Château de Ferrand St. Émilion Grand Cru 2010

Château de Ferrand St. Émilion Grand Cru 2010 in 375 Half Bottle Format

Traveling on business, I picked up a 375ml half bottle of this Château de Ferrand, St. Émilion Grand Cru at Total Wine to taste with carry-out dinner back at the hotel. 

I've written often about half bottles in these pages; ... as late as last week. Here's another scenario where a small format bottle is in order. For the money spent, while I got half as much wine, I got a much better wine. Since I was dining alone and wouldn't consume a whole bottle anyway, and can't take the remainder on the airplane home (in carry-on luggage), I consider this a useful option, when opting for a higher quality wine. 

The challenge of course is the options are very limited in seeking small format labels. Smaller merchants likely won't offer any, while a beverage super store such as Binny's in Chicagoland, and in this case, Total Wine, will offer a selection of wines in small format. Binny's has close to a hundred labels on offer (their Oak Brook store aisle is shown above) while Total Wine had perhaps a score. 

Note, that a half bottle will cost sightly more than half the price of a standard 750ml format, so there is a bit of an uplift in price for the lower volume unique offering. In the case, a standard bottle cost $39.99, the half bottle was $23.

At six years of age, this was perfect for current drinking now, probably at the apex of its drinking window, not likely to improve with further aging. It was very pleasant with smoked cheese and a hearty salad.

Immediately upon opening, bright berry fruit and floral aromas erupted from the bottle. Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied with nicely balanced, bright, forward black berry and black raspberry fruits with tones of anise and hints of dark mocha and subtle spicy oak on a lingering polished tannin finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1732472

Baldacci Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon

Baldacci Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

As part of the festivities leading up to the big wedding this weekend, we had a family dinner at Brü Grill & Market in Lake Forest, CA next to Mission Viejo. Sis Jan and Bro-in-law brought some special wines BYOB to accompany the grilled steak dinners. Brü Grill & Market was the first of a couple wine friendly restaurants we discovered over the weekend that features an extensive wine selection sold at retail prices which they then are served BYOB, in this case with an added $10 corkage fee. This is a very wine friendly accommodation for folks like us who place high value on the wine offerings combined with the food selections on the menu.

In what became the beginning of a busy festive weekend featuring several spectacular wines and settings, Bill brought Baldacci Family Vineyards, Napa Valley Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 which was one of the producers visited during Jan's Napa Valley wine weekend last spring, when she discovered and obtained this label. This was a perfect complement to the steak entrees. 

Baldacci Napa Valley Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

Tastes like rich concentrated Napa mountain fruit. Deep purple and dark garnet colored, full bodied, rich complex concentrated ripe black berry, black raspberry and plum fruits accented by a layer of mocha chocolate, hints of dusty earth and cedar before turning to spicy oak on the lingering silky tannin finish.

RM 94 points.
 https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1734834

http://www.baldaccivineyards.com/ 

Diverse Big Reds for Angelis Italian Dinner

Diverse Big Reds for Angelis Italian Dinner

For a wine dine get together with two wine buddy friends Don K and TRR, we took some special bottles BYOB to our regular meeting place for such occasions, Angeli's Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria. Don came by to pick up fifty bottles of wine I had acquired for his cellar as part of my consolidated buying for myself and my wine buddies. We learned our lesson and started this practice years ago to avoid bidding against each other for the same wines at auction! Also it allows us to pool our resources for greater buying influence/power, and to spread the spoils of allocated wines. Don brought a Wallis Family Estate Napa Diamond Mtn Cab while Tom brought a classic Tignanello 1999. Both wines were perfect accompaniments to the Italian Sausage and Peppers starter and the hearty pasta dishes.

Wallis Family Estate Napa Valley Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

An interesting discovery by Don, this boutique producer label is
crafted by legendary winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown, ala TRB.
Thomas, from South Carolina, attended the University of Virginia before moving west to Napa Valley soon after graduating. He started his wine career working for Turley Wine Cellars in 1997. Today, he is winemaker for over a dozen wine brands including Schrader, Maybach, Revana, and Outpost, specializing in premium Cabernet. He has produced multiple perfect 100 point wines, notably "Old Sparky" by Schrader Cellars leading to being awarded Winemaker of the Year in 2010 by Food & Wine. 

He hooked with up Wallis starting with the 2009 vintage release. This  label is sourced from fruit their 13 acres of vineyards in Diamond Mountain District at an elevation between 600 to 800 feet. They grow Bordeaux varietals Cabernet (75%), Cab Franc and Petit Verdot.

The vineyards are part of an 85 acre property on Diamond Mountain Road in Calistoga acquired by Wallis in 1975. The property came with an old stone Castle built in 1906 by Jacques Pacheteau, which they are turning into a classic stylish tasting room, and a Barn built in the late 1800’s designed by W.H. Corlett. Fruit from the vineyards planted in 1997 was initially sold to David Ramey of Ramey Wine Cellars from 2001-2003, and then to Chris Carpenter of Lokoya Winery from 2004-2005. From 2006, Wallis has produced wine for themselves under their own label. Wallis Family Estate currently produce their wines at Thomas' new winery venture at Mending Wall Winery on Silverado Trail in St. Helena.


Dark blackish garnet colored, medium-full bodied, slightly lean moderate black cherry and berry fruits accented by a layer of tar, smoke and spice. Somewhat closed and tight on opening it opened after an hour and much moreso the next evening to aromatic floral and incense, ending in powerful, intense, acid laced tannins on the finish.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1413534

http://www.wallisestate.com/

Antinori Tignanello Toscana IGT 1999

We've shared this wine with TRR a couple times over the years. Classic SuperTuscan Blend hitting its stride in its fifteenth year, perhaps at the apex of its tasting window. Consistent with my notes from earlier tastings.

Deep Ruby colored, medium-full bodied, forward bright vibrant mouthful of black cherry predominates with notes of currant, spice, and hints of tobacco and leather on a lingering silky tannin finish.




RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=96168

Signorello & Del Dotto Napa Wines Paired with Vie Western Springs Fine Cuisine

Vie in Western Springs Locavor Fine Cuisine Matched with BYOB Signorello & Del Dotto Napa Wines

We dined at tony Vie in Western Springs at their Chicago Restaurant Week four course price fixe special evening with daughter Erin and S-in-law Johnnie, arranged by son Ryan.

They offered a meat and a fish entree selection so I took two special Napa bottles BYOB - Del Dotto Napa Valley Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 1999 - a special year for the kids, and Signorello Estate Napa Valley Hope's Cuvee Chardonnay 2010.

A wine course and or beer accompaniment course was offered but we took advantage of and appreciated Vie's corkage fee/accommodation. 

The wines were a highlight of the localvor fine dinner course pairings shown below.

First Course

Chicken cassoule: braised leg, sausage and chicken bacon, white beans, roasted turnips, preserved asparagus, tarragon pesto,

or,

Tempura fried pickled summer beans, roasted sweet potatoes, harissa mayonnaise, arugula (shown left). Imaginative and tasty.

Second Course

Creamy squash soup, ginger granola, yogurt,

or,

Roasted and pickled beets, watermelon radish, savoy cabbage, smoked ramp and buttermilk ranch (shown right).This was delicious but, while ever so subtle and refined, the smoked tone in this course, when followed by the smoked entree, in combination was a bit much.

Third Course

Pan-roasted steelhead trout, sauerkraut pancake, parsnip puree, wood grilled onions, smoked apple butter vinagrette, dill (shown left). The girls both had this and enjoyed it.

or,

Wood grilled pork sausage, smoked ham, toasted polenta, confit celery root, grilled meyer lemon, marcoot creamery tomme, preserved tomato pork broth. Johnnie and I both had this and while it was good, the smoked ham overpowered the tasty pork sausage.

Also, the double smoked selection of the smoked entree following the smoked beet salad was a but much.







The wines:

Signorello Hope's Cuvee Napa Valley Estate Chardonnay 2010

We discovered and acquired this wine at a winery dinner/visit at the magnificent setting overlooking lower Napa Valley vineyards during our Napa Wine Experience 2013.

I selected this hearty full, forward Chardonnay that I knew would accompany the fish entree as well as the first and second starter and salad courses and I was right.

Read through my blog postings and you'll know I am predominantly a red wine drinker. While I enjoy an occasional glass of white, most often with appropriate food, I don't normally get excited about a white wine. This Chardonnay was the exception,  memorable and special. This was the first bottle from our winery purchase that we have opened at home and it met all my high expectations.

This Hopes Cuvée Chardonnay was full bodied but nicely balanced and polished for very pleasant drinking. It is bursting with flavorful fruit with layers of peach and poached pear giving way to hints of honey, almond, nutmeg, vanilla and creamy soft spicy oak. There is very pleasant full mouth-feel with rich texture on the palate with a long lingering finish of sweet mellow oak. It was a great accompaniment to the carefully prepared, complex fine cuisine courses.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1401845

While it wasn't listed on the Vie website when I planned and selected the wines for the evening, their wine list featured the Signorello flagship Padrone Napa Cabernet. It would have been fun to have a Signorello wine flight for our dinner experience. We'll plan this for a future visit. Padrone is Signorello's flagship wine, produced in honor of Ray Signorello Sr., the patriarch of the family and founder of the estate.

http://signorelloestate.com/ 


Del Dotto Vineyards Napa Valley Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 1999

We have a vertical collection of this wine dating back to the inaugural vintage release in 1993. Del Dotto is one of our favorite Napa producers and we've visited the winery many times over the years. A tour of the sensational Del Dotto winery and cave was a highlight of Erin and Johnnie's Napa trip. So, it was fitting to select a Del Dotto for our dinner together. The 1999 vintage commemorates a special benchmark year for the kids too.

This 1999 vintage was the artwork of legendary winemaker Nils Venge crafted from Rutherford appellation fruit. At sixteen years, this is a testament to the aging potential of this label as it is still full, firm and vibrant and is just starting to show its age as tones of earth, leather, and tobacco are starting to set in. These tones turned to bright floral notes after being open an hour.

Dark garnet colored, full bodied, firm gripping forward black berry fruits laced with that classic Rutherford dust, complex but nicely balanced with intense dark cherry, black currant and blackberry fruits, a layer of cedar and spicy tangy oak on a lingering finish of tight structured tannins. This was a great complement to the complex mix of tastes in the wood grilled pork sausage and smoked ham entree that matched well with the wine's complexity.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=616988

http://www.deldottovineyards.com/

After dinner, the Fourth Course dinner selections were:

Mascarpone cheesecake, spiced cookie butter, heirloom citrus, and tangerine sorbet, or,

Apple and raspberry galette, milk chocolate gelato, and raspberry preserves (shown right). This was spectacular.

Vie Restaurant, Western Springs, IL
http://www.vierestaurant.com/ 

Select California Cab Comparison Tasting

California Select Cabernet Comparison Tasting Showcases Contrasting Styles - Compliments Pot Roast Dinner

For a comparison tasting of three distinctive select California Napa Cabernets, Bill & Beth had me over for a pot roast dinner. I brought a Del Dotto "David" Napa Valley Cabernet based red blend. Bill opened a Quintessa Napa Valley Red 2010, and for a trio comparative tasting, a Cliff Lede Napa Cab 2010. A nice tasting of three select Napa Cabernets representing three different styles, each with a distinctive character and profile.

Del Dotto "The David" Napa Valley Red Wine 2002

Named for proprietor producer David Del Dotto, one could argue that this is the flagship wine of this prolific producer. We acquired this bottle during one of several winery visits during this era. This was an aggressive ambitious offering of a Bordeaux blend with 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, and 19% Cabernet Franc. Four hundred cases were produced.

In it's twelfth year, this was still vibrant and lively but will likely not improve further with age. Dark garnet colored, full bodied and bold, the Rutherford fruit shows through as the expressive full forward black berry and black cherry fruits predominate with accents of cassis, spice box and Mayacamas Cedar tones. That Del Dotto craftmanship of layered oak and hints of mocha are apparent on a long soft, plush, layered fine tannin finish.


RM 92 points. Robert Parker gave this 94 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=74222

http://www.deldottovineyards.com/


Quintessa Napa Valley Red Wine 2010

The 'quint' or five in the name Quintessa reflects both the five hills that make up the diverse estate property in the southeast corner of the Rutherford appellation, as well as the five Bordeaux varietals they grow for this flagship meritage blend wine. The magnificent Quintessa winery along Silverado Trail was one of the first elegant upscale big budget facilities of the modern era which is almost modest by today's standards of opulance. We visited the property back during our Napa Wine Experience 2003. While this is another Rutherford based Bordeaux Blend, it is a contrast in style to the Del Dotto.

The Quintessa estate red blend is very Bordeaux like with its elegant polished finely integrated stylistic blend of the five varietals grown on 170 acres of diverse vineyards in 26 different blocks on the 280 acre Rutherford estate: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carmenere. 

Almost subdued in contrast to the bolder more aggressive Cal Cabs, Quintessa is elegant, polished, a symphony of flavors that take time to unfold in the glass, best revealed with an accompaniment of matched food - perfect with the pot roast and roasted carrots. Dark inky color, medium to full bodied, the black berry fruits are refined revealing layers of fruit, graphite, black currant and tones of soft subtle mocha, sweet oak and muted flora with finesse on the smooth silky tannin finish. This will likely evolve to reveal more sophistication and complexity with some age.

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1339213

 http://www.quintessa.com/

Cliff Lede Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

One of our favorites and mainstays of both Bill's and my cellars, the Cliff Lede Stags Leap property is very near the Quintessa site geographically, but stylistically, the estate Cabernet is more like the Del Dotto David with its bolder, more vibrant forward fruit compared to the Quintessa, but slightly moderate from the more 'over-the-top' Del Dotto. An interesting cross section representing the best of Napa Valley Cabernet.

Bill's notes summed it up well, "Deep indigo color. Complex layered, bright red fruit, sour cherry and raspberry on the palate. Lingering finish with a hint of oak. This is delicious and drinking beautifully right now. Interesting comparison to a 2002 Del Dotto "David". Stylistically very similar profiles. The Lede was almost a lighter "little brother" to the Del Dotto."

Bill gave this 93 points. I gave it 92 as it compared with the other two wines, despite its stylistic difference.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1386511

http://www.cliffledevineyards.com/

Groth Reserve Napa Cabernet 2010

Groth Reserve Napa Cabernet 2010 Highlights Harbor Side Sunset Dinner

On the eve of a special tour outing to the Frank Lloyd Wright Meyer May house in Grand Rapids, we stayed in Grand Beach, MI. We dined with our hosts, friends Gayle and Mark harbor-side at Brentwood Tavern at the Marina Grand Resort in New Buffalo. From the winelist we selected Groth Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - a perfect accompaniment to the tenderloin steak with twice baked potato.

Prior to dinner we did a tasting on the rooftop deck and watched the sunset over the harbor and lake. We enjoyed a bottle of Uriah from Spring Valley Vineyard in Walla Walla that I brought BYOB from the home cellar.

Groth Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 

We first visited the Groth Vineyards Oakville Estate back in the mid-nineties during one of our Napa Wine Experience trips.  We still  hold Groth Cabernet in our cellar going back to the 1990 vintage (part of our 1990 vintage horizontal collection commemorating son Alec's birthyear). The Groth flagship Reserve bottling is sourced from the Reserve Block vineyard at the winery's 27.78-acre estate on the eastern side of the Oakville appellation. It also contains some Merlot from Groth's Hillview Vineyard. It is aged for 22 months in all new French oak.

The 2010 Groth Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was considered one of the top Napa Cabs from the 2010 vintage release. The 2010 harvest is regarded as one of the most intriguing, most difficult and may prove to be one of the best vintages of the early 21st century.

Dark garnet colored, full bodied, dry, concentrated and complex yet nicely structured, balanced and polished, rich in tannins, dark fruit flavors of black currants and black raspberry accented by a moderate soft layer of sweet cassis and licorice with hints of dried herbs and toasty cedar.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1238027

Spring Valley Vineyard 'Uriah' Walla Walla Valley Red Blend 2004

Our vertical collection of this wine dates back almost a decade to the 2002 vintage, capped by the current 2010 vintage release which received rave reviews and a Top 100 wine of the year accolade. Brought from the cellar for this casual pre-dinner tasting, this Merlot based blend offered an interesting and pleasant conversational wine experience. 

Consistent with earlier tasting notes, this Merlot based Bordeaux blend is dark garnet colored with slight brownish tones, medium to full bodied, the fruits are starting to subside a bit and give way to non-fruit tones. It opened with a barnyard funkiness that dutifully burned off as predicted in less than a half hour. The black berry fruit is accented by a layer of truffles, black tea and fresh sauteed mushroom with anise tones and a layer of spicy black cherry fruits accented by subtle smoke creosote on a tangy lingering tannin finish.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=215438


Barossa Old Vine Company Barossa Shiraz 2003

The following evening we did a casual tasting at the lake house of Barossa Old Vine Co '03 brought from our cellar, tasted with artisan cheeses, crackers, salami and chocolates. This is a limited release bottling produced from 109, 127, and 152 year old vineyards.

Dark inky purple colored, full bodied, big dense concentrated rich tongue coating ripe fruits of blueberry, black raspberry and currant, accented by cedar, spicy oak and hints of licorice on the full tannin finish. The ripe fruit is so forward and rich that it comes across with a slight offset of an mineral tone with an almost metallic edge.

Robert Parker 94, REM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=222403

Spring Valley Uriah Walla Walla Valley Red Wine 2010

Spring Valley Vineyard Uriah Walla Walla Valley Red Wine 2010

Following my post the other night on the earlier 2002 vintage of this wine, and upon seeking to replace it with the most current release, I wrote about it suddenly disappearing from merchant stocks after receiving a Top 100 #27 in the Wine Spectator Top 100 ranking for the year.

Son Alec picked up a half case on the east coast and brought it home for Christmas. So it was only fitting we popped a bottle to try it during our father-son dinner outing at his 'alma mater' restaurant where he worked through high school and college. Readers of this blog see regular frequent mentions of Angeli's, our favorite local Italian eatery.


This may be the most expressive Uriah I have tasted. It is the most complex on the front and most vibrant on the finish that I remember. We hold each vintage going back to 2002.

Dark ruby colored, full bodied, complex layers of tight spicy red currant and black raspberry fruits are accented by spicy clove, hints of smoky anise turning to a big mouthful of subtle cinnamon and hint of mocha on a big floral tongue tingling smooth dusty tannins.

RM 93 points.

Blend: 46% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Malbec

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1267234

http://www.springvalleyvineyard.com/