gold, glossy with a ribbon of delicate and homogeneous bubbles.
Palate: an initial fresh and zesty mouthfeel. The finish is long, persistent and aromatic.

A word from our Cellar Master, Laurent Fédou: “The harvest began on September 13 for the earliest crus, the weather was dry and sunny. The terroirs of Ambonnay, Aÿ and Rilly reveal their delicacy and intensity, complemented by subtle Pinot from the Côte des Bar. The elegance and freshness of the Chouilly Chardonnay invigorate the Pinot.”

https://www.canard-duchene.fr/en/

At dinner, we supplemented this with a NV Reserve Brut from Charles Heidseick, Reims, Champagne France.

We then had a Red Wine Flight with some select special vintage wines - 

Chappellet Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1974

Château Ducru Beaucaillou St Julien Bordeaux 1981

Château Ducru Beaucaillou St Julien Bordeaux 1982

Caymus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 50th Anniversary Edition 

Chappellet Pritchard Hill Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1974

This was served from a Magnum, similar to one that we acquired from the Library Collection at the Winery during out visit there back in 2009. 

There was amazing life and vibrancy still left in this fifty old Napa Cab! Who would imagine, or expect a fifty year old Napa Cabernet to still be consumable? While the label was fully intact, showing character with the aged glue marks, the foil, and most importantly, the fill level and cork were still in ideal condition, albeit the cork was understandably a bit soft. 

In 2017 this was rated 95 points by pundit Art Gilman, and a year later Wine Advocate rated it 94 points! 

John Gilman - wrote  “The 1974 Chappellet Cabernet included 10% Merlot in the blend, which was rather a new approach at this point in time in Napa Valley. The wine was released in August of 1977 for $8.00 a bottle! This most recent bottle was one of the finest of our two tastings of the 1974s, with depth, breed and complexity to burn. The nose offers up a superb blend of cassis, dark berries, sale leather, cigar ash, dark soil tones a nice touch of meatiness and beautiful spice tones in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full and beautifully-balanced, with a rock solid core superb length and grip and still a bit of tannin on the very long, complex and vibrant finish. This outclassed wines such as Diamond Creek Red Rock Terrace and Volcanic Hill in the flight it was positioned in and really is one of the absolute superstars of the 1974 vintage. (9/2017) 

Wine Advocate captured the essence of this wine well in their review - “The 1974 Chappellet Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is pale brick in color and hits the dance floor with a gregarious baked cherries, dark chocolate and Ceylon tea nose with touches of allspice, Sichuan pepper and dusty earth. The palate is medium to full-bodied and packed with rich, decadent fruit, supported by ripe, plush tannins and finishing very long with the spice layers coming through. (LPB) (5/2018)”

Pale brick in color, medium to full bodied, dark berry fruits with notes of leather, dusty earth, smoky ash, and tones of spice and tea tones with subtle tannins on a long lingering finish. 

RM 90 points,

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?734537

Château Ducru Beaucaillou St Julien Bordeaux 1981 and 1982

This is one of our favorite labels, which we served at the kid’s weddings from large format bottles. We still hold nearly a score of vintages dating back to and including each of their birth year vintages, ‘81, ‘82, ‘85 and ‘90. 

Our collection of, and serving those big bottles for special occasions was the impetus of our cellar collection being featured in Wine Spectator Magazine in the Collector section back in June of 2001. 

Our affinity and enthusiasm for this producer was a reason they were gracious to host us for Our visit to the Château Ducru Beaucaillou estate  for a  private tour and tasting at the Chateau in St Julien during our Bordeaux trip in 2019. 

Once again, there was amazing life and vibrancy left in these two aged vintage releases, especially surprising for the 1981 release! Both capsules, corks and fill levels were ideal for their age. 

Château Ducru Beaucaillou St Julien Bordeaux 1981

While the 1981 vintage was supposed to be an ‘off-vintage’, its lackluster reviews and ratings were amplified in large part, overshadowed due to the stellar 1982 vintage. Like so many similarly situated back to back releases, this showed as well as the 1982, another wonderful, pleasant surprise of the evening from these aged vintage wines. 

The 1981 vintage experienced ideal hot dry weather through the year until September when occasional light rains fells up until harvest in October, which no doubt detracted from what some say might have been a vintage to rival the standard bearer vintage of the century in 1961.

Typical of the estate, this is a classic Left Bank Bordeaux Blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc. 

This vintage release was rated 94 points by John Gilman in 2016 when he wrote, “As I have written in the past, the 1981 vintage at Ducru-Beaucaillou is the great, sleeper vintage here in the decade of the 1980s and this is one of the top wines produced on the Gironde in ’81. The nose wafts from the glass in a youthful blend of sweet dark berries, cassis, cigar wrapper, a hint of the chipotles to come with further bottle age, a beautiful base of gravel, gentle fresh herb nuances and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and beautifully balanced, with a great core of fruit, moderate, seamless tannins and outstanding length and grip on the focused and complex finish. There is absolutely nothing 'off vintage' about the superb 1981 Ducru.” (8/2016) 

Jancis Robinson wrote about it in 2014 and wrote, “Pale, light but fresh and vital. Super clean and lively though maybe a bit too light to serve with anything substantial. Warm, complex nose but bone dry on the end. Racy. Delicate. Classic.” (6/2014) 

Robert Parker of Wine Advocate wrote about it back in 2002, “Consistently one of the most successful wines of this vintage, this mid-weight Ducru-Beaucaillou is showing some pink and amber at the edge. The wine has an attractive nose of wet stones, sweet currant and mulberry fruit intermixed with a hint of spice and earth. The wine has medium body, light tannin, and an easygoing finish.” (RP)  (12/2002) 

And James Suckling of Wine Spectator wrote about it back in 1994, “A wonderful balance of rich fruit and silky tannins, with plum, vanilla and light tar character. Full-bodied and tannic yet so well integrated; excellent harmony.” (JS) (10/1994)

The foil, label and most importantly the fill level and the cork were all ideal, in nearly perfect condition for their age. This cork was moist and dark from slight saturation but completely intact. 

This was dark garnet colored, medium bodied, very expressive floral notes throughout that linger long beyond tasting; initial slight dark cherry astringency gave way to black berry fruits, hints of cinnamon spice, leather, tea and violets lingering on a soft smooth polished tannin finish. 

Consistent with my earlier tastings back in 2012 and 2010 when I gave it 89 points  … 

Medium bodied, classic left bank Bordeaux bouquet of floral and perfume with that elegant and well integrated classic earthy leather that gives way to berry, black cherry, a hint of anise, vanilla, plum and a lengthy finish. Breaking out a 1981 Bordeaux, Erin's birth-year wine as we celebrate news and all being together. Still life left in this mature St Julien, Bordeaux, but need to be mindful of last two bottles and large format dbl magnum remaining.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=22740

Château Ducru Beaucaillou St Julien Bordeaux 1982

I remember after acquiring this Super Second producer label for Erin’s birth year vintage in 1981, it was followed by the magnificent highly rated 1982 vintage and prices escalated such that instead of buying a large format 5l Jeroboan or 6l Imperial, I procured a 3ltr double magnum instead, for even more money. I recall paying $192 for standard 750 bottles later in the decade, which was an extraordinary, exorbinant price at the time, the most I had paid for wines in that day. Notably, I was not able to obtain (afford) or justify the prices for  the 100 point Las Cases or Mouton Rothschild in that vintage. (I later acquired the 1982 Mouton for a bargain price of $144 - a two decades later, sold it at auction for more the $1000).

The 1982 Ducru-Beaucaillou, was awarded 97 points by Jeb Dunnuck, John Gilman, and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate as late as 2020, and 95 points by Decanter and 93 points by James Suckling. 

Jeb Dunnuck wrote, “The finest bottle I’ve had of this wine (which came from the estate), the 1982 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou continues to drink brilliantly and is a magical Saint-Julien. Still healthy ruby hued with a mature yet insanely complex bouquet of sweet red and black fruits, cedary herbs, graphite, tobacco, and forest floor, it’s powerful yet seamless on the palate, with resolved tannins, no hard edges, and a fabulous finish. This is mature Bordeaux in all its glory.  (2/2020) 

And, John Gilman was similarly magnanimous in applauding this release, “The 1982 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou remains one of the very finest wines of the vintage on the Left Bank and it is just now starting to blossom properly and hit on all cylinders. The bouquet is pure and displays First Growth depth and complexity, soaring from the glass in a fine constellation of sweet cassis and dark berries, a very complex base of gravelly soil tones, Cuban cigar wrapper, gentle smokiness and a deftly turned base of smoky new oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and sappy at the core, with stellar focus and balance, still a touch of ripe tannin perking up the backend and a very, very long, refined and complex finish. This is a great, great vintage of Ducru that may one day rival the near perfection of the 1961.  (1/2020) 

The recent 97 points Wine Advocate review from 2020: 'The harvest lasted 16 days from the 16th September,' proprietor Bruno Borie mentioned about the 1982 Ducru-Beaucaillou. Medium brick colored, it comes galloping out of the glass with bold, expressive notes of Black Forest cake, preserved plums and mincemeat pie with hints of cigar box, star anise, eucalyptus and espresso plus wafts of roasted nuts and iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, generous and opulent, the palate has beautifully ripe, fine-grained tannins and tons of youthful fruit, finishing with epically long-lasting layers of preserved black fruits and exotic spices.” (LPB)  (8/2020) 

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate gave it 96 points and wrote: "Medium to full-bodied and beautifully pure with sweet tannins, this wine has aged more slowly than I initially expected. It is the finest Ducru Beaucaillou produced after the 1961 and before the 2003." (6/2009) 

William Kelley of Wine Advocate also gave it 96 points in 2022: "From my cellar, the 1982 Ducru-Beaucaillou is one of the most youthful of the Médoc crus classés today. Unwinding in the decanter and glass with a rich bouquet of blackcurrants, licorice, cigar wrapper and loamy soil, it's full-bodied, fleshy and muscular, with a broad attack that segues into a deep core of fruit framed by ripe, powdery tannins and succulent acids. It's an unusually big-boned rendition of this elegant-styled wine, but it's no less compelling for that." (12/2022)

Caymus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 50th Anniversary Edition 2022

We couldn’t resist serving up the Caymus Napa Valley Cabernet latest release, their 50th Anniversary label bottling. They starting the Anniversary year branding on the Foil and the year prominently displayed on the label ten years ago for their 40th Anniversary edition, according to our cellar holdings and records, leading up this 50th. 

Of course, as their anniversary year (according to the release date on the vintage bottles), aligned with our college graduation and wedding anniversary year, we couldn’t resist acquiring these bottles and keeping them in our cellar collection.

Our estate visit and tasting at Caymus was one of the highlights of our Napa Wine Experience in 2019.

Indeed, Caymus is a crowd please, a well known iconic benchmark California wine for those who like their reds big, bold, silky and smooth, with decadence and full-bodied flavor. 

Equally notable, Caymus typically provides early gratification, ready to drink upon or soon after release. Yet, it also ages well, certainly for a decade or more. I still recall memorable bottles from 1994 and 1996 that we held and enjoyed from our cellar a dozen plus years later. It’s typically said to be best served at between 5-10 years. 

What is perhaps most notable about Caymus, is that they consistently deliver all this in large quantities with large production, sourced from estate vineyards as well as a large collection of contract grower sources from across the region. As such, Caymus is not estate bottled, or even appellation specific, rather, it is Napa Valley designated, but nothing more (granular). . 

 Winemaker Notes - “Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 (50th Anniversary) greets the palate with an opulent bouquet of dark fruits, prominently featuring blackcurrant, blackberry, and ripe cherry, intertwined with subtle notes of cocoa and espresso. This Napa Valley gem exudes elegance with a full-bodied texture, offering velvety tannins that are both supple and structured. Hints of vanilla, cedar, and sweet tobacco emerge as the wine breathes, complemented by a whisper of baking spices. The finish is long and luxurious, leaving a lingering impression of dark chocolate and a touch of mineral freshness. Perfectly balanced, this celebratory vintage showcases the quintessential richness and depth characteristic of Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon, making it a standout in their esteemed lineup.”

This year’s Caymus was especially ripe, big, bold, forward and expressive, almost overtly so, even moreso than my preference or liking, a crowd pleaser, none-the-less. 

This was ideally paired with the Gorgonzola laced Filets of Beef but would’ve been too obtuse for casual sipping. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4984353

After dinner with a medley of desserts, we had a pair of Ports - a Madeira and a Tawney. 

Taylor Fladgage 20 Year Tawney Port

Port is one of the great classic wines of the world. Produced in the Douro Valley of Portugal, a UNESCO cultural site for its historical significance, port, along with Champagne, is the ultimate celebration wine. 

Taylor Fladgate is one of the most highly respected producers of aged tawny Port wines. Their 20 Year Old tawney is purported to be the most popular 20 Year Old Aged Tawny Port in the United States.

Taylor Fladgate blends its magnificent 20 year old tawny Ports from its extensive reserves of old cask aged Ports matured in the firm’s cool historic cellars (known as ‘lodges’) in Oporto on Portugal’s Atlantic coast.

The 20 Year Old Tawny Port is fully matured in seasoned oak casks each holding about 630 litres of wine. Over the many years of ageing, the Port wine gradually takes on its characteristic amber ‘tawny’ colour, slowly developing complex mellow flavours and the smooth luscious palate which are the hallmarks of this style of port. In the 20 Year Old tawny, the fruit has mellowed further than in the 10 Year Old, and the spicy, nutty aromas of ageing are more powerful and intense.

This label was awarded 95 points by James Suckling, 94 points by Wine & Spirits, and 93 points by Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator.

James Suckling wrote, “The aromas to this beautiful tawny port are saturated with burnt orange peel, caramel, candied fruit and hints of honey-coated nuts. Full-bodied, very fruity and dense with intense nut and mahogany flavors. Hints of sultanas, chocolate and coffee. Extremely creamy, long and flavorful. Delicious all the way. Better served slightly chilled. (6/2019)”

Wine & Spirits - “A complex and satisfying Tawny, this sits on the cusp of maturity with freshness continuing to infuse its deepening flavors. That freshness arrives in bold scents of orange zest and juicy citrus flavors, while the maturity mellows those flavors into layers of Marcona almond, date and sweet oak-smoke notes. It finishes with a hint of schist in the tannins. For fruit and cheese at the end of the meal. (12/2016) “

Wine Advocate- Robert Parker wrote, back in 1995: "It is my opinion that Taylor's tawny ports are the best of their type. When tasted against other tawnys, they all exhibit more aromatic personalities, greater fruit and ripeness, and a wonderful sweetness and length. Although I find the Thirty-Year-Old Tawny admirable, I prefer the richer, more vibrant Twenty-Year-Old Tawny."

Wine Advocate notes: “On first taste, this was simply Taylor: big, concentrated and serious. Simply filling the mouth on first taste, this shows fine complexity for its age and it does everything else rather brilliantly. Succulent and inviting, it finishes with waves of concentrated flavors. The fruit remains lifted and and it has a bright, transparent feel. It is hard to resist, often seeming like a bit of an overachiever. (MS) (12/2015) “

Producer’s Tasting Notes: “Intense amber tawny colour. Opulent and voluptuous nose of complex spicy, jammy and nutty aromas, hints of orange flower and a fine oakiness coming from the long period of aging in cask. The palate is full of very rich and concentrated flavour and has a long mellow finish.”

Complex and elegant, full, rich, deep, intense long spicy flavors of wild berries, fig, dried apricot and mango with deep nutty notes, spice, caramel, chocolate, and melange of dried fruits. 

https://www.taylor.pt/us/port-wine/20-year-old-tawny

Henriques & Henriques Sercial 10 Years Old Madeira

Henriqes & Henriques 10-Year Old Sercial is made from 100% Sercial varietal from Madiera, aged for at least ten years in the traditional canteiro method, the process of aging the wines in naturally heated storage in the cellars.

Since the 1500’s the archipelago of Madeira profited from its position in shipping lanes, 550 miles off the coast of Morocco, when ships would pick up food and wine before the trade winds blew their ships west to the New World. Port wine was a key provision as it would age in its casks in the holds of the ships and survive the long journey at sea. 

Madeira wines traveled to the new world and were a favorite of our Founding Fathers, especially Ben Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, Madeira was in fact America’s most popular wine for more than 200 years, from 1640-1850.

Madeira is a small island, only 36 by 24 miles with a mere 1176 acres, making it one of the smaller vineyards for appellation wine in the world. Island viticulture remains primitive with some 1500-1700 growers on the island, the average vineyard is less than 1⁄2 an acre situated on a homeowner’s property.

The historic house of Henriques & Henriques is synonymous with the history of Madeira itself. Legend has it that Infante Dom Henriques planted the island’s first vines in 1425. These vines gave fruit to one of the “first families of Madeira”. Henriques’ descendant and successor João Joaquim Gonçalves Henriques founded the firm in 1850 as a partidista, a trader or stockholder of wine who buys stocks and/or makes wines in order to mature and sell to shippers or other traders., supplying wine to other merchants from extensive Henriques vineyard holdings while continuing to amass significant stocks of old wines in the family cellars.

In 1925, Henriques & Henriques pioneered the practice of bottling and exporting Madeira produced entirely from their own vineyards. Today, Henriques & Henriques is led by CEO and winemaker Humberto Jardim, one of Madeira’s great visionaries and ambassadors. The firm continues to source some of its needs from its own vineyards, most notably from a terraced, 10-hectare vineyard at Quinta Grande—the single largest on island, replanted in 1995.

Madeira wines are governed by the Madeira DOC which designates the fortified and heated-to-oxidation wines of the island, regulating the grapes, minimum age, and residual sugars of each category. While the Madeira laws give producers plenty of leeway in terms of blending and age statements, Henriques & Henriques’ blending approach is to produce true minimum age statements and only monovarietal wines.

Sercial is the palest and driest of the classical Madeira varieties, known as ‘Esgano Cão’, ‘dog strangler’ on the Portuguese mainland, due to its tongue-puckering acidity in its youth. Sercial is racy and high-toned, its sweetness balanced by a tang of acidity. Pungent with dried orange, almonds and saline spices in youth, Sercial mellows in maturity.

Reseller’s Tasting Notes - “Energetic and appealing, the H&H Sercial 10-Year is the firm, polished style of the house: full, deep and suave, with the balance and concentration for which H&H is known. Well-calibrated acidity, mineral, saline and wood elements from the bold savor of dried apricot, lemon zest and spiced almond in route to a long, tapered finish.”

Producer's Notes:  “Of amber medium color, this is a wine with a lightly smoked aroma with nuts, apricots and vanilla. Dry on the palate with slight acidity and nutty and woody flavor. A complex wine with fresh acidity and an extraordinarily long finish.”

More of and the story behind Uptown Cafe Wayne Mann’s art collection … from YouTube … 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CaqYoIsc8t4

https://www.the-uptown.com/

  

Château Gruaud Larose, St Julien, Bordeaux 2010

Château Gruaud Larose, St Julien, Bordeaux 2010

The family celebrated my decade significant birthday with a special treat, attending the greatest spectacle in racing, the Indianapolis 500 together, one of the biggest most thrilling sporting events in the world. Coming out of the Covid disruptions, this year was back in full swing with more than 300,000 race fans attending. 

Its been years since we attended the race and we were amazed at how the speeds have increased. In the attached videos, look at how incredibly fast they go these days, reaching speeds above 230 mph, and, the thrill of them all coming into the pits at once when there is a yellow flag due to a crash. 

We had four hotel rooms in Lafayette the night before where the grandkids partied with their cousins in the pool and the adults relaxed with some wine after dinner. 

But back to the wine .... Ryan brought from home this 2010 St Julien Bordeaux from a case that I acquired and we shared/split together. 

Château Gruaud Larose, St Julien, Bordeaux 2010 

Our visit to and tour of Château Gruaud-Larose estate, winery and vineyards was one of the highlights of our St Julien appellation trip in 2019.

We hold more than a dozen vintages of this wine in regular and large formats dating back to our kids' birthyear vintages in 1981, '82, '85 and 1990. 

This vintage release was awarded  96 points by James Suckling, 95 points by Wine Enthusiast, 94 points by Decanter and Vinous and 93 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator. It also was awarded 92 points by Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar. 

A classic Gruaud Larose and St Julien wine, this begged for a grilled beefsteak and potatoes accompaniment. At twelve years this is just starting to hit its stride coming across as still youthful and probably could use another decade to settle in and more fully integrate.

Dark garnet/plum/purple colored, medium bodied with full round concentrated complex dark berry fruits, note of gaminess initially turning to accents of tobacco, cigar box, leather and garrigue spice with earth and underbrush and finishing with cassis and licorice with firm grainy tannins and fresh tangy acidity on a long finish.

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1123336

https://www.gruaud-larose.com/en/

 

Family Surf and Turf Dinner Features Diverse Wine Flight

Family Surf and Turf Dinner Features Diverse Wine Flight

Daughter-in-law Vivianna is due to deliver first baby any day now so with family in town for the big event, we hosted the in-laws for a gala dinner. 

Linda prepared flank steak with mushroom sauce of butter, garlic, shallots and olive oil, and pan seared halibut in a garlic butter lemon sauce.

Prior to dinner we had a selection of artisan cheeses, olives and mixed nuts.

 

 

 

 

 

She also prepared twice baked potatoes and sweet potatoes and a colorful pan of roasted potatoes and vegetables. 

I pulled from the cellar a medley of wines for the dinner and to celebrate the upcoming Valentines Day holiday. 

For the wine flight, with the Halibut, I served Rochioli Russian River Valley Chardonnay. With the steak, and noting this crowd favors reds over whites, I served several disparate reds. In commemoration of Valentines Day, we opened the current release of Arrowood Sonoma Cabernet, this following the aged vintage bottle we enjoyed the other evening. 

For another Valentine's selection we served Fantesca, a fun play on the branding of this premium Napa Cabernet - named for a character in the Italian comedy troupe that inspired Cirque Du Soleil. La Fantesca was the single female character in the early theatrical performances of Commedia dell’Arte. Fantesca, Sexy, Smart, and Unpretentious, both the lover and the equal of the protagonist, Harlequin, Fantesca could always be counted on to charm the audience.

Lastly, I served a Chateauneuf-du-Pape from Domaine Vieux Telegraphe, which we visited together during our Rhone Valley Wine Experience in 2018.

Rochioli "Estate" Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2016  

I served and wrote about this wine during our Covid forced Virtual OTBN for 2021.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/03/covid-forces-virtual-otbn-for-2021.html

That blogpost from 2-28-21, a year plus two weeks ago follows.
 

Rochioli Vineyards & Winery sits just ten minutes south of Healdsburg, further inland up the Russian River Valley, where they produce estate sourced Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.

 

The Rochioli family legacy began in 1911 when current proprietor and winemaker Joe Rochioli's grandfather, Joe Rocchioli Sr. immigrated to America along with his parents, Michele and Menichina Rocchioli (they later dropped the second "c").  Originally from a small village just outside of Lucca, the Rocchioli’s were one of many Italian families that arrived in New York, made their way across the country, and settled in Northern California.

In those days children worked from a young age, and so Tom's grandfather, Joe, still only 10-years old, labored alongside his father on a farm called Wohler Ranch, in the Russian River Valley.

 In 1934 Tom's grandmother Neoma gave birth to a son, Joe Rochioli Jr.  Shortly after, they moved to a 125-acre property nearby called Fenton Acres, the site and same location where Rochioli Vineyards is today.  

In 1959, Tom's father, Joe Jr, and grandfather, Joe Sr, planted Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc grape vines.  The Cabernet did not grow well and was pulled out in the 1970's.  Sauvignon Blanc, at the time, was a strange new white grape that nobody wanted and was used mainly for blends.  It was soon discovered by a few famed wineries and became desirable as a high quality grape. Today, these same vines are still in production and are considered some of the oldest Sauvignon Blanc vines in California.

The Rochioli's passion for fine wine and high quality grape growing began in 1968 when Joe Jr. began planting Pinot Noir. He had his own ideas as to what would grow best here and planted fine Pinot Noir clones from France. This was revolutionary as there was very little known about the grape in the US and he was considered a pioneer at the time for doing this. Rochioli had the foresight to know that the soil and microclimates of this unique spot in the Russian River Valley were very special and would one day produce some of the world's greatest wines. Shortly after growing Pinot Noir successfully, he  planted Chardonnay.

I have written often in these pages about another American Pinot Noir pioneer, Josh Jenson of Calera Winery,  and the chronicles of his endeavors to plant Pinot Noir that was featured in a book on the subject, the Heartbreak Grape. 

By the early 1970's, Rochioli were selling Pinot Noir grapes to Davis Bynum Winery and shortly thereafter they started producing wine under their own Fenton Acres label. In the early 1980’s they began selling to Williams Selyem Winery, and others.  

Tom Rochioli went to college and worked at a major financial institution for a year, then returned to the family farm with a new idea. Based on the quality of the grapes they were selling, they knew their grapes were very good and were making great wines, so they set upon producing their own wines under the Rochioli name.  In 1983, they changed the name of the property from Fenton Acres to Rochioli Vineyards.  At that time Tom took over the family business operations and soon after became the winemaker.

In 1987,  they release their first estate wine with the 1985 Rochioli Pinot Noir.  It topped Wine Spectator’s list of Pinot Noir and was named ‘The Best Pinot Noir in America’.  The Rochioli brand struck gold and was validated as a premier label. With three generations of dedication to the land, Rochioli Vineyards and Winery earned the reputation as one of Sonoma County's finest wineries.

This 2016 Rochioli Estate Chardonnay was awarded 94 points and 'Editors Choice' by Wine Enthusiast , 92 points by Vinous, 91 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, and 90 points by Jeb Dunnuck.

Straw colored, medium bodied, notes of stone fruit and lemon curd citrus, hints of peach, honeydew melon and finishes with a sense of bright pineapple and a hint of what I might call cotton candy.

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2817007 

https://www.rochioliwinery.com/ 

https://twitter.com/rochioliwinery

 

@rochioliwinery

 
Arrowood Sonoma County Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 

Following our tasting of the 2004 vintage release of this label the other night, I picked up the current release to replace it, hoping it was as good. Its tough to compare vintages fourteen years apart but the pedigree and legacy promises for pleasant drinking ahead. I wrote about the history of this label in that blogpost.

This is from the Knights Valley, tucked into the foothills of Mount Saint Helena (not to be confused with St Helena in Napa Valley), on the remote eastern edge of Sonoma County, where the terroir experiences a moderated climate, protected from ocean influences, offering a longer and later growing season that develops dark fruit aromatics.  

The Arrowood vineyard there lies thirty miles north of the winery and tasting room in Glen Ellyn, Sonoma Valley.

Knights Valley AVA is one of Sonoma County's original five AVAs, Knights Valley AVA was formally designated back in 1983. Knights Valley AVA includes approximately 37,000 acres of which about 2000 are planted to vineyards. The Knights Valley AVA abuts the Alexander Valley AVA to the west, Chalk Hill to the south, and cozies up to Calistoga (in Napa Valley) on the east.

Knights Valley is pretty remote, tucked between the mountain ranges with the only practical access via twisty sections of Highway 128 through mountainous terrain before it eventually straightens out in a high valley.

This is one of ten different Arrowood Cabernet labels, an estate bottling, with a single AVA versus single vineyard designation as with several of the more premium and ultrapremium offerings.

Winemaker Notes for this label release: "The 2018 Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is bold with black forest fruit and anise, nuanced with violet, pine resin, sage, and nutmeg. Densely concentrated and intensely flavorful on the palate with dark fruits, graphite and cocoa nibs."

Wine pundit Jeb Dunnuck gave this 91 points and wrote: "The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley is terrific and just classic Sonoma Cabernet. Lots of cassis, blackcurrants, lead pencil shavings and rocky, savory earth-like nuances all emerge from this spicy, medium-bodied, beautifully balanced Cabernet. It shows the fresh, focused style of the vintage, has wonderful purity, and enough tannins to warrant 2-3 years of bottle age."

While I concur with the above notes on some of the flavors, I would add that there was a predominant layer of sweetness, almost akin to caramel, which is not represented in those notes. I found it less structured and more moderate than the 2004 vintage, and the Fantesca Napa Spring Mountain Cab as well. 

RM 89 points.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/02/arrowood-sonoma-county-cabernet.html

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4094954

https://www.arrowoodvineyards.com/

@ArrowoodWinery 

Fantesca Napa Valley Spring Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

As mentioned above, I selected this for a Valentines Day wine for its whimsical name from a character in the Italian comedy troupe that inspired Cirque Du Soleil. La Fantesca was the single female character in the early theatrical performances of Commedia dell’Arte,  who could always be counted on to charm the audience. Owners, Duane and Susan Hoff write that "when we heard Fantesca described as ”Sexy, Smart, and Unpretentious,” we knew we had found a name worth living up to."'

 

We visited the Fantesca Estate & Winery during our Napa Valley Spring Mountain Experience in the autumn of 2009, and earlier during our Napa Wine Experience 2007.

 

We first met owner/producer Dwayne Hoff when we hosted him in our home during his promotion tour to Chicago shortly after acquiring the Spring Mountain Estate. 

 

Fantesca Estate and Winery, Spring Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon 2004.

Fantesca Napa Valley,
Spring Mtn Cabernet Sauvignon
Etched glass, painted bottle.
(2006 shown)

I bought a case of this label back upon release and note it is the best drinking bottle to date. Perhaps this is now reaching its stride and apex of its drinking character and profile at a dozen years of age.

 

Medium-full bodied, dark garnet color; complex but smooth and polished with bright forward fruits of black currant, dark berry and cherry, accented by sweet dark chocolate, a hint of cassis, and a tone of spice on the lingering refined tannin finish.

RM 91 points.

As always, this was the blockbuster hit of the evening, a great complement to grilled beef steak.

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=355836

http://www.fantesca.com

 

@FantescaWine -  https://twitter.com/FantescaWine

Domaine Vieux Telegraphe "Télégramme" Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2016

As noted above, I selected this wine in remembrance of our visit with Alec and Viv to Domaine Vieux Telegraphe, one of the highlights of our Rhone Valley wine experience back in 2018. This provided a background for fun reminiscences about our trip and visit and our friends there.

Earlier in the day, I had already picked up the latest vintage release of this label, so I already had a replacement for drinking this vintage release bottle tonight. 

Télégramme is the Brunier brothers’ “second” label, based on the fruit of the estate’s younger vines. “Young” is a relative term as the vines that contribute to this blend average 35 years in age and come from some of the appellation’s most esteemed parcels, such as La Crau and Pignan. Available at about half the price of the estate’s flagship La Crau label, this offers great QPR - Quality Price Ratio.

While the second label of the estate, like the "La Crau" grand vin label, it is a blend of the thirteen different varietals sanctioned by the Chateauneuf-du-Pape (CDP) appellation controllee rules that require predominance of the GSM - Grenache, Syrah and/or Mourvedre grapes. This is a blend of estate grown 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 6% Mourvèdre, and 4% Cinsault.

This release was awarded 96 points byJames Suckling, 92 by Jeb Dunnuck and Wine & Spirits, and 91 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. 

Bright ruby colored, medium bodied, complex but balanced, the Grenache flavor profile prediminates with black raspberry, red-berry and plum flavors, with herbs, crushed rocks and pepper notes accented by spices with firm but smooth, ripe tannins on the finish. 

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2857462

http://www.vieux-telegraphe.fr/en

Birthyear Bordeaux bottle celebrates new grand-daughter

Birthyear Bordeaux bottle celebrates new grand-daughter - welcome Lavender !

First family photo with Lavender

Celebrating the birth of our granddaughter Lavender, to son Sean and daughter-in-law Michelle, we pulled a birthyear bottle for toasting with some artisan cheeses and fruits. 

I pulled from the cellar a St Julien Bordeaux from one of the producers we visited during our trip there back in 2018, Château Gruaud Larose. 

Those wines we tasted then (from the barrel) are now being released and we've acquired a flight of those labels to commemorate our memorable trip in future tastings. This also extends our vertical collection of these wines.

One of the highlights of that trip was a tour and tasting at the magnificent estate of  Château Gruaud Larose on the outskirts of the village of Beychevelle St Julien. 

Linda and Rick at
Château Gruaud Larose

We hold more than two dozen vintages of this wine dating back more than three decades including birthyear bottles of our kids' vintages, taking advantage of the long term cellaring age-worthiness of this producer. 

We opened bottles of this label last year celebrating Sean and Michelle's wedding, and three years ago leading up to our trip to Bordeaux. 

Tonight's tasting was consistent with those most recent tastings, showing the progression of aging and the differences between aging in a magnum, standard and split size bottles, the larger bottles aging better and showing slightly better as well. 

This release was awarded 93 points by Wine Spectator, 92 points by Neal Martin's Wine Journal, 91 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, and 90 points by Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar.

Tonight we tasted this from a 375ml small format split (shown left), ideal for simple casual sipping with cheeses and snacks, but less than ideal for aging / cellaring. Its time to drink these up, they are still holding on at 36 years, amazingly, but past their prime, showing their age and continuing to diminish from aging. 

The fill level was ideal for its age, to be expected, near the bottom of the neck, the label and foil were in good condition, and the cork was also ideal, especially for its age. 

My notes from last year - tasted from a magnum: "Dark garnet colored, medium to full-bodied, a bit closed and slightly subdued complex, ripe earthy blackberry and black current fruits with tones of tobacco leaf, truffle, hints of cassis and spice box, turning to slightly tart black cherry on the long floral full tannin laced finish."

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/09/big-bottle-birthyear-mania-for-wedding.html

And, my notes from three years ago, in 2018, tasted from a standard size bottle:

Showing its age a bit as the fruit has fallen off a bit and the dark ruby garnet colored is showing a bit of brickish rust color with a bit of opacity - medium bodied, this opened with a hint of that fragrant floral bouquet which is giving way to more earthy leather and tones of mushroom and tapenade.

Earthy blackberry fruit is overshadowed by tones of tobacco leaf, truffle, mushroom and spice box, turning to slightly tart black cherry on the long floral full tannin laced finish.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/05/pichon-lalande-gruaud-larose-1985.html

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=20848

https://www.gruaud-larose.com/

 

 

Wedding Wines - Birthyear and Big Bottle Extravaganza Continues

Wines for a Wedding Celebration - Birthyear and Big Bottle Extravaganza Continues with Quivira Cabernet Cuvee' Imperial, Pahlmayer and Pieper Heidseick Magnums - and Top Rated Birthyear Vintage Wines

The family gathered in Conneticut for son Alec and Vivianna's gala wedding weekend; we started off the festivities with a dinner with the wedding party, generously hosted by the B's, our new in-laws. 

The Big Green Truck with its on-board Pizza oven was on-site and prepared a broad selection of custom hand-made pizzas made with the finest ingredients and toppings. 

It was a perfect food-wine pairing with the California Cabernet Cuvee' Bordeaux Blend from Alec’s birthyear vintage, served from a 6 liter large format Imperial bottle I brought from our cellar collection for the occasion, as well as several other wines served.

As I presented the big bottle, I discussed the irony of it being one of our 'V' wines, this one also featuring a boat on the gold painted bottle, in light of the fact that I acquired this bottle decades ago in anticipation of this event. 

Frank B, father of the bride is an avid boater and the wedding party men spent the afternoon on his boat cruising the Westport and Southport Conneticut coast of Long Island Sound (below).

The special limited release commemorative bottle was signed by Quivira Vineyards and Winery founders and then owners, Henry and Holly Wendt. It came packaged in its own OWC, Original Wood Case. 

 

Quivira Vineyards has a long history of significance in the evolution of grape growing and winemaking in Dry Creek Valley. 

 

Founders Henry and Holly Wendt sold the property in 2006 to current owners Pete and Terri Knight. They were struck by Henry’s vision for better wine through innovative vineyard management using biodynamic and organic farming techniques. 

 

Since purchasing the winery and vineyards in the summer of 2006, Pete and Terri rallied the Quivira team around a strong sense of purpose and focus on a ‘sustainable, holistic approach’ to growing grapes in the quest of producing distinctive wines. 

 

Today, Quivira’s philosophy is driven by the mission and vision of quality shared between winemaker Hugh Chappelle and owners, Pete and Terri Knight. Together, they have invested in the vineyards and winery with the intent of growing wines based upon the ‘thoughtful commitment to sustainable and organic farming’. 

 

Quivira Vineyards, today, is a leading producer of terroir driven Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, and Rhone varietals.

Quivira Dry Creek Cabernet Cuvee' 1990

This 1990 Cabernet Cuvee' was sourced from select grapes from the Quivira estate vineyards in Dry Creek Valley at the confluence of Wine Creek and Dry Creek in Healdsburg, Sonoma County. It is a blend of Bordeaux varietals, 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc and 21% Merlot. Cellartracker records show this label was produced in the years 1987 through 1992.  

 

I've written in these pages about the impact a large format bottle has on the aging of wine, extending the life and drinking window of a wine due to the larger vessel and its reduced air to wine surface area and greater volume for increased stability for more graceful and consistent aging. 

 

This wine exceeded my expectations with its drinkability, still showing vibrant fruits and showing little sign of diminution from aging. This is most certainly attributable to the large bottle and to the quality of the 1990 vintage harvest. 

 

Sons Alec and Ryan, the groom and co-best man, carefully removed the wax capsule seal and extracted the cork, in near perfect condition, using a Ahso, two pronged cork puller. Shown below with our host, father of the bride, Frank B, and the boys, the 6 liter Quivira.

Thus was dark inky purple garnet colored, medium-full bodied with vibrant black berry fruits accented by notes of mushroom, smoke, oak and hints of black tea and cassis with a nice smooth integrated tannin laced finish. 

RM 89 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=606516

https://quivirawine.com/

https://twitter.com/QuiviraVineyard

The wines continued the following evening for the wedding banquet served in a magnificent setting on the lawn under the tent in the yard overlooking the Sound. 

 

Following the Quivira, we opened another large format bottle, a magnum of Pahlmeyer Napa Valley Caldwell Vineyard Red Blend, also from the same birthyear vintage year 1990.  

Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red is a classic Napa Valley Bordeaux Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec, all sourced from the Estate Caldwell Vineyard. 

 

I wrote about this wine when I served a companion magnum of this bottle and label during a family gathering earlier this summer, the week of the original planned wedding event before being postponed due to the Covid Pandemic. 

To round out the flight of wines for the evening, Alec served his namesake signature wine, Alec’s Blend Napa Valley Red Wine from Lewis Cellars. This is another family favorite label from a favorite producer, featured often in these pages.

Son/brother Ryan gifted six bottles of recent releases of this label to Alec, and I swapped them with a vertical tasting flight from our cellar from the ‘99, ‘01, ‘03, ‘05, ‘07 and 2009 vintages. These were served alongside the current 2017 release. 

 

Following the wedding weekend, the bride and groom headed off to Napa to pay homage to the vines and visit several family favorite producers including Lewis, Del Dotto and several others, firestorm permitting. Alec and Vivianna have a planned visit to the Lewis Cellars Winery in Napa on their re-planned Honeymoon to Napa Valley.  

 

We also served for the weekend another bold vibrant proprietary red blend from Venge Cellars. Venge Scout’s Honor features a prominent ‘V’ on the label, a fun whimsical play on the initials for the bride Vivianna and a testament to the vineyard dog Scout of the Venge family, and a tribute to Alec and Vivianna’s new dog, Camella. 

  

Venge is another popular label and a family favorite. We have known and collected wines crafted by Nils Venge, the first California producer to craft a 100 point wine from the pundits, since his early days as a producer, and when he was consulting winemaker to several popular labels including Plumpjack, Del Dotto, Fantesca and others. 

Following the wedding ceremony, Frank and Mary-lisa, Vivianna's parents, hosted a magnificent gala celebration dinner in a tent on the lawn at their home overlooking Sherwood Island and Cob Cove on the Long Island Sound. 

 

The spectacular dinner featured prime filets of beefsteak and salmon entrees. This was a much abbreviated scaled down celebration from the originally intended and planned banquet at their club, which will now be rescheduled for another time. 

 

To contribute and join in the celebration dinner, I brought from our cellar a flight of very special wines I have collected over the decades and held for this occasion, from the birthyear vintages of the bride and the groom.

 

Three of the wines were each awarded #1 Wine of the Year by Wine Spectator Magazine as part of their annual Top 100 Wines of the Year, all from the 1990 vintage. A testament to the global success of the vintage, one was from California, one from Bordeaux and one from South Australia, a further testament to the amazing spectacular 1990 vintage. 

 

All these wines were acquired upon their release back in the early nineties, in some cases, even before being so recognized and heralded. 

 

Three #1 Wine Spectator Top
100 Wines from 1990 vintage

I blogged about these wines and big bottles in a preview to this weekend's gala festivities. 

Chateau Grand Vin Latour Pauillac Bordeaux 1990 

This 1990 vintage release was the Wine Spectator Top 100 #1 Wine of the Year for 1993 and was awarded a perfect 100 points. We also served this wine from a six liter Imperial from daughter Erin's 1981 birthyear vintage, at her and son-in-law Johnny's wedding celebration.

Erin, Johnny and Fort family
at Sean & Michelle's wedding

Penfold’s Grange (Hermitage) McLaren Vale Shiraz 1990

This 1990 vintage release of this label was the Wine Spectator Top 100 #1 Wine of the Year for 1995. This was the concensus WOTN - Wine of the Night by many in the group, especially the younger generation. I acquired an OWC - Original Wood Case of his wine back on release. I remember obtaining it at Berry Brothers and Rudd in London and hand carrying back on the flight, back in the days when such activity was allowed. 

 

We opened a bottle from this case with Alec and Vivianna when we visited them in New York to celebrate their engagement.   

 

My notes from that previous tasting earlier: Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, flawless, elegant, polished, harmonious, perfectly balanced, silky smooth flavors of concentrated black berry and black raspberry fruits with notes of vanilla, licorice, spice, black truffles and oak with hints of spice and cedar turning to fine grained tongue puckering tannins on the long lingering finish.

RM 96 points.

Caymus Special Select Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1990 and 1991

This 1990 vintage release was Wine Spectator Top 100 #1 Wine of the Year for 1994. The 1990 vintage was so successful that nine of the Top Ten Wines of the Year in 1994 were from the 1990 vintage.  

To further celebrate the nuptials, I also brought several wines that we happen to hold in our cellar from the birthyear vintage of the bride including the Caymus Special Select 1991, in addition to the heralded #1 1990 vintage. Testament to this producer and their run of great releases, the 1991 was awarded the #2 wine of the Top 100 Wine Spectator Wines of the Year 1995. So, this mini-vertical duo of back to back vintages were #1 and #2 respectively in the Top 100, likely the first and only time that I can find that this has happened. 

  

 

 

I also brought back-to-back '90 and '91 vintages of Silver Oak Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon. Had the Coronavirus pandemic not derailed the couple’s original wedding plans, I was prepared to serve Silver Oak Bonny’s Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1990 from six liter bottles, (serial numbers 41 and 44). They remain stored in our cellar in their OWC - Original Wood Cases (shown below). We will hold these for (a) future celebration occasion (s). 

 

We served the 1982 vintage of Bonny's Vineyard from son Ryan's birthyear vintage at his and daughter-in-law Michelle's (below) wedding celebration, along with a horizontal collection of other birthyear vintage wines, several from large format bottles. 

 

 

We also served 1990 and '91 vintage Flora Springs Trilogy Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. 

 

We also brought along and were prepared to open but didn't get to them, bottles of Dunn Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 1990 and 1991. 

 

In all of these comparison tastings, the 1990 vintage showed significantly better than its 1991 counterpart, evidence that vintages matter. I've written in these pages that often, off-year vintages can out-perform, and, that in top exceptional years, all boats rise with the tide, and second and lesser labels can also be exceptional, often providing great QPR (quality price ratio) values. Tonight, though, we were fortunate enough to serve and partake of the best of the best - best wines of the best vintages!

 

We are still holding and looking forward to opening from our cellar collection birthyear vintage bottles of our kids and our anniversary years from our horizontal and vertical collections of several favorite Bordeaux producers including Chateaux Leoville Las Cases, Ducru Beaucaillou, Palmer, Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, Gruaud Larose, Chateau d'Yquem and a few others. We're still holding many of these as they appear to have longer drinking windows and hence can be held a bit longer. We visited several of these Chateaux during our Bordeaux region trip last year. We'll look forward to featuring them in future family celebration tastings.  

 

Author, Rick & Linda,
groom's parents

After dinner, with the wedding cake, we served from our cellar Chateau Lafaurie Peyraguay and Chateau Suideraut Grand Cru 1990. We're fortunate to hold some Chateau d'Yquem 1990 as well, but will hold this for appropriate celebrations in the future due to its extraordinary long aging and drinking window. We were also prepared to open and will also hold for future events a Warre's and a Dow’s Quinta de Cavadhina Ports from 1990.

 

 

Prior to dinner, and throughout the evening, we served large format magnum bottles of Pieper Heidseick Special Edition Champagne (above). 

Lastly and notably, this follows by just three weeks the wedding celebration and serving of other large format and birthyear wines at son Sean's and daughter-in-law Michelle's wedding earlier this month. 

Michelle and Sean, newlyweds of
three weeks at A-V's wedding