Gala Family Celebration Dinner at Angelis Italian

 Gala Family Celebration Dinner at Angelis Italian - Naperville

The family successfully pulled off a surprise birthday party for wife/mom/grandmother Linda for her deca-milestone year. We gathered in the private dining room at Angeli's Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria (Naperville, IL). We ordered a broad array of appetizers, our favorite dinner entrees from the menu and daily specials, followed by celebratory birthday cake, accompanied by our special BYOB wines. 

All our kids and their kids were able to attend, including a surprise pop-in visit from Alec and Vivianna, only hours after release from the hospital, with less than 48 hour old, just arrived, daughter, grand-daughter, Marylin - named after her grandmothers Mary-Lisa and Linda. This was everyone's first encounter meeting her and the first time hearing her name as this was announced as part of her introduction at the gathering. All this further amplified the excitement and special circumstances of the occasion.

To accompany the dinner I brought BYOB, from our wine cellar a magnum of champagne and two reds - Del Dotto Napa Cabernet and a Venge Vineyards Sangiovese. 

Piper Heidseick Brut Champagne (Magnum) 

There's nothing like Champagne served from a large format magnum bottle - especially for special occasions. This bottle is even more festive with its red holiday packaging.  We acquired several cases of these commemorative bottles upon release last year and have had fun serving them at weddings, holidays and special family occasions such as tonight. 

 

Venge Vineyards Sangiovese Family Reserve Penny Lane Vineyard 2010

I pulled this bottle for its traditional Italian Sangiovese varietal composition to accompany our Italian cuisine dinner.  This is from Venge Vineyards, one of the earliest growers and producers of this varietal based wine from Napa Valley sources. Nils Venge has long been a pioneer and thought-leader in Napa Valley.

The Venge (ven-ghee) family has farmed vitis vinifera varieties in Napa Valley for nearly half a century dating back to Knud Venge who emigrated from Denmark to the US in the early 1900’s. Knud's son, Per Venge, was passionate about wine and spirits and imported Western European fine wines and spirits. Per's son, Nils Venge started in the family business in the 1960's before leaving to study viticulture at UC Davis and then went on become an icon in the Northern California winegrowing community.

Venge family viticultural took root in Napa Valley in 1976 with the purchase of a 17-acre vineyard in the Oakville District that was planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. 

 

We've met Nils and Dianna Venge on numerous occasions at Napa events and visiting the Venge Vineyards in Oakville during the nineties. We first met their son, Kirk Venge, who engaged in winemaking from an early age while they were developing the Rossini Ranch Vineyards, Winery and caves up in Calistoga.  

 

We visited Nils at the Penny Lane Family Reserve Vineyard in Oakville, then drove up to meet Kirk at the Rossini Ranch site in the eastern foothills of Palisade Mountain near Calistoga back in 2002. 

Nils' and Dianna Venge's son, Kirk Venge, engaged in winemaking at an early age and has emerged as a talented winemaker like his father.

I've written often in these pages how we have fun with this label with the prominent "V" in the branding, for special dinners with daughter-in-law Vivianna, such as tonight. 

This is 90% Sangiovese and 10% Charbono from the Venge estate Penny Lane vineyard in Oakville. 

 

Dark inky colored, full bodied, rich concentrated extracted fruit, aromatic,almost intense black cherry and black raspberry with notes of tobacco leaf, tea and hints of tar on a smooth silky tannin laced finish. This was and ideal accompaniment to our zesty Italian pasta!

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/12/venge-napa-valley-oakville-penny-lane.html

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1351252 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1351287

http://www.vengevineyards.com/

https://twitter.com/VengeVineyards

@VengeVineyards 

Del Dotto Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 (Magnum)

We've been collecting Del Dotto Family Wine for over twenty-five years, since their inaugural release of this Napa Cabernet in 1993. The Del Dotto brand, holdings, portfolio and presence have grown substantially over those years, yet they still maintain their focus on small production, premium wines. 

Over that time Dave Del Dotto has acquired vineyards in some of the best American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) including Rutherford, Oakville, St. Helena, Howell Mountain, and Fort Ross-Seaview Sonoma Coast. The portfolio and brand has grown proportionally as well. 

Today Del Dotto produce wines based on cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, sangiovese and sauvignon blanc from their Napa Valley vineyards, as well as pinot noir, chardonnay and limited amounts of syrah, sauvignon blanc, sparkling grenache and mourvedre from their Cinghiale (wild boar) Vineyard in the King Ridge region of the Sonoma Coast.

We still hold nearly two decades of Del Dotto wines dating back to that 1993 inaugural vintage release. 

Over the years we've held Del Dotto wine dinners with Dave and Yolanda such as our Napa Wine Experience back in 1999, and attended numerous Del Dotto hosted special events. More recently, our Pour Boys wine group did the Del Dotto Napa Valley Cave Tour and Barrel Tasting at the magnificent St Helena estate winery and caves. And, our Del Dotto Piazza DELICACIES Food and Wine Experience at the then new Piazza Del Dotto estate and winery (and now caves) was one of the memorable highlights of our Napa Wine Experience in 2018. 

Our collection of Del Dotto family wines remains one of the largest holdings in our cellar with both vertical and horizontal collections of favorite labels. Hence it was only fitting for a special occasion family dinner that I took a Del Dotto estate label, in magnum - especially since it was held at our local Italian trattoria. 

Our   -https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/08/del-dotto-napa-valley-cave-tour-barrel_12.html

Its hard to believe that with published tasting notes of no less than sixty-five different labels and vintage releases - and countless iterations thereof, I have not tasted, or published a tasting note or blogpost of this particular label vintage release. 

At twenty years, the fill level, label, foil and cork were all essentially perfect - indications of the aging environment in our cellar as we acquired this bottle upon release. This is probably at the peak of its drinking character and profile and not likely to improve with any further aging, but showed no sign of diminution whatsoever.

This vintage release was awarded 92-94 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. 

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, bright vibrant ripe concentrated blackberry and black currant fruits with notes of earthy leather, tobacco, hints of spice and cassis with moderate tangy acidity and tannins on the lingering finish. 

RM 92 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1158239

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=84270

https://www.deldottovineyards.com/

https://twitter.com/DelDottoWine

@DelDottoWine

Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Brut Limited Edition Red Magnum Bottles NV

The Winemaker Notes for this release: "The Brut NV represents the epitome of the Piper-Heidsieck
style: a classic, well-structured, and fruit forward champagne.

Piper-Heidsieck carefully selects fruit from more than 100 of Champagne’s crus to blend the Brut NV. This adds great complexity and dimension to the wine and allows the bold Piper-Heidsieck style to shine through.

A majority blend of Pinot Noir provides structure to the composition while Pinot Meunier expands the wine with its brilliant fruit expression and fleshiness and Chardonnay bring elegant tones and acidity. The precious reserve wines create a consistent flavor profile year after year.'

"This Champagne teases and allures us with its festive, light-drenched, pale gold shimmer and joyful display of neat, lively bubbles. Notes of almond and fresh hazelnut accompany the precise ascent of its bubbles. It is lively, subtle and light, leaving a deliciously incisive sensation of smoothness, marked by the pureness of fresh pear and apple and a delicate hint of citrus fruits. A harmonious mixture of bright, crunchy pomelo, blonde grapes and juicy white fruits creates the delightfully surprising sensation of lightness embraced by the structure and depth from the Pinot Noir; all beautifully balanced."

This release achieved Critical Acclaim having been awarded WS 92 points by Wine Spectator, 91 points by Jeb Dunnuck and 90 points each by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Wine Enthusiast.

White-golden straw colored, balanced, fruity, fresh and elegant, medium-bodied, stimulatingly fresh and well-structured blend with gorgeous fruit and a clean, persistent finish, a mineral edge and final fruitiness, beautifully textured with a solid mid-palate, good density, and a clean, crisp finish.

RM 90 points

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2651727

Magnum for Birthday family dinner celebration

Birthday family dinner celebration calls for Magnum aged Bordeaux Blend, from a lost legacy brand?

For wife Linda's birthday celebration dinner, sis-in-law came in for the weekend to join the celebration and for winter games. They prepared grilled beef tenderloin and we ordered in Covid shut-down carry out Lasagna and calamari from Angeli's Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria. 

The girls and kids spent the afternoon snow-shoeing at the Arboretum taking advantage of the fresh half foot layer of snow.  

I pulled from the cellar a celebratory limited select bottle of Champagne, "L" by Veuve Doussot. 

We had a bottle of this label for our anniversary celebration getaway dinner in Chicago two years ago.

Veuve Doussot Blanc de Blancs 'Cuvée L' Champagne 

This 100% Chardonnay comes from the vineyards surrounding the village of Noé-les-Mallets in the Côte-des-Bar, where 90% of the vines are planted to Pinot Noir. 

 

 

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/08/goosefoot-chicago-anniversary.html

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1611608

For the dinner course we opened this aged Napa Valley Bordeaux Blend in large format magnum. 

St. Clement "Oroppas" Napa Valley Bordeaux Blend 2001

This was produced by St. Clement Vineyards whose wines were the result of long-term relationships with notable winegrowers with vineyard sources from numerous appellations across Napa Valley including Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder, and Rutherford. These relationships and their vineyard sources represented half of the Napa Valley’s 33 different soil series and 100 different soil variations. Ironically, they called it St. Clement Vineyards but I believe they only owned the small vineyard attached to the historic estate on St Helena Highway just north of town. Their wines were sourced from third party supplier growers.

While some might argue that collectors should focus on estate sourced wines, crafted from producer owned vineyards, many reputable and even legendary labels are sourced from grower winemaker relationships. The high value of Napa Valley fruit has resulted in most properties to be acquired by producers, or have driven growers to produce their own labels. Yet many high profile labels are sourced from non-estate fruit. 

These pages showcase many producers and labels sourced from non-owned sites, as well as many grower producers who provide fruit to other winemakers. Lewis Cellars do not own their vineyard sources, Andretti Cellars are tenants of their winery and vineyards, the Vineyard designated Bosche vineyard has always been produced by Freemark Abbey. 

The legendary To-Kalon vineyard is contracted to several high profile well know vineyard labels. And I lamented recently about the late Robin William's owned estate and vineyards being sold to the French Tesseron Group, ending the long time grower/supplier/producer relationship with Robert Craig for his Mt Veeder Cabernet, a label that spanned three decades. 

I wrote recently about the Caldwell Vineyard and that it has been the grape source selected by leading winemakers for many notable premium labels including Pahlmeyer (Helen Turley), Joseph Phelps’s Insignia, Moone Tsai (Philippe Melka), Merus, Patz and Hall, Stéphane Derenoncourt and Neiman.

So it is that there are many labels sourced from third party suppliers, I caution not to get too attached to such labels as they could change over time breaking the chain of terroir site driven vertical collections. This of course, is quite the opposite from the legendary historic Bordeaux producer labels that have been in the same family for literally centuries. 

Never-the-less, none of this matters or should matter to the typical consumer. Don't pay attention to the site source chain of custody of fruit in any given bottle - drink and enjoy.  

So, from a charming Victorian house in the north end of St. Helena was the St. Clement Vineyards’ tasting room. The landmark Napa Valley estate was established in 1878 by the San Francisco stained glass merchant Fritz Rosenbaum, one of the first bonded wineries in the Napa Valley. 

The current or recent St. Clement’s was establish was founded in 1975 by eye surgeon William Casey when he purchased the historic home built in 1878 just north of St. Helena and built a 10,000-case winery behind it. In 1987, Japanese brewing company Sapporo purchased St. Clement, creating a red Bordeaux-style wine named Oroppas (Sapporo spelled backward), which became St. Clement's signature wine beginning with the 1991 vintage.

Beringer then purchased St. Clement in 1999, and it became part of Beringer Wine Estates portfolio, which at the time included several California brands, including Stags' Leap Winery, Chateau St. Jean and Chateau Souverain. Fosters Group Ltd., which would eventually spin off its wine interests into TWE, purchased the entire Beringer Wine Estates portfolio, including St. Clement, in 2000.

The Victorian mansion offered a delightful setting for wine tasting with an outside terrace that afforded view of the valley and Howell Mountain in the distance. 

The St. Clement Vineyards property was purchased in 2016 by Huneeus Vintners, owners of Quintessa in Napa Valley, from Treasury Wine Estates. The sale included the tasting room, winery and a half-acre estate vineyard, but not the St. Clement brand. 

Treasury Wine Estates, TWE grew substantially acquiring many brands over time and was spinning off properties and brands to consolidate winery operations and production and reduce costs, with a view to  'optimize quality'. TWE had acquired the majority of Diageo's U.S. wine interests in 2015 for $600 million. 

The St. Clement purchase gave Huneeus the prime real estate along the tourist-busy Highway 29, as well as a rare opportunity to acquire developed Napa Valley vineyard land and a winery with an existing permit. Huneeus was expected to re-purpose and re-open the newly branded property.

St. Clement offered single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons highlighting the unique terroirs of top vineyard sites. They also offer this Oroppas and the Oroppas Reserve wines draw from a collection of top winegrowers from which to craft the blend each vintage. The lineage of the label ended with the 2016 vintage however, despite the sale, the St. Clement brand was said to be continuing, to be produced at a nearby winery.

As written about in a recent post, as chronicled in the book A Man and His Mountain about the growth of the Jackson Family wine group, the industry has undergone tremendous consolidation as the rich and big brands get bigger and richer. The small independent producer is becoming increasing rare and to be cherished as the stakes for Napa Valley brands and wines grow bigger and bigger. 

We read recently where Arns Winery, a small boutique producer had sold their property and brand, and wrote about Richard Arrowood who sold his property and brand as they were seeking retirements.

St. Clement sourced from growers in six different Napa Valley sub-appellations, including Diamond Mountain, Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder, and Rutherford for this wine. 

The first vintage of Oroppas was released in 1991 and it has become the iconic label for the winery, noted for its consistent flavor profile and tannic structure. Oroppas strives for and consistently deliverer a rich, opulent Bordeaux-style blend that emphasized concentration, depth, and velvety tannins. The wine earned 90-plus scores every year since its vintage. 

Indeed, one reviewer felt compelled to caveat this wine and wrote that for the 2001 vintage release of this label, "Despite changes in winemakers and some vineyard sources St.Clement remains one of my favorite wineries, as impressive for its consistency as for its stellar red wines."

We hold a half dozen vintages of this label during the late nineties and early 2000's vintages. 

In 2012, Winemaker Matt Johnson discerned a few select superlative barrels in the Oroppas blend, thus initiating the limited Reserve bottling. St. Clement continues to build on its legacy of highly respected, small lot Napa wines.

This 2001 release was awarded 93 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. There were 5,000 cases of the 2001 Oroppas produced, a respectable large output for a grower/supplier/producer label, many of which often are but a few hundred cases. 

This was a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc.

Several Cellartracker reviewers wrote that this showing its age and needed to be consumed in the near term. We found no such indications of age or diminution whatsoever, perhaps due to the fact we were drinking from a larger format 1500 ml magnum. Larger format bottles are known to age more gracefully and longer, partly due to the higher volume of wine to air and surface area ratio in the container. Hence, large format bottles are favorites for long term collectors aging fine wines. 

Our bottle fill level, label, foil and cork were in ideal, near perfect condition, as shown in the photo. 

Robert Parker wrote, "This glorious 2001 can be drunk now or cellared for 12-16 years."

Winemaker Notes - This vintage has a greater portion of Merlot and Cabernet Franc than previous blends, showing off the youthful fruit qualities without detracting from its ageability. It is a rich ruby, dense purple color and in the nose there are flavors of coconut, caramel, chocolate, and almond; almost like a Mounds candy bar.

The denseness and concentration of the vintage shows in the black cherry, cassis, and rich blackberry flavors from the Cabernet Sauvignon, while the Cabernet Franc offers blueberry and violet characters. The Merlot adds a slight green tea-like character and big, intense cherry ending, making this an unusually complex wine. The sweet fruit qualities carry through with a hint of spicy, toasted flavors.

My notes - Dark garnet inky/purple colored, medium-full-bodied, complex but nicely balanced and integrated flavors of blackberry and black currant fruits, notes of cassis, black tea, subtle notes cinnamon spice, Linda noted sprites of menthol or mint, what one pundit referred to as a "rather warm finish", turning to supple tannins on a bright expressive lingering finish.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=808096

 

Fisher Vineyards and Lewis Cellars Masons Cabernet

With the family gathered for our family matriarch's funeral, Linda served an extensive dinner paired with a flight of select wines from our cellar including this Napa Cabernet based Bordeaux Blend served in large format magnum and a favorite producer Cabernet. 

Fisher Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Coach Insignia 2000

Fisher Vineyards was founded in 1973 when Fred and Juelle Fisher bought 100 acres in the Mayacamas Mountains in Sonoma County. They later added 57 acres on the Silverado Trail in Napa Valley. Both had backgrounds in business -- Fred with General Motors and Juelle was an investment analyst -- before starting the winery. 

Today the winery is still owned and operated by the Fisher family, which includes three adult children who are part of the management team. The estate's first successes were with Chardonnay, then turning to crafting Cabernet Sauvignon from purchased grapes. Now the estate includes many acres of Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards, as well as Chardonnay and Merlot. The Fisher brand features several estate bottled signature Cabernet Sauvignons including this flagship Coach Insignia and two select vineyard designated cabs from Lamb Vineyard and Wedding Vineyard.  

Coach Insignia honors the Fisher family's heritage and tradition of craftsmanship from their legacy as one of the legendary automobile businesses of the 20th century with 'Body by Fisher' in General Motors automobiles followed by Fisher Vineyards' wines of the 21st century

The Coach Insignia Cabernet is a blend of grapes from three geographically diverse vineyards: the estate vineyards on the Silverado Trail in the Napa Valley, Stagecoach vineyards above Oakville and Feingold vineyard on Sonoma Mountain. 

The Coach Insignia Cabernet Sauvignon is comprised of the finest selected lots of Bordeaux varietals from the Estate vineyards including those near Calistoga nestled at the foot up against the Palisades mountain range. There, the vines grow on an alluvial fan that slopes gently west, following Simmons Creek to the Napa River. The Estate’s well drained soils are remarkably consistent, comprised primarily of cobblestones and loam.

It is a blend of classic Bordeaux varietals with predominant Cabernet Sauvignon accented by Merlot and Cabernet Franc. These varietals and diverse vineyards offer Fisher the option to craft exceptional red wine that has become an insignia for Fisher Vineyards.  

At twenty years of age this is still holding its own and just showing minor signs of diminution from aging indicating it is starting to decline from its apex and moving to the next phase of its profile and drinking window.

Classic California in Bordeaux style. Dark garnet colored, a bit tight and firm  blackberry fruits with notes of black tea, flinty mineral and leather with crisp acidity on a moderate tannin lingering finish. 

RM 89 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=29484

https://www.fishervineyards.com/

Lewis Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Mason's 2012 

For the family dinner, we continued with a family favorite brand, Lewis Cellars which we have featured often in these pages. The portfolio consists of three labels named after the Lewis grandsons including Alec, who shares the name with our son, hence, Alec's Blend is a one of our favorite collectables. This label, a Napa Valley Cabernet is named after their grandson Mason. Alec and Viv visited Lewis Cellars on their honeymoon last month so it was fitting to include this in our intimate family dinner. We visited Lewis during our Napa Wine Experience 2017 and wrote about it in these pages here.

We selected this wine to pair and compare with the Fisher Coach Insignia. 

This was awarded 91 points by Wine Spectator and Connoisseurs Guide

Connoisseurs Guide warned us of the firmness and tight structure of this wine, which resembled the profile of the Fisher Insignia. It suggested holding the wine for six to ten years. At eight years we're within their suggested drinking window, and likely drinking this at its apex. 

Connoisseurs' Guide wrote in December of 2014 about this wine: "Subtlety may not be its strong suit, and there is no question but that this bottling flirts with excess, but it is so deep, so rich and so solidly fruited that its exuberant ripeness and back-palate heat are easily forgiven as mere misdemeanors. Make no mistake, this is a big wine of great amplitude and substance, as those of its maker tend to be, and, yet for all of its largesse, it is fairly tight and well-structured and never gives in to glyceriny fatness. It is sufficiently tough as to warn off drinking anytime soon, and it is best laid away for six to ten years." 

I found this lighter and softer than expected or indicated by the review, and more approachable in that regard than the Fisher, never-the-less, very similar in style and profile. 

Dark garnet colored, black berry fruits with note of cedar, wood and toasted oak with hint of mocha on the tight firm tannin laced finish. 

RM 90 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1889083

https://www.lewiscellars.com/us/

 

Our Wine Cellar

Our Wine Cellar - deep and diverse - horizontal, verticals, large formats and favorite styles and labels ...

I regularly refer to our wine cellar in these pages. I expose and feature it here. Each month the leading wine publication, Wine Spectator, features a collector in their Collecting column. We and our cellar collection were the feature in the June 15th, 2001 issue.

A highlight of the feature was our collection of birth year vintage wines for the birth years of our children, coupled with our collection of large format bottles of those wines - magnums, 3 liter double magnums, 5 liter Jeroboams, 6 liter Imperials, and a 9 liter Salmanazar.

Indeed, we served fine wines from those large format bottles at our all our childrens' weddings, and we're holding more for the others' upcoming weddings, anniversaries, and for other gala celebrations and events to come.

 

See links to Big Bottles, Birthyear Bottles, and Family celebrations: 

• Big Bottle Birthyear wines for Wedding Celebration, 
• Wedding Wines - Birthyear and Big Bottle Extravaganza Continues 
• Big Bottle Birthyear mania for Wedding Celebration
  
• Big Birthyear bottles at wedding rehearsal celebration dinner 
• Birthyear Bordeaux bottle celebrates new grand-daughter

See my feature page Wine Bottle Sizes Explained on the different size bottles for different wine types. 

 

Large format, birth year vintage wines served at
our daughter's wedding.

Our cellar - Its not fancy, its functional, for a purpose. People often ask me about cellar design. Its a cellar - for wine storage. If you're creating a showroom or tasting or dining room, then so be it.. But who wants to dine in 58 degrees?

Racks? There are all kinds of racks and kits and professional designs and installations. Again, our cellar is utilitarian and the racks were somewhat of a 'family affair'. In fact, most of them were father-son projects over a period of time where we designed and built a wine storage rack as part of a fun, teaching, bonding, collaboration project. 

 

Each section and project provided an opportunity to spend time together and teach basic woodworking as well as project planning and management with my three sons. 

Hence, we have several wine racks of various  bespoke designs, not perfect, but uniquely 'ours', and each a special memory, and functional for the long run, especially those over-engineered or excessively designed, all purpose built for our cellar. 

Our cellar contains racks that were designed and purpose built for standard size 750 ml bottles - some for bulk storage and some for 'display'. 

We also built racks for our large format bottle collection - some for 1500ml or 1.5 liter 'magnum' bottles, 3 liter 'double magnum' bottles, and larger format bottles as well. 

We also have bulk storage racks designed to hold full original wood cases (OWC's) of wine - a format used for many premium and ultra-premium wines as well as many Grand Cru Classe and other quality Bordeaux wines. 

Also, many large format bottles have their own individual OWC's. Shown right are six liter bottles of 90BV6L - Silver Oak Bonny's Vineyard 1990 - one bottle per OWC, note serial numbers 41 and 47.

Temperature and humidity control - If building a cellar to store wine for more than the shortest term, temperature and humidity control are essential. Once again, there are residential and commercial grade units for temperature and humidity control. It's best to have these professionally installed as they can be complicated with needs for special wiring, water supply and water disposition. 

Our cellar employs two methods of temperature and humidity control. First, it is a true cellar, placed in a basement under the house at nine feet deep below grade. It is sided by concrete walls on three sides that are exterior below grade. So the basic temperature is naturally moderate and rather stable. 

Additionally, we have a passive temperature control system. Living in an unincorporated location without municipal services, we have our own well for water service to our home. As part of that system, we have a large well water tank to pressurize and supply our property with water. That well tank is in our wine cellar and provides a constant 55% degree heat sink to moderate the cellar environment. 

We also have supplemental air conditioning to provide auxiliary cooling for the cellar when needed. 

At the end of the day, (or decade), the true test is how well bottles age in the cellar. We regularly open aged vintage bottles of wine that have been stored in our cellar since being acquired upon release, ten, twenty and as long as thirty-five years earlier. Invariably, the bottles, corks, labels, and most importantly, the wine have aged gracefully and appropriately. We often say, whatever we are doing, keep doing it, when we open such bottles of well maintained, properly aged, fine wines, in superb condition.  

We hold about 2500+ bottles in our cellar, plus more in a couple wine coolers adjacent to the kitchen for staging. While we're at a stage of life where we should be consuming our wine, we still tend to acquire our share as well so the holdings remain the same. We have almost as much  fun acquiring the wine, as we do drinking it, as this blog will atest. 

As to be expected, 95 percent of our wine cellar is Red wines. Only a couple cases of whites and Champagnes are held for short duration cellaring, nearer term drinking. We do have a collection of white dessert wines which do age well and can be held for decades or more but its single digit cases. 

 

People regularly ask me where I buy my wines. The answer is, wherever wines are sold. Actually, we regularly 'audit' the local wine shops, both the wine superstores, and the local independent merchants. We're always on the prowl for values, but also trying and buying wines in the styles that we prefer. We're also always buying and trying new labels, and occasionally, new regions or styles.  

 

We also acquire wine from favorite produces through their 'clubs' or memberships - ensuring continuity and access to favorite labels - especially for our collectibles. Much of the fun of collecting is comparing a label from vintage to vintage, over time as it ages, at different stages of its tasting/aging profile. One of the benefits of having a wine group of wine buddies is that we mix it up, spreading and sharing the club memberships. This way we can participate in three or four times as many clubs between us, and then we share the case purchases between three or four of us.

 

Lastly, we're always filling out our collections with new vintages of our verticals or new labels of our horizontals. (A vertical collection is many vintages of the same label; a horizontal is multiple labels of the same vintage). 

 

Readers of this column know we have vertical collections of favorite labels that span as much as 25 years (obviously age-worthy wines) and horizontal collections for each of our childrens' (and now grandchildren's) birth-years. 

 

Selection from Vertical Collection of Dunn Vineyards
Cabernet Sauvignons

These pages are filled with different examples of tasting events of various verticals or horizontals. We hold vertical collections spanning as long as three decades of numerous producers including Del Dotto, Robert Craig, Clark Claudon, Dunn Family Vineyards, Fantesca, Ducru Beaucaillou, Leoville Las Cases, Gruaud Larose and others.

See the following features from our earlier blogposts highlighting vertical or horiztonal tastings: 

Ducru Beaucaillou Vertical Showcases Pour Boys Wine Dinner

Sassicaia Owner Dinner and Vivere Vertical Tasting

Kathryn Hall Vertical Tasting - Hall Wine Release Tour 2015

Silver Oak Alexander Valley Vertical

 In some cases we did a mini horizontal and vertical in one tasting:

Caymus and Del Dotto Napa Cabernets - 1995-96 horizontal - vertical !

Example of a gala Horizontal Vintage tasting from our Pour Boys Wine Group:

Bordeaux 2003 Horizontal Tasting on the Cityscape Deck - Grilled Steak Dinner

2003 Vintage Bordeaux Horizontal Flight

 
As mentioned often in these pages, we maintain our cellar inventory in Cellartracker.  I was developing a personal app on my own and had a vision for essentially the same solution, however, I'm a marketing guy, not a software engineer with the skills to develop a comprehensive sophisticated application. I spoke of my vision for such a site in my Wine Spectator interview in 2001.

CellarTracker was originally created in March, 2003 by Eric LeVine who was working for Microsoft at the time, to track his own collection. After extending access to several friends the site quickly grew to 100 users tracking 60,000 bottles.

LeVine launched the site to the public in 2004 and left shortly thereafter to manage it full time. Since then, the site has grown steadily every since.

Today, CellarTracker is the leading cellar management tool with hundreds of thousands of collectors tracking more than 75 million bottles. CellarTracker has also grown to become the largest database of community tasting notes with more than 5.8 million notes as of late 2016. The site is also visited by millions of wine enthusiasts annually to read the reviews and get wine recommendations. Patron members who contribute a voluntary fee get access to cost information - the aggregate average price paid for a wine by the community. This in of itself is worth the annual contribution investment, the ability to validate the price of any particular wine across a wide community of mostly astute consumers.

Finally, here is a link to a gallery of our friends' wine cellars, many of which you see featured in these pages over the past years, or certainly the wines from such cellars.  Friends Cellars - Take a look at the cellars of our Pour Boy wine group and other friends. 

Pahlmeyer Caldwell Vineyard Napa Valley Red Blend 1990

Pahlmeyer Caldwell Vineyard Napa Valley Proprietary Red 1990

For Fathers Day, after a golf outing with my three sons, we had a gala family dinner. Daughter Erin and her family were in Florida. With son Alec in from NYC we pulled from the cellar a birth-year vintage magnum of Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red for the occasion.

In a non-Covid world, we would've been drinking this bottle this week in celebration of Alec and Vivianna's wedding, but that event has been pushed back due to the travel and gathering restrictions in the NYC Tri-state area.

Linda prepared grilled striped sea bass, sea scallops, barbecue ribs with sweet corn, potato salad and wedge salad.

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.

Produced in limited quantities, each variety in the blend is harvested and held separately throughout fermentation and barrel aging. The lots are aged an average of 18 months in French oak Bordeaux barrels.

A successful trial attorney, Jayson partnered with John Caldwell, owner of a 55-acre site in south-east Napa Valley. Together, they began planting French clones of red Bordeaux varieties.

“All I wanted to do was to create my own ‘California Mouton’ – a rich, powerful Napa Valley Bordeaux blend, a wine that would drop wine lovers to their knees,” says Jayson Pahlmeyer.

After years of seeking assistance from viticultural professors at the University of Bordeaux who analyzed the soil samples, exposure, rainfall and temperature data, Jayson and his partner were able to acquire Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec vines and managed to smuggle their “suitcase clones” to the U.S. through Canada.

Planted in 1981, the French cuttings slowly adjusted. In 1986, with the help of Randy Dunn, one of California’s foremost winemakers, the Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red was made and launched.

Helen Turley took over winemaking in 1993 and further improved the quality and consistency of Pahlmeyer wines. Jayson’s daughter Cleo joined the team in 2008.

Today, the winemaker is Bibiana Gonzalez Rave. She received her oenology degree from the University of Bordeaux and has worked at estates in Bordeaux, the Rhone Valley, Santa Barbara County, Sonoma Valley and other locations in addition to Napa Valley. She was named Winemaker of the Year for 2015 by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Pahlmeyer Caldwell Vineyard Napa Valley Proprietary Red Blend 1990

From magnum, the cork and fill level were perfect after thirty years of age, another indicator of the conditions in our cellar for proper aging.

Deep ruby/purple color, medium-full bodied, moderately complex, well-balanced ripe currant and black cherry fruits, aromas of smoke, cassis, tobacco and spicy oak, followed by full tannins and acidity on a lingering finish. At thirty years, I sense the fruits were starting to fall off a slight bit to give way to non-fruit acidic notes of tobacco and smoke.

Repeating notes of a fellow Cellertracker, JIMN, "Probably time to drink up in the normal format, but the Mags should hold well for another few years."

Like Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, I give this 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=332

https://www.pahlmeyer.com/

Family Celebration Dinner Features Birthyear Vintage Wine

Family Celebration Dinner Features Birthyear Vintage Wine

We held a gala family dinner to celebrate the engagement of son Sean and Michelle at our neighborhood trattoria Angeli's Italian. To toast the celebration and accompany the dinner I brought BYOB from our cellar a Limited Edition red magnum of Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Brut Champagne, a magnum of Chateau Ste. Michelle "50th Anniversary Edition" Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and a bottle of Sean's birth-year vintage Chateau Cos d' Estournel.

The Champagne was a concensus highly rated selection being among the Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2019 at #95. The Winemaker Notes for this release: "The Brut NV represents the epitome of the Piper-Heidsieck style: a classic, well-structured, and fruit forward champagne.

We also served this for our gala family Christmas dinner when I wrote, "Piper-Heidsieck carefully selects fruit from more than 100 of Champagne’s crus to blend the Brut NV. This adds great complexity and dimension to the wine and allows the bold Piper-Heidsieck style to shine through.'

A majority blend of Pinot Noir provides structure to the composition while Pinot Meunier expands the wine with its brilliant fruit expression and fleshiness and Chardonnay bring elegant tones and acidity. The precious reserve wines create a consistent flavor profile year after year.'

"This Champagne teases and allures us with its festive, light-drenched, pale gold shimmer and joyful display of neat, lively bubbles. Notes of almond and fresh hazelnut accompany the precise ascent of its bubbles. It is lively, subtle and light, leaving a deliciously incisive sensation of smoothness, marked by the pureness of fresh pear and apple and a delicate hint of citrus fruits. A harmonious mixture of bright, crunchy pomelo, blonde grapes and juicy white fruits creates the delightfully surprising sensation of lightness embraced by the structure and depth from the Pinot Noir; all beautifully balanced."

This release achieved Critical Acclaim having been awarded WS 92 points by Wine Spectator, 91 points by Jeb Dunnuck and 90 points each by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Wine Enthusiast.

White-golden straw colored, balanced, fruity, fresh and elegant, medium-bodied, stimulatingly fresh and well-structured blend with gorgeous fruit and a clean, persistent finish, a mineral edge and final fruitiness, beautifully textured with a solid mid-palate, good density, and a clean, crisp finish.

RM 90 points

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2651727

Chateau Ste. Michelle "50th Anniversary Edition" Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 

A whimsical tribute to daughter-in-law to be, we served this namesake bottle from magnum. We took this wine to a dinner she hosted in the fall and it was well received. This received 93 points from Decanter Magazine. 

This is a complex Bordeaux style blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 4% Syrah, 1% Malbec, 1% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot crafted from fruit sourced from Columbia Valley vineyards in eastern Washington including the Cold Creek, Canoe Ridge Estate, and Indian Wells vineyards.

Dark garnet colored, medium to full bodied, rich extracted complex concentrated black and red berry fruits, tightly would with a firm structure that is accessible style and approachable with moderate smooth tannins on a lingering finish. A great complement to the beef tenderloin with brown marsala sauce or the horseradish creme sauce.

RM 88 points.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/07/chateau-ste-michelle-50th-ann-special.html
 
Château Cos d'Estournel St-Estèphe Bordeaux 1985

Lastly, from our wine cellar collection, a wine from Sean's birthyear. Our cellar is known for the horizontal collections of wines for the vintage birth-years of our kids and grand-kids, especially many in large format bottles. Indeed, our large format bottles were the basis of our cellar being featured in the Collecting column of Wine Spectator magazine back in June, 2001.

We visited the historic iconic Chateau Cos d' Estournel during our visit to the Medoc last summer.

Chateau Cos d’Estournel is a Second Growth Bordeaux from the Bordeaux classification of 1855. The estate is located on the border as one leaves Pauillac and enters St.-Estephe, adjacent to and looking across the vineyards at Chateau Lafite Rothschild. The historic iconic Chateau sits atop the hill and emerges in full view as one rounds the bend on the D4 route. The chateau is surrounded by 160 acres of vineyards planted to 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot.

Founded in the 18th century by Louis Gaspard d’Estournel, the chateau’s wines were admired and in demand all over the world from the 19th century. The chateau was bought and sold many times during the late 19th and 20th centuries, and in 2000 it was acquired by Michel Reybier, who has managed it and maintained it's excellence.

Robert M. Parker Jr. has noted that Cos d’Estournel “has been particularly successful in difficult vintages” and “remains impeccably managed.” Some 200,000 bottles of the signature Cos d’Estournel are produced each year. 

Château Cos d'Estournel St-Estèphe Bordeaux 1985

Our Cellartracker records indicate we still hold a half dozen vintages of this label from the eighties and nineties. We still hold a half case of this vintage release.

My previous and last tasting note of this vintage was way back in 2001 when I wrote: "Very refined and polished - a robust nose filled with ripe blackberry and currant. This is a deep and complex wine that has a long and chewy aftertaste."

This vintage release was awarded 93 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator and Vinous. 

Parker said "it was one of the most forward wines from Cos". WS said, "This bottle constitutes the best example of the 1985 that I have encountered."

Initially a bit funky, after ninety minutes the fruit emerged, the color seemed to clear up and it opened up to show true St Estephe Cos character.  

We acquired and have held this bottle in our cellar since release - the foil and label are like new, the cork was intact with the lower quarter starting to saturate. Again, evidence our cellar conditions are suitable for decades aging fine wines.

Garnet colored with a slight tinge of brown rust bricking, medium full bodied, complex, concentrated, rich black berry and black cherry fruits with notes of leather, tobacco, coffee, herbs, spice and hints of cedar with lush tannins and crisp acidity on a long aromatic finish. 
RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/barcode.asp?iWine=13153

https://www.estournel.com/en/ 
 

Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Brut Limited Edition Red Magnums

Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Brut Limited Edition Red Magnum Bottles NV

For our gala family Christmas dinner, and to have on hand for upcoming special occasions, I picked up these Limited Edition Red Magnum bottles of  Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Brut Champagne.

We served the Champagne with the starter courses of artisan cheeses, fresh shrimp cocktail and the salad course. Linda served baked ham, scalloped potatoes, brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, fresh rolls and a medley of desserts.

The wine was a concensus highly rated selection being among the Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2019 at #95.

There is always opportunity to enjoy Champagne so I always keep a collection on hand for any occasion. Knowing we have two family weddings on the horizon, I went out on a limb and picked up several cases of these festive elegant limited edition bottles (shown below).

For the main courses, Ryan brought a special Mollydooker Velvet Glove Shiraz and I also served from our cellar, a vintage Calera, Mt Harlan, Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir.

The Winemaker Notes for this release: "The Brut NV represents the epitome of the Piper-Heidsieck
style: a classic, well-structured, and fruit forward champagne.

Piper-Heidsieck carefully selects fruit from more than 100 of Champagne’s crus to blend the Brut NV. This adds great complexity and dimension to the wine and allows the bold Piper-Heidsieck style to shine through.

A majority blend of Pinot Noir provides structure to the composition while Pinot Meunier expands the wine with its brilliant fruit expression and fleshiness and Chardonnay bring elegant tones and acidity. The precious reserve wines create a consistent flavor profile year after year.'

"This Champagne teases and allures us with its festive, light-drenched, pale gold shimmer and joyful display of neat, lively bubbles. Notes of almond and fresh hazelnut accompany the precise ascent of its bubbles. It is lively, subtle and light, leaving a deliciously incisive sensation of smoothness, marked by the pureness of fresh pear and apple and a delicate hint of citrus fruits. A harmonious mixture of bright, crunchy pomelo, blonde grapes and juicy white fruits creates the delightfully surprising sensation of lightness embraced by the structure and depth from the Pinot Noir; all beautifully balanced."

This release achieved Critical Acclaim having been awarded WS 92 points by Wine Spectator, 91 points by Jeb Dunnuck and 90 points each by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Wine Enthusiast.

White-golden straw colored, balanced, fruity, fresh and elegant, medium-bodied, stimulatingly fresh and well-structured blend with gorgeous fruit and a clean, persistent finish, a mineral edge and final fruitiness, beautifully textured with a solid mid-palate, good density, and a clean, crisp finish.

RM 90 points

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2651727

Del Dotto Giovanni's Tuscan Reserve 1999

Del Dotto Giovanni's Tuscan Reserve 1999 For Celebration Dinner

For Dr Keith's 98th birthday, the family hosted a gala celebration dinner and I took BYOB a magnum of this twenty year old '99 vintage wine to commemorate his 99th year. We hosted the dinner at Theo's in Highland, IN just across the border attended by 36 kids, grandkids and great-grandkids. The Tuscan blend was a great complement to the aged steaks and ribs that most of us ordered.

Del Dotto, being a family owned and operated business and a favorite destination in Napa Valley that many of our family members have enjoyed, its a natural and customary selection for our family dinner. Del Dotto is one of the largest holdings in our wine cellar and has been the highlight of several of our Napa Valley wine experiences including our Napa Valley Wine Experience 2018. and our Del Dotto Piazza Delicacies Food and Wine Experience in 2017.
 Del Dotto Giovanni's Tuscan Reserve 1999

Our last tasting of this wine was ten years ago, back in 2009 in its tenth year, on June 7th, mother Evelyn's Birthday, another similar occasion for this wine selection, when I wrote, "Medium bodied, blackberry, black cherry fruit, leathery cedar and black tea on the moderate tannin finish."

RM 88 points. 

Tonight's tasting experience was consistent with my notes commemorating that earlier tasting. Ten years older and later, this was still drinking well, showing no diminution of age, albeit not likely to improve with any further aging. We served this from a magnum which likely contributed to its aged condition, as large format bottles tend to age better, longer.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=11821

http://www.deldottovineyards.com/ 



 

Del Dotto Napa Cabernet 2000-2001

Del Dotto  Napa Valley Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 2000-2001

Following our Del Dotto Vineyards Napa Valley Winery visit last week on our Napa Valley Wine Experience 2018 and our tasting the Cabernet Franc last evening, we opened Del Dotto Napa Valley Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 in magnum for a family gathering gala dinner. We tasted the 2000 vintage Napa Cab alongside a Château de Pez St Estephe Leognan Bordeaux of the same vintage. After we finished the 2000, we opened a 2001 for a mini-vertical comparison tasting of the label.

Del Dotto Napa Valley Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 2000

Tasted from magnum, tonight this wine was showing remarkably well, perhaps due to the large format bottle which tends to age better and more gracefully than a standard size bottle. While the fruits were a bit subdued, it showed a solid core framework of tasty oak. This predominant layer of oak was cited by Robert Parker in his review when he wrote: "Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon exhibits plenty of new oak and black currant characteristics as well as fine texture and an attractive mid-weight style ...."

Parker did not project this wine to last for eighteen years suggesting it be consumed 'over the next 5-7 years'.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=578087



Del Dotto Napa Valley Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 2001
 

Our Cellartracker records show we hold a dozen vintages of this wine label.  Our last tasting of the 2001 was almost three years ago when I wrote:

"Tasted alongside the '99, this is drinking at the apex of its drinking window and demonstrates the longevity of Napa Valley Cabernets. While it will not likely improve any further with aging, it still has several years to go at this level.'

'Medium to full bodied , deep dark ruby color - black berry and sweet black cherry fruits accented by clove spice and a hint cassis and whisper of English toffee on the 'Rutherford Dust' moderate silky tannin finish."

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=485814

We compared these Napa wines against a similar vintage Bordeaux.

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2015/12/del-dotto-cabs-stolpman-syrah-for-beef.html

http://www.deldottovineyards.com/

Château de Pez St Estephe Bordeaux 2000

Son Ryan pulled from the cellar this 2000 vintage Left Bank Bordeaux to taste alongside the same vintage Napa Cab.

Garnet colored, medium bodied, black berry, cherry and plum fruits with bright acidity and notes of leather and tea; more vibrant fruit although not nearly as structured or well balanced as the Napa Cabs above, coming across a bit flabby in comparison.

RM 87 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3308

Overall, these wines were a perfect complement to grilled beef tenderloin dinner with haricot vert and scalloped potatoes. They also went with the artisan cheeses before dinner and the varied chocolate desserts, brownies and dark chocolate cake with fresh berries and whipped cream.


Additionally, Linda prepared grilled Sockeye Salmon. With the Salmon, I served a California Sauvignon Blanc 2016. 


Oak Farms Vineyards Central Valley Lodi Sauvignon Blanc 2017

The grapes are grown by Mohr Fry Ranches  in the Mokelumne River Sub AVA or the greater Lodi Appellation. The vines are from the same clone (clone 1) that had help put New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc on the map. The property has 60 acres of estate vineyards with grape varietals grown on the property including: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Verdelho, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Primitivo, Petite Sirah, Petite Verdot, Sangiovese and Barbera.

Nice easy every day drinking in this high QPR (quality price ratio) Sauvignon Blanc.

This Sauvignon Blanc is light straw colored with light body, flavors of moderate citrus are accented by delicate tones of tropical fruits with hints of mango and passion fruit with pleasant easy drinking crisp acidity and a lingering finish.

RM 90 points. 


https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=293714

https://www.oakfarmvineyards.com/