Father Son World Cup wine tasting

Father Son World Cup meet up and leftovers wine tasting 

Son Ryan came over to watch the USA-England soccer match and brought a couple wines left from their Thanksgiving holiday feast. I served up the remains of one of our's, a favorite wine left over from our dinner the other night. 

What great fun it is to share our wine interests together and experience the convergence of our respective cellar collections in producers' labels such as this one.  We've both have amassed a collection of Fantesca Napa Valley Spring Mountain District wines - Ryan most recently, collecting their ultra-premium special labels, while our collection goes back to the inaugural release and the ensuing early years. 

We first met producers Dwayne and Susan Hoff when they acquired the Spring Mountain property in St Helena in February 2004 and Fantesca was founded. Dwayne visited us in Chicago during one of his early promotion tours for the 2004 release of Fantesca Cabernet in 2006.

We tasted and acquired our early releases of this producer when we visited the Fantesca Estate and Winery on Spring Mountain in Napa Valley during our Napa Wine Experiences. We visited Fantesca during our Napa Valley Spring Mountain Experience in the autumn of 2009, and earlier during our Napa Wine Experience 2007, and again in 2011.

 We hold a vertical collection of more than a dozen vintages of Fantesca with their classy etched bottles, one of our favorites that we hold for special occasions and for special gifts.

 

In early 2008, Fantesca signed on veteran winemaker Heidi Peterson Barrett, whose Napa Valley resume includes winemaking stints at Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle, and her own La Sirena.

 

Fantesca Estate and Winery Napa Valley "All Great Things - Honor" 2011 

 

This label "All Great Things" is Heidi Barret's annual Bordeaux blend produced for Fantesca - a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.  

 

This is the third release of the series, which is inspired by the words of Winston Churchill:  “All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.”  

 

Each vintage release commemorates one of those notable words from the legendary Churchill quote - freedom (2015), justice (2016), honor (2011, 2017), duty (2012, 2018), mercy (2013), and hope (2014) - this one christened the (first) "Honor" release.

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, layers of firm bright black fruits with notes of dusty cedar, aged leather and spice, with notes of mocha chocolate and plum, with moderate tannins on the finish.

 

RM 92 points.  

 

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=2989151

 

http://www.fantesca.com

 

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

 

Boroli Brunella Barolo 2015 

Ryan then opened this vintage Barolo from Achille Boroli.

The Boroli family roots in Piedmont date back to as early as 1831. The family were entrepreneurs in the publishing business until Silvano and Elena Boroli set out to reconnect with venturing into winemaking business in 1997. 

The Baroli estate vineyards are located in the heart of Barolo in the towns Castiglione Falletto (Cascina La Brunella) and Barolo (Borgata Cerequio). All Barolo production and refinement takes place in the wine-making and ageing wineries at Cascina La Brunella, in the town of Castiglione Falletto. 

As an integration of the historic Cascina La Brunella, a new winery was built and opened in 2006, with all the modern building technologies.

Silvano and Elena Boroli managed the company 2012 when their son, Achille, stepped in to run the wine-growing and production business.

Achille Boroli grew up in the wine business and experienced every facet of winemaking shadowing the family's winery winemaker - tending to the grapes, blending the wines, tasting barrel samples - all aspects of  vineyard management and winemaking techniques. 

With the 2012 vintage, Achilles set upon to aim for the highest quality in Barolo achievable from their estate, applying the most meticulous methods in the vineyards and winery - cutting production levels, updating the winemaking technology, applying low intervention methods to raise the quality of the Boroli wines to the highest level, on par with the finest Barolo wines.

 

Boroli Brunella Piedmont Barolo 2015 

 

Barolo Brunella is 100% Nebbiolo, sourced from a single 7 acre estate vineyard in the territory of Castiglione Falletto, situated at the extreme western point of the ridge of Villero. It has vines with an average age of vines 40 years, was aged in large oak barrels (1000-1500L) for 18 months, and settled at least 1 year in bottle before release. It was first released in 2013.

 

Winemaker Notes for the 2015 release: "A clear ruby red color, with very light orange reflections. A net aroma in which licorice stands out at first, immediately followed by a fruity scent; the aroma makes you scent it again and again to discover different and pleasant facets. The fruity aroma magnificently prevails after a few minutes in the glass. A very enveloping, fresh and harmonious taste, with a delicate and tasty presence of wood. A long lasting taste that invites to sip it slowly again and again."

 

This release was awarded 93 points by James Suckling.

Bright ruby colour, medium bodied, elegant, smooth and polished fresh plum and cherry berry fruits with hints of licorice, mocha, fresh cloves and baking spices, with velvety mouthfeel with a persistent lingering soft sweet oak laced tannin finish. 

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3652155

  

https://www.boroli.it/en/

 

https://twitter.com/borolivini  

@borolivini

 

Piazza Del Dotto Napa Valley Sangiovese 2016 

I then opened this Sangiovese left over from our dinner earlier in the week that we opened with Linda's spaghetti and meatballs. This has become our favorite go-to wines for Italian dining. I wrote in detail about Del Dotto Napa Valley wines and their history producing Sangiovese in an earlier blogpost.

 

  We tasted and acquired this wine at the Piazza Winery Delicacies Wine and Food Tasting Experience during our Napa Valley Wine Experience 2018. We had previously tasted and acquired the 2015 release a year earlier at our Napa Valley Del Dotto Estate Cave Tour and Barrel Tasting in 2017. 

This is the last bottle of a couple of cases of this label we acquired during those visits. We've been trying to obtain more of this label and haven't seen it available on the Del Dotto shopping site or in the marketplace. We're hoping to find more. 

As we have written in recent tasting reviews of wine acquired during this Estate visit, this label is from Piazza Del Dotto, Del Dotto's newest project, a new winery south on St Helena Highway featuring an Italian-inspired “barchessa,” or barn, magnificently appointed with tasting rooms and dining areas. It is surrounded by fountain gardens with al fresco tasting cabanas, vegetable gardens, 17^th century fountains and an outdoor barn with turkeys, peacocks, pheasants and doves. There are wine caves as well, all surrounded by 8.5 acres of cabernet sauvignon vineyards.

This is Estate grown fruit, I believe from the Rutherford vineyards that surround the Venetian Estate Winery & Caves, the site for the Del Dotto cave tours and barrel tastings.

This was ruby colored medium full bodied, delicious sweet ripe raspberry fruits accented by notes of sweet vanilla, cedar, tobacco and almond with supple smooth silky tannins on the lingering finish.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3038663

http://www.deldottovineyards.com/ 

 

https://twitter.com/DelDottoWine

 

@DelDottoWine

Gala Family Celebration calls for for birthyear wine

Gala Family Celebration get-together opportunity for a birth-year wine

The family gathered at son Sean's and Michelle's to celebrate granddaughter Lavender's first birthday and got a surprise announcement. Opening her first birthday gift produced a t-shirt that read, "I'm going to be a Big Sister!

Notably, I had already pulled from the cellar and brought a bottle of wine from Sean's birth year for the occasion. 

Inglenook Napa Valley "Reunion" Estate Bottled Red Wine 1985

This label is from the storied label that was one of the original pioneers producing wine in northern California and Napa Valley. 

Inglenook was founded in 1879 by Finnish sea captain Gustave Niebaum and produced perhaps the best wines in the valley until it closed in the early 1900s due to Prohibition. 

Niebaum died in 1908, but his widow re-opened the winery in the '40s and the winery returned to its earlier eminence as a top Napa producer. 

Movie producer Francis Ford Coppola enriched with cash from the legendary Godfather movies, bought 1,500 acres of vineyards from the brand in the mid-'70s. 

Under his stewardship and direction, the winery kept producing high quality wines until it was sold several times in rapid succession in the years after this vintage went into bottle. 

Several decades of producing not up-to-par quality wines ended in 2014 when Coppola purchased the name of the winery (for a ton of cash) with the hope of returning the brand to its former glory. 

The flagship Napa Cab label for the estate is Rubicon which we saw manifested on the producer's vanity plate while at lunch down the road from the estate.  

This is the Bordeaux varietal from the historic label that I acquired at auction over the years, from son Sean's birth-year vintage to hold and open for some fitting occasion such as tonight. 

This Reunion label is sourced from the three historic Inglenook estate vineyards that sit on the magnificent expansive historic property on the edge of the Napa Valley up against the Mayacamas foothills on the west side of Rutherford. 

We visited and toured the estate (right) during our Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2009. 

This was awarded 91 points by Wine Spectator back in 1989 

Our Cellartracker records indicate we acquired several bottles of this label back in 2009. A decade later this bottle showed a stained label, good filled level and a somewhat soft cork that threatened to pull apart but with care was extracted in whole using a traditional waiter's corkscrew. 

The color was dark garnet colored, medium bodied, at 37 years this was showing its age but was still consumable - the tangy dark cherry and plum flavors were overtaken by a funky barnyard earthiness and wet wood that burned off after close to an hour - but was still a bit astringent with notes of tobacco, oaky spice cedar and black tea with modest tannins on the tangy acidic finish.

RM 85 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=208179

Lillian California Syrah 2016

An interesting wine I had never heard of or seen before, Ryan brought this premium artisan Syrah from his cellar. 

This is from winemaker Maggie Harrison who worked at legendary Sine Qua Non for eight years.

First released in 2004, she sources fruit for this small production artisan label from the prestigious White Hawk Vineyard in Santa Barbara County. 

She produces this Lillian Syrah and a some other labels from vineyards sources such as the Bien Nacido Vineyard in Santa Maria Valley, and the Stolpman Vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley.

Lillian wines are crafted from Rhone varietals — Roussanne, Syrah and Grenache, and Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Lillian shares a winemaker, winery, and tasting room with Antica Terra, in Dundee, OR, as noted on the label, but the wine is designated California Syrah, attributing the vineyard sources of the fruit. 

Ryan opened this bottle the night before and noted the fruit was more muted than when opened. 

Dark inky purple colored, medium full bodied, tight, structured, bold, forward, concentrated black fruits with notes of cedar and hints of cassis, pepper and smoke. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3042313

https://www.lillianwinery.com/

Melka CJ Napa Valley Cabernet BYOB at Carnivore & Queen

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Melka CJ Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

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

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

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

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

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

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

This release got 92 points from Wine Spectator.

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

RM 92 points. 

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

https://www.melkaestates.com/

https://twitter.com/MelkaEstates

https://carnivoreandthequeen.com/

Long Shadows Saggi BYOB at Angeli's Italian

Long Shadows Saggi BYOB at Angeli's Italian

Son Alec and d-in-law Vivianna treated us to a Anniversary celebration dinner at  Angeli's Italian, our customary favorite neighborhood trattoria. I took BYOB from our cellar this Sangiovese Blend, one of our favorite best drinking bottles in our cellar right now for an Italian cuisine dinner.

Long Shadows Vintners Series Saggi Sangiovese Red Blend 20162016

We discovered and acquired this wine during our Woodinville, WA Wine Experience back in 2015. As I have written in these pages, this is a selection of the Long Shadows Vintners Collection, a portfolio of seven ultra-premium wines showcasing the viticulture of the Washington State Columbia Valley growing region and the artwork and expertise of internationally acclaimed winemakers who crafted them.

Long Shadows was founded in 2003 by Washington State wine legend Allen Shoup, former Chairman and CEO of Chateau St Michelle, one of the premiere wine producers in the State. There he evangelized Washington Wines and championed collaboration with notable winemakers from around the world. Upon retiring, he started Long Shadows with a vision to produce the best, art of the possible wines showcasing/featuring the region's grapes, each produced by a world renowned winemaker reputed for producing grapes of that varietal.  Each vintner had access to Washington State's best grapes and a winery to outfitted to accommodate a their exacting cellar specifications. The idea was a resounding success as the wines have received critical acclaim that grown with each vintage. The Long Shadow collection went on to win numerous awards, including recognition as Food & Wine magazine's "Winery of the Year."

The Saggi label is a Sangiovese blended from top Washington State vineyards, from Candy Mountain, a warm area of the Columbia Valley adjacent to Red Mountain that produces fruit with ripe, black currant aromas and flavors. From the cooler growing conditions in the Yakima Valley, the Boushey Vineyard produces Sangiovese that is lively red currant with bright strawberry notes. Saggi also contains Cabernet Sauvignon, from the Weinbau Vineyard in the Wahluke Slope AVA, which contributes  structure and texture. Also in the blend is Syrah from the Bacchus and Den Hoed Dutchman vineyards, that add depth and complexity.

We talk about Den Hoed and their wines and our family connection in an earlier blogpost from our Seattle, Woodinville trip. 

Saggi, is crafted by the father-son team of Ambrogio and Giovanni Folonari, one of Italy’s oldest and most prestigious Tuscan wine families from A. & G. Folonari Tenute that produces a collection of small, ultra-premium wines from the family's numerous Tuscan estates. The Folonaris teamed with Allen Shoup to produce a wine that showcases Washington State's terroir with plenty of Italian character. Saggi (meaning "wisdom") is a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah.

Long Shadows founder Allen Shoup originally met the Folonaris through mutual friend Piero Antinori. It was Allen who introduce Piero to Washington State while at the helm of Chateau Ste. Michelle, and it was Piero's regard for the vineyards of the Columbia Valley that piqued the Folonaris interest in creating a wine true to Washington terroir with plenty of Tuscan character.  Gilles continues that tradition, honoring the quality and style of wines the Folonairs inspired. 

From 2006, Long Shadows director of winemaking and viticulture Gilles Nicault collaborated with the Folonaris on Saggi's vineyard sourcing, winemaking and blending.  For this 2016 release , Gilles assumed complete winemaking responsibilities for Saggi.

We replaced this bottle with the current latest release from our most recent Club allocation shipment from the winery. We're members of the Long Shadows wine club and hence get regular Vault Key Club release allocation shipments of their top labels of which we share our case lot with Alec and fellow Pour Boy wine buddy,  Dr Dan. We've written in these pages about the Vintners Collection wherein Long Shadows collaborates with world class winemakers to craft varietal compositions from Washington State fruit. 

 

We tasted and posted about the latest 2018 release of this label just last week from our Pour Boys Wine Dinner,

Tonight's tasting was consistent with earlier tastings of this label, earlier this year and back in 2019. 

In January of this year -https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2022/01/saggi-long-shadows-sangiovese-red-blend.html ... and previously back in June of 2019 ....

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/06/american-sangiovese-for-italian-dinner.html

Vibrant and lively, this weighty Sangiovese-dominant blend offers enticing aromas and flavors of red berries and currants with an appealing hint of nutmeg and sweet spice. An elegant and refined wine, its bright acidity pops on the palate with expressive red fruit character that echoes across a long-lasting finish.

The 2016 Saggi is mostly Sangiovese at 60%, but has 29% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Syrah.

Bright ruby-colored, medium bodied, nicely balanced and polished, black cherry fruits are accented by with notes of spice box, dried flowers and hints of cedar and vanilla, smooth sweet tannins linger on a clean, graceful finish.

RM 92 points.

This was rated 94 points by James Suckling and 92 points by Wine Advocate,  91 points by Wine Enthusiast, and 90 points by Vinous.

Wine Advocate Jeb Dunnuck gave it 92 points noting, "It's certainly one of the best expressions of Sangiovese from Washington."

https://www.cellartracker.com/barcode.asp?iWine=3096196

http://longshadows.orderport.net/product-details/0536/2016-Saggi

 

Family Holiday BBQ Wine Cook-out

Family Holiday BBQ Wine Cook-out Features Family Favorites

Son Ryan and D-in-law Michelle hosted the family for a traditional Independence Day holiday cook-out and we opened several nice wines for the occasion. 

We enjoyed family, yard games with the traditional competitions in 'bags' and other, and culminating the day with celebratory fireworks.

Ryan smoked beef brisket and chicken and opened from his cellar a medley of whites and reds and I brought a couple reds for the occasion.

 

Cliff Lede Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2019

We've written much about Cliff Lede wines in these pages, one of our favored producers. The Cliff Lede winery estate and vineyards with their picturesque sculpture gardens at Yountville Cross Road and Silverado Trail are one of our popular visits during our many trips to Napa Valley. One of the more memorable was our private tour and tasting during our Napa Wine Experience 2009.

Normally one of our go-to wines we keep stocked for pleasurable casual sipping, today, we were introduced to a new label (below) from down under, one Ryan considers one of his go-to wines. 

This is a blend of 85% Sauvignon Blanc, 12% Sémillon, 3% Sauvignon Vert.  The juice was fermented in 68% French oak barrels, 30% stainless steel tanks, and 2% concrete eggs. 

This was awarded 93 Points by Wine Enthusiast and 90 Points by Wine Spectator.

Straw colored, light bodied, complex and structured but rather restrained, notes of melon and apple with hints of lemon meringue, tangerine with crushed rock and stone on the finish.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3710508

https://cliffledevineyards.com/

@CliffLedeWine 

 

Cloudy Bay New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc 2020 

I failed the blind tasting of these wines even with a fifty fifty chance of getting it right. I swore the Cloudy Bay was the Cliff Lede with its sprites of peach fruit. This overshadowed the Lede, normally one of my favored Sauv Blancs. 

Founded in 1985 by David Hohnen and winemaker Kevin Judd their Sauvignon Blanc put New Zealand wine on the map. Cloudy Bay joined Veuve Clicquot in 2003 and became part of the LVMH family in 2010.

Cloudy Bay’s legacy began in Marlborough with Sauvignon Blanc and now includes Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pelorus méthode traditionnelle. The spirit of adventure continues with Te Koko, a barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc, and Te Wahi, a sophisticated Central Otago Pinot Noir from their two special southern vineyards.

Winemaker Notes: "The 2020 Sauvignon Blanc is bright and focused, with appealing and expressive aromatics of ripe grapefruit, makrut lime and passionfruit on the nose. The palate is mouth-watering , with zesty lime, lemongrass and juicy stone fruit characters melding together, underpinned by a subtle minerality. The vibrant concentrated fruit and freshness bestow poise and balance, and lead though to a long and impressive finish. A wine that will age gracefully for many years."

Straw colored, light bodied, aromas of floral, fresh and vibrant with aromatics of bright citrus, kaffir lime, orchard blossom and passion fruit, flavors of peach predominate with a crisp clean sharp tangy finish.

RM 91 points

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3767494

https://www.cloudybay.com/en-us/

@CloudyBay 

Philip Melka CJ Cabernet Sauvignon 2001

For a family gathering I brought from our cellar a family oriented wine, this label a tribute to Philippe and Cherie Melka's children with its child's handprints on the label. I took this in tribute to our two new granddaughters additions to our family this year, Lavender and Marylin.

We've recently been enjoying Philippe Melka's handicraft in the Long Shadows Vintners Series with his Pirouette label. 

When I last wrote about this label a year ago I said, 'at twenty years this is clearly past its prime drinking window and starting to diminish from age', but that was refuted tonight with this bottle. 

The fill level and label were perfect and the cork was near so as well. There were no signs of the cloudiness reported in that earlier note, leaving me to believe that tasting was an aberrant bottle. Tonight, this resembled and was consistent with previous, earlier tasting notes.

This was dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, the vibrant dark blackberry fruits were accented by earthy flavors of cedar and tobacco with notes of tar, smoke and hints of mocha.

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=19571

https://www.melkaestates.com/

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/07/phillip-melka-cj-napa-cab-2001.html

@MelkaEstates

Fleury Estate Lauren Bryce Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

Ryan collects this wine as a member of their wine club and has amassed a vertical collection of their various labels. We first met Brian and Claudia Fleury at a Del Dotto event in their earliest days when they were just starting Fleury Estate back in 2000.

The Fleury Estate lies just south of St. Helena in Rutherford with a tasting room, winemaking facilities and a 11 acre estate vineyard. Fleury Estate Winery also owns 50 acres of premium vineyard land in the key locations of Napa Valley with vineyards in different appellations and elevations which enables them to craft consistent, high quality Napa Valley wines year after year. 

The cork of this thirteen year old disintegrated upon opening and the bottle had a slight funk to it which blew off for the most part after a while - but the bottle was clearly an off bottle. Never-the-less I found it enjoyable and notable drinking for the occasion. 

I defer to my tasting notes from this label from two years ago since it was somewhat consistent and perhaps a more fair representation. 

From earlier tasting in 2018: This (vintage) was dark blackish inky colored with full body, rich concentrated bright, vibrant, forward unctuous fruits of sweet ripe dark berry, black raspberry and currant fruits with notes of dark mocha and sweet toasty oak turning to nicely integrated tannins on a full chewy lingering finish.

This was delicious, very much my preferred style and profile, but perhaps too sweet for some folks' palette! That day I gave this 94 points. 

Today, likely due to bottle variation I give it a 91.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/08/fleury-estate-napa-valley-cabernet_8.html

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1491336

https://www.fleurywinery.com/

@FleuryWinery

Mollydooker Carnival of Love 2017

We have fun with the whimsical labels of Mollydooker with their cartoonish characters and circus poster themed labels. But, there is nothing whimsical about their big full-throttle Shiraz in their premium label Carnival of Love. We adopted this and the companion Enchanted Path labels years ago for family celebration dinners.

This is one of our family favorites that we collect and serve at special family occasions. I featured this producer and label in an extensive blogpost back in 2018, and in an broader exposition of their portfolio earlier back in 2014, and most recently in February of this year.

'Carnival of Love' has become one of our family tradition wines which began when we started serving at wife Linda's and then family birthday parties, since Linda is a Lefty. We love this style of this big opulent forward Shiraz.

The Carnival of Love Shiraz is one of their best and has made the Wine Spectator's "Top 100" twice, the 2012 was #2 in 2014, recognized as the #2 Wine in the World, and that year, Mollydooker was named Winestate's Wine of the Year for 2014.

Winemaker notes for this release: "This McLaren Vale Shiraz is powerful and expressive. Lifted aromatics of dark berries and smoky oak leap boldly from the glass. With a satin like palate; cherry and satsuma plum flavors develop into decadent dark chocolate and licorice. Complex flavors, phenomenal depth and perfectly polished tannins are what makes this Carnival of Love one to be savored and celebrated."

This is 100% Shiraz. The grapes were grown on the Gateway vineyard in McLaren Vale, and the juice was barrel fermented and matured in 100% American oak and 100% new. 

This release was awarded 94 points by Wine Advocate and 93 points by Wine Spectator.

Dark purple garnet colored, full bodied, rich, concentrated, textured, juicy velvety smooth raspberry and cherry fruits with notes of caramel, cedar, oak and spice on a tongue coating lingering finish.

RM 93 points. 

 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3097884

 

https://mollydookerwines.com.au/  

@MollydookerWine

 

Ryan also served Mollydooker Two Left Feet Shiraz Cabernet and Austin Hope Paso Robles Cabernet. I'll feature them in a follow-on tasting post. 

 

Coco Pazzo Italian Wine and Fine Dining

Coco Pazzo Italian Wine and Fine Dining - Chicago

For a business partner dinner, hosted by son Ryan, we dined at Coco Pazzo Italian Restaurant on Hubbard street in trendy chic River North, Chicago. 

Opened in 1992 by restauranter Jack Weiss, Coco Pazzo serves classic traditional seasonal cuisine of Tuscany in a classic stylish 100 year old loft building with timber beams brick walls and rich cyprus floors adorned with blue velvet curtains for a rustic urban chic atmosphere. 

The extensive menu crafted by Chef Eric Hammond features both classic and contemporary dishes with the finest ingredients. 

Coco Pazzo has an award winning Wine Spectator Best of Excellence Award winelist assembled and curated by Wine Director Tamra Presley Weiss, featuring a broad and deep selection of Tuscan focused Italian wines from modest to the most exclusive producers and labels. They also serve twenty wines by the glass WBTG and a collection of large format bottles for special occasion dinners. The winelist has been recognized not only by Wine Spectator but also Food & Wine, The Wine Enthusiast and Wine & Spirits. 

From the wine list I selected three different wines in three styles and profiles to suit our diners' preferences and varied entree selections. All were ideal accompaniments and were very reasonably moderately priced values.

Avignonesi Grifi Toscana Rosso 2018

This Super Tuscan blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese was perfectly paired with my entree selection, the Saltimbocca di Vitello topped with sage and prosciutto with wine shallots and sides of Polenta and Spinach.

The Avignonesi estate still bears the name of its founders but since 2009 it has been owned by Virginie Saverys who pursued winemaking after a successful law career in Belgium. Saverys has turned Avignonesi into one of the largest biodynamic wineries in Italy with 340 acres of vineyards and a state-of-the-art winery in the Montepulciano appellation. 

Grifi is a Super Tuscan blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese - 50.42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 49.58% Sangiovese. It was aged 18 months in French oak barriques (225 ltr) and large Slavonian oak barrels (6000 ltr).

The Sangiovese comes from the Marmino (18.55%), Caprile (15%), El Grasso (10%) and Poggio Badelle (6%) estate vineyards. The Cabernet Sauvignon comes from La Banditella (40%) and Poggio alla Lodola (9.58%) estate vineyards. 

Winemakers' Tasting Notes: "The assembly of two such different personalities such as Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon blend together, giving this wine a unique character. Dark ruby red in color with purple reflections, the nose opens with notes of blueberries, blackberries and incense going up to sandalwood and graphite. In the mouth it is dense and complex with hints of blackberry jam and cinnamon. It then evolves like a balsamic explosion supported by good acidity. The lively tannin all over the palate accompanies the savory and persistent finish."

Dark garnet colored with purple hues, medium full bodied, dense complex concentrated blackberry and black raspberry fruits with notes of graphite, cinnamon spice, black tea, creosote and hints of what the winemaker refers to as balsamic, with a tangy acidic moderate tanning lingering finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4114241

https://www.avignonesi.it/portfolio-item/grifi/  

@avignonesi

Acosta Pirrera Terre Siciliano Nerello Masalese 2016

Those that selected seafood entrees still preferred red wine so I chose this Sicilian Nerello Mascalese grape from the Mt Etna region from a spectacular vintage. 

Spanish, from Tenerife, winemaker Eduardo Torres Acosta fell in love with Sicily and moved there to produce local sourced wines. After gaining experiences with Arianna Occhipinti and Passopisciaro, he set to produce his own wine, initially renting 5 acres of 50-year-old vineyards on the slopes of Etna. He continues to produce totally organic "artisanal" wines, using only liquid sulfur and copper and, in the cellar imposing minimal human intervention.

From the Mt Etna Terre Siciliane region this is a blend of 80% Nerello Mascalese and 20% Nerello Capuccio, Minella.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3076123

 

Tenuta Monteti Toscana IGT 2016

For a third bottle, I ordered another Super Tuscan, this one a complex diverse blend of traditional Bordeaux varietals from a highly acclaimed vintage. 

Tenuta Monteti was founded in 1998 by Gemma and Paolo Baratta after years searching for a suitable property to develop for growing grapes and producing wines. They found and setttled on a property in a corner of Tuscany in the southern Maremma area, in a small valley, 15 km from the sea and 145m above sea level, where the fields are protected by the Monteti hill from which the estate takes its name. At that time the area was still unexplored and unproven for high quality wine production. 

In collaboration with consultant oenologist Carlo Ferrini, they pursued what they believed as extraordinary potential of the land to produce quality wines capable with personality with elegance.

Starting from scratch, without regulations of a pre-existing OC classification, they were free to experiment with the soil and the climate, to plant the varieties that would respond and best express themselves to their truest representation of their place. The result was planting Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Alicante Bouschetto, all chosen to best express the unique terroir - climate, soil, exposure, and elevation of the archaic Mediterranean hills.

In 2010, their daughter Eva took over running the company assisted by her husband Javier Pedrazzini, who is sales manager and production supervisor, and a team of agricultural manager, a managing oenologist, and 12 others working vineyards and the winery. 

Monteti is the flagship wine, named like the estate after the hill that protects the vineyard from the strong Mediterranean winds, and guaranteeing the microclimate.

The label is a blend of the estate varietal fruit, 45% Petit Verdot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 25% Cabernet Franc. It is aged for 18 months in medium-toasted French oak barriques, 70% of which are new. This is followed by further 2 years of bottle ageing before being released onto the market.

Monteti reveals the personality of the Maremman territory with its complexity and elegance; the Petit Verdot setting the personality, the rebel horse, Cabernet Sauvignon providing structure and longevity, softened and balanced by the Merlot, with the Cabernet Franc adding a feminine element that embraces and softens both.

Winemaker's Notes: "An intense and luminous garnet red, it offers to the nose exotic scents of delicate spices and marzipan, violet and black berries. In the mouth it is intriguing, harmonious, interwoven with elegant tannins, very long."

https://www.tenutamonteti.it/en/monteti-2016/ 

https://www.cocopazzochicago.com/

@CocoPazzoChi
 

Dad's Day Father Son Tasting Birthyear Wines

Dad's Day Father Son Tasting Birth-year Wines 

On the eve of Father's Day, the whole family gathered for a family group photo and individual family photos so I pulled from the cellar birth-year wines for each of my three sons. 

For eldest son Ryan's 1982 birth-year, at forty years, there are very few bottles remaining as only the most ageworthy wines would last this long. The same, to a slightly less degree for son Sean's 1985 birth-year vintage wines. Youngest son Alec's 1990 birth-year vintage on the other hand was such a blockbuster, and, eight years less time elapsed, there remains numerous ageworthy selections with time left in their aging window (s). 

I talk in detail about the blockbuster 1990 vintage in this blogpost.
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/10/parents-son-dinner-features-birth-year.html

The 1982 vintage was also a highly rated vintage, considered the 'vintage of the century' for Bordeaux wines at the time, following a drought of notable vintages and a series of lackluster vintages dating back to the the 1970, sans the 1978. The best top producers' labels remain in their the safe drinking window, especially those in larger format bottles which provide for longer aging of the wines.  

I found this 1982 Bordeaux in a small bottle, hence it was time to drink, and likely past its drinking window, which it was. The 1985 Napa was surprisingly intact and still in its drinking window. We did not get to the 1990 and will save it for another day. 

Château Duhart-Milon-Rothschild Pauillac Bordeaux 1982

This is another label we collect and hold many vintages of dating back to this release. We've written often in these pages about tasting vintage releases of this label. 

From a half bottle that I had put into the wine cooler near the kitchen and forgotten about, otherwise we would've tried this bottle a long time ago. The fill level was high shoulder, the cork was fully saturated and soft. Ryan was able to extract the cork 80% until the final portion separated. He was able to extract that remaining portion intact with the ahso two pronged cork puller. 

Note the price tag from original purchase showing $12.95, reduced from $14.95, from back in the mid-eighties. Current sale price for this label in standard format is $219 (K&L).

The color was dark garnet colored, just beginning to take on a rust hue, medium bodied with a slight amount of the backbone structure remaining, the fruit was gone leaving only a hint of what it might have been, with damp earth, cedar, pencil shavings and a bit of funky wet wood remaining. 

This was barely, but only slightly drinkable except for the adventure of trying an aged vintage wine, take that into account for this small format bottle and its provenance, perhaps. 

A standard size bottle and a large format would still be holding on, reaching the end of the drinking window as noted by two fellow CT'ers recently wrote about this vintage release wine:

"Another very nice bottle of this wine; certainly fully mature, but holding up well. The nose offered some dried plum and blackberry, mint, bell pepper, tobacco, damp earth. The palate has resolved tannins, still a bit of acidity, good balance and is overall tasty. I don't really see any upside here, but it should hold for a while yet,' ( jnewman77 wrote on 5/31/2022).

"Beautiful, luxurious and mature bouquet with earth, autumn forest and mushroom impressions. On the palate earth and autumn forest as well, beautiful acidity and a great length. Complex and luxurious wine,' (Zweder (who I follow), wrote on 5/8/2022).

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave this 94 points back in 2009 and said it was "close to full maturity at that time - a blockbuster was a sleeper of the vintage long before the Rothschilds invested so heavily in modernizing this estate as well as began making a stricter selection". Stephen Tanzer gave it 90 points, while Jancis Robinson gave it 15.5 of 20. K&L notes Neal Martin's Wine Journal gave it 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=56560

Freemark Abbey Bosché Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1985

For son Sean's birth-year, we pulled this 1985 Napa Cabernet. We know this label well having had more than a dozen vintages over the years. 

Ever since the principles of Freemark Abbey entered into a handshake deal with vineyard owner John Bosché, a San Francisco attorney, back in 1970, Freemark Abbey have been crafting a few hundred cases of Cabernet Sauvignon from this legendary vineyard. 

Located in the heart of the Rutherford Bench, the 21-acre vineyard Bosché Vineyard has been cited as one of the top ten vineyards in America. WineBid writes, This predominantly dry-farmed Cabernet Bosché continues year after year to produce one of the most distinctive wines in Rutherford, and remains one of our most sought-after releases. 

Freemark Abbey Bosché Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was one of Napa Valley's first vineyard-designated wines.

We've collected this bottle dating back to this release and hold nearly a dozen vintage releases up to near recent years. The current release price for this label is now $180 per bottle for the 2018 at Binny's, Chicagoland Beverage Depot superstore.   

Wine buddy, Bill and Beth, and Linda and I have visited the Freemark Abbey Napa Valley winery together on numerous visits, and acquired bottles from the library collection there for special occasions. 

 

In 2009 we toured the winery estate library and acquired 1974 and 1978 anniversary vintage labels for a special anniversary celebration dinner that night across the road at the CIA (Culinary Institute of America), Greystoke Mansion.  

We opened a bottle of this vintage label together two years ago as part of our wedding celebration festivities. 

We then opened a bottle of this label almost exactly a year ago on 6/14/2021. Tonight's tasting and rating of this wine was consistent with that last opening when I wrote: "While initially musty and funky, this quickly opened to reveal its true native character and tasting profile. Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, complex but nicely integrated black berry and black cherry fruits were highlighted with notes of spicy cinnamon and clove with tones of cedar, cigar box, and dark mocha turning to long supple tannin laced tongue coating finish."

RM 90 points.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/06/family-reveal-dinner-calls-for.html

Again as before, tonight, the label, foil and importantly, the cork and fill level were all ideal, best to be expected in a 37 year old wine, the fill level was bottom of the neck, as shown. 

Still holding on, the immediate indication of its stability and drinkability was the dark blackish garnet color, medium full bodied, firm and tight, complex, the remaining black berry fruits were accented by predominant cigar notes with some cedar, spice and earth notes on the focused finish. 

RM 90 points. 

This release was awarded 90 points by Wine Spectator who wrote a consistent review in-line with our experience tonight, "Lean, tight and concentrated with firm black cherry, plum, currant, earth and cedar flavors that are intense and lively with a narrow, focused finish. Plenty of flavor on the aftertaste." 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=30977

Earlier, four years ago, I opened a bottle of this label, I wrote, "Incredible, amazing life left in this 33 year old, showing little sign of diminution, even at this age! Dark purplish garnet colored, medium full bodied, rich concentrated complex black berry and black cherry fruits with a subdued layer of soft cedar/camphor with cigar box and moderate acidity on the moderate tannin lingering finish."

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/02/otbn-2018_25.html

https://www.freemarkabbey.com/wine/rutherford/cabernet-bosche

https://twitter.com/FreemarkAbbey

Showing some modicum of restraint, we did not open the LaJota 1990 Howell Mountain Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. It likely has several years of life left and we'll look forward to opening it and sharing our experience at some time in the future.