Pasta dinner features Premium Napa Red & White Wines

Pasta dinner features Premium Napa Red & White Wines

We were invited to Sunday Night dinner at Son Alec’s and D-in-law Vivianna’s. We were joined by son Sean and D-in-law Michelle. 

This allowed our four grand-daughters a chance to be together with their cousins - so much fun, and so important to their bonding together and learning to play with near aged kids. 

Alec and Viv prepared a delicious Bugatini pasta with a lobster vodka cream sauce with lobster medallions.

Prior to dinner we enjoyed several artisan cheeses that Sean’s and we brought - a baked cheese, an aged Gouda, and a truffle infused goat cheese - all great pairings with the evening’s wines. 

I brought from our home cellar one of our currently favorite drinking Chardonnays and Alec opened a big Napa Red. 

I’ve written often in these pages about the fun we have with the ‘V’ labels from various producers, most notably Kirk Venge. This big rich flavorful may be at its peak right now and shows as one of the best Chardonnay’s in our cellar right now, ideally paired with the rich pasta sauce and lobster medallions. 

Not ironically, we opened this same label with a similar dinner for the Christmas holiday dinner a couple of years ago with the same folks. I wrote about that dinner and this wine and producer in detail in a blogpost in these pages at that time, excerpted below - Venge Brown Ranch Chardonnay.

For Christmas eve dinner, Linda prepared a delicious lobster bisque soup with medallions of lobster. I pulled from the cellar this Venge Napa Carneros Chardonnay for an accompaniment. We were joined by Alec and Vivianna for a festive intimate dinner. 

The name Venge has been synonymous with Napa Valley wines for as long as I have been of drinking age since the '70's, but the Venge family wine affiliation actually goes back much earlier, to when Knud Venge emigrated from Denmark to the United States in the early 1900’s. Knud's son, Per Venge, entered in the wine and spirits business and started Vencom Imports, focusing on importing Western European wines and spirits. Per's son, Nils Venge, started in, then left the family business in the 1960's to study viticulture at UC Davis and set the family name in the California winegrowing community.

The Venge family planted viticultural roots in 1976 with the purchase of a 17-acre estate in the Oakville District that was planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, establishing them among the winemaking pioneers of Napa Valley.

Buddy, AJ with Nils and Kirk Venge

We 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. 

Kirk took over Venge Vineyards in 2008 and has established himself as a talented winemaker making wines in his own style. Kirk has continued the Napa Valley heritage crafting wines from select vineyard sites across Napa and Sonoma Counties worthy of bearing the Venge family name.

We've been collecting Venge wines since their earliest days. We now have fun collecting them with their notable "V" branding to enjoy with our daughter-in-law, Vivianna, as her 'signature' wines.  

We also enjoyed this wine, BYOB, recently with seafood at BeachWalk Cafe in Destin (FL) during our vacation getaway -https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2024/10/henderson-beachwalk-cafe-dinner-with.html

Venge Vineyards Brown Ranch Vineyard Los Carneros Napa Valley Chardonnay 2018 

This is a single vineyard designated label sourced from the 30 acre Brown Ranch Vineyard in Carneros, named for the previous cattle rancher owner Nadine Brown. The vineyard is bordered by HdV’s Hyde Vineyard and Beaulieu’s Vineyard No.9 on Old Sonoma Road in the Carneros district, straddling the rolling hills in the southernmost parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties. The cooling winds from the nearby San Pablo Bay, combined with the abundant midday California sunshine, create an ideal environment for producing elegant wines that combine power and finesse, with a perfect balance of crisp acidity and well-ripened fruit.

The property, formerly associated with Saintsbury Winery, was purchased in 2012 by the Renterias. 

The property was planted with twenty nine acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay but most of
the vines were afflicted with Eutypa, a fungi disease also known as the Dead-arm Dieback, which causes trunks or arms of the vines to essentially rot and die. Like the famous Dead-Arm Shiraz label from McLaren Vale, Australia, rather than pulling the vines out, the vineyard managers kept the rootstock, cut off the trunk just above the soil and nurtured a bud to grow into a new trunk. Like the Dead-Arm label, focusing all the mature rootstock energy into one vine branch resulted in rich, full, concentrated fruits. 

The Brown Ranch’s hillside alluvial soils, with Dijon Clone 76 set into the pre-existing rootstock, produces this rich full round Chardonnay, worthy of the iconic Venge name.

Winemaker's notes: The Dijon Clones are modern strains of Chardonnay carefully isolated from grapevine nursery blocks in France. These strains are selected for their incredible ability to produce the best of what the varietal has to offer and therefore have become quite popular with cool climate growers today. The cool and often foggy climate of the Brown Ranch Vineyard, located in central Carneros, Napa, allows for a slow growing season and optimal ripening. This climate aids in the balancing of acidity and lifting tropical aromas in the fruit and thus, in the finished wine. The vines were carefully hand harvested and delivered cool to the winery.

 

Winemaker's Notes: "This wine is stylish and freshly balanced, featuring a light, pale straw presence in the glass with a bouquet of fresh orange citrus, toasted pine nuts, mild allspice, rocky flints, and toasted oak. Crisp, savory pineapple, sweet delicious apple, savory stone fruit, and ripe pear lead into mouthwatering deliciousness. 

The grapes are blended into used French Oak barrels according to a Burgundian style of winemaking, light handed on the usage of new French Oak keeping it to an average of 45%.

495 Cases were Produced

This release was rated 93 points by Wine Enthusiast and Jeb Dunnuck and 92 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. 

Golden lemon colored, medium to full-bodied, full, round, concentrated, complex opulent fruits with a layer almost bordering on butterscotch, accented by notes of baking spice, hints of lemon, grapefruit, ginger and a touch of peach and almond nut cream, with bright acidity, depth and balance on a full long finish. 

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3517412

https://www.vengevineyards.com/

@VengeVineyards  

Alec then opened this big Napa Red from Beau Vigne Cellars

Beau Vigne “CULT” Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

This is from the Beau Vigne portfolio of Napa Valley Cabernets that Alec, son Ryan and I all hold in our cellars. Beau Vigne was founded by Ed and Trish Snider in 2002 and quickly gained notoriety on a parade of rave reviews, such as Robert Parker calling it “one of my favorite wineries,” and over in the ensuing years, his Wine Advocate time and again honoring it with scores of 96–98+ points.

We’ve featured Beau Vigne wines in detail in earlier blogposts in these pages - Beau Vigne Reserve Proprietary Red Wine.

Interesting that Kirk Venge, who produced our Chardonnay tonight, was winemaker at Beau Vigne for a period. Initially, it was first-class winemaker Dave Phinney, then Kirk Venge, and then followed by current winemaker Julien Fayard who crafted this 2019 release.

 

This 2019 CULT release is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grown on Beau Vigne’s gravelly estate vineyard in Rutherford and their impeccable site on the Oakville Bench that neighbors To Kalon, Missouri Hopper, and Martha’s Vineyard. For the final blend, he hand-selected barrels to create a wine that shows its exceptional quality in every sip.

Winemaker notes for this release - “Deep-purple in color, the 2019 Beau Vigne CULT Cabernet shows penetrating blackberry and blueberry aromas accented by rich notes of mocha, allspice, Maduro tobacco, and black licorice. Full-bodied and opulent, it’s built on firmly gripping tannins that complement the texture of the ripe black fruits and slide into a long and savory finish.”

While the Chardonnay complemented the lobster medallions, this rich full round full bodied red enhanced and illuminated the rich pasta sauce - both ideal pairings which amplified the enjoyment of both the food and wines. 

This 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Cult is the 11th Anniversary release of this label. It is composed of 99% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Petit Verdot. The producer states. “We think is the finest CULT produced to date.”

It was aged twenty months in French oak barrels, 80% of which were new, then blended from select “best lots dedicated to captivating flavors profiles.”

Winemaker notes - “Crushed black currant and bing cherry aromas. Among these scents are black licorice, clove, and melted dark chocolate. Flavors of shortbread, blackberry, and plum hit the palate. Loamy black truffle elements add layers of savoriness to the long finish.”

It was rated 93 points by Vinous who called it the “finest wine I have tasted from Beau Vigne.” It received 92 points by Wine Advocate and 91 points by Jeb Dunnuck. 

Don’t be taken aback by the $150 published price from the producer, their wines are often deeply discounted in special promotions and can be found discounted in distribution, even at Costco. Newcomers to fine wine often mistake that obtaining wine directly from the producer will get them the best deal. It’s the aim of the producer to set the price and associated value of the wine, avoiding undermining such with their direct pricing strategy.   

Deep garnet colored, full bodied, rich, round, forward bright vibrant black currant and plum fruits accented by notes of licorice, graphite, lavender, spice and leather with a full tannin laced lingering finish. 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?4179405

https://www.beauvigne.com/

Stolpman Roussanne Rhône Varietal w/ vodka cream pasta

Stolpman Roussanne Rhône Varietal w/ vodka cream pasta

We were invited to son Alec’s and D-in-law Vivianna’s for dinner with them and the grandkids. Alec prepared a delicious rigatoni pasta with Italian sausage and broccoli in a vodka cream sauce. 

Linda prepared a tomato caprese salad with a delicious chocolate raspberry balsamic purchased at last week’s Farmers’ Market at Naperville 5th Avenue Station. 

I took from our cellar a Southern Rhône Rousanne varietal wine from Santa Barbara County. This proved to be not only a perfect pairing, which thereby amplified the enjoyment of both the food and the wine, but commemorated our trip together to the region during our Southern Rhône Provence tour in 2019 as chronicled in these posts - 

Four days in Provence - Aix - Meyrargues

A visit to Château La Nerthe - 

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/08/a-visit-to-chateau-la-nerthe.html

We also visited the estate of Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe as the other highlight of our visit to the appellations Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

This is from Ballard Canyon which sits in the greater Santa Ynez Valley AVA which covers a thirty mile east-west corridor, running east from the town of Lompoc to Los Olivos and Santa Ynez on the east. It covers 77,000 acres of winegrapes with more than 60 different wine varieties. 

We visited the Santa Ynez Valley during our Santa Barbara County Wine Experience back in 2022 and discovered the plethora of Rhone varietal based wines including many Syrah, one of our regular favorites.

Over the years the sub-appellations evolved and were granted AVA (American Viticultural Area) status with Santa Rita Hills to the west and Happy Canyon to the east. In the center is Ballard Canyon which was recognized as a unique winegrowing area and granted its own AVA in 2013.

Ballard Canyon became Santa Barbara County’s fifth official American viticultural area (AVA) joiningthe existing AVAs of the region including Santa Ynez Valley, Sta. Rita Hills, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara, Santa Maria Valley and the broader Santa Barbara County.

Ballard Canyon, covers just 7,700 acres, or only 10% of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA, and has a unique north-south orientation of the canyon provides a unique weather pattern of wind, fog, and maritime influence, giving it its own sense of a specific place or with its soil and elevation, terroir.

Ballard Canyon has a history of viticulture back to the earlier 1970’s but grew and gained recognition in an expansion of planting boom in the 90’s, with new grower producers such as Stolpman and Beckmen, Harrison, Larner, and Saarloos families planted vineyards, followed by Jonata and Tierra Alta.

While land to the west became increasingly devoted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with the publication of the STA Rita Hills AVA, Ballard Canyon vineyards focused on Rhône varietals and primarily Syrah. 

Ballard Canyon became Santa Barbara County’s fifth official American viticultural area (AVA) joiningthe existing AVAs of the region including Santa Ynez Valley, Sta. Rita Hills, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara, Santa Maria Valley and the broader Santa Barbara County.

Ballard Canyon, encompassing 7,800, is the second AVA in the Santa Ynez Valley along with Sta. Rita Hills. The region is an integral part of the diversity within the Central Coast and Santa Barbara County designations. After experimenting with many different varietals, the growers and producers of Ballard Canyon settled on Syrah as the best-suited varietal throughout Ballard Canyon. Over half of the AVA’s planted acreage is Syrah and an additional 30% of acres are planted to other Rhone varietals including Grenache, Viognier, and Roussanne.

Of the total 458 acres planted to red wine grapes. Rhone Varietals predominate with 76%, followed by Bordeaux: 14%, Italian: 8%, and other California ‘Heritage’ 2%. 

Syrah is the predominant red varietal with 274 Acres followed by another Rhône varietals mostly Grenache. Other plants include smaller amounts of Bordeaux grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot, as well as small amounts of Italian varietals Sangiovese and Nebbiolo. 

Of the white wine grapes planted Rhone Varietals such as Roussanne predominate with 57%, followed by Bordeaux  (40%), primarily Sauvignon Blanc, and others lead by Viognier.

Stolpman Santa Barbara County Ballard Canyon Estate Bottled Roussanne 2019

This unique California Rhône white is produced and marketing directly as an estate wine sourced from their own vineyard under their own branding. Grapes from the vineyard are also produced separately under branding of a personal project of winemaker Jeremy Weintraub, whose day job is  since 2013 is overseeing Adelaida Cellars, a prominent estate in Paso Robles.  

Jeremy’s winemaking education includes earning a Master’s in Viticulture & Enology from UC Davis, and, interning throughout the world’s best wine regions. Before his work with Adelaida, Jeremy was the winemaker at Seavey, a somewhat under-rated Cabernet producer in Napa Valley. Previously, Jeremy traveled the world, working harvests in Tuscany, Central Otago, Martinborough, and Long Island. 

Weintraub produces a small portfolio of limited production wines with fruit sourced from some of California's most renowned sites including a 100% Roussanne varietal is from the Stolpman Vineyard in Ballard Canyon in Santa Barbara County. 

This is the Stolpman branding crafted by family owned and operated Stolpman Vineyards sourced from their estate of 220-acres planted to 152 acres of south-facing grapes, an organic vegetable garden, and 5 acres of olives. This Roussanne Rhône varietal comprises 15.3 acres of the total plantings.

The Stolpman estate was established 20 years ago by Founding Partner, Tom Stolpman, when he discovered what we believe to be one of the greatest viticultural sites on earth, hidden in the hills of California’s Central Coast, on a rare Limestone outcropping & unobstructed from the Pacific Ocean wind, this unique land is naturally suited to grow Syrah and Roussanne grapes. 

The Stolpman family say they are blessed to farm wine grapes from their Ballard Canyon estate due to what they cite are five distinguishing characteristics that set their vineyard apart, even from other Ballard Canyon sites: 

“White Rock - Active, youthful 2 million year-old Limestone provides balancing acidity to all of our wines while the thin layer of dense clay topsoil above allows retention of moisture. Because of this one-two combo, we can withhold irrigation from the roots, forcing them to dig deep into the white rock and absorb all that terroir!’ The limestone that runs deep and lends acidity to the berries with clay-rich topsoil that retains moisture efficiently. 

“Tunnel of Love - Daily mistrals originate from the cold Arctic flow of Pacific Ocean pushing through our fully-exposed hillsides. The Mojave far to our east sucks up the cold air as its desert heat rises – the vacuum creates a perennial wind tunnel through Ballard Canyon rivaling the Northern Rhone in force and relentlessness. Our hearty vines continue to photosynthesize in the wind but the fluttering leaves don’t suck for water. Without dilution, flavor concentration intensifies. The wind also knocks down fungal pressure, giving the winery team pristinely clean fruit.’

“Nightly Chill - Unsheltered from the Pacific, as soon as night falls, temperatures drop an average of 40 degrees Fahrenheit during the growing season. Not only does the cold nightly rejuvenation help hold acidity through our long growing season, but we also nocturnally harvest to lock in the taut freshness from the crisp conditions. The diurnal shift pendulum swings vastly, with drops of up to 40 degrees between daytime and nighttime. Chilly temperatures at night allow the grapes to maintain the hard-earned acidity imparted by the limestone soils.’

“Rain - For better or worse, it seldom rains during the growing season. Combined with our dedication to dry farming - concentrated, undiluted grapes result. We only pray for healthy winter rains during dormancy so the vines wake up sensing enough moisture to get through the summer. The vines can be dry-farmed due to the clay, which during the dry summer season, results in vines that struggle to dig deep for the water table and produce concentrated fruit.”

They say the largest impact of the annual dry stretch is the continuation of legacy native root-stock that has thus far survived the scourge of  the root-louse Phyllloxera, which doesn’t like to be parched. They have managed so far to maintain their own-rooting vulnerable Vinifera rather than grafting onto root-stock. Today, 60% of the vines at Stolpman are own-rooted.

Finally, “Tropical Tan - Located at 34.6 degrees latitude, our equatorial solar rays help to ripen the grapes through the long, cool growing season. The sunlight stays strong, seeing us through our Autumn harvest, good ‘ol California sunshine ripens the grapes to their “fullest potential” We rely on it to paint our Roussanne a “Rouss” shade of gold.”

Roussanne can get a bad rap as a varietal for producing singular waxy and weighted wines, hence its traditional use as a blending grape in France’s Rhône Valley. 

Stolpman use new oak only to ‘frame Roussanne’s viscosity’ while all their other wines see only used wood.  

Winemaker notes - “The 2019 Roussanne offers a nose of white peach, baked apple, and toasted spice mix. The mouth is medium-bodied with plenty of acid to keep the wine fresh and structured well through the finish.”

Jen Dunnuck awarded Jeremy’s label release 95 points, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 94 points, and Wine Enthusiast 91 points. 

This was big enough to stand up to flavorful pasta and sausage with vodka cream sauce, which one might typically pair with a Red Barolo or Montepulciano.  This was a perfect pairing whic as I often write in these pages, amplifies the enjoyment of the wine and the food. 

An extraordinary, unique wine, bold bordering on obtuse, that bursts with expressive vibrant flavor from the beginning - golden colored, medium to full bodied, a firm edge structured stone fruit, peach and apple accented by spice, floral citrus, almond nut, and mineral with bright acidity on the expressive vibrant long finish. 

RM 91 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3896315

https://www.stolpmanvineyards.com/

Il Bruciato Super Tuscan, Torbreck Barossa Shiraz with Gia Mia Naperville Pasta, Pizza

Il Bruciato Super Tuscan, Torbreck Barossa Shiraz with Gia Mia Naperville Pasta and Pizza 

As summer wanes, we dined Monday outside with neighbors Richard and Adessa, on the deck/patio at picturesque Gia Mia in Naperville. Their Naperville location is sited in the old historic library amidst the bustle of downtown city centre. 

They have also in recent years opened several other similarly situated downtown locations in the Chicagoland western suburbs of Wheaton, Geneva, St. Charles and Downers Grove.

Their formula for success is ‘chef-driven, farm-to-fork food concepts, … Neapolitan style wood-fired pizzas, creative small plates, fresh pasta, antipasto, and hand-made mozzarella’. This is based on the vision, experience and drive of Chef Brian Goewey, who has been involved in or partially responsible for the opening of over 50 restaurants, ranging from quick-serve style to high-end 5-star restaurants.

We’ve become big fans of Gia Mia, and several of their pasta dishes including their Linguini, Risotto and their meatballs with polenta.  

Tonight we ordered these favorite signature dishes:

“The Bruno” (meatlover’s) Pizza - meatballs, pepperoni, Italian sausage, tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil with spicy Soppresatto Sausage, (I usually have them hold back the spicy sausage which I find overwhelming to the wine accompaniment),

Linguini Carbonara with bacon, garlic, black pepper, Parmesan cream, pecorino and egg yolk,

Arancini Mozzarella, Creamy Risotto with fontina, tomato sauce, garlic and basil,  

Rigatoni, and their Meatballs with Polenta

From their wine list we ordered this Super Tuscan from mega brand producer Antinori. 

This is from the broad Antinori portfolio of estates, Guado al Tasso, located in the small but prestigious Bolgheri DOC, on the coast of upper Maremma, about one hundred kilometers southwest from Florence. 

This relatively young appellation, DOC Bolgheri was established in 1995.

The huge Antinori Guado al Tasso estate covers 2500 acres of which 790 acres are planted with vines, set in the rolling hillsides known as the "Bolgheri Amphitheatre" due to its particular shape. The vineyards are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Vermentino. 

The proximity to and effects of the nearby sea provide a mild climate with constant breezes that mitigate summer heat and alleviate harsh winter weather, maintaining a clear sky and a high level of sunlight exposure. The remainder of the estate is covered with wheat fields, sunflowers and olive groves.

Il Bruciato was created in the year 2002 during one of the most difficult vintages at Guado al Tasso in order to present the unique terroir of Bolgheri and give it a greater visibility and recognition. The first blend to be used was that of Guado al Tasso only to see, in the years which followed, a modification of the varietal composition and the identification of a series of vineyard plots intended to be used exclusively for this wine. 

Il Bruciato Guado Al Tasso Antinori 2022

In the fashion of what has become known as ‘Super Tuscans’, wines sourced in the Italian Tuscany region, but crafted from French Bordeaux and Rhône varietals. 

Il Bruciato is the ‘second’ label of the estate, first introduced in 2002 as a lower cost every day drinking label to the flagship premium Guado Al Tasso Super Tuscan blend, a more affordable interpretation of  and introduction to Bolgheri’s unique terroir made from carefully selected Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah grapes from Guado al Tasso’s vineyards with their geological composition of the soil is diversified giving the wine structure and complexity. 

Generally, this label provides high QPR - quality price ratio, available for a fraction of the price of the ultra-premium flagship and has gained a broad following to have for every day sipping with pasta, bold cheeses and meat dishes. The bold fruit flavors of the Syrah, Cab Franc and Petit Verdot added to the blend make this a crowd pleaser for wine lovers at all levels. 

The 2022 Il Bruciato is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, blended with Merlot, Syrah and a small percentage of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot: the blend was reintroduced into barriques where it was left to age before bottling. 

Producer’s tasting notes - “Il Bruciato 2022 is intensely ruby red in color. Dominant aromas on the nose include small ripe red fruit accompanied by notes of sweet spices and light hints of mint and tobacco. The palate has excellent structure, is remarkably mouth filling with a pleasant fruity aftertaste that makes it pleasantly easy to drink and closes with a lingering finish.

This release was rated 93 Points by Audrey Frick of JedDunnuck.com, James Suckling (JS93), and Wine Advocate (WA93), and 92 Points by Wine Enthusiast.

Bright ruby colored with opaque purple hues, full bodied, rich, dense concentrated ripe black and blue fruits with notes of blackberry liqueur, black olives, licorice, leather and hints of espresso and herbs with gripping but approachable tannins, supple texture and fresh acidity through the long finish.

RM 91 points. 

Then several days later, with friend Pat R, after a day trip to the Indiana Dunes National Seashore, we had the same dinner entrees, carry out, at home on our deck. 

For a wine accompaniment with the pizza and pastas, we opened another big bold expressive red for the girls while I had the remains of the Bordeaux Blend from the previous evening. 

Torbreck "Woodcutter's" Barossa Valley South Australia Shiraz 2021

This is another big full throttle, powerful big red wine, that offers high QPR for ideal accompaniment to zesty pasta and pizza. 

The producer’s website speaks of this wine on the content of their Gaelic heritage - “You’d imagine a high country Scottish woodcutter might like a satisfying red at the days end – something rich, warming, full bodied and affordable.’

“Torbreck is the name of a forest near Inverness, Scotland. You’ll find more than a passing nod to the Celts in our wine naming conventions including this tribute to the foresters of this rugged high country.’

“This wine reflects the up and coming Shiraz vineyards of the Barossa, rather than the battle hardened old vines that make up the core of our other cuvées.” This is the producer’s polite way of saying this is a lower  cost affordable alternative crafted from younger vines, versus the mature old vines in the premium labels of the brand. 

Hence, the producer website continues, “But like all Torbreck wines, Woodcutter’s Shiraz receives the very best viticultural and winemaking treatment. Fruit is sourced from hand-harvested and hand-tended, low-yielding vines, then open fermented and gently basket pressed before ageing on fine lees for 12 months in large format seasoned barrels and foudres.”

Although this wine is constantly praised for its succulence and richness, there is also a complexity and texture which is rarely found at this price.

This label is 100% Shiraz sourced from the sub-region vineyards in Marananga, Greenock, Seppeltsfield, Gomersal, Moppa, Lyndoch and Ebenezer in the south central Australia Barossa Valley. 

Winemaker’s note about this vinetage and release: “The 2021 summer growing season was mild, with even and cool daily temperatures throughout. Enhanced by good rains provided during the winter and spring of 2020, our vineyards grew wonderful canopies and developed well-formed grape bunches. As a result of this long flavour development cycle in the vineyard, 2021’s signature is wines of high aromatic lift with densely coloured tints and exceptional balance. Lifted red, black and blue fruits of red cherry, raspberry coulis, blueberry conserve and wild blackberry and blackcurrant. There is a spicy edge showing cardamom, star anise and Chinese five spice. Soft caressing tannins and voluptuous mouthfeel from plump Shiraz berries gives this wine a posture that belies its pedigree.”

Winemaker’s tasting notes: “This wine is crimson with subtle red plum undertones. Upon the first smell, the nose is a complex bouquet of dark plum and ripe blackberries, interwoven with the rich, dark essence of cassis and cherries. This fruity ensemble is accented with a hint of spice and star anise. On the palate, the wine reveals a medium to full body that masterfully balances intensity and elegance. The soft tannins contribute to a smooth and textural mouthfeel.”

25,000 cases were produced with 400 cases imported.

Wine James Suckling pundit loves this wine and gave it a whopping 96 points. Wine Spectator gave it a more down to earth 91 points. 

After tasting the more complex but subdued Bordeaux Blend, I switched to a glass of this big red and was overwhelmed by its big bold, almost obtuse vibrancy. 

Dark garnet inky purple colored, full bodied, dense concentrated vibrant expressive ripe blackberry and raspberry fruits notes of black tea, anise, bittersweet chocolate, green pepper, herbs sage and rosemary, 

RM 91 points. 

https://torbreck.com/products/woodcutters-shiraz

https://www.antinori.it/en/

https://www.giamiapizzabar.com/

Di Ghizzano Super Tuscan BYOB at Angeli’s Italian

Di Ghizzano Super Tuscan BYOB at Angeli’s Italian 

With sister Jan visiting from SoCal, we dined at Angeli’s Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria. We took BYOB from our cellar this Super Tuscan red Bordeaux Blend, a perfect complement to the hearty Ricotta Cheese Ravioli Pasta with Bolognese Sauce and Angeli’s Meatballs. 

This wine is from Tenuta di Ghizzano in Tuscany located in the village of Ghizzano, a small mediaeval hilltop village, close to the Tuscan coast, about 40 km from Livorno and 40 km south of Pisa. 

The area is called ‘Colline Pisane’ - hills of Pisa. The vineyards are located in Peccioli (Pisa), at about 200 meters above sea level with a south-westerly location, in an area referred to as “Terre Di Pisa” - The Pisan Countryside. The landscape is gentle, and the climate is mild, thanks to the sea breeze, without extreme temperatures or great risk of springtime frosts.

Wines from the area are classified I.G.T. Costa Toscana (Tuscan coast) to recognize the terroir of the Tuscan Coast, that part of Tuscany influenced by the Tyrrhenian Sea, and to differentiate from wines from the IGT Toscana classification. 

In 2011 the DOC Terre Di Pisa was established, to further sub-classify and differentiate and represent the highest quality Pisan wines from the municipalities of Fauglia, Crespina, Lari, Chianni, Capannoni, Palaia, Peccioli, Terricciola, Casciana Terme, Ponsacco, Pontedera, Montopoli V.A., San Miniato, Orciano Pisano, Lorenzana and Santa Luce.

The history of the original proprietors Venerosi Pesciolini Family date back to the Carolingian period with the first recorded signs of the Venerosi in 803 A.D. It is believed that the family settled in Ghizzano towards the end of the 14th century. 

The family’s estate country house is a beautiful, typical classic late renaissance style Italian garden residential Villa surrounded by the estate vineyards.

The vineyards that surround the estate winery of Tenuta di Ghizzano are some of the oldest in the area. The estate is made up of 690 acres of rolling hills and some of the most stunning landscapes in the world. There are 45 acres of vineyards, 37 of olives, 250 acres of arable land and the remaining 370 of woodland and poplar groves where truffle hunters search for their perfumed golden treasures secretively.

The soil is a composite of sand and clay, a good example of calcareous clay sands formed from marine sediments from the "Astiana" geological era.

The wine estate has age-old history is considered one of the most innovative, famous for its terroir-driven wines, a high standard of quality highly acclaimed by wine critics. 

Tentative Di Ghizzano Nambrot Costa Tocana IGT 2016

This wine is named after the founder of the Venerosi family, Nambrot, who lived in 830. It is called a Supertuscan as it is made of Bordeaux varietal grapes.

The Nambrot label was first made in 1996 using Merlot grapes and has evolved over the years into a blend together with Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot in a style demonstrating the potency, warmth and character of the terroir. Nambrot is called the “Pomerol of Tuscany” as it is made from exactly the same grapes as a Bordeaux Right Bank Pomerol. 

The grapes were picked by hand and then, before the stalks, a further bunch selection was done on the sorting table. 

The grapes were traditionally pressed with the feet after which fermentation took place exclusively with natural yeasts in open wooden and/or concrete barrels.

The wine was aged 18 months in 225 liter oak barrels, 10% new, followed by 8 months aging in the bottle. 

Only 8,000 bottles of this wine were produced.

The 2016 Tenuta di Ghizzano Nambrot IGT Costa Toscana received 94/100 points from wine writer James Suckling, and the Highest rating, Gambero Rosso - 3 red glasses

Bright dark ruby red colored with purple violet sprites, medium to full bodied with full round expressive black berry and plum fruits with notes of anise, tar and dark mocha, hints of oak, black pepper and smoke with firm but approachable tannins on the long moderate finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3291483

https://www.tenutadighizzano.com/en/

https://angeliscatering.com/

Beckett’s Missouri “All Steel” Red w/ Pasta

Beckett’s Missouri “All Steel” Red w/ Pasta

Following our delightful food and wine pairing of Beckett’s Missouri Red Wine with Burgers yesterday, we pulled from the cellar the other label we hold from this producer to taste with pasta and meatballs with zesty red sauce, and baked sweet potato.

Linda prepared a tomato red sauce with our home grown herbs - basil, oregano and rosemary (shown at bottom), served over meatballs and macaroni and cheese. It was delicious. So, we pulled from the cellar a Big Red wine from Missouri that we thought would be an appropriate accompaniment. 

Unlike yesterday, (featured in this blogpost - Beckett’s Missouri Red Wine w/ Burgers), when we enjoyed an ideal food and wine pairing, tonight, the wine was not up to the same level as the previous label from this producer.

Like that other wine, we also discovered and acquired this label during that visit to the producer’s Winery and Tasting Room Wine Bar, which I featured in these pages at the time - https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/09/becketts-winery-glasgow-missouri.html

Last night, I wrote in these pages about a wonderful, memorable tasting experience we had at the Winery Tasting Room Wine Bar in Glasgow, Missouri. According to their wine descriptions, we were expecting, hoping this label we be equal to the last one, and perhaps bigger and bolder based on the Syrah varietal in the blend. 

While yesterday’s Becketts Red Wine exceeded our expectations, their Steel Red Blend was lackluster and uninspiring - frankly, more what one might expect from a Missouri red wine. 

Historic steel bridge crossing Missouri River 
In Glasgow, MO (background)

Beckett’s “All Steel” Missouri Red Blend NV

This interesting imaginative label commemorates the massive steel bridge (shown above) that crosses the Missouri River in view of the Beckett’s winery tasting room patio.

Beckett’s “All Steel Red” features a characticture of the structure on the label. 

They describe it as “signature Beckett's Winery favorite. Our driest red wine, it is a medium-bodied Chambourcin and Syrah blend. Includes flavors of lucious blackberry jam with a slight earthy scent and a dry, smooth finish.” 

Based on this description, we thought it might stand up to a zesty red sauce with pasta. 

While the winemaker’s description is technically accurate, the wine lacks balance and integration and is a bit ‘flabby’ and flat hence rather uninspiring. 

While I rated their Signature Red label 88 points yesterday, I give this wine 85 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4099973

https://www.beckettsrestaurant.com/

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2024/05/red-wine-w-burgers-with-grilled-burgers.html

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/09/becketts-winery-glasgow-missouri.html

Linda herbs ….

Del Dotto Sangiovese with Angeli's Italian Pasta

Del Dotto Sangiovese with Angeli's Italian Pasta 

We dined at Angeli's Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria and took BYOB one of our favorite pasta wines, Del Dotto Sangiovese. Reading back through these blogposts, we probably drank most of the entire case BYOB at numerous dinners there.

Regretably, this is the last bottle from a case we acquired during our culinary tasting visit to Piazza Del Dotto two summers ago. 

We discovered the Piazza brand during our Del Dotto Estate Cave Tour and Tasting during our Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2017. We then targeted the just opened Piazza Winery Delicacies Wine and Food Tasting Experience during our Napa Valley Wine Experience 2018. It was the highlight of our entire Napa trip. We tasted and acquired this 2015 release during our Cave Tour tasting. 

Del Dotto Piazza Napa Valley Sangiovese 2015

Just like I've written in previous tastings of this label, this was delicious and everyone loved it making me wish I had more than the single case we acquired a while back. I'll be looking for more.

We tasted and acquired this wine during our Del Dotto Estate Cave Tour and Tasting last year. Our first recorded tasting note was when we took it took it BYOB to our favorite neighborhood Italian Trattoria, Angelis Italian. Tonight's tasting experience was consistent with my notes from that evening (caution about the color and slight opaqueness aside, which was not present tonight.)

My notes from previous tastings. "This was dark garnet colored medium full bodied, this was delicious with sweet ripe raspberry fruits accented by notes of vanilla and almond with supple smooth silky tannins on the lingering finish.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2579868

http://www.deldottovineyards.com/

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/08/del-dotto-piazza-sangiovese-at-angelis.html

Del Dotto Sangiovese for Family Lasagna Dinner

@DelDottoWine

 

Del Dotto Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Del Dotto Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with Angelis Pasta

As we've done many times before, we dined at Angeli's, our favorite neighborhood trattoria, with son Alec, home for the World Series weekend from NYC. Again, as many times before, we took Del Dotto Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon BYOB, since its hearty earthy Rutherford style goes so well with the hearty pasta and these meat and other dishes there. We ordered from our usual favorites, Linda and Alec got the Mussels in white wine sauce, Butternut Squash Gnochi, and I ordered one of the simplest but most hearty dishes, Spaghetti with Bolognese sauce with Italian Sausage and Veal Meatballs.

Del Dotto Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2001

This 2001 has been drinking wonderfully, certainly at the apex of its drinking window, for several years now. This demonstrates the longevity of quality Napa Valley Cabernets. While it will not likely improve any further with aging, it still has several years to go at this level.

Consistent with earlier tastings notes, 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.

This same wine is featured in their extraordinary Connoisseurs Series in which they age the same wine in a variety of oak cooperages to highlight the different oak influences on the wine. We featured a horizontal tasting of the 2001 Del Dotto Connoisseur Series last year as listed on unwindWine.com site. 

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

http://www.deldottovineyards.com/

Mr Riggs McLaren Vale Shiraz 2004

Mr Riggs McLaren Vale Shiraz 2004

For a relaxing dinner on the patio at our favorite neighborhood trattoria, Angelis Italian, we took this aged Mr Riggs McLaren Vale Shiraz, BYOB from the cellar. The large heavy oversize bottle packaging hints at what is to come.

This wine typifies everything we love in a Aussie Shiraz - big, thick, chewy, sweet forward fruits - a perfect compliment to the Italian pasta and soup with red meat, tomato and ricotta cheese. It was sinfully good with the caramel and sea salt gelato. I can't wait to finish the remaining partial bottle tonight with some hearty cheese. I'm already mourning the fact we only have a few bottles of this left in the cellar. I pushed the CT (Cellartracker) drinking window out a couple more years too.

Dark inky garnet colored, full bodied, rich, concentrated, complex, full forward sweet black and blue berry fruits, accented by a layer of mineral and tones of sweet caramel, cassis and graphite on a lingering tongue coating full tannin finish.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=128274