Herman Story Bolt Cutter Red Blend 2018

Herman Story Bolt Cutter Red Blend 2018 for Pizza and Pasta

Alec and Vivianna came over for pizza and pasta and we opened this BIG RED for the occasion. 

With a name like "Bolt Cutter", what else might one expect than a big bold concentrated firm forward fruit bomb?

Bolt Cutter was first released in 2012, the inaugural vintage made with a majority share of Bordeaux varietals. The wine is a diversion from the usual Herman Story wines that historically focus on Rhône varietals such as Syrah and Grenache. The name is a playful nod toproducer/winemaker Russell P. From’s most iconic wine: Nuts & Bolts. This is Herman Story for the “I only drink Napa Cab” crowd. 

I wrote about Herman Story and an older vintage release of this label in an earlier blogpost and another one of his labels in a recent blogpost.  

This label from Russel From, Herman Story winemaker and proprietor, is a tribute label from one of those producer's with a sense of humor. As I have written in earlier blogposts, every Herman Story label tells the story on the rear label, "Herman Story was a Rancher, Logger, Swapper, Banker, Philanthropist, a teller of tales and my Grandfather. - Russel From, winemaker, proprietor."

Proprietor and winemaker Russell P. From began Herman Story Wines in 2001 with 7 barrels stashed in his employer’s cellar. What started as a modest homage to his rancher grandfather has become a beacon to those seeking opulent, structured Syrah and Grenache. To maintain balance while giving flavor full stage, Russell works with 30 top-tier growers' vineyards in over 7 distinct growing regions between Santa Barbara and Paso Robles along the California Central Coast. Its widely published that he produces "no nonsense, balls to the walls wines that are not for the faint of heart or the pinky raising set".

With a blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Petit Verdot and 10% Syrah this embodies everything we love in a big bold full throttle red wine. Fruit for this release is sourced from the Chelle Mountain, Slide Hill, Star Lane, Jespersen, White Hawk, Bien Nacido, White Cliffs, and Rolph Vineyards across Paso Robles region. The blend was aged for 24 months in 80% new French oak.

As From writes on his website about his no-nonsense approach to winemaking, "Herman Story Wines are made, schlepped, peddled, and drunk with friends by me. The basic web design books tell me that you're probably here for the basics: to find release schedules, ordering information and tasting opportunities for the wines I make, which sounds pretty good to me. The less time I spend writing this stuff the more time I spend in the cellar. So here you go, all the facts with none of the filler. An aesthetic I stand by and believe my wines do too."

Wine Enthusiast gave this a "Cellar Selection" and 94 points, while Jeb Dunnuck gave it a whopping 96 points and said, "It's the finest vintage of this cuvée I've tasted."

Producer's review of this wine speaks to its special, profound character and profile ....  "No one in Ellis County has ever seen a twister like this. Pushing F5 and tossing cows like nobody’s business. It’s about to separate the roof from this old Dodge Durango, but you’re still pushing. Inside, they pass around black licorice and cherry soda to easy listening classics – soothing keys and guitar riffs straight out of elevator speakers. e storm hits a supermarket, then a bakery. Cinnamon buns and rhubarb pies splatter on the road, the hood, the windshield, and the wheels come off the ground. Around you go, hundreds of feet in the air. But damn, listen to that bass groove."

Winemaker Tasting Notes:  "The 2018 Bolt Cutter Red is 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Petit Verdot, 25% Syrah (sic, contrary to the rear label). There’s no denying it, with this much attitude, swagger and raw unbridled power nothing can stop this. This is basically an axe wielding shark wearing a tuxedo, driving a monster truck in an Evel Knievel jump across the Grand Canyon. Prickly pear jam, salted cherries, hoisin sauce, fire scorched poblanos, brand new BF Goodrich 33’’ Baja T/AS off road tires, char crusted bloody filet mignon, blasted limestone quarry, Ferrari seats, well spiced Mexican hot chocolate and rusted pocket knives."

You can't make this up! How else could you top that review? Nothing less than BOMBastic!

Not for the feint of heart indeed, this was dark inky blackish purple, almost like syrup pouring it from the bottle, thick, dense, powerful concentrated unctuous black fruits, dark bitter mocha, black licorice, hints of cherry cola, caramel and cinnamon clove spices with what Wine Enthusiast calls roasted meats on a lasting dry, tannin laced tongue coating finish. 

RM 95 point.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3710603

https://www.hermanstorywines.com/

https://twitter.com/HermanStoryWine

Château LaGrange St Julien Bordeaux 2018

Château LaGrange St Julien Bordeaux 2018 high achiever in a stellar highly ranked vintage

I wrote earlier about our getaway weekend in the City (Chicago) and stopping in VinChicago, a family-run wine merchant since 1934. I wrote recently that they offer an alternative to the mega-merchants with carefully selected producer's and labels at competitive prices for high QPR (quality-price-ratio) values. Their extremely knowledgeable staff consists of certified Sommelier and Advanced Sommelier. While they closed their local Naperville store location, (they still operate three Chicagoland locations), we keep in touch via their newletters and on-line presence. They deliver wine purchases or conduct curbside pick-ups at location that is conveniently near our home.

 

Château Lagrange estate

Visiting the VinChicago retail location, we picked up several odd lot labels no longer listed on their web, and several other labels to 'try before we buy' (for cellaring). We had already acquired this label from the big box wine and beverage superstore for our collection, but picked up a couple more bottles, taking advantage of the discount pricing at VinChicago.

 

Another one of those selections was this St Julien Bordeaux that we drove by during our Bordeaux trip to the appellation in 2018. The wines that we tasted during that trip are now being released and we're now tasting and collecting them, several of which we actually got to taste from the barrel during our winery estate tours on that trip. 

Our Châteaux estate tours and wine tastings that week included several of our favorite producers: Super Second Léoville du Marquis de Las Cases, Second Growth producers Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou, Gruaud Larose and Léoville-Poyferré, as well as Fourth Growths Château Beychevelle  and Château Branaire-Ducru.

 

We visited the Château Lagrange' St Julien Bordeaux estate as we toured the area across the appellation. Château Lagrange’s vineyards on the beautiful estate stretch over gravelly slopes covering the highest point of the Saint-Julien appellation set back a mile or so from the Gironde River estuary and the village of St Julien-Beychevelle.

 

Château Lagrange St Julien Bordeaux 2018 

 

We hold nearly a decade of this label dating back to the 1981 birthyear vintage release for our daughter Erin's birthyear. This may be among the finest vintages of  Château LaGrange ever produced! 

 

I have written often in these pages that in a top vintage, all boats rise with the tide such that second and third labels of top producers, or secondary producers, often are also excellent and offer substantial QPR - quality price ratio values. 

 

The 2018 St Julien Bordeaux is such a vintage and this label is such a value offering. All the top labels of the appellation are highly rated - 97, 98, 99 and even 100 points - and are collectables for acquiring, early drinking, and for cellar collections. This label offers similar quality at a fraction of the prices of the Super Second growths. 

 

This release was rated 97 points by Jeb Dunnuck, 95 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and 94 points by Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, Decanter and Vinous. 

 

Bright garnet-purple colored, medium to full-bodied, big, rich, elegant, integrated and balanced bright vibrant blackberry, black currants and plum fruits with crème de cassis, mocha chocolate, spice, cedar and graphite pencil lead silky tannins, and a great mid-palate. This offers instant gratification for early drinking but should age gracefully for a decade or more. 

RM 94 points. 

 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3280118

 

https://chateau-lagrange.com/

@ChateauLagrange

 

 

 

Force Majeure Parabellum Coulée Red Blend 2019

Force Majeure Parabellum Coulée Columbia Valley GSM Red Blend 2019

With D-in-law Vivianna out of town visiting a bereaving friend, son Alec came over for dinner and we selected a special bottle to accompany Linda's dinner of grilled steaks, baked potatoes, haricot verts and asparagus.

We recently received our annual vintage release case assortment shipment of Force Majeure Columbia Valley wines and we were eager to try this hearty GSM - Syrah blend, one of Linda's favorite labels. After the Force Majeure Parvata Syrah was such a blockbuster hit at our Pour Boys wine dinner last month, Linda is especially fond of this producer and label.

Our visit to Force Majeure estate vineyards in Walla Walla was a highlight of our Walla Walla Wine Experience trip to the region back in 2017 and we were hosted and our estate visits were orchestrated by Force Majeure Carrie Alexander. Once Covid subsides, our Pour Boys wine group is looking forward to visiting the region for some select estate visits and wine dinners. 

Force Majeure Parabellum Coulée Columbia Valley Rhone Blend GSM 2019

Force Majeure is a collaborative project of emerging superstar winemaker Todd Alexander in partnership with proprietors Paul and Susan McBride when they acquired the winery in 2014. Todd earned his stripes and gained notoriety as winemaker for Bryant Family Vineyard in the Napa Valley, one of the top producers of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. He was drawn to Washington and Columbia Valley by the opportunity to develop his own brands and labels based on underappreciated viticulture there. 

We first met Todd and Carrie Alexander when they visited us here in Chicago while they were traveling on their promotion and release tour back in 2016. 

Our visit to the Force Majeure estate vineyard in the Walla Walla Rocks AVA, was a highlight of our visit to the region, hosed by Todd's wife, Carrie Alexander who manages marketing and operations. Since then, they have purchased property at and planted vineyards at the North Fork of the Walla Walla river and have released their own Paxsa Brand and labels. Both Force Majeure and Paxsa brands focus on Rhone as well as Bordeaux varietals. Recent releases have also featured Pinot Noir from the region. 

This label is sourced from the estate vineyard located on the steep upper slopes of Red Mountain, sitting at 960 to 1,230 feet elevation in the Columbia River valley in central Washington State. This is from the Parabellum brand, the second-tier of Force Majeure wines, yet still produced with care to reflect the varieties and terroir and be approachable for early consumption and gratification, without constraints on blending. Parabellum and the rest of the brand are intended to "provide an opportunity to savor an authentic wine of distinction at a great value." To that end, Parabellum wines are unrestrained imaginative blends of both Bordeaux and Rhone varietals.

I called this a GSM above, a reference to common blend of Rhone varietals Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. This is a blend of northern and southern Rhone varietals, almost akin to a Syrah heavy Chateauneuf-du-Pape, consisting of 76% Syrah, 11% Grenache, 7% Mourvedre, 4% Cinsault and 2% Counoise.  

Garnet purple colored, medium-full bodied, complex concentrated vibrant black fruits with notes of olive tapenade, black pepper and tea with hints of bitter dark mocha chocolate with dusty tannins on a lingering finish. 

RM 92 points. 

https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/wp/wines/parabellum/

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3979164

https://twitter.com/ForceMVineyards 

Prisoner Wine Company "Cuttings" California Red Wine 2012

Prisoner Wine Company "Cuttings" California Red Wine 2012

New parents son Sean and Michelle brought our new recent arrival grand-daughter, Lavender, over for dinner and we celebrated with a vintage release premium bottling from The Prisoner Wine Company.  

The Prisoner brand was first created by Orin Swift back in 1998 by winemaker and founder David Phinney. Phinney's interest in wines dates back to 1995 when on a lark, David Swift Phinney took a friend up on an offer and went to Florence, Italy to spend a semester “studying”. During that time, he was introduced to wine, how it was made, and he got hooked. After graduation from university, he  eventually landed a job at Robert Mondavi Winery in 1997 starting as a temporary harvest worker. 

Deciding that if he was going to work this hard, it would eventually have to be for himself, he founded Orin Swift Cellars in 1998, named after Orin, his father’s middle name, and Swift, his mother’s maiden name. With two tons of zinfandel and not much else, he spent the next decade making wine for others as well as himself. He made the first Prisoner wine in 2000 with a 385 case production and continuing growing production, his reputation and his brand to an inconic label and portfolio with a wide cult-like following. The widely popular Prisoner label and brand had grown to a wide selection of carefully crafted wines - blends from the best vineyards and appellations across the leading regions of California. 

Phinney sold the Zinfandel blend and a few other labels comprising The Prisoner Wine Company to Huneeus Vintners in 2010, owners of the premium Quintessa brand. Huneeus later sold it to Constellation Brands in 2016 who spun off Orin Swift to E. & J. Gallo Winery, although David stayed on and remained the brand's winemaker. When Constellation bought The Prisoner Wine Company in 2016, case production had increased to 165,000 and they paid $285 million for the brand.

Following his non-compete sabatical after selling The Prisoner Brand, Phinney released his follow on label, 'Eight Years in the Desert', for the period of time since he had produced the original Prisoner red blend. He built up his new brand with labels that compared with those of his earlier portfolio.

• Orin Swift, Eight Years in the desert vs The Prisoner Wine Company, The Prisoner.
• Orin Swift, Mercury Head Cabernet Sauvignon vs The Prisoner Wine Company, Derange Red Blend.
• Orin Swift, Slander Pinot Noir vs The Prisoner Wine Company, Eternally Silenced Pinot Noir.
• Orin Swift, Palermo Cabernet Sauvignon vs The Prisoner Wine Company, Cuttings Cabernet Sauvignon.

Orin Swift became almost as well-known for its artistic and mysterious labels featuring photography, pastiche, collage and street art, making them stand out and helping to tell the story of each wine. 

Frankly, many of the Orin Swift labels are weird and in some/many cases creepy; The Prisoner family of wines, Red Blend, White Blend and Chardonnay, Blank Stare, Blindfold, China Doll, Machete, The Mannequin and Palermo. This label Cuttings in one of the few labels that are not so, artistic but not unnerving. 

The Prisoner brand and flagship label, were originally inspired by the classic sketch Le Petit Prisonier by 19th century Spanish artist Francisco Goya, part of a series entitled, “The Disasters of War”, created to be a visual protest against the injustice and brutality of the Spanish War of Independence in 1808. 

Today, Prisoner Wine Company wines are crafted by a team lead by Director of Winemaking Chrissy Wittmann and a team who work with over 100 growers across northern California from The Prisoner Wine Company located on the legendary Highway 29 St. Helena Highway in Napa Valley.

The Cuttings label was/is a creative red blend of predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon with a dash of Syrah and Petite Sirah and a drop of Zinfandel, kind of a reverse blend of the original flagship and Prisoner. This 2012 release was crafted for the Syrah to add a rich mouth feel and silkiness to the complexity and depth of the Cabernet and the structure and intensity of the Petite Sirah, with some robust zest and character added by some Zinfandel in the blend. The Cabernet came from hilltop vineyards directly across from Pritchard Hill, as well as vineyards on Howell Mountain and Spring Mountain. With 20% new French and American oak, this was a complex sophisticated red blend.

The Cuttings' name and label were inspired by the age-old method of using cuttings from a vineyard to propagate new vines. This resulting wine is powerful and structured, with intense aromas of ripe dark fruit, black cherry and subtle spicy notes of cedar and anise. The palate is rich and dense, with flavors of sweet plum and red berries and complimented with a hint of dark cocoa powder. Polished tannins and integrated French oak adorn a long silky finish.

This wine was awarded 91 points by Wine Spectator, 90 points by James Suckling and Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. 

Winemaker's Notes:. Inspired by the age-old method of using cuttings from idyllic sites for the propagation of new vines, this Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend showcases some of our favorite hillside vineyards. Cuttings combines the intensity and depth of Cabernet Sauvignon with the structure and richness of Petite Sirah and Syrah. A small amount of Zinfandel adds a nice layer of complexity, while encompassing a signature, vibrant spiciness. The wine has an intense and alluring aroma of ripe plum reduction layered with baking spices, hints of cocoa powder and cigar box. The palette is velvety and dense with flavors of black cherry, cola, and freshly roasted co ee beans. Soft tannins evolve into a plush and lengthy finish.

Dark garnet colored,, full bodied, intense concentrated ripe plum, black cherry and currant fruits with baking spices, mocha cocoa powder, expresso and cigar box with round tannins on a moderate finish. 

RM 90 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1879244

https://theprisonerwinecompany.com/

https://twitter.com/PrisonerWineCo 

Borsao Syrah Campo de Borja Zarihs

Bodegas Borsao Syrah Campo de Borja Zarihs/Shiraz - a collaboration of Spain and Australia Borossa 

We spent a getaway weekend in the City (Chicago) and stopped in VinChicago, a family-run wine merchant since 1934. I wrote recently that they offer and alternative to the mega-merchants with carefully selected producer's and labels at competitive prices for high QPR (quality-price-ratio) values. Their extremely knowledgeable staff consists of certified Sommelier and Advanced Sommelier. While they closed their local Naperville store location, (they still operate three Chicagoland locations), we keep in touch via their newletters and on-line presence. They deliver wine purchases or conduct curbside pick-ups at location that is conveniently near our home.

 

Visiting their retail location, we picked up several odd lot labels no longer listed on their web, and several other labels to 'try before we buy' (for cellaring). 

 

Bodegas Borsao Syrah Campo de Borja Zarihs/Shiraz 2016

 

We picked up this interesting label,

Label REVERSED
(flipped horizontally).

Zarihs (Shiraz spelled backwards!?! with a hint of the backwards "R" on the label), a collaboration between Spanish producer José Luis Chueca of Campo de Borja and Australian producer/winemaker Chris Ringland, known for Barossa Shiraz/Syrah. This is 100% single varietal Shiraz sourced from the Spanish estate. 

 

Vivino called this the Best Syrah in Spain and one of the Top 10 Syrah du Monde in 2017.

 

This the first Syrah to be planted in 2002 in the foothills of the Moncayo in the Campo de Borja, a Spanish DOP (Denominación de Origen Protegida) appellation which is located in the northwest of the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain). 

Aragon sits adjacent France, in the northeast corner of Spain, home to many rivers including the Ebro, Spain's largest river in volume, which runs west–east across the entire region through the province of Zaragoza. It is also home to the highest mountains of the Pyrenees. The Aragon region is the transition zone between the plains of the River Ebro and the mountains.  Borja is one of 16 municipalities in the The DOP wine region. 

 

The Moncayo mountain is the dominant feature of the DOP and creates a terroir and microclimate well suited to the Shiraz varietal to develop wines with a special character. The climate is continental, with Atlantic influences during the winter, notably a cold, dry wind from the northwest. In summer, there is a Mediterranean influence with temperatures varying a great deal, both on a daily and on a seasonal basis, with very low annual rainfall. The vineyards are planted on a series of high plateaus at heights ranging between 350 m and 750 m above sea level. 

 

The Shiraz vines are selected for the terroir, planted planted to take advantage of the soil, sun and the uniqueness of the Cierzo (a brisk wind that blows down from the northwest over 200+ days of the year), which freshens the grapes from bloom to peak maturity. The vineyard´s altitude and limestone soil give the Syrah a pleasant acidity. 

 

Zarihs is a 100% Syrah/Shiraz single-varietal, aged for 12 months in 40% American oak barrels, and 60% in stainless steel tanks.

 

This label was ranked #28 on Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2020 with 93 pts., and was awarded 91 pts. by James Suckling and 90 pts. by Vinous.

Wine Advocate called it “Borja wine with an Australian accent”, and Heraldo de Aragón, "A Borsao with French stile (sic)”.   

VinChicago tasting notes:

• Appearance: opaque red-black. Crimson-purple rim.
• Aroma: powerful impression of blackberries, with a hint of wood smoke and sweet vanilla.
• The nose begins to open up and develops notes of dark chocolate.
• Palate: the initial impact is very full bodied, with a plush, soft structure.
• Flavours of dark berries dominate; wild blackberries and dried plums, with notes of espresso coffee.

Winemaker notes on this release, "An opaque red-black color with a crimson-purple rim. On the nose, a powerful impression of blackberries, with a hint of wood smoke and sweet vanilla. The nose begins to open up and develops notes of dark chocolate. The initial impact is very full bodied, with a plush, soft structure. Flavors of dark berries dominate; wild blackberries and dried plums, with notes of espresso coffee."

 

Dark blackish garnet colored, full bodied, brambly concentrated blackberry and dark cherries, notes of creosote and tar with spice, smoke and savory soy laced black olive and bitter dark-chocolate with wisps of black pepper notes on a lingering tangy acidic finish.

 

RM 90 points. 

 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3616184

https://bodegasborsao.com/

https://www.vinchicago.com/

 

https://twitter.com/vin_chicago 

 

Cherry Circle Room dinner features super wine flight

Cherry Circle Room dinner features super wine flight of ultra-premium Dominus, Kongsgaard and Darioush Napa Valley wines

We spent a getaway weekend in the City (Chicago) and dined at the Cherry Circle Room in the old Chicago Athletic Club on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, opposite Millenium Park and the popular Cloudgate (Bean). I was there to scout the venue for some upcoming corporate events as well as for a superlative fine dining experience. 

The iconic Cherry Circle Room was the members' dining room at the Chicago Athletic Association for generations. It has been totally restored and updated melding the building's historic original features with modern design elements and was recognized as James Beard award-winning space for Outstanding Restaurant Design.

We dined with fellow 'Pour Boy' Dr Dan and our two Lindas. We both took BYOB from our cellars a bottle to share and compare with our dinner entrees. 

Wine flight: Darioush, Dominus Bordeaux Blends
Kongsgaard Syrah

Darioush Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 

We visited the magnificent Darioush estate in Napa with Dan and Linda during our Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2017, (Dan's) Linda's first trip to the valley. Years earlier, in 2003, Linda and I visited the Darioush estate for a private barrel tasting, during the time the new winery was under construction. 

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2013/01/soaring-red-flight-silverado-solo.html

Darioush Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2001

We were first introduced to this wine by fellow 'Pour Boy', Bill and Beth when we were invited by them to a wine dinner at their Cress Creek Country Club in the late nineties.

We visited the winery during our Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2003. Their fabulous winery and tasting facility on Silverado Trail in southern Napa Valley was not yet open but was well under construction at that time.  Tonight's wine selection was from the case we purchased during that visit.  

We attended with Dr Dan a gala Darioush - Domaine de Chevalier Gala Wine Dinner in Chicago. This was a fabulous private dinner hosted by Darius & Shaptar Kaledi of Darioush Winery and Bernard Laborie of Domaine de Chevalier at Everest restaurant in Chicago in the summer of 2004. 

At twenty years of age, this big full throttle Napa Cabernet was probably at its apex, not likely to improve any further with aging, and nearing the end of its prime drinking window. 

Tonight's tasting was consistent with the last time we tasted this label's vintage release in 2013 when I wrote back on 1/26/2013:

"This remains a blockbuster wine, living up to the tone set by the large oversize, almost magnum size bottle - dark inky color, full bodied, complex but smooth and polished, full forward black berry and currant fruits with a layer of spicy cinnamon oak with tones of black tea, anise, tobacco leaf and dark chocolate - well balanced and polished with nicely integrated silky smooth tannins on the lingering finish. RM 92 points."

This is a Bordeaux Blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot.

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=462550   

http://www.darioush.com/

Dominus Napa Valley Proprietary Bordeaux Red 2009  

Dan brought from his cellar vertical collection of this legendary Napa Valley super premium Bordeaux Blend label for our dinner. We've dueled with vintages of this label dating back to a case I bought on release of the 1986 vintage. We drank a bottle every couple of years until finally with only one or two bottles left, the bottle was finally emerging and opening to reveal its full potential and character after more than two decades. Such is this long lived ageworthy wine. 

This legendary label is from the legendary producer Christian Moueix who has been producing ultra-premium wines for over fifty years of producing wines in Bordeaux’s Right Bank and thirty-eight in the Napa Valley. 

Son of legendary Jean-Pierre Moueix, after completing agricultural engineering studies in Paris and graduate studies in viticulture and enology at the University of California, Davis, Christian returned to France, at the age of twenty-four, to take on the responsibility of managing his family’s many chateaux, including Chateau Pétrus, one of the premier brands in the world. 

He managed Pétrus for over thirty-eight years and today he directs eight family chateaux including, in Pomerol, La Fleur-Pétrus, Trotanoy, Hosanna, and in Saint Emilion, Bélair-Monange. Since 1991 he has been the President of Ets. Jean-Pierre Moueix, a top Bordeaux wine merchant.

In 1983, Christian Moueix began producing Dominus from the historic Napanook vineyard in Yountville. In 2008, he acquired a 40-acre vineyard in Oakville from which he launched the first vintage of Ulysses in 2012.

Collecting this label in those early years was fun with the artist series of pencil an water color drawings of producer winemaker Christian Mouiex which ended with the 1991 vintage turning to this basic label every since after close to a decade. My label library of Dominus and those early art series labels can be found at this link location.

This release was a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and the remainding 4% Petit Verdot. This is estate bottled from fruit sourced from the Napanook estate to the west of Hwy 29, St Helena Highway in Yountville, Napa Valley.

This release was awarded 99 points by  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, and 98 points by Jeb Dunnuck and James Suckling.

Circle Cherry room Somellier Anika opened and decanted this bottle and we gave it time to blow off some initial heat and aggressiveness, which it did after about an hour. 

Deep garnet colored, medium full bodied, well balanced, smooth, polished, concentrated yet elegant blackcurrant, black raspberry and ripe plum fruits with notes of floral, graphite, sweet mocha chocolate, hints of tobacco, vanilla and earth with finely grained silky soft tannins on a long finish.

RM 95 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1140345

https://www.dominusestate.com/

Circle Cherry room has a modest moderate published winelist. There is however, an extraordinary Reserve Wine List of the property's impressive collection that is not published. We were shown this list by Sommellier Anika, who has served at Chicago Spaggia restaurant. From that list we selected this classic Syrah. 

Kongsgaard Hudson Vineyard Napa Valley Syrah 1999

This is from Fifth-generation Napa natives John and Maggy Kongsgaard who produce powerful, graceful wines which are high intensity expressions of vineyard and variety from a ten-acre vineyard they planted in the late 1970s on a rocky hilltop in southern Napa Valley which has belonged to the Kongsgaard family since the 1920s. In addition to these family acres, they direct the farming under long-term contract on another seven acres in Carneros, the Hudson Vineyard, where they grow Syrah and Chardonnay. 

Kongsgaard wines are produced at their winery, high up on the eastern rim of Napa Valley, in a cave drilled into the volcanic rock. These 97-99+ point wines are allocated and sell out quickly to the producer's mailing list and are pursued by insatiable collectors in the auction aftermarket.

John was mentored by historic and legendary pioneers of Napa Valley: André Tchelistcheff of Beaulieu Vineyard and Nathan Fay—who farmed the Fay Vineyard made famous by Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars’ iconic single-vineyard Cabernet. After his first job in Sonoma, John took a job at Newton, experimenting with Old World techniques and bottling Napa Valley’s first unfiltered Chardonnay. In subsequent years, he worked with numerous world famous luminaries including Fritz Hatton, and Michel Rolland, and trained Aaron Pott and Andy Erickson.

This label was first inroduced in 1995. It is sourced from a two-acre plot of Syrah at the Hudson Ranch in Carneros—which was founded in 1981 by John’s Texas-born Davis classmate Lee Hudson. The terroir consists of proximity equidistant between San Pablo Bay and Napa and Sonoma Valley, and is comprised of volcanic soil. The vineyard was planted to John’s specifications. 

This Syrah is ferment on native yeasts, aged for two years in 40% new French oak, and bottled unfiltered resulting in a wine of complexity, depth, incredible power, and 'endless nuance'. 

Wine Access writes of this label, "Very few Napa Valley wines are mentioned alongside Bordeaux First Growths and the great collectible wines of the world—and they’re basically all cult Cabernets. 

Kongsgaard’s Syrah stands proudly alongside them, but also proudly apart. It’s truly a one-of-a-kind bottling from a master whose name evokes reverence and admiration from his peers. As a display of Napa Valley glory worth cellaring for years or passing on as an heirloom, you can’t do any better."

We drank this Kongsgaard Carneros Hudson Ranch Syrah for my father-son birthday celebration dinner earlier this year. 

We drank the Kongsgaard Hudson Vineyard Chardonnay at our Pour Boys Wine Dinner at Del Ray Beach Wine Kitchen back in June. 

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate call this “One of the Most Provocative” Syrahs in California

Winemaker and Robert Parker Wine Advocate notes for the 1999 Syrah Napa Valley:

The 1999 Syrah Hudson Vineyard is even better out of bottle than it was from cask. Its opaque black/blue/purple color is followed by an extraordinary perfume of barbecue spices intermixed with creosote, violets, blackberry and creme de cassis liqueur, explosive, full-bodied flavors of cassis, and an amazingly thick, juicy yet vibrant and well-defined personality. There is plenty of tannin, but the wealth of fruit and intensity is mind-boggling. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2020. Kongsgaard is crop-thinning down to one grape cluster per shoot in an effort to obtain Syrah at its most intense. There are 125 cases of the 1999 Syrah Hudson Vineyard. The wine is 100% Syrah fermented and aged in wood for 18 months, and then bottled without fining or filtration. The result is one of California’s most awesome as well as singular expressions of Syrah.  95 points

Inky purple-black in color, full bodied, dense concentrated muscular yet smooth and elegant, ripe blackberry and black cherry fruits with note of violet floral, cassis, black pepper, toast, allspice, bacon fat and herbs with elegant, plush tannins and on an incredibly long pleasant spicy finish. 

Still holding on at 22 year, likely at the end of its prime drinking window and not to improve with further aging. 

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=24584

https://kongsgaardwine.com/ 

Links mentioned in this blogpost:

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=462550   

http://www.darioush.com/

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1140345

https://www.dominusestate.com/

https://mcnees.org/winesite/labels/label_library_pages/california_label_lib_pages/label_library_california_d-e.htm#Dominus_Estate

https://www.lsdatcaa.com/cherry-circle-room

http://www.mcnees.org/winesite/napa/napa_03/napa_03.htm 

https://mcnees.org/winesite/napa/napa_03/napa_03.htm

http://www.mcnees.org/dinesite/Dinesites/DineSite_Everest.htm

https://twitter.com/cherrycircleCAA
 

Team dinner at Angeli's Italian

 Team dinner at Angeli's Italian 

As my leadership team continues our workshops in strategic planning, we move to the western suburbs for a day of planning which is becoming somewhat of a routine. The out of town team members move to their suburban hotel and we gather for a pre-session dinner at Angeli's Italian, our favorite neighborhood Italian trattoria. 

I took BYOB from our home cellar two wines I was eager to share and compare, that I expected to be ideal accompaniments to our Italian cuisine dinner. 

Tenuta Guado al Tasso (Antinori) Bolgheri Il Bruciato 2016

We discovered this wine when we dined for Saturday Brunch in NYC Chelsea Flatiron neighborhood with son Alec and Viv, we dined at La Pecora Bianca (The White Sheep) on Broadway at 26th. With my Tagliatelle with beef and pork bolognese sauce I paired my entree with this Il Bruciato Tenuta Guado al Tasso - a delicious perfect combination as each was embellished and enhanced by the other as a result. 

Upon returning home I went out and purchased more of this label release at at Malloy's, our Village wine shop. We have enjoyed it with tangy Italian pasta and meat sauce dishes. Hence, I took this tonight for our special dinner with my colleagues at our favorite neighborhood trattoria, Angeli's Italian.

Tenuta Guado al Tasso (Antinori) Bolgheri Il Bruciato 2016

As I wrote in my original posting of this wine, this is what is known as a Super Tuscan, made famous in the 70s when wine critics noted the quality rivaled that of high-end Bordeaux. 

The Bolgheri area was known for producing IGT and VdT wines based on the typical Bordeaux varietals. 

VdT classification is the first or lowest quality standard, stands for Vino da Tavola, or Table Wine. Wines marked with a VdT on the label tells you they’re made in Italy, and that’s about it. IGT classification, the second level, one step up from the VdT wines is the IGT classification, which stands for Indicazione Geografica Tipica — IGT-classed wine is “typical” of a particular geography or local region. Most IGT wines are simple, made from grapes grown locally and intended to be drank young. Many IGT wines from Tuscany are made from Sangiovese, a grape with a long history in the region. Think of them as a table wine.

In 1994, the Bolgheri DOC appellation designation was created to recognize more notable, higher quality wines. DOC, or Denominazione di Origine Controllata. The key word here is Controllata, meaning that a DOC wine is produced in a specific, well-defined region in Italy, according to defined wine making rules that are designed to preserve local traditions.  These wines tend to offer great QPR - Quality Price Ratio values.

This label if from the vast portfolio of the Antinori family who have been producing fine wines for over six centuries since 1385, a history that spans twenty-six generations. They produce legendary wines from nine different estates across Italy, and since 1985 from an Estate in Napa Valley, Californina.

This label is from the Guado al Tasso estate, located in the small but prestigious Bolgheri DOC, on the coast of upper Maremma, about one hundred kilometers southwest from Florence. This appellation has a relatively recent history, DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata (Denomination of Controlled Origin) Bolgheri was approved in 1995 and since then it has become recognized for the Italian and international winemaking. 

The estate covers an area of 320 hectares (790 acres) planted with vines, set in a beautiful plain encircled by rolling hillsides known as the "Bolgheri Amphitheatre" due to its particular shape. The vineyards are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Vermentino. The proximity to the sea provides a mild climate with constant breezes that mitigate summer heat and alleviate harsh winter weather, maintaining a clear sky and a high level of sunlight exposure.

Il Bruciato was first produced in 2002 and has become an interpretation of Bolgheri’s unique terroir made from carefully selected Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah grapes from Guado al Tasso’s vineyards. The geological composition of the soil is diversified giving the wine structure and complexity.

Winemaker notes: The 2016 Il Bruciato offers an intense ruby red color. On the nose, the aromas of ripe red berry fruit, sweet spices, and a light and fresh minty note are the most prominent sensations. The palate is well structured, persistent, and very pleasurable in its fruity finish and aftertaste.

The 2016 Il Bruciato was given four months of bottle aging before commercial release.

This 2016 Il Bruciato was delicious and provides great high QPR value. Amazingly, more than one million bottles were produced at this quality level. It is great for every day casual sipping but will also stand up to special occasions and quality drinking.

This wine, “Il Bruciato,” which means “the burned” is the second wine of Antinori’s Tenuta Guado al Tasso, second to the flagship wine, “Guado al Tasso”, named after the large vineyard in Bolgheri in which the grapes are grown.

This Il Bruciato, produced to be a more approachable and contemporary style of wine than the more traditional estate wine, is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 15% Syrah.

This was delicious again tonight in combination with our dinner entrees. 

Bright ruby colored, medium bodied, smooth, polished for casual easy drinking with vibrant red and black fruit flavors accented by spice, mocha and smoke with elegant soft tannins on a moderate lingering finish.

RM 92 points.

The Wine Advocate gave this 93 pts, Jame Suckling of Wine Spectator gave it 94 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2904858

https://www.antinori.it/en/vino/il-bruciato-en/ 

https://www.antinori.it/en/

 

Our second bottle with dinner was a real unique wild card selection, pulled from my home cellar and brought BYOB for dinner. 

BLANKbottle Petit Verdot Pat Bird 2019

I discovered this bottle, a special selection offering from Vin Chicago. Finding it intriguing I ordered a six pack case, and now wish I had acquired more. Of course on trying to obtain more it is long gone, and not likely to be found again as it is a select bottling. I wrote about another unique BLANKbottle -  "B.I.G. SA" Swartland Cabernet Blend 2019  wine that I also purchased at the same time in a recent blogpost.  

This was another special buy from VinChicago who find and often offer such limited release labels at good value - high QPR (quality price ratio) wine finds. This seemed to be good value relative to the market price if you could find it. Being from South Africa, it had lesser brand recognition and distribution with a more limited following than more popular regional wines. Searching for this label, I found it available throughout Europe and in a few locations on the east coast, in all cases at prices ten to thirty percent to 2x higher!

During my South Africa Wine Experience in 2019, I tasted some really good wines from down there, thus was open to try some unknown labels. 

Fun with wine ... as the header of this blog states, I write about "perspectives on wine buying, collecting, tasting, a study in wine marketing & branding; observations, experiences and ruminations of a winegeek & frequent traveler." This post is the epitome of such ruminations.  

This wine is the extreme of the broad spectrum of wines and labels, the polar opposite of the grower producer terroir driven wine labels where one collects and compares the subtleties of variations of the same label from vintage to vintage over time, the same wine sourced from the same 'estate' producer owned vineyard (s).

This is from South African winemaker producer Pieter Walser, who travels the region sourcing a vast wide variety of grapes from numerous growers to produce a broad portfolio of labels, many one-of single vintage offerings, and some that are repeated. There are several American and French producers that employ this negociant method of acquiring grapes to produce a private label or own label brand. I've written in these pages the perils of 'collecting' such wines since they may never appear again. Walser notes, "At the moment, roughly 30% of our wines are once-off wines. If they perform well, they will stay on."

To his credit, he employs expensive quality packaging of these wines with heavier bottles and wax dipped capsules, and imaginative designer labels.

Pieter is regarded as one of the more innovative producers in South Africa. Pieter Walser founded BLANKbottle in 2004 to make wine of quality, excitement and mystery – for those intrigued by what’s in the bottle, not by what’s on the label. Educated in Agriculture, Viticulture and Oenology, and a nomadic, adventurous spirit, BLANKbottle was born. Pieter sought creative flexibility, not to be unconstrained by style, region, vintage and cultivars. He has developed alliances with vineyards, winemakers and wineries throughout the country (ZA), to craft a broad portfolio of unique blends of premium character. 

Pieter’s eclectic range is from vineyards positioned across the Western Cape, representing diverse regions, micro-climates, soil types, and varietals, ultimately leading to different wine styles and the ability to also introduce once-off limited runs of compelling wines.

Seeing the producer website sole photo of the winemaker, (shown left), and the way he describes himself and talks about his business and his brand, I am drawn to think this is what it would be like if Crocodile Dundee, the Australian outback movie character, were a winemaker. 

Indeed, he plays on the movie theme metaphor: “It’s our privilege to be the costume designer and screenwriter, to present this time capsule, a catalyst that brings people together, there to de-stress, entertain, – as the star headline act, in the privacy of your home.”

As Pieter tells it himself, “When I started BLANKbottle, my goal was to create an honest wine brand that had no limitations in order to break down any preconceived expectations….I’ve come to realize that the road I’m on does not necessarily lead to the perfect winery. Rather, it’s an adventure, it gives me stories to tell, and that I count as my true riches and success.” 

 

As it turns out, the Blankbottle labels that I obtained from Vin are in fact as exceptional as the wine, having, featuring creative artwork, and having recently won multiple awards, including the Grand Prix, at the 2015 Wine Label Design Awards. The "B.I.G. SA" Swartland Cabernet Blend 2019 label is ingenious and brilliant if you get a chance to check it out.

 

BLANKbottle Petit Verdot Pat Bird 2019

In trying to gather more background on this wine, all the producer website says is, "A special production exclusively to the USA. Story to come soon. A 100% Stellenbosch Petit Verdot." This is after it loads 255 different images with the notice - 'Please be patient while we load labels of our 255 different wines'. 

This bottle exceeded my expectations. It hit the mark of capturing the essence, character and profile of single varietal Petit Verdot, a full-bodied red wine that originates in Bordeaux, typically highly desired as a blending grape in red Bordeaux blends because of its plentiful color, tannin and floral aromas of violet. 

 

Dark garnet colored, full bodied, muscular firm structured backbone of black berry fruits with smokey notes of tar, anise, tobacco leaf and black tea with firm but agreeable tannins on the long finish. 

 

RM 91 points. 

 
 https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3967387

 

https://blankbottle.co.za/

 

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/10/blankbottle-big-sa-swartland-cabernet.html

 

http://angeliscatering.com/

 

https://www.vinchicago.com/

 

https://twitter.com/vin_chicago 

 

 

Team dinner at Italian Village Chicago

Team dinner at IV Chicago again, features Bordeaux Blend and Super Tuscan

Another week, another team dinner at Italian Village Chicago. Wine Director Jared Gelband served a Bordeaux Blend followed by a full bodied big Sangiovese with our dinners. As I wrote in a recent blogpost of our last team dinner there, where we presented to the IV staff with a photo of our group from our recent visit, tonight they had our picture framed and mounted at our regular table in our intimate alcove.

Tenuta di Biserno Il Pino di Biserno Toscana  2016

Il Pino di Biserno is produced at the Tenuta di Biserno estate located in the commune of Bibbona in the Alta Maremma, bordering the historic village of Bolgheri to the north.

The estate covers nearly 100 acres situated at 90 metres above sea level with maritime influence of the nearby Mediterranean.  The soils are very stoney, comprised of alluvial, with some calcareous clay, rich in calcium carbonate. The vineyards are planted with Bordeaux varietals Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.  

This label release is a special Bordeaux Blend of estate grapes from young vineyards, crafted to represent the unique terroir of the Bibbona area.

It has been produced since 2004 with rigorous selection of young vine grapes, to be accessible for early-drinking. The blend of Il Pino di Biserno consists of: Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and in some vintages Cabernet Sauvignon.

This was a good representation of the outstanding 2016 harvest that was a top rated vintage with great potential on the Tuscan coast in general and for Tenuta di Biserno and Campo di Sasso in particular. 

The 2016 Il Pino di Biserno release was a blend of 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Cabernet Franc, 20% Merlot, and 10% Petit Verdot. It was crafted by Winemaker Helena Lindberg with advise from legendary Consultant Michel Rolland. It was rated 94 points by Antonio Galloni of Vinous Media and Wine Advocate and 93 points by James Suckling. 

This wine was aged for 12 months in new and second-use French oak barrique and 10% of the volume in stainless steel.

Garnet colored, medium full bodied, nicely integrated complex full round sweet black berry and ripe black plum fruit with accents of spice, tobacco, leather and hints of tar and licorice with firm but approachable lingering tannins on the long finish. 

RM 91 points. 

 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3141613

 

https://www.biserno.it/en/home.html#intro 

 

For a second bottle, with our pasta entrees, Jared served a big robust full bodied Sangiovese.

 

Tenuta Sette Ponti Orma Bolgheri IGT SuperTuscan Blend 2012 

Tenuta Sette Ponti is one of Tuscany’s most innovative, quality-driven producers of world-class Super Tuscans, owned by luxury goods entrepreneur Antonio Moretti, who engaged the finest team of enologists, viticulturists, and agronomists to help ensure the highest quality wines. The estate includes property in the famed Maremma coastal zone, which produces the wine Poggio al Lupo.

Tenuta Sette Ponti lies on historic land in the heart of the Chianti zone at the end of the Via del Monte, known locally as the Via dei Sette Ponti, in a beautiful hidden valley. The estate is named for the seven medieval bridges crossing the Arno River on the road from Arezzo to Florence—one of which, the Ponte Buriano, can be seen in the right far background of Leonardo DaVinci's Mona Lisa.

The dedication and savvy of luxury goods entrepreneur Antonio Moretti has transformed the 750-acre estate into a multifaceted farm property that is today one of Tuscany’s most innovative, quality-driven producers of world-class Super Tuscans.

Among Tuscany’s oldest vineyards, Impero Vineyard (meaning “Empire’s Vineyard”) was planted in 1935 by His Royal Highness the Count of Turin, Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy. Terraces hammered out of marly limestone on a steep slope in the middle of the estate make up this famed vineyard. The soil is a mix of clay and gravel, rich in marl and rock, that gives a spectacular minerality to the Sangiovese grapes grown here. The approximately 7 acres of vineyards are situated at an altitude of 919 - 984 feet with excellent sun exposure and beneficial breezes. 

Producer Antonio Moretti graduated from Siena University with a degree in economics and banking, then opened his first apparel store, a business that expanded to encompass a chain of shops throughout Italy. He went on to acquire Arfango, known for its fine leather goods, and Bonora, a brand of handmade shoes. He also shares a partnership with the brand Car Shoe Patrizio Bertelli, owner of the Prada Group.

Moretti's took over the vineyards of Tenuta Sette Ponti from his father, the acquired Poggio al Lupo, the Marem

ma estate, purchased in 1999; and Feudo Maccari, the Sicilian estate he assembled in 2000.

This label release was a new wine for Sette Ponti in recent vintages, the 2012 Vigna dell'Impero is 100% Sangiovese from Valdarno di Sopra, from the estate’s oldest vineyard, a 7.4-acre terraced plot of Sangiovese first planted in 1935. The wine, aged 24 months in large barrels

It was awarded 95 points by James Suckling, and 92 points by Wine & Spirits.

Bright ruby colored, full bodied, big, bold tangy raspberry, black currant and cherry fruits with accents of earth, anise, baking spices, leather and tobacco with firm but fine grained tannins on a bright acidic finish. 

RM 90

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2139799

 

https://www.tenutasetteponti.it/

 

Mentioned Links in this post: 

http://www.italianvillage-chicago.com/

 

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2016/07/italian-village-appoints-jared-gelband.html

 

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/10/team-dinner-at-iv-chicago.html  

https://twitter.com/italianvlg

 

https://twitter.com/jzgwine