Villa Andretti Chardonnay - Tensley Colson Canyon Syrah

Villa Andretti Chardonnay - Tensley Colson Canyon Syrah with grilled surf and turf

For special end of the week dine-in with friend Kay Z, the ladies were in a festive mood so Linda prepared grilled strip steaks and lobster tails. I pulled from the cellar two appropriate wines to accompany the surf and turf entrees. 

To celebrate our shared Hoosier heritage, with Kay sharing some of her memorable Hoosier experiences, I pulled our last remaining bottle of Villa Andretti California Chardonnay with the lobster. Kay shared stories of working the Indy 500 race at the track for the local TV station and engaging with members of the Andretti racing team many years ago, early in her career. 

We discovered and acquired this wine at the Villa Andretti Winery, from famed Indy racing driver Mario Andretti, in southeast Napa Valley during our Napa Wine Experience in 2018. We discovered the Andretti estate while visiting the Lewis Cellars winery which is across the road, during our Napa Wine Experience in 2017.

Villa Andretti California Chardonnay 2017 

This is the basic Chardonnay in the broad Andretti portfolio and was a nice complement to the grilled lobster tails.

Golden butter colored, medium bodied, notes of green apple, pear and citrus, with hints of peach on a modest finish.

RM 87 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3638729

https://andrettiwinery.com/ 

@AndrettiWine

We then moved to the main course, grilled strip steaks. While I would favor a Bordeaux varietal wine such as a Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, Linda wanted her favored profile wine, a big bold forward hearty Shiraz/Syrah. 

Hence, I pulled from the cellar, perhaps the current best drinking bottle meeting this profile, this Colson Canyon Syrah from Tensley Wines.  

We discovered and acquired this and several other Tensley Santa Barbara County Wines, that I wrote about here, and replay below, during our Santa Barbara County Wine Experience earlier this year. This was the standout of that tasting and best represents the style that we love.

Tensley Colson Canyon Vineyard Santa Barbara County Syrah 2020

Winemaker Notes: "Everything we farm in house is something very special to us. This site is one of the most unique and special places in the world of wine. High (1400 elevation) in the hills north of the Santa Maria Valley with some of the most iron-laced soils I have seen in Santa Barbara County.'

"This wine always delivers juicy round seamless edges. This is the only wine we add some new French oak, as its weight and power integrates with the oak, adding a bit of toasty buttery complexity. Colson Canyon is such a beautiful example of fruit forward juicy California Syrah. Open it anytime and enjoy its blueberry, cassis and chocolate nuances or leave it 20 years and enjoy its leathery, almondy notes. It does not really matter when you open it, it will deliver."

1925 Cases Produced

This was awarded 94-96 points by Jeb Dunnuck and 96 points by Wine Advocate.

Might I consider this the Tensley 'flagship'? This reminded me of a couple other memorable highly rated Syrahs, Kongsgaard Carneros Hudson Vineyard and Penfolds Grange. Both are flawless, seamless, and notable for their smooth, polished, balanced profile. While not to that level of perfection perhaps, this is close and evokes the same experience. This bottle was from the Wine Club allocation we received from that visit. We're anxiously awaiting our fall release shipment that we're told was shipped this week.

Dark inky purple colored, full bodied, thick concentrated unctuous juicy black and blue fruits with layers of cassis and chocolate nuances with notes of oak, leather and tobacco on a tongue coating lingering finish. 

RM 94 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4090797

https://tensleywines.com/ 

@tensleywine

Diverse Super Tuscans at Italian Village Chicago

Diverse Super Tuscans at Italian Village Chicago Team Dinner

We held a tech leadership team dinner meeting on the eve of a team workshop and dined at our usual venue for such dinners, Italian Village, Chicago, in the Central loop, not far from our office, this continues our regimen of numerous dinners which I've featured in many earlier blogposts about our wine and dinners at Italian Village, Chicago's oldest, longest running continuously family operated Italian restaurant.

We selected from the extensive Best of Wine Spectator Award winning wine list two vintage Super Tuscan Red Blends. This provided a mini-horizontal tasting of two diverse nine year old vintage wines - an interesting pairing with our Italian cuisine selections of Lasagna, Fettucini Alfredo and their chef's signature Gnocchi sautéed in a vodka, spicy arrabiata cream sauce with crumbled Italian sausage, topped with parmesan cheese. 

Caiarossa Aria di Caiarossa Toscana IGT Super Tuscan Blend 2013

Caiarossa was founded in 1998, taking as its guide the principles of organic agriculture for the cultivation of the vineyards and that of geo-dynamics and the oriental discipline of Feng Shui for the construction of the cellars.

The name of Caiarossa was coined as a homage to the soil, which is characterized by the presence of jasper, rock and pebbles intensely red in colour, the creative name inspired by Gaia, mother of all the gods of Mount Olympus, goddess of fertility and of Nature, of the very Earth itself.

In 2004, the estate was acquired by Eric Albada Jelgersma, whose family owned two Grands Crus Classés in Margaux, Bordeaux, Château Giscours and Château du Tertre, which were both sold in 2021.

The company logo and label features an ancient clay head of Etruscan origin representing the Greek god Dionysus and dating from the fourth century B.C. The figure was discovered near the city of Volterra and now the property of Eric Albada Jelgersma. 

Cairossa owns 175 acres of land, half of which is covered with oak, cork oak, and holm oak woods. The soil composition is quite varied: calcareous at lower altitudes, rich in sandstone and sand, iron-rich at higher altitudes. The first 40 acres of vineyards were planted between 1998 and 2000.  An additional 37 acres were planted between 2008 and 2013 on the southern slopes of the Nocolino hill, a site a few kilometers away from the center of Riparbella with clayey soils.

After research to select the appropriate grape varietals that would best express the site, seven red grape varieties were planted: Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Alicante, and Syrah along with three white grape varieties: Viognier, Chardonnay, and Petit Manseng

This release is a blend of Cabenert Franc, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. The predominant Syrah is from the three acre Podere Nocolino, Podere le Lame vineyard. It was aged in barriques and tonneaux for about 14 months, using 15% of new oak. Then 6 months in concrete tanks before bottling.

Bright purple garnet colored, full bodied, aromatic, expressive vibrant cherry, plum and raspberry fruits more reflecting the Syrah than the Bordeaux blend components, accents of  bitter dark chocolate, tobacco, vanilla and earthy mushroom on a bold acidic finish. 

RM 91

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2885540

https://www.caiarossa.com/
 

Tenuta di ArcenoValadorna Toscana IGT 2013

The is from the Tenuta di Arceno estate, situated at the southernmost-edge of Chianti Classico in the butterfly-shaped commune of Castelnuovo Berardenga, home to several world-renowned producers. It is the closest in proximity to Siena and often referred to as ‘the most Senese Chianti Classico.

The ancient Tuscan estate produces a broad diverse portfolio of the highest quality wines across two classification levels – three wines based on the region's native Sangiovese grape in the Chianti Classico DOCG collection; and three wines that comprised of estate grown international varieties under the Toscana IGT designation. 

Sitting adjacent the ancient walled town of San Gusmè, the estate covers 2,500 acres of which 220 acres are planted to vines – the remaining land is preserved for native vegetation including 125 acres of olive orchards. The vineyards are separated into 63 distinct blocks, planted to 50% Sangiovese and 50% international varieties such as Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. 

This Merlot-led blend is sourced primarily from the Valadorna and Capraia blocks, which produce the estate’s most complex and mineral-based expressions of this variety. The blocks are located within the cooler part of the estate with sandy brown soils that produce lower yields than typical. It is naturally irrigated by a stream that winds through the property. These blocks are often the last Merlot blocks to ripen on the estate.

Winemaker Notes: "The 2013 was a classic vintage, yet on the cool side, which favors the perfect ripening of Merlot. The Valadorna Merlot was picked on October 1st, allowing ample time on the vine for perfect maturation and tannin development. The nose jumps from the glass with exotic spices of jasmine, cumin and vanilla bean. The fruit expression is of raspberry and black cherry. The mouthfeel is dominated by long flexible tannins framed by slight tingling acids. The immediate sensation of blueberry pie gives way to an uplifting bright sour cherry finish. As the fruit subsides, what remains on the palate are hints of sweet cedar and cigar box notes. The 2013 is an elegant vintage and will age gracefully."

This release is a blend of Bordeaux varietals, 74% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot.

This was rated 95 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, and 94 points by James Suckling.

Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, complex but well integrated, intense, firm and tight black fruits with notes of tobacco, tar and dark chocolate with bright acidity and firm tannins on the lingering finish. 

 

RM 93 points. 

 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3296253

 

https://www.tenutadiarceno.com/en/estate 

 

https://italianvillage-chicago.com/
 

Chez Joël Authentic French Bistro Cuisine with High QPR Wine Selections

Chez Joël Authentic French Bistro Cuisine with High QPR Wine Selections

Back home from our road trip, Friday night dinner, we were treated to dinner with son Sean and d-in-law Michelle to celebrate their new home down the street from our in the Hobson Road corridor. 

We dined at one of our favorite eateries in the City (Chicago), Chez Joël on Taylor Street. As usual the service was outstanding, food was delectable and the price was agreeable.

Chez Joël is quaint, artsy, intimate, tasteful, comfortable,  authentic yet unpretentious in its French Bistro setting and faire. We had a perfect lat summer evening sitting outside in the adjacent courtyard.

I had my oft-time usual fare, the Duck Confit, Linda had the salmon, Sean the daily special Blue Fish, and Michelle had the lamb, Michelle's cousin Ola had the Coq au vin. 

Chez Joel Patio

Chez Joel Confit Duck

Chez Joel Lamb

Chez Joel Salmon

All the entrees were excellent - well prepared, artful presentations, ample portions, and with appropriate accompaniments.

With the starters and seafood entrees we had a selection of WBTG (Wine By The Glass) offerings from the winelist, the Sauvignon Blanc, Daniel Olivier, Montravel, Bergerac and this California Chardonnay.

Bishop's Peak Tally Vineyards San Luis Obispo Chardonnay 2020

Bishop's Peak is the second label of wines are crafted by Talley Vineyards to capture the unique diversity of the greater Central Coast region. The goal with the Bishop's Peak Chardonnay is to produce wine that reflects the distinct aroma and flavor of cool climate chardonnay in the purest way possible. Consequently no new oak barrels are used for fermentation or aging. Produced from Chardonnay grapes grown sustainably in coastal San Luis Obispo County, predominantly in stainless steel with some neutral French oak barrels.

Vinous rated this 91 points reflecting high QPR in this entry level label. 

Straw colored, medium bodied, notes of pear and peach fruits with hints of lemon, floral with bitter citrus tones. 

RM 89 points.

For the main courses we ordered from the winelist this Northern Rhone red that we know well having enjoyed earlier vintage releases it on several occasions from the winelist at another one of our favorite French Bistro's Suzzettes' Creperie in suburban Wheaton. 

Repeating that earlier blogpost the notes about Domaine Chevalier and brother and sister team of Nicolas and Marlène Chevalier, tonight we tasted the newer, later 2020 vintage of this label.

Marlène & Nicolas Chevalier Les Voleyses Crozes Hermitage 2020

Once part of the cave co-operative at Tain-Hermitage, since 2008 the family vineyards of Domaine Chevalier are gradually being reclaimed by the brother and sister team of Nicolas and Marlène Chevalier. Nicolas tends the vineyards and crafts each cuvee, while Marlène handles all of the sales and marketing for Domaine Chevalier.

Following his formal agricultural studies in France, Nicolas spent four years honing his winemaking skills on estates in Australia, California and South Africa. After completing studies in agronomy and enology in France, he headed to South Australia’s Clare Valley where he mastered various techniques for fermenting Shiraz (Syrah). He then worked with Kendall Jackson in California crafting white winemaking skills. To further his post-graduate wine studies, he spent 2002 in South Africa working at legendary three-hundred-year-old Boschendal estate in Stellenbosch, South Africa, a winery renowned for its superb Syrah-based wines.

Marlène and Nicolas Chevalier farm three small vineyards at their meticulously tended family property comprising 3 1/2 acres in Crozes-Hermitage from which they produce on average 500 cases of red and white Rhône wines in tiny lots which are highly allocated. Their wines are found only in a couple of importer direct wine clubs and renowned restaurants in North American.

This is from Crozes, the village adjacent the more prestigious appellation that shares part of its name, but operates in Hermitage’s shadow. The Crozes-Hermitage appellation area extends about 10 miles (16 km) both north and south of Tain and Hermitage itself and is known to produce more approachable wines than its higher profile neighbor. By 2017, almost 4,200 acres (1,700 ha) of vines had been planted among the local cherry and apricot orchards. Unlike Hermitage, land in Crozes-Hermitage is relatively affordable and available providing an opportunity for enthusiastic newcomers, as well as a number of local growers, who want to bottle the fruit of their own labors, rather than send their production to the Cave de Tain co-op, the case of this wine too.  

Nicolas works with several distinct parcels for their wines: La Motte, Marius, Petite Pend, Les Pends and namesake source for this label, Les Voleyses. These vineyards have clay and limestone soils with excellent exposure, known to produce ripe, high quality grapes with great aromatic character and freshness. The Domaine Chevalier site has been producing grapes for notable wines gaining high praise and critical acclaim for more than three centuries.

Like the 2018 vintage we tasted earlier, the 2020 vintage was also top rated in the Northern Rhône. This represents a great value, high QPR (quality price ratio) wine.

 

Importer notes for the 2018 release: The 2018 Domaine Chevalier Les Voleyses Crozes-Hermitage sports a brilliant purple robe and a captivating aroma redolent with the scents of blackberry, plum, violets, and exotic spices. Sensuous and seductive in the mouth, the 2018 Les Voleyses graces the palate with a silky texture and pure floral, fruit, and forest floor flavors that have aptly been described as hedonism in a glass. Moreover, the 2018 Domaine Chevalier Les Voleyses is juicy and harmonious to the finish, as it makes an exit with joyful panache.

 

The Voleyses Cuvée is 100% Syrah made from younger vine fruit and aged in stainless steel.

 

Tonight's tasting was totally consistent with our earlier experiences with this label.

Deep inky purple colored medium-full bodied, full round layers of blackberry and plum fruits, notes of black tea, spice and leather overtake the fruits, turning to soft chewy textured tannins on a medium finish. 

RM 91 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4133858

The 2018 release - https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3495672

Earlier vintage release blogpost - https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/12/intimate-dinner-suzettes-creperie.html

With the dessert course Sean had the Tawney Port and I had another wine we know well from previous visits here as well as from our home cellar, this WBTG Sauterne offering. 

Château Suduiraut Lions de Suduiraut Sauterne 2016

This is the second wine of a well known prestigious Bordeaux Grand Cru. 

Resembling its flagship first label big brother this was delicious and a perfect perfect accompaniment to the Creme Brulee and Chocolate Lava Cake. 

The history of Château Suduiraut began in 1580 with the marriage of Nicole d’Allard and Léonard de Suduiraut. Classified as a Premier Cru Classé (First Growth) in Sauternes in 1855, it has always been known as a superb property (its neighbor is Château d’Yquem). 

In the 1990’s, the estate was sold to French financial insurance conglomerate AXA, who invested in the Château making significant investments in its vineyards and winemaking facilities. This eventually translated into a dramatic increase in the quality of the wines.

The Suduiraut vineyards span 92 hectares consisting of gravel, sand, limestone and clay soils on sloping hillsides. They are planted to 90% Semillon and 10% Sauvignon Blanc. The wine is fermented in French oak barrels and aged on its lees in 50% new French oak for 18-24 months. Lions de Suduiraut, their third label, is produced from almost nearly 100% Semilon. This release was a blend of  93% Semillon and 7% Sauvignon Blanc. 

It was aged 50% in new barrels and 50% from barrels of one vintage, for 16 to 18 months

Dark golden, weak tea colored, medium bodied, sprites of sweet honey, apricot with note of peach and glints of pear, citrus and notes of lychee, stone fruit on a tongue coating unctuous finish.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3417749

https://www.suduiraut.com/

As usual and to be expected at Chez Joel, a wonderful, relaxing fun wine and dine evening.

http://chezjoelbistro.com/

 

 

Special wine in a special setting - Arns Syrah at FLW Park Inn

 Special wine in a special setting - Arns Napa Valley Syrah 2013 at Historic FLW Park Inn Hotel

For our weeklong getaway vacation, we stayed in a winery vineyard farmhouse, then a historic iconic hotel. We took several bottles of favorite wines with us on our roadtour driving vacation. We traveled to and stayed at the Historic Park Inn Hotel in Mason City, Iowa, designed by legendary Frank Lloyd Wright, America's greatest architect. (See more about my research of Frank Lloyd Wright and work as docent/interpreter for the FLW Trust on my Wrightsite at www.mcnees.org/flw.)

We did carry-out BBQ ribs and brought them back to the hotel to feast on the veranda overlooking the park and opened this special favorite accompanying bottle that we brought from our home cellar for the occasion.

Historic FLW Park Inn, Mason City Iowa

Historic Park Inn Veranda overlooking
Mason City Park

Arns Napa Valley Syrah 2013 from earlier blogpost.

Arns Melanson Vineyard Napa Valley Syrah 2013

We're long time fans of Arns Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that we actually discovered and acquired at Bassin's McArthur Wines in Washington DC. Over the years we acquired many vintages of this label and arranged a visit to the Napa Valley estate where we discovered, tasted and acquired this wine. 

As I reported in follow up to our visit to the Arns Estate back in 2013, Arns wines are produced by John Arns and Sandi Belcher - John managing the viticulture and Sandi tending to the winemaking. The property has been in the Arn's family since the 1950's when it was acquired by Arn's parents as an escape from the city down in Berkeley. The elder Arns planted vines in the 1960's to sell to local wineries. John and his brother, Steve took over the property and John continued developing the vineyards.

The Arns property was originally homesteaded in the late 1880’s by a German immigrant, then taken over by a stone mason whose work on homes and caves throughout the Valley and helped build the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena with stones, shown left, quarried from the property.

The previous owners of the property planted Zinfandel grapes.Today, ten acres of vineyards are sited across the 160 acre property of rocky hillsides, meadows and forests in ten different blocks consisting of seven different clones of Cabernet Sauvignon from Bordeaux and Napa Valley. The vines vary in age from 15 to 45 years. The ten blocks planted showcase the clonal differences and with each having varied exposure, the result reveals unique characteristics that contribute to the overall blend that is Arns Cabernet Sauvignon. The result of this combination of clonal selection, low yield, and minimal irrigation is fruit that is concentrated and intensely flavorful and a blend that has complexity, breadth and depth.

Ironically, we discovered Arns Cabernet Sauvignon on our frequent trips to Washington DC and our regular stops at Andy Bassin's McArthur Wines there. Over the years, we accumulated a collection of Arns over the years dating back to the 1996 vintage. It turns out Sandi is from Virginia and developed the resale arrangement during her trips back home.

Since our Napa trips of recent years focused on distinct appellations per trip, we missed Arns over the years during our frequent visits to Napa Valley and mountain districts including Howell Mountain. It was great to finally connect with Arns and see first hand what makes up the artistry of their work.
 
Arns Napa Valley Melansen Vineyard Syrah 2013

Sandi Belcher produced this limited production single vineyard designated Syrah from fruit sourced from the Melanson Vineyard on Pritchard Hill. John Arns managed the viticulture, overseeing tending the vines for several producers around Napa Valley. This  includes Syrah varietal vines that he planted at 1400 feet up on Pritchard Hill back in the early 1990's. 

The clones for Arns Syrah are from Joseph Phelps Vineyards. This provides fruit for this, the 5th vintage release of Arns Napa Valley Syrah. What a discovery and pleasant surprise to discover this label on our visit to Arns! Readers of this blog know we love big full throttle Syrah/Shiraz which comprises a third of our cellar behind Bordeaux and Napa Cabernet. We didn't expect to find one at a Napa mountain fruit Cab producer. Moreover, ironically, we also spent an afternoon up on Pritchard Hill during that Napa trip.

The rocky terrain of the mountain elevation with the long warm growing season results in powerful but polished, forward  flavors of black berry and hints of blue fruits, layers of anise and cassis with hints of mocha and clove, violets, leather and olive on a long lingering firm but silky tannin finish. This is more like a big Southern Aussie Shiraz. There were only 65 cases produced of the 2008 vintage release that we tasted at the winery during our visit. We tasted it at the winery, purchased some and shipped it home, tasted again... and subsequently bought more, which included this vintage release in a follow on purchase. 

Rick, Linda and John Arns

This vintage year, 2013, they produced 200 cases of this label. It represents the style and profile that we favor in a Syrah. We pulled this bottle to enjoy with artisan cheeses and fruit for enjoyable casual sipping watching a movie.

ARNS starting producing this SYRAH back in 2004. They admit, "It was a great surprise to be able to craft such a beautiful wine from Pritchard Hill, Napa Valley. We have enjoyed many spicy vintages from this time forward."

This 2013 ARNS SYRAH was aged four years in two year old French Oak barrels.

Dark inky blackish purple, full bodied, concentrated flavors of gooseberries, plum and what Arns refer to as 'wild black cherries' are accented by notes of spice, black pepper, and what Arns refers to as 'beef and violets'.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2887804

https://arnswinery.com/

The 2013 ARNS SYRAH is in the same vein as our previous vintages. Enhanced by four years of two year old French Oak barrels, we have watched this wine evolve into the classic we have witnessed in the past. Captivating on the palate are flavors of gooseberries, red plum, wild black cherries touched by black pepper, beef and violets. A handsome wine with moderate aging potential.

https://historicparkinn.com

Zaca Mesa Eight Barrel Syrah 2017

Zaca Mesa Eight Barrel Syrah 2017

Linda grilled a pizza on the deck and wanted a big bold Syrah for a 'pizza' wine. I pulled from the cellar this Santa Ynez Valley Syrah we discovered, tasted and acquired during our Zaca Mesa Winery and Vineyards Visit during our Santa Barbara County Wine Experience earlier this spring. We received this as part of our inaugural wine club shipment of a select mixed case from our visit. 

Eight Barrel Syrah derives its name from an anomalous practice employed during its first vintage back in 1993. As part of an experiment from the inquisitive nature of then winemaker, Daniel Gehrs, rather than crushing the grapes, allowing fermentation, pressing the grape skins and stems – or pomace – to extract all juice, and then moving the wine into barrel for aging, that Eight Barrel Syrah was crafted by first allowing the wine juice to freely run out of the fermentation tanks off the grape skins and stems without pressing the pomace to release trapped wine. He then allowed the remaining trapped juice to slowly drain overnight into a separate collection, gradually extracting deep color and flavor from the grape skins. The collected volume of wine from that first vintage filled just eight barrels, and so it was christened “Eight Barrel”, a new and distinct bottling of Syrah. 

That wine’s opulent style created somewhat of a cult following that grew each year, the demand quickly and vastly exceeding a mere eight barrels. Hence, they no longer limit production to just eight barrels of the label. They do retain the branding in remembrance of the eight barrels of wine that started the tradition. Eight Barrel today, is one of our Zaca Mesa's most sought after wines, which they work to  craft a more hedonistic style to round out their portfolio of Syrah offerings.

Zaca Mesa Eight Barrel Syrah 2017

 

Winemaker notes for the 2017 Eight Barrel Syrah: "The aromatics (of the 2017 Eight Barrel Syrah) are lifted by tones of juicy plum and caramelized cinnamon, followed by an underlying element of seasoned firewood. The burly personality of this wine is evident upon the first sip, broadly covering the palate and offering an abundance of both red and blue fruits. The texture evolves as opulent tannins settle into a persistent finish of cured meats and dried cranberry."

 

Dark inky purple colored, medium-full bodied, black raspberry and plum fruits accented by spice, sage, black tea and tobacco notes.

 

RM 89 points.

 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3585981

 

https://www.zacamesa.com/

Zaca Mesa Winery Twitter - @ZacaMesa_Wine

 

 

 

 

Force Majeure Parabellum Coulée Rhone Blend 2018

Force Majeure Parabellum Coulée Columbia Valley Rhone Blend 2018 

For pairing with BBQ rib dinner we opened this big Syrah based Rhone blend from our wine club allocation shipments from producer Force Majeure.

We discovered, tasted and acquired this wine during our Force Majeure Vineyards Site Visit and Tasting as part of our Walla Walla Wine Experience 2018. We first met Force Majeure winemaker Todd Alexander and marketing, distribution and branding exec Carrie Alexander during the Chicago stop of their promotion tour in 2016 when we hosted them at Italian Village in Chicago. Since then we've acquired a respectable collection of Force Majeure wines, hence, they were one of our shortlist priority visits when we planned our Washington State, Columbia Valley wine trip.

Our visit to the Force Majeure estate vineyard in the Walla Walla Rocks AVA, was a highlight of our visit to the region, hosed by Todd's wife, Carrie Alexander who manages marketing and operations. Since then, they have purchased property at and planted vineyards at the North Fork of the Walla Walla river and have released their own Paxsa Brand and labels. Both Force Majeure and Paxsa brands focus on Rhone as well as Bordeaux varietals. 

Linda loved the sister label to this bottle, Force Majeure Parvata Red Blend 2015, that we took to Duck Inn Chicago unique dining experience BYOB which was a standout that evening. That bottle was another label that discovered and acquired during our Walla Walla appellation and estate visit. 

We tasted the next most recent vintage of this label, the Force Majeure Parabellum Coulée Red Blend 2019 for a special dinner last fall with son Alec. 

Tonight we opened the Force Majeure Parabellum Coulée Rhone Blend 2018.

This is from the Parabellum brand, the second-tier of Force Majeure wines, yet still produced with care to reflect the varieties and terroir and be approachable for early consumption and gratification, without constraints on blending. Parabellum and the rest of the brand are intended to "provide an opportunity to savor an authentic wine of distinction at a great value." To that end, Parabellum wines are unrestrained imaginative blends of both Bordeaux and Rhone varietals and offer good QPR.

While many of these blends are called GSM, a reference to common blend of Rhone varietals Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, the blend of this release, contains northern and southern Rhone varietals, but is 90% Syrah, and 10% Mourvedre, a blend much to our liking since we're lovers of Syrah, one of our favored varietals. 

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/10/force-majeure-vineyards-site-visit-and.html

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2659538

https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/wp/wines/parabellum/

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3979164 

Force Majeure Parabellum Coulée Columbia Valley Rhone Blend 2018

This is sourced from Force Majeure Estate Vineyards from both the Rocks region of Walla Walla and the estate vineyard on Red Mountain, from the Red Mountain AVA, in the Columbia River valley in central Washington State.

As its name suggests, it is actually neither a mountain nor is it composed of red earth. The area’s springtime proliferation of cheatgrass, which has a reddish color, actually gives the area the name, "Red" Mountain. 

The appellation is an anticline of the Yakima fold belt, a series of geologic folds that define a number of viticultural regions in the surrounding area on the eastern edge of Yakima Valley with slopes facing southwest towards the Yakima River. The terroir of soils, sunlit slopes exposure, and climate are ideal for the ripening of grapes. 

The steep upper slopes of Red Mountain, sit at 960 to 1,230 feet elevation and produce some of the most mineral-driven, tannic and age-worthy red wines of Washington. It is just about the hottest appellation with normal growing season temperatures commonly reaching above 90F. The soil is particularly poor in nutrients and has a high pH, which results in significantly smaller berry sizes compared to varietal norms. The low juice to skin ratio in smaller berries combined with the strong, dry summer winds, leads to higher tannin levels in Red Mountain grapes.

Red Mountain is relatively new to the fine wine scene. Force Majeure were pioneers in planting some of the very first vineyards on the steep, upper slopes of Red Mountain. The first wine pioneers to the region initially walked the land in the summer of 1972. They found a gently sloping sagebrush covered hillside that had been largely overlooked by both early settlers and local indigenous peoples. There were no roads, wells, power- lines or any other signs of civilization. 

Planted in those early days focused on carefully matching the optimal varietal and clonal selections, trellising and irrigation to the nine distinct soil types formed by the ancient Missoula floods, winds and volcanic activity. The result was a vineyard articulated into many small "micro-blocks," to meet the management demands of this unique and dynamic site. Due to the rough, rocky nature of the acreage and elevations ranging from 960 to 1,230 feet, mechanization is virtually impossible in the upper portion of Force Majeure, requiring true "farming by hand," while the lower blocks of the vineyard are comprised of deep, well-drained Warden soils. 

The Red Mountain AVA is the smallest appellation in the state. AVA status was achieved in 2001. Red Mountain now hosts approximately fifty-four vineyards covering more than 2300 acres, making Red Mountain one of the most densely planted AVA's with 57% of the 4,040 acres of the AVA currently planted. 

The climate and terroir boasts approximately 3,200 degree days but with significantly higher total acids than are typically found in this warm a region. It has 2 hours more sunlight per day during the growing season than Napa Valley and receives only five to six inches of annual rainfall a year.

The terroir coupled with the diversity of the vineyards results in versatility to grow a variety of fruit characterized by intensity, depth and concentration, complex flavors and fine tannins. The reds of the area tend to express dark black and blue fruit, deep concentration, complex textures, high levels of tannins and as previously noted, have good aging capabilities.

The producer website says this is a blend of 86% Syrah 14% Mourvèdre, wine reviewer Jeb Dunnuck writes its is a blend of 93% Syrah and 7% Mourvèdre. As shown above, the rear label of our bottle says 90% Syrah and 10% Mourvedre.

Dark inky purple plum colored, full bodied, round, textured, black berry, black raspberry and hints of blueberry fruits with cassis, spice, hints of pepper and black tea with notes of floral violets, Red Mountain minerality, and a firm full tangy tannin laced lingering finish. 

RM 93 points.  

 

This label release was awarded 93-95 points by Jeb Dunnuck. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3612601

https://twitter.com/ForceMVineyards 

https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/ 

@ForceMVineyards

 

Zaca Mesa Clydesdale Santa Barbara Santa Ynez Syrah 2016

 Zaca Mesa Clydesdale Santa Barbara County Santa Ynez Valley Syrah 2016

For midweek sipping with artisan cheeses and fresh fruits and nuts we opened this Santa Barbara County Syrah from the Santa Ynez Valley. We discovered, tasted and acquired this wine during our Zaca Mesa Winery and Vineyards Visit as part of our Santa Barbara County Santa Ynez, Santa Maria Valley Wine Experience last month. We joined their wine club and received this bottle as part of our first inaugural allocation shipment.

Zaca Mesa is a family and close knit group owned and operated winery with a storied history in Santa Barbara County. This label, Clydesdale Zaca Mesa Vineyards Syrah, pays homage to co-founder John Cushman's family’s historical middle name, Clydesdale.

I wrote in my detailed account of Zaca Mesa and our estate vineyard and winery visit about Cushman and a group of friends purchasing the land that would become Zaca Mesa in 1972. At that time, it was only the third winery to exist in Santa Barbara County. Through much experimentation to determine the best grape varietal (s) to match with the terroir - terrain, climate, soil, elevation, exposure - all that attributes of a site, they planted their first block of Syrah in 1978 (known as the Black Bear Block). 

Syrah emerged as the 'flagship' varietal of Zaca Mesa with over half of the vineyards eventually planted to the varietal, along with the other Rhone varietals that became predominant in the Santa Ynez Valley.

Zaca Mesa Syrah reflects the vineyard sites, producing fruit with medium acidity since Zaca Mesa is situated at the high elevations of the mesas in the valley at altitudes about 1,500 feet above sea level. That, along with the cool Pacific Ocean breezes that follow the transverse aligned mountain ranges and valleys that are perpendicular to the ocean shore, allows the grapes to mature and retain their all important acidity.

Producer notes about this label: The 2016 Clydesdale is a superb expression of Syrah from our estate vineyard. The core of black fruits are intertwined with notes of violet, tobacco, and leather. The voluminous texture cascades along your palate, carrying flavors of red plum, blackberry, and hints of toasted spice. This wine is impressive with depth and character, perfectly suited to age in your wine cellar for many years to come, or enjoy upon release.

Winemaker Bryden says, "I like a balance between strength and elegance," she said. "A core of black and red fruits mixed in with some earth and spice and structure as well. Part of the beauty of syrah is the structure of the wine. If you can get all that into one glass, you're doing a good job."

For this particular wine, harvest took place at the end of August and beginning of September 2016.

"It was a great vintage," Bryden said. "This wine is made of multiple blocks. With syrah, we have nine different clones of syrah on the property—different vine age, different root stalks—so they tend to ripen at different stages. That's where the range comes from."

This Syrah is sourced from five different blocks (along with a few sub blocks) from a south facing hillside of the vineyard. 

"I think the tannin profile is a little softer," she said. "We aged it a month longer than some of our reserves, and there is just a nice viscosity to the wine."

This was dark blackish garnet colored, more medium than full bodied, somewhat subdued core of black berry and plum fruits are accented by notes of cassis, tobacco, black tea, hints of soy and caramel on a moderate smooth finish. 

RM 91 points. 

 

Wine Enthusiast awarded this 94 points while Antonio Galloni of Parkers Wine Advocate gave it 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3249008

 

https://www.zacamesa.com/

Zaca Mesa Winery Twitter - @ZacaMesa_Wine

Tensley Wines Tensley Vineyard SBC Syrah

Tensley Wines Tensley Vineyard Santa Barbara County Syrah 2020

During our tour of the Santa Maria Valley Foxen Canyon Wine Trail we were advised by one of the other producers to check out Tensley Wines. We drove by the Tensley Vineyard and then visited the hospitality tasting room downtown Los Olivos. We were so impressed with their wines that we joined their wineclub and subsequently received our first shipment which included this label, which we did not taste during our tasting room wine flight. 

For a grilled tomahawk beefsteak dinner, with grilled asparagus, mashed potatoes and ceasar salad, we opened this special Syrah that we just received in our wineclub allocation shipment from Tensley Wines. We were anxious to try this label since we did not get a chance to taste it during our visit to the producer's hospitality tasting room downtown Los Olivos.

Tensley Wines Tensley Vineyard Santa Barbara County Syrah 2020

This vineyard was planted in 2011 in Tensley's backyard in Los Olivos.

Winemaker notes: "Talk about meticulous farming! Being in our backyard this vineyard gets a lot of love, probably to much! All of the time spent in the vineyard here results in a rustic savory style with amazing texture, while toeing the line of finesse. Tiny berries and low yields make this wine dark in color and tannic in the mouth. Not a wine for the meek. If you plan to drink this wine in the next 3-4 years give it an hour to open up so you get the full experience of the texture and complexities."

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

This is the classic big bold Syrah style that we love. Deep dark inky purple colored, full bodied, rich, round, concentrated black currant fruits with notes of anise, menthol, clove spice and wet earth with firm tannins and tangy acidity on the lingering finish. 

RM 93 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4140592

https://tensleywines.com/

https://twitter.com/tensleywine

@tensleywine

 

Suzette's Creperie Wheaton

Suzette's Creperie Wheaton for authentic French cuisine in intimate casual setting

Thursday night out, we dined at Suzette's Crêperie in nearby Wheaton (IL), one of the few authentic French cuisine eateries in the western suburbs, and one of our favorite go-to casual fine dining sites. 

Sited downtown Wheaton city centre, adjacent the convenient muni parking garage, a block from the Metra station, Suzette's offers intimate casual fine dining, al fresco dining out front or on the rear patio, a private dining room for special dinners, and a bar, adjacent the authentic Suzette's Boulangerie & Pâtisserie, a French inspired bakery. 

We wish they'd offer a broader selection beyond the Crêpe centric menu, beyond the two nightly specials, which often aren't published or revealed until opening time. But hey, its Suzette's Crêperie, inspired by and built to bring to America authentic Parisian Crêpes.

Notably, it's difficult enough for restaurants to carry on in the post covid era with reduced limited staff, Biden induced inflation increased costs, and budget conscious diners. 

C'est la vie. 

Tonight, I selected the 'daily special' Sole Meunière, which is one of my favorite dishes, along with the Country Style Pâté, another of my favorites. 

As featured in recent previous posts in these pages, the Chicken Liver Mousse and slice of Country Style Pâté  are served with Dijon mustard, Cornichons and delicious Red Onion Marmalade with toasted Brioche on the side.  

Suzette's Sole Meunière is served in the classic French style, Filets of Sole were dredged in flour, pan fried in butter and served with the resulting brown butter herb sauce, parsley and lemon, alongside spring vegetables and mashed potatoes. Wonderful, delicious, as usual.

Linda order the Ham & Cheese Crêpe, which described in the menu as simple but delicious, and it was, delectable, exceeding both our expectations. 

I had already ordered this Domaine Chevalier Les Voleyses Crozes-Hermitage Northern Rhone Syrah to accompany my Country Style Pâté starter, before selecting my Sole Meunière entree, otherwise, I would've opted for a white wine. Never-the-less it went well with the my starter and Linda's entree. 

This was a wine we had ordered in a previous visit from their somewhat limited but artfully and carefully selected wine list. The Wine Spectator Magazine Award of Excellence wine list offers close to a hundred French wines from an inventory of nearly 600 bottles, as well as champagnes, sherries, French beer, French Ciders, Cognacs, Armagnacs and spirits. They offer wines in all price ranges from modest house W-B-T-G (wines by the glass) or bottles from basic to to super premium vintage first growths.

Marlène & Nicolas Chevalier Les Voleyses Crozes Hermitage 2018

I wrote about this wine and this producer in an earlier blogpost. This Tain-Hermitage, Domaine Chevalier is produced by brother and sister team of Nicolas and Marlène Chevalier. Nicolas tends the vineyards and crafts each cuvee, while Marlène handles all of the sales and marketing for Domaine Chevalier.

Marlène and Nicolas Chevalier farm three small vineyards at their meticulously tended family property comprising 3 1/2 acres in Crozes-Hermitage from which they produce on average 500 cases of red and white Rhône wines in tiny lots which are highly allocated. Their wines are found only in a couple of importer direct wine clubs and renowned restaurants in North American.

The 2018 vintage was top rated in the Northern Rhône.

 

Importer notes: The 2018 Domaine Chevalier Les Voleyses Crozes-Hermitage sports a brilliant purple robe and a captivating aroma redolent with the scents of blackberry, plum, violets, and exotic spices. Sensuous and seductive in the mouth, the 2018 Les Voleyses graces the palate with a silky texture and pure floral, fruit, and forest floor flavors that have aptly been described as hedonism in a glass. Moreover, the 2018 Domaine Chevalier Les Voleyses is juicy and harmonious to the finish, as it makes an exit with joyful panache.

 

The Voleyses Cuvée is 100% Syrah made from younger vine fruit and aged in stainless steel.

Consistent with my earlier tasting notes, Deep inky purple colored medium-full bodied, full round layers of blackberry and plum fruits, notes of black tea, spice and leather overtake the fruits, turning to soft chewy textured tannins on a medium finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3495672

http://suzettescreperie.com/index.html

Beckmen Ballard Canyon Purisima Mountain Vineyard Syrah

Beckmen Vineyards Estate Visit - Ballard Canyon Purisima Mountain Vineyard Syrah

During our visit to Santa Barbara County, Santa Maria and Santa Ynez Valleys, we stopped in at Beckmen Vineyards. It is one of the wineries that has distribution in the Midwest (Illinois) so we can buy their wines here. Hence, we knew of Beckmen and had had their wines. But, of course, only a few labels from their broad portfolio are distributed here, so it was a chance to discover their wines. Regretably, we didn't allow or take time to do a tasting. We'll definitely make it a priority for a future visit to the region. 

Beckmen produce nearly a dozen white wines, and more than a dozen reds, primarily Rhône varietals on their vast estate vineyards. Once again, we were taken aback to discover Rhône varietals in this region, belaying our preconceptions that it is primarily Burgundian varietals (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir), as we discovered with our visits to the Tensley and Zaca Mesa vineyard estates and tasting rooms.

Beckmen is a family owned and operated business founded in 1994 by Tom and Judy Beckmen, their youngest son Steve and more recently by their oldest son Jeff. Beckmen have established themselves as a leading grower and producer in Santa Barbara County, their wines crafted almost exclusively from their two vineyards sites of 150 planted acres combined, the Thomas and Judith Beckmen Estate Vineyard in Los Olivos District AVA and Purisima Mountain Vineyard in the Ballard Canyon AVA. 

The Beck­men Vine­yards are sited in two locations with dra­mat­i­cal­ly dif­fer­ent soils and climates. See their vineyard map (s) at https://beckmenvineyards.com/blog/updated-vineyard-maps.

The 40 acre (25 plant­ed) Beckmen estate vineyard surround the winery and hospitality facilities just outside and south of the town of Los Olivos, on the west­ern bor­der of the Los Olivos Dis­trict. The Beck­men Estate is most­ly plant­ed to Caber­net Sauvi­gnon with small amounts of Grenache, Mourve­dre, and Syrah.

Several miles to the west is Purisi­ma Moun­tain on the west­ern side of Bal­lard Canyon AVA lies their 365 acre (125 acres plant­ed), Purisi­ma Moun­tain Vine­yard. Com­prised most­ly of clay and clay loam, with vary­ing amounts of grav­el, the most unique aspect of this site is the lime­stone sub­soil. The lime­stone soil lim­its vine vig­or and pro­duces small­er vines with low­er yields and more intense­ly fla­vored fruit. 

With peaks reach­ing 1,150 feet, Purisi­ma Moun­tain has almost 500 feet of ele­va­tion change with mul­ti­ple expo­sures. With a cli­mate and rare lime­stone sub­soils sim­i­lar to those found in Côte Rôtie and Châteauneuf du Pape, the vine­yard has proven per­fect for pro­duc­ing a range of Rhône vari­etals, espe­cial­ly Syrah and Grenache, Mourve­dre, and Counoise. 

PMV is also the home of Beck­men’s white wine port­fo­lio, con­sist­ing of Rosé, Sauvi­gnon Blanc, Chardon­nay, Viog­nier, and Grenache Blanc.  

Tend­ing vines from dor­man­cy through har­vest since 1994, the Beck­men's have learned about their two dis­tinct vine­yard prop­er­ties - acre by acre, the unique soil and micro­cli­mate, the elements of terroir, that best hosts each grape vari­etal, fine-tuning their plantings and viticulture to ensur­e every block in the vine­yard con­sis­tent­ly pro­duces the high­est qual­i­ty fruit possible.

The Beckmen estate is tucked back off the road from the side road south of town. 

Past the winery and production facility (below) is a hospitality center (above) with a tasting bar, outdoor decks, patios and lawns overlooking ponds. 

They offer numerous tasting flights and WBTG including some of their limited, allocated, some club-only, and Library wines.

Across the drive is the stately residence, what in France they would refer to as the Chateau, with outdoor gardens and groomed grounds overlooking and surrounded by the vineyards, with views of the hills in distance. 

As soon as we returned home I sought out Beckmen labels at our local wine merchants and found at Binny's, our big-box wine and beverage superstore this Beckmen Syrah.

Beckmen Vineyards Ballard Canyon Purisima Mountain Vineyard Syrah 2019

I must say, this label exceeded my expectations and provided great QPR - Quality Price Ratio - better than my earlier forays into this brand. I've gained a new appreciation for Rhône vari­etals from Santa Maria Valley and the range of high quality production from there. 

Winemaker notes: "The cool 2019 growing season produced a very savory vintage of PMV (Purisima Mountain Vineyard) Syrah. Cured meats, game, roasted earth, pepper, blackberry, and coco highlight the aromas of the 2019. Elegant and rounded on the palate (reminiscent of the very successful 2015 vintage), the mouth shows off sweet black fruits, dark chocolate, game, mocha, and pepper with fine tannins that carry the flavor through the very long, savory finish. A bit young and tight upon release, the 2019 should be decanted or aged for the short term and will age beautifully for the next 15-18 years or longer. Crafted from 100% certified biodynamic syrah grapes."

Antonio Galloni of Vinous gave this wine 94 points in Oct 2021. "The 2019 Syrah Purisima Mountain Vineyard is a wild, exotic wine. Blueberry jam, chocolate, spice, leather and licorice fill out the layers effortlessly. This unctuous, heady Syrah shows just how distinctive Ballard Canyon is. A year or two in bottle should help soften some of the harder edges."

Interesting that he notes the "harder edges", which is what I encountered and found off-putting on earlier tastings from this producer, but they were moderated and not impacting this release. This was dark inky garnet purple colored, full bodied, unctuous brambly blackberry and blueberry fruits with a nuance of sweet clove spice and vanilla punctuated by notes of licorice, black pepper and hints of dark chocolate and leather, with lingering moderate tannins on the finish. 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3948161

https://beckmenvineyards.com/

https://twitter.com/BeckmenVineyard

@BeckmenVineyard