Caymus Estate Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

Caymus Estate Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

We hosted a gala family dinner with nieces Krysta and Jenna, and nephew Andrew visiting from California. Trolling through the cellar for wines to accompany our salmon and beefsteak dinner, with sweet potatoes and grilled zuchini, we pulled this notable Cabernet Sauvignon. Andrew expressed that Caymus was one of his favorites so we pulled this 40th Anniversary Edition 2012 Caymus Cabernet.

Caymus is one of the best known and popular wines from Napa Valley going back three decades. Its reputed to provide early gratification from being approachable young, yet can also age gracefully for a decade or more. It also is known for elegant, smooth polished, nicely balanced and nicely integrated fruit. It is amazing that Caymus can produce such a wine, year after year, in such large quantity. Such is the artwork of legendary winemaker Charles Wagner.

We visited the Caymus Estate during our Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2018. 

We love this wine and acquired and tasted it several times during 2014. That was our 40th Anniversary year, the same as the label and as commemorated in their new label design and branding with the anniversary edition.

Tonight, this vintage release was classic Caymus, expressing all the characteristics cited above. It was also amazing in its bold expressive style, consistent with my last tasting notes in 2015 and 2014.

On 8/1/2015. I gave this wine 93 Points and wrote: "Dark inky purple, full bodied, big brooding ripe tongue coating plum, black and blue berry fruits predominate turning to a layer of mocha chocolate with a hint of cassis on abig finish."


On 11/7/2014, I gave it  94 Points.

The 2012 vintage release also shows the classic characteristics of Caymus Estate Cabernet at its best - early approach-ability and drink-ability as a young wine.

Typical legendary Caymus Cab style - dark blackish ruby/garnet colored, medium to full bodied, nicely structured, complex but smooth, well balanced and polished, it opens with sweet ripe blackberry and raspberry flavors highlighted by layers of milk chocolate, subtle tones of cinnamon, vanilla and hints of caramel and kirsch giving way to a smooth lingering modest tannin finish.

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2014/11/caymus-2012-40th-anniversary-bottling.html

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2014/08/napanook-and-caymus-napa-reds-anchor.html

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2014/07/caymus-40th-anniversary-release.html

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2014/06/cal-cab-release-tasting-caymus-40th.html
 
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1805868

http://www.caymus.com

Davis Estate Hungry Blonde Carneros Chardonnay 2016

Davis Estate Hungry Blonde Carneros Chardonnay 2016

Following our discovery of the 2015 release of this label this summer and acquiring all the remaining inventory in local merchants, I had to special order the new vintage release. Unfortunately, and not surprisingly, after the accolades and positive reviews of the 2015 release, the market price for the 2016 increased 40% to obtain the new release.

This has happened so many times over the years, where a wine gains notoriety and dramtically increases its price as a result. Several times, one of our favorite regular drinkers increased in price such that it was no longer reasonable at the new QPR - Quality Price Ratio!

This may be such a case where this offered high QPR at the lower price point for the 2015 vintage, but the new release at the higher price is no longer a significant value. This point is exacerbated by the fact that I consider the new release less appealing.

Never-the-less, even at the new price, this is a reasonable price point and worth trying for a distinctive profile and character of wine. Such was the value of the earlier release!

Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com  said of this wine, "There's 2000 cases of the 2015 Chardonnay Hungry Blonde, and it's one seriously good Chardonnay.  It's the real deal and will keep for 5+ years. At 30 bucks it's a killer value." He gave it 94 points.

James Suckling gave the 2016 90 points. "A chardonnay with plenty of butter, apricot, flan and bread dough. There is good density to this and the acidity gives some form and clarity'"

Davis Estate Hungry Blonde Carneros Chardonnay 2016

Winemaker notes for the 2016, "Our Hungry Blonde Chardonnay is the perfect expression of cool-climate Napa Valley Chardonnay from the Carneros region. Inviting aromas of lemon zest and white flowers make way for waves of bosc pear, Tahitian vanilla, and baked apple tart. All held together with fresh acidity and a supple texture inviting another sip."

I found the 2016 to be not as balanced or polished as the 2015 with a bit of an 'edge' that leaves it less approachable and easy drinking than the 2015. Perhaps with some further time in bottle it will soften, which remains to be seen, however I suspect it will not.

According to Wine Country Connection, Hungry Blonde is made by the well known Napa producer Cary Gott. The fruit comes from the Poe Vineyard, which sits adjacent to the world renowned Hyde Vineyard. Larry Hyde’s HDV Chardonnay, sells for $60.

I loved the 2015 - Full bodied, so buttery it emanated a sense of butterscotch notes. The 2016 is a nice sipper but not so captivating and extraordinary as the 2015 at its sub-$25 price point. 

Pick some up, try it, and if you're lucky, you might get some 2015 and do your own comparison!

We took this BYOB to Chinn’s 34th Street Fishery in Lisle (IL). This under-rated restaurant specializes in the freshest seafood available. They offer “jet fresh” fish and shellfish from all over the world, flown in literally the night before from the seafood ports from around the globe. On the wall in the entryway are the bills of lading of the container shipments of fish from the airlines showing the shipments that came in that day with the selections offered on that day's menu. They pride themselves in providing the highest quality food at most affordable prices. 

Another enticement of Chinn's is their liberal corkage policy of $10 corkage fee, which is appropriate for suburban independent restaurant dining. 

This Chardonnay was ideal and a perfect match with our entree selections. I had the Halibut served sauteed over spinach and tomatoes which was delicious. I had a side of Pasta - Fettucini Alfredo, which was also delicious. 

Linda had the Halibut tacos which were good with the ample avocado, tomato and spinach. 

https://hungryblonde.com/

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3289150

@Hungry_Blonde

https://chinnsfishery.com/ 

Poggio al Tesoro Bolgheri Superiore Sondraia 2015

Poggio al Tesoro Bolgheri Superiore Sondraia 2015

For a business dinner downtown, I dined at my usual dependable dinesite, Italian Village, Chicago. Its my regular routine site for business dinners for a number of reasons - its a short walk from the office, its in the center of Chicago's loop, its reliable and dependable, its got a broad variety with three restaurants under one roof, and I know the staff there as a 'regular' and I can depend on impeccable service. I also know the restaurant so well, that when I plan on dining there, I'll invariably specify which particular table I prefer, depending on the occasion, number of diners, and the desired mood for the event.

Tonight, I hosted two valued business partners visiting from Europe and India, so Italian dining was a safe and acceptable cuisine.

As usual I left the wine choice to Wine Director and wine buddy, Jared Gelband who often has a special wine to showcase or share. Often these wines are or are not on the winelist, perhaps because they are new, or on trial, or not available in sufficient quantity to make the list, or other reasons. Sometimes, he shares a taste of a special bottle that is being served for a very special occasion.

In any event, Jared knows my tastes, preferences, and budget and always has something to offer. Tonight was no exception. I don't know if this wine is on the wine list, but it was extraordinary and worthy of checking out, and going out and buying some if you can find it.

Poggio al Tesoro Bolgheri Superiore Sondraia 2015

This is a Bordeaux Blend. I would've failed identifying this as an Italian wine opting for a California Cabernet with its rich full bodied rich ripe sweet fruit. It presented a residual sweetness almost extreme for a Bordeaux blend but much to my liking. Complex, full bodied, elegant, balanced with nicely integrated fruit, notes of mocha and cinnamon spice, it has a long lingering finish of silky smooth gripping tannins.

This profile would probably be too much for most, especially Bordeaux enthusiasts, but I found it wonderfully delicious and perfectly matched to the brown sauce of my Veal Marsala at Italian Village Chicago.

RM 93 points. 

Records show we also tasted this label back in February. A rather new label, be on the look out for this and be prepared for it to be in short supply, or for the price point to increase as it becomes popular. 

The blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc.


From Tuscany, it is known as a 'Super Tuscan'. This is from the Italian producer Allegrini who are primarily known for Amarone's.

The Allegrini family acquired the 170 acre Bolgheri property with the Poggio al Tesoro vineyard in 2002. It was the first vineyard bought by the Allegrinis.

The Le Sondraie site sits next door to the legendary Ornellaia vineyard, It was previously rented before the acquisition. The 125 acres vineyard is planted in Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and a small amount of Vermentino.

The winemakers are Nicola Biasi and Lorenzo Fortini.
 Most of the Cabernet Sauvignon fruit for this blend was sourced from the seven acre Via Bolgherese vineyard which lies 56 metres above sea level. The terroir consists of well drained coarse red sand and gravel,  and a layer of clay at a depth of 120cm. The Merlot, Cabernet Franc and the remaining Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend are sourced from the 30 acre Le Sondraie vineyard situated 35 metres above sea level. The well draining soil is a mixture of clay and sandy silt, with high levels of magnesium and iron.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3114160

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/02/italian-village-lunch-with-perfect-wine.html

https://italianvillage-chicago.com/

@italianvlg

@jzgwine 

Constant Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 1998

Constant Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 -
The adventure, joy, and perils of holding vintage wine for a couple decades or more ...

Son Ryan came over for the evening and we went down and dug deep into the cellar to pull out this aged 1998 vintage release Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyards Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. We acquired this wine at the Estate during our Napa Valley Wine Experience back in 2011. My early blogpost of our visit to Constant Diamond Mtn Vineyard was here.

Bill & Beth, Bill & Jan, the late Freddie Constant,
Linda and me.

I’ve written often about the 1998 vintage Napa Cabernets. It was widely panned as being a subpar vintage, especially after the much heralded block buster ’97. As a result, prices on the 98 releases were lower, especially after a couple of years when 98’s were still sitting on the shelves and the vintage was considered lackluster relative to the range of choices of more favored releases.

Lo and behold, IMHO this represented an opportunity to pick up quality wines at bargain prices when compared to the higher price points on the highly rated releases. Ironically, a decade, and now two decades later, those wines were and are often tasting very nicely and in some cases are on par equivalent to some of the other vintage releases.

Often, ‘off’ vintages can provide great QPR (Quality Price Ratios). Of course, perhaps just as often, off vintages are just that, ‘off’ in terms of quality in some way or other, due to whatever shortcomings that vintage suffered, excessive heat, not enough rain at the right times, or too much rain at the in-opportune times, all suppressants to the realized quality of fine wine.

This disparity was magnified perhaps by the fact that the much heralded 97 vintage in many cases, never achieved its lofty accolades and expectations – too closed, too tight, too subdued, or some other diminution of expectations.

Perhaps its time will come as the ‘lesser’ 98 reaches and surpasses its prime drinking window and eventually end of life, while the 97, a longer lived vintage, lives on, and perhaps still realizes the apex of its potential, late in life. It can happen. . So, caveat emptor. Don’t be afraid to invest in ‘off’ vintages. The price differential can be significant with savings of 50% or more.

Often, only in such years are some of the higher rated, ranked wines approachable or affordable. Take advantage to experiment, if you dare. You might be mightily rewarded. Or, your lowered expectations will be met.

Another related point, my wine buddies have heard me talk about my experience with a case of Dominus Proprietary Red Wine that I purchased on release back in 1986. Dominus, the Napa Valley project of legendary Bordeaux owner/producer/winemaker Christian Moueix often trades at super premium prices, and tends to be a long lived wine, in the tradition and style of sophisticated, complex Bordeaux’s.

Those early Dominus labels featured pencil sketch drawings of Christian Moueix on the labels for the first decade, up until the 1991 vintage release.

With that 1986 Dominus, I was patient, and waited, and opened a bottle of the 1986 around 1989 or 90. It was lackluster, rather closed and tight. I waited another couple years with the same effect. This exercise was repeated several more times until about 2006, when at twenty years of age, two decades, it showed complexity, polish, balance, breadth and depth – the attributes of its true character and potential one might hope for or expect from the pedigree’d label. Alas. That is what Dominus is supposed to taste like. But then, ahah, I only had three bottles left to experience its magnificence.

While its fun to enjoys one’s investment in a cellar, with case lots of wine, to experience how a wine will age and mature and hopefully improve over time, there is the real risk of drinking your wine too early, or holding it too long. I now realized I drank many of my Bordeaux from quality 1980’s era vintages too young. But, I also fairly often come across a bottle that I held on to too long, especially if it got overlooked or lost in the cellar, or just got passed over too many times for something more appealing or exciting. Such is the art of collecting fine wines.

Most folks would think that we hold onto our wines too long and drink them too late. Count my wife, Linda in those ranks. We look at it as part of the adventure.

Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1998

My previous tasting of this label was in March of this year when I had a similar tasting experience and wrote: "Some bottles of this vintage are at or nearing their end of life and need to be consumed. While at the end of or past its prime drinking window, this bottle was still holding its own, maintaining its fruit and some of its terroir character and profile.'

"Dark garnet colored with some slight bricking in color, medium bodied, the black fruit is giving way to notes of earth, spice, leather and hints of vegetable with modest tannins. Time to drink up but this was still pleasant drinking."

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/03/constant-vineyards-diamond-mountain.html

Tonight, this 1998 Constant was drinking very nicely – probably as good as ever, and most assuredly not likely to improve any with further aging, and very likely to start to diminish from this point forward.

Not for the casual feint of heart drinker, son Ryan and I enjoyed it and its ‘maturity’ immensely, and we opened something more ‘youthful’, or ‘approachable’ for Linda and the others.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=43557
 

Bon chance!  

PORTER Kitchen & Deck Chicago Riverfront Dining

PORTER Kitchen & Deck Chicago Riverfront Dining

For a global team meeting of one the portfolio product teams, we dined at Porter Kitchen & Deck on the Riverside Plaza just up-river (Chicago) from our offices.

Porter Kitchen & Deck advertises that they feature American cuisine and classic cocktails in an elegant and relaxed setting.

Like our offices, Porter is located along the edge of the Chicago River, and from tableside and its Riverside patio, it offers spectacular views of the north loop and River North cityscapes from its setting opposite Wolf Point at the junction of the three branches of the Chicago River.

The location of Porter Kitchen and deck offers views of some of the most interesting and exciting architecture in the city including the award winning and highly acclaimed 150 North Riverside Plaza building in which it is situated. The building dramatically cantilevers from a center base to extend out over the front and riverfront appearing as if it might tip over. The site on the riverfront offers not only great scenery but also a front row seat of the bustling riverfront and boat traffic which on this summer evening was a non-stop parade of tour boats, water taxis, luxury and sporting pleasure boats and industrial barges as well as kayaks and small boats darting around the traffic like water bugs on the surface.

That Wolf Point location is at the junction or intersection of the three branches of the Chicago River,  which is the basis for the 'Y' on the City of Chicago official logo, representing the junction of the North and South branches of the river where it meets the east branch that connects with Lake Michigan. 

The logo is called the "Chicago municipal device", as set forth and defined in the Chicago municipal code:

 “The municipal device, for use by the varied unofficial interests of the city and its people, shall show a Y-shaped figure in a circle, colored and designed to suit individual tastes and needs.”

The "Y" symbolizes the Chicago River’s three branches, created in 1892 for a Chicago Tribune contest. In 1917 the City Council made the flag, seal and municipal device official city symbol. It can be seen in municipal and commercial buildings around the city. Certain City agencies have it as part of their logo or inscription.

Perhaps the most famous or best known use of the "Y" is embedded in the sign of the famous Chicago Theatre (shown above).

View from our office, 150 N Riverside Plaza
is top of river on left, opposite the construction
tower at Wolf Point.

We have views of the Wolf Point site from our 28th floor offices, lobby, board room and conference rooms looking up the river (shown left).

Located in the new 54-story skyscraper on the edge of the Chicago River, Porter Kitchen & Deck features classic American cuisine in a trendy, elegant and relaxed setting in a prime location.

They offer somewhat limited lunch, dinner and bar selections include entrées, fresh seafood, salads and sandwiches. The Porter bar serves craft beers and classic cocktails along with a limited selection of WBTG (wines by the glass) and a narrow, limited, sharply focused wine list.

The restaurant, while located in a central convenient location, is awkward and a bit confusing in its access. While it is visible at river level when crossing the Randolph Street bridge, you can't access the restaurant directly from the street-level sidewalk. Nor can you descend the outdoor staircase where the restaurant's logo appears on a signage for the building and other primary tenants, because the door at the bottom is locked. To access the restaurant, one walks inside the office building, and if you're paying attention so as not to overlook it, turn immediately right to a poorly marked elevator bank, where you descend down to the riverside level and restaurant.

Breathtaking architecture of 150 North Riverside -
Porter Kitchen and Deck riverfront setting -
Photo courtesy TripAdvisor

Porter describes its food as "American," an accurate characterization, but the selection is rather limited and unimaginative. So too is the winelist. Fittingly, their description of themselves is accurate and sums it up, "New American cooking, martinis and craft cocktails."

Porter describes its food as "American," an accurate characterization, but the selection is rather limited and unimaginative. So too is the winelist. Fittingly, their description of themselves is accurate and sums it up, "New American cooking, martinis and craft cocktails."

Naturally, being a wine guy who generally selects a restaurant based on its wine list, or BYOB policy, this would not be my choice or on my select list except for a business focused lunch or dinner. In those circumstances, I would likely rule it out as it borders on the side of being noisy, even boisterous, offering little chance for a serious business discussion over the cacophony.

Never-the-less, our food and accompanying wine selections were adequate and suitable for the occasion starting with a Oregon Chardonnay for an opener.

Bethel Heights Estate Eola-Amity Hills Chardonnay 2014

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2328071  

Pale gold color medium bodied, pleasant easy drinking, crisp, nice purity, notes of white peach, melon, lemon and hints of lychee and mineral, with a clean and refreshing finish. 

90 pts.

This was pleasant and refreshing with our starters and salad course.

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=2328071

We then moved on to a full red with or entree courses.

Enrico Serafino Barolo 2013

Strangely, the winelist was narrow with a few limited selections of Pinot Noirs and a couple of selections of Cabernet and Merlot. Then, there was this Italian Nebbiolo which offered an interesting 'best buy', decent QPR (quality price ratio) based on the slim offerings. 

Wine Spectator gave this wine 92 points and wrote: "A polished red, displaying tobacco, eucalyptus and muted cherry flavors, backed by a dense matrix of tannins. All the components are here, but this needs a few years to integrate and mellow. Best from 2021 through 2033. (BS)"

John Downing, K&L Wine Shop Staff Member  wrote this review:
 

The Serafino 2013 Barolo seems hidden within our Italian section yet is one of the better Barolo values going. It is both wonderful to open now or to place in the cellar a few more years. It's sure to please those looking for a very well-priced Barolo as well as anyone wanting to try Barolo for the first time. 

I liked it and found it pleasant and suitable drinking for my burger entree selection.

RM 91 points.

I'll defer to fellow Cellartrackers who offered these perspectives on this label:

Bright, light cherry colour, great nose from long distance on pour - violets, white pepper, liquorice and fresh tar, complex and volatile (in a good way), slightly underripe but refreshing cherries on palate, great balance with subtle grip, complexity carries through finish of red fruits into tobacco and black pepper.

Excellent wine with notes of red and dark fruit with tobacco. Flavor changes dramatically with oxygen. Will be excellent in a few years time.

Nose of dried cherries, flint, touch of garrigue. Mouth feel is dry with astrigent tannins. Some red fruit but overpowered at this point by large amount of barrique. Will be more balanced and amazing in 4-5 years.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2648475

Goosefoot Chicago Anniversary Celebration Dinner

Goosefoot Chicago for Anniversary Celebration Dinner

For our anniversary, we took a getaway weekend to the City (Chicago) and dined at Michelin star goosefoot® restaurant. Goosefoot is BYOB which we prefer since we can bring our own selection of wines from our extensive cellar, and drink better wines that are much better than are available on all but a few winelists, or that we might not otherwise be able to afford or justify at restaurant winelist prices.

We stayed in the city at the Westin Riverfront Chicago, a wonderful setting with river views and locale to trendy restaurants, sites and museums. We spent Sunday afternoon at the spectacular Art Institute of Chicago and toured the special Manet exhibition.

WHAT’S A GOOSEFOOT®?

goosefoot is a modern fine-dining BYOB concept restaurant in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood owned and operated by Chef Chris Nugent and wife Nina since 2011.

The name goosefoot® is not due to a fondness for feathered friends or feet, but rather, is based on a passion to cook with the highest quality seasonal ingredients grown and sourced from small artisan farms.

Chef Chris and Nina explain: "A goosefoot® or chenopodium genus is actually a plant family of great significance to the culinary world. There are 150-varieties in the family and some of the species in the genus have leaves that resemble the foot of a goose. A few of our favorites are: Chioggia beets, strawberry blite, Swiss chard, Bull’s Blood, Bordeaux spinach, lamb’s quarters, red orach, epazote and quinoa."

Nina Nugent designed the interior of goosefoot® to reflect Chef Chris Nugent’s food: "think classic yet modern, nuanced, approachable and convivial. Like the food and service, the guests will find surprises and detours through the interior."

This weekend that we dined there was the fiftieth anniversary of the Woodstock music festival in New York. The restaurant was adorned with relics of the flower power movement, videos of the rockfest, and music from the period. 

Chris Nugent grew up in a restaurant family in Endicott, New York. As a youngster, upon losing his parents, he lived with chef John Daly and worked at the acclaimed Drovers Inn, an upscale classic French Restaurant in Vestal, New York.

He studied at Johnson and Wales University, College of Culinary Arts in Providence, Rhode Island, and after graduating, he worked at several fine restaurants, including Boston’s Radius, and Tru, Grace, and Zealous in Chicago. We used to be great fans of Zealous during its heyday. In 2009, Nugent was invited by two-Michelin star chef John Campbell to spend time in his kitchen at The Vineyard at Stockcross, located in England.

Chef Nugent worked at some of Chicago's finest restaurants including  Prairie, Mid-America Club, MK, and Park Avenue Café and honed his craft under highly acclaimed chefs Stephen Langlois, Andre Bienvenu, James Beard award winners Rick Tramonto, David Burke, Michael Schlow and Michael Kornick. 

Chef Nugent’s first executive chef position was at Bêtise in Wilmette, Illinois in 2001.

In 2005, Nugent became executive chef at Les Nomades in Chicago where he earned rave reviews and accolades. We also dined at Les Nomades during this period for a special gala celebration dinner. Zagat Survey said of Les Nomades,  “Number one for food in Chicago”, 2010/2011. Under Nugent’s leadership, Les Nomades received ‘four stars’ from the celebrate Mobil Travel/Forbes Guide, and AAA ‘Four Diamond Award’, 2005 through 2011. Chicago Tribune Dining Awards ‘Best Classic Restaurant,’ Phil Vettel, 2011 – Chicago Sun-Times Restaurant of the Year, Pat Bruno 2010 – James Beard ‘Best Chef-Great Lakes’ semi-finalist, 2010 and 2011. Phil Vettel awarded chef Nugent ‘four stars’ in the Chicago Tribune, and Pat Bruno, Chicago Sun-Times, ‘three and a half stars’ in 2009. Chef Nugent received ‘three and a half stars’ from Chicago Magazine and was awarded ‘Rising Star Chef of the Year’ from Starchefs.com Magazine in 2008. Nugent’s first fan, Sherman Kaplan of North Shore Magazine, gave him a perfect ‘K-Rating’ of ’20/20′ in 2005.

At goosefoot®, Nugent crafts seasonally inspired menus, a blend of disciplined French technique and 'a passionate forward thinking modern vision', showcasing the restaurant’s relationships with regional small artisan farmers.

The goosefoot® multi-course menu:

diver scallop/lemongrass/coconut/lobster

roasted corn soup/crab/potato/sunflower froth

nina’s pasta/truffle/parmesan/pecorino

spring angus beef

yuzu/apricot/naartjie/olive oil

“goosefoot®” vanilla/matcha tea/truffle/rose hip/pink peppercorn

boysenberry/cacao nibs/cassia buds/caramelized almonds/elder flower/56% chocolate

goosefoot® chocolate

For the special dinner occasion, we pulled from our cellar a selection of several wines and Champagne. Prior to dinner, we drank 'L' Champagne by VD - Veuve Doussot at the hotel with snacks and cheese enjoying the river views from our executive suite. For dinner, we drank a selection of wines we brought from our cellar, selected to match to the extensive food courses: Fantesca Russian River Chardonnay, Marquis Philips (Mollydooker) Integrity Shiraz, and Suduiraut Sauterne.

The dinner courses:

diver scallop/lemongrass/coconut/lobster

roasted corn soup/crab/potato/sunflower froth

nina’s pasta/truffle/parmesan/pecorino

spring angus beef

yuzu/apricot/naartjie/olive oil

“goosefoot®” vanilla/matcha tea/truffle/
rose hip/pink peppercorn

boysenberry/cacao nibs/cassia buds/caramelized
almonds/elder flower/56% chocolate

The wines:

Fantesca Estate Sonoma County Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2009

We acquired this label during one of 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.

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.

In addition to Fantesca, she also consults to notable producers Amuse Bouche, Paradigm, Lamborn,  and has her own labels, La Sirena and Barrett & Barrett. She has worked previously with Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle, Jones Family, Grace Family, Vineyard 29, David Arthur, Barbour Vineyards and Showket.

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.

Golden straw color, brilliant clarity. aromas of subtle floral, accents of pear, green apple and lychee, hints of fresh citrus, nicely balanced,  luxurious mouthfeel with refreshing nice, crisp acidity,

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1128577

https://fantesca.com/


Marquis Philips 'Integrity' Mclaren Vale Shiraz 2001

This is the premium release from Marquis Philips, precursor to Mollydooker. and their Velvet Glove premium label. We acquired this at auction a decade ago ... packaged in special gift box - awaiting a suitable occasion for gifting or serving ... OTBN - Open That Bottle toNight! 

This got over-the-top 99 and 97 point ratings from Parker who called it 'virtually perfect'. 

Back in the day, winemaker and producers Sarah and Sparky Marquis considered this the finest they had ever produced. 

We hold a couple dozen bottles of their wines dating back two decades. 

Ironically, we hosted Aussie colleague Peter F this weekend in Chicago and it turns out he is a personal friend of Sparky back in Adelaide South Central Australia! 

Integrity packs a walloping 16.2% alcohol but didn't come across as the least bit overpowering. Parker cited the anticipated maturity out to 2020 so it was supposedly still at but nearing the end of its apex. 

Inky dark garnet purple color, full bodied, big rich concentrated and multi-dimensional, but not as big, forward or unctuously rich as some that we have had, the fruit was also a bit more subdued than expected, black berry fruits accented by white floral, cassis, leather, tobacco, tea and hints of vanilla with fine smooth silky tannins on a long finish. Perhaps the fruit has subsided over the almost two decades. 

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=738

Château Suduiraut 1er Cru Classe Sauterne 2002

We enjoy sweet unctuous desert wines with salads, cheese or deserts. This was a nice finisher, a perfect complement to the final course. 

This is a classic Sauterne, a blend of Semillon (94 %) and Sauvignon Blanc (6 %). Château Suduiraut is considered to be one of the finest Sauternes.

The history of Château Suduiraut, dates back to the 1600’s. It was classified as a Premier Cru during the official 1855 wine classification programme. The French conglomerate AXA Millésimes acquired Suduiraut in 1992. 

Golden honey, dark amber colored, full bodied yet delicate, nicely balanced fruit and floral aromas, complex roasted and candied notes of apple, vanilla and honey, medium sweetness and a long smooth silky finish.  Not as sweet and unctuous as some vintages, the fruit is more subdued lacking the apricot nectar and honey of some vintages. This showed plenty of botrytis, with predominate notes of smoke, marzipan, almond, ripe apple, and hints of vanilla on the tongue cloying finish.

RM 91 

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate rated this wine 90-93 points, Wine Spectator, 90 points.

https://www.suduiraut.com/en/vin/1/chateau-suduiraut

Linda and me, anniversary night.