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Friday, March 14, 2025

Pour Boys Norwegian Salmon Pinot Noir Dinner

Pour Boys Norwegian Salmon Pinot Noir Dinner 

Fellow Pour Boy Dr Dan and Linda hosted us for a Friday Night fine wine dinner. They missed our OTBN abbreviated gathering due to extensive travel in Australia and NZ. Our annual OTBN Wine Extravaganza Weekend this year found our Pour Boys Wine Group fragmented with folks traveling, so we set a raincheck for a future get-together. In any event, Linda and I traveled to Charleston (SC) for an abbreviated OTBN get together with fellow wine buddy & Pour Boy Bill C, and Beth


Linda prepared a delicious fresh catch Norwegian Salmon in a spinach tomato butter cream sauce with balsamic rice and cooked carrots, with a side Caesar Salad. 

Dan served an extensive wine flight starting with vintage Champagne, then Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and finishing with a TBA dessert wine. I supplemented the flight with a Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir from our cellar. 

Wine flight served/tasted right to left.

Prior to dinner, with the champagne, Dan and Linda served shrimp cooked in garlic butter lemon sauce with a selection of artisan cheeses, aged sharp cheddar, havarti and a sweet Swiss, with crackers and marmelaide, charcuterie and mixed nuts. 

Veuve Doussot ‘Ernestine’ Champagne 2015

This vintage Champagne is a blend of predominantly Pinot Noir and some smaller amount of Chardonnay, typical of the Aube region of Champagne.

Golden colored, bright expressive full gripping palate of ripe apple, apricot and citrus fruits with a layer of nut tones and accents of mineral and brioche with bold acidity on the finish.

RM 90 points. 

It was rated 91 points by Roger Voss of Wine Enthusiast.


Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Chardonnay 2020

Chateau Montelena is one of the most historic and pre-eminent labels Napa Valley dating back to 1882, the same producer we took to our wine dinner at Oak Restaurant Charleston recently, when we we traveled to Charleston (SC) for an abbreviated OTBN get together with fellow wine buddy & Pour Boy Bill C, and Beth

It was this classic flagship label from this legendary producer Chateau Montelena that in 1976 gained international acclaim for not only the winery, but for Napa Valley and the US wine industry with the monumental and historic ‘Judgement of Paris wine tasting event’. That tasting event was chronicled in Time Magazine in the June 1976 issue.

That blind tasting by the venerable who’s-who of the French wine and food industry at the Inter-Continental Hotel in Paris pitted four white Burgundies against six California Chardonnays. The French Judges presumed the top-ranking white wine was one of their own, but it was Chateau Montelena’s 1973 Chardonnay, that was rated above all other wines. This seminal event was memorialized in the book "The Judgment of Paris," by George Taber, and was the basis for the 2008 feature film “Bottle Shock”.

Not just wine aficionados, everyone will enjoy watching the entertaining classic movie "Bottle Shock" that chronicles the early days of Napa Valley, early winemakers, and Chateau Montelena, and its legendary finishing first in the epic competition tasting between American and French wines back in 1976. 

The modern era began in 1968, when Jim Barrett purchased the estate and set about replanting the vineyard, outfitting the winery with modern equipment, and applying every effort towards producing the highest quality wines.  

We visited the historic Chateau up in the north end of Napa Valley back in the early nineties, before I was blogging and writing about such activities. 

We had fun with the famous event with a wine dinner featuring wines from the historic tasting, featured in these pages - Dinner Features Judgement of Paris Wines - Dinner Features Judgement of Paris Wines to Commemorate the Tasting event's Anniversary

The Chateau Montelena estate just north of Calistoga with it’s historic 19th century stone Chateau is surrounded by exceptional vineyards with a complex mix of soils, slopes and an ideal climate for producing wines to complete with the great First Growths of France. 

Master Winemaker Bo Barrett, Jim’s son, now runs the estate with the help of Winemaker Matt Crafton and Vineyard Manager Dave Vella.

This 2020 release was awarded 93 points by Decanter and by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. 

This is 100% Chardonnay that matured 10 months in French oak.

Winemaker Matt Crafton notes on the 2020 Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Chardonnay: "The parade of citrus marches on, although the midpalate turns more tropical with starfruit and pineapple. And while there’s still plenty of green apple, the texture and juiciness of Asian pear adds complexity and depth. The acid is consistent and winds its way through the profile, lifting the texture and balancing the suppleness from barrel. This will be a long-lived wine."

“Bright gold in the glass, the parade of citrus marches on, opens with green apple, honeysuckle although the midpalate turns more and orange blossom, citrus in tropical with starfruit and pineapple. particular seems to be most evident, And while there’s still plenty of green as lime leaf and lemon zest at this apple, the texture and juiciness of stage. This vintage was more classic Asian pear adds complexity and depth. rather than overly ripe. The acid is consistent and winds its way surprising. There’s a hint of fresh through the profile, lifting the texture wood and vanilla as well, adding and balancing the suppleness from some nuance without overshadowing barrel. ˜is will be a long-lived wine. the beautiful floral character. ˜e transition to the finish is still somewhat abrupt due to the wine’s youth and dynamism.˜

Straw colored, medium bodied, clean crisp, steely notes of tart citrus, apple and tangerine fruits with notes of minerality on a full round acidic finish. 

RM 91 points. 


https://montelena.com/

Chateau Boswell ‘Absolutely Eloise’ Rita’s Crown Vineyard, Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2016

This limited production single vineyard designated label is from boutique winery Chateau Boswell which remains among a handful of privately owned family wineries amidst the 554 wineries in the Napa Valley in a time when so many have been taken over by the large consolidated corporate brands. 

Founded in 1985 by Richard Thornton Boswell when there were less than a hundred Napa Valley producers, who sold mostly through distribution, he had the foresight to focus on small lot French Style wines to be sold directly to the client. 

Initially, they produced wines from Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon at the stone winery sourced from estate vineyards along the Silverado Trail in Saint Helena. Since then, over the last 25 years, under the direction of Boswell’s wife Susan, they have expanded the portfolio to include Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines from California’s most treasured vineyards. 

Famed legendary winemaker André Tchelistcheff produced those early wines, eventually overseen by consulting winemakers, Philippe Melka and Keith Hock, in collaboration with Chateau Boswell Winemaker Allison Nunnikhoven.

This single vineyard designated Chateau Boswell ‘Absolutely Eloise’ label is from estate Sta. Rita Hills Rita’s Crown vineyard in Santa Barbara County. The rocky terrain and super steep slopes are in the cool–climate area, heavily influenced by the proximity of the Pacific Ocean, are ideal for producing world-class Pinot Noir. The proximity of east-west aspect of the Santa Rosa and Santa Rita Hills allow the cool ocean fog to flow through the Santa Ynez River Valley. 

The chalky marine and volcanic soils are void of nutrients forcing the vines to struggle resulting in tiny intense clusters that produce wines with distinctive terroir driven flavor profiles. 

Recent vintages of this label were awarded 98 and 97 points by Jeb Dunnuck. 

Dark garnet colored medium to full bodied, rich and focused nicely balanced blackberry and black cherry fruits accented by notes of classic Pinot Noir dusty rose petals, leather, smoked herbs and violets with ripe tannins on a smooth polished lingering finish.

RM 94 points. 


Summer Dreams “Twilight” Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2022

This is an another limited production, ultra-premium label, from Napa Valley Bordeaux varietal producer, Jayson Woodbridge, an investment banker from Toronto, Canada who established and operates Hundred Acre Winery. 

From 1989, after visiting vineyards in Canada, Switzerland and France, to the late 1990s, with several investors and partners, Jayson and his wife Helen Mawson, a New Zealand native and US citizen, founded Hundred Acre, ultimately buying out their partners and taking over as sole owners. 

With no winemaking experience, Woodbridge quickly showed his aptitude for learning from luminary winemakers including St Helena-based Philippe Melka. Over the following decade they produced no less than 61, 100-point scores Napa based Bordeaux varietals!.

Over the last decade they turned their attention to producing cool climate Pinot Noir labels from the unique soils and extreme conditions of the West Sonoma Coast in the Sonoma Coast AVA. Sonoma County’s largest AVA extends from San Pablo Bay on the south to Mendocino County in the north. 

Adjacent to the Pacific with its cool coastal climate, with more than twice the annual rainfall of its inland sub-regions in other parts of Sonoma County, these Sonoma Coast sites are warm enough to ripen wine grapes because the vineyards are at elevations above the fog line. 

Branded under the ‘Summer Dreams’ labels, the wines are crafted by winemaker Ashley Holland. “I came up with Summer Dreams because I love summer,” said Woodbridge. “You can still get summer in the winter with these wines. They are made the same way that Hundred Acre is made, coming from very low-yielding vineyards in the Sonoma Coast, sorted berry by berry.”

Ashley’s wine career spanned California and Oregon, and Australia, New Zealand, and Uruguay, working with noted winemakers Bill Price, Bob Cabral, and Ryan Prichard. She was a natural fit with legendary Woodbridge. Ashley and Jayson explored over a hundred vineyards before selecting sites, slope, Goldridge soils, and vine age as their primary qualifiers.

“We give Ashley everything she needs, but we leave it to her. We’re not trying to steal her thunder; we’re her spiritual guides.”

This ‘Twilight’ label is 100% Pinot Noir from the West Sonoma Coast sub-regions Annapolis and Fort Ross-Seaview AVAs.  Annapolis is in the remote northwest corner of the Sonoma Coast AVA near Sea Ranch, the coolest region of the AVA due not only to the close proximity to the Pacific Ocean, but also the 500 to 800-foot elevation of the vineyards that puts them in the foggy and windy inversion layer that sweeps up the Wheatfield Fork of the Gualala River.

Fort Ross-Seaview is the most coastal of the Sonoma Coast AVA’s sub-regions, located on the far western edge of the AVA, and closest to the Pacific Ocean. The region is characterized by steep, rugged mountains and ridges that rise up from the ocean, and is home to some of the most dramatic vineyard sites in California.

Winemaker notes for Twilight Pinot Noir - “The full-bodied palate beams with flavors of wild blueberries and licorice, white pepper and cloves that lead to an undercurrent of violet. Seductive, with a velvety texture and seamless freshness, this Pinot Noir finishes long.’

“A dark-edged Pinot Noir with dark fruit, black cherry, and black plum with hints of the salty sea-spray and misty fog rolling into the Sonoma Coast from the Pacific Ocean.’

“Twilight is the most powerful time in life, the point between light and darkness, between day and night, when we are at our most productive, and this wine, according to proprietory Jayson Woodbridge, embodies all that. 'It has incredible staying power, showcasing Pinot Noir at its most muscular—like a warrior Pinot. It will carry you through the darkest times,' he says, and indeed, it does carry the light and dark as it unfurls with black cherry and spiced plum fruits, dark chocolate, and saline minerals. Its rich, creamy, and powerful character is underscored by fabulous minerality and brisk acidity. This wine makes a compelling argument for the power of Pinot—never underestimate it. Jayson doesn’t care if you accept the style; he makes it boldly and unapologetically. 'It’s like the Darth Vader of Pinot—dark, intense, yet undeniably good,' he says. Fabulous umami notes of long-roasted beef and intense charred mineral character, seaweed, and everything the ocean can deliver in your glass are also present. 

Blind tasted, few would select this as a Pinot Noir with its rich, dense, concentrated full round dark fruits and might think it a Syrah or a Bordeaux varietal. The give-away is the dusty rose petal ripe, succulent black cherry and black plum fruits with savory soy minerality and firm but elegant polished lingering finish. 

RM 95 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4607724

https://summerdreamswines.com/sonoma-pinot-noirs

Kracher Nouvelle Vague ‘#2” Chardonnay Trockenberenausliese (TBA) 2002 

We finished with this delicious unctuous dessert wine with pie with fresh berries and an assortment of chocolates. 

This is from the estate established by Alois Kracher Sr., grandfather to the current generation proprietors, a pioneer who recognised the potential of the region long before many of his peers. Alois Senior produced prized sweet wines from noble rotten grapes well before it was widely practiced. 

The Kracher Winery lies in the Seewinkel area of Austria´s Burgenland. Here, through the evaporative periods of Lake Neusiedl, the evening fog and the warm Pannonian climate, continuous warm-humid weather patterns are dominant and, therefore, allow for Botrytis cinerea to be generated. This is what provides the basis for the fantastic sweet wines such as Beerenauslese and this Trockenbeerenauslese.

Next generation Alois Kracher Jr., “Luis” Kracher, was also one of the greatest visionaries in winemaking and was a driving force behind the “Austrian wine wonder” during the 1990s and was instrumental in the renaissance of noble sweet wines. Trained as a chemist, he began his winemaking career at his father’s estate when he was twenty-two years old before his tragic premature death at the age of thirty. Alois Kracher, who died in December 2007, is remembered as one of the most important ambassadors for Austrian Wine all over the world.

Today, third generation Gerhard Kracher manages the estate with his life partner Yvonne, taking over on the passing of his father in 2007. From 2001, Gerhard gradually increased his responsibilities, representing the winery at international presentations promoting the ‘joie de vivre’ in the South of France, always looking ahead to experiment with new trends and innovations. 

Gerard created a new style of dessert wine, in which the fruit character, finesse and balance of the wine was far more important that just mere sweetness. The 1991 vintage brought Kracher international acclaim, and since, his name has become synonymous with cult sweet wines, especially in America. 

The Kracher portfolio includes the grape varieties Welschriesling, Chardonnay, Traminer, Scheurebe, Muskat-Ottonel and, from time to time even Zweigelt, Alois Kracher created each year 10 to 15 different Trockenbeerenauslesen wines in two different styles.

Zwischen den Seen (“in between the lakes”) are the wines which are matured in large wooden barrels or steel tanks, and undergo long yeast contact in order to deliver freshness, fruit und primary grape aromas into the bottle. The wines of the Nouvelle Vague line are marked by barrique ageing with air exchange during maturation. They are vivid and lively in taste, depth, spiciness and length, these wines notable characteristics.

Representing a small family business amongst the big wine dynasties of the world, Alois Kracher has gained widespread recognition and numerous awards including being honoured by Great Britain´s renowned Wine Magazine with the coveted "Wine Maker of the Year" title for an impressive seven times - in 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2006 and 2008.

The range offered by what is undoubtedly the most widely known Austrian wine estate features the world-famous Trockenbeerenauslesen as well as Beerenauslesen, Auslesen, Eiswein (ice wine) and small amounts of dry white and red wines.

We hold a dozen labels of Kracher wines in our collection going back almost three decades. I acquired this label upon release, long ago, and shared a couple bottles of with Dan back at that time. 

Winemaker notes for this Chardonnay Nouvelle Vague - offers aromas of pineapple, apple jelly and brown spice. The palate is creamy and thickly-rich, full of spiced apple, honey, and butterscotch, and the finish solid but overtly sweet and – at least as yet – relatively simple. 

This was awarded 94 points by European pundit Falstaff, 90 points by Wine Spectator and 89 by The Wine Advocate. 

These sweet dessert wines in top vintages can age for several decades. Starting out straw colored they darken as they age turning golden, the hues of weak tea, and if held long enough darken to almost coffee color. 

Consistent with note from I first reviewed this wine back in 2011 when I wrote, "Honey color - full bodied, thick, chewy apricot, hints of grapefruit citrus, touch of pineapple and smoke."

RM 92 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=50493

http://www.kracher.at/en/

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Meatloaf, Sweet Potatoes and Andrew Will Two Blondes Red Blend

Meatloaf, Sweet Potatoes and Andrew Will Two Blondes Yakima Valley Red Blend

On our first night back home from family vacation, Linda prepared a delectable diner of meatloaf with roasted carrots, potatoes and sweet potatoes. I pulled from the cellar a perfect wine that proved to be a wonderful pairing that enhanced the enjoyment of the dinner as well as the wine. 

The blend of this label was exactly what I was seeking … nearly similar amounts of nicely balanced and integrated Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot and Cabernet Franc for a nicely balanced, complex wine. 

I have a mini vertical (multiple vintages of same label) of this label dating back two decades to 2003, that I have been holding for the chance to drink with fellow wine buddy and Pour Boy Bill C. This is based on fun with the label that bears the name of two of his sons, Andrew and Will, as well as of the producer. With Bill and Beth having moved away to Charleston, our wine escapades are vastly fewer. Having just returned from a wine weekend together - OTBN 2025 in Charleston, it was a fitting time to try this wine which proved to be a perfect pairing with the dinner. 

This is from Andrew Will Cellars winery located in Zillah Washington, just outside of Yakima which is named for the two sons of owner winemaker Chris Camarda. Following a successful career on Wall Street, Chris founded the winery, releasing his first vintage back in 1989. His focus was ‘the primacy of the vineyard over variety’. "I believe that an individual piece of property can form a signature—an identity—and it is that face that is the focus of my winemaking."

The first two vineyards used were Ciel du Cheval and Champoux, later to be supplemented with fruit from May’s Discovery and Two Blondes vineyards. 

After a decade of purchasing fruit from top vineyards in Washington State, Chris plant his own vineyard, Two Blondes, in 2000. This enabled him to not only control the varietals planted which are the Bordeaux varietals but also the clones. Clonal variety was particularly important to him as a winemaker. The 30 acre vineyard located in the Yakima Valley AVA was planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. The vineyard manager was and is Chris Hoon.

Andrew Will produce about 4500 cases of wine a year. In addition to blends they produce from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, they also produce some limited Sangiovese from fruit grown at Ciel du Cheval. 

In the early years they produced varietal bottlings but in 2003 they took a vow “to make as fine a wine as we could through blending the most important varieties we grow in Washington”. 

Our holdings of this producer all date back to and from that 2003 vintage, all acquired at auction. 

Chris was named as one of the 50 most influential winemakers in the world, he has been an innovative leading producer of Washington State wines and became known for single vineyard blends.

The Two Blondes Vineyards is named for Chris Camarda’s late wife, Annie, who was a 6’2” blonde, and their partner in the vineyard, Bill Fleckenstein’s wife, Melody, who is also blonde.

Camarda selected the 30 acre site because of the excellent grape soil and climate. Two Blondes is not threatened by freezes as well as being just cool enough to insure a modulated ripening process even in warm years. The site has none of the draw backs they see in some areas of the state that can alternate between devastating freezes and heat in excess of 100 degrees.. 

Andrew Will Cellars Two Blondes Vineyards Washington State Yakima Valley Red Wine 2004

This Bordeaux Blend is a single vineyard designated label sourced from their estate vineyard. This release was a blend of 44% Cabernet Franc, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Merlot. Later releases of this label (2018) were aged 35% new French oak for 22 months with just under 7,000 bottles produced.

At twenty years of age, I was concerned this might be past its primacy but this was absolutely delicious, exceeding our expectations, clearly at the apex of its drinking window, not likely to improve any further with aging. This was a Goldilocks wine, appealing to Linda who prefers younger more expressive wines, and me who enjoys those with more complexity and maturity. 

The label, foil, and most importantly, the fill level and cork were still in ideal condition. 

Dark garnet colored, medium bodied, nicely balanced, silky smooth and polished, seductive integrated and balanced with ripe black and blue fruits with notes of sweet mocha, anise, spices, hints of lavender and tobacco leaf, with long lingering finish. 

RM 92 points. 



Saturday, February 22, 2025

OTBN 2025 in Charleston

OTBN 2025 in Charleston

We traveled to Charleston (SC) for a getaway weekend to visit fellow Pour Boy Bill and Beth. As is customary on the last Saturday night in February, we celebrated OTBN together, an abbreviated celebration in light of the travel and unavailability of several members of our traditional Pour Boys wine group. 

OTBN 2025 was our fourteenth straight year, since 2011, that we have celebrated together and fittingly, was an abbreviated replay of our OTBN - Open That Bottle Night - 2023, which was also held in Charleston, as featured in these pages in this blogpost, excerpted below.

The last Saturday in February brings the annual OTBN wine event – Open That Bottle Night – the 24th such event since its creation in 2000 by Dorothy Gaither and John Brecher wine columnists for the Wall Street Journal. OTBN is set aside to share and compare special bottles of wine, that have been held in our cellars, waiting for the special occasion to open, that hasn’t yet come, so as to eventually succumb to the inevitable, its time, open that bottle (to)night!

So this was our fourteenth straight year, since 2011, members of our Pour Boys (TM) wine group assembled to share and compare special bottles of wine.

And so, as we’ve starting following the seasons, we congregate in the south during the winter, and the north during the other seasons. As such, we gathered again at Bill and Beth C’s in Charleston, SC for this years' gala.

OTBN 2025 as in 2023 was hosted by Bill and Beth C at their home on Seabrook Island, SC. While the 2023 Saturday night OTBN dinner was held at the Seabrook Island Clubhouse Ashley Room private dining room, tonight we dined in their home on the island. As in ‘23, several members of our group were not able to attend due to family and other commitments, this year we were joined by special friends.


After a spectacular dinner Friday night, at Oak Restaurant in Charleston, we dined in at Bill and Beth’s for Saturday night with special friends Amy and Beth visiting from Kentucky. 

Bill & Beth prepared grilled beefsteaks with twice baked potatoes and haricot verts.


For starters Beth prepared Caesar Salad and crab cakes. 


Bill pulled from his cellar a medley of Napa Valley Cabernets for the occasion. 


The wine highlight of the evening, and my absolute WOTN - Wine of the Night, was Odette Nap Valley Cabernet.

Odette Stags Leap District Napa Cabernet 2015

Bill opened this big red in a large format magnum for the ladies, but I loved it before and after dinner for enjoyable sipping, and it was just as good over the following afternoon. This big red was so opulent and fruit forward it was almost a meal in of itself with its exuberant full round plump profile! 

This is from the Odette 45-acre estate vineyards in the heart of the Stag’s Leap District appellation nestled against the foothills on the east side of Silverado Trail just north of Napa town. 

It’s too bad this label is part of the Plumpjack Group with their unfortunate affiliation with Gavin Newsom. Never-the-less, despite the distractions and mis-directions, they produce some fabulous wines. 

This release was crafted by Odette winemaker Andrew Haugen.

A native from Southern California, he studied biology at Cal Poly in the Central California wine region around San Luis Obispo. There, he also took the available wine classes. Pursing his interest in wine, he gained experience at Stonestreet in Sonoma County for his inaugural 2012 harvest, then at Church Road Winery in New Zealand, Howard Park in Australia, and Gran Moraine in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, before joining Odette Estate Winery in 2015.

From that time he progressed from cellar master to enologist to assistant winemaker and eventually head winemaker for the Odette and their Adaptation labels. He works closely with long-time Vineyard Manager Oscar Renteria at Oso Vineyard, and a 129-acre site located in Pope Valley.

This Odette 2015 is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, and the rest 3% Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot.

4,000 cases were produced of this release. 

Winemaker’s notes for this release - “Opaque, dark ruby color introduces this wine that expresses dark fruit aroma and flavors. With spicy sweet oak complexity, the wine exudes dark fruit such as blackberry, black currant, blueberry and dark cherry. There are nuances of dark chocolate, chocolate berry truffle dusted with cocoa powder, cola, aromatic cedar, cinnamon, clove, graham crackers and a hint of tobacco. The body is very full with a soft entry, coupled with dark cherry/berry flavors that develop from start to finish. With great texture and mouth feel, this cabernet is full bodied, rich and opulent.”

This release was awarded 96 points by Jeb Dunnuck and Wine Advocate, 95 and ‘Top 100 Wines of 2018, Highly Recommended’ by Wine Spectator, and 95 by Wine Enthusiast who also noted it a ‘Cellar Selection’, and 92 by Vinous.

Deep inky purple-black colored, full bodied, concentrated rich opulent and expressive, complex, but polished and elegant, round sweet ripe raspberry, plum and currant fruits with spice-box, mocha chocolate, crème de cassis notes and accents licorice of cedar and pencil graphite finishing with full but smooth fine-grained silky tannins.

RM 95 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?2636415

https://www.odetteestate.com/

Prior to and with the dinner course Bill opened a couple of Napa Cabernet’s, a well known producer and label from Napa Oakville, and one sourced from Howell Mountain. 

Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

This is a producer we know well from Bill’s extensive collection of labels having been in their wine club for more than two decades. We’ve had many memorable tastings of this producer’s artwork together including several visits to the estate and winery in Napa Valley. We last tasted this wine together back in 2017 as featured in these pages in this blogpost - https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/10/freemark-abbey-napa-valley-cabernet.html.

In 2009 Bill and Beth and Linda and I visited the winery and toured the library and acquired vintage bottles from the library collection for special occasions including 1974 and 1978 vintage labels for an anniversary celebration dinner that night across the road at the CIA - Culinary Institute of America, Napa.
 
This is the standard Napa Valley signature label, one of their largest production labels with 24,332 cases produced of the 2013 vintage. 

Winemaker Notes for this release - “Opaque, dark ruby color introduces this wine that expresses dark fruit aroma and flavors. With spicy sweet oak complexity, the wine exudes dark fruit such as blackberry, black currant, blueberry and dark cherry. There are nuances of dark chocolate, chocolate berry truffle dusted with cocoa powder, cola, aromatic cedar, cinnamon, clove, graham crackers and a hint of tobacco. The body is very full with a soft entry, coupled with dark cherry/berry flavors that develop from start to finish. With great texture and mouth feel, this cabernet is full bodied, rich and opulent. In one word …. delicious.”

This is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. It was aged nearly 26 months in oak. 

This was rated 92 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and James Suckling. 

We last tasted this wine 

Opaque purple colored, medium full-bodied, concentrated, structured rich blackberry and blackcurrant fruits with notes of leather and tobacco leaf with hints of spice and mocha chocolate with moderate tannins on a flavorful lingering finish. 

RM 92 points. 



While the ladies enjoyed the more approachable fruit forward Odette, Bill and I dove into this aged vintage Bordeaux Blend for pairing with the grilled beefsteak.

Château Calon-Ségur St-Estèphe Grand Cru Classe Bordeaux 1995

This was a special vintge wine, ideal for such as tasting, from the Left Bank of Bordeaux. 

Linda and I visited the Château Calon-Ségur estate and vineyards just outside the village of St-Estèphe during our Left Bank Bordeaux tour in 2019. We hold the remains of a case we acquired on release and were interested to see how this is aging. We enjoy gifting this wine for weddings, anniversaries and special occasions with the heart on the label. 

Son Ryan brought this label to one of our Pour Boy’s wine dinners back on its tenth anniversary in 2016 featured in these pages in this blogpost - Mouton, Dominus, Insignia Highlight Big Red Wine Dinner.

This release was rated 97 points by James Suckling, 95 by Wine Spectator who rated it ‘Ranked #6 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 1998’, 94 by Wine Advocate, 93 by John Gilman, and 91 by International Wine Cellar. 

James Suckling wrote,.” It's one of the best Calons ever.” Robert Parker lauded this Calon-Ségur as one of the stars of the vintage. 

At 30 years of age, it shows no signs of diminution of age or reaching the end of the plateau of its drinking window, while it will not likely improve with further aging it should remain fine several more years. 

Dark garnet colored, medium to full-bodied, complex but nicely balanced, black cherry and black berry fruits with notes of leather, black olive, cassis, cigar box with smooth soft fine tannins and nice acidity on the moderate finish.

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1577

https://www.calon-segur.fr/en/


Sequoia Grove Henry Brothers Vineyard Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Bill also opened this big red Napa Cabernet from a well known producer, but little known vineyard source. 

Historic Sequoia Grove Winery estate sits on 22 acres in the Rutherford sub-appellation located in a renovated old barn just off of Highway 29, one mile north of the landmark Oakville Grocery. The winery takes its name from the two large Sequoia trees outside the main entrance and a small stand of additional trees that were planted in 1908. 

Sequoia Grove Winery was founded in 1978 by James and Barbara Allen who purchased the property in 1980 the same year as their first vintage. James’ brother Steve managed the vineyard at the time. James was also a founding partner of Domaine Carneros and was instrumental in creating the Rutherford sub appellation.

Since 2002, the winery has been owned by the Kopf family who own Kopbrand, the New York based wine distributor founded in 1944. They also own St. Francis Winery in Sonoma County and 50% of Domaine Carneros in partnership with France based Taittinger. 

The property has a long history with numerous owners dating back to 1895 and owner Dennis Downey from Ireland, who moved to Napa Valley in 1858 and purchased his 119 acre ranch in 1863. He had 45 acres planted to corn and 60 acres to vineyards of which much of 40 acres were overtaken by phylloxera.

The estate vineyards are planted with Bordeaux varietal grapes. Sequoia Grove also sources grapes from select vineyards around Napa Valley. Sequoia Grove Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon,  a 100% varietal comes from the estate as well as several premium vineyards in Oakville and Rutherford including the well known highly acclaimed Morisoli and a Beckstoffer owned property. 

Besides the estate vineyards adjacent the property, Sequoia Grove produce wines from a number of vineyards ranging from the southern part of the valley (cooler) to the warmer northern reaches in Calistoga. Many of these are offered as ultra-premium single vineyard designated labels. 

In addition to this Howell Mountain Perry Brothers Vineyard, they also source fruit from the tiny 4-acre Christian vineyard in Coombsville, the Tonella Vineyard, the well known legendary Stagecoach Vineyard on Atlas Peak, the Cambium vineyard, Lamoreaux Vineyard in the Oak Knoll District. 

In 2023 Sequoia Grove purchased over 100 acres on Mt. Veeder that used to be owned by Donald Hess, the founder of Hess Collection. About 75% of the site is forested with the remaining acres are planted to red Bordeaux varieties. We visited the Hess property back in the early ‘90’s and have driven by it many times on our visits to the mountain. The first vintage produced from this property by Sequoia Grove was in 2023.

For several years Sequoia Grove was known as ‘the three ‘M’s’ for Morisoli Vineyard and their winemakers Mike Trujillo & Molly Hill. Molly Hill was a graduate of the UC Davis Viticulture and Enology program. She traveled the globe, working and studying in Chile and New Zealand, as well as her native California, before settling in at Sequoia Grove to work with well-respected winemaker Michael Trujillo. They worked with viticulturist Jake Terrell on the Rutherford estate vineyards as well as a selection of growers on the Rutherford Bench, Pritchard Hill, Howell Mountain and the foothills of St. Helena, Yountville, and Oak Knoll.

Neither are with Sequoia Grove any longer and today’s Winemaker is Jesse Fox.

Winemaker notes - “The Sequoia Grove Howell Mountain Henry Brothers 2018 is a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon showcasing rich flavors of dark fruit, black cherry, and hints of oak, reflecting the unique terroir of Howell Mountain in Napa Valley. This region is known for its elevated vineyards and volcanic soils, contributing to the wine's balanced acidity and robust tannins.”

Dark garnet colored, medium to full bodied, while complex, this was not as concentrated or as expressive as many Howell Mountain Cabs, and was overshadowed by the huge Stag’s Leap Odette. Never-the-less, it showed smooth, polished blackberry and black plum fruits with notes of spice, dark chocolate and hints of pepper and pencil graphite with structured but approachable moderate tannins on the finished. 

RM 90 points. 


Previous Pour Boys OTBN Events


Pour Boys OTBN 2019 - Open That Bottle Night

Pour Boys OTBN 2018 - Open That Bottle Night

Pour Boys OTBN 2016 - Open That Bottle Night 

Pour Boys OTBN 2015 - Open That Bottle Night -  Bordeaux Anchors OTBN 2015

Pour Boys OTBN - Open That Bottle Night 2014

Pour Boys OTBN 2013 - Open That Bottle Night 2013 

Pour Boys OTBN 2012 - Open That Bottle Night

Pour Boys OTBN 2011 - Open That Bottle Night.

Friday, February 21, 2025

Oak Restaurant Charleston

Oak Restaurant Charleston for spectacular dinner experience

The annual OTBN Wine Extravaganza Weekend this year finds our Pour Boys Wine Group fragmented with folks traveling, so we set a raincheck for a future get-together. 

Meanwhile, we traveled to Charleston (SC) for an abbreviated OTBN get together with fellow wine buddy & Pour Boy Bill C, and Beth

Friday night we dined at Oak Restaurant on historic Broad Street in downtown Charleston for a fabulous wine dinner. 

Oak operates eight locations across the southeast from Alexandria to Nashville to Jacksonville with points in-between including Atlanta, Raleigh, Charlotte and in the historic downtown Charleston. 

Located in a historic bank building that dates back to 1848 with brick walls, arched windows, 20-foot ceilings, original metalwork, fireplaces, and 150-year-old heart pine floors. There are four distinct dining areas and the bar, with second and third floor private dining rooms. The atmosphere is lively, cosmopolitan, tony, stylish, warm and inviting. 

The menu is classic steakhouse featuring Certified Angus Beef with all the trimmings, locally and regionally sourced seafood and produce, and special selections of oysters, caviar and specialties including a daily seafood fresh catch, pasta, chicken, scallops and crab cakes. 

There is a broad, extensive wine list features primarily American California Cabernets but also includes some Old World selections of French, Italian and a few select labels beyond. 

We were served by Chris Bartlett who was an absolute pro, hospitable, cordial, delightful - a second tier Sommelier, he was masterful in serving our wines as well. 

For starters, Bill and I both ordered the Foie Gras, and for the group, the baked oysters and the shrimp cocktail plate. 

With the foie gras was served Dolce Napa Valley Late Harvest Riesling 2017 for a perfect, delicious pairing. 

For the main course we ordered Filets of Beef steaks, and Linda ordered the daily fresh catch, Tile Fish with coos coos and corn relish, all with sides of onion rings, pomme purée’, and Oak’s signature cornbread. 


My filet of beef steak was prepared perfectly, to my specified Pittsburg style, and, along with the delicious mashed potatoes was as good as any such pairing I have ever had! 

Crazy as it may sound, aside the fabulous steak, the foie gras and all … the delicious mashed potatoes were spectacular and one of the highlights for me. 

For a wine accompaniment Bill brought BYOB from his home cellar an aged vintage Chateau Montelena Napa Cabernet. I ordered from the wine list the rare boutique producer Mira Napa Cabernet.

I selected the Mira, based on a tasting experience with this producer at a family dinner last year. Notably, we learned one of the Mira founders/owners was from Charleston and that for nearly seven years, they actually had a tasting room featuring all of their vineyard designated wines a few blocks away down the street. 

We tasted and featured Mira and one of their labels in these pages in a blogpost back in February,2023 - Old and New big reds for family celebration party, excerpted here.

Mira Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

This is the handicraft of Co-Founder/Winemaker Gustavo A. Gonzalez and co-founder Jim “Bear” Dyke, Jr., consultant and Washington DC lobbyist who o
ver his 30-year career, has consulted with Fortune ranked companies, trade associations, public policy makers and helped manage numerous national and state political campaigns.

A chance meeting at the Off The Record bar in Washington, D.C., lead to their joint pursuit of the dream of creating a world class winery. In 2009, they joined forces and sourced their first grapes in 2012 with the inaugural release of Mira wine.

Ironically, we learned Jim “Bear” Dyke and Mira Winery had a connection to Charleston and for a while had a tasting room just down the street from Oak. The Charleston connection with Jim and wife Dawn Dyke, and Mira’s history were featured in the April 2017's issue of the Charleston Mercury, where he shared his story of meeting Gustavo Gonzalez and how he put aside the world of politics to pursue his dream, leading to the formation of Mira Winery. The full article can be found here - Click to read article.

Duke and Gonzales were joined by Ed Thralls who came to Mira with 25 years of experience in both wine and financial technology industries. Having studied winemaking at UC Davis and earning a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW), he has served as director at Flowers Vineyards & Winery and Huneeus Vintners and managing his own winery, Thralls Family Cellars.

Today, starting with the 2023 vintage, Mira’s winemaker is the highly acclaimed Thomas Rivers Brown, the youngest winemaker to ever receive a 100 point score from Robert Parker (he’s earned 60+ since) and has also received two 100-point scores from Wine Spectator, the first American winemaker to receive a perfect score.

Mira Winery is named for the Latin root of “miracle” and Greek for “destiny”. It is a family owned, 16-acre estate in the heart of the Napa Valley, farming historic vineyards that were first planted to grapes in 1885. 

Gustavo A Gonzalez has been practicing his craft in the Napa Valley and around the world to critical acclaim for over 20 years, in California, Italy, France, Argentina, and Brazil. He brings local knowledge and global perspective, experience and creativity to Mira’s vineyard practices and winemaking techniques.

Gustavo grew up in California’s Central Valley, surrounded by family with longstanding ties to agriculture and an appreciation for wine. His appreciation for winemaking took him to the Napa Valley where he joined the Robert Mondavi Winery in 1995 working in the fields towards a career in winemaking. For 17 years at Robert Mondavi Winery, Gustavo worked his way up to Head Red Winemaker where he established Robert Mondavi Winery Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon as one of the leading Napa Valley Cabernets, consistently receiving Wine Spectator ratings of 95 or higher.

Gustavo’s strong relationships with leading Napa Valley grape growers brought Mira unique access to some of the finest blocks of grapes in some of the Napa Valley’s premier vineyards including Hyde Vineyard in the Carneros AVA and Schweizer Vineyard in the heart of the Stags Leap AVA.

Winemaker’s notes - “ A seductive nose with notes of vanilla and warm spice. Reduced tannins and enhanced acidity allows for a lovely smooth, consistent experience with luscious balsamic flavors.”

Dark garnet colored, medium to full bodied, full round concentrated ripe black cherry and blackberry with notes of dusty rose, black tea, hints of vanilla, oak and cinnamon spice with smooth moderate tannings on the lingering finish. 

RM 91 points. 


Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

One cannot write about Chateau Montelena wine without talking about its history. This is the classic flagship label from this legendary producer Chateau Montelena who gained international acclaim for not only the winery, but for Napa Valley and the US wine industry with the monumental and historic ‘Judgement of Paris wine tasting event’. That tasting event was chronicled in Time Magazine in the June 1976 issue.

This 2004 release was the first year that "Calistoga" appeared on the front label, along with Napa Valley. Montelena proprietor Bo Barrett initially proposed AVA status for Calistoga to the US, but it wasn't officially granted until 2009.

Aficionados of wine must watch the entertaining classic movie "Bottle Shock" that chronicles the early days of Napa Valley, early winemakers, and Chateau Montelena, and its legendary finishing first in the epic competition tasting between American and French wines back in 1976. 

We visited the historic Chateau up in the north end of Napa Valley back in the early nineties, before I was blogging and writing about such activities. 

We had fun with the famous event with a wine dinner featuring wines from the historic tasting, featured in these pages - Dinner Features Judgement of Paris Wines - Dinner Features Judgement of Paris Wines to Commemorate the Tasting event's Anniversary

Tonight, this was a fabulous pairing with the perfectly prepared beefsteak dinner. 

This release was sourced mostly from the Chateau Montelena estate Game Farm Vineyard in Oakville.

Winemaker Notes for the 2007 vintage release - “When you talk about vintages at Montelena, they are often categorized as "hot" or "cool." Then occasionally there are years like 2007 which, because of their ideal conditions, earn the tag of "Goldilocks" because everything was just right. Warm spring conditions led to earlier than normal bud break, while the moderate temperatures in summer and early fall further extended the growing season, resulting in long, slow ripening with fantastic flavor development and near-perfect juice chemistries.”

This release was rated 94 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, and 92 by both James Suckling and Wine Enthusiast.

Wine Enthusiast in awarding this a Cellar Selection wrote “Not a wine for drinking now or anytime soon,’ citing its ‘hard tannins that lock down the palate.’ Parker wrote “requires 4-5 years of cellaring. That in itself is atypical of this exuberant, flamboyant vintage. Given this cuvee’s past history, this 2007 should age for 30+ years.”

At going on fifteen years, this wine is likely just now entering the apex of its drinking window, and may improve further over the next decade, and certainly provide enjoyable drinking beyond that.

Dark garnet colored, medium to full bodied, dense, firm concentrated backbone frames the bright blackberry and black currant fruits accented by spice, black tea, crème de cassis and clove spice, with hints of dark mocha and that classic Mayacamas eucalyptus, finishing with firm ‘powerful’ yet refined tannins on the lingering finish. 

RM 92 points. 

Just under 10,000 cases were produced.


Some, especially this crowd, would argue such a dinner is not complete without dessert. We finished with a delectable too many layers to count chocolate cake!

 

A spectacular memorable evening with great friends food and wine.