Arns Napa Valley Pritchard Hill Melanson Vineyard Syrah with Gia Mia Pizza

Arns Napa Valley Pritchard Hill Melanson Vineyard Syrah with Gia Mia Pizza

Monday night dinner, we ordered wood fired pizzas from Gia Mia in Naperville. Located in the old historic public library downtown, the trendy restaurant offers casual fine dining in a lively vibrant atmosphere. While I don’t necessarily like the somewhat noisy ambiance, I love their meatballs and polenta entree, except for the fact that often they add too much spice heat to the mix.

Such was the case tonight, I was looking forward to a pizza and big wine pairing for dinner, the Mia Gia pizza was excessively hot with spice that it overpowered even the big unctuous red wine, undermining the whole food-wine experience. 

Shame on me for not noticing till after the fact that “The Bruno” pizza includes, besides the sausage, pepperoni and meatballs … spicy soppressata!

That aside, this was the same profile as earlier vintages of this extremely limited release label that we enjoyed so much. 

We first discovered and acquired this label at the winery and were able to reacquire some at auction last winter, which we saved for an occasion such as tonight.   

We wrote about Arns Winery and this limited release Napa Valley Syrah and that estate visit in an earlier blogpost in these pages, excerpted below.  

Arns Melanson Napa Syrah 08

Arns Melanson Vineyard Napa Valley Syrah 2012

John Arns, Rick, Linda and fellow Pour Boy 

Bill C at Arns Estate on lower Howell Mtn.

We first discovered Arns wines at Andy Bassin's McArthur Wines in Washinton DC during my several years being based there. The presence of Arns there was due to the heritage of the winemaker Sandi Belcher Arns being from Virginia and distributing wines to her home marketplace when visiting back there. 

We visited John Arns at the Arns Estate on Howell Mountain during our Napa Wine Experience back in 2013. We first discovered and acquired this varietal offering during that visit. 

This wine is indicative of one of our favorite wine styles with its rich, concentrated, full bodied, forward fruits.  As my tasting notes from that period stated. "Tasted at the winery, shipped some home, drank a bottle upon arrival, need to go buy more."

This is a very limited production bottling from this boutique producer so when we saw it on-line, we snatched up the entire lot. Of course, Arns primarily specialize in Cabernet Sauvignons, which we also love from this producer, which makes this Syrah label all the more rare and cherished. For the 2012 vintage, only 85 cases were produced. It was aged three years in one year old French oak.

While Arns Estate Vineyards are located up on lower Howell Mountain, hence the Napa Valley appellation designation*, I recall from or discussions with the producer that the fruit for this label is actually sourced from the Melanson Vineyard down at the southern end of the Vaca Mountain range down on the slope area known as Pritchard Hill.

The Melanson Vineyard sits on Pritchard Hill on the rugged eastern ridges above the town of Rutherford overlooking the Napa Valley below with views of Lake Hennessey. The distinctive terroir of the site consists of rich Sobrante Loam soils loaded with volcanic rock at elevations averaging 1,400 feet and distinct southern and western exposures produces better than average fruit due to its exposure, clones, soils  and most of all, care.  The elevation places the vineyards above the fog line and allowing maximum sun exposure throughout the day providing even ripening.

Arns Syrah comes from a small corner of this vineyard and sits in a major rock pile.  There was soil added so a vine could be planted in something other than boulders. Syrah berries are large, about the size of a quarter and their skins are tough and can endure sometimes even the most unfavorable conditions.  John Arns notes that "with above average sunshine, (this site is above the fog line) it truly demonstrates that terroir really matters." 

* Interestingly, it is at the 1200 foot elevation, the level of the fog line, that is also the line of demarcation between the Napa Valley appellation below, and the Howell Mountain appellation above, up on Howell Mountain. 

My notes from 2013 - "Dark inky garnet color, full bodied, powerful but polished forward flavors of black berry and hints of blue fruits, layers of cassis and mocha, hints of clove, violets, leather and olive with a long lingering firm but silky tannin finish. Much like a big Southern Aussie Shiraz.'

Tasted at the winery, shipped some home, drank a bottle upon arrival, need to go buy more." 

At going on twelve years of age, this wine is still very much in its peak drinking window and not showing any sign of diminution with hint of raisin and whisper of menthol. While it will not likely improve or benefit from further aging, it certainly has another half dozen years of life left at the apex of its profile. We love this wine and were eager to obtain this lot ant auction, and taste and compare it to earlier releases. We consumed all the product we acquired over the years from from the Estate.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2366677

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1498990

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2013/04/arns-napa-valley-estate-vineyards.html

Arns Estate Visit on Rick's WineSite ...  
http://www.mcnees.org/winesite/napa/napa-2013/arns/napa-2013-arns.htm

http://arnswinery.com/

https://www.giamiapizzabar.com/

Ramey Sonoma County Syrah

Ramey Sonoma Coast Syrah with Sunday Night Pizza

 

Sunday night, pizza night ... I picked up this recent vintage Sonoma Coast Syrah 2017 for the occasion. 

 

This is from David Ramey, best known for his work with Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, so I was intrigued to find this Syrah from such a notable winemaker/producer and an area becoming known for Syrah. 

 

David Ramey spent his early career creating benchmark wines for such wineries as Matanzas Creek, Chalk Hill, Dominus and Rudd leading up to he and his wife Carla founding Ramey Wine Cellars in 1996. They have been producing critically acclaimed, award-winning wines ever since, committed to Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay as their primary varietals, and, I now see, Syrah.

This Sonoma Coast Syrah is grown on the cooler, western slopes of Sonoma Mountain, sourced from the Rodgers Creek Vineyard that was planted to Ramey’s specifications to take advantage of the cool Pacific winds blowing through the famed Petaluma Gap. This is combined with grapes from the Cole Creek Vineyard in the warmer Russian River Valley. The 2017 vintage is comprised of 50% Cole Creek Vineyard and 50% Rodgers Creek Vineyard, combining terroir of Cole Creek's very gravelly Felta clay loam and Rodgers Creek's volcanic Kidd series gravelly loam.

We toured the area during our Sonoma County Wine Experience back in 2017 and have since collected some other big Syrahs from the area, also known for full hearty cool climate Chardonnays.

Interesting that Ramey captures the style and elegance of Northern Rhone Syrahs, all the while showing the bright ripeness that comes from California - he's crafted a wine that taste like top-flight Hermitage or Cornas from a top-flight vintage, at a fraction of the price.

Like wines produced in the Cote-Rotie, Ramey co-ferments this Syrah with 5% Viognier. The addition of this aromatic white grape adds a floral perfume to the wine, increasing the already seductive powers of the wine! A third of the wine is aged in new oak, with the remainder only used oak, adding a touch of spice and vanilla to the oak tones. 

Ramey Sonoma Coast Syrah 2017

This is an incredibly aromatic Syrah with aromas of wild flowers and herbs, couple with cracked black pepper and blackberries. These characteristics carry over into the flavors, showing the savory side of Syrah, with lots of dark, ripe, black fruit. 

This is a blend of 89% Syrah  co-fermented with 11% Viognier, then aged sur lies for 19 months in 70% new French barrels from François Frères and Demptos.

Winemaker Notes: "The 2017 Syrah Sonoma Coast has a medium purple/ruby hue as well as classic Syrah gaminess and pepperiness. With lots of blackberry fruit, some ground herb, bacon fat, and olive notes as well as medium to full-bodied richness on the palate, it's already drinking nicely and has a supple, approachable style."

This release was awarded 95 points by Virginia Boone of Wine Enthusiast, 93 Points by Wine Advocate, 92 Points  by Wine Spectator and Jeb Dunnuck.

This is the big bold forward concentrated style that we love in a Syrah - ideal for bbq, smoked meats or tangy pizza, such as tonight. 

Medium purple/garnet colored, medium to full-bodied, tightly structured, concentrated full and round blackberry, black currant and blueberry fruits complemented with notes of pepper, bacon fat, black olive and garrigue with floral notes turning to fine grained tannins on a full lingering finish.

RM 92 points.  

 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3729368

https://www.rameywine.com/vineyards/

https://www.rameywine.com/wine-release/2017-syrah-sonoma-coast/

 

https://twitter.com/RameyWineCellar 

 

@RameyWineCellar

Nino Negri 5 Stelle Sfursat 2004

Nino Negri 5 Stelle Sfursat 2004 - big bold Italian Red for pizza pasta dinner

Our exploration of non-conventional wines (for us) continues with this Italian Nebbiolo pullled from the cellar to enjoy with Suparossa pizza watching the Cubs in game four of the world series. We ordered out for premium pizza and I scoured the cellar for a premium Italian wine suitable for the occasion. 

As written in earlier blogposts, readers of this blog know we don't do a lot of Italian wines. Less than 1% of our cellar is in Italian labels. There are so many appellations and varietals and producers across all the regions, I advise folks to find one you like and focus on a few to develop knowledge and understanding of that area, and then move on. We focus on Bordeaux and Bordeaux varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot...) and Rhone and its varietals (which includes Syrah/Shiraz and thus includes Australia's popular varietal).

I admit, I am not well versed in Italian wine regions and their associated grape varietals. I've written before that in the 'new world', we name or label our wines based on the primary grape varietal in the bottle. In the 'old world', they, (the French, Italians, Germans), name the wine for the region or appellation, and its up to the consumer to understand the applicable wine grape varietal associated with that area. For example, Left Bank Bordeaux appellations (growing areas) such as St Julien and Paulliac are Cabernet Sauvignon based blends, while Right Bank Bordeaux such as St Emilion and Pomerol are Merlot based blends.

In this case of Italy and Lombardia, the wines are based on the Nebbiolo grape varietal.  Perhaps this is obvious, but the neophyte, or even learned wine geeks who don't know Italian wines, don't necessarily know the association of Sangiovese or Nebbiolo varietals and their regions and appellations, Lombardia, Barolo, Piedmont, Tuscany etc.

Skip ahead if this is known and basic, or bear with me if you're interested in learning these fundamentals of Lombardia Valtellina Superiore, and Sforzato di Valtellina which are two Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) (aka appellation in France or AVA (American (Agriculture) Viticultural Area) in America) in the northern Italian region of Lombardia. Stella Sfursat are red wines made primarily from the Nebbiolo grape varietal.

This is like in the Piedmont Barolo DOCG with its communes of Barolo, Castiglione Falletto and Serralunga d'Alba, and parts of the communes of Cherasco, Diano d'Alba, Grinzane Cavour, La Morra, Monforte d'Alba, Novello, Roddi and Verduno. These sub-appellations as they might be called in America, are mentioned on the label, but are secondary to the region name. To many, me included, this adds to the confusion of interpreting or parsing an Italian wine label.

Nebbiolo based wines tend to be bold, full bodied, tannic, firm, concentrated and long lived with tasting characteristics of black fruits, tar, rose petals and smoke which made this ideal for the tangy spicy pizza tomato sauces.

5 Stelle Sfursat di Valtellina DOCG

This is Nino Negri’s flagship wine, made from the most select very best grapes, only in the best vintage years. The fruit for this wine is 100% Nebbiolo (Chiavennasca) grapes, hand picked in the most acclaimed parcels of Valtellina Superiore. The grape are dried naturally for 3 months in their skins.

The Valtellina appellation lies north of Lake Como in the province of Sondrio. It is sheltered from the cold northern winds by the Rhaetian Alps mountain range. The Valley, runs 40 kms from east to west and faces the south where it is exposed to the sun all day. The Valley is divided into four sub-zones that each are named for the different types of wine produced there: Grumello, Sassella, Inferno and Valgella. The territory has two DOCGs, the more widely known Valtellina Superiore, and Sforzato di Valtellina.

CellarTracker Drinking Window indicates this is not yet at but nearing the end of its peak drinking window.

It is brick red color and starting to show some brisking separation of its body, medium bodied, nose and flavors of black fruits with layer of tangy cinnamon spice predominating, subdued floral and nose, the black berry and black cherry fruits predominant with tones of black olive, tar, soy and hint of baking spices with supple dry tannins.

This was perfect accompaniment to the spicy tomato sauces of the Suparossa carry-out pizzas. 

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1561770


http://www.ninonegri.net/eng/index.html

http://www.suparossawoodridge.com/

Lamborn Howell Mtn Zin and Pizza on the Patio

Lamborn Howell Mountain Zinfandel - Perfect for Pizza on the Patio

I wrote the other day about the imperative of keeping some zinfandel in the cellar for barbecue, and pizza was part of that order too. We had an impromptu pizza and wine dinner with neighbor Shirley on the patio by the pool, while Mark was on the big lake preparing the boat for this weekends colossal Chicago Air and Water Show. We ordered from a local eatery our consensus favorite, thin slice well done ... and I pulled from the cellar this hearty robust Zinfandel.

This is another in the collection of Lamborn Family Vineyards Zinfandels I recently obtained at auction that I wrote about in that recent blogpost.

As I wrote, we visited Lamborn Family Vineyards high atop Howell Mountain on the back side of the mountain overlooking the Pope Valley, during our Napa Wine Experience in 2008. Mike and Terry Lamborn are wonderful folks whose vineyards are a labor of love, and site for whimsical and fun scuplture artwork too. Legendary Heidi Barrett is their winemaker. We also share a bit of a bond with Lamborn from our work in National Security Intelligence.

I wrote about Howell Mountain terroir provides distinctive concentrated spicy fruit for Zinfandel (as well as Cabernet) and is one of our favorite appellations of the seventeen Napa growing areas.

Lamborn Family Vineyards "Echo Vintage" Zinfandel 2004

Dark blackish garnet colored, full bodied. big forward concentrated brambly rich super ripe black berry fruits with tones of ripe raisin, fig and creosote and hints of black pepper. I am sure the concentrated bramble profile is accented by its age. This wine begs for spicy pasta, dark chocolate or the like to offset the robust forward fruits. The girls love this style but I personally find it almost 'over to top'.

RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=260429

https://www.lamborn.com/ 

Davis Family Vineyards Old Vine Zinfandel

Davis Family Vineyards Russian River Valley Old Vine Zinfandel 2002

Thin crust pizza with sausage, pepperoni and spicy sauce and a plate of hearty cheese calls for fruit forward bold expressive pizza wine. Davis Family Vineyards Old Vine Zinfandel from the Russian River Valley answers the call - not complex or sophisticated but easy drinking, single dimensional and focused.

The fact this was a small format 375ml bottle may have contributed to its aging to the point of being in the last stage of its drinking window for this twelve year old. Lasting that long speaks well for this label, indicates a pretty robust and stable wine, and appropriate cellar conditions. Glad I pulled this from the cellar and caught it in time, appropriately for a weeknight wine and pizza experience.

Dark inky purple colored, medium bodied, at twelve years of age the fruit has turned to bramble black berry accented raisin tones with a layer of leather and tobacco.

RM 87 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=32211  

http://www.davisfamilyvineyards.com/

Big Red Wine Flight with Pizza on Boys' Night Out

Big Red Wine Flight with Pizza on Boys' Night Out

When wine buddy and colleague Gary M brought his son Brett over to tour our cellar, they showed up with a couple of pizzas on an evening we were all bach'ing it. I was hoping (my) #1 Son Ryan could also join us but it turned out he was traveling.

We pulled (from the cellar), popped and poured some big hearty pizza wines. I wanted to show off one of my favorite Big Reds, Flinders Run Southern Flinders Ranges Shiraz, compared to another similar vintage and site selection Kaesler Bogan 2005, and another favorite high QPR favorite Shiraz Ninety-Plus Cellars Lot 101.

I've written in this blog about the producer Flinders Run Emanuel Skorpos and the Southern Flinders Range's site and their winemaking heritage.

We hold two vintages of this wine, the 2005 and the 2006 which was bigger, more brooding and bold, but less slightly polished or elegant than the '05. That said, I wanted to see how the '06 would match up alongside the Kaesler which has a similar style and character but is even moreso the traits of the '06 relative to the '05, Flinders, forward, slightly aggressive, less polished.

Flinders Run Southern Flinders Ranges Shiraz 2006

We love this wine and consider it a benchmark representation of Southern Australian Shiraz at its very best, and at a pricepoint between $25-35 it offers a relative great QPR (Quality to Price ratio). I wish I could find more of it. Not sure what happened to Flinders Run. It appeared on the market selectively for these vintages and we haven't see it since.

Like earlier comparison tasting of varied big reds, this was the hit of the evening. Consistent with earlier notes, the 2006 Flinders is dark inky purple, full bodied, powerfully scented bouquet of dark berries, smoky minerals and fresh flowers bursting with flavors of thick chewy black raspberry, blueberry and cassis with layers of nut, vanilla and hints of mocha flavors on a tongue coating lingering finish with tones of black tea and what Parker refers to as 'pain grillé' which is the French word for 'toast'. As much as we like this wine, the 2005 may be even better, being more polished, smoother and more balanced.

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=579974

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=421985

http://www.flindersrun.com.au/

Kaesler The Bogan Barossa Valley Shiraz 2005

Like the Flinders, this is not for the feint of heart. This is another big bold forward wine that demands a food pairing to balance its aggressiveness. While this label tends to be popular and highly rated, it is not a style I favor, as I find it to have non-fruit characteristics predominating that detract from its appeal. Before we tasted this, I warned the guys it would be similar in style with its big bold forward approach, but the fruit would be diminished by a layer of tea, tobacco leaf and creosote. It revealed itself exactly as I predicted.

Read through the long litany of Cellartracker reviews and see the preponderance of earth, pepper, coffee, smoked meat, leather and mint, eucalyptus and  you'll see what I mean. While these are all acceptable descriptors and tones in a big forward wine, I prefer they be accents rather than the mainstream headliner tones, which has been my experience with the lesser and mid tier Kaesler labels (Oct 10, 2002, April 20, 2008,  Sept 22, 2005, February 28, 2007). Only at the high end with their ulta-premium 'Old Bastard' label (March 11, 2002, May 22, 2004, February 23, 2013), at $100+, have I experienced the fruit to predominate in their wines.

As with earlier tastings, dark inky purple garnet colored, full bodied with nose of earth, pepper and spices before revealing fruit flavors. Tones of blackberry, black cherry are overtaken by alcohol, smoke, creosote, tobacco leaf and black tea with hints of cedar and mint on the firm lengthy finish.

RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=292220 

http://kaesler.com.au/ 

Ninety Plus Cellars Columbia Valley Lot 101 Syrah 2009

Like earlier tastings, I opened this Shiraz to show a contrast in styles and regions, and age, of the same varietal. I've raved about this wine several times in this blog, and tonight, like before, it didn't disappoint, standing up to the other Big Reds. I've stated that this may be one of our favorite drinking wines in our cellar right now, certainly at this price point!

Compared to the forward, obtuse Kaeslar, the Lot 101 Shiraz came across as smooth, polished and elegant, although not as much so as the Flinders.

Dark inky garnet colored, medium to full bodied, this full throttle Syrah reveals layers of blackberry and black currants fruits with tones of sweet vanilla, caramel and spice with hints of black pepper on a lingering smooth silky tannin finish.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1742790

http://www.ninetypluscellars.com/wines/lot-101-collectors-series-syrah

Ninety Plus Cellars Lot 91 Rutherford Napa Valley Zinfandel 2012

For a last comparison tasting of another Big Red, I pulled this Napa Valley Rutherford Zinfandel. The rep for this was pouring it when I stopped in Sav-Way Hinsdale the other evening and it presented itself as a big forward fruit filled easy sipper that should go well with pizza - and a good QPR at $17. When I opened it tonight against the other Big Reds, it met its match and was put in its place. When compared to the big Aussie Shiraz', this came across as lean and even a bit flabby with moderate fruit and body. By itself, it would've probably been fine for a casual easy sipping pizza wine, as prescribed, but against the big bold Barossa Shiraz', it wasn't a fair fight. 

I've written often in this blog about Ninety-Plus Cellars with their high QPR negociant offerings. 

Here is their listing on this Napa Valley Rutherford Zinfandel.

"Story - This winery has been harvesting Zinfandel in the heart of the Napa Valley since way back when big hair and parachute pants were popular. It's a totally righteous red made from Zinfandel ripened to perfection under the Napa Sunshine. Straight up, this is one totally awesome Zin that you'll never want to give up.'

"Tasting Notes - Inky purple with aromas of raspberries, wildflowers, and toffee that rain down upon a foundation of ripe plum, and sweet spice. A magical celebration of flavor hits you like a sledgehammer, beckoning you to give it one more try all night long. Time after time, it pairs perfectly with a grilled ribeye with or without bleu cheese. Show your true colors by sharing it with others because that's what friends are for."

Dark purple/garnet colored, medium-full bodied, blackberry and black raspberry fruits with a bit of leather and spice. 

RM 87 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1970092

http://www.ninetypluscellars.com/wines/lot-91-zinfandel