Robert Craig Affinity Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Bordeaux Blend 2009

Robert Craig Affinity Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (Bordeaux Blend) 2009

From the wine dinner at Theo's Steak and Seafood in Highland (IN) the other night, the 28 oz Bone-in-Ribeye steak that I chose for my entree, I had a half steak left over, the spoils of a big steak dinner entree. What better Sunday afternoon football dinner than a ten ounce ribeye with a California Cab?

After closing out with son Ryan the remains of the big Aussie Shiraz Finders Ranges last night visiting to see the grandkids Halloween costumes, I wanted something big, full of fruit, but sophisticated and somewhat complex to accompany the red meat. A perfect wine to answer the call is Robert Craig Affinity - a Bordeaux style blend accented by Cabernet from the range of Napa Valley appellations.

I've written here before about the Robert Craig Affinity label, crafted for early drinking gratification, while also able to age gracefully. Robert has stated he strives to hold the price point of this label to introduce people to his brand with an economical high value offering. So, I chose a middle age, six year old 2009 vintage Affinity from the cellar. It proved to be the perfect selection!

The modest Robert Craig (left) downplays the sophistication of this wine and cites it simply as a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. He'll talk about the fruit being sourced from three mountains and a (the) valley (Mt Veeder, Howell Mountain, Mt George, and of course Napa Valley). Yet, it is notable, this not only represents the best of California Napa Valley Cabernet, it is also a sophisticated Bordeaux Blend incorporating the range of Bordeaux varietals.

While pop and poured, it improved over the course of the next hour to open and reveal its native character, depth and complexity.

We hold two decades of vintages of this wine going back to the inaugural releases in '93 and '94, with almost a case of this vintage. This exemplifies all the reasons this is one of our favorite, most widely held wines. It will be fun to enjoy and witness how it ages over the coming years. I've written often here about our many visits to the winery and special events with the producer.

This is likely at the apex of its drinking window, meaning it won't likely improve further with age, yet it will last in the cellar for another decade. This wine offers the best of the old world and new world ... a blend of Bordeaux varietals leveraging a century of experience in selecting and matching the varietal selection in the blend, with outrageously wonderful full forward fruits from Napa Valley with its persistent consistent growing conditions for Cabernet. As soon as you open and pour this, the aromas fill the room and burst from the glass.

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, smooth polished and sophisticated but approachable and enjoyable, tangy full forward bright vibrant black berry and black raspberry fruits with hints of black currant, tobacco, tea, baking spice, a subtle layer of floral punctuated mocha and vanilla oak, turning to cedar on the finish of gripping yet smooth polished tannins on the lingering finish.

RM 93 points. 

In 2009, the blend is 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, 5% Merlot, 2% Malbec and 1% Cabernet Franc.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1136280

http://www.robertcraigwine.com/

Baked Brie Tranche Slice of Pape Blanc Columbia Valley White Blend 2010

Baked Brie highlights Tranche Cellars 'Slice of Pape Blanc' Columbia Valley White Blend 2010

One of the highlights of our recent gala French cuisine wine dinner at Hemingway's Bistro in Oak Park was their decadent baked brie cheese with honey and toasted almonds. So, for a casual midweek tasting of an interesting white wine, Linda crafted her own rendition of this preparation - Baked Brie in crescent wrap with mixed berries, honey and toasted almonds (shown below).

 

The delicious crescent rolls with baked brie, mixed berries with honey and toasted almonds were ideally suited to a moderately complex Rhone style white blend.  

To accompany this decadent treat, we tasted this interesting, odd named proprietary white blend from the producer Corliss, otherwise known for Cabernet Sauvignon.  Wine Advocate says "Tranche Cellars consistently delivers serious, impeccably made wines that over-deliver". 

This label, "Slice of Pape Blanc" is a blend that would characteristically be found in Chateauneuf du Pape Blancs, white blends from the southern Rhone River Valley known mostly for big reds. 

This is a blend of 59% Roussanne and 41% Viognier aged in 100% neutral French oak. 

The complexity and depth of the wine was a perfect compliment to the symphony of flavors of the brie, crescent, berry, honey and almonds.  


Tranche Cellars 'Slice of Pape Blanc' Columbia Valley White Blend 2010

Straw colored medium bodied with a silky texture, this opened to rich, crisp, bright vibrant tones of lemon citrus with accents of peaches, hints of apricot, floral and just the right amount of acidity.

RM 91 points. Wine Advocate gave it 92

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1611401

http://tranchecellars.com/

Theos steak dinner Lazzarito Barolo Moulin-Tacussel CDP BYOB

Theos steak dinner Fontanafredda Lazzarito Barolo Moulin-Tacussel CDP BYOB

For a impromptu Friday evening dinner, we dined at Theo's Steak and Seafood in Highland (IN) with Dr Dan and Linda, just returned from their Rhone River wine cruise. This was our first return to Theo's following our gala family reunion celebration dinner there this summer. Tonight's dinner introduced Dan to Theo's and provided a valued discovery since its in his neighborhood where there are limited options for fine dining with the chance to bring special cellar selections BYOB.

Dan brought two wines - one from his cellar, Fontanafredda Lazzarito Barolo 1996, and one that he and Linda tasted and acquired just three days earlier at the producer on their visit to Chateauneuf-du-Pape in the Southern Rhone River Valley, Domaine Moulin-Tacussel 2013.

Dan said he also has and meant to bring the 2012 which he said is bigger and more settled and approachable providing a bit better drinking enjoyment.

Petit Filet w/ Crabcake

This provided a rare tasting opportunity of this small boutique producer who only markets wine to 'friends and family' and the community in the Southern France commune. He admonished Dan with this point when Dan suggested to him that he could easily get a higher price for his wine.

The two Lindas each had the petit filet mignon, my L enjoying the special with crab cake and asparagus on mashed potatoes (shown left).

Bone-in Ribeye

Dan and I each dove into the 26 oz. Bone-in Ribeye selection, both prepared and served to perfection including my 'Pittsburgh' preparation - medium inside and charred on the outside (shown left).

As before, Theo's staff provided professional, attentive,cordial service including attending to and serving our BYOB wine. Now that our 'Pour Boy' wine buddy Dan is indoctrinated, we'll no doubt look forward to returning again for a wine and dine experience.

Domaine Moulin-Tacussel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2013

Medium light bodied, slightly opaque, ruby colored, crisp and bright, vibrant slightly tart black cherry fruit with tones of tapenade and tea notes on the modest slightly astringent tannin finish.

RM 87 points.  


https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2032560

http://moulin.tacussel.free.fr/



Fontanafredda Barolo Lazzarito Vigna la Delizia 1996

Dan served the '99 vintage of this at his Big Italian wine dinner last year. This '96 showed medium bodied, dark garnet colored, vibrant bright black cherry fruits, tones of acidity, tar, smoke and leather on a moderate tannin lingering finish.


RM 88 points.


https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=622731

Flinders Run Southern Flinders Ranges Shiraz 2005

Flinders Run Southern Flinders Ranges Shiraz 2005

This continues to be one of our absolute favorite and most enjoyable drinking wines in our cellar with a huge QPR (Quality Price Ratio). Each time I pull a bottle I wonder if it will be good as I remember and the answer is always, yes. I remember discovering this wine downstate and picking up a bottle to try, then going back for more, and more, eventually buying out the store. I then found it on-line and purchased more, then convinced our local merchant Binny's to pick it up, and I bought them out too.

My Cellartracker records show I have acquired more than seven cases of this, sharing much of it with my wine buddies over the years. I still hold a couple cases and pull each bottle guardedly, savoring each tasting. Tonight was no different, still holding its own in its tenth year, seeming as good as ever, and pleasing as much as any time before. It reminds me a lot of the Kilikanoon Oracle, another favorite, but at almost twice the price, that was best of the evening, at our recent gala Syrah tasting last month. Regretably, I haven't seen this offered since these earlier discoveries. You can see my posts of previous tastings of Flinders here.

While I tasted this with the left over bone-in rib-eye steak from last weekend, it was superb with simple dark chocolate baking chips and the decadent Dove bar dark chocolate covered blueberries. It is great with food but this wine is so flavorful, its a meal all by itself, with any accompaniment.

Consistent with my last two tasting notes over the last two years ...
Dark inky colour - full bodied, elegant rich thick chewy - symphony of flavors of sweet currant, ripe plum, red raspberry, blueberry, a layer of mocha accented by hints of pepper, vanilla, and spice, and a lingering essence of creme brulee' and cedar on the long full soft finish. Now seven years old with a bit of age, this wine is smoother, more polished and more approachable than earlier tastings when young.

While more subdued than the bigger '06, it retains all the nuances and character it exhibited in its youth - nicely balanced, polished, and flavorful. While the fruit is not as big and bold as its follow on vintage, the '05 still holds full, dense, complex layers of blue and black berry fruits, accented by licorice, hints of black pepper, and tones of black tea and what Parker refers to as 'pain grillé' which is the French word for 'toast'.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=421985

Wright Now Tour culminates in Le Bouchon Dinner

Wright Now Tour culminates in Le Bouchon Chicago Dinner

This is starting to appear like the Frank Lloyd Wright (FLW) wine site with this being our fifth FLW tour event capped by a wine-dine dinner outing in recent months.  Here is the posting on my FLW Prairie Architecture WebSite on our Wright Now Tour, which we finished with a dinner at Le Bouchon French Bistro in tony Bucktown in Chicago, walking distance from our kid's condo there. L and I have dined at their sister restaurant La Sardine, opposite the (former) Harpo Studio, several times but this was our first visit to Le Bouchon. Bill and Beth celebrated their anniversary there.

As part of the Chicago Architecture Biennial festivities, SC Johnson, the Johnson's Floorwax company, is offering Wright Now shuttle bus tours to Racine, Wisconsin, to explore the SC Johnson corporate headquarters designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Tours include the Administration Building (opened in 1939), the Research Tower (opened in 1950), and Wingspread, the iconic, Prairie-style home Wright designed for H. F. Johnson Jr. in the late 1930s.

This was a particularly special outing since our friend Bill C's grandfather was an executive with SC Johnson during the time the company was engaged with Mr Wright to develop the project. He had many opportunities to meet with the legendary Wright during that time. Bill holds a library of memorabilia from those encounters. What a wonderful surprise when we discovered during the tour of the SC Johnson HQ research tower, a display of a vintage Life Magazine article featuring the building. Featured in the displayed magazine is a picture of Bill's grandfather, W C Connolly, advertising executive of SC Johnson, standing in the Wright designed building with Herbert Fiske Johnson, then President of SC Johnson.

Our follow on tour of the spectacular Wingspread was punctuated by reminiscences of Bill recalling visiting there as a child. 

Bill and Beth took a BYOB wine to enjoy with our picnic lunch on the tour, and I took a couple BYOB selections for dinner afterwards. We dined at Le Bouchon Bisto, boisterous and crowded yet cozy and chic, as authentic as it could be, as if one were transported to Paris or a Provencal village.

While we found their $50 corkage fee prohibitive to open our carry-in, we enjoyed an authentic haute cuisine dinner with a couple selections from their French centric wine list, two diverse styles that each complimented the courses of our dinner perfectly. I normally might rail about such an exorbitant fee, but I won't. With their small venue and its limited seating, they don't have high volume to offer BYOB, thereby reducing their revenue per diner. Moreover, they offer an appropriate thoughtful selection of reasonably priced wines to compliment their extensive menu selections.

Bill selected the 2008 Vosne-Romanée, Domaine Dominique Mugneret which went well with the salad and starter courses - the Mousse of Duck & Rabbit Livers with Fig Jam on Sourdough, the apple salad, French Onion and seafood bisque soups.

I selected the 2010 Château Coutet, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru which fit our hearty bone-in ribeye and pomme frittes entree.

Vosne-Romanée, Domaine Dominique Mugneret 2008

Opaque medium-light bodied, ruby colored, moderately tart cherry and cranberry fruits with hints of  pepper spice and some dusty earth. This was favored by Bill and the ladies. 

RM 88 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=524878

 

Château Coutet, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2010

We've enjoyed Château Coutet at the UGC vintage release tastings as well as an aged vintage of their dessert wine at our wine dinner tastings. This is a right bank wine with a left bank character and feel with its dark garnet color, medium body. smooth polished but rustic gripping mouthfeel, dark berry and cherry fruit with crushed rocks, graphite, dusty leather and pepper on the nose and palate finishing with smooth soft tannins. I prefer this bigger, more robust style, especially with our beef entree.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1532671

Andrew Murray Tous les Jours Santa Ynez Valley Syrah

Andrew Murray "Tous les Jours" Santa Ynez Valley Syrah 2014

Once again this year, Open House Chicago, put on by the Chicago Architecture Foundation opened the doors to 200 iconic buildings to the public this past weekend. This offers a rare opportunity to see inside many buildings not often open to the public, and many that we pass regularly, perhaps wondering what is inside.

As a docent interpreter for the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust, I presided over tours at the famous Robie House in Hyde Park at the University of Chicago. This Frank Lloyd Wright prairie style masterpiece was designated one of the most influential buildings of the 20th Century by the American Institute of Architects and represents one of the best examples of the works of FLW and his prairie architecture.

Better half, Linda and friends Bill and Beth came in for the tour and then we dined in Hyde Park at Medici Cafe. We took a couple wines BYOB for the occasion. From the local Treasure Island, I picked up this Santa Ynez Valley Shiraz from Andrew Murray. We're visiting the area next month and we're trying to preview wines from the region in preparation for our visit.

Readers of this column have read about my collecting guidance for 'once a week', 'once a month', 'once in a lifetime', and 'every day' wines. Andrew Murray Vineyards offer this label as their “everyday”, easy-drinking Syrah. “Tous les Jours”, which translates to 'everyday', a red wine blend of Syrah from Paso Robles and Santa Ynez Valley vineyards, has been touted as one of the best wines under $20 by Food & Wine Magazine.

Recent vintages of this wine have been available under $15 and have gained 90+ ratings providing great QPR - Quality Price Ratio.

Andrew Murray "Tous les Jours" Santa Ynez Valley Syrah 2014 

This 2014 is dark inky purple colored, full bodied with black cherry and black raspberry fruits with tones of black pepper and spice, a subtle layer of graphite metallic detracts from its smooth approachability for my preference but Linda likes this style, with its full forward fruits and smooth moderate tannins on the lingering finish.

RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2181477

http://andrewmurrayvineyards.com/

Hemingway's Bistro Wine Dinner Highlights FLW Architecture Tours

Hemingway's Bistro Wine Dinner Highlights FLW Architecture Tours

Our 'pour boys' wine group toured the Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio in Oak Park, followed by the neighborhood walking tour featuring iconic Wright homes. As a docent/interpreter for the FLW Trust, I arranged and presided over our group tour. Our custom tour focused on Wright's nearby 'bootleg' homes, the classic prairie style Heurtley House, the Nathan Moore and adjacent Hills House, the Beachy House, FLW's first complete prairie style home, the Frank Thomas House, and the Laura Gale House.

Afterwards we dined at Hemingway's Bistro Restaurant in the quaint Wright Inn, a few blocks away, near Hemingway's boyhood home, across the street from the Hemingway Museum. Their semi-private room in the back overlooking the restaurant provided the perfect comfortable intimate setting for our dinner group assemblage.

The Hemingway's Bistro French inspired cuisine provided an ideal accompaniment and setting for our BYOB French centric wine flight. The staff, lead by our server Aron, did a spectacular job attending to our group of twenty, serving dinner and accommodating the preparation and service of our wines, making for a wonderful delightful dinner evening. They set an adjacent table for showcasing and preparing our wines and provided fine wine glassware for reds, whites and champagne.

Our group has no less than five current period weddings to celebrate and we'll have two grandchildren born this year so there was much to toast and commemorate with our wines. To that end, our wine flight selections featured several notable vintage years with wines from 1970, 1976, 1981,1982, 1988, 1989, 1991 and notable wine vintages such as 2000. We also got a first look at some recent releases. Recent posts in these pages have highlighted our wine tastings at Bill and Beth's, and Dan's recent wedding celebrations.

The wines:

For a starter, I brought a magnum of Moët & Chandon Dom Perignon Champagne, 1976. Regretably, the cork of this bottle had failed recently and this bottle was corked.

From our cellar I sourced a vertical flight of Cos d' Estournal St Estephe Bordeaux for Eric & Cathy, Kay, and Linda and I to offer. George was amazed we were holding these wines this long. I stated that's the fun of special anniversary/birth year vintage bottles. Moreover, I explained how we learned over time that we drank many of our Bordeaux, especially from the eighties, too early! Look how these old Bordeaux held up and showed well, even those at ages supposedly past their drinking windows! Every one met or exceeded expectations.

Cos d' Estournal St Estephe Bordeaux 1981 - our daughter Erin's birth year who is expecting a child in the coming month. Deemed a modest vintage with moderate aging potential, this wine showed amazing resilience and showed well. Medium bodied, bright ruby colored, earthy leathery dark cherry and firm blackberry with hints of creosote on the tannic berry finish. Amazing life yet in this cellar selection. Recent tastings showing lot's of life left in the remaining 81's in large format. RM 89 points. https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=20282

Cos d' Estournal St Estephe Bordeaux 1988 - George and Leslie's daughter's birth year - whose wedding to Eric & Cathy's son Ross is next month. Last time I reviewed this wine I noted the disparity between the Parker (86) and WS (95) ratings. You decide! Once again, supposedly outside its drinking window, this showed well with little of no diminution from age. Medium bodied, bright ruby colored, classic Bordeaux floral perfume, blackberry, spice, tar, a moderate finish. Bigger and more firm than the others. RM 90 https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1767

Cos d' Estournal St Estephe Bordeaux 1989 - Bill and Beth's son Matt's birth year who is engaged and will wed in the coming year.

Cos d' Estournal St Estephe Bordeaux 1991 - Kay's daughter Becka's birth year - who is getting married next weekend. Like the '81, another modest vintage overachieved and surpassed expectations. While lacking the structure and backbone of some of the 'bigger' vintages this showed surprisingly bright lively fruit and was very enjoyable. Full floral nose with flavors of dark berry, black cherry, layers of earthy tobacco, hints of cassis and spice. There was still life in this, very much in its drinking window. RM 89 points. https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=135897

We also had a vertical flight of Brane Cantenac Margaux Bordeaux.

Brane Cantenac Margaux Bordeaux 1970 - brought by Ryan, graduation year for many of us. Another amazing showing for a wine incredibly 45 years old ... testament to the stamina and aging potential of quality Bordeaux, still holding vibrant fruit, amazing floral tones and no signs of serious diminution.
Brane Cantenac Margaux Bordeaux - 1982 - brought by Bill - commemorating son Will's and our son Ryan's birth year, and,
Brane Cantenac Margaux Bordeaux 2000 - a legendary Bordeaux vintage, brought by son Ryan. Two classic showings from two classic vintages, the '82 appearing much lighter than expected.

Bill also brought another 2000 Bordeaux, Chateau Haut Batailly Pauillac 2000.
Both 2000's showed their breadth and depth of fruit accented by classic Bordeaux floral, earthiness and tobacco leaf with muscular but approachable sinewy polished tannins.

Dan, Ernie and George each brought a red and a white including -

Le Secret des Georges Sabon Chateauneuf-du-Pape - 2011 - One of the highlights of the tasting, showing its big bold forward complex fruits, almost overpowering the sophisticated but comparatively more delicate Bordeaux's.


Château Vignot St. Émilion Grand Cru - 2007
George brought:
Jacques Puffeney Arbois Pinot Noir 2009
Marcassin Marcassin Vineyard Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2010 - Smooth, polished, rich, consensus accolades as one of the best Chardonnay tasting experience ever!

John brought:

In Florescense Blanc de Noir Brut Champagne and
Charles Smith Lawrence Vineyard Viognier 2011

Lyle brought two Napa Valley big reds that stood out with their bold expressiveness:
Schafer One Point Five Stag's Leap District Red Wine 2012
Nils Venge Senecleaux Napa Valley Red Wine 2013, just released and tasted for the first time. This was a huge hit. We're long time friends of Nils Venge and have much experience with his wines. We've collected several vintages of this label but this was our first tasting of such. A great showing with big forward berry fruits accented by sweet vanilla oak.


Apologies to anyone if I missed or mis-atributed any wine (s).

The food:

For starter courses when seated, Chef Ala prepared and served his Baked Brie in puffed pastry with almond and honey which was perfect with the starter champagne and white wines, and his chicken liver pate on toasted baguette. Several folks had the roasted beet salad while Dan and I feasted on the foie gras.

From the menu, many folks had Chef Ala's Saturday Night Special Beef Wellington. Dan had the Mixed Grill, I had the New York Strip au poivre with creamed spinach, George had the Prawns.  Many of the entree's featured Chef Ala's signature pommes au gratin.

After dinner several folks had the special Souffle, and others had the Creme Caramel, the Warm Apple Tart, and I had the decadent Mousse au Chocolate with raspberry coulis that was a chocoholic's delight.

Snowden Vineyards Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 1997

Snowden Vineyards Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 1997

We first discovered Snowden Vineyards during their inaugural release back in the early nineties. We hosted co-owner Scott Snowden at one of our wine producer dinners at Brix in Napa Valley back then. I recall we enjoyed hearing his reminiscences about his family living down in Oakland and visiting Napa Valley and eventually settling there, and him and his brother taking over and developing the property after his father's death.

Snowden's parents scoured Napa Valley and the adjoining hills looking for a suitable parcel that they could afford. Eventually the found and acquired a remote parcel in the hills on the east side of the Silverado Trail between St. Helena and Rutherford in the spring of 1955, a 160 acre ranch that had been in the Albert and Jane Eisan family since 1895.  Along the south boundary of the property, Albert's uncle, Ward Eisan, owned a comparably sized parcel which was even more remote than Albert's -- access to Ward Eisan's property was through Albert's.  Today, Ward Eisan's ranch is the site of Rutherford Hill Winery, Auberge du Soliel Hotel and Restaurant, Katheryn Hall Winery, and Sloan Winery. 

According to their website - "Following Wayne Snowden’s death in 1977, Wayne and Virginia’s sons, Scott and Randy Snowden, assumed responsibility for the property.  In 1981, they removed all of the then-producing vineyards and orchards and replanted them to Cabernet Sauvignon utilizing budwood from Jordan Vineyard near Healdsburg.  Through the 1980s, they sold grapes from the resulting 11 acre vineyard -- today called "The Brothers Vineyard" -- to Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars.  During that period, the family worked closely with Warren Winiarski, owner of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, and his viticultural consultant, Danny Schuester, to optimize trellising, training, and cropping of the vineyard, track cultural variables and correlate these to wine quality'.

"Beginning in the 1990s, grapes from the property went to a number of other vintners, including Silver Oak Wine Cellars, Frank Family Vineyard, David Ramey, Viader, and Caymus Vineyards.  Commencing with the 1993 harvest, Scott and Randy began to retain a portion of each harvest for the production of estate-specific family wines.  Gradually, an increasing amount of the grapes produced from the property were used in Snowden wines."

We acquired our first Snowden Napa Valley Cabernet in the 1993 vintage and every vintage thereafter through the nineties, and off and on since. According to our Cellartracker records, we still hold ten vintages of this wine.

This '97 is a testament to the vintage, considered a top vintage with longevity for Napa Cabernet, which took several years to finally open and reveal its true potential, even to the point of being outscored by the sleeper '98, considered inferior in the early years after release but showed well in intermediate years while the '97 was still closed and 'lying low'.

Now, at eighteen years of age, this '97 is most likely at its peak, will not improve any further with aging, but is not showing any diminution either. It showed dark blackish garnet color, medium body, firm, a bit tight, slightly astringent the first evening upon opening, but notably, this astringency was totally gone the next evening, black berry and black cherry fruits with tones of cedar, black olives, oak, and tangy tannins on the long lingering tongue puckering finish.

This was a perfect accompaniment tonight to cheese ravioli. 

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=5362

http://www.snowdenvineyards.com/

Robert Craig Affinity Napa Cab 1997

Robert Craig Affinity Napa Cab (1997) for early gratification, longevity, sophisticated drinking, yet value.

We've been fans of Robert Craig since his inaugural release back in 93-94, as witnessed by the fact he has no less than 26 mentions in these pages. We hosted Robert and Lynn Craig at several of our wine producer dinners back in the nineties and thereafter and we've attended several private tastings (below) and release or harvest parties (left) at the Craig estate high atop Howell Mountain.

Robert is a master craftsman of Napa Valley Cabernets with distinct designated label bottlings from Howell Mountain, Spring Mountain, Mt Veeder and Mt George, the four corners of Napa Valley. And then there is Affinity, his signature blend of Napa Cab that he calls 'three mountains and a valley' when referring to the source sites. I seem to recall our first meeting with him was at a winery up on Atlas Peak.

Robert has said that Mt Veeder is his favorite, perhaps revealing his sentimentality to his heritage that he started up there. My favorite was always Howell Mountain, however with their release of Spring Mountain Cabernet, its vied for being my favorite. 

Often such a blend is the flagship premium label for a producer, but Robert takes pride in this label holding the price point to be more affordable, well below his premium appellation specific designated labels, while at the same time crafting a wine approachable for early drinking gratification.

Tasting w/ Robert Craig at the estate
high atop Howell Mountain

So it is that its amazing and rewarding that such a wine also demonstrates stamina and grace for aging as this eighteen year old 1997 vintage release shows. We still hold a half case of this highly lauded vintage noted for its longevity. Indeed, my records show we still hold an Affinity vertical of no less than seventeen vintages going back to the inaugural release of 1993. including this '97 which we obtained up release!

Don't confuse that fact that while Robert Craig specializes in several labels of Cabernet designated as sourced from different appellations, that Affinity is a blend of different Cabernets, while Craig's Cabernets are notably Cabernet, this Affinity blend is also a Bordeaux style blend with 82% Cabernet Sauvignon mixed with 15% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc.

Such is the backdrop when I pulled a bottle from the cellar to accompany Linda's pasta and Italian sausage and pepper dish. The '97 not only paired well but still shows vibrancy and resiliency at this stage of life. While it likely will not improve further with age, it seems to still stand at the apex of its drinking window and shows no sign of diminution whatsoever.

My previous tasting note back in 2012 cited 'this wine is more expressive than early in life showing lingering fruit and staying power'. According to those notes, this showed even better tonight with more balance and polish than that tasting. At this stage of life, that could be an indication of bottle variation but no so likely since the bottles share the same provenance.

 Dark purple garnet colored, medium bodied, forward bright vibrant black berry and black raspberry fruits with a layer of cedar, tones of black tea and hints of cassis and smoke on a smooth moderate lingering tannin finish.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=29715

http://www.robertcraigwine.com/

Gala celebration dinner features Phelps Backus - Insignia Napa Cabernets

Gala celebration dinner features Phelps Backus and Insignia Napa Cabernets - a 'once (or twice) in a lifetime' tasting flight!

I've written often in these pages about various and customary investment strategies for building a wine cellar. Pick a varietal, a region/appellation profile that you like, determine key vintages that reflect the best of that wine, and pick key vintages you wish to commemorate for birth or anniversary years or other special occasions, all according to an acceptable budget. The result should be a selection of wines for all occasions - every day wines, once a week and once a month wines, and once a year or once in a lifetime special occasion wines.

Saturday was one of those special occasions warranting special wines... Attending Dr Dan's daughter Hillary's wedding, he gathered and served two very special wines for our reception dinner - Joseph Phelps Bachus and Phelps Insignia, from various vintages, showcase highlights from Dan's cellar collection.

Joseph Phelps Napa Valley Oakville Backus Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

You know its a special wine when each bottle label has its own serial number. This is the premier selection of the Joseph Phelps collection.

This 2005 release tasting was a bit closed and tight, at ten years old this has many years of life yet and may not even have reached its peak drinking window.

Dark inky garnet purple colored, smooth polished nicely balanced black berry and black raspberry fruits, tones of anise and cedar turning to a hints of dark mocha on the long lingering silky smooth tannin finish.

This is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon with 24 months in new oak.

Tasted alongside several Insignias its hard to pick a favorite. More on that below as we parsed the various vintages of Insignia.


Joseph Phelps Insignia vertical selection/collection - 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

What a treat to parse these different vintages. While the venue didn't allow for a technical tasting, since the bottles were dispersed across the select tables, and brought out serially by the servers, the selection of the flight was extraordinary and a very special treat indeed. And being a gala celebration, it didn't allow for discrimination of one glass to the next, hence, I won't endeavor to try to handicap or comment on each vintage, rather some comments and remembrance notes.

While Backus may be the ultra-premium label, Insignia is the flagship of the Joseph Phelps brand. It is a Cabernet based blend of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with highlights of Bordeaux varietals and an occasional Malbec, that vary from vintage to vintage. Annual production is around a thousand cases plus.

Phelps Insignia 2008
rear label

Phelps Insignia 2010
rear label

As I review my photo's of the labels. which is a great way to capture the tasting flight order, I note that the while the rear labels of Insignia cites the blend for that vintage, it does not reference the vintage (shown left)! What a shame since its impossible to match the blend to the vintage unless one pairs the photo of the front label with the rear label.

I cant imagine why they do this and find it hard to believe it is done on purpose, as much as I find it hard to believe that it is an oversight, being the flagship of such a sophisticated label, with so many years history. Frankly, its unfortunate and bit irritating when trying to recreate a tasting experience and learn from and critically review the various vintage reflections.

We started with the 2006 and that set a benchmark for the evening. Moving to the 2008, Bill cited that as his preference, while I favored the 2004. The '06 was tight and a bit closed while the '08 came across as more approachable and open.

More approachable still was the '04 which was not as firm, bold or concentrated, but tended to have more sweet tones which I tend to favor. Linda liked the more approachable '04 as well. Then the '10 was presented and it seemed to eclipse all the others in a symphony of refined polished perfectly balanced flavors.

Tonight's experience was consistent with my earlier tasting notes for this (2004) release: Dark ruby and inky purple color, full bodied, this required about an hour to open and reveal its true character and fruits - complex but elegant and polished rich deep concentrated notes of blackberries, cassis, with hints of rich, crème caramel, sweet oak and cedar with smooth polished finely integrated tannins on the long finish.

My photo log indicates we tasted the '07 in the series and I admit I don't have recollection or reflection on that release. Imagine that! Since it doesn't stand out one way or the other, then the fact is it was fine refined quality drinking and fit the occasion. 

All the releases showcased classic Insignia characteristics - complex concentrated full bodied jammy black berry, black raspberry and plum fruits with full gripping but smooth polished tannins on long lingering silky finishes.

Thanks, Danny for sharing a splendid flight - the best of the best ... from your cellar with us pour boys wine aficionados! I'd be remiss to not post a picture of our host, the father of the bride!

Daglia Canyon Napa Valley Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Daglia Canyon Napa Valley Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

The 2013 Napa Valley Cabernets are starting to arrive in and through distribution to your/our local wine shops. It was a ideal growing season and the wines should be very good. As one of our favorite producers said about an earlier similar vintage, 'if you can't produce good wine in this vintage you should be doing something different'. In great vintage years such as this, we consumers can benefit from the simple point that even the lesser wines, or second or lower labels of the key producers are potentially great wines. In such vintages, the difference between the top label and lesser labels often is miniscule, such that there is great value in the lesser labels.

So it was that I went into a wine shop to pick up a bottle of wine for dinner on the road, I could pick from lesser labels or modest price points and realistically seek a nice enjoyable wine. In the last couple days, I have had such a two other such wines that were a benchmark for tonight's selection. My benchmark for tonight's selection was the 2013 B-Side Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. On the recommendation of two different wine advisors at Total Wine in suburban Minneapolis, I chose from several similar wine recommendations. From those choices I picked this wine. Full disclosure, this is a 'Winery Direct' where this is sourced directly from the producer by this large multi-regional wine superstore retailer.

Having selected this wine, I sought and received a consensus recommendation on carry out dinner, ribs from Rib Shack in nearby suburban Burnley, MN, halfway between the wineshop and my hotel.

Daglia Canyon Napa Valley Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Crafted by winemaker David Elliot, this is not a wimpy wine for the feint of heart in any respect! This demands some food, hearty cheese or dark chocolate. As such it was great with the grilled bbq ribs I picked up carry out to enjoy with this back at the hotel. Dark inky blackish garnet colored, full bodied, tightly wound concentrated blackberry fruit overtaken by and accented by a layer of creosote and leather giving way to firm gripping tannins on the long finish. 

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1984240

B-Side Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon at Mécénat Bistro

B-Side Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 at Mécénat Bistro in Western Springs

For an impromptu weeknight family dinner outing, I got off the Metra train at the Western Springs station, near the kid's house and walked across the street to Mécénat Bistro & Wine Store. Linda and daughter Erin joined me with the grandkids for al fresco dinner. The kids love watching the trains which are frequent during the rush hour, sometimes double or triple at a time on the triple tracks. This made for a great family fun-filled dinner outing, enjoyed by grand-kids and grandparents alike.

Unfortunately it wasn't Wednesday when they offer 1/2 off Wine Bottles $50 and under (bottles over $50 are $25 off per bottle), never-the-less we selected this B Side Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 -B-T-G - By-The-Glass.

I've had earlier vintages of this wine, but as I wrote in these pages recently, the 2013 Napa Valley vintage is so good that lesser labels or otherwise more modest wines are great drinking, and offer great QPR (Quality Price Ratio) values.

According to the B Side winemaker's notes, "Winemakers have heralded the 2013 harvest’s outstanding quality, using words like “early, even and excellent” to describe this year’s growing season." This B Side is such an offering. It was great with our dinner and should be a must buy for every day quality drinking Cabernet.

The branding and name "B Side" are a play on words that refer to the "flip-side" (as in the 'B' Side of an old vinyl record - hence the recording tape on the label) of Napa Valley. Their website speaks of the 'B Side' - "In the early 1950s record companies introduced the two-sided 45. The "A" side played the song the record companies hoped would become a hit. But the "B" side was often the real find, frequently revealing an undiscovered gem."

So the metaphor for wine finds refers to the B Side or flip side of Napa Valley as in the rural areas and rolling hills along the eastern edge of the valley, vineyards that are just a few miles from the glamorous, high-priced wineries featured along Highway 29. The eastern side of Napa Valley includes areas such as Pope Valley, Chiles Valley, Wooden Valley, Stags Leap District and lower Calistoga. Vines in these areas are grown in thin volcanic soils, which yield smaller, more concentrated fruit.

When I was in Minneapolis last week and went out to select a bottle for dinner, this was my benchmark find and, indeed, Total Wine had it for just $18 per bottle. Had I not faced the TSA embargo for carrying liquids in carry-on luggage, I would've grabbed several to bring home. Meanwhile I opted to try a new and unique selection I could not otherwise get here in the Chicago market.

This 2013 B Side Red is a somewhat unique blend of five different Napa Valley varietals - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Set aside the Malbec and this is a Bordeaux Blend.

Dark garnet purple color, medium to full bodied, full bore, forward concentrated blackberry, black cherry and black currant fruits with  tones of herbs, coffee and toasty oak with hints of vanilla, turning to smooth silky gripping tannins on the finish. This drinks like a $45 wine for half the price.

RM 91 points. 

The Blend: 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 14% Malbec, 6% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc

The producer's notes say the Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from "Oak Knoll, Chiles Valley and Napa Valley, creating a harmony of fruitier favors from longer hang time and sun exposure with dark color, tannins and depth. The balance of the varieties, from lakeside vineyards, add softness and complexity to the wine. Grown just north of Mount George in the rolling valleys between Napa and Suisun Valley, the Merlot and Malbec contribute fruity richness attributed to good elevation, while a small percentage of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot add depth, color and structure."

This is a fun and unique blend that brings everything together hitting on all cylinders in this great vintage year!

http://www.mecenatbistro.com/

http://bsidewines.com/ 
  

Ninety Plus Cellars Lot 95 Super Cuvee Cabernet Petit Sirah 2013

Ninety Plus Cellars Lot 95 Super Cuvee Cabernet Petit Sirah 2013

I have written often in these pages about the negociant practice and Ninety Plus Cellars. When they get it right, they offer great wines of outstanding value. This unique blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah appears to be such a find. Babysitting for the grandkids offered the opportunity to sample this from son Ryan's cellar, a selection he picked up earlier in the day at Vin Chicago, who featured this in their weekly tasting. It was immediately apparent this is one of those rare high QPR exciting quality wines. 

According to Cellartracker, this is the third release of this wine under this label. We've reported that the Lot 95 designation refers to the source supplier of this wine to the negociant 90+ Cellars. This ranks up there with 90+ Lot 101 that we enjoyed so much that I wrote about in several blogposts. 

Also, this is an indication of the quality of the 2013 Napa Valley Cabernets which are appearing in the marketplace and are presenting themselves as great wines at great values. 

According to the supplier, this offbeat blend comes from a small winery whose wines regularly achieve scores in the mid-90s. They were able to obtain several barrels from what they call 'this superstar producer'. They cite the reference 'source price', the applicable price of the original Cuvée under its original brand and label from the producer at $75. In any event its a great find at their release price of $30. Vin Chicago is offering it at $24. I'll be heading over to pick up a case. Good news that the label indicates 600 cases being available.

90+ Cellars "Lot 95 - Super Cuvee" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon/Petite Sirah 2013

Dark inky purple colored, full bodied, the concentrated blackberry, black currant and plum fruits are accented with a layer of expresso and tar, with hints of vanilla, cedar and anise. 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".


RM 92 points. 

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

Cityscape Syrah Zin BBQ Ribs Wine Dinner 2015

2015 Cityscape Wine on the deck Features Syrah Zinfandel with BBQ Ribs Dinner

Our 'pour boys' wine group dinner was hosted by Lyle and Terry for their third wine night on the deck with cityscape views.

The theme for the evening was set for Syrah and Zinfandel to accompany their bar-b-cue rib dinner preparation. Their west loop residence features an extraordinary deck with cityscape views of the Willis (Sears) Tower (looming in background as shown left) and the west loop neighborhood.

The spectacular mid-September evening provided a perfect clear cloudless sky and comfortable evening. This was a replay of the success of last years event of the same theme. As usual, like the previous two years, Terry and prepared an wonderful dinner ideally suited for the wine theme - bar-b-cue ribs, potatoes, green beans, salad, cornbread, corn, followed by home-made profiteroles with ice cream, chocolate and caramel sauces.

Before dinner there was a selection of artisan cheeses, shrimp, grilled scallops, dips, nuts and olive trays. These complimented several champagne, sparkling and other white wine selections.

The main dinner wine flight ... (pictured below):

 

As usual we went through our ritual of placing the flight tasting order based on the anticipated weight, sweetness and complexity of the wines. Once set, the wines are opened and tasted to calibrate their appropriate tasting order. For me, this is almost the highlight of such evenings, determining the tasting order, but also testing knowledge and perceptions of the wines and vintages and their respective tasting profiles. As usual we had the basic order generally correct, but made a few modifications based on the tasting results. Shown above is the original expected order. 

Surprisingly, as a result of the tasting, the Killikanoon Oracle moved to the farthest right most position - signifying it as being the biggest and most complex wine, subsequently to be tasted last, so as to overpower a 'lesser' (lighter, less complex) wine. This was remarkable considering the previous tasting experiences of the other four 'big syrahs'.

Surprisingly, the Chateau Tanunda 100 year old vines Shiraz moved a couple places to the left although it compared favorably with the others. 

The wine flight in tasting order:

Domaine Marc Colin Chassagne Montrachet 1999

Niner Wine Estate Boot Jack Ranch Paso Robles Syrah 2006

Robert Biale Black Chicken Napa Valley Zinfandel 2011

Regusci Napa Valley Stags Leap District Zinfandel 2010

Outpost Napa Valley Howell Mountain Zinfandel 2012

The Big Shiraz flight ...

Two Hands  Bella's Garden Barossa Shiraz 2012

Chateau Tanunda 100 Year Old Vines Shiraz 2008

Clarendon Hills  Astralas Shiraz 2007

Clarendon Hills Piggot Ranges Shiraz 2004 

Killikanoon Clare Valley Oracle Shiraz 2004

And after dinner with dessert and for casual sipping:

Antoine Alard Chateau Theulet Monbazzilac 1998
Chateau Breustet Saunterne Bordeaux 2001
Grahams Vintage Port 1991, 2000

The Zinfandel flight also included the Niner Paso Robles Syrah which exhibited a profile more aligned with those wines. The Regusci and Biale compared similarly while, not surprisingly, the Outpost stood out with its Howell Mountain terroir showing bigger forward mountain fruit with that classic bramble tight firmness with a creosote anise layer. 

The standout of the evening for me was the Killikanoon Oracle, which I expected to show well as it is one of my favorite wines. It showed dark inky purple, intense, rich, thick, full bodied, forward fruit of blueberry, ripe plum and blackberry, violet floral, and a hint of anise on the finish.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=234312

Big Aussie Syrah flight ...

I brought the Oracle to compare in a mini-horizontal 2004 against the Clarendon Hills Piggott Range Clarendon Syrah which I expected to mirror the profile but perhaps exhibit even bigger, more forward firm concentrated fruits, which it did, but less so than the Oracle.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=153424

The Piggot Range exhibited a rich dark purple color, full bodied, and full smooth polished aromas and flavors of raspberries, blueberry, blueberries and smoked meat with notes of spice and floral elements with hints of oak with nicely integrated silky tannins on the lingering finish. It was more lean than the full throttle thick rich version I tasted a couple vintages back. It's certainly ready to drink, and doesn't appear it will improve any with age.. probably certainly at its apex and needs to be consumed .. but I'd say no need to hurry .. has a couple years left ....

Dan brought the ultra-premium Clarendon Hills Astralis also provided an interesting comparison between the two Clarendon Hills' labels since they no doubt contain fruit sourced from the same sites.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=94812

Ernie brought Chateau Tanunda from his cellar. I've written herein about us capturing nine OWC three packs of this wine - the entire allocation of this wine for midwest America during the Wine Spectator Grand Tour a few years ago. This wine continues to be a staple of our big syrah tastings that we all enjoy. 

Chateau Tanunda "The Chateau" 100 Year Old Vines Eden Valley Barossa Shiraz

We discovered this wine at the Wine Spectator Grand Tour in Chicago when it was being poured by Chateau Tanunda's Dagmar O'Neill. Only 100 cases were produced. We orchestrated a purchase of nine three packs in OWC's (shown below) which we split amongst the 'pour boys' wine team, pictured below.

The Barossa is home to some of the world’s oldest Shiraz vines and the grapes for this wine come from hundred year old vines from a high altitude, one acre single vineyard in the Eden Valley.

The 'pour boys' sighted at WS
Grand Tour

Full bodied, complex, concentrated, full lingering tannins predominate the dense, black and blue berry fruits with hints of licorice, plum, spice and spicy oak.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=937673

http://www.chateautanunda.com/

Grahams Vintage Port 1991, 2000

 

Lyle was concerned that his beloved Grahams Vintage Port 1991 was diminished and entering the later stage of its drinking window. He acquired a case of this wine and has been enjoying it over the decades but was concerned about its recent change in its profile. The consensus of the group was that is was fine, aging normally and gracefully, simply showing it natural aging maturation. We're all getting older! 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=21593

Taken Napa Valley Red Wine Blend 2013

Taken Napa Valley Red Wine Blend 2013

After finding and tasting this wine out on the East Coast a couple times, I was surprised to find this new vintage release at the corner grocery store. Planning a stormy evening in at home with some bar-b-cue ribs, I ran out to fetch a bottle to taste this wine I saw in the store earlier in the week whilst shopping.

I wrote in earlier blog posts about discovering this wine out east, and then finding end of bin release at a local big box store. So I was interested to try this new vintage release especially with bbq rib dinner.

Taken Napa Valley Red Wine Blend 2013

Like the previous two releases I had, the 2012 and the 2011, this is also packaged in an oversize heavy bottle with an oversize 'punt'. In fact the punt is the largest I think I've ever seen in any wine at any level. This is a good value at $25. The 2012 was a great value at $30. I am not driven to run out and buy more at $30 for this release, despite the fact I see it offered at $39 from several merchants.

Like the previous vintages, this exhibited dark purple color and medium to full body. I had high expectations for the 2013 release given the vintage notes and the initial impression of color and body. It ended there as the fruit was a bit subdued and disjointed lacking cohesion or balance. The winemaker notes cite the purple hue and speaks to crushed graphite and expresso notes, both which I found to overtake the muted black and blue berry fruit notes, the graphite on the front and the expresso on the midpalate. They speak further about the higher than normal yields at the harvest which I equate with somewhat flabby and less then concentrated fruits. The high expectations unfortunately climaxed with the packaging and the deep rich color. We saved half the bottle so we'll see how it fares tomorrow.

RM 88 points.

This is a blend of 60% Cabernet and 40% Merlot sourced from the Napa Valley appellation. I think of Napa as being a region consisting of more than a dozen AVA appellations. Citing Napa could indicate fruit sourced from throughout the region.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2151547

http://takenwine.com/wine-type/taken/

Wine Spectator gives this 90 points