Mouton, Dominus, Insignia Highlight Big Red Wine Dinner

Mouton, Dominus, Insignia Highlight Beef Tenderloin Big Red Wine Dinner

A 'pour boys' wine dinner was held with wine buddies Dr Dan and Bill C, when Bill and Beth were back in town to celebrate son Drew's baby's christening. We hosted a wine dinner that featured a line-up of ultra-premium classic reds. Highlights of the wine flight included Mouton Rothschild, Joseph Phelps Insignia and Dominus.

I pulled from the cellar 1984 vintage Mouton Rothschild to commemorate Drew's birthyear and paired it with a near year 1986 vintage Dominus. Dr Dan brought a Dominus 2006 and a Phelps Insignia 2007 to punctuate the dinner flight. Bill brought a Constant Cabernet Franc 2007 and a Camiana Howell Mountain Cabernet.  Son Ryan attended and brought a Chateau Calon Segur 1995.

For the opening we served shrimp cocktail and a cheese flight of artisan cheeses with two whites, Lanson Champagne and Ken Wright Chardonnay. To transition to the red flight we served a unique Mollydooker Goose Bumps Sparkling Shiraz.

The ensuing red flight accompanied dinner. Beth brought a dinner salad and Linda prepared her notable spectacular beef tenderloin (shown left) with scalloped potatoes and a medley of grilled vegetables.

For dessert, Linda served a trio of petit fours with mixed fresh berries with which I poured Kracher Scheerube Trockeberrean Auslese (TBA).

If the wine flight looks ambitious, it should be noted that Bill and Beth's sons Will and Matt also joined in the tasting, and Ryan's friend CJ dropped in and joined in during the evening as well. 

The wine flight ....

Pre dinner -
Lanson Champagne NV
Ken Wright Cellars Chardonnay 2009
Mollydooker Goose Bumps Sparkling Shiraz 2006 

Dinner course -
Altamura Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1999
Calon Segur 1995
Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1984
Dominus Estate 1986
Dominus Estate 2006  
Joseph Phelps Insignia 2007 
Calera Ryan Vineyard Mt Harlan Pinot Noir 2013.
Camiana Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
Constant Diamond Mountain Winery Diamond Mountain District Estate Cabernet Franc 2007

After dinner - dessert / cheese course -
Alois Kracher TBA #12 Zwischen den Seener Scherube 1998 

For brevity, I won't repeat previously featured wines that are featured elsewhere in this blog, but rather will link to those reviews.

Lanson Champagne Brut Rosé Rose Label NV Champagne Blend

We served this label just last weekend at a family dinner. That post is linked here. 

Ken Wright Cellars Washington/Oregon Chardonnay 2009

I discovered Ken Wright Cellars' wines when I traveled to Seattle during a two year engagement there back around the millenium. Since 1994, he primarily has been producing terroir driven vineyard designated Pinot Noirs sourced from more than a dozen different vineyards released under almost as many labels. Ken Wright Pinot Noirs are from nearly a dozen highly regarded sites including Del Rio Vineyard in the Rogue Valley, Ciel du Cheval in Washington's Red Mountain district, and Seven Hills Vineyard in Walla Walla. The Ciel du Cheval vineyard is the prime site for Force Majeure wines, a featured producer of a recent producer tasting posting.

Ken Wright has distinctive branding of its family of vineyard designated Pinot Noirs, with the bottle labels featuring original artwork depicting caricatures or art drawings associated with the history, legend, geography or nature associated with that particular site.

Some Ken Wright vineyard artwork labels are shown here (right).

He also produces a small amount of Chardonnay sourced from a primary vineyard in Washington and this label, a blend sourced from sites in Washington (73%) and Oregon (27%). In recent vintages he has only produced a limited production of two white wines, a pinot blanc and Chardonnay from Celilo Vineyard near White Salmon, Washington.

This was light honey/straw colored, medium body with tones of stone fruits, hint of almond, apricot, ginger or almost a whisper of cognac on the slightly sweet finish.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1043077

http://www.kenwrightcellars.com/

Mollydooker Goose Bumps Sparkling Shiraz 2006

I often remark in these pages about the Australian sense of humour. This wine defies logic and even description  ... what were they thinking when they produced this? To say this is unique is an understatement. At fifty dollars a bottle, one can get a nice and authentic French Champagne. I don't think their (Champagne's) franchise is in jeopardy with this offering.

Dark purple color, medium full bodied, dark brooding black and blue fruits accented by spice, tones of cassis, pepper and hints of bitter dark chocolate. The bubbly was very subdued leaving us to wonder if this bottle had been compromised and lost some of its fizz. I think so but I vaguely remember our last bottle of this we had a Christmas a while back.

RM 85 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1163061

https://mollydookerwines.com/

The red wine flight ...

Altamura Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1999

We've had this in the cellar for more than a decade waiting to be unveiled. It could've been held for another decade. A classic Napa Cabernet in every sense, it seems to be at its apex now, not likely to improve with further aging, but showing no signs diminution whatsoever.

In 2009 Wine Spectator wrote "The 1999 California Cabernet vintage was a great success when it was released, delivering many of that decade's best wines. Now 10 years old, the top Cabernets of that harvest have, for the most part, aged the way wine lovers who cellared them hoped they would; time has worked to their advantage."

Founded in 1985 by Frank and Karen Altamura on 400 acres that have been in the family since 1855,  Altamura was the first winery located in the Wooden Valley about nine miles northeast of the town of Napa. Wooden Valley is bordered by the Vaca Range to the east and "Napa Mountain" to the west. Altamura vineyards lie in the southeastern hillsides of Napa Valley at elevations of 700 to 1000 feet. 

The area produces rich concentrated fruit that has been used in well-known labels including Caymus, Groth, Pahlmeyer, Stags Leap and Mondavi. Frank started his winemaking career at Sterling in 1976, then on to Trefethen in 1979, then Frank worked at Caymus with Chuck Wagner and Randy Dunn before setting out on his own.

Altamura said at the time that this was one of the most intense wines they had produced. Dark garnet colored, medium to bodied, concentrated forward bright vibrant expressive sweet black raspberry, black currant and sweet blueberry fruits with tones of mocha, spicy oak and cinnamon, with hints of leather and cigar box with long chewy tongue coated finish of silky smooth soft tannins.

RM 92 points.

A comment from fellow Cellartracker UNIONST from Montclair .. "wine spectator just did a blind retrospective tasting of napa valley cabernets from the 1999 vintage. this wine tied for first, beating out heavy hitters like insignia, bryant family, bond melbury and vecina, spottswoode, viader, silver oak alexander valley and napa valley, harlan, colgin herb lamb vineyard, cakebread, etc."

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=144753

http://www.altamura.com/

Chateau Calon Segur St Estephe 1995

Chateau Calon-Ségur Grand Cru Classe St. Estephe Bordeaux 1995 

Robert Parker says this is one of the great sleepers of the vintage.

Dark ruby/purple colored, medium-full bodied, classic Bordeaux with earthy, leathery black berry and black raspberry fruits accented tones of cassis, cedar and hints of black olive and mocha with a long smooth floral finish

RM 92 points. 

97 points James Suckling; 95 points Wine Spectator'; 92 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate; 91 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar







Château Mouton Rothschild 1984

Considering the lackluster poor 1984 vintage in Bordeaux, this is remarkably holding its own after 32 years and not only still has life left but showed quite well and was impressive drinking. I should've known it would still be holding up but couldn't be sure. Glad I pulled it out to try but wish I had more. Such a classic wine, I remember purchasing it even though  its been almost three decades, and I remember drinking the other bottles back at the time. This is our last bottle of this vintage. 

Slightly opaque, dark garnet colored, medium bodied, nicely balanced, classic Bordeaux characteristics of dark berry, plum and black cherry fruits, tones of floral, earthy leather with cigar box and tobacco. leaf with light mouthfeel, silky smooth polished tannins on a moderate subdued pleasant finish.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=11506


 Dominus Estate Red Wine 1986

Like the Mouton Rothschild, Dominus is one of the world's great classic Bordeaux varietal wines.

It is the work of legendary Christian Moueix, son of Jean-Pierre Moueix, the famed wine merchant and French producer of classic Bordeaux wines including Chateaux Petrus, La Fleur-Petrus, Trotanoy in Pomerol and Magdelaine in Saint Emilion.

Christian Moueix discovered Napa Valley and is wines in the late 1960s, while attending the University of California in nearby Davis. In 1981, he discovered the historic Napanook vineyard near Yountville that had been the source of fruit for some of the finest Napa Valley wines in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1982,  he entered into a partnership to develop the vineyard and, in 1995, became its sole owner. He named the Estate and wine ‘Dominus’ or’ Lord of the Estate’ in Latin, to underscore his commitment to stewardship of the land. 

I remember the anticipation of tasting this wine when I purchased a case of the 1986 vintage upon release back at the time. Friends and family have often heard me tell this story .... I tasted a bottle from the case every couple of years with similar results ... 'interesting, complex, tightly wound, closed and uninspiring, is that all there is to this wine?' Then after about twenty years, I tasted another bottle and exclaimed, "Ahah, THIS is what this wine is supposed to taste like!"

Impatience was/will be punished, and patience will be rewarded, for those that had/have the resolve to put this wine aside and let it age gracefully to develop, finally settle, and open to reveal its true character and potential. But by then, when it finally presented its potential, I only had a couple bottles left. This is one of those remaining bottles, which at age 30 is better than ever, now revealing its full potential and true character.

The 1986 Dominus Estate was the fourth vintage produced by the John Daniel Society. The grapes were grown solely at the Napanook Vineyard in Yountville, along Hwy 29 in southwest Napa Valley. This vintage was the first of the “second series” of Dominus Estate with the 1986 through 1988 vintages using Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc in the blend. - the '86 release being 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc and 8% Merlot.

Those early vintages had distinctive branding of a label art series with each vintage label having a portrait of producer Christian Moueix by well-known American artist Jim Dine. This series ended in 1991 with subsequent labels all being the simple plain design, up until the most recent release in 2013, returning to this tradition with a portrait of Moueix returning.

The 1986 Dominus Estate has a dark garnet/ruby color, medium bodied, an aromatic floral nose, this wine shows elegance, finesse and excellent balance, a complex symphony of red and black fruits with layers of mineral, earthy leather, spice, truffle, hints of cassis and tobacco turning to a smooth, polished long finish with pleasant acidity.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1424

http://www.dominusestate.com/

Dominus Estate 2006 

Perhaps the Dominus 2006 reflects a change in style to produce wines that are more approachable at an early age, a popular trend to market wines favored by a larger audience. Or, the 2006 reflects the outstanding vintage with all the elements of terroir coming together. Dominus says, 'the 2006 epitomizes the best qualities of Cabernet Sauvignon in a top terroir of Napa Valley. At first, the wine displays tremendous power. Then, it surprises by the purity of the fruit and the lingering finesse. It clearly possesses a fantastic aptitude for aging.'

“When I drank Dominus 2006 in Europe recently, it confirmed what is for me the best definition of a great wine,” Christian Moueix declared. “This wine travels well. Dare I say that the 2006 vintage is our best so far.”

This release is incredible - a huge powerful forward wine that explodes out of the glass - rich concentrated, complex, a massive wine. Dark garnet/ruby colored, full bodied, brooding chewy mouthfeel that coats the tongue, ripe forward black berry fruits punctuated by a layer of chocolate, coffee beans, truffles and cigar box, turning to big chewy firm tannins that are tamed by being well integrated. This is a huge wine that begs for cheese, chocolates, beef and more - not for the feint of heart. Incredible, indeed.

The 2006 blend is comprised of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot. No Merlot was used in the blend this year.

RM 96 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=528169

Joseph Phelps Insignia 2007  

Son Ryan said this morning, the morning after, its a pity to try so many spectacular wines all at once, they overshadow each other. Better to have one to enjoy it. Oh well. 

This is another incredible classic wine. This should serve as a benchmark for excellence, against which other wines will be compared. Its as near perfect as it can be. I remember doing the  cult  wine flight out in Napa several years ago and this is what it was like.

This is another Bordeaux blend that provides complexity and sophistication but punctuated by Napa Valley big bold forward concentrated fruits. 

This is elegance personified, silky smooth, polished, sexy, sensuous, the words can't do justice to this wine. Delicious. Memorable. Put some away to revisit again, and again and again. 

The blend of the '07 Insignia is Cabernet Sauvignon 88%, Merlot 8%, and Petit Verdot 4%.

RM 98 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=674245

Calera Ryan Vineyard Mt Harlan Pinot Noir 2013. 

As I wrote in these pages last week, this may be the best release of this label I have tasted, being by far the most vibrant and expressive forward fruits I can remember. 

Citing the metaphor of taking a knife to a gunfight, this Pinot Noir is no match for the bigger, more forward, firmer and tighter Cabernet Sauvignon based wines. Relatively speaking, it is big for a Pinot, but lighter and smaller than these Bordeaux varietal wines featured tonight.

This is not a wimpy wine but powerful, as Pinots go, yet smooth and polished, a symphony of concentrated dark berry fruit flavors with layers of black raspberry, black cherry, hints of cranberry, graphite and tones of tobacco leaf, spices of thyme, bay leaf and floral violets with a long lingering tightly wound fine grained tannins on the finish.

RM 92 points

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Vinous both gave this 95 points Vinous; Wine Enthusiast gave it 92 points and a Cellar Selection

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2041534

http://www.calerawine.com/

Constant Diamond Mountain Winery Diamond Mountain District Estate Cabernet Franc 2007

Our visit with Bill and Beth to the Constant Vineyards estate high atop Diamond Mountain was one of the highlights of our Diamond Mountain Appellation Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2011.

This was a great punctuation mark on the Bordeaux varietal wines as Cabernet Franc is used in the blend to add spice and highlights to the Cabernet and Merlot varietals.

This was bright dark ruby/purple colored, medium to full bodied, this was bright vibrant full forward black berry and currant fruit with a bold punch of sweet almost cinnamon spice accented by tones of mocha chocolate, soft sweet oak with dusty lush pleasing tongue coating lingering tannins.

RM 93 points. 

Bill's notes from Cellartacker - "Deep purple color. Light nose of fig and light floral aromas belie a wonderfully flavored Cab Franc. Opens with a bit of sweetness on the front palate, cocoa on the mid palate, silky tannins and a long lingering finish highlighted by cassis and a touch of oak. A wonderful accompaniment to smoky, bacon infused chowder and prosciutto wrapped, stuffed chicken breast in a sweet and spicy pepper sauce.

WCC 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=694548

http://www.constantwine.com/



Camiana Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Bill also brought this from his cellar. The wine is full bodied and dark inky purple color, the nose is perfumed with violets, cedar box and dusty earth, The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon flavors are complex, tight and dry, with big firm tannins masking the intense concentrated black berry and black cherry fruit accented with tobacco, hints of cassis and sweet oak.

RM 92 points. 

This wine is great now but should be laid down for five to 10 years.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1268057






.
For the dessert course ...

Alois Kracher TBA #12 Zwischen den Seener Scherube 1998 

Amazingly, the drinking window for this wine on Cellartracker is 2009 - 2027!

Brownish orange tea colored, full bodied, thick chewy, rich unctuous, concentrated sweet honey, smoky almonds, lychee, sweet ripe caramel apple, apricot, pear and balanced citrus acidity, the lychee, caramel/vanilla, orange blossom finish goes on and on.

RM 93 points. 

At 356 g/L of residual sugar, this has over three times the sweetness level of Coca-Cola but its fruit nectar essence makes for sensuous pleasant sipping.
 
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=40335

Calera Mt Harlan Ryan Vineyard Pinot 2013

Calera Vineyards Mt Harlan Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir 2013

The Calera story was chronicled in the book, "The Heart Break Grape" back in the early nineties, about the challenges and turmoils of growing the finicky grape varietal Pinot Noir. Producer Josh Jensen pioneered growing Pinot in the 'new world' starting with his search of the perfect place to grow his grapes. During college he took time off to work in the cellars in the great domaines of Burgundy and then came back to his home state California to apply what he had learned. At the time, prevailing view was that Pinot Noir could not be grown successfully in California. He set out to prove that notion wrong.

He started with the search for the perfect place starting with limestone soil, and other elements of terroir to produce wines in the style of the greatest Pinots, the Burgundy wines of France. Josh Jensen's winemaker mentors in Burgundy emphasized the importance of limestone-rich soils, as present in the Côtes d’Or, to make great Pinot Noir and Chardonnay based wines. 

He returned from France in 1971 and spent two years searching throughout California to find suitable limestone soils. He settled on the site of an old magnificently preserved 30 foot tall masonry limekiln in the Gavilan Mountains of Central California, purchasing the site in 1974, a high-elevation parcel with a limestone deposit of several million tons. Limestone had been commercially quarried there on the Jensen Mt. Harlan property a hundred years earlier. 

To this day, the kiln on the site is the centerpiece of Calera branding, featured prominently on the lables, the name “Calera” being the Spanish world for “limekiln,”

Mt Harlan is near the town of Hollister, about ninety miles south of San Fransisco, twenty five miles inland from Monterey Bay on the Pacific Coast. Mt Harlan gained the distinction of its own AVA (American Viticultural Area) in 1990, in response to the petition to the Department of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau by Josh Jensen and the Calera Wine Company, the only commercial winery in the appellation. The appellation, the legally defined and protected geographical boundaries, also stipulates what grapes may be grown, maximum grape yields, alcohol level, and other quality factors that apply before the appellation name may legally appear on a wine bottle label. The Mt Harlan AVA is 7700 acres of which just 100 are planted in vines.

Josh planted his first 24 acres of pinot noir in 1975 in three separate parcels. In the Burgundian tradition, he named each parcel individually to recognize the terroir of each, that each would produce a distinct wine. The original vineyard designations remain to this day, the Selleck Vineyard (5 acres), Reed Vineyard (5 acres), and Jensen Vineyard (14 acres). These vineyards produced their initial tiny crop in 1978. The Ryan Vineyards, named after Jim Ryan, longtime vineyard manager were added later.  (Upper - 9.4 acres and Lower – 3.7 acres)

 Josh made Calera's first wine in 1975, 1000 cases of zinfandel, produced from purchased grapes. During his first two years as a winemaker, he made the Calera wines in a rented space in a larger nearby winery.  

Josh purchased property to build the winery in 1977, a 100 acre site on Cienega Road halfway between the vineyard and the town of Hollister. Located 1000 feet lower in elevation than the vineyard, this property had the benefits of development improvements such as a paved road,  telephone and electrical service (services which still to this day are unavailable on Mt. Harlan).

Three decades later, Calera have earned the distinction of the pioneer of American Pinot Noir. The legendary wine critic Robert Parker  has stated that: "Calera is one of the most compelling Pinot Noir specialists of not only the New World, but of Planet Earth."  

We first discovered Calera in the eighties, exploring wines from those earliest vintages. Decades later, we enjoy collecting Calera wines from the Ryan and Reed vineyards, as somewhat namesake signature wines for Son Ryan and his Reid. 

So it was that I picked up that latest release of Calera Ryan Vineyard Pinot,Noir 2013. 

This may be the best release of this label I have tasted, being by far the most vibrant and expressive forward fruits I can remember.

This is not a wimpy wine but powerful, yet smooth and polished, a symphony of concentrated dark berry fruit flavors with layers of black raspberry, black cherry, hints of cranberry, graphite and tones of tobacco leaf, spices of thyme, bay leaf and floral violets with a long lingering tightly wound fine grained tannins on the finish.

RM 92 points

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Vinous both gave this 95 points Vinous; Wine Enthusiast gave it 92 points and a Cellar Selection

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2041534

http://www.calerawine.com/

The Heartbreak Grape,  A California Winemakers Search for the Perfect Pinot Noir by Marc de Villiers, 1994, Harper Collins

Rivetti Pin La Spinetta Castagnole Monferrato 2005

Rivetti Pin La Spinetta Castagnole Monferrato 2005

We don't have much Italian wine in our cellar, less than 1%. But when I was seeking a nice bottle to accompany our Angeli's Italian dinner carry out, I pulled this classic decade year old Italian red blend of which I hold a half dozen bottles. La Spinetta produce a line of premium Piedmont and Tuscan wines from traditional varietals in a new world style and flair.

This 'Pin' label is named after the nickname of Giuseppe Rivetti, the patriarch of the family and father of the current producer Giorgio, of the estate La Spinetta, which means 'top of the hill', in Castagnole Lanze in the northern Italian region of Tuscany. The family first purchased 70 hectares of Moscato and Barbera d'Asti vineyards in 1977 and have continued to expand operations through expansion and development since. 

Today, Giuseppe's children — Carlo, Bruno, Giorgio and Giovanna have since taken over the family business, with Giorgio leading, assisted by elder sister Giovanna who is in charge of vineyard production.

Rivetti produced their first red Barbera Cà di Pian in 1985. The first release of Pin occurred in 1989, a blend of 50 percent Nebbiolo, 25 percent Barbera and 25 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. which was revolutionary at that time.  

In 1985 they produced their first Barbaresco followed by Gallina in 1995 and their first Barolo Campè in 2000. In 2001, La Spinetta acquired 65 additional hectares of vineyards in Tuscany where today they produce three different 100% Sangiovese wines. 

The Rivetti brand has grown internationally and today is well known, identified by their distinctive labels featuring a burly rhinoceros, which the Rivetti siblings say signifies quality. 

Origins of the unique wildlife logo illustration come from an ancient woodcut by historic German artist, Albrecht Dürer, who prepared his drawings and woodcut from descriptions and sketches of a rhinoceros gifted to the king of Portugal from India. It was the first animal of its kind in Europe. The Rivettis lament that they fell in love with this ancient wood cut print and the legend behind it. Giorgio Rivetti expressed his great admiration of the celebrated drawing and woodcut. but has downplayed the connection between this animal and the brand. 

Also depicted on the bottles of La Spinetta’s first Barolo Campè vintage, is a pencil drawing of a lion by Dürer, since Barolo is commonly known as the king of Italian reds. The legend continues. 

Pin Castagnole, Neive, Barbaresco Monferrato Rosso DOC 2005

This is a blend of 65% Nebbiolo, and 35% Barbera d’Asti Superiore Bionzo. Barbera and Nebbiolo are the two marquee red wine grapes of northwest Italy. They are often blended together in Piedmont to create modern style wines for the international palate. Nebbiolo, the powerful majestic grape of Barolo and Barbaresco, is blended with Barbera to be more approachable and smoother and balanced, and drinkable at an earlier age. Barbera adds cherry flavors to Nebbiolo’s distinctive strawberry, and the high acidity of both ensure the wine is fresh and rarely flabby.

As good as this was with the pasta and peas with vodka cream sauce, it was even better the following evening with char-grilled Pittsburgh style strip steak, asparagus and baked potato. 

This was dark blackish garnet colored, medium to full bodied, and was remarkably smooth, well balanced and polished. Bouquet and flavors are full forward complex black raspberry, black berry fruits punctuated by tones of oak, cedar, hints of earthy cassis and tar turning to silky smooth polished tannins with an elegant persistent finish.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=395355

http://www.la-spinetta.com/

Cune Rioja Reserva 2010

Cune Rioja Reserva 2010

For Sunday Brunch after church, the family gathered for a customary Sunday dinner. Son Ryan brought over this Cune Rioja Reserva Tempranillo Blend he had open from the previous night to share/taste. I don't do much Spanish wine and we hold only a few labels in the cellar but I would rate this one a great QPR (quality-price-ratio) good value buy and I'll definitely pick some up. This would be fun in a blind tasting as it almost tastes like a Medoc rather than a Rioja.

Cune is actually named after the initials of the production company, C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España). the first wine of this winery to do so. By their testament, this is produced in the style of "a red ‘clarete’ wine was made as a fine wine in the style of the Bordeaux “Claret” produced by the great chateaux’s of the Medoc."

CVNE is a large producer with 545 hectares (2.2 acres/hectare) of vineyards in the two subregions of Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa, that make up just 50% of the company's overall production. The company also produces wines under the historic Viña Real brand that in the 1920s pioneered making crianza wines in oak barrels in this area, and Contino.

Contino, the company's first Rioja château was built in 1973 on a  62-hectare site in the Rioja Alavesa. The history of the property dates back to the 16th century. The wines take advantage of the Atlantic-Mediterranean climate of the region.

The CVNE winery complex is comprised of 22 buildings dating back to 1879, with a historic plant that was actually designed and built by the famous French Eiffel architectural studio in 1909. In 1940 CVNE pioneered the construction of the first concrete fermentation cellar in Spain and the first to use gravity fed vinification processes in the 1980's.

This is an interesting legacy that warrants further exploration into this producer and their wine portfolio of brands.
 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Reserva 2010

Dark garnet colored, medium bodied, well balanced acidic backbone, smooth and polished, nicely integrated oak flavors predominate, dark berry fruits and soft floral accentuate the classic Rioja smoky creosote with hints of vanilla on a lingering finish.

This is a blend of Tempranillo: 85%, Grenacha, Graciano and Mazuelo 15%.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=1925300

http://www.cvne.com/ 

Justin Isosceles & Justification Paso Robles Red Wines 2013

Justin Isosceles & Justification Paso Robles Red Wines 2013

I admit I've never been a huge fan of Justin Isosceles, finding the Paso Robles terroir impact a bit too brambly for my preference. So it was with a slight bit of skepticism that I tasted the 2013 at Binny's Friday night table tasting. Wow. Not only was this the most impressive Isosceles in memory, it was truly exciting and memorable. I'd consider this a must buy for those seeking a premium Cabernet Blend for this vintage, or at least a must try.

Justin Isosceles 2013

Isosceles of course if the flagship wine of Justin Vineyards and Winery since 1981, from the mountains above Paso Robles between the City on Hwy 101 and the Pacific Central California Coast. Since 1981, producer Justin Baldwin has tended 160 acres of Bordeaux varietals Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

This 2013 is an eye opener for me and puts Paso Robles and Justin Vineyards and Winery on the map as a producer to pay more attention to, and as a wine discovery adventure destination. In the meantime, pick up and try this impressive release. 

Producers Notes: This sums it up very well and is worth noting.

Appearance: Bright, near opaque, ruby purple core with a narrow, moderate intensity rim and slow forming slightly stained tears.

Aroma: Intense and complex with aromas of ripe black fruit, baking spice, sweet tobacco, leather, cocoa, oak barrel elements with subtle smoky eucalyptus accents.

Palate: Dry and full-bodied with rich black cherry and blackcurrant fruit, vanilla, cinnamon and licorice spice notes on the entry. Savory, herbal and mint notes appear, followed by dark chocolate and smoky oak elements on the mid palate. The finish is very long and crisp with a complex interplay between the savory mid-palate and returning fruit of red cherry candy and sweet spice with a floral hint of violet, all framed by soft, chewy tannins. The 2013 Isosceles is drinking exceptionally well at release but has the structure to further develop beautifully over time. Great with classic cab fare like rich braised short ribs or grilled leg of lamb with garlic and herbs, the 2013 Isosceles also drinks well on its own due to its exceptional balance of flavor and texture even when young.

Blend 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc, 9% Merlot

This was truly unique in its character and flavor profile. I was taken aback by the bright vibrant expressive cherry and black currant fruits punctuated by a luscious floral perfume of silky sweet cinnamon with hints of vanilla and mocha chocolate on the smooth lingering finish.

RM 94 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2292673

http://www.justinwine.com/wines/red/2013-isosceles/

Justin Justification 2013

This is Justin's Right Bank Bordeaux blend, being Merlot based vs. Left Bank Cabernet predominant. While Merlot typically would be slightly softer and more mellow than more forward Cabernet, this is actually mostly Cabernet Franc which is put into Bordeaux Blends for punctuation of spice and bright bold sprites. Voila! With its Cab Franc core, this is bright, tangy spicy and expressive. This is more the style that I associate with Justin red blends.

Once again, as above, I offer the Producer's notes on this wine.

COLOR:  Deep ruby purplish core lightening to medium intensity at the rim.

AROMA:  Ripe red cherry, blackcurrant and just-rip blackberry, with rich vanilla and cinnamon spice and an attractive savory and herbal character.

PALATE:  Full and complex with an elegant mix of ripe red fruit, primarily cherry with cassis and a little plum, and rich baking spice on the entry. A little dusty, savory cabernet franc charm emerges on the mid-palate along with subtle mint and eucalyptus notes leading to a long, clean finish.

Blend - 58% Cabernet Franc 42% Merlot

While I normally love bold tangy spicy wines, I prefer it as a complementary tone, not as the main course. When combined with the brambly Paso Robles terroir character and the profile of an expressive vintage, this is almost a bit over the top for me, which I very rarely say. 

Dark blackish garnet color medium bodied, forward concentrated bright expressive tangy spicy black berry fruits accented with tones of anise, oaky and hints of smoke and creosote finishing with gripping tannins. Perhaps a couple years of aging will tame this bruiser a bit.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2161407

http://www.justinwine.com/wines/red/justification-2013/

Pahlmeyer Jason Napa Valley Red Wine 2004

Pahlmeyer Jason Napa Valley Red Wine 2004

Dear friends Bob and Gloria are moving to Florida so we took them to dinner at Angeli's Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria. To commemorate the occasion I took a bottle I have been holding for a special dinner with them, Pahlmayer Jason, a namesake bottle of their eldest son. We have several bottles of this vintage label in our cellar that we have been holding and it appears we have been rewarded for being patient as this is drinking splendidly at a dozen years of age. Reading comments on Cellartracker that this needed more time when tasted young, this could be at the apex of its drinking window now, not likely to improve further, but really nice right now.

Upon opening, sweet floral and berry aromas burst forth and filled the room. Dark garnet purple colored, medium full bodied, bright vibrant full forward flavors of black raspberry with tones of blueberry, sweet currants, tangy spice and hints of sweet caramel and whisper of tobacco leaf with nicely integrated sweet tangy oak on the lingering finish.

RM 93 points.

This is Pahlmeyer's Bordeaux Blend -  60% Merlot, 
38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc, 
1% Petit Verdot.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=296642

https://www.pahlmeyer.com/wines/jayson/jayson-red/2004/

Domaine Saint-Damien Gigondas La Louisiane

Domaine Saint-Damien Gigondas La Louisiane Red Rhone Blend 2006

I opened this Rhone Blend to taste with spaghetti and Italian Sausage left over from our recent dinner at Angeli's Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria,  while watching the nauseating 2016 national election coverage on election night TV. Regardless of the outcome, the whole situation is pretty depressing.

As a holder of a highest level national security clearance, it is frightening, bewildering and in fact, inconceivable, that one of the candidates, with her track record and overt behavior, is yet viable and is not considered unsuitable for office, let alone under indictment. Politics aside, this subdued, dark wine seems appropriate for the somber occasion.

Dark blackish garnet colored, medium - full bodied, floral aroma, somewhat subdued black fruits are overtaken by earth and creosote with a tangy spicy black fruit on the lingering finish.

This wine opened with an awkward flabby disjointed flavor but eventually settled down to a level of stability.

RM 86 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=476540

Lanson Champagne Brut Rosé

Lanson Champagne Brut Rosé Rose Label NV Champagne Blend

For son Ryan's birthday we hosted a celebration Sunday brunch dinner with the kids and grand-kids. Linda prepared Eggs Benedict with Sea Scallops, sausage patties, grilled asparagus with fresh hollandaise and fresh berry fruit crepe's. I pulled from the cellar this Brut Rosé NV Champagne Blend from Lanson. Some of us enjoyed the authentic champagne straight up while the ladies had theirs with juice ala as a Mimosa. This was equally delicious and suitable with the entrees as it was the cake, fresh berries and whipped cream afterwards.

Here we are shown with the grandkids (right).

Light copper/salmon colored, medium bodied, zesty continuous bubbles, crisp and clean with aroma's and flavors of delicate berry, subtle tart strawberry and red cherry fruits, hint of apple/pear, chalk, and nectarine zest, with high acidity and a long almond toned finish of smooth dry tannins.

RM 90 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=327152

Robert Craig Affinity Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

Robert Craig Affinity Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

For quiet Saturday night dinner at home to watch the Netflix series release of 'The Crown' and dine with Linda's delicious lasagna dinner, I chose this Robert Craig Affinity 2006 from the cellar. Our Cellartracker records show we hold  more than eight cases of this label from no less than eighteen vintages dating back to the inaugural release in 1993. I picked this vintage almost at random but went with it as a tasting at a decade of age, in its tenth year.

The author, Rick, Linda and
Robert Craig at '09 Harvest Party

These pages are filled with numerous postings and reminiscences of dinners, tastings, release parties (shown left) and other events with Robert Craig and Lynn Craig, Rachel, and other members of the staff there. I remember how Robert used to wax eloquent about producing several Napa Valley Cabernet labels from "three mountains and a valley", this being the Cabernet blend of Napa Valley, and Cabs from Mt Veeder, Howell Mountain, and in later years Spring Mountain, and even Mt George fruit. I've heard Robert say his favorite was Mt Veeder, while my favorite was often Howell Mtn, until the Spring Mountain was released in '07, which became my favorite.

Robert used to speak with pride about how he worked at holding the price point of this label to deliver high value (QPR - Quality Price Ratio). This is poignant today as the new management and this year's release of this label has escalated in price by almost 40% with this price point (~$45-48) being replaced by a Napa Valley Cabernet label. I haven't brought myself to acquire and sample the new current release labels, but I will eventually.

This is Craig's Bordeaux blend with 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot.

Tonight this more than met and in fact, exceeded my expectations for this vintage label.

Robert Parker gave this 92 points and said of Craig's 2006 release: "The 2006 Affinity is a steal for a high-quality Napa Cabernet-based wine... This is the best group of wines I have ever tasted from Robert Craig Winery. Not only is there not a single disappointment in this portfolio, but these are all noteworthy wines, with thrilling levels of quality. Moreover, they are moderately priced for Napa Valley as well as ageworthy. I think these are the finest wines that I have ever tasted from Robert Craig Cellars." Thankfully, we loaded up on this release.

Full bodied, polished and finely integrated symphony of flavors and supple tannins with full legs or curtains around the glass - deep purple colour, full bodied, full forward aromas and flavours of black berry fruits and bacon fat, tones of currant, tea, espresso and hints of subtle dark chocolate with tangy cinnamon spice and lingering cedar on the long tongue puckering finish.

With more than a dozen bottles in the cellar of this release, I look forward to taste and watch this vintage age gracefully over the decade (s) to come.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=633932

http://www.robertcraigwine.com

Elderton e Series Cabernet Shiraz 2013

Elderton e Series Cabernet Shiraz 2013

While in Springfield on business, for carry out dinner back to the hotel to watch the Cubs win the World Series, I picked up this Aussie Shiraz / Cab blend at Corkscrew Wine Emporium. After tasting the premium Elderton Command Shiraz the other evening, I chose this entry level 'e Series' Elderton as a basis of comparison. This is a blend of Cabernet and Shiraz.

Often I'll commend the QPR - quality price ratio for sub $20 wines. In this case, you get what you pay for.

Dark garnet colored, medium bodied, black berry and black cherry fruits are accented by tones of mineral, graphite and hints of camphor and a layer of vanilla, with a bit of 'heat' from the alcohol.

RM 88 points, one point lower the following evening.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2088398

http://www.eldertonwines.com.au

Ninety Plus Cellars Lot 101 Columbia Valley Syrah 2009

Ninety Plus Cellars Lot 101 Columbia Valley Syrah 2009

Like earlier tastings, for casual evening sipping with fruit and cheese, I pulled this full throttle Columbia Valley Shiraz from the cellar.  I've raved about this wine several times in this blog, talking about the high QPR (quality price ratio) that can occasionally be found in negociant private label wines. Of course the challenge is that often they are 'one hit wonders' since there is no guarantee of follow up vintages of the particular label. 

I've stated that this may be one of our favorite drinking wines in our cellar right now, certainly at this price point!  

This one continues to not only hold its own, but may be at the apex of its drinking window at seven years of age.

Dark inky garnet colored, medium to full bodied, this full throttle Syrah reveals layers of blackberry, black currant and blueberry fruits with tones of sweet vanilla, caramel and spice with hints of black pepper on a lingering smooth tannin finish.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1742790

http://www.ninetypluscellars.com/wines/lot-101-collectors-series-syrah

Del Dotto Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Del Dotto Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with Angelis Pasta

As we've done many times before, we dined at Angeli's, our favorite neighborhood trattoria, with son Alec, home for the World Series weekend from NYC. Again, as many times before, we took Del Dotto Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon BYOB, since its hearty earthy Rutherford style goes so well with the hearty pasta and these meat and other dishes there. We ordered from our usual favorites, Linda and Alec got the Mussels in white wine sauce, Butternut Squash Gnochi, and I ordered one of the simplest but most hearty dishes, Spaghetti with Bolognese sauce with Italian Sausage and Veal Meatballs.

Del Dotto Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2001

This 2001 has been drinking wonderfully, certainly at the apex of its drinking window, for several years now. This demonstrates the longevity of quality Napa Valley Cabernets. While it will not likely improve any further with aging, it still has several years to go at this level.

Consistent with earlier tastings notes, medium to full bodied , deep dark ruby color - black berry and sweet black cherry fruits accented by clove spice and a hint cassis and whisper of English toffee on the 'Rutherford Dust' moderate silky tannin finish.

RM 91 points.

This same wine is featured in their extraordinary Connoisseurs Series in which they age the same wine in a variety of oak cooperages to highlight the different oak influences on the wine. We featured a horizontal tasting of the 2001 Del Dotto Connoisseur Series last year as listed on unwindWine.com site. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=485814

http://www.deldottovineyards.com/

Nino Negri 5 Stelle Sfursat 2004

Nino Negri 5 Stelle Sfursat 2004 - big bold Italian Red for pizza pasta dinner

Our exploration of non-conventional wines (for us) continues with this Italian Nebbiolo pullled from the cellar to enjoy with Suparossa pizza watching the Cubs in game four of the world series. We ordered out for premium pizza and I scoured the cellar for a premium Italian wine suitable for the occasion. 

As written in earlier blogposts, readers of this blog know we don't do a lot of Italian wines. Less than 1% of our cellar is in Italian labels. There are so many appellations and varietals and producers across all the regions, I advise folks to find one you like and focus on a few to develop knowledge and understanding of that area, and then move on. We focus on Bordeaux and Bordeaux varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot...) and Rhone and its varietals (which includes Syrah/Shiraz and thus includes Australia's popular varietal).

I admit, I am not well versed in Italian wine regions and their associated grape varietals. I've written before that in the 'new world', we name or label our wines based on the primary grape varietal in the bottle. In the 'old world', they, (the French, Italians, Germans), name the wine for the region or appellation, and its up to the consumer to understand the applicable wine grape varietal associated with that area. For example, Left Bank Bordeaux appellations (growing areas) such as St Julien and Paulliac are Cabernet Sauvignon based blends, while Right Bank Bordeaux such as St Emilion and Pomerol are Merlot based blends.

In this case of Italy and Lombardia, the wines are based on the Nebbiolo grape varietal.  Perhaps this is obvious, but the neophyte, or even learned wine geeks who don't know Italian wines, don't necessarily know the association of Sangiovese or Nebbiolo varietals and their regions and appellations, Lombardia, Barolo, Piedmont, Tuscany etc.

Skip ahead if this is known and basic, or bear with me if you're interested in learning these fundamentals of Lombardia Valtellina Superiore, and Sforzato di Valtellina which are two Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) (aka appellation in France or AVA (American (Agriculture) Viticultural Area) in America) in the northern Italian region of Lombardia. Stella Sfursat are red wines made primarily from the Nebbiolo grape varietal.

This is like in the Piedmont Barolo DOCG with its communes of Barolo, Castiglione Falletto and Serralunga d'Alba, and parts of the communes of Cherasco, Diano d'Alba, Grinzane Cavour, La Morra, Monforte d'Alba, Novello, Roddi and Verduno. These sub-appellations as they might be called in America, are mentioned on the label, but are secondary to the region name. To many, me included, this adds to the confusion of interpreting or parsing an Italian wine label.

Nebbiolo based wines tend to be bold, full bodied, tannic, firm, concentrated and long lived with tasting characteristics of black fruits, tar, rose petals and smoke which made this ideal for the tangy spicy pizza tomato sauces.

5 Stelle Sfursat di Valtellina DOCG

This is Nino Negri’s flagship wine, made from the most select very best grapes, only in the best vintage years. The fruit for this wine is 100% Nebbiolo (Chiavennasca) grapes, hand picked in the most acclaimed parcels of Valtellina Superiore. The grape are dried naturally for 3 months in their skins.

The Valtellina appellation lies north of Lake Como in the province of Sondrio. It is sheltered from the cold northern winds by the Rhaetian Alps mountain range. The Valley, runs 40 kms from east to west and faces the south where it is exposed to the sun all day. The Valley is divided into four sub-zones that each are named for the different types of wine produced there: Grumello, Sassella, Inferno and Valgella. The territory has two DOCGs, the more widely known Valtellina Superiore, and Sforzato di Valtellina.

CellarTracker Drinking Window indicates this is not yet at but nearing the end of its peak drinking window.

It is brick red color and starting to show some brisking separation of its body, medium bodied, nose and flavors of black fruits with layer of tangy cinnamon spice predominating, subdued floral and nose, the black berry and black cherry fruits predominant with tones of black olive, tar, soy and hint of baking spices with supple dry tannins.

This was perfect accompaniment to the spicy tomato sauces of the Suparossa carry-out pizzas. 

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1561770


http://www.ninonegri.net/eng/index.html

http://www.suparossawoodridge.com/

Conway Wines Deep Sea Cabernet Sauvignon

Conway Family Wines Deep Sea Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

About a year ago this week, I wrote in these pages about Conway Family Wines and got a kind note from them about my post. At that time, I had just opened their wine for a casual weekend evening of wine, fruit and cheese. This week, we opened it as our second wine for a beef tenderloin dinner and it tuned out to be the highlighter of the evening.

As I have written before in these pages, I found this wine downstate and tasted it, then went back and bought more. Previously, I found their Syrah and went back and bought more, twice, ending up buying out their entire stock. After buying out this Cabernet, I returned to the same retailer again later and discovered they had another case on the shelves. I had just been questioned about wines for a holiday party by a colleague and in our discussion I spoke of this wine. As it happened another colleague was downstate and we reached out to him prompting him to go by and buy out the remaining stock from the merchant, which we split between us. Such it is with these wine finds.

Like before, we only consumed half the bottle the first evening we opened it and found the remainder of the bottle when revisited the next evening was as good or even better than it was initially. Such it is with hearty well structured wines of a half dozen years of age. This was the same as the notes from my earlier tasting experience, when we opened re-opened it, it improved upon revisiting the following day!

Here are my notes from the previous but similar tasting of this wine, earlier this year.

Consider this a Negociant wine since, according to the wine producer, it is sourced from a "number of the finest, well regarded vineyards within Napa AVA’s of Rutherford, Atlas Peak and Pritchard Hill, with each one contributing their unique characteristics to our blend".

According to the producer's release, "the dark fruit notes along with distinctive and pleasant chalky sagebrush notes greet your nose at first. This Cabernet has as plush an entry as we’ve seen in a lot of years. A round, soft, mouth filling wine that shows a smooth backbone of tannins and balanced acidity. The finish wraps up nicely with a lingering reminder of the mature dark fruits, ever so slight a hint of new oak, and the ever present palette of flavors that make Cabernet so sought after!"

This has incredible QPR - quality price ratio, at its price point below $20. The wine producer lists it at $39. 

Compared to last year when I last wrote about this wine, tonight it presented a layer of sweetness, moreso than I recall or reported on earlier. Dark garnet colored, medium to full bodied, full fruit forward black raspberry and cherry fruits with a layer of spice and hints of graphite and tea, turning to tones of sweet mocha, almost caramel like, with nice balance and smooth polished tannin finish.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1517213

http://www.conwayfamilywines.com

Bodegas y Viñedos Castro Ventosa Mencía Bierzo El Castro de Valtuille

Bodegas y Viñedos Castro Ventosa Mencía Bierzo El Castro de Valtuille 2005 - Parsing Spanish wines and labels

I remember I bought this highly recommended and rated Spanish wine at a wine shop in McLean, VA while on a trip to WDC several years ago. I've kept it to share with friends Bob and Gloria who have Latin ancestry and heritage. So it was that I pulled this out for dinner with them last evening with son Alec visiting home from NYC for the weekend to partake in the Cub's World Series regalia. It was a fitting accompaniment to Linda's beef tenderloin dinner.

Aside Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio which we collect and hold a vertical of a half dozen vintages, this is one of very few Spanish wines we hold in our cellar. I realize I know very little about Spanish wines. Hence, I took some time to parse the full name of this wine with all its names and syllables, as shown above. I see why folks can be bewildered if not overwhelmed by the complexities or intricacies of wines in general, or in this case, Spanish wines. It doesn't help that its a Spanish wine with Spanish terms and names, which exacerbates the situation in light of me being totally ignorant and non-literal in Spanish. I see why, and suppose folks can get equally tangled up in Italian and French wines and labels accordingly.

Few people realize that Spain has over 1.17 million hectares (~2 acres per hectare) of vineyards making it the most widely grape varietal planted country in the world. However. Spain is the 3rd producing country after Italy and France, due to the very low yields and wide spacing of old vines planted in the dry and infertile soils found in many Spanish regions.

Like Italy, Spain has an abundance of over 600 indigenous grape varieties, although most of their production comes from about 20 grapes including Tempranillo, Albariño, Garnacha, Palomino, Arien, Macabeu, Parellada, Xarel.lo, Cariñena and Monastrell.

The source grape for this wine is Mencía, a Spanish red grape varietal found primarily in the northwestern part of the country. Most wines produced from Mencía have characteristics of being light, pale, relatively fragrant and appropriate for early consumption.

Mencía is indigenous from the Bierzo DO appellation and some suspect that it is an ancient clone from Cabernet Franc.

Bierzo is a Spanish Denominación de Origen (DO), or appellation, known for wines located in the northwest of the province of León (Castile and León, Spain). The Bierzo D.O. is located in the northwest of the Province of Castilla y León, just above Portugal. Bierzo covers about 3,000 km² and borders the provinces of Ourense, Lugo and Oviedo in the north and in the south on areas of La Montaña, la Cabrera and La Meseta, in Léon. 

The producer Castro Ventosa was founded by the Perez family in 1752 and has been in the family ever since. They have 75 hectares of Mencía vineyards in the appellation of Bierzo, making them the biggest owners of this varietal within the Bierzo D.O. (Denominación de origen). The Bierzo appellation is made of 5000 hectares (ha) with 2500 planted with white varietals and 2500 ha planted with Mencía. Interestingly, there are 5000 landowners within the appellation.

Rear label

The current proprietor of Castro Ventoza is Raúl Pérez, who runs the winery and has become a figurehead for Bierzo wines in Spain. Castro Ventosa produces three different Mencía; Valtuille, El Castro de Valtuille and El Castro de Valtuille “Joven Mencia”.

So then, lets parse this wine based on its label information -
Bodegas y Viñedos Castro Ventosa Mencía Bierzo El Castro de Valtuille 2005.

Bodegas y Viñedos is Spanish for wineries and vineyards.

Castro Ventosa is the name of the producer.

El Castro de Valtuille is the name of this particular wine.

Bierzo is the Spanish DO (Denominación de Origen) or appellation.

Mencía is the Spanish grape variety in the wine. Note the only reference to Mencia is on the rear label (shown left).


2005 - the vintage release of this bottle - all the grapes were harvested during this vintage year.

Tonight this wine was dark bright ruby colored, medium bodied, firm, tight, somewhat concentrated and coming across as a bit flabby, with black fruits with tones of spice, black olive, hints of cresote and tangy black cherry on the finish.

RM 87 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=269778

http://www.boutiquewines.info/wine.php?supplier_id=71&winename=El%20Castro%20de%20Valtuille%20-%20Crianza&varietal_id=49&country_id=5

Elderton Command Shiraz Single Vineyard Shiraz

Elderton Command Shiraz Single Vineyard Shiraz (Syrah) 2002 to celebrate Cubs in the World Series

For game one of the World Series featuring my beloved Cubs, I pulled from the cellar a special premium bottle to celebrate the occasion - Elderton Command. Linda prepared grilled steak and loaded baked potatoes for pre-game dinner. As is typical, we consumed about a third of the bottle for dinner and retained the rest for the following night. Coming across as bolder and more forward, we enjoyed it the second night to celebrate the Cub's win in game two. About a 1/4 remains to taste tonight, or perhaps I'll wait till tomorrow to toast game 3, the first World Series game at Wrigley Field in my lifetime.

This is a single vineyard designated bottling from one of the top Shiraz producers in Australia which was first released in 1984. Twice in recent years, Elderton wines have been named in Top 100 Wines in the World by Wine Spectator. Sourced from vines planted in the early 1900’s, Elderton Command Shiraz has a reputation as one of Australia’s best and most sought after shiraz. Previous vintages have won awards from around the world including the World’s Best Shiraz Trophy, International Wine & Spirits Competition in 2000. The wine consistently gets high ratings from wine critics Robert Parker & Wine Spectator. Like many storied labels, this one needs time to reveal its true character and full potential.

I remember tasting this wine back on release at a restaurant and it was closed and tight with the bold concentrated fruits bottled up. (I was surprised to find this premium shiraz on the winelist at Biaggi's restaurant in Champaign, Ill. I couldn't resist at $80 which while expensive, is a wine list bargain at slightly more than retail price.) I recall tasting it again when it was about five years old and it was big and powerful, but still a bit closed and tight, almost obtuse.

Like my last previous tasting back in 2006 when I wrote "this wine was more approachable than the first time we tried it - but it still needs some time to meld and reveal its complex fruit". Well nine years later, it is smoother and more polished and is certainly approachable with its delicious melange of black and blue fruits. Reiterating my initial tasting note when I wrote this was "huge, powerful, dense, richly complex, dark", tonight it was big, dense, rich and complex, but now is a bit smoother and approachable with full forward fruits of ripe plum, blueberry, candied cherry, and black raspberry fruits with tones of camphor, black pepper, hints of anise and dark chocolate punched by firm intense tannins on a long finish.

This was perfect with the grilled steak and potato, and cheese and chocolates after dinner.

RM 93 points. This label got 95 points from James Halliday and Robert Parker and  93 points from Wine Spectator.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=46692 

https://eldertonwines.com.au/

NYC Restaurant Row offers wine - dine - entertainment options ...

NYC Restaurant Row offers widest range of wine - dine - entertainment options ... Don't Tell Mama!

One of the stops during our NYC getaway weekend was a short stopover visit to Restaurant Row near the theatre district. Linda discovered this by accident with the kids on a previous trip and it was on our visit list to see and experience this weekend. A drop in snack and wine tasting turned out to be one of the highlights of our weekend.

Our kids who are Manhattan residents had heard about but never been there - what a surprise when we discovered it was near one of their offices and they were in the nearby neighborhood almost daily.

Restaurant Row is simply two blocks of 46th Street, between Broadway and 9th Streets - a neighborhood with over twenty restaurants - one after the other, adjacent to the Theatre District.

There is an amazing wide variety of cuisine from all around the world, according to their promotional website, the range is: American (New), American (Traditional), Asian Fusion, Brazilian, Breakfast, Brunch, Burgers, Cajun/Creole, Chinese, French, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Latin American, Middle Eastern, Pizza, Russian, Seafood, Soul Food, Spanish/Basque, Sushi Bars, Tapas Bars, Thai, Turkish, Vegetarian and Vietnamese. There is a choice of a half dozen Italian eateries, and a couple each American, Latin, French, Spanish and so on.

Legendary Restaurant Row is an authentic Times Square and New York institution where you can choose from cuisine from all over the world, sample the styles of celebrity chefs, and join Broadway stars at some of their favorite haunts.

In between meals, we dropped in for a mid-afternoon respite for some small plates and wine. We stopped at "Don't Tell (your) Mama", which has a bar, a restaurant, a piano bar, two separate cabarets, and outside alfresco dining in one small compact site (see gallery, below).

According to their website, luminaries that have come through their doors include "Liza Minnelli, Paul Newman, Joan Rivers, Bette Midler, Rosie O'Donnell, Chita Rivera, Kathy Griffin, Audra MacDonald, Kristin Chenoweth, Mario Cantone, & Cuba Gooding Jr., to name but a few!"

We selected four wines by the glass (WBTG) and three small plates, shrimp cocktail, crab cakes, and a salad. It was a perfect setting for enjoyable, casual food and wine tasting in a picturesque, cosmopolitan, fun setting.

From my seat, I was able to watch the cabaret rehearsal in the club to the rear.

For our Wine Flight, we selected a Russian River Valley (RRV) Sonoma Chardonnay, a RRV Pinot Noir, and Sauvignon Blancs from Sonoma and Napa Carneros.  Unlike usual custom in this blog, I don't have the label specifics of the different wines and hence don't offer a review. You'll have to visit Don't Tell Mama for your own tasting flight. We'll be back, our next trip to NYC!

My Gallery of Don't Tell Mama NYC ...

Eataly New York Wine Dine Options

Eataly New York offers Wine Dine Options

One of our checklist items for our getaway weekend in New York was to dine at Eataly. Even though we have one in Chicago, there are seafood specials (shown below) and options available in New York that don't make their way inland, such as my favored choice, Flounder (shown right).

Its not necessarily haute cuisine fine dining but its a fun adventure that captures the vibrancy and energy of New York, with fresh Atlantic seafood options. Of course they also have a pasta restaurant, and several other dining options.

So we dined at the bustling Eataly Il Pesce restaurant and selected a Riserva wine from their Reserve list. I chose the Flounder, Linda and Viv the sea scallops and Alec the calamari and then the Octopus. The sea scallops were especially delectable and earned the highest marks.

Rather than waiting for a table, we chose to sit at the bar which turned out to be a real treat. It was like getting a front row seat for a show as we watched the chef prepare the entrees. Working in closed quarters, the culinary staff are a well choreographed team, each with his/her specialty/role in the orchestrated process.

Sitting at the bar, we had front row seats watching Chef Lady, and then Chef Eric prepare sushi and several of the dishes right in front of us.

For our seafood meal, we chose this Reserve Frescobaldi Benfizio Tuscan Chardonnay.

Marchesi de' Frescobaldi Pomino Castello di Pomino Bianco Riserva Benefizio 2014 

Light straw colored, medium light bodied, crisp clean citrus and lychee fruits with wet stone and hints of spice, floral and wood on the moderate citrus toned finish.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2302718

http://en.frescobaldi.com/wines/benefizio-riserva/

Eataly Vino NYC

Since we were last at Eataly, New York, they have moved their wine shop to a dedicated storefront next door. Eataly Vino NYC includes the basic selection of wines offered in the store along with a Reserve room of several premium vintage selections (shown below).

Inexcusably and inexplicably, they do not offer for sale all the wines available in the restaurants next door, such as the wine we drank with dinner, above. This should be an obvious merchandising offering. Isn't this what a retail with restaurant site like Eataly is all about?

Eataly Il Pesce Octopus entree

Rosemount McLaren Vale Balmoral Syrah

Rosemount Estate McLaren Vale Balmoral Syrah 1998

For Sunday dinner after church the family gathered for a gala beef roast dinner with mashed potatoes, gravy, cooked carrots and, brussel sprouts. I pulled from the cellar this vintage Balmoral Syrah for the occasion.

We hold several cases of a dozen vintages of this label dating back to the 1992 vintage.

Rosemount Estate McLaren Vale Balmoral Syrah 1998

The room filled with ripe berry fruit aromas as soon as I pulled the cork. Dark inky purple colored, full bodied, thick, chewy powerful concentrated ripe blueberry fruits are accented by tones of blackberry, game and bacon fat with a slight metallic graphite finish. This begs for hearty cheese, lamb, beef roast or the like. Still going strong in its 18th year.  I have to believe this is nearing the end of its prime drinking window as the fruit flavors give way to the non-fruit metallic tones. There was more than two teaspoons of sediment in the last pour from the bottle.

RM 92 points.

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