Premium Napa Reds for Family Birthday Celebration

Premium Napa Reds for Family Birthday Celebration 

 Son Ryan and Michelle hosted the family for daughter/grand-daughter Mackenizie’s birthday. Ryan pulled from his cellar a flight of premium wines for the occasion.

Before dinner, they served a selection of artisan cheeses: Rogue Creamery Oregon Blue, Italian triple milk soft cheese, and 1yr aged El Trigo DOP Manchego Sheep’s Mile from Toledo, Spain.

Rogue Creamery Oregon Blue, La Tur Italian triple milk soft ripened cheese,  1yr aged El Trigo DOP Manchego Sheep’s Mile from Toledo, Spain.

Caseificio dell'Alta Langa, from the village of Bosia, in the heart of Alta Langa, a short distance from Alba, Barolo and Barbaresco. Family run since 1881, continuing the work of their grandparents passed down from generation to generation the ancient practice of local shepherds in the production of cheeses based on mixed or goat's milk. 

Ryan pulled from his cellar this wine flight - ‘08 Pierre Moncuit BtB Champaigne, 2012 Kapcsandy Yountville Cabernet, and 2013 Cliff Lede SLD Cabernet. I brought from our home cellar a 2003 vintage Integrity Shiraz by Marquis Philips. 

Pierre Moncuit Blanc de Blancs Brut Grand Cru Champagne 2008

This is from the Grand Cru village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger in the Côte des Blancs. The hamlet, one of the world’s best sites for Chardonnay with its ideal great terroir, old vines, and learned winemakers, is also home to other notable producers such as Krug, Salon, Pierre Péters and Selosse. 

The estate is run by the mother and daughter team Nicole and Valérie Moncuit. Except for a Rose’, all their labels they produce are single vintage, single estate sourced wines that represent the terroir of the village. The 2008 vintage was one of the best in this century.

The 2008 Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru was given extended time on the lees for more than ten years resulting in added complexity that developed in bottle and was disgorged in November 2020. 

It has all the racy, laser sharp acidity of the vintage, and the delicate richness we can attribute to élévage — the wine ferments in stainless steel, to preserve fruit purity, and is allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation, converting crisp, apple-y malic acid into rounder, softer lactic. There’s no oak aging, but this latest shipment of the wine spent nearly 15 years aging in the bottle, a time during which flavors meld and become something rich, toasty and deeply mineral.

Any sharp edges this wine may have had on release have softened and relaxed, leaving a complex wine with great depth. And while some 2008 vintage Champagnes (ahem, Krug, Cristal) are selling for hundreds of dollars, Moncuit’s is available for much less.

Reseller’s notes - Baked apple tart, spice, apricot, orange peel, spice, hazelnut and coffee are some of the many aromas and flavors that shape this wonderfully complex Champagne from Moncuit. 

Antonio Galloni of Vinous gave this 94 points.

“Moncuit's Extra Brut …shows a different facet of its personality in this version, with lower dosage vis-à-vis the Brut version. Here the flavors are brighter and more sculpted throughout. Hints of toastiness, almond and tangerine oil add an exotic flair that makes the Extra Brut absolutely beguiling. Lower dosage seems to exalt the minerality and bright acids of the year, while pushing the fruit a bit into the background. Both Brut and Extra Brut bottlings are terrific; choosing among them comes down to personal preference. 94 points” Antonio Galloni, Vinous.

Kapcsandy Estate Yountville State Lane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

Ryan served from his cellar, a large format magnum, this 100 point ‘perfect’ wine (Robert M. Parker, Jr.) is from Kapcsándy (pronounced "Cup-chon-dy") Family Vineyard in Yountville, central Napa Valley, a father-son team of Lou and Louis Kapcsándy. 

Lou Kapcsándy emigrated to the U.S. from Hungary in 1956 and had a successful career in chemical engineering and manufacturing in the San Francisco Bay Area, then in Seattle. 

In 1998, Lou and his wife, Bobbie visited Bordeaux and the centuries-old estate, Leoville-Las Cases where they were inspired to retire in California and create a wine-based business in partnership with their son, Louis, Jr. There vision and goal was to produce wines of “First Growth” quality that could rival any region or winery in the world.

After a three month search they discovered the 20-acre parcel in Yountville, one the original crown jewels of Beringer Estates Private Reserve Cabernet, and acquiring the property in May 2000. They set upon a rigorous plan to redevelop the property including replanting the vineyard.

In 2002, the Kapcsándys completely replanted the vineyard site to 15 specific blocks, primarily Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and constructed a state-of-the-art winery in September 2005.  

Son Louis, born in Marin County, California and raised in Seattle attended the University of Washington where he played varsity football and gained a degree in economics. After graduation, he worked in Los Angeles in feature-film post-production.

Louis Jr. began his wine career in 1999 when he co-founded Grand Cru Imports LLC with his father, specializing in Bordeaux Cru Classé and Petits Chateaux wines. He moved to Bordeaux to learn the intricacies of the Place de Bordeaux (a network of chateau owners, agents, and merchants) working for negociant firm Maison Joanne.

While at Maison Joanne, Louis visited more than 100 chateaux and learned fermentation methods, then apprenticed at Jean Luc & Murielle Thunevin of Ch. Valandraud (St. Emilion). During this time, he learned both classic and cutting-edge winemaking techniques from Alain Vauthier (Ch. Ausone) and Peter Sisseck (Pingus, Ribera del Duero).

Louis (Jr) returned in 2002 to co-found Kapcsándy Family Vineyard with his father. Today, he is intimately involved in all vineyard and winemaking decisions.

In the early days, and for this release, Denis Malbec was the consulting Winemaker for Kapcsandy Family Winery. Denis was born at Latour, where he learned winemaking and vineyard management early on with his father, Jean-Noel Malbec who worked at Château Latour from 1947 to 1994, and his grandfather, Camille Malbec who worked in the vineyard from the 1920s until the late 1970s.

Denis initially studied viticulture and enology in Bordeaux and later in Reims, Champagne. He completed his studies with a “Tour de France” of the vineyards with work at Château Haut-Brion, Château Lagrange, the Pugnac Cooperative in Côte de Bourg, Léon Viollant, owner and wine merchant in Côte de Beaune, Duval Leroy, in the Côte des Blancs in Champagne and at Calvet, negociant in Bordeaux.

Denis started at Château Latour as one of the cellar workers in 1993 and took the position as enologist and winemaker at Château Latour in 1994 until 1999.

Denis and his wife moved to the United States in 2000, setting up base in St. Helena, working for such clients over the years as Charles Krug, Kapcsandy Wines, Respite Wines, Sodaro Estate and Medlock Ames. They also made Aliénor.

Denis worked with Kapcsandy Family from 2005 until he was tragically killed in a car accident in Yountville in 2016.

Today, winemaking duties are managed by the collaboration of consulting winemaker Tony Arcadia and Cellar Master David Sotelo. 

Tony left his well-established career in tech and engineering to follow his passion for wine after 20 years working as an engineer aboard Navy submarines and then IBM. 

He graduated from UC Davis’s oenological program and trained in France at Rhône-based Maison M. Chapoutier. Returning to the Napa Valley, he served as assistant winemaker at Nickel & Nickel in Oakville. 

In 2009, Tony joined up with renowned winemaker Heidi Peterson Barrett collaborating making wine together.

Tony’s addition to the winemaking team followed a career path parallel to Kapcsándys, from engineering background and training in France to pursue desire to cultivate vineyard-designated wines.

David Sotelo began his career in the wine industry Napa Wine Company, where he worked for 11 years before joining the Kapcsándy Family Winery team. He fondly recalls his first harvest at Kapcsándy in 2005 and the excitement of their first 100-point score from Robert Parker, Jr. for the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon-Grand Vin.

This 2012 Grand Vin Kapcsàndy release is a single vineyard designated label sourced, 100% from the State Lane Vineyard in Yountville, composed of 99% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Merlot. The wine was aged for 20 months in new French oak barrels.

This release was awarded 100 points by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, 99 points by Int'l Wine Review, 98 by Vinous, and 97 by Antonio Galloni.

All the pundits are consistent that this wine should last several more decades at the apex of its drinking profile. 

If you’ve been fortunate to taste a 100 point ‘perfect’ wine, you might be in for a surprise … they’re not a blockbuster that knocks you over with big forward fruits, or some other highlight, rather, they’re remarkable for their lack of excessive notes, and are flawless, and seamless in their polished harmonic integration.

Dark garnet colored, medium to full bodied, complex, rich, plush polished, a symphony of ripe black currant and raspberry fruits with floral violet, cinnamon spice, graphite and hints of black olive and cedar notes on a smooth silky tannin laced lingering finish. 

RM 94 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2061913

https://www.kapcsandywines.com/

https://x.com/Kapcsandy

Cliff Lede Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 

This is the standard Estate bottled Cabernet Sauvignon with fruit sourced from the hillside terraces of the Poetry Vineyard down the road and across the Silverado Trail from the winery, from the Twin Peaks Vineyard estate surrounding the winery, and a few neighboring vineyards in the Stags Leap District.

Notably, this is just across and down the road from Kapcsàndy Family Winery and vineyards of the label above. 

One of our favorites and mainstays of both Ryan's and my cellars, the Cliff Lede Stags Leap property is just down and across the road from Kapcsàndy property geographically. We’ve visited the estate several times during our Napa Valley visits and held several private tastings/tours there. 

This is a consistent crowd pleaser from vintage to vintage. We hold about a half dozen vintages of this label and they seem to hit their stride and be in their peak after a decade of cellaring. 

The wine is composed of small lots from Lede estate vineyard best blocks, representing a diverse range of carefully selected clones and rootstocks. From Poetry’s exposed, rocky terraces that are volcanic in origin, to the ancient riverbed alluvial soils of Twin Peaks, the breadth of contributing sites translates into a wine of impressive complexity.

Robert Parker gave this release 93 points. 

Producers’ Production Notes - “Hand harvested throughout the night, the fruit was immediately subjected to rigorous selection by our three-tiered sorting process, including our cutting edge optical sorter, with a goal of retaining only perfect berries. The selected fruit was gently delivered to specially-designed truncated tanks via gravity by our crane system, minimizing disruption of berry integrity. Cold soaks lasted approximately five days, and fermentations were managed by a combination of délestage and pumpovers. Extended maceration ranging from four to five weeks fine-tuned tannin profiles, allowing us to build mouth feel and wine complexity. The wine was aged in French oak barrels, 50% of which were new, for twenty-one months.”

Winemaker Notes - “Inky purple with blood-red tinged edges, the elegant and seamless 2013 Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon's multilayered perfume fills the glass with notes of violets, lavender, and spring flowers. Intertwined with the floral notes are heady layers of plum, blackberry, and red currents. Silky, unctuous flavors of smoked cardamom, cinnamon, and black licorice lay out on the palate and finish with the taste and texture of liquefied rocks.”

Dark garnet and dense purple in color, full bodied, bright vibrant black berry and black currant fruits with tones of anise, hints of cinnamon spice and oak with firm but smooth tannins on a lingering finish.

RM 91 points. This got 93 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and 91 points from Vinous

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2394746

http://www.cliffledevineyards.com/

I brought from our home cellar this limited release premium label from Marquis Philips, predecessor to the widely popular Mollydooker brand. 

Marquis Philips Integrity Shiraz 2003 

We loved the Marquis Philips portfolio of wines and wrote about them extensively in these pages, and of course, today they’re the widely popular Mollydooker brand.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2022/02/mollydooker-scooter-merlot.html

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2024/12/blue-eyed-boy-mclaren-vale-shiraz-2020.html

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2014/02/mollydooker-carnival-of-love-shiraz-2011.html

Marquis Philips was formed as a collaboration between the U.S. importer Dan Philips and Sparky and Sarah Marquis, highly-regarded Australian winemakers who brought Fox Creek to cult fame. They had a falling out between the founders in late 2005 and the Marquis started their own label, Mollydooker. (Marquis Philips wines made since about 2005 were overseen by Chris Ringland, another legendary Australian winemaker.)

While Marquis Philips wines were known for their eye-catching, often provocative labels such as the ‘roogle’, a cross between an eagle and kangaroo - representing the Aussie, American partnership. Mollydooker went on to create their own portfolio is whimsical eye-catching labels. 

Robert Parker wrote - Perhaps another way to think of these wines is that they are XXX-rated stuff. They’re not exactly wines for those wanting finesse, lightness, restraint, or intellectual challenge. These are totally decadent homages to joy and yumminess. Or. As a friend of mine said, they are ‘fragrantly delicious.'"

Because of Marquis Philips’ tumultuous history, the affordable wines are highly sought-after and difficult to obtain in the current market. We acquired a couple vintages of this, their ultra-premium flagship label at auction. This was our last bottle, I was saving for a special occasion.

Of course, the saga continues and becomes more interesting. The turmoil in the house of Philips continued as Sarah and Sparky then had a falling out of their own, and winemaker Sarah bought out Sparky. Sparky it turns out was a friend of my Australian employee representative when I was still running a software company! I had plans to visit Aussie wine country and meet Sparky, then Covid, and I never made the trip. 

Marquis Philips "Integrity" Shiraz McLaren Vale South Australia 2003 

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2022/02/mollydooker-scooter-merlot.html

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2024/12/blue-eyed-boy-mclaren-vale-shiraz-2020.html

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2014/02/mollydooker-carnival-of-love-shiraz-2011.html

Notably, we drank an earlier vintage release of this label at another special occasion - taking it to a highly acclaimed restaurant BYOB for our anniversary celebration dinner five years ago - as covered in this blogpost - Goosefoot Chicago Anniversary Celebration Dinner, excerpted below.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/08/goosefoot-chicago-anniversary.html

Marquis Philips 'Integrity' Mclaren Vale Shiraz 2001

This is the premium release from Marquis Philips, precursor to Mollydooker. and their Velvet Glove premium label. We acquired this at auction a decade ago ... packaged in special gift box - awaiting a suitable occasion for gifting or serving ... OTBN - Open That Bottle toNight! 

This (2001) got over-the-top 99 and 97 point ratings from Parker who called it 'virtually perfect'. 

Back in the day, winemaker and producers Sarah and Sparky Marquis considered this the finest they had ever produced. 

We hold a couple dozen bottles of their wines dating back two decades. 

Ironically, we hosted Aussie colleague Peter F this weekend in Chicago and it turns out he is a personal friend of Sparky back in Adelaide South Central Australia! 

That Integrity packed a walloping 16.2% alcohol but didn't come across as the least bit overpowering. Parker cited the anticipated maturity out to 2020 so it was supposedly still at but nearing the end of its apex. 

Similar to and consistent with that earlier release … 

Inky dark garnet purple color, full bodied, big rich concentrated and multi-dimensional, but not as big, forward or unctuously rich as some that we have had, the fruit was also a bit more subdued than expected, black berry fruits accented by white floral, cassis, leather, tobacco, tea and hints of vanilla with fine smooth silky tannins on a long finish. Perhaps the fruit has subsided over the almost two decades. 

At the time I gave the 2001 RM 93 points, tonight I give the 2003 92 points. 

The 2001 release … https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=738 

Ths 2003 release … https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=70707

https://mollydookerwines.com.au/

https://twitter.com/MollydookerWine

https://twitter.com/unwindwine

Robert Parker writings about Marquis Philips …

“Marquis Philips is the most exciting wine project to emerge from Australia, and perhaps the New World, in the last year. Run, don't walk to a client of The Grateful Palate and secure as much as you can of these wines. This must be the most exciting development that has occurred in the Southern Hemisphere over the last several years. Marquis Philips is a partnership between highly talented winemakers Sarah and Sparky Marquis and their American importer, Dan Philips (of The Grateful Palate). I favorably reviewed the stunning debut values of the Marquis Philips range in the 2000 vintage. Remarkably, the 2001s are even more amazing, and probably for the price, the greatest red wine values in existence ... anywhere! Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #143 (Oct 2002”

Robert Parker 93 - “The flagship offering, the 2003 Shiraz Integrity, is a slightly down-sized version of the massive 2002 and 2001. Nevertheless, it is an amazing, modern-styled wine. It boasts a dense purple color, a big, sweet nose of chocolate, espresso roast, blackberries, creme de cassis, Asian spices, and new saddle leather, full body, an opulent texture, and tremendous length. Drink this seductive, rich Shiraz over the next decade.”

“The highly respected South Australian viticulturists/winemakers, Sarah and Sparky Marquis, in partnership with their importer, Dan Philips of the Grateful Palate, successfully launched the inexpensive line of Marquis Philips wines several years ago, creating something of a monster because of their enormous crowd appeal. While 2003 is a lighter vintage than its predecessors, these offerings have turned out nicely. The handful of consumers who deemed 2002 too concentrated for such inexpensive wines will be delighted to learn that the 2003s are slightly lighter, but still loaded with character as well as flavor. They possess heavy duty, exuberant fruit, ripeness, and considerable personality.”
94 - Wine AdvocateReview Date: 02/2013

Plumpjack Estate Napa Valley Cabernet for meatloaf dinner

Plumpjack Estate Napa Valley Cabernet for meatloaf dinner 

For an intimate dine-in Saturday night, Linda prepared one of my favorite comfort foods, meatloaf with carrots, onions and potatoes. For the occasion I pulled from the cellar an ultra-premium Napa Cabernet. 

Given the political ties of this producer, I’ve relegated our collection of their wines to when dining or tasting with my left leaning liberal minded friends. But, with the recent landslide election results, I felt a sense of celebration were in order and pulled this to enjoy on our own! 

At I wrote in earlier blogposts in these pages, this used to be one of our favorite producers until the producer became so terribly political and extremist radical in ideology - several listed and linked here. 

Plumpjack Reserve Napa Chardonnay at Entourage Restaurant Naperville

Plumpjack Napa Valley Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

Plumpjack Founders Reserve Cabernet - Seasmoke Chardonnay - Paul Misset Clos Vougeot Vieilles Vignes

We still hold a collection spanning more than a two decades dating back to the earliest vintage releases of this label, 1996 and 1997. Back in the early days, our visits to the winery estate in Napa, and wine dinner (s) with their winemaker were highlights of our trips to the region. 

In any event, tonight this was fabulous, ideally paired with the beef meatloaf and sides. I opened a more recent vintage of this label to accommodate Linda, who prefers younger, more approachable wines, never-the-less, a twenty-one year old vintage release! 

Plumpjack Estate Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

The simple summary of the history of the winery, as written in Wine Bid is that PlumpJack, in Oakville, was founded by Gordon Getty, fourth child of legendary oil tycoon J. Paul Getty, a San Francisco composer and philanthropist, and major benefactor financial support to Gavin Newsom, former San Francisco mayor and current Governor of California.

The entrepreneurs opened a wine shop in San Francisco in 1992 called PlumpJack, a reference to Shakespeare’s character Sir John Falstaff, who enjoyed food and wine. The partners founded the PlumpJack winery in 1997 when they acquired 53 acres of vineyards on Oakville Cross Road. The PlumpJack Group now also includes resorts, hotels, restaurants and spas. 

The winery specializes in premium Cabernet Sauvignon, though it also makes a Syrah. Robert M. Parker Jr. notes that all the PlumpJack wines “are fabulous, thanks to the brilliant efforts of winemaker Tony Biagi and consultant Nils Venge.”  

Of course, we’re huge fans of Nils going back to those days, and more recently, his son Kirk. Our cellar is full of Venge wines as witnessed by the number of mentions in these pages. 

A bit of wine world trivia: PlumpJack was the first Napa Valley producer to use screw caps.

This release was rated 95 points by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. Back in 2013, he wrote, “The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate (finished with a screw cap) possesses a dense ruby/purple color as well as a stunningly pure nose of creme de cassis, graphite, licorice, forest floor and a hint of black truffles.’ 

“Full-bodied and velvety textured with stunning opulence that expresses this tenderloin sector of Napa Valley so brilliantly, a multidimensional mouthfeel and a blockbuster finish, this profound wine (14.8% natural alcohol) appears even superior to what I remember tasting in its infancy.” 

Back in 2013 Parker wrote, “At $68 a bottle, it-s a steal for a wine of such world-class quality! The finish lasts for 40-45 seconds. While it has reached its plateau of full maturity, there is no danger of it falling apart for at least another 15-20 years. Bravo!” Of course that price has doubled, even tripled in the decade to follow. 

Wine Enthusiast didn’t like it and gave it 86 points. A mystery, leading me to wonder if they had an ‘off’ or aberrant bottle, but then again, they would surely sort that out. They panned it saying, “Pickles and dill in the nose, with underlying cherries and blackberries. In the mouth, it enters brawny and rustic, and very tannic. The fruit is locked down. Seems sound, but disappointingly tough. Could develop, but it's a gamble. Tasted twice.”

Our bottle was traditional cork, not screw top which came along later. At twenty-one years, the critical fill level, cork, and the label and foil were pristine. Tonight this was delicious, dark garnet colored, full bodied, complex yet elegant, smooth polished, a symphony of black berry fruit flavors with bright vibrant sprites of spice, truffle, crème de cassis and bitter dark chocolate. 

RM 94 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?152506

Keenan Napa Spring Mountain Cab with Grilled Beefsteak

Keenan Winery Napa Valley Spring Mountain Cab with Grilled Beefsteak

We grilled out New York Strip beefsteaks, served with a wedge salad, baked potatoes and baked sweet potatoes. 

I pulled from the cellar this aged twenty-year old Napa Valley Spring Mountain District Cabernet as a perfect accompaniment wine-food pairing. 

Keenan Spring Mountain District Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

From our collection of about a decade of vintages, I pulled the oldest vintage release, this twenty year old. This was delicious, especially paired with the grilled beefsteak, amplifying the enjoyment of each. At twenty years, this label is likely at the apex, peak of its tasting profile, not likely to improve further with aging, but certainly to be enjoyed for another decade. 

Napa Valley Spring Mountain district may be our favorite of the seventeen different appellations that make up the greater Napa Valley wine producing districts. 

We tasted and acquired several vintages of this label while visiting the estate winery and vineyards during one of our Spring Mountain District Napa Valley Wine Experiences.

I wrote more about our visit to Robert Keenan Winery on Spring Mountain in this blogpost. We discovered Keenan during our many visits to Napa Valley and our treks up Spring Mountain to visit Fantesca, Pride Cellars, Paloma and Spring Mountain Vineyards. 

We visited the winery high atop Spring Mountain above St Helena during our Napa Valley Wine Experience back in 2007 (shown left).

We have enjoyed collecting Keenan and having fun sharing and gifting it to a namesake friend and business alliance partner.
 In 1974 Robert Keenan purchased 180 acres in the Spring Mountain District at an elevation of 1700 feet, located on the eastern slope of the Mayacamas Mountain range overlooking St Helena in Napa Valley.

The Spring Mountain District gained recognition as an American Vineyard Appellation (AVA) in 1993.

The unique terroir of the appellation is characterized by low vigor soils on the steep, rocky, mountainsides, ideal for vineyards to produce wines of great concentration, structure, and pure varietal flavors.

The original acreage included the historic but crumbling Peter Conradi Winery, founded in the late 19th Century and one of the first pioneering properties established on Spring Mountain. The property was originally planted vineyards in Zinfandel and Syrah.

The property declined when it was abandoned during Prohibition until the time Keenan arrived in 1974. He extended the original vineyard acreage and replanted the property primarily in Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.

A new winery was built using the existing stonewalls from the old Conradi building. Keenan Winery’s first harvest there was in 1977.

Michael Keenan took over leadership of the estate in 1998 and replanted the vineyards to increase grape quality. He built a solar power system that went on-line in 2007 that now supplies all of the estate’s energy needs.  

Notably, winemaking duties during the early years were done by legendary consulting winemaker Nils Venge. We hold many labels of Nil's own wines as well as many of the wines he crafted for Del Dotto and many other leading labels. Nils was winemaker for this 2003 Cabernet release as shown on the rear label (below).

Today Keenan Winery produces four estate wines from grapes grown on the Spring Mountain Estate: Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Cabernet Franc and a Merlot Reserve from the Mailbox Vineyard.

I last/first wrote a tasting note on this label back in 2010 when I wrote this: 

Deep bright garnet colour. Forward full bodied fruit with chewy plum, raspberry and currant flavors.At that time I gave this 91 points. 

 

The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon was composed primarily of grapes grown on Keenan’s Spring Mountain District Estate; the remainder of the fruit was harvested from select vineyards within the Napa Valley. The wine was barrel aged in thirty-three percent new French and American oak for twenty months.

Wineamakers notes for this release: "The blend was assembled just before bottling. The Estate grown Cabernet imparts amazing concentration and remarkable structure, while the portion of Cabernet harvested from the Pope Valley region of Napa has added complex aromas and a balanced mid-palate. Merlot from the Napa Carneros district imparted ripe berry nuances and plenty of forward fruit."

Wine and Spirits gave this release 92 Points in 2007, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave it 91 points.

This was a blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot. The Vineyard Sources were 69% Keenan Spring Mountain Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Pope Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The 5% Merlot came from Napa Valley Carneros.

 

Production was 3,075 Cases.

 

As mentioned above, at twenty years, this label is likely at the apex, peak of its tasting profile, not likely to improve further with aging, but certainly to be enjoyed for another decade. 

 

Dark blackish/blue inky colored, full bodied, rich round concentrated, complex but elegant and refined and balanced - hugely aromatic, ripe black berry and black currant fruits with notes of licorice, black tea, forest floor and tobacco leaf with sweet oak on the lingering finish.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=676442

 

https://www.keenanwinery.com/

 

https://twitter.com/KeenanWinery 

@KeenanWinery 

@nilsvenge

Paloma Napa Merlot 2003

Paloma Vineyards Napa Valley Spring Mountain Merlot 2003

Sunday evening dinner feasting on leftover NY Strip Steak from Friday evening's dinner, I opened from the cellar this premium Merlot as a perfect accompaniment. 

This 2003 release Paloma Merlot follows the 2001 release that gained notoriety when the 2001 Paloma Merlot was awarded Wine Spectator's #1 “Wine of the Year” in 2003, out of over 15,000 wines evaluated. 

Paloma is Spanish for “dove”, the estate sits on a steep, tree-lined ridge at the very top of Spring Mountain in the Mayacamas Mountain range that forms the west wall of Napa Valley, sitting between Bald Mountain to the south and Diamond Mountain to the north.

Founded by Barbara and Jim Richards in 1983, seeking a vineyard to highlight the grapes and terroir of their favorite region, they were turned on to the property by winemaker producer friend Dan Duckhorn. Over the next 25 years, Jim and Barbara worked to clear, plant, and cultivate 7,500 Merlot, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon vines. 

Paloma was a vineyard back in the last half of the 19th century but was returned to forest around the turn of the century. There still remain old redwood grape stakes and a few old zinfandel vines that survive under amongst the large Douglas fir trees that surround the estate home. One historic vine near the house produces one or two clusters of grapes a year that are put into our Merlot blend for good luck.

In 1991, some of the grapes were sold to Pride to be blended into their Cabernet Sauvignon. Jim worked and learned enology alongside legendary winemaker, Pride’s very own, Bob Foley. In 1996, Paloma released their first-ever vintage, the 1994 Merlot  - 575 cases total. Paloma’s first commercial Syrah was released in 1998.

Paloma built the estate winery in 2000 where they crushed their own fruit that year for the very first time.

The 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon (Sheldon’s first solo vintage), received high praise from James Laube of Wine Spectator in two separate articles written in 2007 and 2009.

Their son, Sheldon, joined the business in August of 2003, just in time for harvest and for the release of the award-winning 2001 Paloma Merlot. The follow-on 2002 and 2006 vintages were also recognized as  the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 at 54 and 65, respectively.

Jim and Barbara passed on in 2009 and 2016, but their legacy lives on under the stewardship of son Sheldon as owner and winemaker. 

Paloma reflects the terroir and specific micro-climates of the area and the high altitude Spring Mountain property. The topography of the area has its own weather patterns being among the the coolest, wettest place in the Napa Valley.  High above the Napa Valley and the morning fog, Paloma Vineyard is generally 15 to 20-degrees cooler on hot summer days than the valley floor vineyards. The more moderate temperatures and the volcanic soils are what make Paloma wines so special, adding layers of complexity to the mid-palate and long finishes.

Springs appear throughout the area after a good rain, hence the area’s name. The combination of the summer heat and low pressure from the cool coastal air that approaches the summit from the west lengthens the growing season into late fall. The prolonged hang time – several weeks longer than warmer Napa Valley floor – add resonance and concentration to the resulting small clusters.

The vines are planted on mostly steep, east-facing hillsides. The Sonoma volcanics and Franciscan sandstone soils stress the grapes, forcing them to stay small, with a higher skin-to-grape ratio. The resulting mountain wines tend to be more concentrated and intense, softened by the gradual temperature fluctuations. The wines from the site are bright and bold but with a surprising softness and elegance.

Paloma Napa Valley Spring Mountain Merlot 2003

We love Napa Valley mountain fruit wines with their richness, focus and concentration, and Spring Mountain wines are amongst our favorites. We're long time fans and collectors of Pride Mountain, Fantesca and Robert Craig Spring Mountain Cabernets. 

We still hold several vintages of this label dating back to 1999 and our patience is rewarded tonight enjoying this aged nineteen year old.

Paloma Merlot is a blend of estate grown Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Cabernet Sauvignon ranges from 14 to 16 percent depending on the vintage. 

Winemaker notes: The wine is a big, world-class red capable of improving with bottle aging for at least 20 years in most vintages. Although the characteristics of the wine vary with each vintage, they have a consistent thread of complex aromas of blackberry fruits, black stone fruits, chocolate, tobacco, spice, and floral notes with a mineral overtone. On the palate, the wine has a silky mouthfeel, is well balanced with flavors of berries, fruit, cocoa, cassis, and spice, and enjoys a long spicy finish. The addition of the Cabernet Sauvignon adds structure, rich fruit, and a subtle increase in tannins." 

This release was awarded 90 points by Wine Spectator and 89 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. 

I first wrote about this wine in September 2013 when I gave this 93 points and wrote that I like this wine: "At ten years old this may be at or approaching its apex as it is drinking better than any of the previous half dozen bottles we've tasted from our case. I was worried at first when decanted as the color seem a bit dark with a slight brown hue but the aromas were pure berry. Medium bodied, silky smooth, elegant and polished with complex layers of raspberry, sweet current, blue and black berry highlights. This tasting was consistent with my last posted tasting notes from a year ago this week (September 2012) when I wrote, "Medium full bodied, smooth polished, complex harmonious symphony of finely integrated aromas and flavors - predominant sweet black currant, red raspberry, milk chocolate, a hint of ripe plum, sweet oak and a bit of burnt sugar caramel on the long smooth polished finish." Based on this tasting, I extended my drinking window in Cellartracker which was listed as drink by 2011 to 2016.

At nineteen years, the fill level was perfect, as was, importantly, the cork, reflecting the ideal conditions of our cellar for long term aging. Of course, as show, Paloma bottles are painted rather than having glued paper labels. Like I did back in 2013, tonight I once again extended the drinking window for this wine, to 2022, as it is still showing well, holding its own, likely at the peak of its drinking window, perhaps nearing the end such that it might now start to diminish from further again.

This was dark inky purple garnet colored, medium-full bodied, with intense firm concentrated structured rich black currant and blackberry fruits with notes of cedar and nutmeg, black tea, dark mocha and cigar box with firm focused tannins on the gritty lingering finish.

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=109466

https://palomavineyard.com/

https://twitter.com/palomavineyards

Mt Veeder Winery Reserve Napa Cabernet 2003

Mt Veeder Winery Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

I pulled this from the cellar to enjoy with left over Lasagna from restaurant dinner earlier in the week and it proved to be a tasty pairing. 

The 31-acre estate Mount Veeder Winery was founded in 1972 by Michael and Arlene Bernstein. In 1982, the Bernsteins sold the winery, and it has had several other owners since then. Today it is owned by Constellation Brands, the international wine and spirits conglomerate who have acquired several storied Napa Valley properties and brands including Robert Mondavi and this Mt Veedery Winery. The brand remains to this day producing ultra-premium Bordeaux based red wines.

Michael and Arlene Bernstein were the first to plant grapevines on Mount Veeder in 1970. When 59 of their original Cabernet cuttings took root and flourished, they knew they were on to something. Encouraged by their friend and Napa legend Robert Mondavi, the Bernsteins established the first winery on Mount Veeder, hence their brand is synonymous with the storied appellation.

At the time, the Mount Veeder AVA did not exist. Undaunted, Michael and Arlene became the driving force behind its establishment. They later made history as the first vintners in Napa Valley to plant Petit Verdot, and the first to plant all five of the classic Bordeaux varieties on the same property.

Today, Mount Veeder Winery has three vineyard ranches nestled high in the Mayacamas Mountains, producing powerfully flavorful, concentrated wines that express their unique mountain terroir high above Napa Valley. The estate ranches range in altitude from 1,000 to 1,600 feet in elevation to provide diverse microclimates for a wide variety of growing conditions and fruit profiles. All of the key Bordeaux grapes prosper, keeping with the tradition of being the first vineyard in California planted to all five Bordeaux varieties.

The Mount Veeder vines are planted on wide terraces of earth cut into steep slopes resembling a giant staircase. At elevations of 1,000 to 1,600 feet, they're in a microclimate very different from the Napa Valley floor. Above the fog bank, they are exposed to the gentle morning sun and protected from the afternoon heat by the surrounding mountains allowing the grapes to ripen slowly and evenly. In in autumn, approaching harvest, the mountain's cool days and warm nights mean extra hang time. 

We're huge fans of the Napa Valley mountain fruit wines, so much so that we've devoted several of wine trips exclusively to one mountain appellation per trip. Our Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2011 was devoted to and focused solely on Mt Veeder producers and wines. Another Mt Veeder producer estate visit from that trip is featuered on this link.

At nineteen years, this vintage predates my Cellartracker records and wasn't picked up from earlier record systems, so I don't have history of when or where I acquired this bottle, but its likely been in our cellar since original release. 

This is undoubtably at the end of its prime drinking window and will not improve with any further aging, but it was still holding its own and showing well. The foil, label, fill level and most importantly, the cork, were all in pristine condition, a testament to our cellar conditions for long terms aging. 

Wine Enthusiast gave this a 94 rating and Best of the Year and Cellar Collection accolades. 

Wine Enthusiast wrote: "As good as the winery's '03 Cab was, this is even better. It's almost all Cabernet Sauvignon, with a few drops of other Bordeaux varieties, and is so long, rich and deep in flavor, it just has to cellar well. The tannins currently star, and they're tough and gritty, but six or more years will start to melt them, leaving behind pure, sweet, black fruit." 

Garnet colored, medium bodied, complex tangy blackberry and black plum fruits with notes of tobacco, black tea and some spice with smooth polished supple tannins on the elegant finish.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=334346

https://www.mtveeder.com/

@cbrands @RobertMondavi  

 

 

Keenan Napa Valley Merlot 2003

 Keenan Napa Valley Spring Mountain District Merlot 2003

With left over BBQ and pizza, searching for an accompanying red wine, I pulled from the cellar this vintage Napa Merlot for the occasion. At nearly two decades of age, I presumed this was not too old, but not too young for enjoyable sipping. 

This is from Keenan Winery and Vineyards, high up Spring Mountain, above the town of St Helena in the Mayacamas Range, the western wall that forms Napa Valley below. There they farm 50 acres of vineyards with estate grown Bordeaux varietals Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, as well as some Chardonnay and Zinfandel. 

As shown in the rear label, this wine was crafted by Nils Venge as consulting winemaker to Keenan. 

We visited the rustic Keenan Winery estate during our Napa Valley Wine Experience back in 2007, when we tasted and acquired this bottle as part of a mixed case selection including some large format bottles.

I had fun with this label gifting a magnum of one of their special reserve bottlings to a friend of the same name for a special holiday dinner back during that era.

Keenan Napa Valley Spring Mountain District Merlot 2003

At nineteen years, this wine, obtained at the winery near time of release has since then been cellared in our home subterranean cellar. 

As is routinely the case with such bottles, this was starting to show slight signs of diminution from age, the fill level, label, foil,and most importantly, the cork were all in ideal condition, appropriate for the age. 

The cork came out cleanly and easily using ah 'ahso' two pronged cork puller. 

The wine showed a dark blackish inky color with a bright garnet rim, medium full bodied, forward tangy full blackberry and black currant fruits with a predominate layer of smoke, earthy leather and notes of cigar box and hints of creosote, with tongue coating tannins on a lingering finish.

RM 88 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=265403

https://www.keenanwinery.com/

https://twitter.com/keenanWinery

 

Diamond Mountain Cabernet Duo

Diamond Mountain Cabernet duo for Tomahawk Rib-eye grilled beefsteak dinner

Sister Jan and Bro-in-law Bill visiting from SoCal for holiday and family festivities, we pulled from the cellar a couple of classic super premium Cabernets for a Tomahawb Rib-eye beefsteak dinner. Bill chose two wines where Jan and Bill accompanied us to a pair of private tastings at both estates during our Diamond Mountain Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2011. - Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyards, and Diamond Creek Vineyards. At seventeen and eighteen years of age, this was a good vintage comparison of two vintage wines perhaps at the apex of their drinkability. 

As shown, both bottles' fill levels, labels, foils and corks were in ideal, near perfect condition - another testament to the provenance conditions of our wine cellar.

Diamond Mountain Vineyards Gravelly Meadow Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 

We last tasted this Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyard Napa Cabernet Cabernet 2004 during the Coronavirus shut-in in the spring of 2020. As I wrote in a blogpost at that time, we discovered and acquired this wine when we visited the spectacular picturesque Constant Vineyards estate high atop Diamond Mountain during our Diamond Mountain Appellation Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2011.

We're approaching the end of a case of Constant wines we acquired then, and again, tonight we were rewarded for being patient as this wine has continued to develop very nicely. At seventeen years of age it still has life left and may be at its apex, perhaps still benefiting from continued graceful aging.

Our tasting and visit back then were hosted by proprietor Freddie Constant, founder and proprietor. Sadly, Freddie passed away in 2014. All of our group that were there remember him fondly and toast him each time we drink his wine.

The Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyard sits at the peak of Diamond Mountain on the Mayacamas Range separating Napa Valley to the east and Sonoma Valley to the west and is one of the area’s highest, oldest, and smallest wineries in the region. At 2121 feet above sea level, it may be the highest, or certainly one of the highest, vineyards in the region.

Constant Diamond Mountain Estate Vineyards

The Diamond Mountain District appellation, one of the smaller Napa wine districts, sits just south of and above the town of Calistoga in the northwest corner of Napa Valley.

The unique terroir and micro-climate at the very top of Diamond Mountain provides grapes with optimal sun exposure and elongated ripening periods, The sun drenched slopes with their rocky terrain and volcanic soil produce rich concentrated Bordeaux varietal fruit.

Today the area is home to some of the most notable and prestigious labels including the namesake label Diamond Mountain vineyards. Our afternoon on the mountaintop retreat was one of the more memorable settings from our many Napa Valley trips.

Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyard was established by Freddy and Mary Constant in 1993. While they started producing small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon then, their first vintage release under the Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyard label was in 1995. They proceeded to build a winery on the estate producing their wine under the Constant label and brand. In 1999 Wine Spectator wrote that Constant was “a new can’t miss Cabernet, this vineyard is able to produce stunning wines on a consistent basis.” The original winemaker was the notable Philippe Melka. With the 2009 vintage, Paul Hobbs took over as consulting winemaker.

In 2016, Aries Liu and Sai You became the property’s caretakers with the continued commitment to producing some of Napa Valley’s best Bordeaux varietals.

Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

I believe this is the best, most memorable Constant Cabernet I have had and may be, at sixteen years of age, at the apex of its drinking profile and window.
 
Deep garnet purple color, medium-full bodied, delicious concentrated but smooth and elegant and nicely balanced ripe blackberry and black raspberry fruits with hints of black currant, notes of spice and graphite.

RM 92 points. 

The blend includes small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=437961

https://www.constantwine.com/

Diamond Creek Gravelly Meadow 2003 

We visited Diamond Mountain Wine Experience - Diamond Creek Vineyards with Jan and Bill and were hosted by matriarch founder Boots Brownstein. 

A trip to Napa Valley Diamond Mountain by the serious wine enthusiast or collector would not be complete without a visit to the legendary Diamond Creek Vineyards. Founded in 1968 by the late Al Brounstein, a visionary pioneer who defied conventions of the time by planting Bordeaux varietals on secluded Diamond Mountain in the Mayacamas Range at the north remote end of Napa Valley.

This is one of the four Diamond Creek labels - all single vineyard designated bottlings from one of their distinctive four vineyards. Diamond Creek is a case study in terroir - each of its four vineyards with its own micro-climate, soil type and geography that are revealed in their single vineyard designated Cabernet Sauvignon wines - named for their four distinctly different origination vineyards. The vineyards of Diamond Creek are  Gravelly Meadow (5 acres - center left), Red Rock Terrace (7 acres front), Volcanic Hill (8 acres opposite), and Lake (¾ acre), plus Petit Verdot (1 acre) to the left outside of frame. The vineyards as pictured below, are amazingly co-located close to each other yet have distinctive individual characteristics that are revealed in their wines.

Our visit to the chateau and tasting room provided a spectacular tasting experience with the magnificent setting and view of the vineyards on the slope and meadow below and of the opposing hillside.

 

The private tasting at Diamond Creek chateau offered an elegant tasting experience showcasing their wines harmonized by Diamond Creek cabernet sauvignon reduction with petit beef tenderloin and artisanal cheeses.

We visited the estate again during our 2017 Napa Valley Wine Experience for their release tasting of the 2015 vintage Diamond Creek releases at an Open House held at the Estate. 

Diamond Creek Gravelly Meadow Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 

Our Cellartracker records indicate we have a dozen vintages of this label dating back to the 1983 vintage, birthyear of our daughter-in-law, Michelle. We served that wine from magnum at her and son Ryan's wedding. 

K&L Notes indicate that "This muscle-bound Cabernet hails from Diamond Creek's second coolest mesoclimate. The five-acre Gravelly Meadow vineyard was originally a prehistoric river bed. Today, this stony, gravelly soil drains rapidly, and the vines must struggle for moisture. Gravelly Meadow is also this esteemed winery's lowest yielding vineyard, typically producing a Cabernet that is earthy and a touch cedary, as well as jammy with ripe blackberry with a spicy expansive finish. This one needs time. And more time. After which it will blow you away." 

This was awarded 93 points by Wine & Spirits,  90 points by  Connoisseurs Guide. 

Tonight, this was dazzling, not as forward, bright or vibrant as the more expressive Constant, more subdued but full, round, perfectly balanced, elegant and polished. Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, complex black fruits with earthiness, truffles, dark mocha chocolate, hints of mint on a moderate, smooth tannin laced lingering finish. 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=104586

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/07/diamond-creek-open-house-2013-release.html

https://www.diamondcreekvineyards.com/

 

 

Covid forces Virtual OTBN for 2021

Covid forces virtual OTBN for 2021

OTBN - Open That Bottle Night, 2021 - the annual wine tasting extravaganza was held according to custom, on the last Saturday night in February.

This is the 22nd year for the annual event wine extravaganza, originally conceived by Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher, wine columnists for the Wall Street Journal. OTBN - Open That Bottle Night, is for those that have a special bottle of wine or champagne hidden away being saved for a special occasion that for whatever reason hasn't happened.  

Every year since 2000, on the last Saturday night in February, Open That Bottle Night (OTBN) has been celebrated - the time to uncork and enjoy that cherished but here-to-for elusive bottle. Gaiter and Brecher realized they weren't alone - having that special bottle set aside for an occasion that just never happens. On this night, you don't need an excuse or a reason - just do it! Take advantage of OTBN to open that bottle and enjoy it! Enjoy it by yourself, or better yet, enjoy it with someone special, or even better, with a group of special friends. Have everyone bring such a bottle and let the story telling begin, because so often, every OTBN bottle has a story or some meaning, or not.

Covid protection protocols dictated a whole new paradigm for social gatherings this year and as such, we met virtually via an internet network collaboration app with our fellow Pour Boys wine group. 

Linda and I traveled to Indiana to join Dr Dan and Linda, while Lyle and Terry in Chicago, and Bill and Beth on Seabrook Isle, SC, joined virtually via our tele-session. 

 

Pour Boys Wine Group OTBN 2021

 
Needless to say, the remote virtual gathering undermined the ability to share and taste a broad selection of wines. Unlike previous years where the group brought a broad and deep selection of wines that allowed for multiple flights of different wine tastings - champagne or sparkling wine to start, a white flight with the pre-dinner starter course, a red or blend flight with the dinner course (s), and a dessert flight with the final course, tonight's selection was subdued and more singularly focused based on a limited selection appropriate for two couples. 

 

Each couple had their own wine and food pairing for the evening - Bill and Beth a Cliff Lede Stags Leap 2010, Lyle and Terry a Substance "CS" Cabernet Sauvignon from Columbia Valley, Washington.

I brought a red and a white to Dr Dan's, and as usual, he pulled a broad selection of wines from his cellar for the evening - a white, several reds, and a dessert wine. 

 

 

Prior to dinner, Dan and Linda served a broad selection of artisan cheeses with fresh fruits, mixed nuts and broad selection of chocolates. 

 

 

Tonight's dinner was more subdued with comfort food fitting the deep freeze and deep snowpack we've been enduring the last month - a hearty tomato basil soup and a robust chicken pot pie.

 

Pairing with the cheese course and the pivot to the dinner, we each served an expressive white - Chardonnays from Sonoma County and Russian River Valley, which provided and fun and interesting comparison in contrasting styles.  

 

What a fun and interesting comparison in these two Chardonnays, the golden butter colored Freestone and the straw colored Rochioli. 

Both were bright, vibrant and expressive and the group was mixed on which was bigger or more fruit forward - each bold with sprites of bright fruits and accents.

 

Freestone Sonoma County Chardonnay 2008

 

This is the Sonoma County project of Joseph Phelps Vineyards. Our visit to the magnificent winery, tasting facility overlooking Phelp's vineyards nestled in its own Spring Valley above St Helena on the western facing foothills of the Vaca range that form the eastern face of Napa Valley was a highlight of our Pour Boys  2017 Sonoma/Napa Wine Experience.

 

Last year I took a inconic historic Joseph Phelps flagship Insignia Napa Bordeaux Blend Cabernet from the 1989 vintage, served alongside a 2004, at OTBN 2020 which was also held at Dr Dans. 

 

While Phelps produced Napa Valley and Carneros Chardonnays from 1974, they sought a site more suited to Chardonnay. They explored sites across Sonoma County finally settling in the town of Freestone on the Sonoma Coast, where, in the late 1990’s, few vineyards existed.

 

In 1999 they purchased land in Freestone when the area was primarily comprised of cattle, pasture and forest land. The area - just eight miles from the Pacific Ocean - was socked in by fog that lingered into the early afternoon on most summer days. The climate and Goldridge soils were thought to provide a terrior suitable for Burgundy varietals Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

 

In 2000, the Pastorale Vineyard, a former dairy farm, was planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In 2007, the Freestone Winery was built by the Hensel Phelps Construction Company, the company originally founded by Joseph Phelp's father and managed by Joe for decades until he sold the business in the mid-eighties to focus solely on winemaking. Joe Phelps stepped down as Chairman of Joseph Phelps Vineyards in 2005. 

 

Winemakers notes for this release: "Our 2008 Chardonnay reveals the purest expression of Freestone terroir that we have captured with this varietal to date. The first dip of the nose into the glass reveals aromas of orange blossom, lemongrass, savory herbs and white flowers. The subtle oak nuances lend an appealing sweetness to the delicate bouquet. Lean and focused, with richness and depth in the mouth, on the palate this wine has a lot of verve. It is dense yet also has great intensity with a complex mineral-like finish and mouthwatering acidity; a lovely balance between power and finesse."

Golden colored, medium bodied, complex, rich and dense with citrus, apples, pear and floral notes with a subdued notes of oak on the moderate finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1022272

 

https://www.josephphelps.com/sonoma-coast/

 

Rochioli Russian River Valley Estate Chardonnay 2016

 

Rochioli Vineyards & Winery sits just ten minutes south of Healdsburg, further inland up the Russian River Valley, where they produce estate sourced Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.

 

The Rochioli family legacy began in 1911 when current proprietor and winemaker Joe Rochioli's grandfather, Joe Rocchioli Sr. immigrated to America along with his parents, Michele and Menichina Rocchioli (they later dropped the second "c").  Originally from a small village just outside of Lucca, the Rocchioli’s were one of many Italian families that arrived in New York, made their way across the country, and settled in Northern California.

In those days children worked from a young age, and so Tom's grandfather, Joe, still only 10-years old, labored alongside his father on a farm called Wohler Ranch, in the Russian River Valley.

 In 1934 Tom's grandmother Neoma gave birth to a son, Joe Rochioli Jr.  Shortly after, they moved to a 125-acre property nearby called Fenton Acres, the site and same location where Rochioli Vineyards is today.  

In 1959, Tom's father, Joe Jr, and grandfather, Joe Sr, planted Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc grape vines.  The Cabernet did not grow well and was pulled out in the 1970's.  Sauvignon Blanc, at the time, was a strange new white grape that nobody wanted and was used mainly for blends.  It was soon discovered by a few famed wineries and became desirable as a high quality grape. Today, these same vines are still in production and are considered some of the oldest Sauvignon Blanc vines in California.

The Rochioli's passion for fine wine and high quality grape growing began in 1968 when Joe Jr. began planting Pinot Noir. He had his own ideas as to what would grow best here and planted fine Pinot Noir clones from France. This was revolutionary as there was very little known about the grape in the US and he was considered a pioneer at the time for doing this. Rochioli had the foresight to know that the soil and microclimates of this unique spot in the Russian River Valley were very special and would one day produce some of the world's greatest wines. Shortly after growing Pinot Noir successfully, he  planted Chardonnay.

I have written often in these pages about another American Pinot Noir pioneer, Josh Jenson of Calera Winery,  and the chronicles of his endeavors to plant Pinot Noir that was featured in a book on the subject, the Heartbreak Grape. 

By the early 1970's, Rochioli were selling Pinot Noir grapes to Davis Bynum Winery and shortly thereafter they started producing wine under their own Fenton Acres label. In the early 1980’s they began selling to Williams Selyem Winery, and others.  

Tom Rochioli went to college and worked at a major financial institution for a year, then returned to the family farm with a new idea. Based on the quality of the grapes they were selling, they knew their grapes were very good and were making great wines, so they set upon producing their own wines under the Rochioli name.  In 1983, they changed the name of the property from Fenton Acres to Rochioli Vineyards.  At that time Tom took over the family business operations and soon after became the winemaker.

In 1987,  they release their first estate wine with the 1985 Rochioli Pinot Noir.  It topped Wine Spectator’s list of Pinot Noir and was named ‘The Best Pinot Noir in America’.  The Rochioli brand struck gold and was validated as a premier label. With three generations of dedication to the land, Rochioli Vineyards and Winery earned the reputation as one of Sonoma County's finest wineries.

This 2016 Rochioli Estate Chardonnay was awarded 94 points and 'Editors Choice' by Wine Enthusiast , 92 points by Vinous, 91 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, and 90 points by Jeb Dunnuck.

Straw colored, medium bodied, notes of stone fruit and lemon curd citrus, hints of peach, honeydew melon and finishes with a sense of bright pineapple and a hint of what I might call cotton candy.

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2817007 

https://www.rochioliwinery.com/ 

https://twitter.com/rochioliwinery

 

@rochioliwinery

 

Chateau Tanunda "The Chateau" 100 Year Old Vines Eden Valley Barossa Shiraz

In the true spirit of OTBN, Dan pulled from the cellar this classic very limited release and highly allocated 100 year old vine shiraz from Chateau Tanunda. 

We discovered this wine together with the other Pour Boys at the Wine Spectator Grand Tour in Chicago when it was being poured by Chateau Tanunda's Dagmar O'Neill. 

Only 100 cases were produced that year and only a few were allocated to be shipped to America, a portion of which to the Midwest. We orchestrated a purchase of the entire allocation, nine three packs in OWC's (shown below) which we split amongst the 'pour boys' wine team, pictured below. This was Dan's last bottle, and at this time, I am holding my last bottle as well.

The Barossa is home to some of the world’s oldest Shiraz vines and the grapes for this wine come from hundred year old vines from a high altitude, one acre single vineyard in the Eden Valley.

The 'pour boys' sighted at WS
Grand Tour

Full bodied, complex, concentrated, full lingering tannins predominate the dense, black and blue berry fruits with hints of licorice, plum, spice and spicy oak.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=937673

http://www.chateautanunda.com/

 

Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 1995

Furthering the spirit of OTBN, I brought a bottle of 1995 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet. This particular label and release have some significance to Dan and me. I gifted him a magnum of this wine for his (second) wedding dinner. It was a fun label as the producer Jim Pride, like Dan was also a specialty dentist. Alas, as we started down the Shiraz path for the evening, and with but a limited number of reveler participants, the Pride was set aside to be held in Dan's cellar for another time. 

d'Arenberg "Dead Arm" Shiraz McLaren Vale South Australia 2010 

Dan also opened this Australian Shiraz, Dead Arm from d'Arenberg, another label with which we've had much fun over going on three decades. We first discovered this label with the 1994 vintage and have shared a dozen vintages together since. 

We've had great fun gifting or sharing this label with several folks, playing on the name 'Dead Arm', most notably perhaps, with a former major league baseball catcher who went on to be a noted manager. I sourced this for his personal cellar, to share with some of his battery mates, major league pitchers, in jest! 

As I have written in these pages, the label 'Dead Arm' is named for the vines that survived a grape vine disease that afflicted the vineyard back at the turn of the last century. Typically a grower would pull out and replace the afflicted vines with new plantings. D'Arenberg kept the vineyard intact and found that one half, or an ‘arm’ of the vines slowly died, but, leaving the surviving remaining half of the vine. The resulting vine produced rich intense fruit due to the vibrant roots delivering nutrients to but half the vine with the resulting low yielding fruit achieving amazing  amplified intensity.

d’Arenberg is one of the most significant wineries in McLaren Vale South Australia. It dates back to 1912 when Joseph Osborn, a teetotaller and director of Thomas Hardy and Sons, purchased 25 hectares (54 acres) of well established Milton Vineyards in the hills just north of the townships of Gloucester and Bellevue, (now known as McLaren Vale). Joseph’s son Frank Osborn left medical school, trading in scalpel for pruning shears to manage the property. He increased the vineyards to 78 hectares. Fruit was initially sold to local wineries until the construction of a winery and cellars was completed in 1928.

In 1943 Frank’s son Francis d’Arenberg Osborn, universally known as “d’Arry”, returned from school at age 16 to help his ill father run the business. He took over management responsibility in 1957. In 1959 d’Arry launched the d’Arenberg label, named in honour of his mother, Frances Helena d’Arenberg.

d'Arenberg wines gained cult status when the 1968 Cabernet Sauvignon won the 1969 Royal Melbourne Wine Show and the 1967 Red Burgundy (Grenache based) was awarded 7 trophies and 29 gold medals in Australian capital city wine shows.

By the 1970’s d’Arenberg wines had gained a significant national and international profile. The fourth generation, d’Arry’s son Chester d’Arenberg Osborn continued his family’s winemaking tradition. having grown up helping his father in both the vineyards and the cellar.

d'Arenberg was named Winery of the Year in 2003. In June 2004 Chester’s father, d’Arry was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for his contributions to the wine industry and to the McLaren Vale region. After more than 65 consecutive vintages, d’Arry continues to create an internationally recognized wine brand commonly known as the ‘Red Stripe’ due to the distinctive diagonal red stripe that adorns the label.

d'Arenberg "Dead Arm" Shiraz McLaren Vale South Australia 2010

This is one of our favorite big full throttle but elegant Australian Shiraz'. This vintage release was awarded 96 points by James Halliday, 93 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and by Vinous, and 90 points by Wine Enthusiast.

Deep garnet-purple colored, medium to full-bodied with bright vibrant black berry and black currant fruits with spices, smoky minerals, licorice, cola, bittersweet mocha and hints of pepper turning to firm powdery tannins, refreshing acid and a long finish. 

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1676261

https://www.darenberg.com.au/

https://twitter.com/darenbergwine

@darenbergwine

 

Violetta, Late Harvest, Napa Valley Dessert Wine 2003

To close out the evening, Dan pulled from the cellar this Violette dessert wine from Grgich Hills, named for the legendary winemaker producer Mike Grigich's daughter Violet who is also President of Grigh Hills winery and vineyards.

Of course, wine folks know Miljenko “Mike” Grgich who first gained international recognition at the celebrated “Paris Tasting” of 1976, the now-historic blind tasting in which a panel of eminent French judges swirled, sniffed, and sipped an array of the fabled white Burgundies of France and a small sampling of upstart Chardonnays from the Napa Valley. When their scores were tallied, the French judges were shocked: they had chosen the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, crafted by Mike Grgich,  as the finest white wine in the world. The results stunned the international wine establishment and immediately earned Mike a reputation as one of the greatest winemakers in the world, and not incidentally, put America wines on the map with their newly validated respectability.

The whole story is told manificently in the class based on history fictional movie "Bottle Shock". 

This is the Grgich classic late harvest dessert wine, produced from the result of Botrytis cinerea, a beneficial mold that evaporates moisture while concentrating the flavor in the berry but yielding very little juice from which to yield from the grapes. The thick, rich juice is aged in French oak to develop subtle flavors and textures. 

Winemakers notes: Luscious, ripe fruit aromas of sweet pear, candied pineapple and ripe honeydew melon follow through on the palate with undertones of white flowers melded with balsamic notes and a hint of petrol. Accentuated by uplifting acidity, these dense, ripe fruit flavors beautifully balance the residual sugar. The finish is creamy and complex with a refreshing, lingering minerality. 

Whisky colored, medium bodied, sweet, dense ripe fruits, apricot accented with an exotic layer smoke and fig and what I can only describe as an essence of cognac. 

This is a blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Riesling. 

RM 92 points.

This can almost be a whole meal course in of itself, it was ideal served with decadent chocolate bunt cake to celebrate Linda's belated birthday! 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=220923

https://www.grgich.com/ 

https://twitter.com/GrgichHills 

@GrgichHills 

Here's a compendium of our previous Pour Boy's OTBN galas. 

Pour Boys' OTBN 2020 ~ Open That Bottle Night

Pour Boys OTBN 2019 - Open That Bottle Night

Pour Boys OTBN 2018 - Open That Bottle Night

Pour Boys OTBN 2016 - Open That Bottle Night 

Pour Boys OTBN 2015 - Open That Bottle Night -  Bordeaux Anchors OTBN 2015

Pour Boys OTBN - Open That Bottle Night 2014

Pour Boys OTBN 2013 - Open That Bottle Night 2013

Pour Boys OTBN 2012 - Open That Bottle Night