Diverse Reds for Duck Dogs and Ground Sirloin Burgers

Diverse Reds for Duck Inn Hot Dogs and Ground Sirloin Burgers

Returning from a overnight trip to Indiana, a day in Lafayette and a day in Indy, we stopped in St John to visit fellow Pour Boy Dr Dan and Linda for a impromptu dinner. Dan grilled 'Duck Dogs', produced by Duck Inn in Chicago as a tribute to the classic Chicago Hot Dog, all beef hot dogs with a small amount of duck fat, and grilled sirloin beef burgers. Both were delicious.

The Duck Inn Dog has received numerous local and national accolades, including being named Top Dog by Food Network and Best Hot Dogs in Chicago by Food & Wine magazine.

We dined at Duck Inn with the Pour Boys together back in 2021 as presented in this blogpost - Duck Inn Chicago Unique Dining Experience.

With dinner, Dan pulled from his cellar a medley of diverse reds. Putting a call out for requests, I asked if we could start with a California Pinot Noir, following our recent tastings of a flight of such wines. 

Dan served an ultra-premium Seasmoke Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir, followed by an ultra-premium Aussie Shiraz.

SeaSmoke 'Ten'  Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2015

This is from Sea Smoke's estate vineyard in the Santa Barbara's Santa Rita Hills AVA.

Dan is a member of their wine club and gets access to these highly allocated very popular wines.

Owner/producer Bob Davids acquired the property in 1999. They produce Pinot Noir grown exclusively on the south-facing hillsides of the estate vineyards. 

The Sta. Rita Hills AVA is the coolest, westernmost sub-region of the larger Santa Ynez Valley appellation within Santa Barbara County. It is known to have the perfect microclimate for growing world-class Pinot Noir, with crisp ocean breezes and well-drained, limestone-rich calcareous soils. The Santa Ynez River canyon funnels the cool maritime fog layer (sea "smoke") across the hillsides, slowing the ripening process and providing the extended maturation period essential to the development of top-quality Pinot Noir. The shallow clay soils are planted to French clones on vigor-reducing rootstocks, resulting in fewer grape clusters of intense flavor, ripening optimally while retaining brisk acidity and harmonious balance. 

Sea Smoke's "Ten" is named for the ten different Pinot Noir clones planted in their estate vineyard which all find their way into this bottling. 

Sea Smoke notes is "the most masculine wine of their multiple labels, brooding and intense, with firm, mature tannins and a long, velvety finish. Ten is not for the faint-of-heart and has been known, on occasion, to convert even the most fanatic Cabernet lover."

Winemaker Don Schroeder explains, “The wealth of clones at our vineyard is one of the keys to the complexity of our wines.” This bottling is made from all ten clones farmed directly from the organic- and Biodynamic-certified estate vineyard: Aged 16 months in French oak, it shows scents of chocolate syrup and baked plum pudding. A solemn Pinot, it remains extravagant with flavors of black cherry washed with rose petals and rhubarb. Tilled soil, beet root, and firm tannins prove its profundity."

 

Winemaker Notes - A brooding and intense wine. The dark fruit dominant aromas begin with notes of cola, Black Cherry and Blueberry, then some Asian spice, chocolate and a hint of Rose petals. Firm, mature tannins—evidence of Ten’s ageability—are followed by a long, velvety finish. 

The wine was aged for 16 months in 60% new French oak before bottling. 

This was rated  95 points by the Tasting Panel and 94 points by Wine Enthusiast and a Cellar Selection.

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, bright concentrated black cherry and black plum fruits with notes of clove spice, vanilla bean, pepper and earth.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2612871

https://www.seasmoke.com/

Next Dan pulled one of our favorite labels, a big hearty Aussie Shiraz.

Clarendon Hills "Piggott Range Vineyard" Syrah McLaren Vale South Australia 2011

I wrote about this label in an earlier blogpost. "This vintage release of this label was not as big or fruit filled as the other releases I have tasted, taking on a little bit more menthol and acidity than the more complex concentrated fruit flavors of the 2004 that we paired and compared. One Cellartracker reviewer MMack gave it 92 points and compared it to a CDP (Chateauneuf du Pape). Vivino reviewer DcLaxFan also likened it to a Rhone, he wrote "From a winery founded by a biochemist, the Syrah opens with a nose of smoked meat, mulberry, tapenade, and plum. Savory mouth of prunes, brisket, cassis, and earth. A wild, smoky, meaty feel like a Rhône Vacqueyras."'

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1953014

Dan then pulled from his cellar this surprise label. We both acquired this label as part of our wine club allocation from the producer. Linda and I actually took this label to Florida on our recent trip to enjoy but never got the chance to drink it and brought it back to have at a future occasion. Tonight, we got to try this new label bottling we've been eager to try! 

Force Majeure Walla Walla Estate Syrah 2020

This is from Force Majeure, an ultra-premium producer winery located in the Walla Walla Valley, specializing in estate-grown, single-vineyard Bordeaux and Rhône-inspired wines. Force Majeure wines are the handicraft of Todd Alexander, former winemaker for Bryant Family Vineyards and a couple of other notable Napa producers. He and his wife Carrie relocated their family to Walla Walla to take on the Force Majeure estate and brand. I featured Todd in these pages when he took on that role back in 2016 - Todd Alexander joins Force Majeure Winery.

We visited the Force Majeure Walla Walla Estate back in 2018 and wrote about that visit in this blogpost at the time - Force Majeure Vineyards Site Visit and Tasting, as part of our Walla Walla AVA Visit that provided the opportunity to visit this vibrant emerging wine region, meet some legendary winemakers on the Washington wine scene, and experience the best of Red Mountain and Walla Walla appellation wines. We walked the estate vineyards, source for this wine with the rocky soil, and thus were excited to eventually receive this release of this wine as part of our club allocation.

Force Majeure had recently acquired two new vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley. The site is within the boundaries of the The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA, just across the Oregon side of state line border. The portion of the vineyard outside The Rocks District is within the borders of the Walla Walla Valley AVA.

The Rocks District is named for the rocky deposits left by the Walla Walla River where the river exits the foothills of the Blue Mountains and enters the Walla Walla Valley. It resembles the gravelly soil of the Southern Rhone River Valley in Chateauneuf du Pape. The Rocks District of Milton Freewater is the country’s newest AVA. Wine Spectator calls this AVA “perhaps America’s most distinctive example of terroir."

The unique riverbed of cobblestones and pebbles is as much as two hundred feet deep, formed 12,000 years ago from massive floods that swept through the region caused by ruptures in the ice dam that held Montana's glacial Lake Missoula. The Rocks District is a 12-square mile alluvial fan of 3,770 acres. 

Force Majeure Walla Walla Estate Syrah 2020

The property is partially within the boundaries of the The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA, on the Oregon side of the border, and is located adjacent to the site of our new winery. The portion of the vineyard outside The Rocks District is within the borders of the Walla Walla Valley AVA. The Rocks District is an alluvial fan, and the cobbles that define the area are a result of deposits left by the Walla Walla River. 

This vineyard was planted between 1992 and 1994, and has a diverse soil profile covering the cobble stones, highest at the north end of the property and most shallow at the southern end. This gives us a lot of diversity within a small area, and the grapes will have different characteristics depending on the soil composition where they are grown. This vineyard is in an area proven to have very distinct terroir.

The unique topography and geological variants in these vineyards provide fruit characterized by stunning intensity, depth, concentration and complex flavors.

This wine was rated 20/20 points, Rand Sealey, Report on Washington Wines 

All Syrah that saw 30% stems and roughly 30% new barrels,

Inky dark purple garnet colored, medium to full bodied, bright vibrant complex black cherry with some blue fruit tones, with notes of earth, violet, pepper and herbs, with chalky minerality and tannins on the lingering finish. 

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4624205

https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/ 

@ForceMVineyards

Sullivan's Steakhouse Domaine Serene for celebration dinner

Sullivan's Steakhouse steaks and Domaine Serene for Anniversary Celebration Dinner

We went to Indianapolis and took Sister Pat and Bro-in-law Rodger to Sullivan's Steakhouse Indy to celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary. Sullivan's prepared a table with a nice welcome/congratulations card complete on a small bed of rose petals on the table. They then took our photo and presented each couple with a commemorative photo in a nice card. 

Perhaps we're accustomed to 'big city' Chicago wine and dine experiences, or its a Sullivan's condition, considering their numerous fifteen locations across the country, including our hometown Naperville, but several things seemed a bit amiss for our diner. The dining experience begins with the front door of the venue being broken with a hand printed sign directing one to use the other door which still closed with a bang. The dining room felt a bit dated with seemingly old carpeting, decor and lighting - despite the artsy mural adorning the wall, reminiscent perhaps of a Archibald Motley painting from the Whitney in NYC or the 'Nightlife' painting that we enjoy from AIC (Art Institute Chicago), and the wine wall looking into the wine cellar/room. 

We scoured the well appointed comprehensive wine-list (not available on-line to preview or pre-select) but struggled with the fact that no vintages were shown. It seemed an bit of an arduous imposition to ask the server to check on the vintages of several considered labels. For lack of a Sommelier or Wine Steward, the waitstaff were woefully unfamiliar with the wines on offer. This exercise reduced our selection to three bottles versus a half dozen or more I would have preferred to consider. 

Never-the-less, in the end, we ordered from the winelist one of our favorite labels, an ultra-premium Pinot Noir from Oregon Willamette Valley. We first discovered this label dining at Smith & Wollensky, Chicago during a getaway weekend years ago. While being a non-significant expense at nearly $200, it was a better value at 2X retail price, as opposed to the near 3X price point of many of the wines. It is one of the few Pinots that we keep in our cellar collection.

Three of us ordered the price fixe special promotion "Sure Thing" menu of a soup or salad starter, and entree and a dessert. 

It's promotion -  "Sample the best of the best from the Sure Thing $49 Prix-Fixe menu. Choose from a 6 oz. Filet Mignon, Sliced New York Strip, or Broiled Salmon, plus the salad or side that catches your eye. Finish the night by sinking your spoon into a New York-Style Cheesecake, Key Lime Pie, or Bananas Foster Bread Pudding."

We had the Wedge Salad and the Shrimp & Lobster Bisque with Shrimp, Lobster, Sherry and Cream.

The dinner included a plate of fresh warm baked bread with whipped butter.

Additionally we ordered two sides to share, the creamed corn and creamed spinach, along with a starter of the Charbroiled Oysters with Cajun Butter, Parmesan and Lemon (four).

The starters - salad, bisque and our steaks, and Rodger's lamb chops and accompaniments were all appropriately prepared and presented with attentive and hospitable servers. 

Domine Serene Evenstad Reserve Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2015 

The Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir is Domaine Serene's flagship wine, hand selected from their best barrels each year to create a reserve wine that is consistent in both its superior quality and flavor profile. 

 

We've written often in these pages about this label, most recently in this blogpost - Domaine Serene "Evenstad Reserve" Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and grilled beefsteak -  https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2023/06/domaine-serene-evenstad-reserve.html. 

Producer Tasting Notes: "Never shy in the glass, the 2015 Evenstad Reserve radiates a blissful bouquet of boysenberry, marionberry, dark chocolate, and sage. In the mouth, its graceful texture enters with power and seduces every part of your palate - exposing wave upon wave of alluring flavors of dark fruits, mushroom, and cola. Its silky-smooth, velvet-like tannins, give way to a long, weighted finish that endures with unrivaled finesse and persistence. This is truly a compelling wine that illustrates two and a half decades of winemaking mastery in one of the finest places in the world to grow and produce Pinot Noir."

This release was rated 95 points International Wine Report and a seeming consensus 94 points by Wine Enthusiast (Editors Choice), and James Suckling, Wine Spectator and Vinous.

Domaine Serene "Evenstad Reserve" Willamette Valley Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2015 

At eight years, this is likely at the apex of its drinking window. From the restaurant winelist, the label was soiled and torn as shown.

Bright garnet colored with purple hues, expansive complex and concentrated yet nicely balanced, elegant and approachable with aromatic flavors of dark berries with notes of black raspberry, cherry liqueur, cola, cinnamon spice, vanilla, earth and espresso with velvety tannins on the long polished smooth finish.

RM 94 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2714672

https://www.domaineserene.com/

https://www.sullivanssteakhouse.com/

https://twitter.com/SereneWine

Belle Glos RRV Dairyman Vineyard Pinot Noir

Belle Glos Russian River Valley Dairyman Vineyard Pinot Noir 2015

Following the pair of Belle Glos Pinots we had at two restaurants on our summer getaway to our Destiny Cove vacation rental the last week, when we returned home, I pulled from the cellar the third label in the series of vineyard designated labels from this producer. We had this with a home grilled pizza and it was a  delicious accompaniment.

Last week we had the Belle Glos Clark & Telephone Pinot Noir at the Beach Walk Café, Henderson Park Inn, in Destin FL, then the Belle Glos Las Alturas Pinot Noir at Firefly Grill Effingham, IL

We hold all these labels from various vintages in our cellar collection, so we tried the Belle Glos Dairyman Vineyard Pinot with home grilled pizza on the deck for dinner. 

Each of the Belle Glos Pinot Noirs are produced from top growing areas along the California coast: the Santa Lucia Highlands of Monterey County; the Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County; and the Santa Maria Valley, Santa Barbara County. 

The wines showcase the distinctive climatic and terroir differences of the sites, notable for the amount of fog, wind, sunlight and soil type at each site.

The Belle Glos Pinot Noirs are very distinctively packaged with the top third of the bottles being dipped in red wax at an angle to form the  signature capsules protecting the corks.

The name Belle Glos (pronounced BELL GLOSS), honors Winemaker Joseph J. Wagner’s grandmother, Lorna Belle Glos Wagner, a co-founder of Caymus Vineyards."  Wagner is a fourth-generation winemaker from a family with farming and winemaking roots in the Napa Valley since 1906.  

Belle Glos Sonoma County Russian River Valley Dairyman Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016

As reported in these pages, in the midst of summer, its was a nice departure from the big bold hearty Syrah's/Shiraz's we enjoy, and the robust Bordeaux varietals to the finer, more refined, less bold and burdensome Pinot Noirs. Each of these tastings were delightful and frankly, exceeded our expectations for a ideal accompaniment to our various entrees. 

As noted, each of the Belle Glos labels is from a designated vineyard in the different popular coastal influenced growing regions suited to growing Pinot Noir. This vineyard designated label is from their source in the Russian River Valley in Northern California, Sonoma County. Situated in the southern alluvial plains of the Russian River Valley, Dairyman Vineyard’s proximity to the Pacific Ocean results in a cool morning fog and afternoon coastal breezes that elongate the growing season.

While the Russian River Valley is a large and diverse appellation with multiple climate zones and soil types, as it meanders from the inland mountain and foothill valleys westward to the Pacific, it is best known for cool-climate varieties, with Pinot Noir as the most popular. 

Russian River Valley grapes benefit from the persistent late afternoon flow of Pacific Ocean fog through the Petaluma Gap and along the Russian River Valley that ensures slow and steady ripening and the preservation of grape acidity. 

Historically Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs had bright red fruit and delicate earthy, mineral notes. But changes in viticultural and winemaking practices have led to stylistic changes in some of the region’s wines. Adjustments to canopy management, among other techniques, have resulted in riper fruit and bolder wines as well. These show flavors of black cherry, blackberry, cola, spice and darker, loamy earth tones, accenting traditional Pinot Noir notes of strawberry, raspberry and light cherry.

The terroir of the site results in small, concentrated and flavorful berries, producing bright cherry characteristics, brown spices, and a keen minerality overlaid with a rich, velvety mouth feel. Named as a result of its history, once an old dairy farm, the pastureland was planted to Dijon clone Pinot Noir in 2000, preserving the longstanding agricultural history of the property.

Winemaker's Notes - "Dark ruby red in color with satisfying aromas of boysenberry, dark cherry and mulberry along with delicate hints of baking spices, dill, cola, nutmeg and vanilla. On the palate, bold flavors of cranberry, ripe plum, cherry and super-ripe strawberry are uplifted by gentle notes of cocoa powder and sweet fig for a generous and silky mouthfeel. This tremendously complex and broad-shouldered wine finishes with grace."

 

Like the earlier Pinots mentioned above, this was delightful, enjoyable drinking, bright ruby colored, medium full bodies, expressive black cherry and plum fruits with spicy notes of nutmeg, vanilla and sweet mocha with a smooth, almost elegant, balanced lingering finish. 

 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2823880

https://belleglos.com/

https://twitter.com/bellegloswines 

Belle Glos Pinot Noir at Firefly Grill Effingham, IL

Belle Glos Las Alturas Pinot Noir at Firefly Grill, Effingham, IL

Enroute back to Chicago from our Florida Destiny Cove getaway last week, we stopped and dined at the Firefly Grill in Effingham, IL for a delightful, memorable fine dining experience. Firefly American Grill is now on our itinerary and plans for future trips through the area.

Firefly is just off the highway I57 in a large expansive freestanding building surrounded by flowerbeds, gardens and a pond. 

Firefly is a farm-to-table cuisine artsy restaurant that focuses on dedication to growing and serving "some of the best food on the planet", imaginative food creations crafted from the finest ingredients. They have a stated wholehearted dedication to their community, eco-system, clients, farm, the Earth and their teammates. 

Firefly is the handicraft of proprietors Kristie and Niall. They met in Puerto Rico while helping mutual friends open a new restaurant there, the Blue Macaw. Kristie and Niall embraced the challenge and wonderful experience of getting a restaurant off the ground.

After a few years in Puerto Rico, they decided to get married and return to the mainland. Niall had taken a job at Bradley Ogden's Lark Creek Inn outside of San Francisco. On the way to California, they stopped in Kristie's hometown, Effingham, IL. They commented to folks there how Effingham could benefit from a restaurant like the one they dreamed of and wanted to create someday.

The establishment of Firefly was the idea of local entrepreneur/developer Jack Schultz who orchestrated the fulfillment of the vision and dream of Kristie and Niall Campbell to open a restaurant. Jack had heard through the grapevine that Kristie was marrying a chef and that someday they want to open a restaurant. 

Jack loved their ideas and with the help of their incredible community, Jack and his team at Agracel, some investors, a visionary at Newton State Bank, and architect Cass Calder Smith, Kristie and Niall's dream to open a restaurant was born, in Effingham.

In Firefly, they created a space that is like coming into their own home, with the kitchen the heart of the Campbell house, with an exhibition kitchen, customers see everything that goes into the dishes firsthand.

Their vision of sustainability is also manifested in the building with recycled steel, reclaimed barn wood, chairs recycled from Hard Rock in Manhattan, and a pond that irrigates the gardens reducing firefly's carbon footprint. They grow mint in the gardens on the site, not only for the menu, but also to keep the mosquitos away. 

The rustic dining room with wood ceiling and hardwood floors is lively and almost boisterous. 

Food they can't grow themselves is sourced locally whenever possible by using sustainable fisheries, artisan farmers, and foragers. Their website lists about twenty suppliers including Trader's Point Creamery in Zionsville, IN, not far from several of our family and friends in the area that we occasionally frequent when in town. 

The firefly philosophy on food is: keep it simple, source the best ingredients possible, and stay out of their way.

We dined outside on the front porch overlooking the landscaped lawn with gardens and Illinois agricultural fields in view across the road.

From the lunch menu, we selected the wedge salad, I had the grilled petit filet with mashed potatoes and asparagus, and Linda ordered the beef wellington. For a wine accompaniment, I chose BTG the Belle Glos Pinot Noir.

Following the delightful tasting of Belle Glos Santa Maria Valley vineyard designated Pinot we had on vacation in Florida last week, it was fun trying another Belle Glos Vineyard Pinot. I wrote extensively about producer/winemaker Joe Wagner and the Belle Glos brand in a blogpost about that dinner.

Linda tried the Caymus Quilt Reserve Cabernet.

Belle Glos Monterey County Las Alturas Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021

This is another single vineyard designated Pinot Noir. It is sourced from the 15 acre Las Alturas Vineyard located in one of the highest-plantable sites in the Santa Lucia Highlands of Monterey County. The yields are deliberately kept low in order to preserve the fruit intensity from the vines.

 

The name “Las Alturas” in Spanish means “the heights,” a fitting name for this vineyard located on one of the highest grape-growing benches in the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA up to 1,200 feet. At this elevation, it has a terroir of sunny but very cool climate from the breezes that blow in from the Pacific coast that creates wines bearing all the hallmarks of the coastal region: robust, expressive, full-bodied, and balanced by a firm acidity

The wine was aged in 100% French oak (60% new) for up to nine months. After the wine underwent malolactic fermentation, it was racked twice before making the final blend.

Winemaker's Tasting Notes: "Rich crimson in color withfragrant aromas of blackberry, sage, cherry, and hints of rich dark chocolate. Bold and elegant on the palate with boysenberry pie, black currant jam, dark plum, and subtle notes of ground nutmeg. Balanced and structured, this wine has beautiful acidity that lingers through to a long, mouthwatering finish."

A wonderful accompaniment to the grilled beefsteak, especially on a warm summer afternoon, its a nice departure from the big bold hearty Syrah's/Shiraz's we enjoy, and the robust Bordeaux varietals, to the finer, more refined, less bold and forward Pinot Noirs. 

In the midst of summer, its a nice departure from the big bold hearty Syrah's/Shiraz's we enjoy, and the robust Bordeaux varietals to the finer, more refined, less bold and burdensome Pinot Noirs. 

What sets Belle Glos apart is its beautiful acidity that gives it a long, mouthwatering finish. It's a wine that is perfect for those who appreciate a well behaved structured, bold, and complex wine. With every sip, you feel the balance between the fruitiness and acidity making it a fantastic accompaniment to hearty meat dishes or simply enjoyed on its own as a sipping wine.

Winemaker Notes - Scarlet red in color with an aromatic medley of gooseberry, raspberry, and cranberry with hints of ginger, black pepper, and shaved milk chocolate. Dark fruit on the palate with flavors of wild berries, milk chocolate, toffee, black cherry, and ground nutmeg. Rich and structured, this wine has beautiful acidity that lingers through to a long, mouthwatering finish.

This was rated 91 by Wine Enthusiast. 

Dark ruby colored, medium-full bodied, aromatic, complex full flavors of black cherry with notes of toast, caramel, milk chocolate and hints of cola, toffee, spice and licorice.  

RM 91.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4501644

https://belleglos.com/

https://www.ffgrill.com/

Belle Glos Clark & Telephone Pinot Noir Inniskillin Ice Wine at Beach Walk Café, Henderson Park Inn, Destin

Belle Glos Clark & Telephone Vineyard Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir and Inniskillin Ice Wine at  Beach Walk Café, Henderson Park Inn, Destin

Date night out during our vacation getaway to The Cove in Destiny East in Destin, Florida, we dined at the Beach Walk Restaurant at the Henderson Park Inn at the end of our beach adjacent the Henderson State Park with views of the Destin harbor towers in the distance.

Destin sits on the Emerald Coast of the Florida panhandle and is noted as one of the top beaches in the state, nation and world, by various travelogues and reviews, with its powdery sugar white sands. 

The Beach Walk Café at the Henderson Park Inn is an award-winning, fine-dining restaurant that overlooks the beach with views of the towering condo towers along the Destin beach and harbor two miles to the west. 

It has been named one of the most romantic restaurants in North America for its pairing imaginative cuisine rooted in the freshest, local ingredients with spectacular sunsets and starry skies amidst the surf.

Our server said she has stayed there for a half dozen years because of their executive chef, Destin native Daniel Peters. Daniel first worked a professional kitchen at the age of 26, gaining his first taste of fine food and wine knowledge at Chan’s Wine World. 

In 2011, he moved to Napa Valley to further his culinary skills and experience. There he studied under a number of world-renowned award-winning chefs, including Douglas Keane, Sang Yoon, Jake Rand and Stephan Barber. He returned home to apply what he learned to elevation Destin’s food culture, with his Gulf-to-table concept at Beach Walk.

For our dinner this evening, we started with the Corn and Crab Bisque and the Iceberg Wedge salad with Applewood Bacon, Shaved Red Onion, Tomato, Maytag Blue Cheese Crumble and Dressing.

For our entree we selected the fresh catch Snapper with Corn Truffle Risotto, Madeira Mushrooms, Truffle Fries in a Citrus Beurre Blanc.

While the limited but carefully selected wine list offered several favorite producers and selections such as Nils Venge Saddleback, Chardonnay and Cabernet, no less than five of our selection choices were not available. 

We settled on an our fifth choice the Belle Glos Pinot Noir, which proved to be a superb pairing choice, perhaps testament to the quality of offerings, but there were few alternatives at that point. 

When I expressed my displeasure at the out of date wine list, and admonished them that we brought more wine from our home cellar in Chicago for our week away, than they had available, General Manager Mike Frey appeared and was extremely gracious and attentive. He granted us a complimentary Domaine Chandon California Carneros sparkling wine, a taste of the evenings WBTG special offer red, followed by a premium icewine accompaniment to our dessert, another offering not shown on the winelist.

Despite it all, we had a delightful long discussion throughout the evening on common interests, backgrounds and fine dining and wine experiences.

The Belle Glos Pinot was delightful with dinner.

Belle Glos Clark & Telephone Vineyard, Santa Barbara County, Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir 2021

Belle Glos is the wine of owner winemaker Joseph Wagner, son of Chuck Wagner of Napa Valley Caymus notoriety. Belle Glos was the name of his grandmother, Chuck's mother, Lorna Belle Glos Wagner, Matriarch and co-founder of Caymus Vineyards, original land and vineyard owner. Joe focuses on single vineyard designated Pinot Noirs including this Clark and Telephone Vineyard from down in Santa Barbara County in the Santa Maria Valley.  

As a fifth-generation Napa Valley winemaker, Joe learned his way around a vineyard long before he was able to drink wine.

By the time he was 19 he knew that he would continue his family’s winemaking legacy, working alongside his father at Caymus Vineyards. In 2001, he created Belle Glos, with a focus on vineyard-designated Pinot Noirs from throughout California’s best coastal regions.

More recently, he has launched a number of new brands under Copper Cane Wines & Provisions. Joe has a keen interest in contributing to the evolution of the wine industry, by discovering new wine growing locations and through experimentation in the cellar.

Joe lives in Napa Valley, has six children, and maintains a healthy balance between his family life and a passionate dedication to his business.

Belle Glos showcases distinctive Pinot Noirs produced from California’s most noteworthy coastal wine-growing regions.

While each vineyard location lies near the Pacific Ocean, the climate differences are significant, varying with the amount of fog, wind, sunlight, and soil type at each site. Each Vineyard Designate is crafted to distill the purest essence of the locale into elegant expressions of California Pinot Noir.

Owner/winemaker, Joe Wagner chose the name Belle Glos (pronounced “BELL GLOSS”) to honor his grandmother, Lorna Belle Glos Wagner. Lorna was a co-founder of Caymus Vineyards, an inspirational figure to Joseph and an avid lover of Pinot Noir.

I wrote last year about Belle Glos Vineyard Select Pinot Noirs from the Wagner family vineyards. This selection is from their Clark & Telephone Vineyard, named for its location near the corner of Clark Avenue and Telephone Road in the Santa Maria Valley. The site is cooled by wind and fog that rolls in from the Pacific Ocean following the Santa Maria River. The vineyard was planted in 1972 with the Martini clone of Pinot Noir, one of the first to be used along the California coastlands.

This was surprisingly robust and flavorful, yet smooth and polished so as to nicely complement the fresh seafood entree. 

Dark ruby colored, medium to full bodied, smooth and polished with nicely integrated full flavors of black raspberry, with hints of blueberry, subtle strawberry and cherry. There are tones of cinnamon, spice, sweet oak and tea on a lively acidity long finish with supple tannins.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1610945

http://www.belleglos.com/

With our desert course, Mike presented us with this ultra-premium Inniskillin Ice Wine.

Inniskillin Vidal Blanc Niagara VQA Icewine 2018

We visited the Inniskillin estate, vineyards and winery on the Niagara escarpment during our Inniskillin Niagara on the Lake Wine Experience back in 2012. It is the 'first growth' premiere grand cru of Canadian wines. 

 Innisklillin Wines was founded in 1975 by Austrian-born Karl J. Kaiser, and native Canadian Donald J.P. Ziraldo, a decendant of a family of winegrowers in Northern Italy. They were granted the first winery license granted in the province of Ontario since 1929. 

Inniskillin was founded dedicated to producing the finest possible wines from vinifera wine grapes grown in the Niagara Peninsula. Karl and Donald tested the ground of Niagara, seeking the optimal terroir and located the Inniskillin estate and vineyards in Niagara-on-the-Lake at the historic Brae Burn Estate. Inniskillin gained international notoriety when its pioneering 1989 Vidal Icewine was awarded the Grand Prix d'Honneur at Vinexpo 1991 drawing worldwide attention to Canada's burgeoning wine industry.

VQA Icewine is a highly concentrated dessert wine made by harvesting grapes naturally frozen on the vine at -10 C in December-January. Inniskillin VQA Icewine is internationally awarded and recognized and is exported throughout the world.

 Vidal is a hybrid grape varietal, produced from Ugni Blanc and Seibel varietals, that has a thick skin suitable for harvesting late in the season. It is the most popular Icewine grape grown in Ontario. It’s noted for good natural acidity that gives great structure to the lusciousness of its tropical aromas and flavors of mango and lychee.  Inniskillin produces Vidal Icewine in two distinct styles, one without oak aging to highlight the fresh fruit emphasis, and with oak aging for added complexity.

This is the same wine, one vintage removed from that which we tasted at a fine dinner we had at the Herrington Inn Atwaters Restaurant in Geneva last fall.

Winemaker Notes - "Aromatics of tropical fruit including mango and orange dominate, on the palate fruit flavors including peach, nectarine and lemon are balanced by crisp, lively acidity. Perfect on its own; a variety of cheeses (blue veined, aged cheddar, rich cream cheeses with dried fruits); seared scallops; lobster; rich pates; fruit based desserts."

This release was awarded 94 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, and 93 points by Decanter

The 2018 Vidal Icewine comes in with 245 grams of residual sugar, 10.5 of total acidity and 9.5% alcohol. An early harvest began on December 14 and continued for several consecutive days. 

 

Golden straw colored, fulled bodied, rich concentrated unctuous classic peach and apricot notes with tongue coating sugar sweetness, hints of spiced orange, caramel and almond in the lingering finish. 

 

RM 93 points. 

 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3737386

 

https://www.inniskillin.com/

http://twitter.com/InniskillinWine

@InniskillinWine

Domaine Serene "Evenstad Reserve" Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and grilled beefsteak

Domaine Serene "Evenstad Reserve" Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and grilled beefsteak

Beautiful Saturday night dine-in on the deck, we grilled a Cowboy Tomahawk Ribeye beefsteak, served with roasted potatoes, grilled onions and fresh vege plate. In light of the 90 degree temp weather, I pulled from our cellar an aged vintage Pinot Noir as an accompaniment, offering something lighter and more approachable than a full throttle Bordeaux varietal. 

This turned out to be a perfect pairing accentuating the enjoyment of both the wine and the dinner. In addition to the beefsteak with grilled onions, the effervescence of the wine was especially amplified by the robust tomatoes and a side of sourdough bread with honey butter!  

Readers of these pages know we typically favor Bordeaux varietal wines but on occasions such as this we will turn to Burgundy. Part of tonight's selection was also inspired by the fabulous memorable Vosne Romanee Burgundy Pinot we had at our Pour Boys Winers and Diners dinner the other night. 

This is one of the select few Pinots that we collect and hold in our cellar and I pulled this aged thirteen year old, the oldest vintage as part of proper cellar rotation management, which we'll likely replace with a current vintage as part of maintaining this vertical collection. 

This particular label has some special significance since Linda and I discovered it at a memorable outing during one of our get-away weekends to Chicago. We had a bottle at Smith & Wollensky sitting outside overlooking the Chicago River for a summer afternoon wine, salad and cheese interlude. Its been a favorite ever since. 

This is from producer Domaine Serene, whose owner proprietors Grace and Ken Evenstad who, after 20 years building a successful business in Minnesota, settled in the Oregon Willamette Valley in 1989. They acquired a 42-acre hilltop estate that had just been logged in the Dundee Hills with the intent of growing and producing world-class Burgundian style Pinot Noir. They established Domaine Serene, naming the winery after their daughter, Serene, and their first vineyard on the estate after their son, Mark Bradford Evenstad.

Today, the Evenstad's land holdings have grown to over 1,000 acres, more than 360 of which are planted to vine in three AVAs of the Willamette Valley.

Domaine Serene produces wines from six individual vineyard estates, planted exclusively to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Each estate offers a diversity of soils, clones, rootstocks, microclimates, slopes and elevations that add distinguishing complexity and elegance to the wines.

Since the first vintage in 1990, Domaine Serene has produced award-winning wines, including this Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir, recognized as the World’s #3 Wine of 2013 by Wine Spectator Magazine.

Their 2012 Winery Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir was named the Top Pinot Noir in the World by Decanter magazine in 2016. The 2014 Evenstad Reserve Chardonnay received 95 points and was ranked the #2 wine in the world on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of the Year. As a result, Domaine Serene became the only winery in the world to receive a Top 3 rating in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of the Year for both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Over the years, Domaine Serene’s wines have produced 200 wines scoring 90 points or higher by Wine Spectator.

In 2017, the 2013 Domaine Serene Jerusalem Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir was awarded the Top American Pinot Noir at the Decanter World Wine Awards. 

Domaine Serene "Evenstad Reserve" Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2010

This label release is 100% Pinot Noir sourced from eight of the estate vineyards of the 142 acre estate in the Dundee Hills AVA of which 84 acres are planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the oldest vines dating to 1993. The vineyard sits at an elevation of 520-825 feet in the rolling hills of the Willamette Valley. 

This release was rated 95 points by Wine Spectator and was #3 Wine of the Year, Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2013, 93 points by Wine Advocate and 92 points by Wine Enthusiast, the highest-scoring Evenstad to that date.

6,000 cases were produced. 

Winemaker Notes - "Wonderfully complex wine that delivers an array of red fruits, caramel, baking spice, vanilla, dried flowers, and potpourri. On the palate, this elegant wine shows a harmonious balance of structure, richness and acidity with soft tannins and a clean, lingering finish."

Wine Spectator said to drink through 2020, Wine Advocate in 2015 said it drink it over the next decade (through 2025), and I believe it is at near the end of the apex of its drinking window, not likely to improve further with aging, time to enjoy!

Despite the soiled label, importantly, the fill level and cork were in ideal condition

Bright ruby colored, medium bodied, vibrant expressive black raspberry and plum fruits with sprites of cherry, cinnamon spice, black tea and hints of graphite and what Advocate called 'bay leaf', with a long tangy finish. 

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1601874

https://www.domaineserene.com/

https://twitter.com/SereneWine 

@SereneWine

BÖEN Tri-appellation Pinot Noir

BÖEN 'Tri-Appellation' Pinot Noir for pleasant casual high QPR sipping

We opened this casual sipping Pinot Noir with biscuits, crackers and artisan cheeses. This is from Joseph Wagner, fifth generation Napa Valley winemaker, who grew up in the wine business working alongside his father Chuck Wagner, famed legendary founder and winemaker at Caymus Vineyards. 

One of the cheeses we enjoyed was Delice de Bourgogne, a French classic triple crème cheese that originated in the Burgundy region of France. Authentic Delice de Bourgogne has a white, bloomy and pungent rind because of the Penicilium Candidum mold.

A tribute to small scale industrial French cheese-making, this is from Murrays Cheese on Bleeker Street in Greenich Village, New York. We discovered it there during several of our dining experiences at their wine and cheese restaurant there, then were surprised and delighted to see it available at our local Mariano's grocery cheese department, after they sold out to their parent Krogers. Mariano's Delice de Bourgogne is a pasteurized triple creme (75% butterfat in dry matter) that marries full-fat cow milk with fresh cream, producing a rich forward cheese. Unlike many straightforward triple-cremes, this one has a thin, pungent mold rind that imparts straw and mushroom aromas, complementing the buttery yellow, sweet cream interior. 

While this is best served with Champagne, being from Burgundy it is also enjoyed with Burgundian Pinot Noir such as this one. We found its pungent forward sharpness is softened for pairing with red wine by adding a bit of honey. 

Joseph learned his way around a vineyard long before he was able to drink wine. By the time he was nineteen, he knew that he would continue his family’s winemaker legacy, working alongside his father at Caymus Vineyards. 

In 2001, Joe created Belle Glos, with a focus on vineyard-designated Pinot Noirs from California’s best coastal regions.

This is another Joe Wagner project; he chose the name BÖEN, a translation of ‘The Farm’, as a constant reminder that the wine he produces is indivisible from the land that it comes from, that "first and foremost, I am a farmer.” His wines are crafted to reflect the vineyard sites where they are sourced.

BÖEN wines are produced as an expression of  Pinot Noir and Chardonnay made in his signature style of rich, ripe fruit flavors balanced with bright acidity and judicious hints of toasty oak. The BÖEN portfolio consists of several vineyard or appellation specific wines that tend to offer high QPR - quality price ratios.

BÖEN Tri-appellation Sonoma County, Santa Barbara County, Monterey County Pinot Noir 2020

This 100% Pinot Noir is actually a blend of grapes from three different California counties, netting out to be 45% Sonoma County, 29% Santa Barbara County and 26% Monterey County, hence referred to as a Tri-Appelation blend. 

This is the entry level Pinot of the line-up and offers great value in this every day sipper. 

We first discovered this wine as the WBTG - wine by the glass offering at a favorite fine dining local restaurant. We have since found it at Cosco, which tends to be quite discriminating in their wine selections and offerings, generally providing significant QPR throughout. I wrote about COSCO and their wine offerings in a recent blogpost.

Winemaker Notes for this release: "Dark Plum in color with ruby red highlights. On the nose, luscious notes of raspberry swirl along side dark plum notes accompanied by hints of rosemary and sage. Rich and well balanced with bright blackberry, Bing cherry, dark chocolate and a hint of caramel on the palate. This wine is sure to please with its rounded mouth-feel, and long, smooth, velvety finish."

Not your typical fruit forward California style, it leans more toward old world style, ruby colored, medium bodied, bright dark cherry fruit with vanilla, herb, tobacco and earth, with nice body and mouthfeel.

RM 88 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4167518

https://boenwines.com/

https://twitter.com/boenwines  

@BoenWines

Black Diamond Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2011 - 13

This bottle had been set aside in the wine cooler adjacent our kitchen as a ready to drink wine. Even then it was overlooked and has been held several years longer than intended, or ideal. 

 

I wrote about this wine and its producer in a detailed blogpost back in 2014. Its hard to believe its been that long. In any event, we cleared out the wine cooler and pulled several bottles to consume, so, here we are. 

Linda prepared boiled ham and green beans and onions and I pulled this aged Russian River Pinot Noir as an accompaniment.

Black Diamond Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2011

At nearing a dozen years of age, this is past its prime drinking window but still approachable. The cork, label and fill level were all pristine.

The fruit flavors have been overtaken by what Linda described as aromas of a cardboard box, what I would liken to wet wood.

 

The non-fruit woody and earth flavors predominate over the cherry, raspberry and cinnamon flavors. Dark garnet purple colored, medium light bodied, the fruit tones give way to a layer of smoky spice and a tangy  lingering acidic finish.

RM 86 points - previously 88 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1804396

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2014/03/black-diamond-pinot-noir-russian-river.html

Lo and behold we also found and did a 2013. This was consistent with earlier tasting notes of this release.

Black Diamond Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2013

I wrote about this release in an earlier blogpost back in 2015 when I wrote: "I discovered the 2011 release of this wine and thought it provided a good QPR - quality price ratio, a rare find in a sub $20 Pinot Noir, hence I picked up this follow on vintage. The '13 is not as smooth, polished or as flavorful as the '11 but has a similar tasting profile. Not bad for an every day Pinot but not a best buy selection."

Dark garnet colored, slightly opaque, medium light bodied, tones of bing cherry, raspberry, hints of cinnamon spice and vanilla with a slightly tangy oak on the lingering acidic finish.

RM 86 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1957919

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2015/03/black-diamond-pinot-noir-2013.html

Easter Celebration Dinner Wine Flight

Gala Easter Celebration Family Dinner with Wine Flight

The family gathered at our house for a gala Easter celebration dinner including an Easter Egg hunt for the (grand) children. We were joined by cousin, niece Becky and husband Keith, visiting for the weekend, and in-laws, Frank and Marylisa visiting the new parent kids and newest grandaughter Marylin, in from Naples. 

Linda prepared an extensive dinner with salad, baked ham, scalloped potatoes, french toast, baked beans, baked pineapple and apples, steamed broccoli and more. Prior to dinner we served a selection of artisan cheeses with crackers, fresh shrimp cocktail, smoked salmon, a broad assortment of French pastry maccaroons, fresh fruit, and other delectables.

I pulled from the cellar a flight of wines for the various courses.

Besserat de Bellefon - Cuvée des Moines brut Rosé Champagne 

Long Shadows Dance Columbia Valley Chardonnay 2019 

Calera Ryan's Vineyard Mt Hollister Pinot Noir 2010

Cliff Lede Napa Valley Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 

Les Brulières de Beychevelle 2016

Besserat de Bellefon "Cuvee des Moines" Brut Rosé Champagne

The Maison Besserat de Bellefon was founded in Aÿ in 1843 by Edmond Besserat. Originally from Hautvillers, he imposed his artisanal know-how creating cuvées that he sold to renowned hotels, restaurants and wine merchants of the day. After Edmond, his grandsons, Victor and Edmond, followed in his footsteps continuing his pursuit of excellence and high standards, one as technician, the other as emeritus taster. 

In 1920, the marriage of Edmond with Yvonne de Méric de Bellefon, of the noble Champagne house, sealed the beginning of the legend of Champagne Besserat de Bellefon and endowed the House with the family coat of arms.

This label, the Cuvée des Moines was conceived in 1930, comprised of a selection of the best Champagne wines. In the best vintage years, Besserat de Bellefon selects the best plots to produce the best wines of Champagne. 

Each non-vintage Besserat de Bellefon cuvée rests in the cellar for a minimum of three years; the vintage cuvée remains there for a minimum of five years, ageing in the cellar much longer than the minimum period required by the Appellation.

Besserat de Bellefon "Cuvee des Moines" Brut Rosé Champagne

This label of Besserat de Bellefon Cuvee des Moines Brut Rose is now part of the house of Besserat de Bellefon Simplicité Line in the brand portfolio. 

Besserat Bellefon produces a range of pure, fresh, lean and elegant low-pressure wines that do not undergo the typical malolactic fermentation. The Champagnes of Besserat de Bellefon are unique in that they are made at only 4.5 atmospheres of pressure across the range rather than the standard 6. The resulting quality, first-class Champagnes are made specifically to be paired with food, or are ideal served as aperitifs or celebratory sipping.

The NV Brut Rosé Cuvée des Moines is a blend of 45% Meunier, 25% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay.

This release was rated 92 points by Wine Spectator, 90 points James Suckling and Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.

Bright golden pink orange colored, ripe and tangy red boysenberry and yellow peach fruits are framed by crisp juicy dry acidity, chalk and smoke notes with hints of almond, lemon and ginger accents on the finish.

RM 92 points.

https://www.besseratdebellefon.com/index-en.php

https://twitter.com/BesseratB

@BesseratB

Long Shadows "Dance" Columbia Valley Chardonnay 2019

This label, Dance has special significance in that our daughter-in-law Vivianna's sister, Grace, was a career professional performing arts dancer having studied dance at New York Fordham University and then traveling with the world famous Alvin Ailey dance troupe. 

It was a great fun to serve this in tribute to Grace, who was just engaged to be married, to Vivianna and their parents, Frank and Marylisa, who joined us for our festive holiday dinner.

As written in this pages a couple of weeks ago, we discovered this label on the Catch 35 wine list during our dinner there a couple of weeks ago. We've been Long Shadows Key Club Members since our visit to the Woodinville tasting room during our Washington Wine Experience when we visited the winery tasting room in Woodinville back in the fall of 2018.

We receive a case of Long Shadows wines every quarter and hold several cases of their labels in our cellar and this was the first time we have seen or heard about this label, purported to be the latest addition to the portfolio.

Following our enjoyment of this wine at our recent dinner, I promptly called Long Shadows and ordered a case of this limited release label, "Dance" as part of my wine club entitlement allocation. 

Winemaker's Tasting Notes - A layered, aromatic wine that displays minerality and white blossom fragrances with flavors of white peach, apple and a hint of baking spice woven throughout a subtle, creamy texture.

The aromas intrigue on the nose, with notes of clarified butter, straw, spice and pumpkin. The palate shows depth and breadth to the stone fruit flavors but also sophistication. The balance is exquisite.

The result is a rich, yet refined Chardonnay with a beautiful viscosity that carries the mid-palate
while the acidity persists across a lengthy finish.

Light straw colored, medium bodied, rich crisp clean green apple with notes of baking spice, pumpkin, stone fruit and hint of citrus on a bright tangy finish.

93 Points

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3322908

https://longshadows.com/

https://twitter.com/LongShadowsWine

@LongShadowsWine

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2022/04/catch35-naperville-seafood-and-wine.html
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2022/04/catch35-naperville-seafood-and-wine.html

Calera Ryan's Vineyard Mt Hollister Pinot Noir 2010

In the spirit of the family celebration, I pulled from the cellar a birthyear vintage wine of our eldest grand-daughter, Lucy, this single vineyard designated wine from an estate vineyard with son Ryan's name. 

Calera are one of the legendary classic California Pinot Noirs. Founder Josh Jenson was the pioneer of California Pinot Noir. 

As I have written in these pages, any lover of Pinot Noir would benefit from reading The Heartbreak Grape,  A California Winemakers Search for the Perfect Pinot Noir by Marc de Villiers, 1994, Harper Collins.  

This is a wonderful true story that starts when Devillers becomes captivated by a wine served at a holiday party. The story evolves as his journalistic curiosity leads to researching the wine and its origins - the story of  Josh Jensen and Calera winery. 

He chronicles the challenges and travails of developing the Pinot Noir grape in California, and then turning it into a business, an industry, and pursuing a dream. 

 

The name Heartbreak Grape speaks to the challenge of pioneering bringing the Pinot Noir grape varietal to America - finding the right terrior, climate, terrain, soil, drainage - all the elements required to produce this wine. It then follows the story of an entrepreneur following his dream to build a business and a brand.  

 

From the namesake vineyard bearing son Ryan's name, I keep a half dozen vintages a label in our cellar for tasting during such family gatherings. This, 2010 vintage release, is the oldest in our cellar, selecting the oldest as part of appropriate cellar management. 

We've held onto this vintage release since it is a birthyear wine of one of our grandchildren. Also, it was the special 35th Anniversary Release Vintage, hence I was holding it for the possibility of gifting it or serving it from someone's 35th Anniversary celebration. 

Calera is an oenphile's wine - the rear label is one of the most imformative of any producer's label I know of, with detailed information on the vineyard, geography, harvest, location and terroir including a map of the estate of the vineyard sites.  

As shown, this release is 100% Calera Estate fruit from the 13 acre Ryan Vineyard at 2200 feet elevation on Mt Harlan in the Gavilan Mountains nine miles from Holister, California, twenty miles inland from Monterey Carmel on the Pacific Coast, ninety miles south of San Francisco.

In any event, this label was awarded 94 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 92 points and *Cellar Selection* by Wine Enthusiast and "Outstanding" by Allen Meadows - Burghound.

Dark ruby colored, starting to take on a slight bit of discoloration at a dozen years of age, medium bodied, the complex flavors of plum, dark cherry and dried rose petals are showing slight diminution of the fruit from aging, turning to a textured tangy acidic firm tannin laced lingering finish. 

RM 88 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1546892

https://www.calerawine.com/

https://twitter.com/calerawine 

@CaleraWine

Ryan brought from home the remains of a bottle he had opened the night before. 

Cliff Lede Napa Valley Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

Our visits to the Cliff Lede estate winey and vineyards have been a highlight of several of our Napa Valley Wine Experiences. Since son Ryan and fellow Pour Boy Bill C both are club members and receive regular vintage release allocations of this producer, we opt to collect a different producer, thereby affording all of a greater variety of tasting experiences. 

This Diamond Mountain appellation label is one of Ryan's favorites from his broad collection from this producer. We've enjoyed several vintages of this label with Ryan and Bill. 

Winery notes: "Our Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon comes from exceptional, low-yielding vineyards with volcanic ash and gravelly loam soils in the Diamond Mountain appellation, nestled in the Mayacamas Range on the northwest side of Napa Valley. The sun-drenched mountain vineyards have late afternoon breezes that ripen the fruit slowly and evenly. Both sites are planted to extraordinary old vines on a steep incline with historic Napa field selections and produce age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon with dark fruit, intense structure, minerality, and perfume." 

This was dark garnet colored, full bodied, complex, rich concentrated brooding layered black berry and black raspberry fruits accented by notes of graphite, dark mocha chocolate, tobacco leaf, leather and smoke on a tongue coating long finish. 

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3145685

https://www.ledefamilywines.com/

 

@CliffLedeWine 

Les Brulières de Beychevelle Haut Medoc 2016

I found this label at Binny's, our wine and beverage super store recently. We know this producer well, having visited the Chateau Beychevelle estate vineyards and winery in St Julien Bordeaux during our visit to the region and appellation a couple of years ago.  

We hold several vintages of the grand vin Chateau Beychevelle dating back more than three decades, but have never seen this more pedestrian entry level label from this producer, so I was compelled to pick some up to try.

Clearly not the grand vin, or their second label sophistication or quality, but at a fraction of the price, this represented reasonable QPR - Quality Price Ratio for simpler every day sipping, a 'pizza' wine as I refer to such wines. Notably, this is a Haut-Medoc appellation labeled wine, not from the more prestigious and distinctive St Julien appellation.

Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, black cherry and black plum fruits accented by notes of smoke, herbs, green pepper, leather and a bit of wet earth and tar with a bright tangy acidic finish. 

RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3107238

https://beychevelle.com/

https://twitter.com/Beychevelle1855 

@Beychevelle1855