Pasta dinner features Premium Napa Red & White Wines

Pasta dinner features Premium Napa Red & White Wines

We were invited to Sunday Night dinner at Son Alec’s and D-in-law Vivianna’s. We were joined by son Sean and D-in-law Michelle. 

This allowed our four grand-daughters a chance to be together with their cousins - so much fun, and so important to their bonding together and learning to play with near aged kids. 

Alec and Viv prepared a delicious Bugatini pasta with a lobster vodka cream sauce with lobster medallions.

Prior to dinner we enjoyed several artisan cheeses that Sean’s and we brought - a baked cheese, an aged Gouda, and a truffle infused goat cheese - all great pairings with the evening’s wines. 

I brought from our home cellar one of our currently favorite drinking Chardonnays and Alec opened a big Napa Red. 

I’ve written often in these pages about the fun we have with the ‘V’ labels from various producers, most notably Kirk Venge. This big rich flavorful may be at its peak right now and shows as one of the best Chardonnay’s in our cellar right now, ideally paired with the rich pasta sauce and lobster medallions. 

Not ironically, we opened this same label with a similar dinner for the Christmas holiday dinner a couple of years ago with the same folks. I wrote about that dinner and this wine and producer in detail in a blogpost in these pages at that time, excerpted below - Venge Brown Ranch Chardonnay.

For Christmas eve dinner, Linda prepared a delicious lobster bisque soup with medallions of lobster. I pulled from the cellar this Venge Napa Carneros Chardonnay for an accompaniment. We were joined by Alec and Vivianna for a festive intimate dinner. 

The name Venge has been synonymous with Napa Valley wines for as long as I have been of drinking age since the '70's, but the Venge family wine affiliation actually goes back much earlier, to when Knud Venge emigrated from Denmark to the United States in the early 1900’s. Knud's son, Per Venge, entered in the wine and spirits business and started Vencom Imports, focusing on importing Western European wines and spirits. Per's son, Nils Venge, started in, then left the family business in the 1960's to study viticulture at UC Davis and set the family name in the California winegrowing community.

The Venge family planted viticultural roots in 1976 with the purchase of a 17-acre estate in the Oakville District that was planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, establishing them among the winemaking pioneers of Napa Valley.

Buddy, AJ with Nils and Kirk Venge

We met Nils and Dianna Venge on numerous occasions at Napa events and visiting the Venge Vineyards in Oakville during the nineties. We first met their son, Kirk Venge, who engaged in winemaking from an early age while they were developing the Rossini Ranch Vineyards, Winery and caves up in Calistoga. We visited Nils at the Penny Lane Family Reserve Vineyard in Oakville, then drove up to meet Kirk at the Rossini Ranch site in the eastern foothills of Palisade Mountain near Calistoga back in 2002. 

Kirk took over Venge Vineyards in 2008 and has established himself as a talented winemaker making wines in his own style. Kirk has continued the Napa Valley heritage crafting wines from select vineyard sites across Napa and Sonoma Counties worthy of bearing the Venge family name.

We've been collecting Venge wines since their earliest days. We now have fun collecting them with their notable "V" branding to enjoy with our daughter-in-law, Vivianna, as her 'signature' wines.  

We also enjoyed this wine, BYOB, recently with seafood at BeachWalk Cafe in Destin (FL) during our vacation getaway -https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2024/10/henderson-beachwalk-cafe-dinner-with.html

Venge Vineyards Brown Ranch Vineyard Los Carneros Napa Valley Chardonnay 2018 

This is a single vineyard designated label sourced from the 30 acre Brown Ranch Vineyard in Carneros, named for the previous cattle rancher owner Nadine Brown. The vineyard is bordered by HdV’s Hyde Vineyard and Beaulieu’s Vineyard No.9 on Old Sonoma Road in the Carneros district, straddling the rolling hills in the southernmost parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties. The cooling winds from the nearby San Pablo Bay, combined with the abundant midday California sunshine, create an ideal environment for producing elegant wines that combine power and finesse, with a perfect balance of crisp acidity and well-ripened fruit.

The property, formerly associated with Saintsbury Winery, was purchased in 2012 by the Renterias. 

The property was planted with twenty nine acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay but most of
the vines were afflicted with Eutypa, a fungi disease also known as the Dead-arm Dieback, which causes trunks or arms of the vines to essentially rot and die. Like the famous Dead-Arm Shiraz label from McLaren Vale, Australia, rather than pulling the vines out, the vineyard managers kept the rootstock, cut off the trunk just above the soil and nurtured a bud to grow into a new trunk. Like the Dead-Arm label, focusing all the mature rootstock energy into one vine branch resulted in rich, full, concentrated fruits. 

The Brown Ranch’s hillside alluvial soils, with Dijon Clone 76 set into the pre-existing rootstock, produces this rich full round Chardonnay, worthy of the iconic Venge name.

Winemaker's notes: The Dijon Clones are modern strains of Chardonnay carefully isolated from grapevine nursery blocks in France. These strains are selected for their incredible ability to produce the best of what the varietal has to offer and therefore have become quite popular with cool climate growers today. The cool and often foggy climate of the Brown Ranch Vineyard, located in central Carneros, Napa, allows for a slow growing season and optimal ripening. This climate aids in the balancing of acidity and lifting tropical aromas in the fruit and thus, in the finished wine. The vines were carefully hand harvested and delivered cool to the winery.

 

Winemaker's Notes: "This wine is stylish and freshly balanced, featuring a light, pale straw presence in the glass with a bouquet of fresh orange citrus, toasted pine nuts, mild allspice, rocky flints, and toasted oak. Crisp, savory pineapple, sweet delicious apple, savory stone fruit, and ripe pear lead into mouthwatering deliciousness. 

The grapes are blended into used French Oak barrels according to a Burgundian style of winemaking, light handed on the usage of new French Oak keeping it to an average of 45%.

495 Cases were Produced

This release was rated 93 points by Wine Enthusiast and Jeb Dunnuck and 92 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. 

Golden lemon colored, medium to full-bodied, full, round, concentrated, complex opulent fruits with a layer almost bordering on butterscotch, accented by notes of baking spice, hints of lemon, grapefruit, ginger and a touch of peach and almond nut cream, with bright acidity, depth and balance on a full long finish. 

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3517412

https://www.vengevineyards.com/

@VengeVineyards  

Alec then opened this big Napa Red from Beau Vigne Cellars

Beau Vigne “CULT” Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

This is from the Beau Vigne portfolio of Napa Valley Cabernets that Alec, son Ryan and I all hold in our cellars. Beau Vigne was founded by Ed and Trish Snider in 2002 and quickly gained notoriety on a parade of rave reviews, such as Robert Parker calling it “one of my favorite wineries,” and over in the ensuing years, his Wine Advocate time and again honoring it with scores of 96–98+ points.

We’ve featured Beau Vigne wines in detail in earlier blogposts in these pages - Beau Vigne Reserve Proprietary Red Wine.

Interesting that Kirk Venge, who produced our Chardonnay tonight, was winemaker at Beau Vigne for a period. Initially, it was first-class winemaker Dave Phinney, then Kirk Venge, and then followed by current winemaker Julien Fayard who crafted this 2019 release.

 

This 2019 CULT release is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grown on Beau Vigne’s gravelly estate vineyard in Rutherford and their impeccable site on the Oakville Bench that neighbors To Kalon, Missouri Hopper, and Martha’s Vineyard. For the final blend, he hand-selected barrels to create a wine that shows its exceptional quality in every sip.

Winemaker notes for this release - “Deep-purple in color, the 2019 Beau Vigne CULT Cabernet shows penetrating blackberry and blueberry aromas accented by rich notes of mocha, allspice, Maduro tobacco, and black licorice. Full-bodied and opulent, it’s built on firmly gripping tannins that complement the texture of the ripe black fruits and slide into a long and savory finish.”

While the Chardonnay complemented the lobster medallions, this rich full round full bodied red enhanced and illuminated the rich pasta sauce - both ideal pairings which amplified the enjoyment of both the food and wines. 

This 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Cult is the 11th Anniversary release of this label. It is composed of 99% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Petit Verdot. The producer states. “We think is the finest CULT produced to date.”

It was aged twenty months in French oak barrels, 80% of which were new, then blended from select “best lots dedicated to captivating flavors profiles.”

Winemaker notes - “Crushed black currant and bing cherry aromas. Among these scents are black licorice, clove, and melted dark chocolate. Flavors of shortbread, blackberry, and plum hit the palate. Loamy black truffle elements add layers of savoriness to the long finish.”

It was rated 93 points by Vinous who called it the “finest wine I have tasted from Beau Vigne.” It received 92 points by Wine Advocate and 91 points by Jeb Dunnuck. 

Don’t be taken aback by the $150 published price from the producer, their wines are often deeply discounted in special promotions and can be found discounted in distribution, even at Costco. Newcomers to fine wine often mistake that obtaining wine directly from the producer will get them the best deal. It’s the aim of the producer to set the price and associated value of the wine, avoiding undermining such with their direct pricing strategy.   

Deep garnet colored, full bodied, rich, round, forward bright vibrant black currant and plum fruits accented by notes of licorice, graphite, lavender, spice and leather with a full tannin laced lingering finish. 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?4179405

https://www.beauvigne.com/

Stolpman Roussanne Rhône Varietal w/ vodka cream pasta

Stolpman Roussanne Rhône Varietal w/ vodka cream pasta

We were invited to son Alec’s and D-in-law Vivianna’s for dinner with them and the grandkids. Alec prepared a delicious rigatoni pasta with Italian sausage and broccoli in a vodka cream sauce. 

Linda prepared a tomato caprese salad with a delicious chocolate raspberry balsamic purchased at last week’s Farmers’ Market at Naperville 5th Avenue Station. 

I took from our cellar a Southern Rhône Rousanne varietal wine from Santa Barbara County. This proved to be not only a perfect pairing, which thereby amplified the enjoyment of both the food and the wine, but commemorated our trip together to the region during our Southern Rhône Provence tour in 2019 as chronicled in these posts - 

Four days in Provence - Aix - Meyrargues

A visit to Château La Nerthe - 

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/08/a-visit-to-chateau-la-nerthe.html

We also visited the estate of Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe as the other highlight of our visit to the appellations Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

This is from Ballard Canyon which sits in the greater Santa Ynez Valley AVA which covers a thirty mile east-west corridor, running east from the town of Lompoc to Los Olivos and Santa Ynez on the east. It covers 77,000 acres of winegrapes with more than 60 different wine varieties. 

We visited the Santa Ynez Valley during our Santa Barbara County Wine Experience back in 2022 and discovered the plethora of Rhone varietal based wines including many Syrah, one of our regular favorites.

Over the years the sub-appellations evolved and were granted AVA (American Viticultural Area) status with Santa Rita Hills to the west and Happy Canyon to the east. In the center is Ballard Canyon which was recognized as a unique winegrowing area and granted its own AVA in 2013.

Ballard Canyon became Santa Barbara County’s fifth official American viticultural area (AVA) joiningthe existing AVAs of the region including Santa Ynez Valley, Sta. Rita Hills, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara, Santa Maria Valley and the broader Santa Barbara County.

Ballard Canyon, covers just 7,700 acres, or only 10% of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA, and has a unique north-south orientation of the canyon provides a unique weather pattern of wind, fog, and maritime influence, giving it its own sense of a specific place or with its soil and elevation, terroir.

Ballard Canyon has a history of viticulture back to the earlier 1970’s but grew and gained recognition in an expansion of planting boom in the 90’s, with new grower producers such as Stolpman and Beckmen, Harrison, Larner, and Saarloos families planted vineyards, followed by Jonata and Tierra Alta.

While land to the west became increasingly devoted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with the publication of the STA Rita Hills AVA, Ballard Canyon vineyards focused on Rhône varietals and primarily Syrah. 

Ballard Canyon became Santa Barbara County’s fifth official American viticultural area (AVA) joiningthe existing AVAs of the region including Santa Ynez Valley, Sta. Rita Hills, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara, Santa Maria Valley and the broader Santa Barbara County.

Ballard Canyon, encompassing 7,800, is the second AVA in the Santa Ynez Valley along with Sta. Rita Hills. The region is an integral part of the diversity within the Central Coast and Santa Barbara County designations. After experimenting with many different varietals, the growers and producers of Ballard Canyon settled on Syrah as the best-suited varietal throughout Ballard Canyon. Over half of the AVA’s planted acreage is Syrah and an additional 30% of acres are planted to other Rhone varietals including Grenache, Viognier, and Roussanne.

Of the total 458 acres planted to red wine grapes. Rhone Varietals predominate with 76%, followed by Bordeaux: 14%, Italian: 8%, and other California ‘Heritage’ 2%. 

Syrah is the predominant red varietal with 274 Acres followed by another Rhône varietals mostly Grenache. Other plants include smaller amounts of Bordeaux grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot, as well as small amounts of Italian varietals Sangiovese and Nebbiolo. 

Of the white wine grapes planted Rhone Varietals such as Roussanne predominate with 57%, followed by Bordeaux  (40%), primarily Sauvignon Blanc, and others lead by Viognier.

Stolpman Santa Barbara County Ballard Canyon Estate Bottled Roussanne 2019

This unique California Rhône white is produced and marketing directly as an estate wine sourced from their own vineyard under their own branding. Grapes from the vineyard are also produced separately under branding of a personal project of winemaker Jeremy Weintraub, whose day job is  since 2013 is overseeing Adelaida Cellars, a prominent estate in Paso Robles.  

Jeremy’s winemaking education includes earning a Master’s in Viticulture & Enology from UC Davis, and, interning throughout the world’s best wine regions. Before his work with Adelaida, Jeremy was the winemaker at Seavey, a somewhat under-rated Cabernet producer in Napa Valley. Previously, Jeremy traveled the world, working harvests in Tuscany, Central Otago, Martinborough, and Long Island. 

Weintraub produces a small portfolio of limited production wines with fruit sourced from some of California's most renowned sites including a 100% Roussanne varietal is from the Stolpman Vineyard in Ballard Canyon in Santa Barbara County. 

This is the Stolpman branding crafted by family owned and operated Stolpman Vineyards sourced from their estate of 220-acres planted to 152 acres of south-facing grapes, an organic vegetable garden, and 5 acres of olives. This Roussanne Rhône varietal comprises 15.3 acres of the total plantings.

The Stolpman estate was established 20 years ago by Founding Partner, Tom Stolpman, when he discovered what we believe to be one of the greatest viticultural sites on earth, hidden in the hills of California’s Central Coast, on a rare Limestone outcropping & unobstructed from the Pacific Ocean wind, this unique land is naturally suited to grow Syrah and Roussanne grapes. 

The Stolpman family say they are blessed to farm wine grapes from their Ballard Canyon estate due to what they cite are five distinguishing characteristics that set their vineyard apart, even from other Ballard Canyon sites: 

“White Rock - Active, youthful 2 million year-old Limestone provides balancing acidity to all of our wines while the thin layer of dense clay topsoil above allows retention of moisture. Because of this one-two combo, we can withhold irrigation from the roots, forcing them to dig deep into the white rock and absorb all that terroir!’ The limestone that runs deep and lends acidity to the berries with clay-rich topsoil that retains moisture efficiently. 

“Tunnel of Love - Daily mistrals originate from the cold Arctic flow of Pacific Ocean pushing through our fully-exposed hillsides. The Mojave far to our east sucks up the cold air as its desert heat rises – the vacuum creates a perennial wind tunnel through Ballard Canyon rivaling the Northern Rhone in force and relentlessness. Our hearty vines continue to photosynthesize in the wind but the fluttering leaves don’t suck for water. Without dilution, flavor concentration intensifies. The wind also knocks down fungal pressure, giving the winery team pristinely clean fruit.’

“Nightly Chill - Unsheltered from the Pacific, as soon as night falls, temperatures drop an average of 40 degrees Fahrenheit during the growing season. Not only does the cold nightly rejuvenation help hold acidity through our long growing season, but we also nocturnally harvest to lock in the taut freshness from the crisp conditions. The diurnal shift pendulum swings vastly, with drops of up to 40 degrees between daytime and nighttime. Chilly temperatures at night allow the grapes to maintain the hard-earned acidity imparted by the limestone soils.’

“Rain - For better or worse, it seldom rains during the growing season. Combined with our dedication to dry farming - concentrated, undiluted grapes result. We only pray for healthy winter rains during dormancy so the vines wake up sensing enough moisture to get through the summer. The vines can be dry-farmed due to the clay, which during the dry summer season, results in vines that struggle to dig deep for the water table and produce concentrated fruit.”

They say the largest impact of the annual dry stretch is the continuation of legacy native root-stock that has thus far survived the scourge of  the root-louse Phyllloxera, which doesn’t like to be parched. They have managed so far to maintain their own-rooting vulnerable Vinifera rather than grafting onto root-stock. Today, 60% of the vines at Stolpman are own-rooted.

Finally, “Tropical Tan - Located at 34.6 degrees latitude, our equatorial solar rays help to ripen the grapes through the long, cool growing season. The sunlight stays strong, seeing us through our Autumn harvest, good ‘ol California sunshine ripens the grapes to their “fullest potential” We rely on it to paint our Roussanne a “Rouss” shade of gold.”

Roussanne can get a bad rap as a varietal for producing singular waxy and weighted wines, hence its traditional use as a blending grape in France’s Rhône Valley. 

Stolpman use new oak only to ‘frame Roussanne’s viscosity’ while all their other wines see only used wood.  

Winemaker notes - “The 2019 Roussanne offers a nose of white peach, baked apple, and toasted spice mix. The mouth is medium-bodied with plenty of acid to keep the wine fresh and structured well through the finish.”

Jen Dunnuck awarded Jeremy’s label release 95 points, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 94 points, and Wine Enthusiast 91 points. 

This was big enough to stand up to flavorful pasta and sausage with vodka cream sauce, which one might typically pair with a Red Barolo or Montepulciano.  This was a perfect pairing whic as I often write in these pages, amplifies the enjoyment of the wine and the food. 

An extraordinary, unique wine, bold bordering on obtuse, that bursts with expressive vibrant flavor from the beginning - golden colored, medium to full bodied, a firm edge structured stone fruit, peach and apple accented by spice, floral citrus, almond nut, and mineral with bright acidity on the expressive vibrant long finish. 

RM 91 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3896315

https://www.stolpmanvineyards.com/

Venge and Beau Vigne wines with intimate family dinner

Venge and Beau Vigne wines with intimate family dinner - Venge Napa Syrah with Vodka Cream Sauce Pasta

We were invited to son Alec's and Vivianna's house for dinner to watch IU Hoosier Big Ten Basketball. Alec prepared a delicious vodka cream sauce with penne pasta, baked bread and a delightful Cesar Salad. 

Prior to dinner, Alec opened a nice Napa Valley Reserve Chardonnay for sipping with some artisan cheese and with the salad course. He served a delectable Saint Andre Triple Cream cheese from Murray's Cheese that was an ideal pairing with the Chardonnay.

 I've written in these pages the irony that Murray's Cheese is now available locally from our Mariano's Grocery Store. We used to shop at Murray's Cheese Shop and dine at Murray's Cheese and Wine Bar on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village in New York with Alec and Viv when they lived in Manhatten. After they moved to Chicago, Murray's was sold to Kroger who had also acquired the Mariano's Grocery chain.

Beau Vigne Reserve Napa Valley Chardonnay 2021

Both Alec and we have collected several labels of Napa Valley wines from this producer Beau Vigne. This is the first time I have seen or tasted any of their white wines including this Reserve Chardonnay. 

 Winemaker's notes - "2021 Reserve Chardonnay -this is Napa Valley after all- and while you might expect today’s offering  to resemble the classic weighty, juicy, oaky versions, you are absolutely correct. We feel this 2021 ranks as one of the most pleasant Reserve Chardonnay's we've produced to date."

The Vineyard runs along a northern stretch of Carneros soils that are thin and rocky. As a result, these old vines struggle to produce even the most modest of crops.  

Tasting Notes: Fresh almond, apple turnover with hints of rose and lavender honey. The concentrated mouthfeel is draped in white stone fruits. The wine showcases our commitment to minimal intervention winemaking.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4510075

https://shop.beauvigne.com/product/2021-Reserve-Chardonnay

For pairing with dinner, I took a Venge Vineyards Napa Valley Syrah. 

I've written often in these pages about the fun we have with the "V" collection of wines from Venge Vineyards with our daughter-in-law Vivianna. 

Venge Vineyards Napa Valley Stagecoach Vineyard Block 1-4 Syrah 2015

This is produced by Kirk Venge, son of legendary Nils’ and Dianna Venge, who was exposed to winemaking at an early age and has proven to be as talented a winemaker as his father.

In 2008, Kirk stepped into Nil's shoes and acquired full ownership of Venge Vineyards in 2008. To this day, Kirk continues the Napa Valley heritage, focusing on select vineyard sites that produce fruit worthy of bearing the Venge family name. 

We visited Nil's at the Penny Lane Venge Family Vineyard and Winery down in central Napa Valley, and then went up and met Kirk at his new estate near Calistoga back in 2002 as chronicled in this blogpost - Visit to Venge Vineyards and Nils and Kirk Venge.

Since then, we've acquired many Venge labels from his various brands that extend beyond the Venge name.

This is from the legendary Stagecoach Vineyard, which according to the producer, "Stagecoach is one of the Napa Valley’s largest and leading mountain vineyards located near the Atlas Peak AVA at an elevation of around 1,700 feet above sea level. The soil is very rocky and topography very steep. Temperatures are warm in the midday and cold at night. This diurnal effect makes for a balance of vibrant acidity and fruit structure that is concentrated and focuessed. “Block I-4” is referenced in this bottling because of its very high elevation relative to the rest of the Stagecoach Vineyard."  

"Stagecoach Vineyard continues to produce Syrah of unparalleled quality. The Syrahs from that mountain vineyard really shine from the steep, rocky terroir of the location."

The 2017 vintage possesses a bold, deep, dark color that opens the door to an array of black fruit aromatics. Cassis, blackberry, warm toasted bread and French Oak vanillin all fill the glass with purpose. While still young and in development, the palate shows superior promise with minerals, tongue swirling acidity, cherry and black plum.  The tannins are firm and support the back palate for several moments beyond the initial taste. If cellared correctly, this wine will continue to improve through 2029.

The wine was managed under the Venge barrel program of 100% French oak with 60% entirely new Francois Frères from the tight grained Voges forest in both medium and heavy toast. Bottled unfiltered.

This was the latest tasting of another vintage of a mini-vertical collection of this limited release label I picked up at auction, and it was by far the best so far. 

This was awarded 93 points by Wine Enthusiast and 92 points by Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator.

This is the style and profile of wine we most enjoy - Linda's absolute favorite, big, thick, chewy full throttle full fruit Syrah.

Dark inky purple garnet colored, full bodied, powerful concentrated chewy unctuous textured black and blue fruits with a layer of vanilla and spice with notes of what Robert Parker's Wine Advocate calls "Chinese five spice, hoisin and cardamom over a core of plum preserves, violets and blackberry pie with a waft of earth", with firm, big but polished fine-grained tannins on a tongue coated long finish.

RM 94 Points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3223878

https://www.vengevineyards.com/