Cakebread Cellars Napa Chardonnay at Il Postino NYC

Cakebread Cellars Napa Chardonnay at Il Postino NYC

Visiting NYC on business, I had dinner with son Alec and roomate Dean. We dined at Il Postino on East 49th Street, a favorite neighborhood ristorante, a short walk from the apartment. The ambiance is cosmopolitan and stylish, the menu offers a broad selection of Italian specialties including pesce and pasta favorites. The signature artwork of a 19th century bicyclist rises over a corner table (shown left) and is their branded identity on their business cards and matches.

Their daily specials menu is so extraordinary that Alec had never seen their actual menu. The recitation by the server is worth price of admission. While not necessarily an Italian specialty, I couldn't resist the Dover Sole and it did not disappoint, being as good as any I've ever had.

As a wine geek, I tend typically order the wine to complement and pair with the food, and tonight was no exception.

To pair with my Sole and Alec's shrimp dish I ordered a bottle of Cakebread Chardonnay of the wine list.



Cakebread Cellars Napa Chardonnay 2015

Cakebread Chardonnays are  classic Napa Valley Chardonnay, crisp, ripe and round. The style reflects the range of vineyards from the lower Carneros to the central Napa Valley floor.

Straw colored, medium full bodied, aromas of green and golden apples, pear and citrus with notes of citrus spice and mineral.

This is a blend of 90% Carneros district, 10% Napa Valley.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=2470938

http://ilpostinony.com/

Ninety-Plus Cellars Lot 53 Gran Reserva Mendoza Cabernet

 Ninety+ Cellars 53 Gran Reserva Mendoza Argentina Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 

For casual sipping with Saturday Night movie by the fireplace I pulled from the cellar this ten year old aged Mendoza Argentina Cabernet Sauvignon from the cellar. This impressed enough to save over for Sunday grilled steak dinner. Initially, I was thinking 'pizza wine', aka low cost casual drinking for Saturday evening dinner, but this was big, complex and sophisticated enough to hold over for Sunday afternoon dinner.

Another label from negociant private label remarketer Niney-Plus Cellars, this Lot 53 over achieved in delivering a super QPR (quality-price-ratio) new world South American Cabernet Sauvignon.

According to Ninety-Plus, this wine is made by a well-respected family-owned winery in Mendoza, Argentina. The grape vines are located more than 800 meters above sea level and are irrigated from the mineral rich water from the Andes mountains. The wine is fermented in stainless steel and then aged for 6 months in a blend of new and recently used French oak.

I had set this bottle aside in the cellar as 'time to drink', and perhaps 'passed its time'. This vastly exceeded my expectations with high throttle bold fruit forward expressive bright vibrant fruits and obtuse in-your-face accents. This would've been a great 'pizza' wine but it was sufficiently complex and multi-dimensional that it was an ideal compliment to grilled beef steak, mashed potatoes, grilled salmon and asparagus Sunday dinner.

Bright garnet colored, medium fulled bodied, expressive forward sweet dark plum, cherry and berry fruit flavors accented by a layer of anise and high alcohol punctuated tones of eucalyptus and tangy acidity on the tongue puckering finish. The 14.8% alcohol shows but isn't overpowering to be distracting. This is great sophisticated and complex enough to be a great value at under $20.

Binny's Beverage Depot, Chicago's wine merchant super store are showing the 2015 release of this label at under $10. Need to pick some up to try and compare! 

RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1430849

Paratus-Spring Mountain Vineyards-vintage Auslese

Paratus, aged Spring Mountain Vineyards Napa Cabs, vintage Auslese - birthyear wines for family birth celebration dinner

Celebrating birth of granddaughter Mackenzie Jean we hosted a family dinner of four generations. I pulled from the cellar Napa Cabs from birthyear vintage wines of new parents Ryan and Michelle from birth years 1982 and 1983. These were in addition to the 1985 vintage release we opened last evening.

Ryan brought from home a 2008 vintage release of Paratus Mt Veeder Cabernet which was an ideal complement and comparison to the other neighboring Cabs.

Spring Mountain Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1982

Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1985

Paratus Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

Joh. Seb Adams Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Mosel-Ruhr-Saar Auslese 1983

We toured the Mosel-Ruhr-Saar River Valley region back in the early eighties during the time of this vintage. I don't believe we acquired these wines then even though they are from the region and time period. I found them recently tucked away in the corners of our cellar. They've no doubt been there for decades. I did not have any expectations for these wines being consumable and was pleasantly surprised to find one so.

This is not meant to be a long aged wine and it was not acquired for or intended to be held for long term cellaring. Late harvest TBA - Trockenberen Ausleses may have such aging potential but the Riesling Auslese or Spatliese are not so. I was pleasantly surprised to find this wine intact and approachable.

The fill level was still fine and the cork was intact - further testament and indications of the ideal conditions in our cellar for long term aging.

This was golden light honey colored, slightly cloudy, light medium bodied, notes of subdued green apple and tones of spice and nut with moderate tangy finish.

REM 83 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2963727

More to come ... 

Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet 1985

Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1985

For a special intimate family dinner we opened a birth year wine from our cellar for the occasion - Silver Oak from the 1985 vintage.

Linda prepared surf and turf - grilled steaks, mussels, lobster tails and sockeye salmon.

Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1985

While showing showing character of age, this is still approachable and luscious with dark garnet color, slight rust colored bricking on the rim, medium bodied, tangy oak predominates from start to finish on the nose and flavors accenting cherry fruit layered over dusty herbal and green pepper notes with black cherry, leather and forest floor, and hints of cassis on a tangy tongue coating oaky finish.

RM 89 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=25766

http://www.silveroak.com/ 

Ninety+ Cellars Super Cuvée Lot 95 Red Bordeaux Blend 2013

Ninety+ Cellars Super Cuvée Lot 95 Red Bordeaux Blend 2013

For mid-week barbecue dinner we opened this bold intense Napa Cabernet blend from Ninety Plus Cellars for the occasion.  I've written often in these pages about Ninety+ Cellars and their Negociant method of procuring and private labeling wine. While many of their releases are hit or miss, every so often they offer a great QPR (quality price ratio) buying opportunity. Oten these will be one-of or once in a lifetime releases, and as such, will not provide the continuity or consistency of dealing direct with the producer and deny the chance to repurchase favored wines. For this particular release, 600 cases were produced, a large enough quantity to reasonably expect to find it available in distribution, at least for the near term anyway.

Such may have been the case with Lot 101 Ninety Plus Cellars Lot 101: Collectors Series Columbia Valley, Washington, Syrah, 2009 which was one of our favorite drinking wines while our supply lasted. We've not seen a recurance of Lot 101 which is the unique identifier for this producer/source of this label, but we remain on the lookout for it every time we see their label or their end-cap displays in wine merchants.

This may also prove true with Ninety Plus Cellars Lot 150 Spring Mtn CabernetNinety Plus Cellars Lot 150 Napa Valley Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon which was a recent or may still be a current release if there remains any left in distribution.

Another recent release that was notable was Ninety Plus Cellars "Lot 94" Rutherford Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2015.

So it may be with this 2013 release of Ninety+ Cellars Super Cuvée Lot 95 Red Bordeaux Blend, an unusual blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon and 37% Petite Sirah, that this is a on-off, once in a lifetime buy. I picked up a couple of bottles after the initial tasting but as with these releases, when they're gone, it may be the end of it with no chance to re-purchase that release, or subsequent vintage releases of that wine.

In any event, enjoy it while you can. This Super Cuvée Lot 95 Red Bordeaux Blend is showing well at this time, dark inky purple colored, full bodied, concentrated blackberry, black currant and plum fruits, accented with a layer of expresso and tar, with hints of vanilla, cedar and anise.

RM 91 points.

The Supplier notes sum it well citing, "firm and intense yet well rounded with soft edges and a lively dose of black cherry fruit that unfolds into a smooth, velvety finish".

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2185244

Marilyn Merlot welcomes grand-daughter Mackenzie Jean

Marilyn Merlot 2014 highlights family dinner celebrating arrival of grand-daughter Mackenzie Jean

Celebrating another family birth of grand-daughter Mackenzie Jean to son Ryan and daughter-in-law Michele, daughter Erin and grand-daughter Lucy were with us for Sunday Brunch after church so I pulled from the cellar this whimsical Marilyn Monroe Merlot. We hold a vertical collection of over a dozen vintages of this label which each year features a historic photograph of the legendary starlet.

The 2014 release is the thirtieth of this wine and label. This year's label features a photo by photographer Bernard Bruno (Bernard of Hollywood). Bernard took the photo of Marilyn in the 1950’s when Marilyn was producing her own movies.  Marilyn is said to have told Bernard, “Remember, Bernie you started it all —you discovered me!” during the photo shoot for this historic photo.

The 2014 release is a blend of  97% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, the fruit sourced from Andy Beckstofer’s Napa Valley Missouri Hopper vineyard in the Oakville Appellation.  

This 2014 is dark scarlet colored with hues of purple, medium bodied, concentrated but somewhat subdued black berry and cherry fruit flavors with a firm backbone, tones of spice, dark mocha chocolate, hints of mushrooms, earth and what the winemaker calls 'forest floor', turning to nicely integrated acidity and moderate tannins on the lingering finish.

RM 89 points

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2483516

http://www.marilynwines.com/product/2014-Marilyn-Merlot

Schwa-Chicago-culinary-art-wine-dinner

Schwa Chicago - a place to experience food as art

Our Pour Boys wine group returned with the girls to dine at Chef Michael Carslon's simple non-descript storefront with the black awning, Schwa Restaurant in Wicker Park, Chicago.

We took a broad diverse flight of fine wines to pair with the nine course artfully crafted haute culinary journey that stimulates all the senses with imaginative dishes that are as artful as they are tasteful.

Schwa provides a perfect BYOB experience as they choreograph an extraordinary culinary course with our extensive wine flight. In retrospect, we learned to bring a more diverse flight of wines rather than three Bordeaux, for example ... A spectacular wine/dine experience in any event. 

Our wine flight:

Fantesca Sonoma County Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2009
Sea Smoke Single Barrel One Santa Rita Hills Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir
Chateau Pavie Macquin St Emilion Bordeaux 2004
Chateau Troplong Mondot St Emilion Bordeaux 2005
Chateau Leoville Las Cases St Julien Bordeaux 2006
Chateau Suideraut Sauterne Bordeaux 2013
Bricco Luciani Mauro Molino Barolo 2013
Crofts Vintage Port 2003

Friend and colleague Mike S joined us from Conneticut and added a new dimension to our wine group and wine flight with two of his own personally crafted wines - Michael's Amarone 2007 and Michael's Super Tuscan Blend 2007.


The culinary artwork mastery of Schwa ... neither pictures nor words can do justice to the olfactory and sensory experience. The music is loud and the pace is frenetic ... too much so to take in the details and keep up ... Go during the week when there is only one seating so you might have more time. Of course bringing so many wine courses didn't help. The staff do an amazing job parsing through the courses and matching the wines.

Pretzel twig ... shitake mushrooms ...

Peanut butter ... crab medallions ...

Signature dish ... shaved truffel, quail egg filled ravioli ...

Trout Roe ...

Spanish Mackerel ...

Seaweed Sea Smoke ...

Beef braised tip  ... served in incense smoker bowl ...

Foie gras ...

Sorbet ...

For so many wines, one tends to hold to compare each against the previous and following resulting in a wide swatch of glasses ...!

http://www.schwarestaurant.com/

Alpha Mare Napa Cab at IV Chicago

Alpha Mare Napa Valley Cabernet and Argiolas Korem at Italian Village Chicago

For a business dinner we dined at Italian Village Chicago and Wine Director Jared Gelband pulled from their extensive cellar this limited production Alpha Mare Napa Cabernet. To accompany the wine, I selected a favorite dish, simple Italian Sausage and Peppers.

Alpha Mare Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

According to the winemaker, this Classic Napa Cabernet "Alpha Mare is a Limited Production Red Blend Wine that represents the Best of the Best in our cellar".

Dark garnet color, medium full body, complex, concentrated but nicely balanced and integrated bright expressive forward black berry and black raspberry fruits with highlights of mocha chocolate, notes of anise, hints of sweet oak, bright acidity punctuating its whopping Edit15.8% alcohol.

RM 92 points. 

Producer Red Mare Wines sources fruit from very small, well-respected vineyards throughout the Napa Valley. The Cabernet Sauvignon fruit is sourced from the Prichard Hill area of Napa Valley where the  mountain fruit is thick and dense, with tiny berries providing the firm backbone for Alpha Mare, giving it firm tannins, depth and minerality that reflects the unique terroir of the location.

The Red Mare project is a partnership of winemaker Anne Vawter and producer Jim Striegel. An avid
horse woman, Anne named her wine label in honor of her red mare, Paradigm, who was a bonus given to her during her time at Paradigm Winery. The inaugural release of Red Mare Cabernet Sauvignon was in 2007. Only slightly more than 100 cases are produced of this limited release premium label.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2024920

http://www.redmarewines.com/

https://italianvillage-chicago.com/

As we did with our dinner at Italian Village two weeks ago when we sampled Argiolas wines from Sardinia, we reached back into IV's deep cellar for another label from this producer.

Argiolas Korem Isola dei Nuraghi IGT 2007

A more modest selection than the premium Argiolas Nurriga we tasted the other evening, this Korem was a perfect compliment to my Italian Sausage and Peppers entree.

Colleague and dining guest Michael S selected this wine based on personal experiences with the producer and this label and his numerous visits to the region. Michael actually owns an authentic artifact of the ancient coin that adorns the label of this wine.

This is a blend of Sardinian varietals Bovale Sardo, Carignan and Grenache. Resembles a Southern Rhone Gigondas or even a more complex CDP (Chateauneuf du Pape) which also features these varietals.

Bright ruby colored, medium bodied, full forward tangy bright plum, cherry and berry fruits with notes of kirsch, spice and tones of cedar on the long moderate tannin finish.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=989407

http://www.argiolas.it/it/index.html

 

Porter Creek Timbervine Ranch RRV Syrah 2014

Porter Creek Timbervine Ranch Russian River Valley Sonoma County Syrah 2014

For mid week wine and cheese tasting, we opened this Sonoma County RRV Syrah. We discovered and acquired this small production label during a drive-by drop-in visit to the winery and vineyards during our travels through the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County last summer. This was the first bottle we've opened from the mixed case we acquired at the Estate.

Dark garnet-blackish colored, medium bodied, black berr, black plum and black cherry fruits punctuated by black pepper, graphite, cassis and hints of floral and smoke with moderate acidity and lingering tannin finish. Linda likes this style more than I do. I prefer more fruit emphasis and less graphite and pepper notes.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2603970

https://portercreekvineyards.com/

 

Liparita Napa Valley Howell Mtn Cabernet 1990

Liparita Napa Valley Howell Mtn Cabernet 1990

With son Alec home from NYC for a business meeting, I pulled from the cellar one of his birth year wines to celebrate the occasion. We're still holding several cases of various wines from his vintage year for special occasion (s) and at 28, its time to start consuming them. At this stage one has to wonder how such wines are holding up and which ones need to be consumed before they lose their vibrancy.

I've written in these pages about our meeting with Gove Celia, winemaker for this producer back in the mid-nineties, and how the current instantiation of this label is not related to those earlier wines.

We have held this bottle for quite a while as it was not accounted for in our Cellartracker inventory. It was in our older original source hand written 3x5 index cards down in the cellar and was noted in the label notations on the OWC (original wood case) for a 1990 vintage  wine in which it was stored.

This bottle actually exceeded my expectations as I was prepared for, or expecting some signs of diminution due to aging. We held several vintages of this wine from the late nineties and they were not holding as well as this one when we consumed them over the years. This 1990 was holding well and remarkably showed no such signs although it most assuredly will not improve with any further aging.

This was dark garnet colored, medium bodied, blackberry fruits were accented by notes of leather, smoke, tea and tobacco with hints of anise on a lingering moderate tannin finish.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=331458