Beringer Private Reserve Napa Chardonnay 2014

Beringer Private Reserve Napa Valley Chardonnay 2014 BYOB at Chinn's Lisle

This outstanding release of this label is widely available at deeply discounted prices around Chicagoland merchants offering a substantial QPR - Quality Price Ratio in this highly rated release. We took this BYOB to Chinn's 34th Street Fishery in Lisle (IL) and it was spectacular with the Chargrilled Hawaiian Monchong and the Grouper. 

The fruit for this label is primarily sourced from their Gamble Ranch property in the Oakville AVA of Napa Valley. Only the finest lots were then selected for inclusion in this Private Reserve bottling. Each lot was kept separate from harvest all the way through the winemaking process. The wine was aged for 9 months in predominately new French oak with full malolactic fermentation, and the lees were stirred weekly to enrich the texture and profile. 


Beringer Private Reserve Napa Valley Chardonnay 2014

I picked up a few bottles, then picked up a few more. I should've grabbed more but I waited till I actually tried it to come to this conclusion, not based on the review. 

This got ratings for 95 points from Decanter and James Suckling, 92 points from Wine Spectator and 91 points from Vinous.


The Winemaker's tasting notes: "A richly layered wine with aromas of crème brulee and rich citrus and fruit flavors."   

This was butter colored, medium full bodied with bright lively buttery creamy notes of crème brulée, notes of caramel and hazelnut with apple and citrus fruits accented by spice and toasty oak with hints of vanilla apple and peach on the long nicely balanced finish. 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2256991


https://www.beringer.com/

http://www.chinnsfishery.com/ 

La Scolca Gavi Bianco Secco Cortese

La Scolca Gavi Bianco Secco Cortese for Mediterranean Sole Seafood Dinner

Stopping over in Frankfurt on our European tour, we walked down to the Frankfurt City Center to the famous Fressgass'in near the Opernplatz (Opera Place) for dinner at Garibaldi Restaurant where they serve authentic Italian and fresh Mediterranean cuisine. Garibaldi have an extensive wine list of Italian wines from simple every day wines to ultra premium legendary classic labels such as Tignanello, Guado Al Tasso, Ornellaia, Bondi Santo, Sassicaia and Masseto,

I had one of my favorite seafood dishes that I will order whenever it is available, grilled Sogliola Seezunge (Sole) with potatoes and seasonal vegetables. It was perfectly prepared and delicious.

To accompany my dinner I selected a simple light Italian white wine, La Scolca Gavi Bianco Secco.

Gavi La Scolca Bianco Secco Cortese 2017

From young, this is produced from 100% Cortese grapes grown in the "high hills" of Rovereto. This is a simple every day wine from the iconic Gavi producer. A nice refreshing simple wine to complement and not overshadow the delicate fish entry.

Light pale clear, almost colorless, light body, aromas of floral, yellow apple, slight citrus note, clean and crisp, moderately dry, medium acidity and medium alcohol at 12%.

RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3031697

https://www.garibaldi-frankfurt.de/

Nickle & Nickle Chardonnay for Chinns Seafood Dinner

Nickel & Nickel Chardonnay for Chinn's Jet Fresh Seafood Dinner

We dined at Chinn's Fishery Seafood in Lisle (IL) and took BYOB a robust full bodied Nickel & Nickel Chardonnay to pair with the 'Jet Fresh' seafood. Chinn's offer seafood that is flown in daily from the various seaports around the world. They actually post on the wall the bills of lading from the flights from Alaska, Hawaii, Florida, the West Coast and East Coast ports. This provides the freshest specialties; fish, crabs, lobsters, shrimp, scallops and more, flown in fresh daily, bringing in the days' catch at the ports, packed and served within 24 hrs. Stan & Kim Chinn and General Manager, Robert Blaese, have been operating at the Lisle location since 1995.


Tonight's "Fresh Fish - Flown in Daily" menu, shown left, featured Hawaiian Monchong, Hawaiian Ahi Tuna, Arctic Char, Florida Swordfish, Pacific Grouper and Holland Dover Sole.

They also feature daily their "7-Way Fish" that can be prepared any one of seven ways: chargrilled, blackened, batter fried, sauteed,  sauteed oriental, baked grecian, and stir-fried with vegetables. Tonight's 7-Way Fish feature was Hawaiian Opah.

Chinn's was lively and hopping when we arrived for our six o'clock reservation. We were seated promptly. The restaurant was full and most tables turned over and were filled for a second seating as we were leaving. The atmosphere is bright, well lit with a marine motif and atmosphere somewhere between a coffee shop and harborside seaport bar and eatery. I believe it was the best dinner we've had there in the twenty years we've dined there, with the impeccable food, hospitality and service.

They also feature the traditional seafood faire of lobster, crabs, shrimp, mussels and a raw bar of fresh oysters. Steaks and pasta selections are available including a broad surf and turf set of options. Our server Stephanie provided attentive, friendly, knowledgeable and professional service.

I opted for the Holland Dover Sole which was delectable, grilled in lemon white wine butter sauce. Linda had the Crab Cakes, and Sean and Michelle the Daily Special Hawaiian Opah. All were excellent. I featured Dover Sole in these pages recently that I had twice in NYC at an upscale fine-dining establishment. There it was $70 for the entree. Tonight's was better!

To pair with our diverse seafood dinner, we brought from our cellar BYOB Nickle & Nickle Russian River Valley Sonoma County Chardonnay. Big, full bodied and robust, it was a perfect pairing.

Nickel & Nickel Stiling Vineyard Russian River Valley Sonoma Chardonnay 2013

We toured the Russian River Valley during our Napa Sonoma Wine Experience 2017 year before last. We stayed on the coast in Bodega Bay and traveled the back roads between there and Santa Rosa to witness and experience the climate and topology that comprises the notable terrior of the area.

This is from the Green Valley AVA in Russian River Valley where, the grapes benefit from a cooling coastal influence that helps them ripen slowly and develop complexity.

From the Green Valley AVA site: "Green Valley is one of the smallest appellations in Sonoma County. It lies in the southwestern part of the Russian River Valley, bounded by the towns of Sebastopol, Forestville and Occidental. It is very tightly delineated, both geographically and climatically, and is the most consistent and distinctive of any North Coast appellation in terms of soil, climate and flavor. The fog is Green Valley’s trademark."


The 2013 vintage was a fantastic growing season in the Russian River, with dry, moderate temperatures and cool foggy mornings

From the winery: "The 2013 Nickel & Nickel Stiling Vineyard Chardonnay is consistent from year to year. Passion fruit and floral aromas offer a mere hint of what’s on the palate: flavors of Muscat and Meyer lemon enhanced by flint and stone. A pleasant oiliness adds suppleness to the mouthfeel, but the vibrant acidity cleanses the palate and adds a succulent quality that makes one eager for another sip."

This was golden butter colored, full bodied, very forward, almost obtuse with its firmness and intense buttery and oaky tones and structure that almost overpowers the fruits - passion fruit, melon, floral, lemon, flint and stone.

Linda liked it a lot, classic (over-the-top) California Chardonnay style, I found it a bit much, almost overpowering for my more delicate sole entree.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2028407

https://nickelandnickel.com/wines-vineyards/single-vineyard-wines/2013-stiling-vineyard-chardonnay/

https://nickelandnickel.com/

http://www.chinnsfishery.com/

Cakebread Napa Valley Chardonnay for Raymes Seafood Dinner

Cakebread Napa Valley Chardonnay for Raymes Lisle Seafood dinner

Friday night out for a casual dinner we dined at Raymes Steak and Fish House in Lisle (IL), blocks from where I got off the train commuting home from the city. While Raymies is the primary fine dining restaurant in all of Lisle we have only dined there a few times in the decades we've lived in town.

Readers of these pages know we place a high emphasis on wine as part of our dining experience. Raymes have a minimalist, barely adequate wine list, and as such, we had not planned ahead so as to bring a bottle BYOB so we ordered from their winelist. Indeed, they promote themselves as 'Home of the King Sized Cocktail', and their logo even features a martini glass. So it shouldn't come a surprise that this is not a wine oriented restaurant. Hence, one of the reasons we don't frequent there. Based on this evening's experience, though, we will definitely return, presuming we can arrange BYOB to accompany the dinner.

Raymies Seafood Special - Grilled Sea Bass in lemon butter

This was our first time in the 'new' Raymes, totally rebuilt from the ground up on the location of the old restaurant on the site along the commuter rail blocks from downtown and the commuter station.

The new restaurant is open, airy and cosmopolitan in its black furniture contrasting the white tablecloths on the tightly packed grid of tables. When we arrived for early dinner at 530 we got the last window table and the dining room was wide open. By 700 the dining room was full at this point was lively and boisterous but not excessively noisy.

The American style menu has a great selection for our tastes; steaks, chops, ribs, meatloaf, pot roast and a great seafood selection with a half dozen entrees. Entrees come with potatoe or rice, soup or salad and a basket of fresh hot bread. The seafood special was Grilled Sea Bass served in basic lemon and butter. Other choices included Lump Crab Cakes, Sea Scallops, Grouper in crusted parmesan, and fresh water selections Blue Gill or Walleye.

We opted for the Grilled Sea Bass, Scallops, Crab Cakes and the Grouper. To accompany our entree selections we chose from the wine list the Cakebread Chardonnay which was an ideal compliment to the fresh seafood selections.

We tasted the Reserve version of  this wine during our private tasting at the Cakebread Cellars Estate during our Napa Valley Wine Experience 2018. This is a popular restaurant wine, quality, dependable, a well known brand that is widely available so as to be a safe and easy choice fpr consumers. For our taste and preference, it was the only premium selection on the wine list that offered only three wines at pricepoints of $30, $50 and the Cakebread at $75, winelist prices based on ~2 times retail.

Cakebread Napa Valley Chardonnay 2014

This is a French-inspired elegant wine with a bit more acid and mineral quality than the big fuller bodied oak infused buttery style commonly produced in California. Almost clear, light almond colored, medium bodied, crisp, clean, predominate lemon citrus tones laced with minerals and stone fruit.

RM 89 points. 

This is sourced from 91% Carneros district and 9% Napa Valley fruit. Grapes grown in the cool-climate Carneros district at the southern tip of the valley are subject to fog and cooling breezes from nearby San Pablo Bay. Hence, Carneros typically has a long growing season that ripens the fruit fully while retaining the bright acidity that gives Chardonnay freshness and vitality. Added to the Carneros fruit is grapes from warmer sites further up the valley that yield a bit riper, fuller chardonnay, the combination resulting in richer, more elegant and complex chardonnay, but not the fuller, highly oaked, big buttery fruit bombs that are predominantly Napa Valley fruit from the hotter upper reaches of the area.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2220445

https://www.cakebread.com/

http://raymessteakhouse.com/

Raymes Lump Crab Cakes and Asparagus

Raymes Sea Scallops Appetizer

Raymes, Lisle, IL - Lincoln Hwy (Rt 53) at Burlington

Cakebread Cellars Napa Chardonnay at Il Postino NYC

Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Carneros Chardonnay at Il Postino NYC

For the second time in as many months, I found myself in NYC and a special dinner at what is becoming one of my favorites dinesites there, Il Postino Ristorant Italiano. Once again, the food and service were spectacular in a classic cosmopolitan setting, ideal for a special business dinner.


As with my last visit, I ordered the Dover Sole, one of my favorite dishes, although I am happy with a less extravagant regular sole, or SFO native Petrale, or my absolute favorite, Sand Dabs, also known as Rex Sole, which is primarily found on the middle west coast Pacific from Monterey (CA) up to San Francisco.

Tonight, they prepared the dish to my request, in a lemon caper

butter white wine sauce. It was spectacular, just the way I like prefer. I might have opted for a lighter Sauvignon Blanc but I opted for a Chardonnay in consideration of my guests and mates who were having Calamari, Pasta and Shrimp, and Pasta with Lobster.

From the winelist we ordered Cakebread Napa Valley Chardonnay and Sonoma Cutrer Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2015.


Cakebread Napa Valley Chardonnay 2015

The 2015 Cakebread Napa Valley Chardonnay consists of 90% of the grapes came from the cool-climate Carneros district at the southern tip of the valley, with 40% of the fruit from Cakebread estate Carneros vineyards. Situated down at the bottom of Napa Valley where it meets Sonoma, off the San Pablo Bay estuary, the cool breezes and fog waft in, giving Carneros a long, cool growing season. This allows the fruit to fully ripen while retaining the bright acidity that gives Carneros Napa Valley Chardonnay its freshness and vitality. For this vintage, Cakebread blended fruit from Carneros with chardonnay grapes from just north of the city of Napa that yield especially luscious wines resulting in a elegant and complex chardonnay.

The 2015 vintage produced a light crop with small chardonnay berries and clusters yielding bright, intense varietal flavors.. A warm, dry winter brought early bud-break, and consistently mild summer weather, with a few late-season heat spikes, led to the earliest harvest in Cakebread Cellars forty-five vintages dating back to their inaugural release in 1973.

Straw colored, medium-full bodied this has aromas of green and golden apple, pear and citrus with hints of mineral. Complex and crisp with nice depth and balance, the long finish highlights notes of pear with hints of lemon, peach, vanilla, and spicy oak.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2470938

https://www.cakebread.com/

Pride Mountain Napa Valley Chardonnay 2016

Pride Mountain Napa Valley Carneros Chardonnay 2016

We dined at Seafire Grill in Midtown NYC and ordered this Pride Mountain Napa Valley Chardonnay 2016 with our seafood entrees.  Seafire Grill has been on my to-do list for quite a while so it was nice to get this in this trip.

I ordered the roasted Nova Scotia Halibut in beurre blanc sauce with lemon gnocchi, fava beans, and kale chimichurri (left). I was hoping for more boldness and rich flavor in the beurre blanc sauce but it was too subtle and benign to spruce up the mild fish. The fish preparation was excellent and the full gnocchi was a nice complement to the Halibut. 

Similarly, the cous cous starter was rather bland and uninspiring. The tuna tartar starter was the most expressive and enjoyable of our selections. All the better to order a rather bold forward Chardonnay to fill in the blanks. The Pride Mountain Napa Chardonnay turned out to be more modest as well, hence not overpowering to the more delicate subtle dishes, although that was not planned. 

Unlike the food, the atmosphere at Seafire Grill was boisterous and outgoing, bordering on overhearing, almost difficult to have a conversation, overly cosmopolitan and certainly lacking intimacy.

Pride Mountain Napa Valley Carneros Chardonnay 2016

Pride Mountain Vineyards are most noted for their mountain grown Cabernets from their vineyards high atop Spring Mountain. 

This Chardonnay is sourced from three different vineyards in Carneros down at the bottom of the Mayacamas Mtn range that separates Napa and Sonoma Valley. The area with its cool breezes and fog that wafts in from nearby San Pablo Bay is known for Burgundian varietal wines, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. 

Pride has long term supplier agreements with its growers there, hence, while not Estate grown, there is a history to compare this wine over many vintages for collectors and brand loyalists. 

While this is aged in 25% new French oak, the oak is subdued and well behaved, straw colored, light medium bodied, fresh, crisp lively acidity, moderate fruit tones of pear, citrus, melon and hint of spice.  

RM 89 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2802580

https://www.pridewines.com/

Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Chardonnay at Il Postino NYC

Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Carneros Chardonnay at Il Postino NYC

For the second time in as many months, I found myself in NYC and a special dinner at what is becoming one of my favorites dinesites there, Il Postino Ristorant Italiano. Once again, the food and service were spectacular in a classic cosmopolitan setting, ideal for a special business dinner.

As with my last visit, I ordered the Dover Sole, one of my favorite dishes, although I am happy with a less extravagant regular sole, or SFO native Petrale, or my absolute favorite, Sand Dabs, also known as Rex Sole, which is primarily found on the middle west coast Pacific from Monterey (CA) up to San Francisco.

Tonight, they prepared the dish to my request, in a lemon caper butter white wine sauce. It was spectacular, just the way I like prefer. I might have opted for a lighter Sauvignon Blanc but I opted for a Chardonnay in consideration of my guests and mates who were having Calamari, Pasta and Shrimp, and Pasta with Lobster.

From the winelist we ordered Cakebread Napa Valley Chardonnay and Sonoma Cutrer Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2015.

 Cakebread Napa Valley Chardonnay 2015

The 2015 Cakebread Napa Valley Chardonnay consists of 90% of the grapes came from the cool-climate Carneros district at the southern tip of the valley, with 40% of the fruit from Cakebread estate Carneros vineyards. Situated down at the bottom of Napa Valley where it meets Sonoma, off the San Pablo Bay estuary, the cool breezes and fog waft in, giving Carneros a long, cool growing season. This allows the fruit to fully ripen while retaining the bright acidity that gives Carneros Napa Valley Chardonnay its freshness and vitality. For this vintage, Cakebread blended fruit from Carneros with chardonnay grapes from just north of the city of Napa that yield especially luscious wines resulting in a elegant and complex chardonnay.

The 2015 vintage produced a light crop with small chardonnay berries and clusters yielding bright, intense varietal flavors.. A warm, dry winter brought early bud-break, and consistently mild summer weather, with a few late-season heat spikes, led to the earliest harvest in Cakebread Cellars forty-five vintages dating back to their inaugural release in 1973.

Straw colored, medium-full bodied this has aromas of green and golden apple, pear and citrus with hints of mineral. Complex and crisp with nice depth and balance, the long finish highlights notes of pear with hints of lemon, peach, vanilla, and spicy oak.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2470938

https://www.cakebread.com/

Cakebread Cellars Napa Chardonnay at Il Postino NYC

Cakebread Cellars Napa Chardonnay at Il Postino NYC

Visiting NYC on business, I had dinner with son Alec and roomate Dean. We dined at Il Postino on East 49th Street, a favorite neighborhood ristorante, a short walk from the apartment. The ambiance is cosmopolitan and stylish, the menu offers a broad selection of Italian specialties including pesce and pasta favorites. The signature artwork of a 19th century bicyclist rises over a corner table (shown left) and is their branded identity on their business cards and matches.

Their daily specials menu is so extraordinary that Alec had never seen their actual menu. The recitation by the server is worth price of admission. While not necessarily an Italian specialty, I couldn't resist the Dover Sole and it did not disappoint, being as good as any I've ever had.

As a wine geek, I tend typically order the wine to complement and pair with the food, and tonight was no exception.

To pair with my Sole and Alec's shrimp dish I ordered a bottle of Cakebread Chardonnay of the wine list.



Cakebread Cellars Napa Chardonnay 2015

Cakebread Chardonnays are  classic Napa Valley Chardonnay, crisp, ripe and round. The style reflects the range of vineyards from the lower Carneros to the central Napa Valley floor.

Straw colored, medium full bodied, aromas of green and golden apples, pear and citrus with notes of citrus spice and mineral.

This is a blend of 90% Carneros district, 10% Napa Valley.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=2470938

http://ilpostinony.com/

Hemingway's Oak Park BYOB BTG Dinner

Hemingway's Oak Park BYOB BTG Dinner

Culminating an event filled week with Valentine's Day, Linda's birthday and starting a new job, we celebrated with Saturday evening dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Hemingway's Bistro in Oak Park, located in the Write Inn, a euro boutique hotel. Fittingly, Hemingway's was still decorated for Valentine's Day.

As I've written in these pages, I conduct tours as a docent interpreter at the nearby Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, so this is a convenient dining spot following my tours.

Tonight's special was Alaskan Halibut with a mango pepper relish, rice and asparagus (shown left) which we both opted for as our entrees.

We both started with one of our favorite dishes, and draws to Hemingways - I had the Foie Gras du jour and Linda has the Tuna Tartar with avocado, cucumber and spicy aioli. The Foie Gras alone was worth the trip, absolutely delicious served with puree' of parsnip and peaches.


For the occasion, I brought BYOB from our home cellar a California Cabernet Bordeaux blend from Cloud View Napa Valley Pritchard Hill. In the end it was great with the Foie Gras but too much for the Halibut entrees and we opted for BTG (by-the-glass) selections from the wine list, a Lake Sonoma Russian River Valley Sonoma Chardonnay, and a Lemelson Vineyards Willamette Valley Pinot Gris.

Hemingway's offers an authentic Provencal or Parisan dining experience in all respects. As always, everything was spectacular for an intimate, dining experience - food, services, atmosphere and ambiance.

Lemelson Vineyards Willamette Valley Pinot Gris 2015

Bright golden butter colored, light-medium bodied, tangy crisp acidic backbone, bright pear, peach, hints of apple and melon with notes of mineral and citrus. An ideal complement to the tuna tartar and the Alaskan Hailbut.

RM 87 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2369756

Lake Sonoma Winery Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2015

According to the producer, the Russian River Valley is ideal for Chardonnay due to its cool climate, from the regular infiltration of Pacific Coast fog that ebbs and flows through the Petaluma Wind Gap and up the Russian River, making the Russian River Valley one of the world’s most celebrated Chardonnay growing regions. This natural air-conditioning allows Chardonnay grapes to develop full flavor over an extended growing season while maintaining their life-giving natural acidity.  The result is a chardonnay of both character and depth.

We visited the Russian River Valley Sonoma County appellation during our wine region visit last summer.

I believe this producer sources grapes from numerous growers in the region producing a region or appellation specific, but not Estate (produced from grapes grown on the property).

This Chardonnay from Hemingway's BTG (by-the-glass) winelist was straw colored, medium bodied, with notes of citrus, hints of creme brulee, vanilla, and honey with moderate acidity and depth.

RM 88 points. 
 http://www.lakesonomawinery.com/

http://www.hemmingwaysbistro.com/

http://www.lemelsonvineyards.com/ 

Cliff Lede Sauvignon Blanc & OBX Seafood

Cliff Lede Sauvignon Blanc & Outer Banks, NC (OBX) Seafood

Another family evening dinner at our Outer Banks, NC (OBX) beach house, tonight featured local seafood faire - flounder with shrimp and crabcakes. For such a meal we brought from home Cliff Lede Sauvignon Blanc, one of our favorite labels of this varietal, which provided a perfect accompaniment.

Our visit to Cliff Lede Vineyards has been a highlight of several of our Napa Valley Wine Experience trips. 

Cliff Lede Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2015

Light straw colored, medium-light bodied, harmonious nicely balanced layers of subdued citrus, peach, pear and lychee fruit with a refreshing crisp clean, smooth acidity finish.

I admit my discrimination and tasting vocabulary is not as sophisticated or complete with white wines as it is for reds. Hence, I include the Winemaker's Notes for this label: The 2015 Sauvignon Blanc is loaded with aromas of Meyer lemon and candle wax atop layers of honeysuckle, ginger, and tangerine.  Spring blossoms of wisteria, lupin, and California buckeye abound in the upper register of  the seductive  perfume.   The  full-bodied, coating mouthfeel  expands out  on  the palate  with  a  rich crème brûlée like texture as unctuous notes of bosc pear, orange marmalade, and lavender honey coalesce along the long, satisfying finish.

Composition 82% Sauvignon Blanc, 14% Sémillon, 3% Sauvignon Vert, 1% Muscat Canelli

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2324460

http://cliffledevineyards.com/

Here are the kids watching the sunrise this morning on the beach deck.

Eataly New York Wine Dine Options

Eataly New York offers Wine Dine Options

One of our checklist items for our getaway weekend in New York was to dine at Eataly. Even though we have one in Chicago, there are seafood specials (shown below) and options available in New York that don't make their way inland, such as my favored choice, Flounder (shown right).

Its not necessarily haute cuisine fine dining but its a fun adventure that captures the vibrancy and energy of New York, with fresh Atlantic seafood options. Of course they also have a pasta restaurant, and several other dining options.

So we dined at the bustling Eataly Il Pesce restaurant and selected a Riserva wine from their Reserve list. I chose the Flounder, Linda and Viv the sea scallops and Alec the calamari and then the Octopus. The sea scallops were especially delectable and earned the highest marks.

Rather than waiting for a table, we chose to sit at the bar which turned out to be a real treat. It was like getting a front row seat for a show as we watched the chef prepare the entrees. Working in closed quarters, the culinary staff are a well choreographed team, each with his/her specialty/role in the orchestrated process.

Sitting at the bar, we had front row seats watching Chef Lady, and then Chef Eric prepare sushi and several of the dishes right in front of us.

For our seafood meal, we chose this Reserve Frescobaldi Benfizio Tuscan Chardonnay.

Marchesi de' Frescobaldi Pomino Castello di Pomino Bianco Riserva Benefizio 2014 

Light straw colored, medium light bodied, crisp clean citrus and lychee fruits with wet stone and hints of spice, floral and wood on the moderate citrus toned finish.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2302718

http://en.frescobaldi.com/wines/benefizio-riserva/

Eataly Vino NYC

Since we were last at Eataly, New York, they have moved their wine shop to a dedicated storefront next door. Eataly Vino NYC includes the basic selection of wines offered in the store along with a Reserve room of several premium vintage selections (shown below).

Inexcusably and inexplicably, they do not offer for sale all the wines available in the restaurants next door, such as the wine we drank with dinner, above. This should be an obvious merchandising offering. Isn't this what a retail with restaurant site like Eataly is all about?

Eataly Il Pesce Octopus entree

Parker's Grill Provides Crossbarn Paul Hobbs WBTG Tasting

Parker's Grill Provides Crossbarn Paul Hobbs WBTG Tasting

We've recently discovered and written in this blog about Crossbarn Paul Hobbs wines, an interesting study in branding with a storied background, and heard from them about our blogpost. They contacted me to correct me on the branding nomenclature - Crossbarn Paul Hobbs, not the reverse as I wrote. We dined at Parker's Grill in Downers Grove to celebrate the holiday as well as a friend's birthday, which afforded the opportunity to taste a flight of Crossbarn, their featured producer, on offer BTG, by-the-glass. Parker's has a nice selection of WTBG - Wines By The Glass which they offer in both 3 and 6 oz pours - nice for Linda and me to have suitable portions. This affords the opportunity to taste a selection of wines as opposed to having just one when ordered by the bottle. This is of course also especially useful when a bottle is too much for one or one and a half consumers.

While Parker's website showed Crossbarn Cabernet on offer, what was available was a mini-horizontal of CrossBarn (by) Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir 2012's - Sonoma Valley and Anderson Valley, and a CrossBarn Paul Hobbs Chardonnay, Sonoma County (sic) 2014.

Paul Hobbs Crossbarn is the somewhat more affordable branded label offering from Paul Hobbs, the acclaimed producer known for premium quality Napa Valley wines. Crossbarn wines are produced down the road about a mile from the Paul Hobbs estate winery, in a former apple processing facility that's is the operations center for their Sonoma Coast wines.  I have found that Crossbarn provides moderate priced well crafted wines that generally provide quality tasting at reasonable value.

I selected Parker's hoping for a delicate seafood dinner but ended up ordering the Braised Boneless Shortribs with red wine sauce and mashed sweet potato, which I matched with the pair of Pinots.

Linda ordered the Mahi Mahi, and I had the Polenta fries as a side, both which we matched with the Crossbarn Chardonnay.

Our guest, special friend Marlene U who was having a birthday, ordered the herb roasted double chicken breast. All our entrees were delicious.

Following dinner, we closed with the deliciously decadent Bittersweet Chocolate Flourless Cake with Mocha Mousse and Sea Salt Caramel Gelato. This was worth the trip all by itself. Too bad it came with the gelato already melted. And, it amazes me how difficult it is get coffee WITH your dessert in restaurants. Their procedures seem to too often offer and serve these serially as two separate courses. In this case, we were never offered or given the chance to even order coffee with our dessert.

Crossbarn Chardonnay Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County 2014

The Chardonnay was golden strawed colored with medium-light body with tones of stone fruit, apple, pear and brioche with hints of lemon citrus with pleasant balanced acidity and subtle mineral on the finish.

RM 89 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2064679

Note - the winelist stated Sonoma County which is not listed on the producer's website, nor on Cellartracker. I suspect this may have been the Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. Having tasted BTG - by the glass, I did not see the label. The servers were pressed to keep up with the dinner and wine service so I didn't press to see the label. Nearly 12,400 cases were made of the 2013 Chardonnay CrossBarn by Paul Hobbs, all from the Sonoma Coast.
P.S. The morning after, I went to Binny's, the wine mega-merchant and found the Crossbarn Paul Hobbs Chardonnay. Indeed, the label reads "Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County"! See left.

CrossBarn (by) Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir 2012 - Sonoma Valley and Anderson Valley

The Pinot's were similar in many respects, both garnet colored and medium bodied with black cherry, raspberry and pomegranate fruit flavors with hints of black tea and cedar. The Sonoma Valley showed more pronounced dark berry fruit flavors with a slight hint of sweet mocha on the mid-palate turning to soft smooth tannins on the finish.

Anderson Valley - RM 88 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1710825

Sonoma Valley - RM 90 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2031503

http://parkersamerican.com/

http://www.crossbarn.com/

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Bouchaine Estate Chardonnay at Chinn's Fishery Lisle

Bouchaine Chardonnay Estate Vineyard 2011 at Chinn's 34th Street Fishery in Lisle, IL

For an impromptu casual weeknight seafood dinner we dined at Chinn's 34th Street Fishery in Lisle, IL. Many people are aware of the legendary Bob Chinn's Crab House up in Wheeling, IL, one of the top five grossing restaurants in the United States serving more than one million diners per year! 

Chinn's is known for "jet fresh" seafood, jetted in daily from quality providers in the leading seafood markets - Hawaii, Alaska, the Atlantic, the Pacific, Florida, Louisiana and other centers where they have something to offer on any given day. 

I recall there is a connection with the famous Bob Chinn's and Stan (shown left) and Kim Chinn, owners of Chinn's 34th Street Fishery, nephew and Uncle as I remember. Whatever the connection is, it is readily apparent in Bob Chinn's 'jet fresh' approach also employed by Chinn's in Lisle. Like Chinn's Wheeling, they showcase the day's arrivals with the actual Air Bills of Lading (pictured below) from the major airlines - Alaska, United, American, Southwest ... showing arrivals that day from the seafood centers around the globe. The philosophy provides the best seafood catch of the day from all the centers. Both preach a deliver fresh catch selection, quality and value with a simple direct straightforward presentation in a no-frills setting.

A reminisce side story - I digress ... Stan and Kim Chinn cite on their website that they "landed in Lisle, a place they were both familiar with. 10 years prior to opening Chinn's Fishery, they both worked at the same location they would later purchase for their business." 

Jet Fresh Seafood !

I would bet a paycheck that very few can recall a restaurant that was there previously. Before then, going back many years (circa 1980), Linda and I enjoyed dining at this location at a restaurant called Bully's. We dined there often and rejoiced having such a quality venue with such great food in such a cosmopolitan yet comfortable setting so close to home. We dined there often. I still remember some of our favorite entree selections.

Then, we had a sub-standard visit, followed by another, and then again. Noting the trend, I summoned the MOD - Manager on Duty to inquire if there had been a change, citing our experience of notable diminution. We were advised that the property had previously been purchased and taken over by the notable restauranteur (Peter) George Makris, whose Flame Restaurant had literally burned to the ground. He took over the local eatery and established Bully's to keep his staff and business operations intact whilst he rebuilt the new restaurant in nearby Oak Brook Terrace. Then, when the restaurant was finished, the whole lot moved into the new venue and Bully's was taken over by a new owner and staff. (Makris also had 'Flame' steak houses in Chicago, suburban Countryside (closed in 2012), and West Palm Beach, FL).

Chinn's 34th Street Fishery - Lisle

Researching this further, my recollection is correct .. checking his obituary from the archives, according to the Chicago Tribune March 24, 1997, "In 1964, he (George Makris) opened the Flame, in Oakbrook Terrace that burned to the ground in 1979 but was reopened around the corner in 1982. In 1994, Mr. Makris changed the Flame's name to Bully's Chop House & Tavern Room..." It was during that interim period that we availed ourselves of team Makris in Lisle in the site that today is Chinn's. Stan Chinn took over the follow on flailing restaurant in 1995 and founded Chinn's 34th Street Fishery and are celebrating their twentieth year.

Back to the two Chinns. Another indication of the connection between the two Chinn restaurants is their common feature selection preparation options - Bob Chinn's "Eight Way" (shown) and Chinn's 34th Street Fishery "Seven Way" fish preparation - 1) Steamed, 2) Chargrilled, 3) Blackened, 4) Beer Batter Fried, 5) Sauteed with lemon, 6) Broiled Grecian Style, 7) Sauteed with capers, and 8) Stir fried with mushrooms. 

If you need further proof, try their garlic laced bread rolls common in both sites! 

From the simple, basic winelist, we selected this Bouchaine Estate Chardonnay for our dinner. Beth ordered the stuffed shrimp, Bill the sea scallops, grilled, and Linda, the crabcakes. I took the prize for the best dinner entree selection, the Hawaiian Mongchong, chargrilled, one of their signature dishes and a fresh catch of the day, which was delicious. 

Note that Wednesday nights, bottle wines are half price (except premier selections). We'll note that for our next visit!

Visitors to the Napa/Sonoma Valley region that have traversed the Napa Sonoma Road that wraps around the bottom of Mount Veeder that separates Napa and Sonoma valleys, where it approaches the top of San Pablo Bay, the area known as Carneros, will recall passing Domaine Carneros on the main highway. What is notable about that elegant stylish Chateau, is that it sits at the top of the bottom-land that reaches down to the water, San Pablo Bay, which is the north end of San Francisco Bay. Turn South towards the water there and there are a number of vineyards and wineries that feature Carneros Burgundian varietal wines - notably Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Besides Acacia Vineyards and Etude, one of the major producers in the area is Bouchaine. 

Bouchaine state they are the longest continuously operating winery in the Carneros, going back to the turn of the previous century, and under the same current ownership since 1981. The story goes that the property was originally settled by a Missourian with the colorful name Boon Fly who grew grapes and fruit trees on the property in the late 1880s.  In 1927, the parcel was acquired by an Italian winemaker named Johnny Garetto who sold to Beringer in 1961.

The current owners Gerret and Tatiana Copeland were part of a partnership that purchased the winery and surrounding land in 1981 and proceeded to develop and renovate the property. Bouchaine Vineyards was born in 1993 when they became sole proprietors. Around 1990 they added 60 acres to the original thirty, contiguous property that includes the two hills which have become icons of the Bouchaine Estate and are featured in their label design.

Today, the Bouchaine’s Estate is 100 rolling acres  planted in 7 clones of Pinot Noir, 5 clones of Chardonnay, along with some Pinot Meunier and Pinot Gris. They produce a wide range of labels with a couple vineyard designated selections. This label is their baseline Estate bottled Chardonnay that is targeted at providing a high QPR large production wide distribution bottling to introduce and establish brand awareness for the line.

Note that Bouchaine Winery will be at Chinn's 34th Street Fisher October 6th for a wine dinner. 

Bouchaine Napa Valley Carneros Estate Vineyard Chardonnay 2011

With its cooler and rain shortened growing season, being picked early, this Chardonnay is less rich and deep as vintages allowed to ripen further - resulting in higher acidity and forward citrus lemon predominating, that the winemaker states serves as a great palate cleaners between bites of buttery sauce laced foods with simply grilled dishes. Its light, butter colored, clean crispness finishing with subtle tones of pear and almond was a nice compliment to our seafood dinners.

RM 87 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1885260

http://www.bouchaine.com/

http://www.chinnsfishery.com/