Super Second Bordeaux vs. Napa's Finest Bordeaux Blends
For
a drop in dinner at Dr Dan's, he prepared a wonderful meal of grilled
T-bone steaks with grilled vegetables and an extraordinary selection of
top ranked super second
Bordeaux and
Napa blends. The
impressive line-up of wines included several of my favorite producers
including two of our designated signature wines for our son, Ryan -
Château Figeac and
Ducru Beaucaillou. We collected and offered each of these wines in large format from his birth year vintage at his wedding.
Other favorite labels that Dan pulled from his cellar were
Lewis Cellars Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Beaulieu Vineyards Tapesty, and Dominus Estate Napa Red Blend. What a treat to sample such a lineup!
Prior to dinner Dan offered a selection of artisan cheese and fresh fruit.
He then prepared and served a grilled scampi shrimp appetizer dish (shown left).
For dinner, Dan
grilled t-bone steaks and a medley of grilled vegetables - asparagus,
portabello mushrooms, avocado and grilled fresh peaches (shown below-left).
With the entree course Dan also served sweet corn on the cob. The portabello mushrooms were an ideal complement to the red wines.
We started with Château Figeac, a merlot based right bank Bordeaux Blend, followed by the Ducru
and then the Dominus, a Bordeaux producer's left bank Bordeaux style red
blend from Napa.
Following the Dominus we pivoted to two other Napa Valley Cabernets - Lewis Cellars Reserve, and finishing with the BV Tapestry Reserve red blend.
Château Figeac St Emilion Bordeaux 2010
We served this wine from a double magnum of this producer at son Ryan's
wedding from the 1982 vintage. We hold and vertical collection of this
label as well as it being part of a horizontal selection of Bordeaux
from his birth year vintage.
True
to the style of the Merlot based blend, this was an appropriate opening
wine, a bit softer and more approachable easier drinking than the
Cabernet predominant blends.
The blend of this right bank Bordeaux is 35% Cabernet Franc, 35% Cabernet
Sauvignon and 30% Merlot.
Deep ruby colored, medium-full bodied, black berry fruits accented by cedar, tobacco leaf and smoke with hints of green olive, cassis and oak turning to smooth gripping tannins on the finish.
RM 91 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1130517
Château Ducru Beaucaillou St Julien Bordeaux 2009
Like the Figeac above, we served this wine from a double magnum of this producer at son Ryan's wedding from the 1982 vintage. We hold and vertical collection of this label as well as it being part of a horizontal selection of Bordeaux from his birth year vintage. I consider these two wines to be his signature wines, so it was a special treat to taste them side by side.
Dark blackish garnet colored, medium-full bodied, lively acidity, complex concentrated bright black berry and black cherry fruits, classic left bank Bordeaux tones of earth, cassis, graphite, spice and smoke turning to smooth gripping tannins on the long finish.
RM 92 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=874508
Chateau Dominus Estate Napa Red Blend 2001
As I've written before in these pages, this ultr-premium label from this legendary Bordeaux producer Christian Mouiex of Chateau Petrus, is noted for its longevity aging potential. I acquired a case of the 1986 vintage on release back at the time. I then tasted a bottle every couple of years to see how it was aging. Not until about 2000 did the wine open up to express itself and reveal its true character and potential. "So this is what Dominus is supposed to taste like", I exclaimed. Of course by that time, we only had about two bottles left!
The early vintages of this label featured a pen sketch and water color painting of Christian. It was a classic art label collection until they ceased the practice in about 1991. I collected the
Dominus Estate Portrait Art Wine Label Series of these vintages up to that time and feature the labels' art in my on-line art label library collection.
Dark blackish garnet colored, medium-full bodied, complex concentrated black berry and black cherry fruits with subtle tones of creosote, smoke, cassis, tobacco leaf and spice turning to smooth polished tannins on a lingering finish.
RM 92 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=26139
Lewis Cellars Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
One of absolute favorite cabernets. Inky purple and garnet colors, medium full bodied, smooth polished and nicely balanced with concentrated core of black berry and black raspberry fruits accented by tones of sweet oak, mocha and vanilla with hints of black olives and anise turning to smooth fine tannins on the long finish.
RM 94 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1554483
Beaulieu Vineyards Tapestry Reserve 2009
Another perennial favorite cab that delivers high QPR in most vintages, we hold more than a dozen vintages of this label in the cellar. Dark garnet colored, medium bodied, nicely balanced, subdued black berry and black cherry fruits with tones of tar, herbs and hints of earthy and anise turning to a moderate tannin finish.
RM 91 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=1386416
Chocolates with wine
After dinner featured a broad selection of premium Donaldson's Chocolates that we brought from Indiana, and French Valrhona chocolates that Dan and Linda acquired in Valrhona France on their Rhone River Cruise from Avignon up to Lyon.
Valrhona selection featured dark and milk chocolates from 85 to 33% mocha -
ABINAO 85 % - GUANAJA 70 % - CARAÏBE 66 % - ALPACO 66 % - TAÏNORI 64 % - MANJARI 64 % - JIVARA 40 % - and TANARIVA 33 %.
Each chocolate revealed a difference nuance of the complex wines and provided a wine tasting experience in their own right.
For a casual Sunday evening grilled steak dinner with pomme frittes we opened this Sonoma Cabernet. I have two left in the cellar and I wish I had more. At a dozen years old, it must be at the apex of its drinking window - it was delicious and a perfect compliment to the steak and to the anti pasta caprese salad.
