Robert Craig Affinity Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Robert Craig Affinity Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Twice this week Linda prepared dinners that called for a hearty red wine. Both times I pulled from the cellar Robert Craig Affinity Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Monday night she prepared baked pork chops with baked sweet potatoes and asparagus spears. Then, for Sunday dinner she prepared a beef roast with carrots, onions and mashed potatoes.

Robert Craig is one of our favorite Napa Valley producers and represents one of our largest holdings in our cellar. We've held many wine dinners with Robert and Lynn Craig and attended many events at the estate and winery. We visited Robert Craig's site high atop Howell Mountain several times with sister Jan and bro-in-law Bill, and Bill and Beth C. One of our memorable trips featured a picnic lunch at the site overlooking the  valley below shown below. It was during that trip that Bill discovered and subsequently sourced Howell Mountain Cabernet, Affinity and Robert Craig Zinfandel which they served at daughter Krista's wedding.

With Robert Craig at the estate high atop Howell Mtn
back in 2008.

We hold as many as two decades of Robert Craig vintages dating back to the inaugural vintage release in 1993. This label, Affinity, represents the Robert Craig Cabernet Sauvignon based blend of Cabernet Sauvignons and other Bordeaux varietals sourced from the various Napa Valley appellations.

Robert Craig flight of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons

Robert Craig offers at least five different Cabernet labels from what he used to refer to as 'three mountains and a valley', referring to his appellation designated premium labels from Mt Veeder, Howell Mtn and Spring Mountain. He used to speak fondly of this label and the QPR - quality price ratio, as he strived to hold the price point of this wine to provide excellent value and be a draw to the Robert Craig brand. The appellation designated labels sold for twenty to thirty percent more. I wrote recently about the discontinuation of the Mt Veeder label after two decades of being one of the flagship labels, and was Robert's favorite.

In recent years, as Robert and co-owner wife Lynn retired and stepped down from running the daily business, the new owners have raised the price point of this label from the mid to high forty dollar range to mid to high sixty dollars, splitting the difference in the entry level price and the price point of the higher premium price appellation designated labels.

Robert Craig Affinity Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
 

Earlier tastings of this label cited this release being "a bit tight and slightly closed on opening, but after an hour opened up to show wonderful black and blue berry fruits".

This week this was more approachable on opening and even appealing in the couple of following days, better than when young. It showed the same profile as earlier, garnet colored, medium full bodied, complex black berry and black currant fruits with slight hint of mocha - nicely balanced and polished with velvety well integrated smooth silky tannins on a nice lingering soft finish.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=802059

For Sunday dinner, after church, Erin and Johnnie joined us for Sunday dinner and Linda's beef roast. I pulled this 2008 vintage of the Robert Craig Affinity Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon to compare with the 2007 we drank earlier in the week.

Robert Craig Affinity Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

Tonight this was consistent with my earlier tasting when I wrote of this wine back in 2011, "Dark inky color, medium-full bodied, black berry, black cherry, and ripe plum fruits with hint of spice and cedar on smooth moderate tannin finish."

RM 92 points. 

Fellow Cellartracker, brianofthevine  sums up this wine well in his tasting note, "At 10 years of age, this is drinking very nicely right now! Blackberry, wild berry, and black cherry fruit up front. Notes of espresso, dark chocolate, licorice, with subtle spice and minerals on the mid-palate. Still has some firm, supple tannins with a nice long finish. The extra age has really done this wine justice."

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=980053 

https://www.robertcraigwine.com/index.cfm

@RobertCraigWine

 

Mitolo GAM McLaren Vale Shiraz

Mitolo GAM McLaren Vale Shiraz

For relaxed evening watching Netflix after a grueling week of travel, we pulled this vintage Aussie McLaren Vale Shiraz to enjoy with artisan cheeses and beef tenderloin sandwiches.

This wine is from the legendary Australian winemaker Ben Glaetzer. It is named GAM after the Mitolos’ children Gemma, Alex and Marco, and was his first wine made, back in 2000.

Mitolo G.A.M. McLaren Vale Shiraz 2004

At fourteen years, I was expecting this to be starting to turn to a raisin fig profile with the aged fruit starting to turn to leathery earth tones, as some of the other McLaren Vales do such as Rosemount Balmoral and others. Alas, while this may be at or near its peak of its drinking window, it most likely will not improve any further with aging. It probably has started to 'turn' but the accent was to a cross between floral and cigar box - a very interesting and delightful tone.

Dark blackish garnet colored, medium full bodied, the black berry and black raspberry and blue fruits were punctuated by notes of cigar box, roasted coffee and hints of floral. It was a nice accompaniment to creamy Harvarti and sharper Bellavitano cheeses, and the beef tenderloin on toast points. While there is not a hurry to drink up, I would say this will diminish here forward with the fruits giving way to the non-fruit tones of cigar, leather and earth.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=80874


Jeb Dunnuck of Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave this 97 points back in 2010 when he noted, "Given where the ’03 is right now and how much younger this wine seems, it could have a long life ahead of it. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this still going strong in another 10 to 12 years. Impressive!" Back in 2005, he wrote, "It should drink well for 15 years". He was right both times. Both times they gave it 97 points. 

James Halladay gave this 94 points and Wine Enthusiast gave it 92 points.

Walls Curiositas Red Mountain Cabernet

The Walls Curiositas Red Mountain Cabernet

With Mike Martin, Owner Walls Vineyards

With son Alec visiting home from NYC, we wanted to open something special with the beef tenderloin dinner Linda prepared for the occasion. We discovered and acquired this wine during our visit to the producer during our recent Walla Walla Wine Experience. It was our favorite of the portfolio of wines tasted with Mike Martin, owner/producer Walls Vineyards and Winery.


This is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Red Mountain AVA in central Washington but it tastes more like an old World Bordeaux than a fruit forward fruit bomb from Napa - with its refined, polished and elegant style.


The Walls Curiositas Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

This was my absolute favorite of the flight. Of course I tend to favor Bordeaux varietals  but I found this especially appealing.

The fruit for this is sourced from the Obelisco Vineyard on the higher slopes of the Red Mountain AVA. The vines get increased exposure to the sun and are planted in higher density to further stress the grapes. The result is a wine of great complexity but one that is elegant and lush, yet subtle with tones the winemaker describes as possessing 'freshness that evokes a Margaux-styled fragrant' Cabernet'.

While  I grabbed a case of this to serve with grilled steak, it is so approachable, this is suited for  elegant but casual sipping. It was great leading up to dinner and with the salad course, yet it stood up well and was an ideal accompaniment to the beef tenderloin. 

From my Walls Winery producer visit report:

The Walls Curiositas Red Mountain Cabernet 2015

2015 Curiositas is an elegant, complex and lush, yet subtle, wine. Its tone of freshness evokes a Margaux-styled fragrant Cabernet Sauvignon.

Sourced from the Obelisco Vineyard, high in the Red Mountain AVA where the vines get full exposure to all the elements.

“It is beautifully situated, with more vines doing less work, and planted with higher density,” says winemaker Ali. “It lends itself to complexity so how could we not take advantage of that?”

Bright garnet ruby colored, it was medium bodied and did not have a firm gripping backbone structure expected watching the glycerine legs cling to the glass, the polished elegant tannins were so smooth and silky that it made for enticing casual sipping - bright red and black fruits accented by notes of creme de cassis, spice, tobacco leaf and subtle vanilla and oak. Jeb Dunnuck of Robert Parker's Wine Advocate talks about its 'well-integrated tannins, solid grip, coupled with a swath of fresh acidity that delivers muscular structure' but then talks about it being 'light footed through the long finish'.

RM 92 points.

Jeb Dunnuck, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave this  “Editor’s Choice" and rated it "Extraordinary (95-100 pts.) "

 Obelisco Vineyard, Red Mountain AVA 

331 Cases were produced.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2965947

https://www.thewallsvineyards.com/

Arns Syrah

Arns Napa Valley Melanson Vineyard Syrah

We discovered and tasted this wine during our visit to the picturesque Arns Estate during our Napa Wine Experience back in 2013.

Arns are a small boutique producer of Estate Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from their twelve acres of vineyards on the lower reaches of Howell Mountain on the eastern slope above St Helena.

Proprietor and viticulturist John Arns and his winemaker partner Sandi Belcher produce this limited production single vineyard designated Syrah from fruit sourced from the Melanson Vineyard on Pritchard Hill.

Rick, Linda and John Arns

This vintage year they produced 200 cases of this label. It represents the style and profile that we favor in a Syrah. We pulled this bottle to enjoy with artisan cheeses and fruit for enjoyable casual sipping watching a movie.

ARNS starting producing this SYRAH back in 2004. They admit, "It was a great surprise to be able to craft such a beautiful wine from Pritchard Hill, Napa Valley. We have enjoyed many spicy vintages from this time forward."



Arns Napa Valley Melanson Vineyard Syrah 2013

This 2013 ARNS SYRAH was aged four years in two year old French Oak barrels.

Dark inky blackish purple, full bodied, concentrated flavors of gooseberries, plum and what Arns refer to as 'wild black cherries' are accented by notes of spice, black pepper, and what Arns refers to as 'beef and violets'.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2887804

https://arnswinery.com/






https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2887804

Napa Wine Experience 2013 - Arns Estate (Blog post at http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/)

Italian Village Lunch with Perfect Wine Pairing

Italian Village Lunch with Perfect Wine Pairing

We dined at Italian Village for lunch to tour the facility towards planning future events there. To pair with our lunch selections, Wine Director Jared Gelband selected this Italian Bolgheri Superiore Bordeaux Blend.

Poggio al Tesoro Bolgheri Superiore Sondraia 2015

Jared knows I favor Bordeaux varietals and big full bodied fruit forward complex blends. Wow! He pegged it with this selection. Who would think you would find this style in an Italian wine?

From the Allegrini brand known for Amarone comes this classic Bordeaux blend from the Bolgheri region - Cabernet Sauvignon (65%), Merlot (25%) and Cabernet Franc (10%).

I would've failed identifying this as an Italian wine opting for a California Cabernet with its rich full bodied rich ripe sweet fruit. It presented a residual sweetness almost extreme for a Bordeaux blend but much to my liking. This profile would probably be too much for most, especially Bordeaux enthusiasts,  but I found it wonderfully delicious and perfectly matched to the brown sauce of my Veal Marsala.

Winemaker's notes: "Intense ruby red in colour, the nose opens with nuances of cherry and plum and deep notes of black berries, followed by aromatic herbs and a pleasant spiciness. It is elegant and seductive on the palate, revealing considerable body, great structure and balance, and silky tannins."

I give this 93 points, primarily due to my preference to this style and profile. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3114160

 While we were there, Jared unveiled the new, soon to be released Italian Village Private Labeling of this classic Italian Chianti Monrosso a Sangiovese blend from Castello di Monsanto.

 
This is the first such venture for Italian Village and was selected from one of the prime producers for American restaurants such as Italian Village during Jared's visit to the Estate last year. This special private labeling is a tribute in memoriam to second generation owner and patriarch to the legendary Chicago landmark restaurant, Franklin D. Capitanini 1932-2018.

https://italianvillage-chicago.com/








 

Gourmet dinner and elegant wine flight

Gourmet dinner and elegant wine flight

Fellow Pour Boy, wine buddy, Dr Dan and Linda hosted us for a artfully prepared gourmet dinner with an elegant flight of wine pairings. They prepared pork chops in a brown mushroom sauce, haricot verts, an imaginative BLT - bacon and lettuce stuffed tomatos and extraordinary stuffed giant portabella mushrooms (shown below) and rosemary potatoes.

Before dinner we had a selection of artisan cheeses, stuffed peppers, and a baked shrimp casserole.

Pork-chops in mushroom sauce

After dinner, for desert featured baked apple strudel with vanilla bean ice cream. For the desert course Dan served Rosalack Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Auslese and I brought a Sonoma-Cutrer Winemaker's Release Late Harvest Chardonnay.

The wine flight:

Château François Gaunoux Pommard 1er Cru Les Grands Épenots 2011

  

 Château Clinet Pomerol 2005

Château Larcis Ducasse St Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux 2004

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste Pauillac Bordeaux 2011

Rosalack Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Auslese 2009

Sonoma-Cutrer Winemaker's Release Late Harvest Chardonnay 2012

Tasting notes:

Château François Gaunoux Pommard 1er Cru Les Grands Épenots 2011

With the cheese course of artisan cheeses, olives and cheese stuffed green peppers, Dan opened this Burgundy Pinot Noir.

Garnet colored, light medium bodied, this was elegant and refined with fresh with dusty rose violets, earthiness, red currant and plum and fruits. It showed smooth silky fine-grained tannins with excellent length on the balanced, delicious and complex finish.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=177948

Château Clinet Pomerol 2005

We just tasted the spectacular 2016 vintage release of this wine earlier this week at the UGCB release tour tasting with owner Ronan Laborde at the Drake in Chicago.

This 2005 was amazing, arguably the best Clinet I've experienced and is certainly at it's apex; hard to imagine this improving further with more aging.

Dark garnet colored, medium bodied, silky smooth polished, nicely balanced, dark fruits accented by tantalizing elegant floral notes of lavender and violets with subtle notes of mocha, spice and tobacco on a lingering soft tannin finish.

RM 95 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=224074

Ronan LABORDE,Owner

Château Clinet

( Pomerol )

Sea Smoke Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir Southing 2009

Cellartracker Somm David T's tasting notes sums up this wine eloquently and thoroughly.

"The nose reveals, sweet, slightly sour and ripe; blackberries, some black raspberries, dark cherries, plum, blueberries cranberries, pomegranate, candied cherries and baked strawberries. Big vanillin, soft cinnamon stick, touch of clove, dark spice, herbaceous notes, mixed berry cola, dark, rich, moist soil, dry clay, dry stone, limestone minerals with dark red, blue fresh & withering flowers.

The body medium full. Tannins nicely resolved but, still have tarry teeth. The structure and tension nicely softened. The 09 is beautifully integrated. The length and balance have hit their high point. Ripe; blackberries, some black raspberries, dark cherries, plum, mix of some purple fruits, blueberries, cranberries, pomegranate, candied cherries and juicy strawberries. Red licorice/cola, good presence of vanillin, soft cinnamon stick, touch of clove, dark spice, black licorice, herbaceous notes; bay leaf, mint, eucalyptus, dark, rich, moist, soil, clay, river stones, limestone minerals and dark red, blue fresh & withering flowers with violets. The acidity is round and like a rain shower. The finish is extremely well balanced, seamless, elegant, rich, persistent for minutes with ripe fruit, medium dark spice that brings some mild heat and haunting fragrant violets for minutes".

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1025980


Château Larcis Ducasse St Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux 2004

Like the Clinet above, we tasted the 2016 vintage release of this wine earlier this week at the UGCB release tour tasting with commercial director David Suire, so I pulled from the cellar this twelve year old vintage release to compare.

 This was dark garnet colored, with a slight brown/orange rim starting to set in, medium-full bodied, smooth polished with delightful complex aromas and flavors of plum, black currant and blackberry fruits with tones of earthy leather, black tea, cigar box and spice with hints of truffle, cedar and cassis on the smooth polished tannin finish.

RM 89 points

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=95970

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/02/larcis-ducasse-highlights-sunday-brunch.html

http://www.larcis-ducasse.com/ 

David Suire of Chateau Larcis Ducasse

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste Pauillac Bordeaux 2011

Like the Clinet and the Larcis-Ducasse above, we also tasted the 2016 vintage release of this wine earlier this week at the UGCB release tour tasting. Again we had the privilege of tasting this with sales director David Launay, (shown right with Céline Villars-FOUBET, Owner, of Château Chasse-Spleen) so I asked Dan to pull this one too from the cellar this twelve year old vintage release to compare.

If you tend to procure wines based on vintage due to a particular anniversary or birthyear, or to fill out a vertical collection, 2011 was a challenging year in Napa and Bordeaux, this seems to be average from an average vintage, but decent value since the higher end labels were not markedly demonstrably better, this won't likely improve further with aging. 

This is a blend of 75 % cabernet sauvignon, 20 % merlot and 5 % cabernet franc.

This is one of our stalwart favorite go-to wines for Bordeaux, being more reasonably priced than the 'super second' more premium labels such as Pichon Lalande and Pichon Longueville, and Lynch Bages. This is one of my favorites of this tier of labels. It was fun to see David Launay move from St Julien favorite Gruaud Larose to this label a couple years ago, and seeing him in Chicago at the UGCB each year.

Garnet colored, medium bodied, good length, some leanness, classic Bordeaux style with flavours of dark berry fruits accented by notes of . cedar, leather and a touch anise and hint of mocha, nice balance of acidity with smooth polished tannins.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1356149
 
https://www.chateau-grand-puy-lacoste.com/en/#/en/


Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Rosalack Auslese 2015

Dan served this German Auslese with the desert course.

Schloss Johannisberg, from the German Rheingau wine region, is one of the most historic wine producers in Germany. They were the first German wine estate entirely planted with riesling, in 1720. Schloss Johannisberg tends to produce powerful and spicy wines relative to other Rheingau wines. Their wines exhibit minerality and elegance which are qualities of good quality Riesling. Schloss Johannisberg use large oak barrels for their wines, which contribute to the spiciness.

Schloss Johannisberg have 35 hectares (70 acres) of vineyards, just on the fiftieth parallel. Rosalack comes from the portion directly below the castle Schloss Johannisberg. They are one of a few historical German estates that have their own official vineyard designation, without village name. The vineyard designation is therefore simply Schloss Johannisberger.

This is a quality Auslese with nice acidity and good minerality with hints of botrytis, it is fresh and crisp rather than heavy as found in many sweet wines.

Straw colored, medium bodied, medium sweetness with high acidity, this is complex with fresh scents of peach, subtle notes of dried apricot, orange, botrytis and honey, finishing with citrus, green apple, honey and mineral.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2377449


Sonoma-Cutrer Winemaker's Release Late Harvest Chardonnay 2012

We toured the Russian River Valley in remote Sonoma County with Dan and Linda during our Sonoma Napa Wine Experience 2017 last year. 

Wine and Spirits writes of this release, "This takes the ripening potential of the Russian River Valley and runs with it, melding the coolness of the region’s fog with the sunny, floral notes of honeycomb. Its plump nectarine flavors gain complexity from touches of botrytis, which took off in the vineyard after several storms in late October and early November. Winemaker Mick Schroeter can’t recall another vintage with such a complete infection of botrytis. The result is a richly textured dessert wine, balanced to drink on its own." They rated this 91 points in 12/2013.

Light honey colored, full bodied, extracted apricot fruit flavor with  hints of lemon citrus accented by notes of honey, crème brûlée and vanilla bean on a smooth lingering finish.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1737186

 

UGCB 2016 Release Tour Chicago

UGCB North American 2016 Vintage Release Tour Chicago

The UGC Bordeaux' (Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB)), annual release tour visited Chicago this week unveiling/showcasing their 2016 vintage release wines. The Union is the association of 134 of the top premier estates from the most prestigious Bordeaux appellations. This year's North American tour visited New York, Toronto, Chicago, LA and San Francisco.
 
As in previous years, our 'Pour Boys' wine group helped host the event in Chicago at the Drake Hotel in the elegant grand ballroom (shown below). We work with the Balzac team preparing the room, checking in trade registrants, and standing in for producers pouring their wines. As has happened several times in recent years, several producer's were delayed in travel and we were called in to service to pour wines, hence our moniker, 'Pour Boys'.

Close to a hundred producers were represented at the event that was attended by over five hundred members of the trade, media and industry.

This annual roadshow is a marathon trek across North America by the producers and their representatives offering wine professionals and eonphiles the chance to meet the Bordeaux principles, winemakers and commercial directors. 

As I've written in previous years, we appreciate the investment in time and effort expended by the producers and winemakers to visit Chicago. It provides a wonderful opportunity to meet them firsthand and discuss their perspectives on their brand, approach to crafting their style, their history, businesses, and their vintages including, of course, the current release.

Céline Villars-FOUBET, Owner, 

Château Chasse-Spleen

( Moulis-en-Médoc )

As a collector and holder of a significant collection of Bordeaux wines dating back four decades, I hold as many as a dozen vintages or more of some of these labels. Meeting the owners, family members, producer / winemaker / representative is a great privilege and offers a collector the chance to learn more about their investment and wines. As such, I tend to focus on and taste those wines that I know well and of which my wine buddies and I have holdings.

This was the ninth Bordeaux release event that I and my wine buddies assisted the team at Balzac Communications to work the event, helping with set up, logistics, and standing in to pour wine for any featured producers that were not able to attend in person. Earlier UGCB and related events are featured in earlier unwindwine blogposts. 

Again this year as in several earlier years, winter storms delayed or disrupted travel prohibiting some of the ambassadors to get to Chicago for the event, calling us to duty standing in, performing our duties as 'pour' boys.

This year's 2016 vintage was spectacular with several of the producer's having been awarded 100 points by the critics. I stood in for the Pauillac producers whose arrival was delayed by flight disruptions coming in from Toronto. It was a great honor to pour some of my absolute favorite wines: Chateau Lynch Bages, Chateau Longueville Baron, Chateau Pichon Comtesse de Lalande, Grand Puy Lacoste and Grand Puy Ducasse. I also served Chateau Les Ormes de Pez. 

The Pichon Lalande and Lynch Bages were spectacular, both standouts of the tasting. There were so many great wines in this vintage release. As is the case in a great vintage, all boats rise with the tide. Great wines are tremendous, but in a great vintage, the lesser second and even third labels are also wonderful. These often provide substantial QPR - quality price ratio, especially when the premier first labels often escalate in price due to demand for such a vintage. 

These vintages offer great opportunities for folks to stock their cellars in super wines at great values since they can fill in with the second and third labels at substantial discounts to the first premier flagship label of the brand.  

Coralie Bernard,
Domaine De Chevalier

The event is sponsored by the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, (UGCB) under the leadership of President Olivier Bernard. It is hosted and orchestrated by Balzac Communications, boutique wine marketing and communications consultancy firm in Napa, under the leadership of Mike Wangbickler, President. Attending this year too was Paul Wagner, founder and President Emeritus of Balzac. Paul is a founding member of the Academy of Wine Communications and a leading member of the American Wine Society. It was great to see Paul enjoying his passion and remaining engaged whilst in retirement. 

The afternoon session is for the benefit of the press and trade and wine professionals. As is customary in Chicago, Binny's Beverage Depot, the wine superstore offers tickets to the evening session, open to their valued customers and the public. This year, over four hundred collectors and vinophiles registered for the event.

Scene's from this years' vintage release tasting.  

David Launay, Sales Director,
Château Grand-Puy Ducasse

Céline Villars-FOUBET, Owner, 

Château Chasse-Spleen

Céline Villars-FOUBET, Owner, 

Château Chasse-Spleen

( Moulis-en-Médoc )

Chateau Chasse-Spleen has been managed by women for the past thirty years: Jacques Merlaut’s daughter, Bernadette Villars, starting in 1976, followed by her daughter, Claire, beginning in 1992, and now her sister, Céline, shown above.

Fellow 'Pour Boy' Ernie Summers

Christine Lurton-de Caix, Marketing
Manager for Château La Louvière
( Pessac-Léognan )

The always dapper Count Stephan von Neipperg,
Château Canon-La-Gaffelière, sans his signature scarf.

Representing eight centuries of family winegrowing tradition, Count Stephan von Neipperg (above) has succeeded in promoting Château Canon-La-Gaffelière to Premier Grand Cru Classé de Saint-Émilion status.

Dany Rolland, wife of legendary winemaker Michel Rolland, co-founder of Rolland Collection family business, including Bordeaux laboratory specializing in wine analysis in the Right Bank town of Libourne.

Lise Latrille, Sales and Marketing Director,
  Château Prieuré-Lichine

 Ronan Laborde, Owner,

Château Clinet

( Pomerol )

Loic Chanfreau, Chateau Fonreaud,
Sophie Solnicki-Thierry, Chateau Forcas-Hosten

Anne-Francoise Quié, family owner of
Châteaux Rauzan-Gassie

David Suire, Commercial Director

Château Larcis Ducasse

Rick serving Pichon Longueville Baron

Italian Village Wine Dinner

Italian Village Wine Dinner Features Two Classic Aged Vintage Release Labels

For an important business dinner we dined at Italian Village in the Chicago City Centre, our go to venue for such occasions. We had a private dining alcove, ideally suited for our business dinner. Wine Director, Jared Gelband (right w/ colleague Jeff L, touring the wine cellar), served up a classic pair of aged wines that perfectly matched our dinner selections, a eighteen year old legendary Super Tuscan Guado al Tasso from a classic vintage, and a thirteen year old Sangiovese, Vigna di Pianrosso. 

Count on the deep deep broad wine list of over 1200 labels to offer such a selection. What a treat! Two aged bottles drinking at their apex and capable of aging for another decade, if they would last that long.

Antinori Tenuta Guado al Tasso Bolgheri Superiore 2000

This is one of my favorites, a classic premium label from a historic vintage. This was a memorable bottle ideally suited to our dinner entree selections, especially my Veal Marsala with its brown sauce and angel hair pasta.

While this is an Italian wine, its Super Tuscan blend is French Bordeaux varietals - 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and the remaining 10% Syrah with a mix of lesser amounts of Cabernet Franc and other red grape varieties.



Dark blackish garnet colored, medium full bodied, firm structure but elegant and nicely balanced;  forward blackberry and black cherry fruits accented by mocha, expresso, tobacco and spicy clove with tones of mineral on the lingering finish.

RM 92 points.

This got 93 points from Wine Spectator,
93 points from Stephen Tanzer.

 https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=12750


Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona "Vigna di Pianrosso" Brunello di Montalcino 2004

We finished with Sangiovese to match our Italian entree selections. Once again, the depth of the IV cellar presented a fourteen year old vintage release.

Dark ruby colored, full bodied and structured yet approachable, intense forward black raspberry, black cherry and plum fruits, floral tones turning to earthy eather, dark spices, minerals turning to round smooth silky tannins on a long finish.


RM 92 points. 

The Pianrosso from proprietor Paolo Bianchini. Ciacci’s Pianrosso is an old-vines selection that spent 36 months in Slavonian oak.

92 points Wine Spectator
91 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
94 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=626465

https://italianvillage-chicago.com/

Quilt Napa Chardonnay 2016

Quilt Napa Valley Chardonnay 2016

I picked this up for a moderate priced, easy drinking, casual sipper. We opened it for holiday dinner and found it uninspiring and it was hardly touched ... set the remaining 2/3 bottle aside in the fridge for several days and pulled it out again and found it remarkably enjoyable. It's generally available at ~$30, relative to its 'published or release price of $35, it can be found in discounters for $27.

The Quilt label is named as the wine is "From A Patchwork of Prime Napa Valley Vineyards". This is a project of Joe Wagner, son of legendary Chuck Wagner of Caymus fame. Joe's signature is noted on the label. 

As mentioned above, it was much better the second time around for this bottle, reopening several days later, it was much more settled and enjoyable.

Quilt Napa Valley Chardonnay 2016

The Winemaker's Notes 

"A medium-bodied wine offering a complexity of flavors and a silky texture. Aromas of Fuji apple, buttery and toasty oak, honey dew melon and Meyer lemon are supported and lifted by flavors of apple tart, caramelized pineapple, buttered toast, salty popcorn, lemon curd and melon. The finish is long and satiny."

I found it light straw colored, medium bodied, with only slightly moderate complexity, but nicely textured, the initial notes of subdued melon, tart apple and buttery toasty oak gave way on the second tasting to a interesting, hedonistic predominant tone of subdued butterscotch, rather one-dimensional, but very appealing.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2927737

https://quiltwines.com/

Cakebread Napa Valley Chardonnay for Raymes Seafood Dinner

Cakebread Napa Valley Chardonnay for Raymes Lisle Seafood dinner

Friday night out for a casual dinner we dined at Raymes Steak and Fish House in Lisle (IL), blocks from where I got off the train commuting home from the city. While Raymies is the primary fine dining restaurant in all of Lisle we have only dined there a few times in the decades we've lived in town.

Readers of these pages know we place a high emphasis on wine as part of our dining experience. Raymes have a minimalist, barely adequate wine list, and as such, we had not planned ahead so as to bring a bottle BYOB so we ordered from their winelist. Indeed, they promote themselves as 'Home of the King Sized Cocktail', and their logo even features a martini glass. So it shouldn't come a surprise that this is not a wine oriented restaurant. Hence, one of the reasons we don't frequent there. Based on this evening's experience, though, we will definitely return, presuming we can arrange BYOB to accompany the dinner.

Raymies Seafood Special - Grilled Sea Bass in lemon butter

This was our first time in the 'new' Raymes, totally rebuilt from the ground up on the location of the old restaurant on the site along the commuter rail blocks from downtown and the commuter station.

The new restaurant is open, airy and cosmopolitan in its black furniture contrasting the white tablecloths on the tightly packed grid of tables. When we arrived for early dinner at 530 we got the last window table and the dining room was wide open. By 700 the dining room was full at this point was lively and boisterous but not excessively noisy.

The American style menu has a great selection for our tastes; steaks, chops, ribs, meatloaf, pot roast and a great seafood selection with a half dozen entrees. Entrees come with potatoe or rice, soup or salad and a basket of fresh hot bread. The seafood special was Grilled Sea Bass served in basic lemon and butter. Other choices included Lump Crab Cakes, Sea Scallops, Grouper in crusted parmesan, and fresh water selections Blue Gill or Walleye.

We opted for the Grilled Sea Bass, Scallops, Crab Cakes and the Grouper. To accompany our entree selections we chose from the wine list the Cakebread Chardonnay which was an ideal compliment to the fresh seafood selections.

We tasted the Reserve version of  this wine during our private tasting at the Cakebread Cellars Estate during our Napa Valley Wine Experience 2018. This is a popular restaurant wine, quality, dependable, a well known brand that is widely available so as to be a safe and easy choice fpr consumers. For our taste and preference, it was the only premium selection on the wine list that offered only three wines at pricepoints of $30, $50 and the Cakebread at $75, winelist prices based on ~2 times retail.

Cakebread Napa Valley Chardonnay 2014

This is a French-inspired elegant wine with a bit more acid and mineral quality than the big fuller bodied oak infused buttery style commonly produced in California. Almost clear, light almond colored, medium bodied, crisp, clean, predominate lemon citrus tones laced with minerals and stone fruit.

RM 89 points. 

This is sourced from 91% Carneros district and 9% Napa Valley fruit. Grapes grown in the cool-climate Carneros district at the southern tip of the valley are subject to fog and cooling breezes from nearby San Pablo Bay. Hence, Carneros typically has a long growing season that ripens the fruit fully while retaining the bright acidity that gives Chardonnay freshness and vitality. Added to the Carneros fruit is grapes from warmer sites further up the valley that yield a bit riper, fuller chardonnay, the combination resulting in richer, more elegant and complex chardonnay, but not the fuller, highly oaked, big buttery fruit bombs that are predominantly Napa Valley fruit from the hotter upper reaches of the area.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2220445

https://www.cakebread.com/

http://raymessteakhouse.com/

Raymes Lump Crab Cakes and Asparagus

Raymes Sea Scallops Appetizer

Raymes, Lisle, IL - Lincoln Hwy (Rt 53) at Burlington