Herman Story Tomboy Viognier BYOB at Beachwalk Cafe

Herman Story Tomboy Viognier BYOB at Beachwalk Cafe 

Hosting in-laws Pat & Rodger at The Cove, our Destin (FL) vacation rental, we dined at Henderson Park Inn Resort Beachwalk Cafe, on the deck watching the magnificent sunset over the waters of the Gulf (of America). 

I’ve written often in these pages about Beachwalk Cafe, one of our favorite dining spots on the Emerald Coast that we frequent each time we in town including these past dinner visits: 

Sunset dining at Beachwalk Cafe

Hope Cuvée at Beachwalk Cafe, Destin

Lewis Chardonnay BYOB at Henderson Beachwalk Cafe

Henderson Beachwalk Cafe Dinner with a view

Tonight, the ladies ordered and shared the signature Beachwalk Grouper Vince with Pecan Crusted, Crispy Potato Cake, Haricot Verts, Honey Worcestershire Sauce.

Both of the men ordered the Snapper topped with lump crab meat, with Corn Truffle Risotto, Madeira Mushrooms, Matchstick Truffle Fries in a Citrus Beurre Blanc sauce. 

I took from our remote Destin wine cellar, BYOB, this interesting aged, big, bold Rhône Valley varietal white blend from Santa Barbara County. 

Herman Story “Tomboy” Viognier 2011 

What a strange name for a wine label!?! Leave it to Paso Robles producer Herman Story, known for a whimsical, odd but creative branding strategy, with a broad portfolio of uniquely named labels such as Bolt Cutter, Casual Encounter, Milk & Honey and Nuts & Bolts, to release a label such as this. 

Proprietor, winemaker Russel From explains on each rear label the brand name inspiration - “Herman Story was a Rancher, Logger, Swapper, Banker, Philanthropist, a teller of tales, and my grandfather ….”

The Herman Story website describes Winemaker/Producer …. “Before he was a winemaker, a self-proclaimed black belt, and an internationally renowned runway model, Russell always had a borderline-concerning obsession with great food and wine. After graduating from Cal Poly with a few winery internships (and a bunch of noise complaints) under his belt, he started Herman Story in 2001 with seven humble barrels of Syrah stashed in his employer's cellar.’

“What started as an homage to his grandfather grew into a lineup of the most boisterous, buckle-up-and-hang-on, Rhône-inspired wines on the Central Coast. Today, after 20+ years and a bunch more noise complaints, Russell hasn't lost a shred of his passion for wine, people, and perfectly seasoned ground beef. Off the clock, you'll find him whipping up salsa verde, floating the Salinas River, or trying to break the world record for longest distance pulling a Learjet 45 by beard.”

Russel applies his grandfather’s ‘teller to tales’ to his wines, with a story behind every label, for example:

Russel’s story behind the Nuts & Bolts label  …. “Single vineyard wines are sort of like kids on the Ivy League track; you just have to make sure that you don’t do anything that throws them off and you’ll see them succeed. Blends like Nuts & Bolts are a bit more like me, it takes some well timed advice, a bit of hand wringing and a lot of love to see them come into their own; but when they do they always take the limelight.”

The winemaker/producer’s tasting notes for his “On the Road Grenache” tell the story explaining the label name: “Driving up and down the Central Coast throughout harvest has it’s perks, sure I now know more places to find legit burritos than I ever thought possible, but aside from that I get to spend countless hours mulling over the best way to blend my Grenache lots.” 

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate describes Herman Story (winery and branding) - “Readers looking for super-concentrated, extroverted, exuberant, powerhouse wines from California's Central Coast need look no further than the Herman Story estate. For those who love the wild side of Rhone varietals pushed to the limit (but not over), these are highly recommended. Moreover, prices are exceptionally fair for this level of quality."

With it’s whimsical label, I’ve held this bottle in our cellar for over a decade, waiting for the right opportunity to open this label, taking the branding inspiration into account. I brought this bottle to Florida to perhaps open with Linda’s girlfriends during their visit last month, and finally, set an occasion with Linda and her sister, “farmer Ned Long’s daughters”, for tonight’s dinner. 

Russell’s Herman Story whimsical anecdotal story of this ‘Tomboy’ wine:

“I appreciate a sturdy woman, a lady who the wind isn’t gonna blow over. I also enjoy a woman with many layers; someone I need to take my time on to get to know properly. Once again, Tomboy floats my boat.” 

“You only know one person who can get bucked off her horse, break a few ribs, ride fifteen miles out of the hills, and show up in time to deliver a doozie of a closing argument. Brown sugar hair in a tight bun, cinnamon power suit, working the small-town jury box with candied peach logic and irrefutable grilled pineapple evidence, smooth as butter and spice. By the end, she’s got at least three in tears, and after the verdict comes out, she’s back in the saddle, because she’s not going to leave those cowboys shorthanded.”

This 2011 Tomboy is a blend of Rhône varietals - 83% Viognier and 17% Roussanne, sourced from the Larner, White Hawk, Denner & James Berry Vineyards in Santa Barbara County. 250 cases were produced. 

Our experience was summed up nearly perfectly by one reviewer who wrote - “Light gold color. Best Viognier I’ve ever had. Strong nectarine, honey, and buttered toast on the scent. Taste is tangy melon, followed by floral and earthy mineral notes, with a surprisingly spicy finish. So complicated.”

Russel describe an earlier vintage release of this label this way: “The 2009 vintage is a sturdy showing, indeed; a white wine that probably makes more sense to a red wine drinker than most red wines do. And multi-faceted is an understatement. This wine is so densely layered, it’s more likely to be recognized by MENSA than I ever am. It smells like crushed honeysuckle, wool shirts, lime zest, coconut, butterscotch, wood fire and pain perdue. It tastes like all of those things plus lychee, nectarine, white tea, thyme, orange marmalade and saltwater taffy. Actually, I stopped writing down what this wine tastes and smells like after an hour because my hand got tired. But mostly because I wanted to give it my full attention.”

Tonight, at fourteen years, the fill level was fine but the cork was dry and came apart upon opening using a traditional waiter’s cork screw. I delicately managed to extract the bottom remaining 1/4 of the cork. 

Deep golden colored, medium bodied, rich, concentrated, sharp and forward, zesty melon, lychee, pineapple and blood orange fruits, accented by a layer almost approaching butterscotch and buttery pain grille, with notes of coconut, spice, and hints of vanilla on the mineral laden tangy flavorful finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?1528146

https://hermanstorywines.com/about-us/meet-russel/

https://hermanstorywines.com/

https://www.hendersonparkinn.com/

Turnbull Oakville Cabernet with grilled beefsteaks

Turnbull Oakville Cabernet with grilled beefsteaks

Saturday night dinner, we grilled out steaks and served with grilled corn and baked potatoes. 

I pulled from the cellar an aged vintage Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon for an accompaniment. 

This is from Turnbull Wine Cellars a small family run producer of primarily Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from four estate vineyards in Oakville and Calistoga, Napa Valley.

Turnbull Wine Cellars was founded in Oakville in 1979 by William Turnbull, a noted Bay Area architect, and Reverdy Johnson, a lawyer. The two had worked together on developing the famous Sea Ranch development on the coast north of San Francisco. The winery was then called Johnson Turnbull. 

In 1993 the estate was bought by publisher Patrick O’Dell, who updated the winery and bought additional property, bringing the total estate holdings to 148 acres. Their vineyards are planted primarily to Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller amounts of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. 

Wine Advocate rated Turnbull’s 2010 Fortuna Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon at 100 pts and called it “perfection…A magnificent effort that should turn out to be one of the great modern classics of Napa Valley.

Turnbull Wine Cellars winemaker is Peter Heitz, a fourteen generation Vigneron hailing from Alsace,  and fourth generation Napa Valley Winemaker. Peter grew up in Napa Valley Carneros on one of the pioneering vineyards in the region. He gained his vineyard experience farming in the Calistoga Appellation property first planted to vines by his great grandparents in 1904. He has been winemaker at Turnbull Wine Cellars in Oakville since the 2007 vintage.

The four Turnbull estate vineyards four are: 

The Turnbull Oakville Estate Vineyard, covering fourteen acres on the eastern slope of the valley where the climate is generally warm and agreeable, resulting in year after year of favorable vintages. Summer days see a gentle moderation of the warmer inland air from cool air coming in from the San Pablo Bay to the south, creating an ideal environment to grow red varieties. Oakville's diverse soils, namely ancient sea bedrock, clay and gravel, are well-drained, and perfect for high-caliber viticulture.

The Lopoldina vineyard in the Oakville AVA covering 62 acres, situated high on the crest of the Oakville Bench, with an expansive Southwest view of the valley from Calistoga in the North to the San Francisco Bay in the South. The vineyard is an extreme growing environment, with scarce, volcanic rock soil that gives us spectacular and complex fruit that lends fine texture and structured tannins to the wines. This site is planted to predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon plantings, with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Syrah and Lagrein vines as well. It was previously known as the Weitz Vineyard but wines we crafted from the site today are designated Leopoldina Vineyard.

The Turnbull Fortunate Vineyard lying at the base of the sloping Oakville bench facing Southwest in the Fortuna Ranch covering 59 acres from pre-Prohibition and originally sourced by the venerable Christian Brothers winery. The vineyard features ancient red volcanic soils that produce darker fruit notes with an identifiable spice box component. The vineyard is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot and some Sauvignon Blanc. 

Finally, up in Calistoga lies the 101 acre Turnbull Amoenus vineyard. Situated in the remote Western rolling hills of northern Napa Valley at higher elevations and exposures it is influenced by the ocean air and fog, cooling the fruit at night. The temperate micro-climate and a variety of volcanic soils produces wines with good acidity, density of flesh, plush mid palate and a unique minerality, with dark cherry notes. It is planted primarily to Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Turnbull wines are vinified in small lots from each vineyard block, vinified separately in small stainless steel tanks. The wine is barreled down into individual lots and aged in French Oak barrels for twenty months.

Turnbull produce a broad portfolio of labels including several single vineyard and single appellation designated bottlings, as well as several blends. They produce mostly Cabernet Sauvignons, but also a small production of Cabernet Franc and Merlots. 

This was a perfect accompaniment to the grilled beefsteak - the ideal food wine pairing amplifiying and enhancing the enjoyment of both. 

Despite the difficult 2011 vintage for many in Napa Valley, this label was an high achiever. 

At fourteen years, the label and foil, and most importantly the fill level and cork were in perfect condition. Packaged in a heavy, slightly oversized bottle with an extra deep bung (cavity in the bottom where sediment collects around the cavity), this was still at the apex of its drinking window and likely to hold for another couple of years. 

Winemaker notes of this release. “Aromatics of spicy red fruits, dusty raspberries, white pepper and hazelnuts. Red berries up front, with a rich, mid palate density and finishing with smooth black cherry and baking spices. A concentrated and spicy finish. the process From our Oakville estate vineyards, each with varying soil types bringing character and depth to the wine.” 

Dark garnet colored, medium to full bodied, bright vibrant round and full flavored black berry and black current fruits were accented by spices and notes of anise, black tea and hints of cedar with tangy acidity and plush tannins on a lingering finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1391695

https://www.turnbullwines.com/

Château du Tertre Margaux with grilled beefsteaks

Château du Tertre Margaux with grilled beefsteaks

Saturday dinner at home, Linda grilled some beef tenderloin beefsteaks, served with a medley of roasted potatoes, corn, onions and cheese. I pulled from the cellar a middle aged vintage Bordeaux blend for the occasion, served with toasted bread. 

According to the label, this is a trade sample bottle which would’ve been acquired from the producer for serving at the UGCB 2014 Release Tour in Chicago.

The UGC Bordeaux' (Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB)) annual release tour traverses America showcasing their vintage release wines. The tour visits some combination of Miami, New York, Chicago, LA and San Francisco.

As we have for fourteen years, our 'Pour Boys' wine group helps host the event in Chicago at the Drake Hotel in the elegant grand ballroom (shown left).  

More than a hundred producers were participate at the event that is attended by over five hundred members of the trade, media and industry.

Earlier UGCB and related events are featured in earlier unwindwine blogposts. More than once, winter storms delayed or disrupted travel prohibiting some of them to get to Chicago for the event which started our standing in, hence we coined the name the 'pour' boys.

Château du Tertre Grand Cru Classe Margaux 2011

Château du Tertre is a Fifth Growth property in Margaux, one of the oldest properties not just in Margaux, but in the entire Left Bank dating back to 1143. The name, “Tertre,” refers to its geography, the word tertre means, “hill,” or, “rising ground," referring to the location, a couple km inland from the Gironde River estuary, the Margaux terroirs there are the highest, with one of the most elevated gravel outcrops of the Médoc. 

The estate sits in the hamlet of Arsac, where it has historically been called “beautiful Tertre d’Arsac”, just 4 km south of the Chambres de Margaux in the Margaux village centre where we stayed during our Margaux Bordeaux region tour in 2019,  just a 1/2 km south of the village perimeter. 

The footprint of the 52 hectares, 125 acres of vineyards, has not changed much since the 1855 Classification when it was designated Margaux Grand Cru Classe. The graveled, sloping soils are planted to customary Bordeaux varietals - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, with the majority of the vines planted near an ambient forest, which yields cooler temperatures and preserves the freshness of the wines. 

The estate began to rise to prominence in the 1700's, when it was owned Pierre Mitchell of Bordeaux, known as a famous glassblower. Mitchell was known to have created the first jeroboam (a five liter bottle), and given his expertise in crafting glass bottles, it is likely that the first wines in Bordeaux were bottled at Château du Tertre.  

The Château du Tertre estate was very popular with the Dutch wine market and was acquired by Henri de Koenigswarter from the Netherlands before being taken over by the Cruse family, a famous négociant, in the 1900s.  

During the turbulent disruption of World War II, the estate fell into disrepair and its sterling reputation declined as a result. 

In 1961, the property was acquired by Philippe Gasqueton, the well-known owner of Château Calon Ségur in Saint Estèphe, who embarked on the long, intensive process of turning the estate around.  

1n 1997, Dutch businessman, Eric Albada Jelgersma bought the estate and invested in the large-scale overall restructuring, returning its former noble personality to the Chateau du Tertre. Since March 2021 the Helfrich family has taken over the property with the intent to continuing the tradition and pursuit of excellence. 

The viticultural team is headed by Alexander Van Beek, who made some critical changes such as eliminating machine harvesting.  Frédéric Ardouin from Château Latour was hired as Technical Director and winemaker in 2008, and the property has been on the rise ever since with biodynamic transformation of the viticulture and rebuilding of the production facilities with new technology. Château du Tertre wines are known to be versatile, able to be enjoyed younger with one to two hours decanting and show improvement with 10 years of bottle age. 

The 54-hectare Chateau du Tertre vineyard is planted to the Appellation designated Bordeaux varietals, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. This marks a major change from the historic mix in the vineyard with less Cabernet Sauvignon and more Merlot.

The du Tertre vineyard is planted in one large single block of vines and is one of the largest single blocks of vines in Margaux, as well as in all of the Medoc.

Notably, the vineyard is also one of the few estates that is the same size today, as it was at the time of the historic 1855 Classification of the Medoc.

The terroir is mostly gravel, with some sand soils on two, gentle, sloping hills. The elevation close to the chateau graduates up to 27 meters, making it one of the highest peaks in the Margaux appellation. The location for much of the vineyard is situated close to a forest, which produces a slightly cooler, micro-climate.

The cooler ambient temperature adds more freshness to the wines. Geographically, they are next to their sister property, Chateau Giscours. In fact, only a small stream separates the two vineyards. Their best parcels are located just behind the chateau, and as well as on the peaks of their gravel hills.

At fourteen years the foil, label and most importantly the fill level and cork were still in pristine condition. This is probably at the apex of its drinking window and profile, not likely to improve with further aging, but certainly will age well for another decade or more.  

Château du Tertre Grand Cru Classe Margaux 2011

The du Tertre is a blend of 10% Merlot, 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot and 20% Cabernet Franc.  

The relative high percentage of Petit Verdot, brings firmness, structure and deep color to a blend. 

This release was awarded 92 points by Wine Enthusiast and Jane Anson of Decanter.com, 91 points by James Suckling, 90 points by Wine Spectator, and 88 points by Robert Parker Jr., The Wine Advocate.

 

A nice pairing with the grilled beefsteaks. 

Dense dark garnet purple colored, medium bodied, floral notes with black berry and black currant fruits with notes of anise, black tea, earth and leather with supple tannins and well behaved acidity on the finish. 

RM 90 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1362619 

http://chateaudutertre.fr/en/home/

 

https://twitter.com/tertre_gcc 

 

@ Tertre_gcc

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2022/06/chateau-du-tertre-grand-cru-classe.html 

Calera Mt Hollister Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011

Calera Mt Hollister Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011 

We cleaned out the cheese drawer …. (Yes we have a whole drawer in the fridge devoted to cheese), and I pulled from the cellar a nice easy sipping wine to complement a selection of cheeses, biscuits and home-made cookies. 

We don’t do a lot of Pinot but this is one of our favorite producers with a storied history. 

Here are excerpts of earlier posts on this producer and this label of similar situations. 

Back in 2023, I wrote:

Calera Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir 

Following our selection of Pinot Noirs tasted over the last week and a half, we continued the hit parade with another Pinot from another favorite producer and label from our cellar collection.

As featured in these pages, we had the Belle Glos Clark & Telephone Pinot Noir at the Beach Walk Café, Henderson Park Inn, in Destin FL, then the Belle Glos Las Alturas Pinot Noir at Firefly Grill Effingham, IL, then the Belle Glos RRV Dairyman Vineyard Pinot Noir upon our return home. 

So, tonight I was eager to try another Pinot from our cellar collection to continue the comparison tastings of select Pinot Noirs. As I wrote in the earlier posts, in the midst of summer, its was a nice departure from the big bold hearty Syrah's/Shiraz's we enjoy, and the robust Bordeaux varietals to the finer, more refined, less bold and burdensome Pinot Noirs. Each of these tastings were delightful and frankly, exceeded our expectations for a ideal accompaniment to our various entrees. 

 For casual sipping and pairing with food, we started with a cheese plate with assorted crackers, fresh berries, honey and chocolate. 

Linda then prepared an imaginative cheese bread baked with fresh berry compote and fresh blueberries. The combination with the paired Pinot Noir was spectacular for an extraordinary, fabulous food and wine tasting experience.

I write often in the pages about the importance of pairing the food and wine, and how it can often multiply the enjoyment of both when done properly. 

Calera Mt. Harlan Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir

With a single designated Vineyard bearing the name of our eldest son, we typically reserve this wine for a family gathering or tasting when he is with us. But, tonight's tasting was special considering the odyssey we've been on the last two weeks, with the multitude of wine and food pairings. And this is a special signature wine we collect in light it being our son's namesake vineyard. 

I love telling the story about the discovery of this producer and wine. I have written that I initially learned about Josh Jenson and his legendary Calera Vineyards were featured in Marc Devillier's wonderful 1994 book - The Heartbreak Grape,  A California Winemakers Search for the Perfect Pinot Noir by Marc de Villiers, 1994, Harper Collins.

As featured in earlier posts in these pages:

The Calera story was chronicled in the book, "The Heart Break Grape" back in the early nineties, about the challenges and turmoils of growing the finicky grape varietal Pinot Noir. 

Producer Josh Jensen pioneered growing Pinot in the 'new world' starting with his search of the perfect place to grow his grapes. During college he took time off to work in the cellars in the great domaines of Burgundy and then came back to his home state California to apply what he had learned. At the time, prevailing view was that Pinot Noir could not be grown successfully in California. He set out to prove that notion wrong.

"The Heartbreak Grape: A California Winemaker's Search for the Perfect Pinot Noir" tells the tale of Josh's quest to grow the very finnicky Pinot Noir grape in California in the early days before Pinot was cultivated here. In pursuit of his dream to create authentic Burgundian style wines, he sought to find the place in California suitable to achieve that goal. 

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

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

He returned from France in 1971 and spent two years searching throughout California to find suitable limestone soils. He settled on the site of an old magnificently preserved 30 foot tall masonry limekiln in the Gavilan Mountains of Central California, purchasing the site in 1974, a high-elevation parcel with a limestone deposit of several million tons. Limestone had been commercially quarried there on the Jensen Mt. Harlan property a hundred years earlier. 

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

To this day, the kiln on the site is the centerpiece of Calera branding, featured prominently on the lables, the name “Calera” being the Spanish world for “limekiln,”

Mt Harlan is near the town of Hollister, about ninety miles south of San Fransisco, twenty five miles inland from Monterey Bay on the Pacific Coast. Mt Harlan gained the distinction of its own AVA (American Viticultural Area) in 1990, in response to the petition to the Department of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau by Josh Jensen and the Calera Wine Company, the only commercial winery in the appellation. The appellation, the legally defined and protected geographical boundaries, also stipulates what grapes may be grown, maximum grape yields, alcohol level, and other quality factors that apply before the appellation name may legally appear on a wine bottle label. The Mt Harlan AVA is 7700 acres of which just 100 are planted in vines. 

Josh planted his first 24 acres of pinot noir in 1975 in three separate parcels. In the Burgundian tradition, he named each parcel individually to recognize the terroir of each, that each would produce a distinct wine. 

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

The original vineyard designations remain to this day, the Selleck Vineyard (5 acres), Reed Vineyard (5 acres), and Jensen Vineyard (14 acres). These vineyards produced their initial tiny crop in 1978.The Ryan Vineyards, named after Jim Ryan, longtime vineyard manager were added later.  (Upper - 9.4 acres and Lower – 3.7 acres)

 Josh made Calera's first wine in 1975, 1000 cases of zinfandel, produced from purchased grapes. During his first two years as a winemaker, he made the Calera wines in a rented space in a larger nearby winery.   

Josh purchased property to build the winery in 1977, a 100 acre site on Cienega Road halfway between the vineyard and the town of Hollister. Located 1000 feet lower in elevation than the vineyard, this property had the benefits of development improvements such as a paved road,  telephone and electrical service (services which still to this day are unavailable on Mt. Harlan).

Three decades later, Calera have earned the distinction of the pioneer of American Pinot Noir. The legendary wine critic Robert Parker  has stated that: "Calera is one of the most compelling Pinot Noir specialists of not only the New World, but of Planet Earth."   

We first discovered Calera in the eighties, exploring wines from those earliest vintages. Decades later, we enjoy collecting Calera wines from the Ryan and Reed vineyards, as somewhat namesake signature wines for Son Ryan and his Reid. 

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

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

Venge Silencieux for Christmas Eve dinner

Venge Silencieux for hearty festive Christmas Eve dinner - Silent One for Silent Night, Holy Night

Just returned from a family Christmas gathering in Conneticut, Alec, Vivianna and the girls joined us for a festive Christmas Eve dinner. 

Linda prepared a delicious hearty beef roast with potatoes, carrots, green beans and onions, with a garden salad and fresh brioche rolls.  

As is customary, when dining with Alec and Viv, I pulled from the cellar one of our ‘V’ collection of wines, having fun paying tribute to daughter-in-law Vivianna. 

Readers of these pages know about this tradition and how we can fulfill it with bottles from Venge Vineyards, or Viader, or some occasional others - Verite’, Vine Cliff, Varner …. 

This premium selection featured a large, oversized, heavy painted bottle, predominantly bearing the ‘V’ Venge Vineyards logo.

We feature Venge Vineyards often in these pages going back many years, and highlighting many family gatherings - 

Visit to Venge Vineyards and Nils Venge

Gala Family Celebration Dinner at Angelis Italian

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/12/venge-napa-valley-oakville-penny-lane.html

Venge "Silencieux" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 

We hold dozens of Venge labels dating back decades, and chose this large, heavy, oversized painted bottle for the occasion - and, selected the oldest of half a dozen vintages of this label, as part of cellar management. 

Silencieux 2011 was a big bold expressive Napa Cab, and proved an ideal pairing with the hearty beef meal. 

Venge describes this wine and the inspiration for the Silencieux (Silent One) name on the rear label, shown below - fitting for this Silent Night, Holy Night! 

This is 100% Cabernet that was blended by winemaker/producer Kirk Venge from five different vineyard sources in Oakville, Calistoga, Mount Veeder, Spring Mountain and Coombsville. Hence, a Napa Valley designation, but no further sub-classification single AVA granularity. (There are seventeen appellations (AVA’s) in Napa Valley. 

Reviewing my experience with this wine, and reading the pundit’s expressions, this is perhaps an object lesson in interpreting reviewers comments of a wine. Or perhaps I obsess, but that’s what makes these assessments fun!

Being a blend of no less than five different vineyards, perhaps its my imagination, but this seemed to be slightly obtuse, a cacophony of flavors, big, bold and forward, almost slightly aggressive in its boldness - but delicious nonetheless. 

I felt that at fourteen years in 2024, that it might need another couple years to integrate and settle, but alas, perhaps not. Time will tell but I suspect it’s at the peak of its tasting window and will not improve, or be tamed, with further aging. 

Wine Enthusiast, who rated it 93 points and anointed it a “Cellar Selection”, projected it to  “age effortlessly through at least 2021.” 

Wine Enthusiast noted further, “It makes you wonder why we obsess with single-vineyard bottlings.” And, more to that pint, it is available at a big discount to those single vineyard labels providing nice QPR - Quality Price Ratio. 

It was also rated 92 and 91 points by Wine Advocate and International Wine Cellar, respectively. 

Wine Advocate said, “The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Silencieux is a much larger cuvee, …. Rich, concentrated, round and generous, this is a sumptuous Cabernet Sauvignon with no hard edges” Large and generous stand out in my purview, indeed, and I might disagree about the ‘hard edges’.  

International Wine Cellar referred to it as “Slightly high-toned … very good vinosity and serious length. Excellent for the vintage.“ Which ends on the point that 2011 was a slightly ‘off’ vintage in Napa Valley, and perhaps it’s simply that lack of perfection in the vintage that shows in this slightly less than stellar showing. 

Delicious, none-the-less, my words, which I later discover echo Wine Advocate sentiments -  … “but it is a delicious, reasonably priced Napa Cabernet Sauvignon that showcases Venge’s Midas touch with this varietal.” 

Dark, bright ruby-red, medium-full bodied, rich, concentrated, round, forward ripe black currant and blackberry fruits, highlighted by dark mocha, graphite, currant, clove spice, anise and sweet oak, with full round tannins and tangy acidity on the sumptuous finish. 

RM 92 points.   

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1678403

We also opened a Groth Birthyear Vintage Napa Cab which we featured in this follow on blogpost. Notably, winemaker for this wine was Nils Venge! 

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/12/venge-napa-valley-oakville-penny-lane.html

http://www.vengevineyards.com/

https://twitter.com/VengeVineyards

@VengeVineyards 

@unwindwine @rickmcnees

La Rioja Alta Viña Arana Rioja Reserva with BBQ

La Rioja Alta Viña Arana Rioja Reserva 2011

Stopping in our local independent wine merchant recently, proprietor Michael offered up some suggested wines to consider. Seeking to support our local merchant, I picked this up among several bottles for wine discovery and enjoyment. 

Finding this in the cellar in the section designated as 'ready to drink', I pulled this for casual sipping with Sunday evening carry out barbecue. I must admit, up until now when researching this wine to write up this blogpost, I didn't remember procuring this wine, or drinking another label from the same producer only six weeks ago. 

Notably, this wine exceeded my expectations for a simple pop and pour selection and only now realize this is the more modest middle tier label of the ultra premium label I had at son Ryan's last month when I posted this blog report. Such is the delight and enjoyment of paying attention and documenting the details of such tastings, to discover these relationships of different wines from a single producer, whether it be a different label, or different vintage.

In that previous tasting, as recorded reported in these pages, we tasted the La Rioja Alta "904 Selección Especial" Gran Reserva Rioja Tempranillo 2015. I found that label and a couple other ultra-premium gran reserva labels when researching this wine. This is the Reserva standard little brother label of those wines at a fraction of the price - current retail price of $32 vs $86 at local merchants. Being of the same varietals from the same vineyard sources, it has a similar profile but with less complexity, elegance and polish.

From that early September blogpost - Bodega (wine producer) La Rioja Alta dates back to 1890 and is one of the oldest and most traditional Rioja bodega whose range of wines is the most consistent, the most readily available, and among the most highly acclaimed.  

It was founded by five Riojan and Basque families who joined together to form Sociedad Vinicola de la Rioja Alta collective in the Haro Station district.

The company was formed with the merger of the Wineries of producer Don Alfredo Ardanza and La Rioja Alta in 1904, hence the 904 flagship label. Additional properties and subsequent brands were developed in 1940's, 1970's, 1988 and their centennial year 1990. A new winery was built and dedicated in 2000.

Today, La Rioja Alta is one of four brands of wines produced from four winery estates that farm over 2000 acres of vineyards in Northern Spain, each marketed under its own distinct brand.

La Rioja is in the northern Basque region of Spain, an hour south of the Atlantic coastal port of Bilbo, just north of the village or Haro, along the banks of the Ebro River. 

The area La Rioja is known for its production of Rioja DOCa (Spain's version Appellation control system such as AVA in the US, AOC in France, and DOCG in Italy) wines.

La Rioja Alta Viña Arana Rioja Reserva 2011 

This is a blend of 95% Tempranillo and 5% Mazuelo estate grown from vineyards in Rodezno and Labastida.

Tempranillo is the primary leading red variety in Spain’s most celebrated wine region. Tempranillo from Rioja is commonly simply labeled, “Rioja.” 

Rioja wines are typically a blend of fruit from its three sub-regions: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental, although specific sub-region (zonas), village (municipios) and vineyard (viñedo singular) wines can now be labeled. 

 

Rioja Alta and Alavesa, from the highest elevations, are considered to be the source of the brightest, most elegant fruit, while grapes from the warmer and drier, Rioja Oriental, produce wines with deep color, great body and richness.

This Tempranillo Viña Arana Rioja is a Reserva labeled containing select fruit from the vintage that was matured in used, neutral American oak barrels for three years. 

This label release was awarded 93 points by James Suckling and 91 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. 

150,000 bottles were produced so this should be widely available, easy to obtain.

Winemaker Notes

"Lovely, deep cherry red, with a marked pink rim. The nose stands out for its aromatic intensity, with notes of ripe dark fruit leading to an elegant range of balsamic notes, tobacco leaves, caramel, vanilla and chocolate. This new Viña Arana stands out in the mouth for its freshness and balanced acidity. Soft tannins and a pleasant structure provide an elegantly joyful mouthfeel. Over time, the bottle will endow it with an elegant, complex bouquet."

 At a dozen years, the fill level, label, foil and cork were in pristine condition. This is probably at the apex of its drinking window and ready to drink, not likely to improve, but rather will start to diminish in a few years further aging. 

Bright ruby colored, medium full bodied, bright expressive rich round flavorful red fruit flavors with notes of balsamic, tobacco leaf and hints of vanilla and cocoa with moderate, smooth tannins on the lingering finish.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3182283

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2023/09/la-rioja-alta-gran-reserva-904-2015.html

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4145613

https://www.riojalta.com/en/wines_rioja-alta/gran-reserva-904/

https://www.riojalta.com/

https://www.binnys.com/wine/red-wines/tempranillo/la-rioja-alta-gran-reserva-146456

https://twitter.com/LaRiojaAltaSA