Château Mouton Rothschild Xu Bing 2018 Vintage label

Château Mouton Rothschild Selects Chinese artist Xu Bing design for Chateau Mouton Rothschild 2018 Vintage label 

My study in wine branding and marketing each year looks forward to the annual announcement of the selected artist and featured artwork for the vintage release of Château Mouton Rothschild. 

This week the legendary Château Mouton Rothschild announced the label for its 2018 vintage release. The new label will feature an original calligraphic artwork by Xu Bing, a leading Chinese artist printmaker and calligrapher. 

Xu Bing developed “square word calligraphy” as a system for writing English in the early 1990s after he came to New York. Although the rectangular units of writing resemble Chinese characters, each one is actually a word in English, in which the letters of each English word are organized into structures that resemble Chinese characters. 

Xu Bing's works have been exhibited at the British Museum in London, and the Museum of Modern Art and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, "An Introduction to Square Word Calligraphy" from 1994-1996.

Xu Bing’s 2018 design displays the name ‘Mouton Rothschild’ written in a unique script called Square Word Calligraphy. Xu Bing developed this artistic form of writing by reshaping Latin alphabet letters to resemble traditional Chinese characters, suggesting a blending of different cultures. 

Xu Bing’s previous work has showcased in several leading galleries and museums around the world and covers many different media, including wood engraving, large installations, and sculpture.

The 65-year-old Xu, born in 1955, first visited Château Mouton Rothschild in 2013 at the invitation of Baroness Philippine de Rothschild. “I was impressed by her energy, her warm personality and her knowledge of the arts. She said that one day I should create a label for Mouton Rothschild,” Xu said in a press release Tuesday.

After the Baroness passed away in 2014 at age 80, the estate and vineyards were inherited by her three children, Philippe Sereys de Rothschild, Camille Sereys de Rothschild, and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild.

“So when Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild contacted me to illustrate the label for the vintage 2018, I took it as both an honor and an opportunity to pay tribute,” Xu said.

“When I discovered Xu Bing, I was captivated by him as an inventor of signs endowed with incredible poetic power,” Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild said in the release. “And then I said to myself that our labels were also signs, each work of art referring to a year: the 1973 vintage can also be called the ‘ Picasso Mouton, ’ just as the 2018 vintage will be called the ‘ Xu Bing Mouton ’.”

I have written about the Mouton art series in these pages in the feature Mouton Rothschild Wine Label Art Series.

As I have written in these pages, any study in wine branding and marketing at some point invites a discussion of art label series featuring original or reproductions of notable art or artists on the wine labels. No wine producer in the world captures the imagination or attention of wine collectors and wine art enthusiasts more than Mouton Rothschild with their annual artist series artist featured wine label.

Each year a renowned artist is commissioned to do the artwork for that vintage. The featured artist is said to be paid ten cases of various vintages of the classic Chateau Mouton Rothschild for their work. Most every collector dreams of collecting a 'vertical' collection (wines of multiple vintages of the same wine) of the classic premium First Growth Bordeaux to display the 'artwork' of Mouton.

Mouton Rothschild Artist Labels have been produced by the world's most famous contemporary artists, Chagall (1970, Dali (1958), Picasso (1973), Miro (1969), Andy Warhol (1975), as well as other luminaries such as Prince Charles (2004) and Hollywood director John Huston (1982). Many other producers have established artist series, but there is only one Mouton Rothschild.

In 1945, Baron Philippe de Rothschild conceived the original idea of crowning the Mouton label with a work of art created for this purpose by famous artists; these have included paintings by Miró, Chagall, Braque, Picasso, Warhol, Bacon, Balthus, amongst others.

Since then, only 4 vintages have not had Artist's labels: 1953 which celebrated the initial purchase of the Mouton property, 1977 when the Queen Mother stayed at Mouton and the Baron dedicated that year's vintage to her, 2000 where the label is enameled in gold with a reproduction of Jakob Schenauer's Augsburg Ram (seen in the linked to library series), and 2003 which is devoted to Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild depicted in a period photograph celebrating the 150th anniversary of the 1853 acquisition of the Mouton estate by the family. 

 

Other recent vintage release labels:

 

2017	Annette Messager
	Annette Messager was selected as the artist for the Mouton Rothschild 2017 label. Her design named ‘Hallelujah’ features the word repeated many times in waves on the artwork. The artwork also features imagery of a woman's breasts that refer to the combination of milk and wine. The producer said of Messager’s work, ‘In an approach that is both realistic and symbolic, [Messager] combines two substances, milk and wine, which the Bible often associates with each other, hymning the virtues of both.’ The artist Messager was born in Bereck in Northern France in1943. She is known as a visual and graphic artist and has exhibited her work in the some of the world’s best-known galleries. She won the prestigious Golden Lion award at Venice Biennale in 2005 and the Praemium Imperiale in Japan in 2016. Several of her major works have been seen as commentary on identity, particularly around the perceptions of women by society and individuals.
2016	William Kentridge
	South African artist William Kentridge designed the label for the 2016 vintage grand vin. The artwork named ‘The Triumphs of Bacchus’ incorporated a series of silhouettes for the Mouton Rothschild 2016 label. Kentridge, was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1955, and was the first artist from the African continent to illustrate a Mouton label. The Kentridge label design shows a variety of silhouettes of Bacchus in what the first growth Château described as a joyful procession. The work was inspired by Bacchic characters from the paintings of great artists, from Titian to Matisse, Mouton said. One of the art forms most closely associated with Kentridge is the creation of animated film using charcoal drawings or black-card cut-outs, Mouton said. Kentridge has also become well-known for a variety of art forms, including sculpture and theatre.
2015	Gerhard Richter
	The 2015 label was designed by German artist Gerhard Richter who is well known for a broad portfolio of paintings, abstracts, photographs and paintings on photographs dating back to 1962. Since the mid 1980's he has created more than 2,000 Overpainted Photographs. His creation for the Mouton label is an abstract 'photo painting' using a unique 'flux' technique that combines photography and painting. The technique, involves spreading enamel paint on a plate of plexiglass which is then pressed against a glass plate. For the design, he photographed the fluctuating colours at the point he considered the composition to be 'momentarily harmonious'. The completed work consists of the one plate affixed of top of the other. His abstract style has been likened to famous artists including Picasso. This year's artist and deign were chosen by Camille and Philippe Sereys de Rothschild and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild, the next-generation owners of the famous wine estate. Richter was born in Germany in 1932. His 1986 painting ‘Abstraktes Bild’ set a record auction price for a work by a living artist in October 2015, when it sold at Sotheby’s for over $40 million.

 The collection of Mouton Rothschild labels are all shown on my legacy McNees.org/WineSite Mouton Rothschild Art Label Library.

The official library is presented on the original Mouton Rothschild Official Label Art Site.

My Winesite Label Library lists the Mouton Rothschild Label Library Series Artists and associated works by the artists for reference or to aid in further exploration or research of the library and its history: 

Alpha Listing of Mouton Rothschild Label Artists

Chronological list of Mouton Rothschild artists with links to Wikipedia profiles and other artwork by Mouton Rothschild selected artists.

Laurent Perrier La Cuvée Grand Siècle Brut NV Champagne

Laurent Perrier La Cuvée Grand Siècle Grand Grand Cru Brut NV Champagne

We took this to Erin and Johnny's for Christmas Day gathering. There's always room for Champagne, especially special occasions and family holiday gatherings, so I took this special bottle from our cellar collection that we have been holding for quite a while. I recall this included in the blend wine from at least one of the kids' birth years. 

This is Laurent-Perrier's prestige cuvée that is a non-vintage blending from Laurent-Perrier's very best growths and most successful vintage years. Laurent-Perrier has always preferred to keep its prestige cuvée as a non-vintage blend to which they apply four rules:

• Blending of a selection of 3 exceptional years, chosen from the rare vintages produced by Laurent-Perrier.
• Blending of a selection of 11 of the 17 existing Grand Crus in Champagne, whose characteristics are specific to the Laurent-Perrier style.
• A blend made from a base year (the youngest) and 2 additional years in order to reach an ideal balance and to perpetuate this style with each iteration.
• A blend with a majority of Chardonnay supplemented by Pinot Noir and benefiting from more than 10 years of aging in the Cellars.

In the 17th Century, during the reign of Louis XIV, France enjoyed its most illustrious era. Louis XIV became known as the "Sun King" for his benevolence and his patronage of the Arts, which became the foundation of France's rich artistic heritage. At the Palace of Versailles Louis XIV was the first French King to drink Champagne in the Royal Court.

Louis XIV's era became known as the Grand Siècle - the "Great Century". Bottled in a replica of a 17th Century bottle, Laurent-Perrier's prestige cuvées "embody luxury, magnificence and elegance fit for a king".

Alec and Linda, Champagne 2006

The NV Grand Siècle Grande Cuvée is a Grand Cru Brut based on the firm's top selection, the only Cuvée de Prestige in Champagne based on the blend and not on the vintage. Grand Siècle is not a vintage wine. Each iteration is numbered, much more rarely than vintage years in Champagne. 

Only 24 iterations have been produced in 65 years compared to the 45 vintages declared over the same period.

Grand Siècle is sourced from twelve of the most prestigious villages' vineyards; all of them classified at 100% Grands Crus. From vineyards of these villages, only the very best plots are selected, and the finest musts from the pressings; Chardonnay 55% percent of the blend, from Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger; and Pinot Noir, 45%, from Ambonnay, Bouzy, Louvois, Mailly, Tours-sur-Marne and Verzenay.

We toured many of these villages and the surrounding vineyards during our Champagne Wine Experience region tour in 2006. 

The first Grand Siècle cuvée was unveiled by Laurent-Perrier in 1959. Each release is a blend of recent three declared vintages; one was released consisting of 2006, 2004, and 2002, another was a blend of the 2002, 1999 and 1998, another release was from the '99, '97 and '96 vintages. But, I am certain we've had this for nearly a decade longer and recall it included the 1990 vintage, birth year of son, Alec. Alas, my cellar records fail me on the provenance of this label further indicating I acquired it before my current record keeping systems were in place. 

The 1990 vintage was included in three releases, Iteration 15 ('90, '88, and '85), Iteration 16 ('93, 90 and 88) and Iteration 17 ('95, 93, 90).  Hence, my recollection is it is one of these three, however, I thought the bottles I purchased back on release contained at least two our kids' birth-years which would've been Iteration 15. This is the last remaining bottle of a half dozen we consumed over the years. C'est la vie.

The current release of Grand Siècle is Iteration 24 and consists of vintages 2007, '06 and '04.

The NV declarations make it difficult to track which release is which after an extended time but another release of this label got 97 points from Wine Enthusiast and a 'Cellar Selection' designation, 95 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, and 93 points from Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar.

This or a similar label got 95 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 93 points from Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, and 90 points from Wine & Spirits.

While showing its age and possibly past its apex, certainly not likely to improve further with aging, this showed great character and a distinctive profile. Honey colored, (having darkened with age from straw then butter colored), medium bodied, complex, full predominant notes of smokiness combined with nutty pecan tones gave way to hints of pain-grille and caramel and dried pear with a smooth luxuriously balanced finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=874377

This had remnant of the profile it showed in its youth as written by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, "It is pure, ripe and very elegant, mixing pain-aux-raisin and honey flavors with pure chalk. Ample, highly elegant, beautifully matured and fruit-intense, with fine caramel, honey and torrone flavors, this is a well-structured Grand Siècle with great finesse and delicate freshness. Awesome."

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar back in 2016 mentions the smokiness twice, on the main palate and again on the finish ... "A heady, mineral-tinged bouquet evokes dried pear, buttery brioche, lemon curd and anise, plus a smoky topnote. Chewy and expansive on the palate, offering concentrated orchard and pit fruit flavors and a touch of bitter quinine. The smoky note repeats on the finish, which shows impressive clarity and mineral-driven persistence."

https://www.laurent-perrier.com/en/the-wines/grand-siecle-2/introduction/

https://www.grandsiecle.com/en/pre-home-en/

Domaine de Beaurenard "Cuvée Boisrenard" Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2004

Domaine de Beaurenard (Paul Coulon et Fils) "Cuvée Boisrenard" Châteauneuf-du-Pape Boisrenard 2004

For a quiet Christmas eve at home together, Linda prepared BBQ ribs and I pulled from the cellar this Châteauneuf-du-Pape as an accompaniment.

Domaine de Beaurenard Châteauneuf-du-Pape estate vineyards have been in the same family for 7 generations. Domaine de Beaurenard dates back to 1695 when was it was known by the name “Bois Renard.” 

Domaine de Beaurenard began making wine under the current branding in 1929 and remains a family run estate managed by Frederic Coulon and Daniel Coulon with sons Antonin and Victor Coulon becoming increasingly involved in managing the property. They were featured on the cover of and in a coverage article in Wine Spectator Magazine in November 2018. 

Domaine de Beaurenard has 32 hectares (2.2 acres = 1 hectare) of vines in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, 28 hectares in red wine grapes and 4 hectares for making white Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine. 

The vines are located in 25 separate parcels with much of their Grenache planted in the Cabrieres lieu-dit. Domaine de Beaurenard also owns 15 hectares of vineyards in the Cotes du Rhone Villages, and 62 hectares of vines in the Rasteau AOC.  

The vines are dispersed across the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation with plantings in the Beau Renard, le Bois de la Ville, Cansaud, la Cerise, Colombis, la Crau, la Gardine, la Nerthe, la Pied Long and le Pradel lieux-dits.

The estate tasting room sits on the southern outskirts of the village of  Châteauneuf-du-Pape on the main route leading into town.

Domaine de Beaurenard grows all 13 Rhone grape varieties allowed by the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation (AOC) regulations for use in their red wines, the primary grapes used in the blend being Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault and tiny amounts of varietals Counoise, Muscardin, Terret and Vaccarese. 

Some of the old vines of Grenache date back over 100 years.

Domaine de Beaurenard produces 4 red Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines, and 2 white Chateauneuf du Pape wines as well as wines from the Cotes du Rhone and Rasteau appellations. 

The primary label, Domaine de Beaurenard Châteauneuf-du-Pape is produced from a blend of 70% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah with 4% Cinsault, the rest of the blend is from assorted grape varieties sourced from vines that average close to 50 years of age.

This is the premium flagship label, Domaine de Beaurenard Cuvee Boisrenard. It is produced from a blend of 60% old vine Grenache and the other appellation approved grape varieties. The vines range in age from 60 to more than 100 years of age.

I write extensively about the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation and its history and regulations in our blogpost from our visit to the area and the nearby estates. 

On average, close to 1,500 cases are produced of this label each year. 

Domaine de Beaurenard (Paul Coulon et Fils) "Cuvée Boisrenard" Châteauneuf-du-Pape Boisrenard 2004 

I still recall I first discovered and tasted this wine during my first visit to Châteauneuf-du-Pape back in 1998. This wine was first produced with the 1990 vintage release. We also still hold several bottles of that inaugural 1990 vintage, birthyear of son Alec that we're holding for a suitable family occasion.

This 2004 release got 94 points from Wine Spectator, 91-93 points from Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, 90 points from  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and 89 points from Wine Enthusiast. The recent 2016 vintage release got 96 points from Wine Spectator. 

Winemaker notes for this release: "Parcels of old vines 60-100 years in age, planted in soils of great character and complexity, provide the grapes for this wine. They are picked when fully mature and meticulously sorted by hand to further enhance concentration. These old parcels, in which different varieties are planted together, embody the symphony of 13 varieties, though Grenache predominates."

This is likely drinking at the apex of its profile and will not likely improve further with aging. This was dark garnet and inky purple colored, medium full bodied, nicely balanced black cherry, currant and blackberry fruits with notes of tobacco, toast, spice oak, black tea and hints of cassis and pepper on a smooth lingering moderate tannin finish.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=176522

http://www.beaurenard.fr/indexgb.htm

 

Double Diamond (Schrader) Amber Knolls Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2002

Shrader Double Diamond Lake County Beckstoffer Amber Knolls Cabernet Sauvignon 2002

I pulled this Double Diamond label from the cellar as the double diamond is a fun play on words sharing it with two sons who had weddings in recent months. Also, this provided another tasting of the handiwork of winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown who produced the Kinsella Estate Dry Creek Valley Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon that Alec and Viv shared the other evening.

Thomas Rivers Brown was originally from South Carolina. After graduation from the University of Virginia he traveled the wine regions of France, and eventually made his way to Napa Valley in the mid-1990's. He worked with and earned the craft as cellar hand and lab enologist for notable winemakers Ehren Jordan and Larry Turley of Turley Wine Cellars.

In 2000, Thomas got his chance to produce his own wines when he was appointed winemaker for the new winery project Chiarello Vineyards which I wrote about in these pages a couple years ago. 

Since then, in addition to Chiarello, Thomas has overseen winemaking operations or consulted for many well known Napa Valley wineries including Schrader, Outpost, Maybach, Revana, TOR, C. Mondavi, Jones Family, Harris Estate, Hestan, Seaver, Black Sears, and Casa Piena. He also has his own wine label, Rivers-Marie, where Thomas Brown focuses his efforts on Pinot Noir.
 
Thomas Brown has been called "the nation's hottest winemaker." by David White of The Terroirist Wine Journal., He is one of but a few winemakers globally to have received multiple 100-point wine scores from the penultimate wine critic Robert Parker Jr. of The Wine Advocate, as well as from wine noted critic, James Laube of The Wine Spectator. In 2010, Thomas was honored as Food & Wine Magazine "Winemaker of the Year."

This is the second label of the classic super premium Shrader brand/collection. This is from the Amber Knolls Vineyard up in Lake County, over the hill from Howell Mountain to the northeast from Napa Valley, not to be confused with the Oak Knolls district in southwest Napa.

The Double Diamond brand, crafted by winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown, has featured several different labels, sourced from a complement of prime vineyard estates in and around Napa Valley. "From rocky, high-elevation soils to the warm, rich valley floor, each incredible vineyard contributes its unique character to this enticing and eminently satisfying Napa Cabernet."

Consistent with last tasting .... this was dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, forward expressive black berry fruits, smokey black creosote tones with hints of black licorice and touch of dark cocoa with moderate firm tannins.

RM 90 points. 

http://www.schradercellars.com/content/double-diamond

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=14835

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2016/08/double-diamond-amber-knolls-cabernet.html

Hall Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2018

Hall Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2018 

 

The third white wine we opened for our Gala Family Christmas celebration wine dinner was this Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc from Hall Wine.

 

Sauvignon Blanc in the most natural of white varietal wines, vinified nearest to the core fruit and less adulterated than any other varietal. Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc is one of my favorite white wines for serious wine and food pairings as well as purely simple pleasurable sipping. 

 

The bright fruit and crisp acidity of this label were markedly different, lighter, simpler and more focused than the two more complex Chardonnay's we opened to accompany the lobster medallions. Most folks tended to one side or the other. I preferred this. 

 

Straw colored, medium light bodied, bright sprites of peach predominated accented by notes of melon, subdued green apple, hints of grapefruit and wet stone with a lengthy smooth finish. 

 

RM 91 points. 

 

This was awarded 92 points by Wine Enthusiast and 91points by International Wine Review.

 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3457653

 

https://www.hallwines.com/

 

@HALLWines

 

Walt Bob's Ranch Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2017

Walt Bob's Ranch Vineyard Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2017

During our Gala Family Christmas celebration wine dinner, we opened three white wines to accompany the medallions of lobster including a Hall Sauvignon Blanc and this Walt, Bob's Ranch Chardonnay. Alec brought this bottle as part of relocating his cellar from Manhattan to Chicago. Walt is another brand and label of Hall wines, named for vintner proprietor Kathryn Walt Hall's family. Her parents Bob and Dolores Walt first purchased a vineyard in Northern California and were dedicated grape growers in Mendocino County since 1972.  

The Walts acquired more land and grew production to grow six different varietals that they sold to several notable wineries including Fetzer, Parducci and Beringer. 

Kathryn and her brother managed the family vineyard from 1982 to 1992, selling grapes to other wineries, as well as producing Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon under the WALT Vineyards label. 

The Walt family owns 63 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc in the Redwood Valley. Walt Wines produce varietal wines Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Rosé sourced from estate (family owned) vineyards in five Appellations of Sonoma County, Anderson Valley, Central Coast, Carneros and Willamette Valley in Oregon.

After her stewardship as United States Ambassador to Austria from 1997 to July 2001, Kathryn returned to America and resumed her role as proprietor of HALL Wines along with her husband Craig. Continuing her family tradition, she maintains a strong emotional attachment to vineyards, wine and the wine country. 

We were introduced to Walt wines when we tasted a Walt Pinot Noir at the Kathryn Hall Cabernet regional release tour in Chicago. That was a vineyard designated select label from Bob's Ranch vineyard on the Sonoma Coast. 

We also tasted a Walt Chardonnay that was designated Sonoma Coast, where the rear label cited Bob's Ranch Vineyard as one of the sources for the bottling, a blend from numerous sources from the area.

This Walt Chardonnay is a single vineyard designated label from the Bob’s Ranch Estate Vineyard near the Pacific Ocean in the Sonoma Coast Appellation. There the coastal breezes along with low rolling hills and morning fog define this cool climate site. Heavy fog and the strong Petaluma Wind Gap winds tempered by bright afternoon sunshine  creates a unique micro-climate within the appellation, producing a distinctive terroir for Burgundian varietals Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. 

The vineyard consists of 43 Vineyard Blocks on 72 Acres of sandy, well-draining soils in the low rolling hills along the coast. 

Winemakers notes for the 2018 release also represent this tasting, "Vibrant color with a green tinge, this wine has complex aromas of orchard fruit, toasted hazelnut, lightly toasted grain, and freshly struck flint. The palate brings layers of bright fruit coupled with a creamy texture and beautiful bright acidity. The Old Wente field selection’s naturally low yields and unique cluster shape bring and energy and concentration to the mid-palate. Perfectly balanced oak adds length and depth to the finish and tames a bit of the lively minerality inherent to this special vineyard site."

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3280327

https://www.waltwines.com/bobs-ranch-release

https://www.waltwines.com/

@waltwines

Fantesca Russian River Valley Sonoma Chardonnay 2010

Fantesca Russian River Valley Sonoma Chardonnay 2010

For our  Gala Family Christmas celebration wine dinner,  our third white that we opened for pairing with the lobster medallions was this Fantesca Russian River Valley Chardonnay. We tasted and acquired earlier releases of this label during our visits to the Fantesca Estate on Spring Mountain in Napa Valley. We visited Fantesca in 2009, 2011, and in 2007, and hosted producer Dwayne Hoff in Chicago back in 2006.

We first met producers Dwayne and Susan Hoff when they acquired the Spring Mountain property in St Helena and created Fantesca. Dwayne visited us in Chicago during one of his early promotion tours for the 2004 release of Fantesca Cabernet. We visited the winery several times during our Napa Wine Experiences. We hold a vertical collection of more than a dozen vintages of Fantesca and their Chardonnay is one of our favorites that we hold for special occasions. 

We have served or taken this label to several special dinners including: Bon Soiree Chicago French-sian Fusion Dining and Wine Experience with Ryan and Michelle, for Linda's birthday and Valentine's Day Dinner and Fantesca Chardonnay and for our getaway weekend and Goosefoot Chicago Anniversary Celebration Dinner.

This label is produced by the legendary winemaker Heidi Barrett and was her first Chardonnay project. World-renowned winemaker Heidi Barrett has been dubbed ‘the first lady of wine’ and ‘the Queen of Cult Cabernet’ by top wine critic Robert Parker. She has been honored with five 100-point scores from the major critics during her career. Heidi is well-regarded for the exceptional finesse and quality of the wines she has crafted over the years.

 

So, it was fitting to serve that at our gala family dinner with so many milestones and remembrances this year.  

This is sourced from fruit from the Russian River Valley AVA in Sonoma County. With its proximity to the cool northern California coast and river and associated fog, well drained soils it is ideally suited for top ranked Burgundian varietals Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. In recent decades the AVA has become one of the best in the state with its wines routinely getting top reviews and has gained considerable cachet. 

 

The AVA status was awarded in 1983 and today the appellation has 15,000 vineyard acres mostly planned in Chardonnay, but increasingly in Pinot Noir as well. 

 

Fantesca Estate & Winery Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2010

 

Proprietors Duane and Susan Hoff are supreme marketers and not only recruit the best talent available, but they package their product in their classic oversized etched bottles. This has the largest punt I've ever seen in a Chardonnay. 

 

They also seal each bottle with a 'fortune corkie', corks imprinted with quips and quotes selected from customer entrees each vintage. This bottle was no different, with a classic notable and memorable quote from legendary football coach Bud Grant, "When you reach the end zone, act like you've been there before." Of course Bud coached the Minnesota Vikings, team of Minnesota natives Duane and Susan. Gotta love it!

This classic Burgundian style chardonnay was a perfect complement to the seafood course and was stylistically centered between the other two whites.  

Crisp, clean, rich, well balanced; golden straw in color, darkening some from earlier years, aromas of classic chardonnay, more subdued than the other offerings - green apple, pear and hints of citrus lemon meringue, tropical fruit and lychee with subtle oak and a delicate crisp acidic finish. At ten years, this is likely at the end of its prime drinking window. 

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1368658

https://fantesca.com/

@FantescaWine

Pride Napa Valley Cabernet 1995

Pride Mountain Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1995

As part of our gala family Christmas celebration dinner, Ryan pulled from the cellar this aged vintage Napa Cab for tasting alongside the other Cabs. 

I noted in a tasting note recently, this wine is at its apex, will not improve with any further aging and should be consumed as it will start to diminish in due course. As such, this is our third tasting of this vintage label release this year as we drink up!

In a November blogspot tasting note I wrote: "At twenty-five years, this is amazingly showing well and not exhibiting any diminution from age. I noted in earlier posts several years ago that this was showing its age. Perhaps these were bottle variations which might explain the negative review, not the positive. Ideal provenance of this bottle in our cellar since release shows the true age worthiness of the label. While likely at its apex, it will not improve with any further aging and should be consumed as it will start to diminish in due course".

Earlier this year, in May, I wrote: "Consistent with earlier tasting notes, "Dark, full bodied, firm, initially closed and tight, after a while it opened up to reveal big full complex dark blackberry and black currant fruits accented by anise, with hints of spice, dusty cedar, and a subtle sweet dark mocha on the full firm lingering tannin finish."

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/11/pride-napa-valley-cabernet-sauvignon.html

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/05/vintage-napa-cab-trio-mark-celebration.html

Hill-Family Estate Origin Napa Valley Red 2016

Another wine served during our gala family Christmas celebration dinner ...

Hill Family Estate Origin Napa Valley Red 2016

The newlyweds Alec and Vivianna visited Hill Family Estate during their forest fire shortened honeymoon in Napa in September. They visited the new estate winery, located just minutes south of Yountville just off the highway. They tasted this wine there and acquired it as part of their wine club allocation.

The Hill Family, lead by patriarch and proprietor and fourth-generation farmer Doug Hill, started producing their own branded portfolio of wines after four decades of farming grapes for some of the finest Napa Valley wineries.

Doug grew up in Healdsburg on the family farm. After earning a degree in Plant Sciences at Cal State Fresno and traveling some, Doug returned home to Sonoma County in 1978 where he learned the art of vineyard management while working at Sonoma-Cutrer. 

 

After settling in Yountville, Doug managed the extensive holdings of the Jaeger family before starting Oak Knoll Farming. Doug and Darci Hill settled down on an acre of land at the northern edge of Yountville in 1981 where they raised their family, Ryan who runs the sales division, and Carly who lives and works in San Diego and hosts tastings and dinners in Southern California.

Hill Family Estate produced their first wines in 2001, a Merlot and a red blend called Origin.
 

Today, the Hill Family owns 120 acres of vineyards with a properties on Atlas Peak, in Carneros, Oak Knoll and American Canyon. They are 100% family-farmed, family-owned and family-operated. Production ranges between 9,000 to 12,000 cases annually sourced from 12 different estate vineyards allowing them to select the highest quality fruit for their wines. 

 

The Hill family began to select and plant their own vineyards in the 1980’s, using their intimate knowledge of the diversity of Napa Valley terroir - the range of microclimates, soil variations and the many subtle growing factors which influence the characteristics of the grape and the resulting quality of wine. They planted Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Albariño, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc in the Carneros appellation. They planted Merlot, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon in the Oak Knoll district, and Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah at 1,500 feet elevation near Atlas Peak; both areas with a perfect environment to develop the rich berry flavor and intense fruit color that make these red wines some of the best in the world.

 

The Hill Family portfolio has grown to over twenty five different labels across the broad range of varietals, blends, and single vineyard designated offerings.  

 

Hill Family Estate winemaker Alison Doran joined the team and crafted the inaugural 2001 vintage. Alison was introduced to Doug while he was growing grapes and she was making wine for Lewis Cellars, another one of our benchmark favorite producers, and the other estate visit tasting the kids attended during their shortened honeymoon. Alison developed her skill while being mentored by renowned wine expert Andre Tchelistcheff, completing a degree in winemaking at UC Davis and spending time in the legendary wine region of Alsace, France. Today, Doug and Alison work closely together selecting the highest quality grapes and producing ultra premium wines

 

Origin is their Bordeaux blend comprising all five Bordeaux varietals sourced from Hill Family estate vineyards - Cabernet Franc that Doug planted at the Beau Terrior Vineyard which had its first harvest in this release, hillside Merlot at Beau Terroir in Carneros, and Beau Terre in Oak Knoll for added structure and plushy fruit, Malbec, adds big color and lower tannins, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc add serious texture to balance the Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon adds 'dignity' to all blends.  

The composition of 2016 Origin is 55% Merlot, 18% Malbec, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, and 5% Cabernet Franc sourced from Carneros, Oak Knoll, Yountville and Atlas Peak Appellations.

 

Production was 960 cases.

 

The blend was aged in 68% new oak barrels aged for 16 months (of the new barrels, 61% French oak (Nadalier, Treuil Terroir, Orion, Tonnellerie O), and 7% American oak (Canton).

 

Winemaker Alison Doran’s tasting notes: "The 2016 Origin has lovely aromas of raspberry and roses. The broad entry has a big mouthful of berries and crunchy cherry. The ripe and intense mid-palate rolls into more sweet fruit –blueberry, red currant, and plum, with subtle tannins rounding out the finish.

This was a superb addition to our two big hitters, the premium Bordeaux and Napa Cab. 

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, bright vibrant black raspberry, currant and plum fruits with spice, oak and tangy acidity on a full tannin laced lingering finish.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3243704

https://www.hillfamilyestate.com/

@HFEWine

Gala Family Christmas celebration wine dinner

Gala Family Christmas celebration surf & turf dinner features festive flight of red and white wines

The family gathered for our gala Christmas celebration and we feasted on surf and turf and a festive flight of red and white wines. We Decked the Halls with a flight of Hall wines - a top ranked red and two whites, one from Napa and one from Sonoma.

Offspring ... kids, grand-kids ...

Before dinner we had an extensive selection of artisan cheeses and holiday sweets accompanied by Pierre Gimmonet et Fils 1er Cru Champagne. 

Dinner started with Linda's signature lobster tails on a ramaken of buttered croutons. With this we served a Hall Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, a Walt Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, and a Fantesca Russian River Valley Chardonnay. 

Dinner featured Linda's signature grilled beef tenderloin served with mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, haricut verts, and sauteed spinach in a Madeira sauce. For the main course we served two very special wines, Château Léoville Las Cases 1990 and Hall Jack's Masterpiece Napa Valley Cabernet 2015, two memorable wines ideally suited to the occasion.

 
Later with deserts and after dinner treats Alec opened a Hill Family 'Origin' Napa Valley Cab, and Ryan pulled from our cellar a 1995 vintage Pride Napa Valley Cabernet. 

It was a wonderful memorable gathering with family after a tumultuous year.  

Château Léoville du Marquis de Las Cases, St Julien-Beychevelle, Bordeaux 1990

 

I wrote about birthyear celebration wines for son Alec's wedding this summer. To contribute and join in the celebration dinner, I took from our cellar a flight of very special wines I have collected over the decades and held for this occasion, from the birthyear vintages of the bride and the groom. Fortunately, his birthyear 1990 vintage was one of the most spectacular of a lifetime.

 

Three times, wines from that vintage were awarded #1 Wine of the Year by Wine Spectator Magazine as part of their annual Top 100 Wines of the Year, all from the 1990 vintage. A testament to the global success of the vintage, one was from California, one from Bordeaux and one from South Australia, a further testament to the amazing spectacular 1990 vintage. 

 

We served those three wines at Alec and Vivianna's wedding celebration dinner. All those wines were acquired upon their release back in the early nineties, in some cases, even before being so recognized and heralded. A fourth wine from that vintage was also part of the wine flight, the 1990 Château Léoville Las Cases. 

At the time, I wrote that "we're holding a case plus several bottles of Alec's 1990 birth year release that we'll most assuredly celebrate with him, family and friends as part of his wedding festivities in the coming year". 

 

Since the wedding festivities were significantly scaled back due to the Covid pandemic, we didn't get to serve most of these. So, tonight, we opened another one as the 2020 celebrations continue. 

Linda's and my visit to the Chateau was one of the highlights of our trip to Bordeaux last year both because we've been fans of and have been collecting this wine for four decades, and because it was going to feature prominently in our once in a lifetime celebrations. 

 

This wine was awarded 96 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, he projected the drinking window at the time, in 2009 to be "now-2035".  Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar gave it 94 points, Wine Spectator 93 points. Neal Martin gave it 95 points in his Wine Journal.  

 

As with an earlier tasting of this wine, this bottle had a good above neck fill level, the foil, label and cork were all in exceptional, excellent condition, the wine was great, drinking very nicely and still at a peak drinking level, showing no signs of diminution whatsoever, dark inky garnet purple, medium full bodied, elegant, polished, smooth, complex but perfectly integrated and balanced, sweet blackberry fruits, notes of graphite, leather, cassis, tobacco on a lingering balanced finish with tangy acidity and smooth approachable silky tannins. 

RM 94 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=254

 

https://www.domaines-delon.com/en/accueil.html

@DomainesDelon

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/08/leoville-du-marquis-de-las-cases.html

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/10/broad-diverse-flight-of-big-reds.html

Hall Jack's Masterpiece Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

HALL Wines is a 500-hundred acre estate in the Rutherford Hills of Napa Valley. It was established in 2003 when Craig and Kathryn Hall acquired the historic Bergfeld Winery and then remade it into a state-of-the-art facility. Today Hall has ten estate vineyards and two wineries and hospitality centers, one in St Helena and one in Rutherford. 

 

Our tastings at the Rutherford site have been highlights of several of our Napa Valley Wine Experiences such as this on back in 2013. We tasted this wine during with Kathryn Hall during the release tour tasting for Club Members in Chicago in 2018. We acquired this wine as part of our Hall wine club allocations.

 

Before getting into the wine business, both were successful luminaries with meritorius careers, Craig Hall created the HALL Group at the age of 18 in 1968, a business in college rooming houses and apartment buildings. Over time the company diversified into the HALL Park in Frisco Texas, the KPMG Plaza at Hall Arts in downtown Dallas and a financial services firm. Craig has invested in oil, American Airlines and the Dallas Cowboys.

Kathryn was a successful businesswoman, community activist, attorney and in 1991 ran for mayor of Dallas. She was Ambassador to Austria under the Clinton administration. Kathryn’s family had been in the wine industry for several decades as grape growers in Mendocino County where she and her brother managed their family property for 10 years. 

This is another very special wine for a several reasons; it is devoted to family, it is based on artwork, and it is a birthyear vintage for two of our grandkids. Our dearly beloved Lucy was an artist, our daughter Erin was educated in Art, Art History and Fine Arts, and taught art for several years, and Linda is a budding artist and studied and taught art history. 

Shown 2013 Jack's Masterpiece

Each year, HALL’s former winemaker and current president, Mike Reynolds, returns to his first love and blends a signature Cabernet Sauvignon known as “Jack’s Masterpiece,” named for a piece of artwork that decorates the label. The painting was created by Mike's son Jack as a Father’s Day gift  when he was only 18 months old. Every year Mike steps back into the cellar to create this signature blend and he chose this very special painting to appear on the label. Mike oversees the blending of this special wine to create a deeper expression of Cabernet Sauvignon. “This is a wine that really demonstrates the depth and muscularity of the fruit we source from our HALL St. Helena estate and Sacrashe vineyards,” he says. 

The 2015 HALL Jack’s Masterpiece is 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc.

Winemaker notes: "The 2015 yields highly complex aromas, lead by ripe dark fruits, espresso, dark chocolate and loads of crème de cassis currently on parade. The hedonistic nose continues to bring you back to the glass for more. Crème de cassis, pencil lead, dark cherry reduction, mocha, anise and red bell pepper flavors all marvelously build in the glass. Intense and focused, with moderate tannins, this is an extremely age-worthy wine that needs at least one more year of bottle age before it begins to hit its stride."

Dark inky purple colored, rich concentrated dense black fruits, powerful and structured yet elegant, polished, smooth and approachable with jammy fruits accented by dark chocolate, expresso bean, hints of licorice and baking spices with gripping sinewy fine grained tannins on the lenghty finish. This should be delicious over the next decade or more. 

RM 95 points. 

This release was awarded 97-99 points by Jeb Dunnuck, 96+ by The Wine Advocate, and 91-94 points by Vinous / International Wine Cellar.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2592084

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/09/kathryn-hall-vertical-tasting-hall-wine.html  

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2013/04/hall-napa-valley-rutherford-estate.html

https://www.hallwines.com/

 

@HALLWines

 

Also see...

Walt Bob's Ranch Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2017

Hill-Family Estate Origin Napa Valley Red 2016

Fantesca Russian River Valley Sonoma Chardonnay 2010

Hall Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2018

More to follow ... 

Kinsella Dry Creek Valley Cabernet 2017

Kinsella Dry Creek Valley Spencer Vineyard Cabernet 2017

Son Alec and wife Viv arrived from NYC as part of their journey to relocate to the midwest from Manhatten. Part of the campaign includes moving his wine cellar holdings to our cellar for interim storage. His collection includes a portfolio of exciting new labels we hope to be introduced to and explore in the time ahead. The exposition began with him opening this premium label Sonoma County Cabernet. 

This is the label of Kevin Kinsella who founded Kinsella Estates in Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley in 2007. Kevin bought a 12-acre vineyard in the foothills of the western edge of Dry Creek Valley and hired legendary winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown to lead his project.

Kinsella is founder of the private venture capital fund, Avalon Ventures, which funded the first big data company, multiple billion dollar pharmaceutical companies, the first touch screen for the Apple iPhone, the first mega social gaming company and the radically new stealth vessel for the Navy SEALS. Avalon has participated in and helped develop more than 120 different companies. As a consultant to the Peruvian government, Kinsella developed the first international marketing plan for the remarkable Andean grain, quinoa. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. 

Kinsella is also a Tony Award winner as he gained further fame and fortune as the largest individual investor in the musical Jersey Boys, which became a worldwide smash hit becoming the 12th longest running musical in the history of Broadway playing to nearly 23 million people worldwide in five locations worldwide over a decade. 

The musical Jersey Boys not only provided resources to pursue his passion for wine but also was the impetus for the name of one of the three vineyards on the estate named after the musical.

Kinsella Estates is situated in a private valley in the foothills of the western edge of Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley near Healdsburg, situated at an elevation of 500 feet above the Russian River. The valley provides a warm climate that seldom sees a winter frost, some hills even grow citrus trees. The valley runs east-west and is planted with 12 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon vines on steep eastern hillsides made of loamy, metamorphic soil.

The estate has three vineyard blocks; the six acre Jersey Boys Vineyard, Spencer Vineyard is four acres, and two acre Heirloom Vineyard (formerly Tamara Vineyard), a steep sloping 17-year-old parcel wedged between an arroyo and a knoll of Spanish oaks, 

The Kinsella Estate property is a bit unique spot because the Dry Creek AVA is known primarily for the predominant varietal Zinfandel and not much Cabernet. This vineyard however gets plenty of sunshine to provide appropriate terroir for the Bordeaux varietal. 

The Heirloom Vineyard was planted in 2001 with 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. The Jersey Boys Vineyard was replanted in 2008, utilizing four Cabernet Sauvignon clones, with two thirds of an acre planted to Wente clone Zinfandel and eight rows to Petit Verdot. 

With the purchase of the the 12-acre vineyard estate, his business instincts took over. "Part of the philosophy of venture capital is to go with the best people you can," explains Kinsella, who hired talented winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown as winemaker in 2007. Prior to Kinsella, since 2000, Brown had crafted 37 individual bottlings of Cabernet Sauvignon for Schrader Cellars. Twenty of those releases earned ratings of 95 points or higher on the Wine Spectator 100-point scale, including a pair of 100-point 2007s. Ninety-one is the lowest score in the bunch.

Working with Thomas Rivers Brown are viticulturist Kelly Maher and Josh Clark of Clark Vineyard Management. Josh is the son of Tom Clark of the family wine label Clark-Claudon. Josh says he started in this business at age 12, when he would spend the day with “the vineyard as his playground", and where he “practically grew up on a tractor.” Josh took over the family business in 2003 that Tom Clark, started in 1978 so that Tom could focus on the Clark-Claudon label. Notably, we hold twenty vintages of the Clark-Claudon label in our cellar collection dating back to the inaugural vintage 1994.

Kinsella Estates is the only vineyard property Josh farms in Sonoma County with the rest of his clients being in Napa County. Josh says Kinsella vineyards receive even sunlight throughout the day and the soils are well drained to accommodate Cabernet.    

 

The Kinsella team quickly set their sights on making the best-tasting Cabernet from Dry Creek, an area better known for Zinfandel. Success came swiftly with their very first vintage, the 2008, scoring 95 points at Wine Spectator.

Kinsella Estates produces 2,000 cases annually and has no plans to expand outside of what the vineyard has to offer, as Kinsella prefers to remain a single estate production. "Buying grapes to supplement a label would be considered absurd in Burgundy or Bordeaux," he says. Instead, he wants the Kinsella story to be about a single estate. "I have no need for other varietals," Kinsella says. "No need to amp up production. I'd be very happy just to do this perfectly." 

Kinsella Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley Spencer Vineyard Cabernet 2017

The premium label comes packaged in an extra heavy bottle (as heavy as I have ever seen in a standard 750ml!) forged to hold an embossed coin emblem with the Kinsella moniker and motto, "Su Una Stretta Di Mano" which is also on the rear label.

"Su Una Stretta Di Mano" (on a handshake) is a line from the Broadway show, Jersey Boys, but expresses perfectly the enduring bond forged among us, the sun, rain and soil, our excellent winemaker, Thomas Rivers Brown, our dedicated vineyard team... and our customers, who by buying and enjoying our wine - our passion - have joined that circle of friendship.'

Our wines let the fruit speak for itself - an expression of the terroir, the exceptional clones and the seasonal variation of sun and water in our vineyard. Kinsella Estates wines showcase beautiful expressions of the vineyard blocks from which they are made. Characteristics of the wines include expressive floral and dried herb aromas combined with bright fruit flavors and seductively smooth tannins.

Kinsella Estates Spencer Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot. Production was 508 cases.

Dark blackish garnet colored, full bodied, intense concentrated forward black fruits accented by notes of menthol, cedar, cinnamon and clove spices with hints of cassis and leather on a bright acidic finish. Give it some time to settle and become a bit more approachable.

RM 91 points. 

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Spencer Vineyard was awarded 95 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate in 2016.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3542037

https://www.kinsellawines.com/