Ivy Wheaton festive holiday setting - Orin Swift WBTG

Ivy Restaurant, Wheaton (IL) for a beautiful, festive holiday setting - features Orin Swift WBTG 

For a festive holiday celebration dinner, we dined at Ivy Restaurant in adjacent Wheaton (Illinois). 

I can't imagine a more suitable, beautiful, picturesque setting - an old church sanctuary with a large wood burning fireplace, stained glass, cathedral ceilings and warm wood trim. 

We hosted our family for our gala holiday celebration dinner back in 2016. Having a holiday season dinner at Ivy has been an annual event for many years. 

Knowing we were going different paths for our entree selections, Linda opting for seafood, hence white wine accompaniment, and me going for their BBQ ribs, hence a bold big Red, we didn't bring BYOB, rather, we each ordered WBTG - Wine-By-The-Glass for our individual selections. 

Linda ordered the Parmesan Crusted Herb Salmon served with citrus butter, sautéed green beans, and jasmine rice. For her wine selection she had a glass of Pieper Heidseick Champagne. 

I ordered the Ivy Signature Specialty, Slow Cooked BBQ Ribs with a glass of Orin Swift Abstract. 

Orin Swift Palermo
label - I don't get it.

Ivy feature a WBTG selection from the broad portfolio of Orin Swift wines. I wrote recently about these wines and their weird branding strategy with inventive and sometimes oft-putting, even weird labels. I understand a restaurant featuring a producer with a broad diverse portfolio of wines for their winelist offerings. 

Being focused on, arguably perhaps obsessive in these pages about wine branding and marketing, I find Orin Swift an unfortunate choice for the signature collection for a fine dining restaurant and the imagery and ambiance provided by Ivy. Never-the-less ... case in point ...

Tonight, while the Orin Swift Palermo (shown right) might have been a more suitable wine choice for my entree, the creepy label turns me off, hence, I went for the Abstract Red Blend for my wine choice. 

Orin Swift Abstract Red Blend 2020

This is a diverse blend of Grenache, Syrah and Petite Sirah, sourced from a "patchwork of individual lots that retain some of their character but meld seamlessly together—like the collage"— hence the name abstract and the label, a collage of disparate faces and other imagery artifacts. 

 

Orin Swift prides himself on weirdness, noting he'd rather spend his time in the cellar crafting wines than tending to branding, messaging and promotion.

Winemaker Notes on the wine: "Abstract is the epitome of complexity through geographic diversification. The wine, like the label, is a collage of many different parts and pieces. We source fruit from multiple vineyards, in multiple appellations, throughout the state. This not only allows us to create a style but maintain consistency from year to year. The label is over 230 individual images collected over many years, assembled over a four-week period. The wine, like the label, starts with over 200 pieces, whittled down over the course of a few months during multiple marathon tastings—not all of which made the blend. Resulting is a wine representative of the Golden State." 

Winemaker notes on this vintage release: "The 2020 Abstract pours a neon purple splash and an opaque maroon core with dark aromatics upfront. Black plum, boysenberry and hints of bing cherry and lavender invite a taste. On the palate, the aromatics turn into the sense of taste along with a touch of dark chocolate and reduced blackberry. Supple drying tannins and a slight chalky texture close the wine with a calming finish." 

Garnet purple colored, medium full bodied, bright expressive tangy fruits with notes of dark chocolate, black tea and tobacco notes with a moderate tannin finish - not polished or balanced but suitable for tangy spicy BBQ ribs.

RM 88 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4114357

https://www.orinswift.com/2020Abstract

https://ivyofwheaton.com/

Happy Holidays!   

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