Forman Chardonnay and Den Hoed Red Blend

Forman Chardonnay and Den Hoed Limited Release Columbia Valley Cabernet for surf and turf dinner 

Sister and Bro-in-law Pat & Rodger came to town to join us for a rare Cubs-Yankees stand-off at our beloved Wrigley Field. 

Linda prepared a surf & turf dinner with King Salmon and tomahawk ribeye beefsteak with haricot verts and baked potatoes. 

With the salmon I opened from the cellar this robust Chardonnay. 

Forman Napa Valley Chardonnay 2017

This is from Forman Winery and Vineyards in Napa Valley, founded by winemaker Ric Forman in 1979. 

Ric got BS and MS degrees in Food Science at the notable U.C. Davis and went on to be founding winemaker and viticulturist at Sterling Vineyards, north of St Helena where he spent ten years before purchasing the Forman winery and vineyard property. 

The Forman property is located on Big Rock Road, off Old Howell Mountain Road, just off Silverado Trail above the landmark Meadowood Resort. 

The estate consists of 11 acres of vineyards that are divided into three parcels, each one planted to the four Bordeaux varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. 

The largest vineyards sits in a three-million-year-old riverbed which is comprised of gravel/sand deposits. Directly above the winery the steeply sloped plot is composed of more dense and larger volcanic rock, so much so that extensive dynamite explosions to break up the rock in order to enable planting on the site. 

Forman released the first Forman Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon in 1983 and the first Chardonnay in 1985. In 1988, they excavated the third wine cave in Napa Valley, which today has become commonplace in highly developed properties. 

We hold a half dozen vintages of this label, this being the oldest, opened as part of cellar inventory management. This 2017 release was rated 92 points by Antonio Galloni - Vinous who describes their style as “understated style by Napa Valley standards”. 

This release was sourced from the Rutherford Bench Rutherford Star vineyard located behind the Rutherford Grill. It was whole-cluster pressed and aged on its lees for 7 months in Burgundy barrels with no malolactic fermentation to preserve structural crispness and elegance.

Winemaker Notes - “A passion for a more austere Chablis style wine from this noble grape has been Forman's goal for more than 36 years. Since 1980 the Rutherford Star vineyard in the heart of the Rutherford Bench appellation has been the source of the Forman Vineyard Chardonnay. It has continued to produce consistent quality over the last 20 years. The wine emphasizes and develops a minerality which, with age, develops into a very racy and elegant food worthy wine.”

Golden straw colored, medium bodied, Chablis like, crisp, rather austere mineral driven with subdued tropical fruits, lemon citrus and apple notes with crisp acidity.

RM 90 points. 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/3145230

https://formanvineyard.com/

The grilled tomahawk ribeye beefsteak was thin sliced and served. 

For pairing with the steak, I pulled from the cellar a rare limited production Washington State Columbia Valley Cabernet for an ideal food wine pairing. We follow this winery and obtained this special release bottling at auction since this wine has a rather disparate lengthy family connection. 

We met the sister of the producers, the Den Hoed brothers, vintner farmers in Yakima Valley, Washington, at the wedding of our niece, who married their nephew. Den Hoeds grow grapes for several producers and also produce some limited release select labels of premium wines. 

For this release they partnered with Alan Shoup, founder of the Long Shadow’s Vintners Collection that we acquire as Club Members and feature often in these pages. The Den Hoed brothers and their partnership with Shoup, and this release were featured Wine Business News back then upon release. 

https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/67838

From the Wine Business.com New Release - Sep 29, 2009: 

Washington Growers Bill and Andy Den Hoed Debut Den Hoed Wine Estates in Partnership with Allen Shoup and Rob Newsom

Long-time Columbia Valley grape growers, brothers Bill and Andy Den Hoed of Grandview, Wash.; Long Shadows founder, Allen Shoup; and Boudreaux Cellars owner/winemaker Rob Newsom will release their 2005 Den Hoed Marie's View red blend.

The partners have quietly worked on this project since establishing a joint venture in 2005. The wines are named for the Den Hoeds' parents, Dutch immigrants who first planted grapes in the Columbia Valley in 1956.

Shoup led Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estates for twenty years and founded Long Shadows Vintners in 2002, a partnership of internationally acclaimed vintners. Newsom made his first ColumbiaValley wine in 1998. The Den Hoed family had considered winemaking for decades, but it wasn't until they began working closely with Shoup and his Long Shadows winemaking partners John Duval and Randy Dunn - who were buying grapes from the Den Hoeds - that the idea for Den Hoed Wine Estates took hold. 

Wallula Vineyard photo from Wine Business News

In 2008, Shoup and a group of investors formed a partnership that purchased 80% of the 750-acre Wallula Vineyard from the Den Hoeds (who kept 20% and a management contract). 

The Den Hoeds began carving this unique vineyard out of the "benches" of a steep, south-facing bluff in Washington State's Horse Heaven Hills in 1997. The property's elevation drops more than 1,000 feet from the top of the hillside down to the edge of the Columbia River, resulting in a vast assortment of micro-climates.

Shortly after purchasing the site, Shoup renamed the property "The Benches" and saved the name "Wallula Vineyard" for the earliest planted vines and a large biodynamic vineyard planted for Randall Grahm.

We first tasted and wrote about Den Hoed wines at chic upscale Canlis Restaurant in Lake Union, suburban Seattle, when we were together for our Seattle Culinary Wine Weekend.  

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/08/canlis-restaurant-seattle-extraordinary.html

Canlis Restaurant Seattle Extraordinary Wine Dine Experience

We then acquired some at auction and featured it in several posts in these pages:

Den Hoed Cabernet at Beach House Restaurant Kauai

Den Hoed Marie's View Walula Slope Horse Heaven Hills Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2023/03/den-hoed-maries-view-walula-slope-horse.html

Den Hoed at Son Ryan's for Bulls Play-in Game

Den Hoed Andreas Wallula Vineyard Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

As I wrote in previous posts. this is named for the patriarch founder, Andreas Den Hoed, who married Marie Den Hoed in 1956 and they planted their first vineyard on their property that year. After two years in the Army Andreas returned to the farm. 

In the early years, they paid the bills growing mint. He continued to plant more vineyards as resources allowed, expanding acreage almost every year. In 1988, their two sons Bill and Andy joined the business as partners in a new project, with acreage planted to vineyards. 

The father and sons team continued to expand in the Yakima Valley for the next 5-6 years. After several years of searching, in 1997, they purchased a 550 acre parcel of land bordering the Columbia River in the Wallula Gap. Since then the vineyard has earned a reputation as one of the finest in the region. It is sited in a picturesque growing location nestled high above the mighty Columbia River south of of the town of Kennewick. The wines produced from this vineyard have proven to stand the test of time and can stand up and hold their own against the best wines of the new world. 

Andreas is a limited production estate wine which celebrates their family history and showcases the Wallula Vineyard. It is a robust Cabernet Sauvignon crafted by Gilles Nicault of the notable Long Shadows Vintners Collection of wines that we collect as prime members of their club. We also discovered Long Shadows during that Seattle, Woodinville Wine Weekend. 

Canlis Lake Union night view

That was our first tasting experience of Den Hoed wines, and being priced below the median on the extensive Canlis winelist, we were dubious yet had high expectations. The Andreas met our most lofty hopes and expectations and was a highlight of our extraordinary meal.

So, how fitting it was that that Canlis dinner was a mini family affair as wife Linda and son Ryan joined me at this legendary family restaurant. Moreover, a subplot to the story, our niece Anna Long, married into the Van Hoed family, farmers, wine growers, viticulturists and winemakers from the famed Walula Vineyards in the central Washington wine region.

Tonight we opened another Den Hoed label, Marie's View from a vineyard so named on the Walula Slope in the Horse Heaven Hills Washington State Appellation. 

We discovered Long Shadows Cellars during that trip and since joining their club, we've acquired a vertical collection of a half dozen vintages of their premier labels of renowned producers crafting world class wines from Washington State fruit.

The winemaker is the local well known Rob Newsom of Boudreaux Cellars. 

This was a perfect complement, pairing with the grilled beefsteaks. 

This vineyard is named for Marie Van Hoed, wife of founder Andreas, mother of the current generation producers. 

This was awarded 92 points by Wine Enthusiast and 90 points by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. 

Den Hoed wines are packaged in an extra heavy bottles with the most incredible deepest punts (that indentation in the bottle around which sediment collects).  

The Den Hoed Wine Estates partnership sourced grapes from small blocks in the Wallula Vineyard section of The Benches. 

The 2005 Marie’s View spent 24 months in French and American oak. A mere 136 cases were produced.

Newsom made the 2005 Marie's View, a blend of 36% Syrah, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, and 12% Sangiovese. 

Densely colored inky garnet purple, medium full bodied, concentrated, firmly structured, full round black berry, black currant and plum fruits with notes of creosote, cassis, cedar and hints of pepper with a vibrant acid backbone and firm tannins on a pleasurable lasting finish. 

RM 92 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2799196

https://www.denhoedwines.com/

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/3505677

Ramey Fort Ross-Seaview Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

Ramey Fort Ross-Seaview Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2017

We opened this for a pleasurable hearty sipper with salads and artisan cheeses. This premium Chardonnay is from Ramey Wine Cellars, producer of a broad portfolio of Chardonnays, Pinots Noirs and some Syrahs. 

David Ramey and wife Carla Ramey founded Ramey Wine Cellars in 1996 focusing on a winemaking style that paired old-world techniques with the premier fruit of Sonoma and Napa. They produce an extensive portfolio of single vineyard wines as well as blends that showcase the characteristics of their sites. 

David Ramey is hailed as “Professor Chardonnay” by Wine Spectator Magazine. He has been making wine since the 1970s, known for crafting age-worthy wines, having learned the craft working in Bordeaux..

David Ramey began his career at Simi under the mentorship of Zelma Long, an American wine pioneer who worked at Robert Mondavi. David and Zelma collaborated on developing leading winemaking practices crafting a Chardonnay style now emulated by many. 

David spent time at the Moueix in Bordeaux, including Château Pétrus, where he learned from legendary winemaker Jean-Claude Berrouet who had learned from Émile Peynaud, who revolutionized quality in modern winemaking. David and Carla Ramey were married in Bordeaux in 1989, while working harvest at Château Pétrus. 

Since co-founding Ramey Wine Cellars in 1996, Carla has served as CFO and has managed business operations, sales, and marketing.

The second generation, Claire and Alan Ramey, began working at the winery in 2013 becoming co-presidents of Ramey Wine Cellars in 2021. 

Claire Ramey leads viticultural operations, responsible for Ramey’s estate vineyard, Westside Farms, as well as managing the viticultural directives for Ramey’s winegrowing partners. 

Alan Ramey worked at Veramonte in Chile and Domaine Méo-Camuzet in Burgundy and competed on the blind tasting team for the University of Cambridge. He currently serves on the Board of the California Wine Institute.

Ramey’s Estate vineyard is 75-acre Westside Farms on the banks of the Russian River has been farmed since the middle 1800s. Wine Spectator has described Westside Farms’ location as “hallowed ground” for lovers of well-structured Chardonnays. 

Ramey has an extensive network of grower partnerships with the many of the most highly acclaimed and well known vineyards across Napa and Sonoma County: 

HYDE VINEYARD - a 100 point wine source, 

WOOLSEY ROAD VINEYARD

ROCHIOLI VINEYARD - 100 point wine source

RITCHIE VINEYARD

RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY

FORT ROSS-SEAVIEW | SONOMA COAST

CARNEROS

HUDSON VINEYARD

PLATT VINEYARD

Awards and acclaim for Ramey partner grower vineyards:  
100 points - Hyde Vineyard
100 points -Rochioli Vineyard
World’s Top Chardonnay - Hyde Vineyard, Wine Spectator, 2019
World’s Top Chardonnay - Rochioli Vineyard, Wine Enthusiast, 2021
World’s Top Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Wine Spectator, 2024

Photo map from Ramey Wine Cellars

This 2017 Chardonnay is the second vintage from the Martinelli family’s Charles Ranch Vineyard in the Fort Ross-Seaview appellation on the Sonoma Coast. Sitting a few miles, two ridges in from the cold Pacific Ocean and its regular dense fog, the vineyards of the Fort Ross-Seaview appellation still manage to achieve impressive ripeness due to their high elevations that often keep them just above the fog line. 

The property has been in the Martinelli family since the 1800's. They homesteaded 640 acres and from 1970-1981used a horse to move stakes to the field in small bundles. The vineyard was planted in 1982 by George Hastings Charles, Lee Martinelli’s grandfather.  Lee Jr. has managed the ranch since 1989. 

The vineyard is nestled amidst redwoods, bay laurels, and oaks on sprawling, southern-exposed blocks at an elevation of 1,115 feet. Charles Ranch soil is Goldridge sandstone and Josephine shale and old clay. The soils are thin and well drained. Charles Ranch receives two times as much rain as vineyards in the Russian River Valley. 

The growing season typically experiences a period of drought, with variable spring weather that often extends the bloom period. This necessitates careful green drops at veraison. The temperatures usually stabilize in June, remaining moderate through harvest, resulting in a cool, even growing season. Yields can vary, often being especially low for Chardonnay sites. 

The vineyard was carefully planted with Clone 4 and Old Wente. 

After aging for 12 months in 10% new French oak barrels, the Chardonnay is traditionally fined for clarity and texture during the following harvest and bottled without filtration. The result is a 100% Chardonnay varietal composition that reflects the unique characteristics of the vineyard and the meticulous winemaking process.

“Coming from a special vineyard site, our Sonoma Coast Chardonnays show great depth of flavor, length of finish, aromatic complexity, and a fine balance between richness and delicacy. This vineyard has typically cool climates, low vigor soil, and a vine selection that generate small berries, small clusters and inherently low yields.” – David Ramey

Winemaker Notes - This is the second vintage to come exclusively from the Martinelli Charles Ranch, two miles in from the Pacific. Coming entirely from this vineyard site, our Sonoma Coast Chardonnay shows great depth of flavor, length of finish, aromatic complexity, and a fine balance between richness and delicacy. This vineyard has a typically cool climate, low vigor soil, and a vine selection that generates small berries, small clusters and inherently low yields

It was rated 94 Points by Wine Enthusiast, Virginie Boone, 93 points by Wilfred Wong of Wine.com and 92 points by Jeb Dunnuck and Wine Spectator.

Golden straw colored, medium bodied, ripe, rich apple and pear fruits, lemon zest, earthy, herbal white floral notes with background oak, bright acidity, and a nicely balanced mineral laced finish. 

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?3425802 

https://www.rameywine.com/library/

https://www.rameywine.com/

Special tribute wines for Special Mom’s Mother’s Day Dinner

Special tribute wines for Special Mom’s Mother’s Day Dinner

For Mother’s Day dinner, we were joined by sons Sean and Alec, their wives, Michelle and Vivianna, and their daughters.

Linda prepared grilled Tomahawk Rib-eye beefsteaks, served with mashed potatoes, broccoli cheese casserole and grilled mushrooms, with veggie and fruit plates and ceasar salad.

For a wine accompaniment with dinner, I pulled from the cellar a wine flight that included a special label that is itself a tribute to mothers, and one that is a birthyear vintage tribute to daughter-in-law Vivianna.

With the appetizer, veggie and fruit plates and the salad course we opened this high QPR easy drinking Santa Barbara Chardonnay. 

Diatom Santa Barbara Chardonnay 2023

We featured this wine in recent blogposts - Diatom Santa Barbara County Chardonnay 2023.

Long Shadows Vintners Collection Chester Kidder Red Blend 2017

Wine legend Allen Shoup created the Long Shadows Collection of wines and named one wine in honor of his mother, Elizabeth Chester, and his grandmother, Maggie Kidder. He selected Long Shadows' Director of Winemaking and Viticulture, Gilles Nicault, to craft this New World blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and other classic Bordeaux varieties.

The Chester-Kidder Red Blend is from Long Shadows Vintner’s Collection which I have featured often in earlier blogpost pages … Long Shadows Cellars feature a portfolio of limited release premium wines crafted by world class winemakers who specialize in particular varietal wines, all sourced from Washington State Columbia Valley fruit. 

We visited Long Shadows and featured their unique wine offerings in this earlier blogpost. 

Long Shadows was the creation of Allan Shoup, leader of Chateau St Michelle from 1983 to 2000. There he introduced Washington State grapes to winemakers from around the world in collaboration to produce quality wines. Under his leadership, Chateau St Michelle became the largest producer of Riesling varietal wines in the world. 

After retirement from Chateau St Michelle he founded Long Shadows to produce world class ultra-premium wines in Washington with fruit sourced from there. He built a state of the art winery in Walla Walla and recruited a team of legendary producers to craft signature wines from the best vineyards' fruit from the Washington Columbia Valley. Three years into the new venture Long Shadows was awarded the Winery of the Year by Food and Wine Magazine. 

Shoup recruited a top winemaker with expertise and a track record producing best in class wine in each category or type of wine based on a style and varietal grape. Marketed under the Vintners Collection, each of the Long Shadows labels is a testament to the legend of the winemaker for each label based on each 

varietal.

Since the beginning, Long Shadows' Director of Winemaking and Viticulture Gilles Nicault, has overseen the operations of the winery and worked closely with the vintners to bring each winemaker’s vision to completion. Internationally renowned winemakers Randy Dunn (Feather Cabernet Sauvignon); John Duval (Sequel Syrah); Philippe Melka (Pirouette Red Wine); and the late legendary Michel Rolland (Pedestal Merlot) as participating partner winemakers in their respective wines. 

Gilles also crafts Poet’s Leap Riesling and Saggi, a Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon blend, in styles that remain true to their original winemakers, Armin Diel and Giovanni Folonari respectively. And finally, Gilles crafts this Chester-Kidder, a Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah blend, independently.

Gilles Nicault has served as director of winemaking and viticulture since Long Shadows inception in 2003. As resident winemaker overseeing daily operations at Long Shadows' state-of-the-art winery in Walla Walla, Gilles works with a group of celebrated vintners from around the globe. It is his job to ensure that each winemaker's vision is realized in the vineyard and the cellar.

Gilles grew up in southern France and graduated from the University of Avignon with a four-year degree in viticulture and enology. He honed his craft in the fabled hillside wineries of Côte du Rhône, Provence and Champagne. In 1994, already a vintner of rising fame in his homeland, Gilles traveled to Washington State to expand his winemaking skills. Here he worked for several top Washington wineries, including Woodward Canyon, before joining Long Shadows. Seattle magazine named him Washington State’s Winemaker of the Year in 2016.

Gilles works closely with the state’s top growers to execute a diverse winemaking protocol at Long Shadows’ state-of-the-art facility in Walla Walla to produce wines of exceptional quality, true to the Columbia Valley’s terroir. 

We wrote about this label in several blogposts, most recently ‘Long Shadows Chester Kidder with Filet of Beef.’

It is a unique blend of Bordeaux varietals plus Shiraz/Syrah for a big bold expressive red wine, ideally suited for pairing with the grilled beefsteaks. 

We hold a half dozen vintages of this label acquired as part of our Long Shadows Vault Club allocations. For this dinner, we pulled the 2017 vintage, the same vintage and from the same appellation that we served for Linda’s birthday dinner, of another favorite Columbia Valley Red Bordeaux Blend, Force Majeure Epinette, featured in this blogpost of that special dinner - Birthday celebration dinner at Morton’s Steakhouse Naperville.

The 2017 Chester-Kidder is a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Syrah, and 6% Petit Verdot. it was aged 30 months in French oak barrels with 85% being new. 

The grapes were sourced from vineyards in Columbia Valley, Washington. The Cabernet Sauvignon was from Candy Mountain AVA and gives this wine structure and textured mouthfeel; Stone Tree Vineyard (Wahluke Slope) adds juicy, ripe cherry flavors; Dionysus Vineyard Petit Verdot, a standout site for this variety, is blended to contribute balanced acidity and dark fruit character that lifts the finished wine.

This release was rated 95 points by pundit Owen Bargreen, 94 points and Highly Recommended by International Wine Review, 93 points and Editors' Choice by Wine Enthusiast, and 93 points by Jeb Dunnuck and James Suckling, and 92 points by Stephen Tanzer.

Winemaker’s Note - Dark in color with generous aromas of wild blackberries wrapped around a pleasantly earthy core that’s accented by hints of oak spice. On the mid-palate, graphite and black licorice are complemented by a burst of vibrant fruit that lingers across a lengthy finish. A beautifully integrated wine with a broad, polished mouthfeel.

Deep dark ruby colored, full-bodied, rich, vibrant, bold concentrated savory black plum, black currant, wild blackberry and blue berry fruits accented by cassis, herbs, graphite, black tea, bacon fat, tobacco and hints of cinnamon spice and eucalyptus and oak with velvety tannins on a lengthy tongue-coating finish.

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?3566693

https://longshadows.com/library/2017-chester-kidder/471

https://longshadows.com/

Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1991 

In a tribute to daughter-in-law Vivianna, the latest/newest mother in our growing family. we also opened a birth-year vintage Napa Cabernet Sauvignon we were holding in our cellar, from an iconic producer that we served at her and Alec’s wedding reception, and several other special events, as featured in these blogposts…. 

Big Bottle Birthyear wines for Wedding Celebration

Special Silver Oak Birthyear wines for Festive Holiday Open House, 

And, we recalled and shared our special unique visit to the Silver Oak cooperage, that is a foundation of the Silver Oak profile and brand … Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon is aged four years exclusively in this Missouri Oak before release … Cooper's Oak Winery and SILVER OAK Cooperage

We opened this producer’s Napa Valley label Cabernet from Viv’s birthyear vintage. We also still  hold the Alexander Valley and Bonny’s Vineyard labels of that vintage. 

At 34 years, while the label was a bit soiled, the foil, and most importantly the fill level and cork were still ideal. 

While past its prime, reaching the end of it optimal drinking window, showing a slight bit of haze or cloudiness, and taking on a bit of tartness in the aged fruit, this was still drinking nicely. 

Winemaker Notes - The 1991 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon has a vibrant ruby-red color. It has a nose of bing cherry and red pepper. This wine is light to medium bodied with a medium length finish. Enjoy now. May need decanting due to light sediment.

This was rated a whopping 95 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate back in 1995, 93 rating from Wine Spectator, and 90 points by Wine Spectator. 

Blogger, wine writer Tom Lee publishes the Zinfandel Chronicles and featured this wine in 2018 giving it 91 points, and advising to ‘drink soon’.

https://zinfandelchronicles.com/2018/01/1991-silver-oak-cabernet-sauvignon-napa-valley-bottle-notes/

Garnet colored with a slight bit of rust color and cloudiness setting in, medium bodied, dark ripe black cherry and black berry fruits starting to give way to a slight tartness, with notes of tobacco leaf, herbs, dusty rose and spice notes finishing with hints of that signature sweet oak and soft tannins and glycerin. 

RM 88 points at this stage. Time to drink up. 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/21346

https://silveroak.com/

MR Pedestal Merlot Tribute Remembrance Dinner

Michel Rolland Pedestal Merlot Tribute Remembrance Dinner 

Readers of these pages might think I’m obsessive and make too much out of a bottle of wine or its label, and they might be right. But selecting and tasting a wine often brings back memories of friends, good times, travel, and evokes many stories. You be the judge.  

Tonight was such a case. Friday evening, end of a busy event filled week, I longed for an enjoyable casual sipping wine with dinner. Scouring the wine cellar I was looking at Merlot for its complex but velvety soft drinking, and pairing with food. 

Wife Linda grilled quality prime chopped beefsteak prepared in my favorite Pittsburgh-style (charred with hot pink center). We also enjoyed a plate of olives and fine olive oil produced by and gifted from our French friend Philipe from fruit from the tree in their backyard in the Luberon in Provençal France. Philippe brought a large container of their fine olive oil during his visit last fall. A visit to the Speziani family home was one of the drivers and highlights of our visit to Aix-en-Provence and the Luberon this past summer. Our relationship with them dates back to our hosting Philipe as a French exchange student in our home when son Alec was his sponsor back in High School.

I selected a bottle of Merlot from the Long Shadow’s Vintners Collection, crafted by the legendary master of Merlot, Michel Rolland, producer of and consulting winemaker to the world’s most iconic Merlot labels. We own several of his and his clients’ labels including his proprietary Michel Rolland Napa Cabernet, Chateau Clinet and Chateau Figeac, one of our signature birthyear labels we collect for our son’s birthyear.  

Long Shadows created their special Collection of wines, each crafted by a world renowned winemaker selected for their particular expertise in a specific varietal and style of wine. Michel Rolland was chosen to craft the Pedestal Merlot label. 

Michel Rolland was a French Bordeaux-based oenologist, with hundreds of clients across 13 countries as consulting winemaker to produce Merlot based wines. Wine Enthusiast memorialized Roland in a feature, ‘The Master Blender Who Turned Bordeaux into a Global Sensation Leaves the Wine World Forever Changed“, excerpted below.

The celebrated Bordeaux-based oenologist and winemaker who pioneered a style of wine that became fashionable in the 1990s and 2000s, died suddenly of a heart attack on March 20 at age 78.

“Rolland was a master blender who developed the style known for its ripe fruit, extended maceration, low yields, and new wood, crafting wines that were soft, lush, and generous, with unusually high alcohol for the time. Some loved it, especially in the American market; others found it too heady and alcoholic. But everyone can agree that he changed the wine world forever.’

“Born in 1948, into a Libourne wine family, owners of Château le Bon Pasteur in Pomerol, Rolland grew up surrounded by Merlot vineyards. His career began in 1973 after he graduated from Bordeaux University’s Wine Faculty. Rolland became known as the original “flying winemaker,” traveling the world and advising wineries as far-flung as California, where he created the cult Cabernet style in Napa, Chile, and Argentina.”

It just so happened that this week, I also lost a dear friend, for whom I just recently traveled to Florida to visit in what turned out to be his final days. LLL, or L3 as we called him, grew up on 105th in the Beverly section of Chicago, and we reminisced about him growing up in his neighborhood amongst historic architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright and legendary associate Walter Burleigh Griffin. He was unaware of Griffin, and I was able to share the importance of the legacy and history of Griffin for whom 104th Place is today called “Griffin Way”, for the large number of turn of the century prairie style homes he designed and built there. Griffin is a key character of my tours that I give at the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in historic Oak Park. 

Below shows some of the historic Frank Lloyd Wright and Walter Burleigh Griffin homes in my friend’s old neighborhood. This is a screenshot from The Prairie School Traveler, an amazing source of prairie school architecture sites. 

Such is the backdrop of my selection of a special Michel Rolland label, as a dual tribute to two recently departed special individuals. 

Long Shadows Vintners Collection Pedestal Merlot 2017

I wrote about Long Shadows Vintners Collection in this blogpost, Long Shadows Cellars feature world class winemakers and Columbia Valley fruit, and this Pedestal Merlot and other Collection wines in several blogposts back in 2022 - Long Shadows Pedestal Merlot 2015, and Long Shadows Duo Showcase Katy Business Dinner, and Catch 35 Naperville Surf & Turf and Wine Dinner, excerpted here. 

Long Shadows Vintners' Collection 

I have written in these pages about Long Shadows, the brand portfolio of several labels, all crafted by world famous winemakers from fruits sourced in the Washington State Columbia Valley. This was the vision of Allen Shoup, former CEO of Chateau St Michelle, champion and evangelist for Washington State wines. He formed the brand and recruited a world famous winemaker for each varietal based label. 

As noted above, Michel Rolland, Pomerol vintner and consultant to many of the world’s top wineries, was selected to produce this Right Bank Bordeaux Blend wine. He is the 'Master of Merlot', winemaker to some of the leading Bordeaux labels from the Right Bank where Merlot is the predominant varietal in the blend as well as the Napa based Merlot based Red Blend release cited herein. 

We've long known about the brand and joined their club while visiting their tasting room hospitality center in Woodinville WA during our Seattle Wine / Dine Experience in 2018. We remain Vault Club Members of the allocated portfolio and get a case each quarter of two of the varietal based selections including this Pedestal label.

Long Shadows Vintners Collection Pedestal Merlot 2017

We know this wine well as I have several vintages of this label in our cellar collection, having been a wine-club member for close to a decade. As noted, we also know and hold several vintages of the winemaker Michel Rolland's flagship labels, legendary Pomerol Bordeaux and Napa Valley oenologist, vintner and consultant to some of the world’s best wineries. 

This was the best tasting vintage of this label I have had as this vintage selection and food pairing met my lofty expectations. As I write often in these pages, an optimal food/wine pairing amplifies the enjoyment of both. 

At nine years, the bottle was pristine and this is drinking at the apex of its drinking profile, but should continue to age for pleasurable drinking for perhaps another decade. 

This vintage release is a blend of 82% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot, that was aged 22 months in French oak barrels, with 86% being new.  

The 2017 Pedestal Merlot was predominately grown on the Wahluke Slope, a warm area of the Columbia Valley that produces Merlot with layers of fresh, dark fruit and beautiful aromatics. A small amount of Merlot from Dionysus Vineyard and The Benches was used to build layers and complexity. Red Mountain’s Tapteil Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon added backbone. Petit Verdot from Dionysus Vineyard contributed to the finished wine’s rich mid-palate.

This release was awarded 95 points by Jeb Dunnuck, 94 points by Wine Advocate and International Wine Reviews, 93P points and a Cellar Selection by Wine Enthusiast, and 92+ points by Stephen Tanzer.

Winemakers tasting notes - “Vibrant and deep in color, with a beautiful array of red and dark berries woven around a hint of well-integrated oak spice and refined tannins. Soft and rich on the mid-palate extending through a lengthy finish that leaves an elegant impression.”

Dark inky ruby purple in color, full bodied, bright vibrant opulent black raspberry and blackberry fruits with notes of cassis, spice, dark mocha chocolate, cigar box, black tea and hints of vanilla with a smooth polished medium silky tannin laced finish.

RM 94 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3581700

http://www.longshadows.com 

@LongShadowsWine

  

Unique Rhône White Blend with Lobster Marsala

Unique Rhône White Blend with Lobster Marsala for a delicious food wine pairing 

Linda prepared a delicious Lobster Marsala dish with medallions sautéed with creamed spinach and shallots in a Marsala wine sauce, served with mashed potatoes. 

To pair with the dish, I pulled from the cellar this unique Blend of White Rhône varietals. As I’ve written often in these pages, an optimal food wine pairing such as this amplifies the delight and appreciation of both the food and the wine. 

Carol Shelton "Coquille Blanc" Paso Robles White Rhône Blend 2021

This interesting "Coquille Blanc" label is from producer Carol Shelton,  a white Rhone-style blend from Paso Robles. This label was initially created in 2008 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their winery in 2010. 

Carol developed a distinctive ‘nose’ for wine at a very early age when her mother developed an “identify the scent” game using herbs and spices out of their kitchen cabinet. Carol developed a keen sense of smell and became remarkably adept at figuring out new smells as the game evolved. As Carol recalls, “it was probably the beginning of my path into the wine industry”.

Carol enrolled at UC Davis in 1974, initially in an undeclared major with a penchant for language and an aptitude for science. While on a tour of Sebastiani Winery, she was inspired by the scent of red wine and oak in the air, and the power and complexity of aromas. It was then she decided to become a winemaker. She declared her major as Fermentation Science, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Enology. 

She was fortunate to gain experience working with legendary winemakers André Tchelistcheff at Buena Vista and Peter Lehmann at Saltram in Australia. 

In 1981, Carol began working for Rodney Strong and Windsor Vineyards. Over the ensuing 19 years as winemaker at Windsor, Carol had the opportunity to bottle 45 different wines each year, ranging from sparkling wines to port, to Zinfandel. She was drawn to the unpretentiousness and range of flavors and pursued further exploration of Zinfandel from different growing regions. 

In 2000, at the urging of Carol’s husband Mitch, she set out on her own, starting her own winery. With her husband and business partner, Mitch Mackenzie, they sought out exceptional vineyards throughout California including Dry Creek Valley, Rockpile, Russian River Valley, Fountaingrove District, Paso Robles, Lodi, Mendocino County, and the Cucamonga Valley of Southern California. She sought out and developed close partnerships with growers to source fruit for her wines that would express the unique terroir of the vineyard.

Carol Shelton was named ‘Winemaker of the Year’ five times, and was named one of eight Pioneer Women Winemakers of Sonoma County in 2005. She has won countless gold medals and accolades for her wines - her 2011 Wild Thing Zinfandel was included in the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2014.

She characterizes this “exotic complex, food friendly white Rhone-style blend as a “red-drinker’s white,” a complex alternative to the more one-dimensional white varietal wines like Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc”. 

As Carol, the producer projected, this was the perfect complement to its namesake shellfish with buttery-cream sauce. Coquille, pronounced “ko-keel”, is French for shellfish or scallop, like the scallop shells on the Shelton family coat of arms. 

This is a blend of Rhône Varietals: 30% Grenache Blanc, 30% Roussanne, 30% Viognier, and 10% Marsanne, 98% sourced from the Nevarez Vineyard in the Central California Coast Paso Robles Appellation.

Fermentation Characteristics: 100% barrel fermented, then stirred every Wednesday for 8 months: About 50% finished malo-lactic fermentation. 

It was aged 8 months in all older French barrels: 70% oak, 30% Acacia 25% 2-yr-old, 75% older/neutral 

Case production was 1069 cases.

Winemaker’s Tasting Notes: “Exotic nose of spicy pears and white peaches, almond paste/marzipan, a touch of honeysuckle perfume. Multi-dimensional (many layers), a hard-to-describe range of aromatics, intriguing, almost mysterious! In the mouth it is crisply dry yet creamy and round and full-bodied, with nice almond paste on crisp-yet-juicy pear fruit. “

This was rated 93 points by Wine Enthusiast, and 92 points Wilfred Wong of Wine.com and Wine Spectator.

The full body and complex full round fruit and spice flavors were a perfect complement to the lobster with the Marsala wine sauce. 

This was golden straw colored, medium bodied, complex, bright vibrant but nicely balanced pear, stone fruit and green apple flavors with notes of spicy peach, honey, lemon and honeysuckle and a hint of coconut, with fresh acidity on a lively lingering tangy finish.

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?4447685

https://www.carolshelton.com/

Sharko’s BBQ with Yakima Valley Syrah

Sharko’s Beef Brisket BBQ with Yakima Valley (Washington) Single Vineyard Syrah  

Wife Linda picked up Beef Brisket BBQ at Sharko’s in nearby Downers Grove, (IL), our favorite and arguably the best BBQ in the western suburbs. 

Sharko’s have a long history and legacy of restaurants in Chicago and the Western Suburbs dating back to the 1930’s, starting with a family butcher shop in Chicago opened by George Sharko. In the 1950's, Sharko’s sons Jerry and George promoted the Sharko brand selling spices, extracts, and small wares through catalog sales. 

In 1956 they opened Sharko's on 63rd St in Chicago, which was successful from the beginning, leading to 2 more additions and the start of a traditional family style menu. Joined by brothers Don and Greg, and Jerry Sharko’s son Ron, the business expanded with four more restaurants in East Chicago, Villa Park, Lisle and Lombard (IL), as well as banquet halls and a catering company. Greg eventually went on to start Sharko's Catering in Scottsdale, Arizona which is still thriving.

We dined at the Lisle Sharko’s restaurant back in the late seventies, a fine dining establishment that eventually closed when the site was taken over and incorporated into the vast Molex Corporation global headquarters campus. 

In recent years, Sharko’s opened in Naperville on the Freedom Drive restaurant row, then moved to the current location in Downers Grove. Sharko’s BBQ Sauce took 1st prize fat Naperville's First Rib Fest, an immensely popular event for more than a decade. 

For pairing with the Beef Brisket, we pulled from the cellar this limited release single vineyard designated Syrah. 

Arnaut “Avenida” Boushey Vineyard Yakima Valley Syrah 2017

We wrote about this producer and this label last year about this time, in this blogpost, Arnaut Avenida Boushey Vineyard Columbia Valley Syrah, as excerpted here:

Last year, we eagerly opened this just acquired, highly regarded Columbia Valley Syrah. I admited I’d never heard of this producer or this highly acclaimed vineyard source, hence I was curious to try this highly rated label.. 

Avennia is the partnership project of entrepreneur Marty Taucher and winemaker Chris Peterson, founded in 2009 based on core principles; “a passionate commitment to signature vineyards and natural processes in the cellar - resulting in timeless, world class wines that are solely and undeniably Washington”. 

This approach and objective is similar to another high profile Washington State producer, Long Shadows, and their Vintners Collection Series of labels, which we love, and have collected as wine club members since discovering them on our trip to the region back in 2017. 

Interesting, that like Long Shadows, Avennia also sources their fruit from contract growers, and promotes their brand through three different tasting rooms in three of the major Washington State wine areas, Woodinville, Walla Walla, at their sole estate vineyard site in the Red Mountain appellation in Yakima Valley. We visited both the Woodinville and Walla Walla wine areas during trips to the region. 

In their first year of production, 2010, they acquired 16 tons of fruit that they transformed to wine that was ultimately released in 2012, Receiving much acclaim in that inaugural release, and affirming and building upon relationships in place with several of the state’s most legendary growers, the stage was set to secure the best fruit in the region for follow-on vintages. More than a decade later, the same core principles continue to guide the direction of the winery and the business.

Marty Taucher, Managing Partner, a native Oregonian, Marty graduated from Oregon State in 1977 and started at then upstart Microsoft in 1984. He went on to lead Public Relations and Event Marketing, then, spent his last five years as Director of Marketing and Brand Strategy for a consumer and online product group. 

In 2009, Taucher signed on as a crush intern at DeLille Cellars where he met Chris Peterson and together they laid the plans for what is now Avennia.

Always inspired by new ideas and fresh thinking, Marty is an angel investor. He serves on numerous non-profit boards. When he’s not in the cellar, he’s an avid golfer, a world traveler, and a perfectly reliable

Chris Peterson, Winemaker/Partner was engaged in the Washington wine industry for more than a decade,  working to make some of the state’s most heralded and award-winning wines at DeLille Cellars. 

Together they founded Avennia with the quest to showcase Washington as a unique and compelling place for great wines, acquiring fruit from some of the finest vineyards in Washington, with a specific focus on the grape varieties used in Bordeaux and the Rhône, in light of their similar latitude to Washington, which makes them a natural fit to excel there.

In thoughtfully choosing vineyard sites to match their winemaking style and preferences, they chose not only the vineyard sources themselves, but down to our favorite vineyard blocks. There is an emphasis on older vines, and moderate climates, as these features tend to create wine with more depth and complexity—a balance between fruit and non-fruit characteristics. 

They strive to craft wine that is balanced and harmonious - the fruit, acid, tannin, perhaps oak. 

Avennia "Arnaut - Boushey Vineyard" Yakima Valley Syrah 2017 

The 2017 Syrah Arnaut Boushey Vineyard is 100% Syrah from Dick Boushey's highly regarded vineyard on the western side of the Yakima Valley AVA, considered one of the state's premier Syrah vineyards. 

This is a cooler site, that tends to instill Northern Rhone-like character in the fruit. Dick Boushey was the first grower with whom Avennia partnered. 

From the Boushey site they source three different varieties which go into the three flagship wines. Boushey is best known for Yakima Valley Syrah and Avennia is the only winery that uses both of the oldest blocks of his coveted fruit. The combination of these two Syrah blocks makes up this Arnaut, a wine we have made since our first vintage, 2010. 

The older, called Grand Côte (meaning "great hillside”), produces wine that is piercingly pure and focused, with meaty and mineral aromas backing up its deep blackberry and damson plum fruit flavors. Wines from the second block, Factory Road, show richer body and feature savory cured meat notes, along with orange peel, and a distinct iron note. 

This release was awarded 95 points by Decanter, 93 pints by Jeb Dunnuck and Vinous, and 92 points by Robert Parker and Wine Enthusiast, an Editor’s Choice. 

Aged 18 months in 15% new French oak. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. Case production was 354 caees

Winemaker's Tasting Notes - "This vintage brings an exceptional level of finesse to Arnaut, but no shortage of the wild, savory aspects we expect from this wine. The nose features, blueberry, salted blackberry, charcoal-grilled pork chop, asphalt, bittersweet chocolate, bee pollen, and a hint of grapefruit pith. Rich and beautifully textured on the palate, with pure Boushey notes of blueberry reduction, bacon fat, cacao nibs, charcoal embers, and grilled thyme. The elegance here hints at this wine drinking well on release, and it should age nicely for 8-12 years." - Chris Peterson, Winemaker

Dark garnet colored, medium to full-bodied, black berry and black raspberry fruits are layered with intense forward notes of black pepper with accents of creosote, dark spices, black olive, black tea, garrigue, and cigar leaf.

RM 91

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3277603

https://avennia.com/

https://sharkosbbq.com/