Dunn Vineyards and Caymus #40 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons

Dunn Vineyards and Caymus #40 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons

For another dinner with visiting relatives Jan & Bill, Bill pulled from the wine cellar a couple labels he was eager to try - a aged vintage Dunn Vineyards and a Caymus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

Dunn Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1986

Jan and Bill accompanied us when we visited the Dunn Vineyards estate up at Angwin on Howell Mountain during our Napa Valley Howell Mountain Wine Experience back in 2008. We were hosted by Kristina Dunn that day but we had the privilege to meet winemaker, producer, patriarch and Napa Valley pioneer Randy Dunn. 

Randy started his wine career working for Charlie Wagner as the first enologist for Caymus. He was  instrumental in establishing Howell Mountain as a sub-AVA of Napa Valley. He is hands on from the vineyards to the cellars.

While not one of the larger holdings in our cellar in terms of number of bottles, it may be one of our broadest holdings in terms of number of vintages in our vertical collection of this label, and the flagship premium label Dunn Howell Mtn Cab.  We also collect Randy Dunn's "Feather" label that he produces for the Long Shadows Vintners Collection Series in Washington State.

Our Cellartracker records indicate we have a vertical collection of several mixed cases of each label from almost two dozen vintages dating back to 1981. 

Selections from Vertical Collection of Dunn Napa Valley Cabernets

This label release got 92 points from Robert Parker. It has a Cellartracker average rating of 92.7 from 92 user reviews.

With Randy Dunn at Dunn estate high atop Howell Mountain.

Dunn is known for age-worthy long-lived Napa Cabernets, especially the premium Howell Mountain label.  Robert Parker tasted both Dunn labels at ten years of age in 1996 and wrote: "Two of the most impressive wines in these tastings, both of Dunn's 1986s tasted like 3-4-year old Cabernets rather than 10-year old adolescents.... Rich, pure, and youthful, this 1986 is accessible now, but will unquestionably last another 20+ years." That would bring this wine to 2016 and here we are five years later. 

Amazingly, at 35 years of age this 1986 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is still holding its own showing some but little sign of diminution from age. The fill level, foil, label and most importantly the cork, were all in good, acceptable condition. 

The bottle still has the pricetag sticker on the bottle showing $49.95, which would've been the purchase price back on release in the late 1980's.

Dark garnet colored with a slight brownish tinge on the rim starting to set in, medium bodied, musty dark blackberry and black raspberry fruits holding on but starting to give way to notes of dusty tobacco, leather, hint of graphite, espresso and cassis with nicely integrated tannins on a round lingering finish. 

RM 88 points.

1986 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

https://www.cellartracker.com › wine › iWine=36948

http://www.dunnvineyards.com/

@dunn_vineyards  

We then opened this widely popular classic Napa Cab Caymus. 

Caymus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon #40 2012 

As I've written here in these pages several times,  Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon is an amazing wine, always a fan favorite. This 2012 vintage was spectacular as usual and was a perfect compliment to our beef steak dinner with dark chocolate dessert. I always find it remarkable how Caymus consistently produce such a wine in such large quantity sourced from so many different growers and vineyards. 

We visited the Caymus Vineyards estate during our Napa Valley Wine Experience 2018 for a private tasting. One of the most well known and established brands in Napa Valley dating back to 1972, since then, their production has grown from 240 to 65000 cases per year. They're most known for Caymus Cabernet - their two Cabernets Sauvignons; “Napa Valley” and the venerable “Special Selection”. Both are crafted by winemaker, founder and patriarch Chuck Wagner.

We collected “Caymus Special Selection” for the 1990 vintage (and many vintages since), birthyear of son Alec, and Wine Spectator Wine of the year for 1992. We served this at Alec and Vivianna's wedding celebration.

For this 2012 release, they produced a blockbuster for the vintage, and changed their long standing branding and packaging to this celebratory bottle and commemorative label. The numerical foil that they began with this vintage and every vintage since, signifies the anniversary of the release of this label dating back to the 1976 inaugural vintage release. In this vintage release, they also offered a one liter bottle which provides a nice mid-point step up between the standard size and the 1.5 liter magnum packaging. 

Tonight's tasting was consistent with earlier notes and posts in 2014, 2015 and 2016. 

Dark inky purple, full bodied, big brooding ripe tongue coating plum, black and blue berry fruits predominate turning to a layer of mocha chocolate with a hint of cassis on a big finish The 2012 vintage release also shows the classic characteristics of Caymus Estate Cabernet at its best - early approachability and drinkability as a young wine.

Typical legendary Caymus Cab style - dark blackish ruby/garnet colored, medium to full bodied, nicely structured, complex but smooth, well balanced and polished, it opens with sweet ripe blackberry and raspberry flavors highlighted by layers of milk chocolate, subtle tones of cinnamon, vanilla and hints of caramel and kirsch giving way to a smooth lingering modest tannin finish.

RM 93 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1805868

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2014/11/caymus-2012-40th-anniversary-bottling.html

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2014/08/napanook-and-caymus-napa-reds-anchor.html

http://www.caymus.com

https://twitter.com/caymuscab 

Father-Son Steak Wine Dinner

Father Son Boy's Night Wine Steak Dinner

A wine adventure, we held a 'boy's night' Father-son (s) wine dinner. What a treat and joy to do so with all three sons in attendance. With son Sean just home from the hospital after some major stuff, now on the mend, sibling Alec came in from New York, and brother/son Ryan came over for the gathering. It was Ryan's birthday last week so we ventured down to the cellar to pull a 'birth-year' wine from the few remaining in the collection for his vintage.

We discussed the possibility of doing a 'vertical' tasting, a wine from the same label from each of their birth years. It would be possible from our cellar collection but only in larger format Magnums, obviously too much for as intimate small group tasting as it was. Notably, at some point we could, and need to do a tasting of all the kids birthyears as we have in our collection one from each, magnums of Silver Oak, Chateau Palmer and Gruaud Larose.

For the 1982 vintage we found a time-to-drink Chateau Gloria St Julien. For a near '85 we pulled a 1986 Chateau Clerc Milon Pauillac. We should've pulled a '90 vintage for son Alec's birthyear but opted to stick to just the two bottles. Notably, too, remarkably, or perhaps shamefully, our cellar records show we hold more than 180 bottles in no less than 65 different labels from that vintage! Need a party or special occasion! (I am certain this number is exaggerated and doesn't reflect earlier consumption and numerous bottles 'thinned' and liquidated from the cellar at auctions when their market price points peaked during the last decade.) 

Eventually in a quest for something 'younger', we pulled a Paradigm Napa Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon from the 1994 vintage.

Later after I (Dad) went to bed, the boys pulled and tasted one of our favorite Syrah's, Kilikanoon Oracle Shiraz 2005. Half of that bottle remains that we'll enjoy with tonight's dinner.

Chateau Gloria St Julian Bordeaux 1982

The cork on this bottle was a challenge as it was saturated and soft but initially intact. ryan used an Ahso (two pronged puller) to extract it and the bottom tip of the extended extra long cork eventually separated and remained deep in the neck. I was able to extract it using a traditional corkscrew, inserting it into the edge between the bottle and the cork and gently wedging it out.

We decanted and aerated the bottle. It was initially closed but opened after about ninety minutes. Initial indications suggested the bottle might be tainted or over the hill, somewhat murky with a brownish rust colored tinge on the dark garnet color. While it never cleared, the cherry and currant fruits revealed themselves and by the time the grilled strip steaks were ready, this was consumable, albeit past its drinking window and just hanging on for remaining drinking life. The fruits had given way to leather, black olive and earth tones. It was a worthwhile and acceptable complement to the steak, baked potato grilled asperagus.

For some reason, this was offensive and repulsive, conflicting with the chocolate silk pie. So be it.

While it was never an expensive or long lived collectable bottle, the fact we found one lurking in the cellar was fun and it contributed to the wine dinner experience. For what its worth, we didn't even have this bottle in our cellar records. We found it searching for another bottle.

RM 85 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=22703


Chateau Clerc Milon Pauillac 1986

At 32 years this is outside its prescribed drinking window, past its prime but still approachable, remarkably holding its own, but time to drink up. Back in 2002 Parker wrote that "while this wine should age well for another two decades, it has matured faster than many of the 1986 Pauillacs".

The cork started to collapse as soon as I pressed on it but I was able to work it out, slowly rocking the 'Ahso' (two prong cork puller) between opposite sides to extract it fully. It was soft and saturated but intact.

Note the original price still affixed to the bottle, $32.99 on release back in 1989, on sale for $29.99. The pricetag tells me I obtained this at the old legendary Sam's in Chicago.

Decanted and aerated but needed a couple hours to open up, dark garnet colored, medium bodied, plum and cherry fruits initially subdued and overshadowed by leather and black olive, eventually popping with some bright vibrancy with tones of cedar and spicy clove with hints of bacon fat, pepper and anise, turning to some modest tannins on the short finish. This is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc.

On release this got 97 points from Wine Spectator in 1989 and was Ranked #2 on the Top 100 Wines of 1989. Robert Parker gave it 90 points and Jancis Robinson gave it 17.5/20 points. I gave it 88 which is remarkable at this late stage of life.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=16448


Paradigm Napa Valley Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 1994

We tasted and acquired this wine during our visit to the winery during our Napa Wine Experience 1999. This was the or close to the inaugural vintage of this wine and is the last of the bottles we hold in our cellar of this vintage label.

This is showing remarkably well at 24 years of age showing no signs of diminution. This may be at its apex of drinkability and will no doubt not improve with further aging. But there should be no rush to consume these either. We acquired a case of this wine upon release and the remaining bottles are in perfect condition with corks and fill levels still being optimal.

Tonight was consistent with my last tasting of this vintage label date back to 8/30/2009 when I posted this. "Dark inky color. forward fruit flavors of black cherry, with a bit with earth and leather emerging over the subtle currant, ripe plum, cedar and a hint of anise on a moderate finish."

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/03/paradigm-napa-valley-cabernet-1994.html

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=5051

Kilikanoon Oracle Claire Valley Shiraz 2005

The boys opened this after I went to bed but left me some which we enjoyed the next evening.  I am finding these aged Aussie Shiraz's hold up for several days and may be better the day after or the day after that!

This is one of our favorite Shiraz's in our cellar collection. Shiraz is the second highest volume varietal in number of bottles in our collection after Bordeaux varietals (which includes Cabernets (Sauvignon and Franc), Merlot, and the 'lesser' varietals Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.

Our collection of Syrahs aka Shiraz', represent Australia, Washington State, California and the French Rhone River Valley, upper and lower.

This producer, Kilikanoon was awarded Australian Wine Producer of the Year by the International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) for the fifth time in eight years that Kilikanoon was internationally recognised as Australian Winery of the Year, (previously by James Halliday in 2013 and Germany’s Mundus Vini in 2010, 2017 and 2018).

This Kilikanoon Oracle Shiraz 2005 was awarded best Shiraz in the World at the International Wine Challenge, one of three times to be so recognized, in 2001 and the 2014 Oracle Shiraz was awarded the Shiraz Trophy for best Shiraz in the world. 

Oracle is composed from select old vine fruit grown along the estate-owned Golden Hillside Vineyard in Leasingham in the Clare Valley in South Central Australia. Oracle was the first Shiraz released by Kilikanoon’s Founder and Chief Winemaker Kevin Mitchell in the inaugural 1997 vintage and has been released each year except 2011.

This 2005 was consistent with earlier tasting notes back in May and previous last entry back in 2009 when this wine was only five years old. Now three times that age, it still presents the massive blackberry liqueur accented by full bodied blueberry, notes of kirsch, expresso and hints of cinnamon and clove spices.

Dark blackish garnet colored with full body and fine grained approachable well integrated tannins on the long lingering finish. Over the years since the earlier tasting, the berry fruits are starting to give way to a notes of raisin and hints of leather.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=396281

Vintage St Julien trio highlight Hemmingway's Bistro Dinner

Vintage St Julien trio - Château Beychevelle and Gruaud Larose highlight Hemmingway's Bistro Dinner

For a Saturday night dinner at Hemmingway's Bistro in Oak Park, a French inspired cuisine, the site of several of our wine dinners including our gala wine dinner last fall.

I took BYOB three vintage left bank Bordeaux from the St Julien appellation. The combination of two bottles from one producer and two bottles from one vintage, provided the chance for a mini-horizontal and mini-vertical comparison tasting in one.

I pulled two bottles from the 1988 vintage since I feel its less age-worthy and starting to enter the latter stages of its drinking profile, while the 1986 is known for long life so I was less concerned about consuming those bottles soon. All three showed well this evening demonstrating the longevity of quality Bordeaux in a good vintage.

These and some other St Julien wines are some of our favorite holdings in our wine cellar collection. We hold more than a dozen vintages of the Château Gruaud Larose label going back to the eighties. We have enjoyed meeting David Launay, winemaker, during his visits to Chicago as part of the Union Grand Cru Producers of Bordeaux' (UGCB) North American release tour in 2013 and again in 2014. We had the privilege of pouring both of these wine at some of those events when their representatives were detained in New York by snowstorms last year and the year before.

With the UGCB tasting event coming up again in two weeks, we look forward to hosting the producers in Chicago again and tasting their 2013 release. Having had two grand-children in that year, I'll be paying special attention towards acquiring birth-year wines for the grandkids.

These wines were the perfect accompaniment to the Pan Seared Foie Gras with grilled onion and pear (shown left).

It is said that the French are masters at pairing wine with food. This would be a great benchmark as the complement between all these wines and this starter was spectacular.

The wines were also great when paired with the peppercorn crusted beef tenderloin au pouvre and the duck confit with sweet potato gnochi in a brown sauce (shown below) courses with the au gratin potatoes and the creamed spinach.

As would be expected, all there wines evolved over the course of the evening, especially during the first thirty, sixty and ninety minutes. None were opened prior to the meal nor decanted.

While they were basically pop and poured, tonight was a realistic evaluation of these wines' state and provided a meaningful comparison and enjoyable tasting experience.



Château Beychevelle 1986

Amazingly, at thirty years of age, this is probably at the apex of its drinking window - such was the longevity of the 1986 vintage. We still hold a couple cases of various Bordeaux from this vintage that we've been holding as we consume lesser (ageworthy) vintages, which is most.

Like the other two, the cork was slightly saturated and the bottom half crumbled on opening. This one was the most stable and consistent from opening through the course of the evening. 

Bright garnet colored, medium bodied, this was complex bright cherry, dark berry fruits with layers of cigar box, tobacco leaf, earthy forest floor and herbal tones, turning to tongue coating tannins on the lingering tangy finish.

RM 89 points.

 https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=8369

Château Beychevelle 1988

I bought this case of this wine upon release back at the time. This is the fifth of the last remaining bottles. This blew me away as I was concerned it would be further diminished from age from the previous tasting when it was starting to show diminution ... it was still drinking well.

This was the showing its age more than the other two, but still holding showing consistency with my last published tasting note back in 11/2010.

"Medium bodied, slighly brickish color, nicely balanced soft earthy leather and tobacco tones predominating over the black cherry fruit on moderate, smooth tannin finish. Time to drink." Tonight this was showing a bit of barnyard funkiness on opening that burned off over the course of an hour, but still showing tangy tongue coating notes on the cherry fruit.

RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=19132

http://www.beychevelle.com/

Château Gruaud Larose 1988

At close to thirty years of age, this is holding up the best of several other St Julien Bordeaux that I hold from this vintage.

Tonight, this cork was slightly partially saturated on the bottom third which separated from the top half on opening.

As written in this blog, tonight's tasting was consistent with my last tasting two years ago when I published this tasting note.

Medium - "full bodied, dark garnet colored, lively acidity with firm core of black berry fruits accented by tobacco, leather and hints of cassis with moderate tannins on the finish."

The bright cherry fruit and a layer of earthy black truffle and smoky meats were offset by the bright floral tones on the tangy lingering smooth tannin finish.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3883

http://www.gruaud-larose.com/ 

With the dessert course of Mango Grand Marnier Souffles and Creme Brulee, Dan selected from the wine list the Taylor Fladgate Twenty Year Old Tawny Port.

Taylor Fladgate Twenty Year Old Tawny Port NV

This was great with the creme brulee as well as the souffle dessert course.

Essence of sweet Cognac accented by a layer of dried sweet figs, dates, tones of smoky nuts with raisiny fruits and a layer of carmelized nuts on the finish.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=6778








After dinner, back at our house with fresh fruits, select cheeses and dried fruits we opened this zesty tasty Tokaji (below). 

Chateau Dereszla Tokaji Aszú Eszencia 2000

Great for a soothing nightcap.

Amber orange colored, thick chewy full bodied, zesty unctuous apricot and hint of tangerine fruits accented by and give way to smoky tobacco laced caramelized almond, walnut with hints of fig and toast on a slightly tangy acidic sweet citrus finish.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=247123

More to come.