Fine Dining at Hinsdale Prime Steak

Fine Dining at Hinsdale Prime Steak

Daughter Erin and Son-in-Law Johnny took us to dinner for a Christmas gift, and a joint celebration of our 50th Anniversary year and their 19th Anniversary this coming week(end). 

They took us to Hinsdale Prime Steak, just opened in September 2024 in the heart of tony Hinsdale, (IL) downtown across from the train station in what used to be the Corner Bakery. 

Owners Antonio Monroy and Ignacio Martinez, are Family and lifelong friends. Longtime hospitality industry veterans, they cite themselves as “Founders of ‘A groundbreaking take on timeless steakhouse’ with a commitment to quality and innovation in hospitality, offering the finest cuts of meat to ensure a remarkable dining experience for every guest”. 

Hinsdale Prime Steak Chef Javier Gomez has 30 years of culinary experience in Hotels, Private Clubs, Steakhouses, and French & Italian cuisine. He shares the owners’ commitment to quality and innovation towards ensuring that each meal at Hinsdale Prime Steak is an extraordinary experience.

Front of the house General Manager Cisco Cortez has thirty five years hospitality experience opening notable restaurants in Italian, French, and Mexican food.

Oscar Valencia Beverage Director, a wine enthusiast with 25+ years of combined experience in the hospitality business studied wines in Boulder Colorado.

Looking forward to a fine wine and dining experience, I pulled from our cellar two aged vintage ultra-premium labels from which to select one to pair with our dinner selections, both from the kids’ anniversary vintage year, the other a very rare single vineyard designated label from a prime western US vineyard with which we have a family connection. 

We were disappointed when advised they could/would not serve our BYOB. I admonished them that pre-opening press about the restaurant implied they were getting a BYOB license. Furthermore, they did not publish any wine list or wine policy. Lastly, for a prime upscale steak house, their wine list was quite limited, with a small selection of Bordeaux varietal wines on offer. They directed me to their “Gem’s” wine list, a select or ‘reserve’ list of ten ultra-premium labels at ultra-premium+ prices. 

In light of their limited wine list selections, which may be the reason they don’t publish it, we feel it’s extremely short-sighted and limiting to not entertain BYOB. It’s not about economics since it’s reasonable and customary to charge a corkage fee, which we are willing to pay, for the ability to enjoy a very special bottle for a special occasion. 

We admit we place a higher emphasis on wine when dining out, never-the-less, this will limit the number of times we’ll return, since enjoying special selections from our cellar is a big part of our dining experience. Naturally, we gravitate to and frequent establishments that offer such a service. 

In any event, we had planned to order at least one bottle, most likely a white if we ordered seafood, and eventually ordered tow bottles, a white and a red from their wine list.

Linda and I shared the chopped salad which was ample for them to split for us making it ideal. 

For a starter the kid’s ordered the Grilled Spanish Octopus with chickpea puree’,  heirloom tomatoes  and petite herb salad.

 

For my entree, I was pleased to see a New’s Year’s Eve Special menu which offered one of my favorite dishes, Sautéed Dover Sole with White Wine and Capers, served  with Sautéed Spinach, (below), which I gladly ordered. It was delectable.  

Erin also ordered another seafood dish from the menu, Chilean Seabass, which was equally delicious.. 

To pair with our dinners we ordered form the limited selection (only two Chardonnays offered), Far Niente Napa Valley Chardonnay. 

Johnny and Linda both ordered steaks, so, casting aside any hopes of pairing with our BYOB selection, we ordered from the rather limited wine list a Super Tuscan Bordeaux varietal red.

Far Niente Estate Napa Valley Chardonnay 2023

Far Niente is a well known, celebrated Napa Valley winery known for its exceptional premium Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, consistently recognized as a benchmark producer in the region. 

The 2023 Far Niente Chardonnay is crafted from a selection of premium Napa Valley vineyards located in the Coombsville AVA in the southeast corner of Napa Valley. 

These vineyards benefit from cool breezes that waft in from the San Pablo Bay, and well-drained soils, which contribute to the vibrant acidity and rich flavors of the wine. 

This was an ideal pairing with our seafood entrees. 

Winemaker’s Tasting Notes - “The 2023 vintage enchants with a beautiful bouquet of citrus, white florals, and subtle hints of honeydew melon and nectarine. On the palate, the wine opens with a silky texture that gives way to vibrant flavors of lemon-lime zest and lemon verbena. The bright, refreshing acidity lifts the fruit notes, leading to a long, juicy finish that leaves a lasting impression. Crisp minerality enhances the overall structure, supporting the generous fruit and ensuring a refined balance.”

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=5074907

https://farniente.com/

Linda ordered the eight ounce Filet Mignon while Johnny ordered the “Petite Brande”, an eight ounce filet with pepper crust, mushrooms and Madeira truffle sauce. Both were prepared perfectly and were superb. 

For pairing with the steaks, we ordered from the wine list this Bordeaux Blend Super Tuscan, 

For sides we ordered the Creamy Polenta and Creamed Spinach. Both were fabulous. 

Tenuta di Arceno Il Fauno Super Tuscan Red Blend 2021 

This is from Tenuta di Arceno, a historic Tuscan estate situated at the southernmost-edge of Chianti Classico in the butterfly-shaped commune of Castelnuovo Berardenga, closest in proximity to Siena and rightfully referred to as ‘the most Sienese Chianti Classico. The ancient walled town of San Gusmè, provides a picturesque backdrop for the vineyards of Tenuta di Arceno.

The estate covers 2,500 acres, of which 220 acres are planted to vines – the remaining land is preserved for native vegetation including 125 acres of olive orchards. Separated into 63 distinct vineyard blocks, the vineyards are planted to 50% Sangiovese and 50% international varieties such as Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. 

The estate produces a broad diverse portfolio of the high quality wines across two classification levels – three wines centered on the native Sangiovese grape in the Chianti Classico DOCG collection; and three wines celebrating the estate’s international varieties under the Toscana IGT designation. 

il fauno di Arcanum is a Bordeaux-style blend that embodies the diversity of the estate and is sourced primarily from the Arceno di Sotto, La Curva, Colombaio and San Giovanni blocks. Located in the lower southwest section of the estate, in a warmer, exposed subsection that ripens early, the soils possess a significant amount of clay, with good water retention, and produce wines that tend to be produce fruits that are more voluptuous and lush.

The branding of Tenuta di Arceno features a faun statue on the estate that has become the symbol for the winery. It inspired the name for il fauno, and is featured on the label. The faun itself is a being that is half human-half animal. The winery states,  “It expresses a duality into a unity – two natures in one body – in the same way that Tenuta di Arceno has embraced the dual expressions of DOCG and IGT wines into one style. It represents the coming together of two separately existing beings in the birth of something different – a new reality, derived from existing traditions, that represents greater possibility”.

This IGT designated release is a Blend of Bordeaux varietals, known as a ‘Super Tuscan’. It is a blend of 35% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Petit Verdot. It was aged in French oak, for 10-12 months. Production was 121,900 bottles.

It was rated 93 points by James Suckling.

Winemakers notes - “The nose showcases more earthy aromas than fruit, highlighting nutmeg, cypress and roses. On the palate, the entrance is supple with luscious mouth filling tannins and expresses flavors of black cherries, candied apples and licorice. This beautifully layered blend carries through to a long, spicy finish with hints of balsamic, cloves and white pepper.

Bright garnet colored, medium full bodied, expressive forward blackberry and black cherry fruits are accented with sprites of cigar box and cedar with notes of dark chocolate, tapenade, hints of pepper against a backdrop of soft oak with fine, dusty tannins extending to a long, solid finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4793129

https://www.tenutadiarceno.com/en/wine/toscana-igt/il-fauno-di-arcanum

We recommend Hinsdale Prime Steak Restaurant. The service was attentive and professional, and the food was fabulous. The wine list while quite limited is carefully selected, and the atmosphere is a bit noisy and boisterous with limited seating. The menu is creative and offers thirteen choices in steaks, chops and lamb, and ten choices in seafood, a chicken dish and two vegetarian options. There are ten side dish options of potatoes, polenta or vegetables. There is a selection of oysters, a half dozen salads and like number of starters. 

https://hinsdaleprimesteakhouse.com/menu/

Christmas family dinner features La Sirena Chardonnay, lobster and pasta

Christmas family dinner features La Sirena Chardonnay, lobster and pasta 

Continuing our tour of the kid’s homes on Christmas Day, following our Christmas revelry ultra-premium wine flight at son Ryan’s, we proceeded to son Alec and Vivianna’s and ended staying for early dinner. Alec prepared his hearty Rigatoni with Lobster medallions and Vodka Cream Sauce. 

With dinner, Alec pulled from his cellar this limited production/release premium Russian River Valley, Sonoma County Chardonnay from a legendary producer. 

La Sirena Russian River Valley Sonoma County Chardonnay 2021

We’ve had several La Sirena wines over the yesrs, but never a white. Alec acquired this at auction. La Sirena is the personal brand and label of legendary winemaker Heidi Peterson Barrett, one of the world’s most renowned and respected winemakers. 

Since the 1980s, she has created some of the Napa Valley’s most famous wines, including Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle, Grace Family, Paradigm, and many others. She started her own brand, La Sirena, in 1994, and began her collaboration brand, Barrett & Barrett, with her husband, Bo Barrett of Chateau Montelena, in 2008.

For some great wine focused entertainment, and to learn about more about the legendary Judgement of Paris, and about Bo Barrett and Chateau Montelena, watch the movie “Bottle Shock” (Trailer),  (“Bottle Shock” You Tube Stream)! 

From her winesite, we learn, “Heidi got her start at a young age. Her father, Dick Peterson, is a scientist-winemaker, and her mother, Diane, an artist. She gravitated toward both fields, and found that the world of wine was an ideal place for her to explore and combine these passions. Growing up, she worked in numerous vineyards and wineries alongside her dad, and decided to pursue it as a career. She attended UC Davis for fermentation science and went on to several internships and positions in the industry. Her career took off in the late 80s when she began working for Dalla Valle as an “independent winemaker”’
.
She began to develop a tiny project called Screaming Eagle shortly afterwards, and from there, things escalated quickly. With 5 perfect 100-point scores for her wines in the span of just a few years, Heidi skyrocketed to international fame, setting a world record for the highest price ever paid for a single bottle of wine ($500,000 for a 6L of 1992 Screaming Eagle at the Napa Valley Wine Auction in 2000).

Today, Heidi maintains a stable of ultra-premium client wineries, including Amuse Bouche, Au Sommet, Fantesca, and Mars Estate, as well as her own brands La Sirena, Barrett & Barrett, and Aviatrix. She and Bo live among their vineyards in Calistoga. In her free time, she enjoys scuba diving, skiing, flying her helicopter, making art, and gardening.

She named her brand and label La Sirena, which means “the Mermaid” in Spanish and Italian. She chose it because she’s a loves the ocean and scuba diving and wanted a winery name that was fun & magical (like wine). The first vintage of La Sirena was 1994, with the first Cabernet Sauvignon made in 1996. The current portfolio consists of Cabernet Sauvignon, Moscato Azul (dry Muscat Canelli), Rosato (rosé of Primitivo), Chardonnay, Malbec, Barrett Vineyard Syrah, and red blends, Studio Series and Pirate TreasuRed. Production is always small, focusing on fine wines of purity and excellence.

This wine is sourced from the original 1969 planting of the Rued clone of Chardonnay, known for its somewhat tropical aromatics (some even refer to it as the Muscat clone of Chardonnay), and blended with fruit from the Bacigalupi Paris Block, one of the sources for the Chateau Montelena 1973 Chardonnay that won the Paris Tasting. 225 cases produced

Duane Hoff, proprietor of Fantesca told us when they hired Heidi as consulting winemaker, their Chardonnay was the first one she had ever crafted. Of this label, Heidi says, “I have made Chardonnay a number of times for my clients over the years, but I was not compelled to make my own until a special vineyard source became available in 2016 - the Rued family original vineyard planted in 1969. The offer was intriguing, so I went to have a look, and was immediately taken with the magnificent old vines and their large gnarled trunks & arms. For the first time this vintage, I also blended in some Chardonnay from the famous Bacigalupi Paris Block, one of the sources for the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that won the Paris Tasting.”

Hence, this is 100% Chardonnay,  60% of this Chardonnay comes from Valdez Vineyard and 40% from Bacigalupi Paris Block. It was aged in French oak barrels 10% new for 10 months. Production was 225 cases.

Winemaker notes - “Brilliant light golden straw in color with gorgeous fruit aromas of crisp pear, pineapple, delicate melon, a whiff of green apple and citrus, with nice minerality and complementary notes of caramel, beeswax, and a kiss of vanilla. A very light touch of of toasty French oak enhances the aromatics and fruit flavors across the palate. The mouthfeel, texture and flavor profile is just delicious, with nicely balanced acidity and richness that lingers in an extraordinary finish.”

Golden straw colored, medium bodied, full, round textured vibrant peach, lemon and pineapple fruit tones with a rich crème brulee’ layer with a crisp silky smooth lingering finish. 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4915068

https://www.lasirenawine.com/

https://twitter.com/LaSirenaWinery

Christmas revelry includes ultra-premium wine flight

Christmas revelry includes ultra-premium wine flight

Christmas Day, we made the rounds to the kid’s homes to celebrate the holiday with their families in their own homes. We’re blessed that all four of our kids, and our eleven grandchildren are all here in the area. 

The afternoon stop at son Ryan’s house found him preparing a beef tenderloin for their gala evening celebration dinner with the in-laws. It afforded us the chance to taste the flight of wines he opened and set aside for the occasion. 

As part of the tasting opportunity/experience, we brought along from our cellar a premium Napa red from the same appellation, and a vintage desert wine.

We paired the wines with a selection of artisan cheeses Ryan set out for the occasion. They included:

• Rogue River Blue
• Farmhouse Truffle Gouda
• Chardonnay Infused Creamy Toscana 
• Brie

The wines flight:

• Antica Terra Anequorin Willammette Chardonnay 2020
• Hall Wines Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
• Odette Stag’s Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
• Shafer “Hillside Select” Stag’s Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
• Alois Kracher Scheurebe TBA #9 Zwischen den Seen 2001 
• Giraud Sauterne 2013

Antica Terra “Anequorin” Willamette Valley Chardonnay 2020

Antica Terra is a boutique winery with an 11-acre vineyard located in the heart of Oregon’s Willamette Valley on a rocky hillside with steeply pitched grades and panoramic views of the surrounding land  in the Eola-Amity Hills, founded by John Mavredakis, Scott Adelson and Michael Kramer.  

The first vines were planted in 1989 in a clearing within the oak savannah. The geology of the site is extremely unusual. In most of the region, vineyards are planted in the relatively deep, geologically young soils left behind by either the Missoula floods or the volcanic events that formed the Cascade Range. The remains of older pre-historic seabed rise to the surface with exposed boulders, steeply pitched grades without topsoil, amongst a fractured mixture of sandstone sown with fossilized oyster shells, leaving the vines to struggle. 

The west wind moves constantly through the vines. Clouds fissure over the vineyard and allow the sun to ray through, at an angle and with a clarity that makes the site feel bright, even on the bleakest day. But it’s what you can’t see and feel, those aspects of the site that the vines allude to as they strive to find balance, that make it a remarkable place.

In 2005, winemaker Maggie Harrison came on board. Harrison had been assistant winemaker to legendary Manfred Krankl of Sine Qua Non.  

Audrey Frick's notes on the producer for jebdunnuck.com: "Maggie Harrison is a first-generation winemaker, having grown up in the Midwest. With an educational background in International Relations and Conflict Resolution, she fell in love with wine while working in restaurants and set out to follow that passion and create wine. She went on to land the position of assistant winemaker to Manfred Krankl at Sine Qua Non, where she remained for eight years. She is currently the co-owner and winemaker for Antica Terra, producing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay since 2005, and is also responsible for the Syrah at Lillian Winery in Santa Barbara. Initially, it had been her goal to only produce a singular wine, but during blind tastings for blending, she felt the various components would not necessarily complement one another and would overpower or detract from the other. Rather than force them to homogenize, each of the wines bottled today chases the individual and opposing personalities each possesses. Her wines are impeccably expressive and worth seeking out if you can get your hands on them." 

Today, Antica Terra produce ultra-premium Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Rose. Maggie Harrison leads the winemaking team focusing on small-batch wines using meticulously sourced grapes from the best vineyards in the Willamette Valley crafting wines that show off the region’s unique terroir and individualized tastes. 

They taste about 150 samples over 10 days through a careful selection process that ensures they use only the best grapes. The wines are aged in French oak for up to 36 months. This method produces complex and age-worthy wines that highly desired.

This Aequorin Chardonnay and their Obelin Pinot Noir labels are only produced in certain vintages making them are rare and sought after. 

The 2019 release of this label was rated 98 points by James Suckling and 96 points by Jeb Dunnuck, 94 points by Wine Advocate.

This 2020 Aequorin Chardonnay was an extraordinary vintage due to the season faced with forest fires. As they tell it, Antica Terra Collective Tasting. “(This was the) Only chardonnay made in 2020, picked before the wildfire smoke decimated much of the Pinot that year. All we had was this: seven-fiftieths of the fruit we typically harvest, all white when typically, mostly red. The result -  A funky, savory, unique chardonnay. Musk melon, dank oak, charcuterie, plummy stone fruit. Maruchan chicken soup base and no one can tell me otherwise!! Distractions disappeared and left in their place, their opposite – a mindful possession, in clear and vivid form.”

Very unique and distinguishable - Greenish golden straw colored, medium bodied with tightly wound, intense brilliant focus, vivid bright vibrant razor-sharp acidity, complex textured ripe layers of fresh pear and orange citrus with notes of hazelnut, melon the producer refers to as Brioche and salted butter and oak notes on a long crisp tangy finish. 

RM 93 points. 

https://www.anticaterra.com/2020-aequorin-chardonnay/

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4348327

www.anticaterra.com

Moving to the red wine flight …

Hall Wines Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

We’ve featured Hall Wines often in these pages highlighting our visits to their magnificent Hall Napa Valley Rutherford Estate vineyards, winery and cellars in 2013 and their Hall Rutherford Winery Estate Appellation Tasting in 2017.

We discovered, tasted and acquired this label at the magnificent Rutherford estate winery during that Napa Wine Experience in 2017. We then acquired more of  this highly allocated release as part of our wine club distribution. 

This is sourced from the Schweizer (75%) and Bench (25%) vineyards in the Stag’s Leap District AVA of Napa Valley The vineyards are bounded on the east by the warming Stags Leap Palisades, on the west by rolling hills and the Napa River, on the north by the Yountville Cross Road, and on the south by flatlands. 

Legend has it that quick and nimble stags would escape the indigenous hunters of southern Napa Valley through the landmark palisades that sit just northeast of the current city of Napa. As a result, the area was given the name, Stags Leap. 

While its grape-growing history dates back to the mid-1800s, winemaking didn’t really take off until the mid-1970s after a small but pivotal blind tasting called the Judgement of Paris, when a 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon won first place against its high-profile Bordeaux contenders, like Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Chateau Haut-Brion, international attention to the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley escalated rapidly.

Winemaker notes - “The dramatic diurnal shifts, emanating from the San Pablo Bay influences, ushers in cool nighttime air, which helps the grapes retain their tell-tale fresh acidity. The wine possesses bright red berry and plum flavors, with a vibrant and lengthy core of tannin.”

This 2015 Hall Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon was rated 97 points by Robert Parker, 95-97 by Jeb Dunnuck, and 93 points by Vinous. 

Deep inky purple-black colored, full-bodied, powerful rich concentrated but polished and nicely integrated ripe sweet black berry and black cherry fruits scented by earthy notes of pine, forest floor and bark with notes of spice, cigar box and hints of cassis with ripe, firm, grainy tannins on a long full finish.

RM 94 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2639918

Https://hallwines.com/ 

https://mcnees.org/winesite/labels/labels_California/lbl-CA-Hall-Stags-Leap-Napa-Cab-2015-remc.jpg

https://twitter.com/HALLWines

@HALLWines

Odette Stag’s Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

This is part of the Plumpjack group portfolio of wineries. We used to love their wines. I wrote about Plumpjack and their unfortunate demise into woke progressive politics in this recent blogpost - 
Plumpjack Estate Napa Valley Cabernet for meatloaf dinner, and in previous posts, Plumpjack Founders Reserve Cabernet, and Spectacular dining experience at Entourage Restaurant Downers Grove.

 in more detail in a recent blogpost. 

Odette Estate Winery was established in 2012, sitting on 45 acres straddling the Silverado Trail in the Stag’s Leap District in southeast Napa Valley. It was founded with a guiding philosophy of environmental responsibility and a commitment to preserving their special spot in the Stags Leap District for generations to come.

“Change is good, green is good, organic is good,” says Odette partner John Conover about the estate’s environmentally proactive approach to winemaking. “We’re doing it because it’s the right thing to do as stewards of the land.”

They subscribe to and practice Organic farming and their winery construction and operation reflect these priorities in their LEED designed facilities that promote a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five critical areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.

The winemaker for Odette is Andrew Haugen who gained interest in wine with the movie Sideways during his time at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He set out to deepen his knowledge, with his fascination with relationship between ‘site and soul’ in wines. Andrew joined the Plumpjack/Odette team in 2015 as Cellar Master, honing his skills and ascending to Enologist, Assistant Winemaker, and now Head Winemaker for Odette and also sister winery estate, Adaptation.

This release is actually a blend of Bordeaux varietals- 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 6% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot. 

Bring a classic traditional Left Bank Bordeaux Blend explains why this wine was wider and more complex and not as deep, so to speak, when compared to the other Napa Cabs. This likely showed best when consumed with the beef tenderloin. 

This release was awarded 97 points by Jeb Dunnuck. 

Dark garnet colored, full bodied, round, complex, concentrated ripe blackberry, black currant and black raspberry fruits accented by crème de cassis, licorice with notes clove spice and anise with bright acidity and smooth polished fine grained tannins on the long persistent finish.

RM 92 points. 

https://www.odetteestate.com/

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4137711

Shafer “Hillside Select” Stag’s Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

The highlight of our tasting, was this vintage release of the iconic flagship of legendary Napa producer Shafer Vineyards. I’ve written in these pages about our holding the predecessor to this label back with the Reserve release of Hillside vineyard back in 1982, which became Hillside Select in the follow year vintage release. That happened to be one of our birth-year vintage wine holdings for son Ryan which I featured in this blogpost - Birthyear Vintage Wine for Family Birthday Dinner, excerpted below.

Shafer Hillside Select is a classic Napa Valley premium label dating back to 1983. The prior year, 1982, was Ryan's birthyear, and for that vintage, Shafer produced this Hillside Vineyard Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon which thereafter from the following 1983 vintage would be known as Shafer Hillside Select.

Hillside Select is sourced from a collection of rugged, arid vineyard blocks that surround the winery in the Stags Leap District in Southeast Napa Valley.

Founder John Shafer was a native of Chicago, hailed from northern suburb Glencoe, and lived for a time in nearby Hinsdale, Illinois. He moved to Napa Valley in 1972 when the Shafer family purchased a 209-acre property including 30 acres of Scansi’s vineyards. In 1973-74 Shafer planted Cabernet Sauvignon, creating small hillside vineyard blocks such as Sunspot and John’s Upper Seven. 

In 1978, John produced his first Shafer Vineyards wine, a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from fruit sourced from John’s Upper Seven vineyard, a precursor to Hillside Select.

Doug Shafer joined his father John as winemaker in 1983. When he tasted the 1982 lot from the Sunspot vineyard block he was so impressed he talked John into keeping it separate from the others. With the Sunspot lot, Doug created this label, Shafer’s one and only Reserve Cabernet. Starting with the 1983 vintage, in 1984, the Reserve was rebranded as the first release ofHillside Select.

That inaugural release of Hillside Select, and those since, are sourced from the collection of 14 small vineyard blocks planted within an eons-old amphitheater-like structure of rock and volcanic soil that surrounds the winery. With scant soil nutrients and moisture, yields at harvest are meager and the berries are small, producing lush Cabernet Sauvignon fruit with dark color and intense, classic flavor.

I wrote about Shafer Vineyards in a detail blogpost back in 2021 as part of my review of the book A Vineyard In Napa by Doug Shafer, that chronicles the founding and history of Shafer Vineyards in Napa Valley 

It is about the life of John Shafer, a Chicago businessman, and his pursuit of a dream when he decided to pursue a second career by buying a plot of land that included a vineyard in Napa Valley back in the early seventies. 

He moved his family from their comfortable suburban lifestyle in an adjacent suburb from here, to a remote mountainside farmstead in rural northern California, and set upon developing vineyards, and ultimately, building a winery, a business and a brand.

The book, narrated by Shafer’s son Doug, follows their dual careers as they lived the history of Napa Valley and the American California wine business. Through it they learned the challenges, travails, science, technology and handicraft of planting and growing grapes, crafting wines, and building a brand and wine business- the three legs of the stool, as they called it.

So, it’s with a bit of reverence when I get the chance to taste this iconic ultra-premium label.

This release was awarded 96 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 95 points by Connoisseurs' Guide and James Suckling, 94 by Wine & Spirits, and 92 points by Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast which also coined it a “Cellar Selection“.

Winemaker notes for this release - “A newly opened bottle of 2006 announces itself with lifted, aromatic beauty. The lively, elegant nose is followed in the mouth with a core of juicy, black fruit, chocolate, black plums, cassis, black and red cherry, black tea, and vanilla and spice. Ripe, round, Stags Leap District tannins put together good structure for very long term aging.”

Dark garnet colored, full bodied, powerful, textured, rich, structured core of concentrated black berry and blackcurrant fruits framed by complex layers of bitter dark chocolate, licorice, cassis, cedary camphor, minty pine and lead pencil graphite with full round tannins on a long long lingering finish, well oaked, having been aged in 100% new French barrels. 

RM 95 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=544877

https://shafervineyards.com/index.php

 

@ShaferVineyards - https://twitter.com/ShaferVineyards

@unwindwine, @rickmcnees

More to come …. 

Alois Kracher Scheurebe TBA (Trockenbereene Auslese) #9 Zwischen den Seen 2001

It’s fascinating holding these wines over the years and seeing them darken from straw color to butter to gold, then weak tea and tea colored, and beyond! Top vintages of these “Ice-wines” can last several decades or more. 

Neusiedlersee in Austria is one of the classic growing regions for vinification of grapes for producing these wines, along with the Sauternes appellation in inland eastern Left Bank Bordeaux, the Niagara Peninsula escarpment in southern Ontario just above Buffalo, NY, and the western Canadian Okanagan Peninsula. 

This wine is from producer Alois Kracher, internationally regarded as one of the finest dessert wine makers. Their estate vineyards located in the Seewinkel, an area in the Burgenland region of Austra, along the eastern shore of Lake Neusiedl, called the Weinlaubenhof, 

Their estate has the terroir including the unique appropriate microclimate uniquely suited to the production of Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese wines. Their estate has 80 acres of vineyards planted with Welschriesling, Chardonnay, Traminer, Muskat Ottonel and this Scheurebe, such as in this label. 

After Alois Kracher passed away in December 2007, his 27 year-old son Gerhard took over responsibility of winemaking and continues to manage the winery with the same skills and acumen and successful outcomes as his famous father once did.

Source of Austria’s finest botrytized sweet wines, the Burgenland covers a lofty portion of Austria's wine producing real estate consisting of the smaller sub-regions of Neusiedlersee, Neusiedlersee-Hügelland, Mittelburgenland and Südburgenland.

Neusiedlersee, named for the lake that it surrounds to the east, is home to a great diversity of grape varieties but the region’s most notable wines, however, are the botrytis-infected, sweet versions.

We hold more than a dozen labels and vintages spanning more than two decades of Kracher premium dessert wines. We enjoy serving them for special occasion dinners with fellow eoephiles that appreciate the label. 

Trockenbeerenauslese is the highest in sugar content in the category of Austrian and German wine classifications. Trockenbeerenauslese wines, called "TBA" for short, are made from individually selected grapes affected by noble rot (i.e., botrytized grapes).

This means that the grapes have been left on the vine to ripen to the point that they gain a high sugar content, individually picked and are shrivelled with noble rot, often to the point of appearing like a raisin. They are therefore very sweet and have an intensely rich flavor, frequently with a lot of caramel and honey bouquet, stone fruit notes such as apricot, and distinctive aroma of the noble rot. 

Trockenbeerenauslese means literally "dry berry selection." This very sweet dessert wine is made from individually selected shriveled grapes that have the highest sugar levels with flavors concentrated further by the fungus Botrytis cinerea, or noble rot. 

Trockenbeerenauslesen rank among the greatest sweet wines in the world.

Winemaker Notes - “Medium gold in color. Attractive aromas of orange zest, floral characters and reminiscent of fresh grapes. Nutmeg, exotic fruit and a touch of honey on the palate. A very mineral finish.”

This release was rated 94 points by Wine Spectator and 91 points by Wine Enthusiast.

At 23 years of age, the label and foil, and most importantly the fill level and cork were in pristine condition. The color had evolved from straw to butter to gold to weak tea to tea colored. 

This was full bodied, rich, thick unctuous, concentrated syrupy nectar of honeyed apricot, grapefruit citrus, clove spice and nutmeg with roasted nut notes on the thick tongue puckering finish. 

RM 92 points. 

Wine Enthusiast said - “The most concentrated of the range of TBAs made by Kracher in 2001, this is almost too sweet, almost too concentrated. It is hugely liquorous, with very low alcohol because the sweetness of the grapes was too much for the yeasts, which gives it a character almost of intensely sweet, very pure grape juice.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=19088

https://www.kracher.at/

Groth Birthyear Vintage Napa Cab for festive family holiday dinner

Groth Birthyear Vintage Napa Cab for festive family holiday dinner

Further to our Festive Christmas Eve family dinner featured in an earlier blogpost, we also opened an aged birthyear vintage bottle for the occasion.,

We hold in our cellar collection a horizontal of wines for each of our kids’ (and grandkids’) birth year vintages that we hold to open for special occasions and family gatherings. So it was that tonight I also pulled from the cellar a birthyear vintage wine for son Alec, joining us for Christmas Eve dinner. 

As our kid’s get older, the window for holding and tasting birth year wines is rapidly closing, and, we still hold a collection of wines that need to be consumed. In this case, for our youngest son Alec, the 1990 vintage was especially extraordinary.  

Three #1 Wine Spectator Top 
100 Wines from 1990 vintage

Three times, three different wines from the 1990 vintage were awarded #1 Wine of the Year by Wine Spectator Magazine as part of their annual Top 100 Wines of the Year.. 

This is a testament to the global success of the vintage, one was from California, one from Bordeaux and one from South Australia, a further testament to the amazing spectacular 1990 vintage. 

 

All these wines were acquired upon their release back in the early nineties, in some cases, even before being so recognized and heralded.  

We also hold large format bottles of birth year vintage wines for these years in our collection. I blogged about these wines and big bottles in a previous blogposts. 

Tonight, with the hearty beef roast dinner, I pulled from the cellar this 1990 Napa Cabernet for a wine pairing. 

Groth Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1990 

This is the standard Groth estate cuvee’ offering. It had 15% Merlot added to round out the blend. 

We visited the Groth Estate back in the late nineties for a tour and tasting.

Notably winemaker for this wine was none other than Nils Venge.  

This release awarded 90-92 points by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, and 90 points by Wine Spectator.  

The Wine Advocate Review was back in 06/1992. The Wine Spectator Review was a decade later  in 02/2001.

Parker referred to the classic Groth style - sweet, almost intensely opulent fruit flavors, silky tannins, and hedonistic.

At thirty four years of age, aside the soiled label, the foil, and most importantly the fill level and the cork were in ideal condition. 

This bottle was past its prime drinking window and was showing diminution from age. The body was slightly murky and the dark garnet color was taking on a slight brownish hue. The blackberry fruits were turning slightly tart and starting to give way to non-fruit flavors of earth, tobacco and leather, with notes still apparent of herbs, coffee, spice and cassis with tangy acid predominating on the finish. A momento tasting but time to drink up as a last vestige of this vintage cuvée. 

RM 86 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=35189

https://grothwines.com/

https://x.com/GrothWines

@GrothWines

@unwindwine

Venge Silencieux for Christmas Eve dinner

Venge Silencieux for hearty festive Christmas Eve dinner - Silent One for Silent Night, Holy Night

Just returned from a family Christmas gathering in Conneticut, Alec, Vivianna and the girls joined us for a festive Christmas Eve dinner. 

Linda prepared a delicious hearty beef roast with potatoes, carrots, green beans and onions, with a garden salad and fresh brioche rolls.  

As is customary, when dining with Alec and Viv, I pulled from the cellar one of our ‘V’ collection of wines, having fun paying tribute to daughter-in-law Vivianna. 

Readers of these pages know about this tradition and how we can fulfill it with bottles from Venge Vineyards, or Viader, or some occasional others - Verite’, Vine Cliff, Varner …. 

This premium selection featured a large, oversized, heavy painted bottle, predominantly bearing the ‘V’ Venge Vineyards logo.

We feature Venge Vineyards often in these pages going back many years, and highlighting many family gatherings - 

Visit to Venge Vineyards and Nils Venge

Gala Family Celebration Dinner at Angelis Italian

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/12/venge-napa-valley-oakville-penny-lane.html

Venge "Silencieux" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 

We hold dozens of Venge labels dating back decades, and chose this large, heavy, oversized painted bottle for the occasion - and, selected the oldest of half a dozen vintages of this label, as part of cellar management. 

Silencieux 2011 was a big bold expressive Napa Cab, and proved an ideal pairing with the hearty beef meal. 

Venge describes this wine and the inspiration for the Silencieux (Silent One) name on the rear label, shown below - fitting for this Silent Night, Holy Night! 

This is 100% Cabernet that was blended by winemaker/producer Kirk Venge from five different vineyard sources in Oakville, Calistoga, Mount Veeder, Spring Mountain and Coombsville. Hence, a Napa Valley designation, but no further sub-classification single AVA granularity. (There are seventeen appellations (AVA’s) in Napa Valley. 

Reviewing my experience with this wine, and reading the pundit’s expressions, this is perhaps an object lesson in interpreting reviewers comments of a wine. Or perhaps I obsess, but that’s what makes these assessments fun!

Being a blend of no less than five different vineyards, perhaps its my imagination, but this seemed to be slightly obtuse, a cacophony of flavors, big, bold and forward, almost slightly aggressive in its boldness - but delicious nonetheless. 

I felt that at fourteen years in 2024, that it might need another couple years to integrate and settle, but alas, perhaps not. Time will tell but I suspect it’s at the peak of its tasting window and will not improve, or be tamed, with further aging. 

Wine Enthusiast, who rated it 93 points and anointed it a “Cellar Selection”, projected it to  “age effortlessly through at least 2021.” 

Wine Enthusiast noted further, “It makes you wonder why we obsess with single-vineyard bottlings.” And, more to that pint, it is available at a big discount to those single vineyard labels providing nice QPR - Quality Price Ratio. 

It was also rated 92 and 91 points by Wine Advocate and International Wine Cellar, respectively. 

Wine Advocate said, “The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Silencieux is a much larger cuvee, …. Rich, concentrated, round and generous, this is a sumptuous Cabernet Sauvignon with no hard edges” Large and generous stand out in my purview, indeed, and I might disagree about the ‘hard edges’.  

International Wine Cellar referred to it as “Slightly high-toned … very good vinosity and serious length. Excellent for the vintage.“ Which ends on the point that 2011 was a slightly ‘off’ vintage in Napa Valley, and perhaps it’s simply that lack of perfection in the vintage that shows in this slightly less than stellar showing. 

Delicious, none-the-less, my words, which I later discover echo Wine Advocate sentiments -  … “but it is a delicious, reasonably priced Napa Cabernet Sauvignon that showcases Venge’s Midas touch with this varietal.” 

Dark, bright ruby-red, medium-full bodied, rich, concentrated, round, forward ripe black currant and blackberry fruits, highlighted by dark mocha, graphite, currant, clove spice, anise and sweet oak, with full round tannins and tangy acidity on the sumptuous finish. 

RM 92 points.   

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1678403

We also opened a Groth Birthyear Vintage Napa Cab which we featured in this follow on blogpost. Notably, winemaker for this wine was Nils Venge! 

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/12/venge-napa-valley-oakville-penny-lane.html

http://www.vengevineyards.com/

https://twitter.com/VengeVineyards

@VengeVineyards 

@unwindwine @rickmcnees

Cantina Fratelli Pardi Montefalco Rosso

Cantina Fratelli Pardi Montefalco Rosso Italian Red Blend

Sis-in-law Dr Pat gifted us this interesting Italian red that she discovered and acquired at the winery in Umbria, Italy during her visit to the region this fall. She brought it during our holiday get-together and we opened it with carry-out pizza for Saturday evening dinner. 

This is a unique label from the town of Montefalco located in central Umbria, south of the town of Assisi and north of Spoleto on the lush Apennine Range in the center if the Italian peninsula. Umbria is one of the few completely landlocked regions in Italy. 

One of the primary and leading red grape varieties in the region is Sagrantino, grown around the picturesque hilltop village of Montefalco. Along with Montefalco Sagrantino - made exclusively from the Sagrantino grape - other reds include this Montefalco Rosso (and Montefalco Rosso riserva), such as this one, that are primarily Sangiovese. The area also produces some white wines include Montefalco Grechetto and Trebbino Spoletino.

Sangiovese is the actually the  most widely planted grape in the area, with Montefalco Rosso, defined by this grape, being a less tannic and less powerful wine that is more approachable upon release, more drinkable and at less expensive pricing, available to enjoy while waiting for the Sagrantinos to mellow out. 

Since the primary varietal is Sangiovese rather than Sagrantino, this Montefalco Rosso is a lighter-bodied, and more approachable wine, that also can be enjoyed earlier at a younger age.  

This label produced by Cantina Fratelli Pardi is a notable example of Montefalco Rosso. They also produce a Montefalco Rosso Riserva (basically a Montefalco Rosso from better quality grapes that has been aged longer before release).

As shown on the rear label (below), in Italian since this bottle was procured overseas at the winery, Pardi Montefalco Rosso is a Red Blend made predominantly from 70% Sangiovese, 15% “Vitigno Autoctono” which translated to English means "native grape variety" or "local grape variety", which refers to the local Sagrantino, with the remaining amounts of 7.5% Merlot and 7.5% of Cabernet. 

This release was awarded 90 points by Vinous’s Eric Guido and James Suckling. 

Bright ruby colored, medium bodied, full and round pleasant easy drinking, bright blackberry and black cherry and some red fruit notes, dusty rose, olives and spicy and savoury, with balanced acidity and pronounced but approachable tannins on the lively lingering finish. 

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?5118851

https://www.cantinapardi.it/tablet/index.html

Beau Vigne Reserve Napa Valley Proprietary Red 2022

Beau Vigne Reserve Napa Valley Proprietary Red 2022

Watching “The Sticky” series on Netflix, we had some of the leftover delicious beef tenderloin in avocado sandwiches. I opened this premium Napa Red Blend from a just received shipment that we were eager to try. This is another Big Red from another emerging interesting Napa producer who produces a wide portfolio of wines from estate and contract growers and purchased lot sources.

If the pedigree of the winemaker says anything, then Beau Vigne is in a distinguished class with 100-point winemaker Julien Fayard (Lafite Rothschild, Smith Haut Lafitte, Melka, Quintessa, Realm, Covert Estate), and where Dave Phinney was the founding winemaker! Note also, the collaboration with Philippe Melka, and contribution of another of our fav’s, winemaker Kirk Venge. 

I featured Beau Vigne in detail in a more extensive blogpost last summer - Beau Vigne Napa Valley Proprietary Red, and several other blogposts such as the one’s below.

The producer writes - “Our Napa Valley winery is devoted exclusively to making influential luxury Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Sauvignon Blends. Taking inspiration from our founding winemaker Dave Phinney who sought out to make red wines that would compete with the greatest wines of the world. This tradition was enhanced by the addition of winemaker Kirk Venge in 2008 through 2018/19 who obtained a perfect 100 Points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. Present-day winemaking is now in the hands of Julien Fayard who hails from the legendary first growth Château Lafite-Rothschild and Atelier Melka before becoming the brilliant up and coming new winemaker in Napa Valley.”

Beau Vigne was taken over by Charles Bartlett when he purchased the brand in 2019 with the intent to carry on the dream created by Ed and Trish Snider, whom he has known for many years. Charles has worked in Napa since the late 1970s and has built a successful wine trading company, working with many of the top names in the mountain AVAs. 

Bartlettl hired Julien Fayard to establish and oversee modern practices in the vineyard and in the cellar. The release of beau Vigne CULT Cabernet Sauvignon, beacme one of Napa Valley’s most acclaimed labels with year-over-year 93 to 98 points from critics. Beau Vigne continues the tradition of hand-harvested grapes planted and grown on Atlas Peak, the Pritchard Hill region and other viticultural areas of Napa Valley including Howell Mountain, Oakville and Rutherford.

We featured our tastings from the Beau Vigne portfolio in these recent blogposts:  

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2022/10/beau-vigne-reserve-proprietary-red-wine.html

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2022/10/beau-vigne-proprietary-red-byob-at.html

Beau Vigne Reserve Napa Valley Proprietary Red 2022

This is a most recent limited release label from the BV collection such that even the CellarTracker inventory of a million labels and collection of several million tasting notes, doesn’t yet have any mentions! 

Unlike an earlier release of the same label back in 2013, this release doesn’t list the blend and is therefore presumed to be 100% Cabernet Sauvignon? 

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2023/07/beau-vigne-napa-valley-proprietary-red.html

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, rich round ripe black berry and black currant fruits with spicy acidity, hints of graphite, bittersweet dark chocolate, cassis and black tea on a full lingering finish. 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=5207604

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=5207604

https://www.beauvigne.com/

Sesta di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese

Sesta di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese with tangy homemade spaghetti

With Linda’s homemade spaghetti and tangy marinara bolognese sauce, I pulled from the cellar a premium Brunello di Montalcino for a wine accompaniment. Readers of these pages know this wine has become one of our favorite ‘go-to’ wines, especially for this particular food-wine pairing.  I’ve written in several of those posts what makes Brunello di Montalcino special. 

This is from the Spina family who in 1980 acquired the 110 acre estate Sesta di Sopra in Abate, located southwest of Montalcino and about four kilometers from Castelnuovo dell. 

Sesta di Sopra is located in an area ideally suited for viticulture, situated near the river Orcia, the calcareous soil and the microclimate are favourable for the vines to thrive. 

They set upon to renovate the property, first the main house, an old lookout tower, amidst a six acre area covered with olive trees. Vines were first planted on six adjoining acres and beyond in the  vineyards located in the upper part of the Sesta zone. 

Ettore Spina took great care planting and operating the vineyards according to the latest viticulture practices. The total of fifteen acres of vineyards were planted in the early 1990s with different clones of the Sangiovese grosso variety. The first vintage of aristocratic wine was pressed in 1999. While not highly productive, they produced very high-quality grapes reflecting their terroir.

In the planting and viticulture management, as well as the production of Brunello and Rosso, Ettore Spina was aided by the professional advice of his good friend Giancarlo Pacenti, until recently Vice President of the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino. Today, owner Enrica Bandirola is assisted by Oenologist  Giancarlo Pacenti.

Over the next decade, Sesta di Sopra, while small and little-known became a leading Brunello producer who Vilnius says rates among the best. 

After they have been harvested, the grapes are placed in crates to protect them from damage. Arrived at the tiny winery, the grapes are fermented in temperature-controlled steel tanks according to traditional methods. The Brunello is aged in traditional Slavonian oak barrels with a capacity of 30 hectolitres. The Rosso is matured in French oak barrels.

The branding features labels with an Ethhruscan symbol of the sun found on the farm, a trademark along with the name of the country estate dating back to the 13th century. 

Sesta di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese 2013

This release was rated 95 points by Vinpous and Wine Enthusiast, 94 by James Suckling, and 93 by Wine Spectator. 

Annual production is approximately 7,000 bottles. 

Deep garnet red colored, medium full bodied, dense by refined and elegant, plum, raspberry and black cherry fruits with notes of licorice, leather, tobacco leaf, spice and hints of tar with firm but approachable tannins on the lingering spicy, underbrush aftertaste. 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2129586

https://www.sestadisopra.it/