Lonesome Rock Willamette Chardonnay BYOB at Beach Walk Cafe, Destin

Vacationing at The Cove, our Destin, FL vacation rental home, on our last weekend night in town, we dined at scenic Beach Walk Café, Henderson Park Inn, Destin. This is one of our favorites in the area, and is one of literally a dozen restaurants within walking distance of our place! 

Just like two earlier dinners this trip, as written in these pages, our outing at Vintij Wine Bar and Restaurant, David Arthur Chardonnay at Vintij Grand Blvd in (San)Destin, a near replay of our Delightful wine lunch at Vintij Grand Boulevard, featured in this blogpost last spring, and Italian Wine Month Dinner at Wine Bar Destin, this is another of our favorites restaurants that we enjoy revisiting when we are in town. 

The pages of this forum feature many outings at Beach Walk Cafe with its scenic Beach Walk Café, Henderson Park Inn, Destin, with its picturesque views of the Gulf Coast beach and off-shore horizon, and the towers of Destin across Henderson State Beach Park in the distance, arguably one of the best views along the Emerald Coast.

Another common theme of these postings is taking BYOB wines from our cellar to enjoy with our dinners:

Henderson Beachwalk Cafe Dinner with a view

Hope Cuvée at Beachwalk Cafe, Destin

Beach Walk Cafe and BYOB Dusky Goose Chardonnay

Beach view dinner at Beach Walk Cafe Destin

Sunset dining at Beachwalk Cafe

Herman Story Tomboy Viognier BYOB at Beachwalk Cafe

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

Lewis Chardonnay BYOB at Henderson Beachwalk Cafe

David Arthur Chardonnay at Vintij Grand Blvd

Tripadvisor named Beach Walk at Henderson Park Inn one of the Top 10 Fine Dining Restaurants in the United States in its 2026 Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best Awards, coming in at No. 7. 

While we love the atmosphere, ambiance and menu selections, their wine list is limited, especially for pairing with coastal seafood. So, as usual, tonight we brought from our home cellar BYOB a premium Willamette Valley Chardonnay discovery to try. 

We had with the starter course the caprese salad, split to share for two. 

For dinner I ordered one of my regular selections from the menu fresh seafood local catches, their signature dish, Grouper Vince with Pecan Crusted, Crispy Potato Cake, Haricot Verts, Honey Worcestershire Sauce.

Linda ordered her regular selection, the Beachwalk Cafe signature crab cases. 

With the dinner course, we brought from our home cellar, BYOB, a recently acquired but as yet untried, Chardonnay, for such an occasion, pairing with the seafood selections.

Lonesome Rock “The Estate” Willamette Valley Chardonnay 2022

This small production (177 cases) single vineyard 100% Willamette Valley Chardonnay is from high elevation estate vineyard, located minutes from Carlton, Oregon, in the rugged hills, midway between Portland, 70 minutes to the northeast,along the forested edge of the Pacific Coast Range and the Pacific coast to the west.

Lonesome Rock estate vineyard and winery is the fulfillment of a dream of Danny and Susan Kleiman and a promise they made to each other more than thirty years ago.

They met in 1989 at the University of South Florida. Drawn together by a shared love of language, culture, and travel, they moved to Burgundy, France in 1991. There, Danny studied oenology at the Université de Bourgogne and worked in the vineyards and cellar of Domaine Yves Chaley et Fille in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits. Spending their free time exploring the vineyards of France, Italy, Germany, and Spain, they promised each other to one day have their own vineyard.

 

After four years in France, they returned to Chicago, where Danny joined Heritage Wine Cellars where his work over the next several decades took him to vineyards and cellars worldwide.

More than twenty-five years later, after focusing on careers and raising a family, they pursued their dream and their promise to produce their own home grown wines. After searching across California, Washington, Oregon, France, and even Greece, they settled on a site high in the hills west of Carlton, Oregon. 

The unique vineyard was isolated, windswept and surrounded by forests. It was planted in 2007 by Scott and Rae Baldwin of De Ponte Cellars. Zak Laster, who helped plant many of the vines, continues to manage the vineyard.

Set at the extreme northwestern edge of the Willamette Valley, the Lonesome Rock  secluded estate vineyard is tucked into the rugged foothills of the Coast Range west of Carlton, Oregon. Defined by fractured volcanic soils, high elevation, and a cool, extended growing season, the site was planted to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier.

Lonesome Rock is what the French would call a “monopole” — a vineyard in a unique place, with a micro-climate, soil, and topographical profile like no other, isolated from neighboring plantings and outside farming influence.

The classic Willamette Valley ‘terroir’, ‘sense of place’, is defined by elevation, exposure, and volcanic soils. The Lonesome Rock estate vineyard sits at a high elevation at 575 to 780 feet above sea level, among the higher-elevation vineyard sites in the Willamette Valley. The vineyard’s north and south-facing 270 degrees of direct exposure to the day’s sun, and nighttime cool marine air extends the growing season, allowing fruit to ripen slowly and evenly while preserving freshness, tension, and complexity.

Proximity to the Coast Range exposes the vineyard to steady marine airflow, resulting in pronounced diurnal temperature variation during the critical weeks of ripening. Daytime warmth builds flavor and phenolic maturity, while nighttime temperatures regularly fall by as much as 45 degrees, preserving acidity and aromatic lift.

These conditions slow the pace of ripening without stalling it, allowing sugars, acids, and tannins to develop incrementally and in balance.

The well-drained hillsides vineyard is planted on fractured volcanic soils that are naturally low in fertility and high in mineral content that limit vigor, encourage deep root systems, and produce small, concentrated berries - ideal for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Naturally low yields, combined with an extended ripening cycle, produce fruit of concentration without heaviness producing wines retain high vibrant acidity, defined structure clarity, and the potential for ageability.

According to the rear label, shown below, this Dijon  76 clone Chardonnay was planted in 2015.

Danny and Susan’s first harvest was in 2021, crafted by winemakers Isabelle Dutartre for the Pinot Noir, and Jackson Holstein for the small lot of Chardonnay. That initial  release was rated 93 points by Wine Enthusiast. .

In May 2023, they released the first wines bearing the Lonesome Rock name and branding.

Winemaker’s Tasting Notes - “Crisp scents of honey crisp, pear, and lemongrass picking up scents of white flowers and vanilla fleck with a mineral, rain-on-rock vivacity.”

Pale straw colored, light medium bodied, singularly focused bright expressive tangy acidity with citrus notes of meyer lemon, hints of peach and chalky minerality with a sharp crisp finish. 

RM 89 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?4905551

https://lonesomerock.com/

After dinner, we enjoyed the decadent Beach Walk Corleone Dessert - Ice cream rolled in graham crackers, coated with caramel and honey, surrounded by fresh whipped cream and berries.  

Carpenter Creek Traminette with Mexican Dinner

Carpenter Creek Cellars Traminette with Mexican Chicken & Spanish Rice & Beans

Linda took the remaining meat from a roasted whole chicken and prepared a Mexican Chicken with Spanish Rice, Beans and Corn and Cheese crust for dinner. I pulled from the cellar a rare Traminette wine, known for pairing with robust vibrant spicy foods. 

We tasted and acquired this wine at the winery, featured in a previous blogpost - Carpenter Creek Cellars and Indiana Produced Wines, about the producer, the grape and the wine, excerpted here. 

Carpenter Creek Cellars is a family-run Indiana winery with a focus on producing high-quality local wines that capture and showcase Indiana and Midwest terroir.

I wrote at that time about the importance of selecting the right grapes to grow in an area based on terroir (terˈwär) - all the elements that affect the grapes in that location such as but not limited to climate, sun exposure, topography, soil, drainage and so on. The imperative is, of course, to determine and cultivate grapes most tolerant of or best suited to the terroir. 

Great wine producers and regions around the world are all noted for the specific wine grape varietals symbolic for their region and its distinctive terroir - Bordeaux varietals for example which are also suited for Napa Valley in the US. 

Traminette is the one popular grapes selected for Indiana and Illinois wines, a white hybrid grape that has become Indiana’s signature wine grape, selected for its versatility and suitability in the state’s climate, soil and growing conditions. It is one of the most popular of the eighteen different varieties of grapes grown in Indiana on a total of 600 acres of vineyard lands. 

Indeed, the whole concept of AVA's, American Viticultural Areas, is based on federally-recognized regions defined either by political boundaries, such as the name of a county, state or country, or by a designated area for that AVA. All the criteria for an AVA come down to terroir so that all wines from that AVA can be presumed to have the same characteristics, or from grapes grown under the same conditions. This is the same as in the old world wine producing countries, where they have rigorous grape growing and wine producing regulations subject to AOC - Appellation d'origine contrôlée regulations in France, and DOC and DOCG in Italy ((Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita (DOCG) is the superior classification to DOC). 

Notably, there are 60 official appellations in Bordeaux, seventeen in Napa Valley and nineteen in Sonoma County. Indiana has two designated AVAs, the Indiana Uplands AVA in the center of the state at the southern border along the Ohio River, and the Ohio River Valley AVA straddling the Ohio River along the southern border of the state.

Carpenter Creek Cellars produces this Traminette wine made from Traminette grapes grown in Indiana and neighboring states, known for its floral aromas, fruity flavors, and a spicy finish reminiscent of its parent, Gewürztraminer. 

This wine is described by the producer as pairing well with spicy dishes like Thai, Chinese, or Mexican cuisine, as well as heavier white meats such as turkey or ham. 

Traminette is a cross between Gewürztraminer and the Joannes Seyve 23.416 grape, initially bred at the University of Illinois in 1965 and further developed at Cornell University. 

Traminette was officially chosen by the Indiana Wine Grape Council as the state’s signature wine grape, representing the region’s identity. Traminette’s cold hardiness allows it to thrive across Indiana, surviving harsh winters with minimal bud damage and regrowing after freeze events.

Notably, Carpenter Creek lost much of their vineyard varietal plantings due to severe winter freeze conditions and rely largely on importing grapes from southern Indiana, neighboring states as well as California. 

According to Purdue University agricultural Extension office, the Traminette grape was designed to retain Gewürztraminer’s floral and spicy intensity while offering cold hardiness and resistance to fungal diseases, making it well-suited for Indiana’s variable climate. Traminette ripens mid- to late-season and is more tolerant to spring frosts due to its later bud break.

Traminette wines offer a broad spectrum of sweetness levels, from crisp dry to lusciously sweet, making them versatile and suitable for various tastes. The sweetness levels among Traminette wines vary widely, ranging from dry to sweet, depending on the winemaker’s choices and style preferences. The level of sweetness is determined by winemaker decisions about fermentation and finishing (backsweetening, skin contact, pH adjustment, etc.).

This label is crafted from vineyard sources across the Midwest, hence it is labeled ‘American (White) Wine’, as opposed to Indiana wine specifically. As noted above, Carpenter Creek source grapes from Indiana, Michigan, Missouri and California.

The Carpenter Creek rear label shows this wine as being moderately dry on the spectrum of dryness to sweetness. I would move the dial from left to right and characterize this as moderately sweet. 

Carpenter Creek Cellars Traminette NV

The Carpenter Creek packaging for this label is as unique as the grape, distributed in a blue glass bottle. 

This was an appropriate pairing, the sweetness and spiciness of the wine harmonizing and enhancing the tangy spiciness of the Mexican dish flavoring. 

Golden straw colored, medium bodied, rich unctuous and sweet, similar to a Riesling, ripe pear and green apple fruits with notes of clove and cinnamon spice, floral and hint of honeysuckle and apricot on a sweet moderate acidic finish. 

RM 87 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1891151

https://carpentercreekcellars.com/

BLANKbottle "B.I.G. SA" Swartland Cabernet Blend 2019

BLANKbottle "B.I.G. SA" Swartland Cabernet Blend 2019

 This was another special buy from VinChicago who find and often offer such limited release labels at good value. This seemed to be good value relative to the market price if you could find it. Being from South Africa, it had lesser distribution and a more limited following that more popular regional wines. Searching for this label, I found it available throughout Europe and in a few locations on the east coast, in all cases at prices ten to thirty percent higher. 

During my South Africa Wine Experience in 2019, I tasted some really good wines from down there, thus was open to try some unknown labels. 

Fun with wine ... as the header of this blog states, I write about "perspectives on wine buying, collecting, tasting, a study in wine marketing & branding; observations, experiences and ruminations of a winegeek & frequent traveler." This post is the epitome of such ruminations.  

This wine is the extreme of the broad spectrum of wines and labels, the polar opposite of the grower producer terroir driven wine labels where one collects and compares the subtleties of variations of the same label from vintage to vintage over time, the same wine sourced from the same 'estate' producer owned vineyard (s).

This is from South African winemaker producer Pieter Walser, who travels the region sourcing a vast wide variety of grapes from numerous growers to produce a broad portfolio of labels, many one-of single vintage offerings, and some that are repeated. There are several American and French producers that employ this negociant method of acquiring grapes to produce a private label or own label brand. I've written in these pages the perils of 'collecting' such wines since they may never appear again. Walser notes, "At the moment, roughly 30% of our wines are once-off wines. If they perform well, they will stay on."

To his credit, he employs expensive quality packaging of these wines with heavier bottles and wax dipped capsules, and imaginative designer labels.

Seeing the producer website sole photo of the winemaker, (shown left), and the way he describes himself and talks about his business and his brand, I am drawn to think this is what it would be like if Crocodile Dundee, the Australian outback movie character, were a winemaker. 

Indeed, he plays on the movie theme metaphor: “It’s our privilege to be the costume designer and screenwriter, to present this time capsule, a catalyst that brings people together, there to de-stress, entertain, – as the star headline act, in the privacy of your home.”

He replays on his website this interview style backgrounder from the producer website:  

"SO YOU HAVE YOUR OWN WINERY BUT NO FARM? Yes, at the moment I can’t afford one but then again owning a farm limits you to the vineyards on your specific farm. I love traveling and experiencing many different areas. I want to convey as many different stories as possible from as many areas as possible – if I can one day have 50 wines in our portfolio I would be happy.'

"HOW MANY VINEYARDS DO YOU BUY GRAPES FROM? In the 2020 harvest we picked 165 tons from about 80 vineyards; 35 different varietals – anything from Fernao Pirez to Cabernet. This year we bottled well over 40 different wines.'

"ON A PRACTICAL LEVEL, HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO BE INVOLVED IN SO MANY VINEYARDS? I work with great farmers and knowledgeable viticulturists. We make wines from almost all the areas in the Western Cape. They all ripen at different times. In the beginning of harvest I only focus on the first, maybe 10, in Wellington and Darling. As we pick through the first 10, I start looking at the next in line to possibly ripen. We carry on like that and 13000 km and 100 days later we normally pick the last vineyard in the Witzenberg.'

I am learning that the Rhone varietals, notably one of favorites, Syrah, and South African varietals such as the most well known, Pinotage, are probably the more consistent and reliable selections than Bordeaux varietals such as this. This producer, Pieter Walser, explains the challenges of South African Cabernet Sauvignon.

"When I first started speaking to the masters of Cabernet here at the Southernmost tip of Africa, the first thing mentioned by most was the dreaded Greenness in Cabernet Sauvignon - a very unwelcome herbaceous / vegetative character. This develops due to high levels of Pyrazines present in the wine - something that's determined by the ripeness level of the grapes. The longer the grape bunches get exposed to sunlight during the growing period, the less Pyrazines - resulting in less greenness in the end product - reducing herbaceousness and amplifying fruit.'

"Here in South Africa we have a unique situation: although we have plenty of sunshine, it is hot and dry. In most instances, by the time the grapes are ripe for picking, it hasn't had long enough sun exposure for the Pyrazines to get to an acceptable level. And if you leave it on the vine for longer, the sugar level gets too high. These sugars are then transformed during fermentation into alcohol resulting in rather high alcoholic wines.'

"So in general, Cabernet creators are in fact chased by the Green Monster. Defended by some, feared by most. What confuses me, though, is that one could argue that this greenness is a stylistic characteristic of wines closer to the ocean, which makes it acceptable. Or does it? Where the exact point lies where herbaceousness turns into greenness - I am not sure." 

This label release is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, sourced from 11 vineyard sites, all of which are mentioned on the label, which explains its busy-ness and complexity. In retrospect, its brilliant, showing the geography and topography, elevation of each of the vineyard sites.  

Pieter writes, "The label shows a landscape and identifies all the vineyards that went into the final wine. The closest vineyard to the ocean is 3km and the furthest 3 hours drive."  The label is brilliant and ingenious in its design showing the relative proximity and altitude of the vineyard sites. BLANKbottle creative artwork labels recently won multiple awards, including the Grand Prix, at the 2015 Wine Label Design Awards.

Winemaker producer Walser writes about this label, "The name B.I.G. does not refer to the style of the wine but to the magnitude of the blend. This wine represents Bordeaux from South Africa. The first vintage of this wine was in 2015 and it had six vineyards in the final blend, all Cabernet Sauvignons from different heights above sea level. The blend varies from year to year - the 2019 consists of 9 vineyards - 5 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2 Cabernet franc, 1 Merlot and 1 Petit Verdot. Each year I adjust the label accordingly.'

There are some wonderful high volume large production wines that are a blend of fruit from a wide variety of sources. I write often how remarkable it is that such labels can consistently produce a high quality product in this way. 

This was the approach and strategy employed by Jess Jackson in his California Reserve Chardonnay, a wine that propelled him to a billionaire legend that changed the landscape of the California wine business. His success and meteoric rise was chronicled in the book A Man and His Mountain, the story of self-made billionaire Jess Jackson and his pursuit of his dream to build a brand of premium varietal based wine for the mass market.

This wine is a small production offering, a fraction of the Kendall Jackson Reserve, never-the-less, sourced and blended from a wide range of vineyards across a wide range of geographies and distinctive terroir's, in the same way. 

Winemaker's notes: "With stunning black fruit, sweet peppery spice, fine tannin and good acidity, this is a very drinkable wine that shows complexity and liveliness. A wine where each sip stays as interesting as the first."

I found it rather uninspiring and lacking a definition of a particular profile or character and style - perhaps a cacophony of tastes rather than a symphony, lacking elegance and polish, more appropriate for a casual sipper with pizza or pasta than with elegant French cuisine or grilled steak. 

Dark blackish garnet colored, medium-full bodied, big full flavors of black berry and black raspberry fruits with notes of baking spices, black pepper and black tea with lively acidity on a moderate finish. 

RM 87 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3892442 

https://vinchicago.com/wines/17250-detail

We obtained another bottle from this producer, another Bordeaux varietal, Petit Verdot. I'll look forward to tasting and comparing that bottle and will post that experience in these pages when I do. 

https://blankbottle.co.za/

https://www.vinchicago.com/

 

https://twitter.com/vin_chicago 

 

Calera Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011

Calera Vineyards Mt Harlan Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011

For a midweek dinner, Linda served baked ham and scalloped potatoes. I pulled from the cellar this Calera Pinot Noir from Mt Harlan near Hollister in North Central California.

This is a single vineyard designated wine from the Ryan Vineyard. Readers of these pages know we primarily collect, drink and enjoy Bordeaux varietals and to a lesser degree Rhones. This is one of the very few Pinot Noirs we hold in our cellar. The reason for holding this label is part due to the classic history and legacy of this producer, and, the whimsical fun that this vineyard designated label shares the name of Ryan our oldest son. 

We don't do a lot of Pinots, opting instead for bigger, bolder, fuller bodied, darker more fruit forward wines. There are occasions when a lighter, more delicate subtle wine is more suitable and Pinot Noir, the wine of Burgundy is ideal. Such wines are not simpler however and can often be equally complex and even elegant.

Ten year old Pinot
vs Cabernet

As I have often written in these pages, our cellar is full of labels selected as signature labels for a family member or friend due to Vineyard names, special bottlings, or logos on the bottle as remembrances or tributes to someone special. These selections are in addition to our penchant for collecting wines from birth year and anniversary and special occasion year vintages as well.

.
Add to all this exuberance the selection of the producer Calera Vineyards and its founder winemaker Josh Jenson who is the epitome of Pinot Noir in California, or perhaps America.

I have written that I initially learned about Josh Jenson and his legendary Calera Vineyards were featured in Marq Devillier's wonderful 1994 book - "The Heartbreak Grape: A California Winemaker's Search for the Perfect Pinot Noir". The story tells the tale of Josh's quest to grow the very finnicky Pinot Noir grape in California in the early days before Pinot was cultivated here. In pursuit of his dream to create authentic Burgundian style wines, he sought to find the place in California suitable to achieve that goal. 

Devillers tells of Jenson's quest and research to find the right terrior - all the attributes of the right location, soil, climate, drainage, and other nuances of 'place' that make up the character and personality of a wine from grapes of a particular site. Josh chose Mt. Harlan, an area not then know for grapes or winemaking. 

The rest, as they say, is history. While it is a human interest tale, it also provides a rich insight into the challenges and travails of setting up a winery, and a business, and achieving one's dream to make noteworthy wines. 

Calera’s Mt. Harlan Vineyards are located in Hollister, California, in the Gavilan Mountains, 25 miles east of the Monterey Bay. After much research and searching, Jenson found and selected this site for its limestone soils and ideal climate. At an average elevation of 2,200 feet it is among the highest and coolest vineyard sites in California.

Calera Pinot Noirs are single vineyard designated meaning they are each named for and produced from fruit sourced from one vineyard each. Their five vineyards planted in Pinot Noir are named for Josh's father (Jenson), Mills, a neighbor who mentored Josh in his early years, Reed, for one of Josh's dear friends and early investors, and in this case Selleck, for a family friend whom Josh attributes to introducing him to wine.

In 2002, the Ryan label appeared, named for Calera's vineyard manager since 1979. We've had fun with this wine collecting it for our #1 Ryan, serving it in celebration of his wedding a few years ago, and holding it in our cellar for special Ryan oriented occasions, or just fun occasions shared together such as tonight!

The Calera vineyards are enumerated and featured on the rear bottle label of the bottles as shown here. They are perhaps the most comprehensive and informative labels one will find anywhere on a bottle of wine. They spell out the information on the vineyard, geography, altitude, plantings, vines, the vintage and the bottling. The rear label itself makes for interesting reading, and insightful comparisons across the vineyards or vintages if one happens to have such bottles.

The Calera branding features the historic massive 30 foot tall limestone kiln that sits on the property from earlier days quarrying and processing limestone. Noting limestone in the soils of the legendary French Burgundy region, Jenson scoured the US seeking similar terroir to site his vineyards to produce Pinot Noir. He found such terroir and thoughtfully chose the property in the Central Coast region of California. The name Calera translates to 'limekiln' in in Spanish.

The Calera organically farmed Mt. Harlan vineyards are in the Gavilan Mountains, 25 miles east of Monterey Bay. The Ryan Vineyard, like Calera's others, has limestone soils, which are prized above any other soil type for growing Pinot Noir. Combined with the vineyard's average elevation of 2,200 feet--among the highest and coolest in California--the result is structured, intense Pinot.

Interesting that the latest wave of development in vineyard plantings for Burgundian varietals, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, is in the western reaches of Sonoma County along the Sonoma Coast. Producers are calling these cool climate wines for the coastal breezes and fog encroaching and enveloping the vineyards from the Pacific Ocean. 

We toured the region and stayed in the remote town of Botega Bay during our Napa/Sonoma County Wine Experience in 2017. 

Winemaker notes for this release: "Graceful aromas of rose petal, tea, cassis, and clay accent a beautiful strawberry brick hue. This 2011 Ryan is firmly structured and intense with classic Mt. Harlan mineral purity. Mouthwatering flavor of cranberry, sour cherry and calcium offer fascinating tension with the taut, well integrated tannins offering a bright and very complex wine, and definitely a candidate for cellaring."

Calera Ryan Vineyard Mt Harlan Pinot Noir 2011

We hold a half dozen vintages of this label in our cellar as one of our 'signature' wines we hold in fun tribute to son Ryan.  

I still hold several bottles dating back to the 2010 and 2011 vintages. Normally I would select the older vintage but I chose the 2011, believing it might be the 'lesser' vintage, from a less ageworthy vintage. This is based on the lackluster vintage up further north in the Napa region. Alas, what a pleasant surprise that was very enjoyable, showing well, and holding up well showing no diminution of age whatsoever at ten years of age, exceeding my expectations on both counts. I raised my personal rating score of this label from earlier tasting (s).

Winemaker notes for this release suggest it is a 'candidate for cellaring': "Graceful aromas of rose petal, tea, cassis, and clay accent a beautiful strawberry brick hue. This 2011 Ryan is firmly structured and intense with classic Mt. Harlan mineral purity. Mouthwatering flavor of cranberry, sour cherry and calcium offer fascinating tension with the taut, well integrated tannins offering a bright and very complex wine, and definitely a candidate for cellaring." 

Pundit Allen Meadows of Burghound suggests 'drinking this on the younger side with an appropriate dish,' and Vinous said 2014 it 'should drink well for many year's. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate Jeb Dunnuck in 2014 wrote, 'Overall, it’s a structured effort that should be given another handful of years in the cellar, and consumed over the following decade.

I suspect at ten years, we're drinking this wine at the apex of its drinking window. The label from the bottle was in perfect condition (shown above).

This release was awarded 93 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 92 points by Vinous

Consistent with our last tasting of this wine, ironically a year ago this week, and our previous tasting for this label which we served for the family Thanksgiving diner back in 2015, this was translucent ruby red colored, medium light bodied, scent of dusty rose, cherry and raspberry fruit flavors with a hint of cola, clove spice, leather and earthy mushroom turning to fine grained delicate tannins on the moderate lingering finish.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1774888

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2015/11/thanksgiving-feast-features-diverse.html

https://www.calerawine.com/

https://twitter.com/calerawine  @CaleraWine

Carpenter Creek Cellars Indiana Produced Wines

Carpenter Creek Cellars Indiana Produced Wines - the original winery in Jasper County, Indiana.

Last year we stopped at Carpenter Creek Cellars while passing through Jasper County in Northwest Central Indiana. They're located just off Interstate 65 in Remington, Indiana halfway between Lafayette and Chicago, not far from our family farm, relatively speaking. We've passed this spot literally hundreds of times over the years, but never before stopped to visit the local winery, Carpenter Creek Cellars. Exit I65 from the North at exit SR114, or from the south at State Road 231. Follow the signs on the back country roads to the winery on Jordan Road.

I thought I blogged about the experience last year but have to admit I can't find it and it was obviously never posted so I am doing so now. Photos here were taken in December 2019. 

Winemaker Randy Rottler (left) and proprietor
partner Ed Courtright

 During our visit at that time, we tasted a half dozen of their wines and ended up buying several labels. This is a bit remarkable as they exceeded my expectations for Indiana produced wines such that we brought home nearly a case. This is a testament to the craft and handiwork of partner proprietors Ed Courtright (right), who wanted to grow grapes in northern Indiana to supply wineries in the area, and winemaker Randy Rottler, who had dreams of starting a small winery.

The farm has been in the Courtright family for three generations. Ed and his son Byron planted their first grape vines in 2002, in what became Byron's vineyard. In 2011, they planted 1.1 acres of Traminette, the Midwestern grape used to produce Indiana's signature wine. After two years of building a business, and one year of restoring a barn/planting vineyards/doing paperwork ... they opened to the public in 2013. Just six months later, they won awards at the 2013 Indy (Indianapolis) International (wine festival) - a Silver Medal in Carpenter Creek labels - Gunny White, Sunset Rosé, and Sunset Red and Bronze Medals for both the Gunny Red and the Riesling. 

Their dessert wine, Byron's Blend is a tribute to Byron and is a blend of the five varietals sourced from that vineyards. 

I've visited wineries in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Missouri where, as much as I would like to support them in their endeavors, often, I failed to find a wine sufficiently inspiring to acquire. That was not the case here as Carpenter Creek exceeded my expectations and we did end up buying several labels.

Carpenter Creek is a farm winery housed in a quaint picturesque renovated 1919 barn. There is the winery and a tasting room of Carpenter Creek Cellars broad portfolio of wines. The estate is actually visible from the interstate highway, I65.

From there they produce what they claim to produce "world-class wines which embody the best terroir and fruit the Midwest has to offer".

While I agree with the latter part of that statement, that they 'produce wines that embody the best terroir and fruit the Midwest has to offer', the front of that claim leaves much to be desired. Its not their fault that Indiana, and most of the Midwest for that matter, is not well suited to growing fine wine varietal grapes. Their challenge is that what makes Indiana a top producer of corn and soybeans, tomatoes and other vegetables and fruits, is precisely why it is not well suited for wine grapes. 

As I written often in these pages, the concept of terroir embodies all the elements of a place that affect the growing of varietal grapes - climate, soil, drainage, sun exposure, slope and elevation, proximity to climate impacting bodies of water, and so on. Needless to say, the terroir of Indiana in most respects is not ideal for growing wine grapes. In any event, there are now more than a hundred Indiana wineries that span virtually all regions of the agricultural state from corner to corner.

I've often said, California should not try to grow corn or tomatoes, and Indiana (or Illinois) should not try to grow wine grapes. Having lived for a time in California, I will attest that while we enjoyed access to the wine regions, and many of the California fruits and vegetables, artichokes, apricots and so on, we dearly missed quality beef steak, corn and tomatoes. 

World class wine growing regions are in certain latitudes in areas with moderate or hot climates, in areas that are arid and possess poor rocky, well drained soils that would otherwise be harsh to the likes of corn or tomatoes. Ideal grape growing conditions - terroir - actually stress the grapes, forcing them to establish deep deep roots to strain in capturing nutrients from the sparse soil, which is largely void of sufficiency to grow extensive vines and foliage, or corn. In short, the conditions for wine varietal grapes are almost the opposite of those for the cornbelt. 

The answer to this of course is to determine and cultivate grapes most tolerant of or best suited to the terroir. Great wine producers and regions around the world are all noted for the specific wine grape varietals symbolic for their region and its distinctive terroir - Bordeaux varietals for example which are also suited for Napa Valley in the US. One popular grape selected for Indiana and Illinois wines is Traminette. There are eighteen different varieties of grapes grown in Indiana on a total of 600 acres of vineyard lands.

Indeed, the whole concept of AVA's, American Viticultural Areas, is based on federally-recognized regions defined either by political boundaries, such as the name of a county, state or country, or by a designated area for that AVA. All the criteria for an AVA come down to terroir so that all wines from that AVA can be presumed to have the same characteristics, or from grapes grown under the same conditions. This is the same as in the old world wine producing countries, where they have rigorous grape growing and wine producing regulations subject to AOC - Appellation d'origine contrôlée regulations in France, and DOC and DOCG in Italy ((Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita (DOCG) is the  superior classification to DOC). 

Notably, there are 57 official appellations in Bordeaux, and seventeen in Napa Valley. Indiana has two designated AVAs, the Indiana Uplands AVA in the center of the state at the southern border along the Ohio River, and the Ohio River Valley AVA straddling the Ohio River along the southern border of the state. 

In order for a wine to be designated with an Appellation of Origin defined by a political boundary, such as a county name for example, federal law requires that 75 percent or more of grapes used to make the wine be from that appellation, such as Napa Valley.

Indiana Wineries have formed promotional tours with pre-designated Wine Trails, each with from five to a dozen wineries or more banded together along a geographic route. They are: 

Indiana Uplands Trail in south and central Indiana with five wineries - Indianauplands.com
Indiana Wine Trail in Southeast Indiana - seven wineries - IndianaWineTrail.com
Hoosier Wine Trail along the I64 cooridor in Southwest Indiana - six wineries - HoosierWineTrail.com
Indy Wine Trail in Indianapolis with five wineries - IndyWineTrail.com
State Line Wine Trail bordering the Illinois State Line with five wineries - StateLineWineTrail.com
South Shore Wine Trail with eleven wineries in the Northeast and East Central Indiana - SouthShoreCVA.com/SSWT
Cardinal Flight Wine Trail in Marion and adjacent counties in Central Indiana with six wineries - CardinalFlightWineTrail.com
Indiana Grown Wine Trail - crosses the state visiting 33 wineries - IndianaGrown.org/WineTrail
WineTour with five wineries in northeast Indiana - WineTourIN.com

 Alas, Carpenter Creek Cellars sources many of their grapes from California regions - central coast, Sierra foothills, central valley. They also source grapes grown in the Midwest, those tend to be from the southern reaches of Indiana in the two AVAs bordering the Ohio River, or from the wine growing areas of western Michigan, straddling Lake Michigan or Ohio, along Lake Erie, where the Lakes' have significant moderating effects on the local climate. 

While Carpenter Creek have planted vineyards adjacent to the winery, they admitted they lost many of their planted vines due to the harsh winters and extreme cold and deep freeze of the soil a few years ago. 

All that said, partners Ed Courtright and Randy Rottler have done an admirable job crafting some pleasant drinkable wines, that most assuredly represent nearly the best achievable outcomes from the grape sources that they have to work with. 

They produce an extensive portfolio of wines that cover the range from reds and whites, along with a port-like fortified wine, a dessert wine, and a Rose'.

Last year, during our visit, we acquired several Carpenter Creek labels from those that we tasted (below), produced from grape sources as indicated:

Carpenter Creek Cellars Byron's Blend - A red dessert wine done in a port style, sourced from Indiana and other midwest grapes
Fence Row Red - Bordeaux style red blend - sourced from California Central Coast
Fence Row White
Gunny Red - from various sources - Gold Medal winner at the Finger Lakes International Wine Festival
Gunny White - from Indiana and other midwest grapes
Riesling - Michigan and other midwest grapes
Steuben - sourced from Indiana and other midwest grapes
Sunset Red - sourced from Indiana and other midwest grapes
Sunset Rose' - Ohio and other midwest grapes
Traminette - from Indiana and other midwest grapes

 Last week, Linda visited family and friends down in Indiana and stopped again at the picturesque red barn that serves as their winery and tasting room. Once again, she tried a couple wines and was pleasantly impressed such that she bought and brought home a couple new label selections.  

The highlight was a full bodied Zinfandel aged in bourbon barrels, sourced from Northern California Sierra foothill grapes.

 Watch for upcoming reviews of these wines.

https://carpentercreekcellars.com/

https://twitter.com/carpenterwines

http://IndianaWines.org 

Carpenter Creek Cellars Bourbon Barrel Zinfandel - Byron's Blend - a perfect wine and BBQ pairing. 

 

 Other labels: 

 

Clos l'Église Côtes de Castillon 2005

Clos l'Église (Côtes de Castillon) Bordeaux 2005

Friday night, quiet dinner at home, Linda grilled some steaks and vegetables and I pulled from the cellar this middle-aged vintage Bordeaux for simple, pleasant drinking accompaniment from this 'lesser' appellation.

Château Clos L’Eglise is a 40-acre estate in St-Magne de Castillon in the appellation of Côtes de Castillon, lying at the easternmost edge of Bordeaux's Right Bank, adjacent to the larger and more famous St.-Émilion. 

Côtes de Castillon is a lesser appellation, also known as one of the 'satellite' appellations. The main town of Castillon-la-Bataille lies on the Right Bank of the Dordogne River which flows into and meets the Gironde river above the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary that flows westward to the Atlantic. 

A smaller appellation consisting of  2,900 hectares (7,500 acres). most of the domains are less than 10 hectares (25 acres), never-the-less, it produces 22 millions bottles of Merlot and Cabernet Franc based red wines a year. 

Adjacent to Saint-Emilion, Côtes de Castillon has the similar terroir of plateau and hillslope, about 20% of the vineyards lying on the Dordogne’s silty plane and on a sandy area in the east of the appellation rising up to a limestone plateau which twists around a number of wooded hills and valleys, eventually reaching 117m at Saint-Philippe-d’Aiguilhe. The terroir is climatically a bit cooler than St Emilion, making the harvest a little later, and requiring good vineyard management.

The always dapper Count Stephan von Neipperg,
Château Canon-La-Gaffelière 
at UGCB 2016 Release Tour Chicago

Many St Emilion producers are expanding into the area. Stephan von Neipperg, well known owner of Château Canon-la-Gaffelière and La Mondotte in Saint-Emilion, was the first on the scene when he bought the 30ha Château d’Aiguilhe in 1998. He has been followed by other Saint-Emilion luminaries including Gérard Perse of premier grand cru classé Château Pavie, who acquired Sainte-Colombe, Clos l’Eglise and Clos des Lunelles (formerly Lapeyronie), and Gérard Bécot of Château Beau-Séjour Bécot, who launched Château Joanin Bécot with his daughter Juliette in 2001.

Red Côtes de Castillon wines are Merlot-based, offering complex and elegant flavors of red and black fruits. Wines from the best Côtes de Castillon producers can present excellent value (QPR - Quality Price Ratio) for fans of the St.-Émilion Grand Cru style. All wines from Côtes de Castillon may also carry the regional appellations of "Bordeaux" or "Bordeaux supérieur".

The Château Clos L’Eglise estate is owned by Gérard Perse, a French businessman and one-time bicycle champion. Perse sold two supermarket chains to finance his entry into the world of winemaking. He owns several Bordeaux estates, including Château Pavie and Pavie-Decesse. He stopped making wine under the Clos L’Eglise label after the 2008 vintage and since then used the estate’s grapes as part of the blend for his new Esprit de Pavie, a second wine for Pavie. Robert Parker cites that Clos L’Eglise was one of the least expensive wines produced by Gerard Perse.

Clos L’Eglise is a blend of 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Back in May of 2019 I wrote about this wine,  "Dark garnet purple colored, medium bodied, dark berry fruits accented by notes of leather, tobacco, tea and hints of menthol, turning to nice fine grained tannins on the lingering finish."

RM 88 Points

Stephen Tanzer gave this wine 90-91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=230916

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/05/clos-leglise-cotes-de-castillon-bordeaux.html