Chateau Montelena Napa Cabernet - Long Shadows Feather

Chateau Montelena Napa Cabernet - Long Shadows Feather Columbia Valley Cabernet

Fellow  'Pour Boy' Bill and Beth C came in for the weekend for our  'Pour Boys' Winers and Diners Cityscape Deck Dinner. 

We dined together the following evening and Linda prepared grilled BBQ ribs with baked potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, baked beans, asparagus and haricot verts following a caprese salad. 

Bill brought from his cellar a Chateau Montelena Napa Cabernet and I pulled a Long Shadows "Feather" Columbia Valley Cabernet. 

Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Calistoga Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

This is the classic flagship label from this legendary producer.  This 2004 release was the first year that "Calistoga" appeared on the front label, along with Napa Valley. Montelena proprietor Bo Barrett initially proposed AVA status for Calistoga to the US, but it wasn't officially granted until 2009.

We visited the historic Chateau up in the north end of Napa Valley back in the early nineties, before I was blogging and writing about such activities. 

This label was awarded 95 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Vinous

This was delicious, likely at the peak of its drinking window at seventeen years, and likely to drink well for another decade or more. The fill level, foil, label and most notably, the cork, were in perfect condition.

Robert Parker summed it up well in his review in 2014, "A classic, old style Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, Montelena’s 2004 reveals beautiful purity along with lots of creme de cassis fruit, a full-bodied mouthfeel, and a long finish. By Montelena standards, it is a bit more powerful than usual (14.1% alcohol). These wines have an uncanny ability to age for 2-3 decades, and while the 2004 is slightly more forward and evolved than other vintages have been (2001 and 2002), it should last for 20-25 years."

Vinous referred to it's "Knockout nose", and said, "But this beauty is just embarking on what should be a multi-decade plane of peak drinkability. Uncommon flavor intensity here--and still just 30% new oak."

This was one of the most memorable and appealing Napa cabs I recall ever having, dark inky purple colored with incredible floral aromas and fruit flavors bursting from the glass, elegant and polished, bordering on exotic, bright expressive, concentrated but superbly integrated, seductive smooth silky ripe blackberry and black raspberry fruits with notes anise and tobacco leaf, hints of cinnamon and clove spices, mocha and eucalyptus continuing on and on with a lingering finish. 

This was so tasty, it would've been pleasurable drinking by all by itself, or paired with about any grilled meat or stew or just bread and any moderate cheese, but it stood up nicely to the tangy BBQ as well.

RM 95 points. 

Bill posted his CT tasting note on this wine too.

9/26/2021 - wconnolly Likes this wine: 94 Points

"A spectacular treat. As highly rated as 2004 Napa Cabernet was, almost every bottle I drink exceeds expectations. We drank this with friends Linda and Rick M, the night following a gala wine dinner. Linda prepared ribs which did cause us to rethink the order of wines as the Montelena would have been overwhelmed by the delicious, spicy barbecue."

"After dinner and almost 2 hours after opening, we finally got to the Montelena. Inky purple still. Full of dark cherry, black raspberry, chocolate and hints of sweet vanilla and eucalyptus on the palate. Maybe a bit of tobacco on the back palate rounded out this elegant, classic, historic cabernet. Tannins had diminished as expected after 17 years but were still evident. This had a long, lingering, 35 second finish. After some discussion we agreed that this was best enjoyed without food to appreciate the nuanced layers. A little chocolate or some cheese would be fine but this wine calls for no distractions. Glad I have another bottle."

REMc note ... He shouldn't have mentioned he has another bottle! :>)

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=188836

https://montelena.com/ 

https://twitter.com/ChMontelena

@ChMontelena

Long Shadows "Feather" Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

Bill had never had this Randy Dunn special selection from this collaborative project with this northwest, Columbia Valley producer. 

Knowing I am a club member and have several vintages which I thought would go back five or six vintages, we planned to opt for the oldest vintage. 

Surpisingly, I had this dating back as old as 2006, which was a nice comparison, almost a horizontal comparison, to the seventeen year old 2004 Montelena. 

We discovered this wine and Long Shadows Collectors Series during a visit to the Long Shadows Wine Cellars tasting room in Woodinville, Washington during our Seattle Culinary and Washington Wine Tour back in 2018. 

 

With Randy Dunn at Dunn estate high atop Howell Mountain.

 

We've been fans of Randy Dunn and collectors of Dunn Vineyards Cabernets for decades. We have a vertical collection of his labels dating back to 1980. We visited Randy Dunn and the Dunn Vineyards estate high atop Napa Valley Howell Mountain during our Napa Valley Howell Mountain Wine Experience back in 2008. This unique collaboration with Allan Shoup as part of the Long Shadows Collectors series showcases Randy's winemaking handiwork featuring the best of Washington State Columbia Valley fruit.

This release is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from the finest vineyards in the Columbia Valley and was aged 22 months in new French Oak. It was rated 93 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and 91 points by Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar.

Garnet colored, medium bodied, dark blackberry, black currant and black cherry fruits with earthy leather, black tea, spices and toasted oak on a moderate tannin laced finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=652631

https://www.dunnvineyards.com/

https://twitter.com/dunnvineyards

@dunnvineyards 

Pichon Lalande and Steak at Janko's Little Zagreb Bloomington

Pichon Lalande and Steak at Janko's Little Zagreb in Bloomington, Indiana

Continuing our sojourn to Bloomington, Indiana for a college reunion gathering, we dined at the local legendary steak house Janko's Little Zagreb. 

Not fancy or pretentious, sited in a rustic old building just off the courthouse square, its boisterous dining room with the red and white checkerboard table clothes and Indiana sports memorabilia on the walls, (as well as their near decade of Wine Spectator Awards), Zagreb's is just good steak (and seafood) with a surprisingly intriguing and respectable wine list. They offer about 100 carefully selected bottles and a dozen wines by the glass - W-B-T-G. 

Very seldom will I find a winelist that offers no less than a half dozen choices that I am eager to try, that are also good winelist values.

Our two dinners in town, we hit both notable winelist dining establishments in Bloomington, Truffles Restaurant & Wine Bar, last night, and then tonight. 

A Bloomington institution since 1973, Janko's is an ideal reunion gathering place that we strive to dine at  every time we return to Bloomington, and it never disappoints. 

Mark S and I ordered Rib-eye steaks, which were served classic Pittsburgh style, Jane had lobster tail, and Linda ordered the grilled salmon. Everyone's entree was high quality and perfectly prepared. 

Prior to dinner we had the featured dinner salads. Afterwards we had both of the two available desserts, their regular Creamy 'New York Style' Cheesecake, and their Cheesecake 'Special', a decadent Ghirardelli Chocolate Cheesecake.

To accompany our steak course I ordered from the winelist this legendary Bordeaux, one of my favorite labels, and a repeat, mini-vertical of sorts of the bottle we had a few days earlier at our spectacular gala Pour Boys Wine Dinner at Del Ray Beach Wine Kitchen. I should note this was my third choice from the winelist but when my first two selections were sold out, I opted for this special bottle. 

As I wrote the other night, we toured the estate grounds and vineyards during our Bordeaux trip year before last. 

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Pauillac 2006

This wine is capable of being so long lived and goes through such a transformation over the decades, it is an adventure tasting at so many different stages of its life. 

At fifteen years years, the fill level, label and cork were perfect, this is likely at the apex of its drinking window, not likely to improve further, but will certainly age gracefully and transform with character as it is capable of cellaring for another two decades or more. 

This is a classic Pauillac, Bordeaux, a standout in a somewhat challenging vintage - a real delight to taste, especially with a superbly prepared steak and baked potato. 

This is my favorite and most memorable Pauillac over the ages. I still remember my first Pichon, a gift from business colleague, Jerry G from Southfield, MI, when he presented me with a bottle of the 1978 vintage back upon release during one of my trips there. I didn't fully appreciate then how classic and thoughtful that gift was! 

This release was awarded 95 points by Vinous, 94 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Wine Enthusiast, 93 points by Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar and Decanter, and 92 points by Wine Spectator. 

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, powerful and intense yet nicely balanced and superbly integrated blackberry and black cherry fruits with sprites of anise, smoke, dark chocolate,  clove spice and notes of violets, tobacco leaf and hints of truffles, with round full dusty fine grained tannins on a long polished finish. 

RM 94 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=357057

http://www.littlezagreb.com/

@LittleZagreb - https://twitter.com/LittleZagreb 

 

 

 

 

Rubissow Mt Veeder wines for comparison tasting ..

Rubissow Mt Veeder wines for comparison tasting ... and remembrances ... 

With Dr Dan and Eric and their 'better halves, ladies' in town for our daughter-in-law Vivianna's wedding shower, the men hung out and opened a series of interesting labels for a comparison tasting. In commemoration of the newlyweds bridal shower, and the gathering of special friends with a common memorable wine experience, I pulled from the cellar a special label, son Alec's birthyear vintage wine from Rubissow-Sargent,  Mt Veeder, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. 

This bottle was acquired by Eric at a special auction and brought to one of our Pour Boy's wine tasting events. We didn't get to it that evening and I pulled it and set it aside for a special tasting such as tonight. This label had additional special significance as it was discovered when Eric and Cathy joined us for a visit to the Rubissow estate and vineyards high atop Mt Veeder during our Mt Veeder Napa Valley Wine Experience back in 2011. 

For a producer comparison tasting, I pulled another Rubissow label, tasted and acquired during that visit to the Rubissow estate, a Rubissow Mt Veeder Merlot, 2006.

The Rubissow estate was purchased in 1983 and planted to vines by the family partnership of George Rubissow and his children, Ariel & Peter Rubissow. 

Rubissow Wines was started in 1986 as Rubissow-Sargent named for founder George Rubissow, a scientist, engineer and musician, and Tony Sargent, a Napa Valley winemaker. 

Rubissow was born in Paris to Russian and Ukrainian parents, and in Napa Valley Rubissow struck up a friendship with the legendary winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff, who was Russian by birth. The pair conversed in Russian and Tchelistcheff offered viticultural and winemaking advice for Rubissow’s new winery. In the early days, the wines were produced in a winery down in Berkeley. That winery has since shut down.

In 2004, second generation owners Peter & Ariel Rubissow-Okamoto dissolved Rubissow~Sargent and founded Rubissow, with new winemaker Timothy Milos.

The Mt. Veeder estate sits high atop Mt Veeder at the southern end of the Mayacamas Range that separates Napa Valley from Somoma Valley. The vineyard sitting up at the summit overlooks beyond the Carneros region to the south with views of San Pablo Bay in the distance. 

The 46 acre property consists of 26 acres of native oak and redwood forest with the remaining 18.5 acres planted to estate vineyards in 1983 and replanted in 1994. 

Rubissow produced a limited number of red wines, from estate grown fruit of the Bordeaux varietals, Cabernet Sauvignons, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec, and some Syrah. 

In their peak production, Rubissow produced about 5000 cases per year. In 2016, with their vintage release, they announced that after 37 years, the property would be taken over by new ownership. With their 2016 release, they wrote at the time, "When Tim made this wine, he and we didn’t yet know that it would be our final Rubissow Reserve, but just as well."

During our visit to the estate back in 2011, we tasted a flight of Rubissow estate Carbernet Sauvignon, estate Merlot, Les Trompettes, their flagship Bordeaux Blend, and Rubissow-Sargent Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (shown below). 

Rubissow-Sargent Mt Veeder, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1990

Produced in an authentic 'old world style,  Rubissow and Sargent never went in for the thick jammy 'Parker' style. At thirty one years, this was respectably still hanging on, showing remarkably little sign of diminution from aging. Dark garnet colored, medium bodied, still holding blackberry fruits with notes of black tea, tobacco, bits of cedar and bell pepper subtle with some lingering tannins on the finish. 

RM 88

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=254639

Eric, Bill and George Rubissow

The Pour Boys crew with George Rubissow
and Barbara Jiro, Director Hospitality

We also opened this ...

Rubissow Napa Valley Mt Veeder Merlot 2006

We tasted and acquired during this visit to the estate. Late last fall I wrote this about this label, "Tonight's tasting was consistent with that earlier experience, this showed dark garnet purple color, medium body with black berry fruits, slightly tart black cherry with a hints of spice, tobacco, touch of mocha and coffee bean. Then iI wrote it was a bit flabby and lacked structure and therefor was a bit underwhelming, perhaps due to comparison with the bigger, bolder, brighter Yates Mt Veeder Cab."

That tasting was fairly consistent with the previous tasting back in 2013 when I wrote ,"This was leaner and lighter than I remembered from earlier tasting - it showed dark garnet purple color, medium body with black berry fruits, slightly tart black cherry with a hints of tobacco, touch of mocha and coffee bean."

Tonight 88 points, previously I gave it 87 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=872497

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/11/mt-veeder-napa-cab-and-sicilian-blend.html

Rick and Linda with George Rubissow

We discovered and acquired this wine during a winery/estate visit during our Napa Wine Experience Mt Veeder excursion in 2011 - Rubissow Mt Veeder Napa Valley Vineyards. 

This is another Napa Valley Bordeaux varietal that we've enjoyed visiting the producer's estate. We acquired later vintages of this wine during the visit and ordered more of this varietal and joined their wine club, but we have never heard anything more or received and further wines from the producer. 

We had much better experience tasting the earlier vintage of this label which raised the anticipation of opening selections from our cellar, and raises the disappointment of not obtaining more (despite having placed hard orders.) 

https://www.rubissowwines.com/

Cliff Lede Napa Diamond Mountain Cabernet 2014

Cliff Lede Napa Valley Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 highlights family birthday celebration dinner

The family gathered for grandson Mile's birthday party. The parents/hosts Johnny and Erin ordered in carry-out Italian dinner. There's nothing better than gathering with family for a special occasion such as this. Son Ryan and I brought a couple wines for the dinner.

The wine highlight was clearly this Cliff Lede Diamond Mountain Cabernet that Ryan brought from his cellar. Ryan and Michelle tasted and acquired this wine during their visit to the Cliff Lede Stags Leap District estate and received it as part of their regular club allocation shipment. He says that this was their absolute favorite of all the wines tasted during their tasting of the Lede portfolio. 

Our visits and tastings at the Cliff Lede estate vineyards and winery in the Stags Leap District have been highlights of a couple of our Napa Valley trips. 

Cliff Lede Stags Leap District
estate vineyards and winery

Winemaker Christopher Tynan describes the 2014 Diamond Mountain vineyard for Cabernet Sauvignon: "Our Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon comes from an exceptional, low-yielding vineyard with volcanic ash and gravelly loam soils in the Diamond Mountain appellation, nestled in the Mayacamas Range on the northwest side of Napa Valley. The sun-drenched mountain vineyard has northeastern exposure and late afternoon breezes that ripen the fruit slowly and evenly. Planted and farmed by David Abreu Vineyard Management, this extraordinary site of old vines planted on a steep incline with a historic Napa field selection produces an age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon with dark fruit, intense structure, minerality, and perfume... "

He continues, "The 2014 vintage was a vintner’s dream. A dry late winter with unseasonably warm temperatures prompted an early bud break, leading to one of the earliest harvests on record. Moderate weather throughout the spring and summer allowed the vines to achieve a good set. The dry soil conditions led to low-vigor vines and small, abundant berries, creating very concentrated fruit that ripened with the warm fall days. With lovely autumn weather, harvest proceeded at a steady pace."

Diamond Mountain vineyards in distance
as seen from Diamond Creek Vineyards (foreground)

Cliff Lede Napa Valley Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

Winemaker's Notes for this vintage release: The ravishing inky purple 2014 Diamond Mountain is a seductive and complex tincture where a panoply of cassis, pine forest, black tea, bay laurel, and cedar aromas playfully dance in the glass. Layers of blackberry, new leather, and fresh tobacco notes lay out on top of the bouquet. The long and decadent mouthfeel is guided along the palate by a fresh acidity and gobs of chocolaty tannins provide an enticing structure. Lingering notes of ancho chile, cumin, and crushed blueberries persist long after tasting."- Christopher Tynan, Winemaker

This was a blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot; 440 cases were produced.

This is a full throttle Napa Cab, about as full bodied and fruit forward as they come. Dark inky purple, medium full bodied, complex, dense concentrated black and blue berry fruits with accents of cedar, black tea and tobacco leaf with hints of cassis and cedar on an expressive, structured, tongue coating full tannins on the lingering finish. After an hour the initial slightly astringent notes of camphor wore off to reveal bright sprites of the expressive fruit.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2534482

https://www.ledefamilywines.com/

https://twitter.com/CliffLedeWine 

@CliffLedeWine  

Nova Wines Napa Valley "Marilyn" Merlot 2006

Erin and Johnny opened this whimsical fun label. We have a deep vertical collection of this wine spanning two decades and I enjoy gifting it to folks, daughter Erin included. This is from her collection I've given her over the years. 

I did a feature on this producer and their Marilyn Merlot and Norma Jean Wines - A Study in Branding  several years ago. 

We first tried the 2006 Marilyn Merlot Napa when we did a vertical tasting of the 06, 07 and 08 vintages several years ago. The '06 was the concensus favorite of that tasting.

Today it was medium bodied, dark ruby color, pleasant easy drinking black berry fruits with tones of spicy oak on a moderate tannin lingering finish.

RM 87 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=675866
 

http://www.marilynwines.com/ 

 

We also took and finished up a bottle we had opened and written about the previous evening -

"Wines of Substance 'CS"' Columbia Valley Cabernet

"Wines of Substance 'CS"' Washington Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

 

Linden Hardscrabble Virginia Red Blend 2006

Linden Hardscrabble Virginia Red Blend 2006

We discovered and acquired this wine during our visit to the Linden vineyards and winery estate in Linden, Fauquier County, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia back in 2010. There we met and tasted with founder, proprietor and then winemaker Jim Law. 

The town of Linden is sixty miles west of Washington DC, located in the Middleburg Wine AVA, in the Northern Virginia wine growing region, of Virginia's nine wine regions and six AVAs. The Middleburg AVA is bounded by the Potomac River to the North and follows the eastern slope of the mountains south to the town of Linden. 

Linden produces a broad portfolio of wines including this label, Hardscrabble, a Bordeaux varietal blend. The name Hardscrabble refers to the rough rocky well drained soil there that combined with mountainous elevation above 1300 feet, provides an suitable terroir for serious wines. 

Linden Vineyards was a long-abandoned apple orchard when Jim Law and his family purchased the 76 acres in 1983, after several years of looking for vineyard land with high elevations and east facing slopes. After clearing trees, they planted the first eight acres in 1985. The original vines were mostly grafted and propagated in-house from budwood obtained from the few local vineyards in the surrounding area. 

Their first planting consisted of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Vidal, and Seyval. They built a winery building that was finished in time for the harvest of 1987, Linden’s first commercial vintage.

Of the numerous wineries we visited during our Virginia wine country tour, Linden was the only producer from whom we purchased wines to ship home, of which this is one of the last remaining bottles from that collection. Linden wines exceeded my expectations at that time, surpassing the other producers' labels we tried. 

A decade later, at fourteen years, this wine once again exceeded my expectations and rose to the occasion for enjoyable drinking, a worthy accompaniment to our left over roast beef, potatoes and vegetable dinner.

Linden wines have a distinct style. They are concentrated, mineral, and refreshing rather than fruit driven. They often require significant aging to reach their full potential. Our wines are best enjoyed as a complement to a meal.

 Since Linden’s first vintage in 1987, the focus has been in the vineyards. They have three distinct sites, each one with an evolving personality. They nurture the vines and craft their wines to best express the character of each vineyard site. Winemaker Jim Law says the wines from Hardscrabble Vineyard are 'cerebral and complex', while their Avenius Vineyard produces wines that are edgy and energetic, and their Boisseau Vineyard produces hedonistic and lush wines.

 The 2006 reds are very Bordeaux in acidity and structure, which should make them candidates for long term aging.

This is sourced from the Hardscrabble Vineyard (100%), Fauquier Co. on top of the Blue Ridge at 1,300 to 1,400 feet with an eastern to southern slope. Deep, well drained rocky, mineral soils give depth, structure and length. The Vine ages were from 3 to 21 years. The twenty acre Hardscrabble vineyard surrounds the winery building and includes some of the original vines planted in 1985.

The 2006 vintage was a good year. Jim wrote, "I would have to characterize the vintage as “classic” in that the growing season was about as close to typical as is possible. There were substantial swings in temperature and rainfall during the summer, but in fact, this is normal for Virginia. The red grapes ripened fully with good balance."

Linden Hardscrabble Virginia Red Blend 2006

This release is a complex and sophisticated classic Bordeaux  blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 11% Petit Verdot. 

Tonight this was tasting amazingly like the earlier tasting at the winery a decade ago .... Dark purple color - medium bodied - smooth, polished, nice balance of complex medley of flavors. Dark berry fruit, hint of currant, bramble, spice, herbs and slight earthiness - subtle tones of soft oak and dark chocolate on the moderate tannin finish.

RM 89 points. 

http://cellartracker.com/w?567768

https://www.lindenvineyards.com/ 

 

Moffett Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2006

 Moffett Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2006

When I went down to the cellar to select a bottle ready to drink right now for a special celebration dinner earlier this week, I pulled this bottle for consideration. I opted for a different bottle, younger and specifically more to the liking of the special honoree of our dinner. Captivated by the chance to open this bottle, I selected it tonight for tasty casual sipping with dinner. 

This wine is from Moffett Vineyards, a 20 acre site sitting 1500 feet up on Howell Mountain on the eastern slopes at the northern end of the range overlooking Napa Valley. The producer, Trent Moffett carries on the tradition started by his parents John and Diane Livingston, Napa vintners and growers, founders of Livingston Vineyards which has been around since the mid 1970’s.

Trent grew up around the winery business and after graduating college in 1991, he went to work for the family winery and started exploring pursuing his own ventures in the industry.

He worked with the H.W. Helms brand, named after the original winemakers who had owned the family’s land in the 1860’s which he produced and sold under the brand C&T Cellars, named after Trent and his wife Colleen. They founded Moffett Vineyards in 2005 with the inaugural release of 800 cases which gained high marks from both consumers and the wine press.

The fruit for this 2006 Moffett Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from Moffett Vineyards’ small 3 ½ acre parcel on Howell Mountain at approximately 2100 feet elevation, a second vineyard in St. Helena from what might be the rockiest site in the appellation, that stresses the vines to produce a nice core structure to the wine. Some 442 cases were made. They also source fruit from various other sites in Howell Mountain, St. Helena, Oak Knoll, and even Childs Valley. 

Consulting winemaker Jennifer Rue joined Moffett Vineyards in 2007. The Moffett portfolio has grown to a dozen different labels including Napa Valley Chardonnay, Syrah, Grenache and a half dozen Pinot Noir's sourced from Oregon sites. 

Trent Moffett splits his time growing the Moffett Vineyards brand, and two other labels he oversees, Screenplay Wines and C&T Cellars.

I first acquired and tried this wine back in 2011. When I discovered it, after tasting it, I went back and bought the remaining stock at the local Binny's.

Now in its fifteenth year it is consistent with the last tasting when it was then approaching its 10th year, when I wrote, "this wine seems to be at its apex and it appears it won't improve further with more aging based on this and my earlier tastings."

This is a blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Cabernet Franc.

Wine Spectator gave this label 93 points.

Representing those Howell Mountain terroir characteristics that I tend to favor in Napa wines, this is dark inky purple color - full bodied - concentrated yet polished and smooth with full flavors of blackberries, ripe plum and currants - with the fruit seeming to trend down somewhat from my recollection of earlier tastings, highlighted by a layer of mocha chocolate, anise, and tones of black tea with a touch of oak and spice - the wine shows great balance of toasted oak and acidity.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=661237

http://moffettvineyards.com/

Mt Veeder Napa Cab and Sicilian Blend for Italian Dinner

 Duo of Mt Veeder Napa Bordeaux Varietals and Unique Sicilian White Blend for Italian Dinner and Evening Tasting

With Sis Jan visiting from SoCal, we dined at Angeli's Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria. We took BYOB from our cellar a Yates Mt Veeder Napa Cab from Yates Family Vineyards, a producer we visited together during our Napa Valley Mt Veeder Wine Experience back in 2011. 

As mentioned, we visited Yates Family Vineyards located high on the upper slopes of Mt Veeder in the Mayacamas Mountains in the southwest corner of Napa Valley, in the Mount Veeder Appellation.

Yates have 35 acres of steep, hillside vineyards that were replanted in the early 1980s to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc.  

The Yates vineyards sitting at the upper reaches of the mountain at an average elevation of over 1,100 feet, have site terroir that combines the altitude and its exposure and drainage with its microclimates and volcanic soils to produce incredible grapes with intense fruit flavors.  These elements all contribute to produce long-lived ageworthy wines from the estate vineyard.  

Proprietor Mike Yates, shown left, is aided by his daughter Whitney Yates Hanes, working together as Co-Winemakers to produce wines under the Yates label. 

They estate bottle standard Bordeaux varietal designated labels as well as a Reserve. They also produce a St Emilion style blend and a left bank Bordeaux blend Alden Perry Reserve named for family patriarch Mike's grandfather, Perry and father Alden, who shifted to the Bordeaux varietals in the early fifties, (60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and 15% Cabernet Franc). 

Yates labels are produced in small quantity of less about 200 cases, including this Estate Cabernet Sauvignon that we tasted this evening of which only 98 cases were produced.

Here we are, shown with Mary Yates and her husband Todd Jones who manages sales and marketing for Yates.

We drank this with the Angeli's special Sausage and Pepper Pasta in garlic with shaved brussel sprouts and crushed red pepper. As a post course it was an ideal complement to the Butternut Squash Gnocci with its brown sugar sauce.

Yates Family Mount Veeder Redwoods Estate Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 

The winemaker's notes on this release sum it up well. "Deep dark purple ruby in color shows the intensity of this varietal. Bold earthy aromas of eucalyptus, sweet cherry, blackberry, cedar stone, and bittersweet chocolate. Lusciously complex, this wine boasts of high toned fruits, cherries perfectly ripened in the sun, rose, leather, cinnamon, briar, wet stone with a hit of coriander. The finish is smooth and memorable."  

Wine Enthusiast gave this release 92 points in their September 2009 issue.

This was aged eighteen months in 35% new French oak.  

Producers notes on the 2006 vintage,  "2006 started off with heavy rains bringing in the New Year.  This wet weather lingered into spring. This caused the vines to grown energetically early, delaying bloom into June.  June’s weather started to warm, with dry conditions favoring fruit set.  July had some record heat which was followed by a moderate summer.  Harvest was delayed due to the wet spring and delayed bloom.  Total yield was slightly lower, with small berries that helped concentrate the flavors and enhance the fruit aromas creating intense wines with soft tannins for accessibility early but still possessing age ability for years to come."

At fourteen years of age, this is likely tasting at the apex of its drinking window. Tonight, this was consistent with our earlier tasting experience, dark deep inky purple color - complex and full bodied, the black berry and black cherry fruits were accented by dusty rose petals, tones of dark bittersweet chocolate, spice, and a layer of leather on a smooth tannin finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1106552 

https://www.yatesfamilyvineyard.com/

https://twitter.com/YatesFamilyWine 

@YatesFamilyWine 

As we did last week, once again, we ordered from the Angeli's wine list this interesting unique Italian white blend from Sicily. Both wines were sensational with this one an ideal accompaniment to the Angelis signature Boston Clam Chowder and the Butternut squash gnocci and Linda's entree, the Seared Ahi tuna.

Stemmari Dalila Sicilia Viognier Grillo DOC Blend 2016

This wine finds its way to the Angeli's winelist as a result of owner Tony Angeli having visited the winery estate during his visit to the region a couple years ago. 

 

This wine is from the Stemmari winery located in the town of Acate in the Ragusa province of Sicily located in south eastern Sicily. The winery has 1,700 acres in two estates along the south coast of Sicily, one in Sambuca di Sicilia in the Agrigento province and the other in Acate in the province of Ragusa.

 

The vast Stemmari brand has a broad portfolio of wines include single varietals like nero d’avola, chardonnay, pinot grigio, moscato, pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon and even a sparkling grillo. They offer a few blends including this Dalila wine.

 

This unique blend is comprised of the Sicilian varietal Grillo and the international Viognier, native to the French Rhone River valley. The local indigenous wine grape "grillo" – which means "cricket" in Italian. This Sicilian white wine is composed of 80 percent grillo and 20 percent viognier.  

 

The interesting branding of music as a metaphor for the harmonizing of the two elegant varietals in the Dalila blend with musical notes on the label and on the bottle foil.

This was sensational and a very pleasant surprise discovery. Its available at a price point that provides great QPR - Quality Price Ratio. 

Straw colored, medium-full bodied, nicely balanced acidity and smooth mouthfeel with intense, bright vibrant, nicely integrated tropical fruits with notes of pear and hints of peach, apricot and citrus with tones of vanilla, floral and stone fruits with character and profile of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

RM 91 points.

https://www.stemmari.it/en-us/products/selections/dalila

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3521489

 Rubissow Mt Veeder Napa Valley Merlot 2006

 After dinner, back at home, we opened another label that we tasted and procured with Jan at the winery, Rubissow, high atop Mt Veeder during the same Napa Valley, Mt Veeder Appellation tour. 

We visited the Rubissow Estate and Vineyards, also high atop Mt Veeder and met proprietor, winemaker, producer George Rubissow.  The Rubissow hilltop vineyard is at the southern end of the Mt Veeder appellation looking south to Carneros with views in the distance of Mt Diablo to the west of San Francisco Bay and Mt Tamalpais in Marin to the north of the golden gate. 

The southern exposure and proximity to the San Pablo Bay moderates the climate of the site. 

 

From my earlier notes in a previous blogpost, "my recollection of this wine was the profile of the Yates Fleur de Veeder that we tasted next to this as reviewed above - full bodied with rich extracted fruit. Tonight this was leaner and lighter than I remembered and hence expected. I am looking ahead to trying this again as we still have a half case in the cellar."

Tonight's tasting was consistent with that earlier experience, this showed dark garnet purple color, medium body with black berry fruits, slightly tart black cherry with a hints of spice, tobacco, touch of mocha and coffee bean. 

This was a bit flabby and lacked structure and therefor was a bit underwhelming, perhaps due to comparison with the bigger, bolder, brighter Yates, reviewed above.

RM 87 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=872497

https://www.rubissowwines.com/ 

https://twitter.com/RubissowWines 

@RubissowWines

Grand Veneur Les Origins CDP 2006

Domaine Grand Veneur "Les Origines" Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2006

Linda prepared bbq ribs and scalloped potatoes with grilled asparagus and I pulled from the cellar this vintage Châteauneuf-du-Pape to accompany our dinner.

Domaine Grand Veneur is a 170-acre estate based in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, in the Southern Rhone Valley. The estate is at the northern edge of the appellation on the southernmost outskirts of the city of Orange. It has been owned and operated by the Jaume family since the early 19th century and is run by Alain Jaume and his two sons.

In addition to the family’s vineyards in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, they also have parcels in Cotes du Rhone and Lirac, the appellation on the other side of the Rhone River. Grand Veneur produces red and white wines, and the family also has a negociant business called Alain Jaume & Fils. Robert M. Parker Jr. has called Grand Veneur “one of the best run estates in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

We hold a half dozen releases of this label dating back to the turn of the century.

This label release got 94 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Wine Enthusiast and 90 points from Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar. 

This is a blend of 50% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 30% Mourvèdre, the three primary varietals that are required to be in the blend according to Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation rules. 

I write about the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation in our blogpost from our visit to the region in 2019.

Domaine Grand Veneur "Les Origines" Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2006 

This is dark garnet colored with a slight tinge of purple. Medium-full bodied the dense firm black berry, black currants and black cherry fruits are accented by notes of graphite, licorice, cola and what several of the critics refer to as 'smoked meats', and hints of tar, turning to tangy tight tannins on the lingering finish. 

RM 90 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=467202

Ladera Napa Valley Malbec 2006

Ladera Napa Valley Malbec 2006 

Repost of earlier tasting blogpost feature of this wine and producer but another bottle and tasting experience, better this time than earlier. Entering week four of Coronavirus shut-in, we ordered in 'curb-side' carry out from Angelis' Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria.To pair with dinner, we pulled from the cellar this fourteen year old single Bordeaux varietal estate bottled Napa Valley Malbec. 

Bright garnet purple colored, medium-full bodied, better than last tasting, age or bottle variation? While not as complex and structured as a Cabernet, black berry and cherry fruit flavors, were accented by a layer of spice, hints of leather and a touch of cedar on a pleasant finish.laWe discovered this wine and purchased it following our visit to the Ladera Vineyards estate and winery up on Howell Mountain during our Napa Valley Howell Mountain Wine Experience 2008. 

We'd driven past the property, formerly the historic Chateau Woltner many times over the years on our treks up Howell Mountain. 

The fabulous historic winery building consists of production and barrel storage below and a rustic tasting room upstairs. It is surrounded by spectacular gardens, beds of lavender, and of course the vineyards.

Rick & Linda at Ladera winery
on Howell Mountain

Ladera primarily focused on Cabernet Sauvignon of which we still hold a several cases of four different labels across three vintages from this era. We also acquired some of their Pinot Noir which was sourced from Sonoma County, as well as this Malbec grown from estate fruit, of which we still hold a half case in our cellar.

Malbec is one of the "big five" grape varieties in Bordeaux included in the "Cabernet family" of grapes.

It serves as one of the blending wines to round out and add complexity to the primary varietals of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc or Merlot used for its deep, dark purple color, its fragrant aromas, ranging from black cherry to black pepper, and its texture which is lush and juicy in the mid palette and very soft on the finish.

Primarily a blended complement to the tannic, brooding Cabernet Sauvignon, it produces an interesting and nice stand alone wine, as well.

The 2006 Napa Valley Ladera Malbec is a blend of fruit from two mountain vineyards - 50% from Howell Mountain and the other 50% from Lone Canyon - two unique terroirs.

The rolling hills and volcanic soils of Howell Mountain vineyard lend to the bold dark fruit characters while the steep slopes and gravely soils of Lone Canyon high atop Mt Veeder contribute intense phenolic structure and complexity to the wine.

Somewhat consistent with my tasting notes way back in 2011 when we last tasted this wine: "This wine holds true to its varietal characteristics with its dark inky color, rich aromatics and bold masculine structure. The wine exhibits forward fruits flavors of black cherry and black berry with violets, red licorice, hints of vanilla, white pepper and smoky fig.

Bright garnet purple colored, medium-full bodied, better than last tasting, age or bottle variation? While not as complex and structured as a Cabernet, black berry and cherry fruit flavors, were accented by a layer of spice, hints of leather and a touch of cedar on a pleasant finish.Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, less complex and less structured than a Cabernet this comes across a bit flabby on opening but overcame the funkiness to reveal black berry and cherry fruit flavors, a layer of spice, hints of leather and a touch of cedar on a long finish.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/editinventory.asp?iWine=523712

Rick with Ladera owner/producer
Anne Stotesbery

The seeds for Ladera were planted in the early 1970s, when Pat and Anne Stotesbery fell in love while attending university in Northern California. Among their many shared interests, they discovered a passion for wine, and were soon taking wine classes together, and traveling to wine country for tastings.

The next two decades took them to Minnesota and Montana, where they ran a 3,200-acre ranch with 750 head of cattle, during which time, their interest in wine continued to grow.

With deep agricultural roots on both sides of their family, Pat and Anne Stotesbery acquired their first Napa Valley mountain vineyard in 1996. Their original vineyard was on Mount Veeder, the following year they purchased their second mountain vineyard, Lone Canyon.

In 1998, Pat and Anne made their first non-commercial vintage of 100 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon.

 As a reflection of their commitment to making mountain Cabernet Sauvignons, they selected the name Ladera for their winery, which means “hillside, or slope” in both Spanish and Italian.

They moved their family to Napa Valley, and in 2000, they acquired a historic Howell Mountain property featuring an 82-acre vineyard. For the next 16 years, this property served as the home for Ladera.

Around 2008, their son Dan visited us while on a wine promotion trip and we took him around to several of the local wine merchants in the area. 

In 2016, following the earlier sales of the Lone Canyon and the Mount Veeder properties, with their children grown and pursuing careers of their own, Pat and Anne sold their land on Howell Mountain.

Rustic Ladera tasting area in the historic
chai and barrel building back in 2006.

 https://www.laderavineyards.com/

http://mcnees.org/winesite/napa/napa_08/img_napa08_ladera_winery_remc.jpg

Donna Olga Brunello For IV Dinner

Donna Olga Brunello For IV Dinner

Tenute Donna Olga Brunello Di Montalcino and Sondraia Super Tuscan for Italian Village Business Dinner

For a business partner dinner, we dined at my usual haunt,  Italian Village Chicago, for all the reasons I cited in recent blogposts - close to office, central location, three restaurants, three chefs/menus, extraordinary wine cellar, Chicago historic dining institution, great food and dependable, professional service. 

As usual, Jared Gelband, Wine Director there, knew I was coming and pre-selected a special bottle for our dinner. Often, these selections are off the winelist, being evaluated for inclusion but not yet acquired in sufficient quantity to support listing. Or, they're end of bin selections being dropped from the list, as it was in this case being the last remaining bottle in the cellar. 

Managing a wine list of over 1200 selections is a mighty chore requiring diligent care and attention. With dozens of lists in print, its a significant effort to update the production volumes. You want to avoid the chance of presenting a wine offering and not being able to fulfill it thereby disappointing or aggravating a patron. Hence you don't want to produce a new version of the list with only one or few remaining bottles and risk not having it available for diners once that last bottle has been consumed before the list can be updated and republished. Regular customers such as me provide that buffer to consume remaining stock that may have fallen off and is being dropped from the list. 

So it was tonight, we consumed the last remaining bottle of a thirteen year old vintage label. Only restaurants with extensive or thoughtfully managed cellars and wine lists, or select ones that specifically acquire aged vintage releases, can offer aged vintage select labels to their diners.

Italian Village offers not only a broad and diverse selection but  also a vertical selection of numerous vintages of a label, as witnessed by their recent Wine Producer Dinner featuring Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta from Tenuta San Guido when they served eight different vintages of flagship Sassicaia from the winelist dating back to 1998 with the dinner. 

Tenute Donna Olga Di Olga Pulusa Brunello Di Montalcino 2006

From the Italian region Montalcino near Siena, the appellation or Italian DOCG Brunello di Montalcino,  Donna Olga. Donna Olga is named for Olga Peluso Centolani, a passionate woman of wine and the producer. The estate consists of 11 hectares (24 acres), but only 4 of them are cultivated by Donna Olga with selected clones of Sangiovese Brunello for this label, with annual production of 20.000 bottles of this Brunello di Montalcino.

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, firm structured backbone, nicely balanced, whisper of spearmint and vanilla highlight complex black berry fruits, notes of earthy spice tobacco and leather with nice balance of acid firm gripping but silky smooth tannins on the lingering finish. Must be at its apex at a dozen plus one years. 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=1186945

We also drank this Super Tuscan. 

Poggio al Tesoro Bolgheri Superiore Sondraia 2015

As I wrote in an earlier blogpost about this wine, "Jared knows I favor Bordeaux varietals and big full bodied fruit forward complex blends. Wow! He pegged it with this selection. Who would think you would find this style in an Italian wine?'

"From the Allegrini brand known for Amarone comes this classic Bordeaux blend from the Bolgheri region - Cabernet Sauvignon (65%), Merlot (25%) and Cabernet Franc (10%).'

"I would've failed identifying this as an Italian wine opting for a California Cabernet with its rich full bodied rich ripe sweet fruit. It presented a residual sweetness almost extreme for a Bordeaux blend but much to my liking. This profile would probably be too much for most, especially Bordeaux enthusiasts,  but I found it wonderfully delicious and perfectly matched to the brown sauce of my Veal Marsala."

Winemaker's notes: "Intense ruby red in colour, the nose opens with nuances of cherry and plum and deep notes of black berries, followed by aromatic herbs and a pleasant spiciness. It is elegant and seductive on the palate, revealing considerable body, great structure and balance, and silky tannins."

I give this 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3114160

http://www.italianvillage-chicago.com/