Jasmin La Giroflarie at Husk Restaurant Savannah

Patrick Jasmin “La Giroflarie” Cote Rotie Rhone at Husk Restaurant in Savannah, GA

Visiting Savannah (GA) for a getaway and mini-family reunion with Sister Jan from So-Cal, we dined at several local fine dining eateries, Chive, The Olde Pink House, Rhett, The River House, and Husk. 

We also did the Savannah food tour in the afternoon, a walking tour of sections of the city with an overview of several food examples of Savannah coastal southern cuisine.

Husk Restaurant is centrally located in the heart of Savannah’s Landmark Historic District. It is one of the portfolio of establishments of The Neighborhood Dining Group (NDG) that operates and manages restaurants throughout the Southeast, overseen by President David Howard who was a James Beard semifinalist for Best Restaurateur. 

The NDG restaurant portfolio includes Husk (Charleston, SC; Nashville, TN, and Savannah, GA), Minero (Johns Island, SC; Atlanta, GA), and Delaney Oyster House (Charleston, SC).

NDG has been recognized by Bon Appétit for “2011 Best New Restaurant in America” for Husk Charleston, as one of GQ’s “12 Most Outstanding Restaurants of the Year”, an Esquire “Best New Restaurant in America” in 2014 for Husk Nashville, and McCrady’s named one of “America’s Best Restaurants of 2016” in Wine Enthusiast.

We were advised to dine at Husk in Charleston by friends there but it was not open the days we were available when we were in town. So, we targeted Husk in Savannah for our trip there this week. 

We dined in the bar-room with high ceilings and large windows, spacious seating along both walls surrounding the bar, the walls adored by modern brightly colored artwork. 

One wall presents a large abstract painting featuring the grid city map of Savannah with its famous square parks centering each neighborhood. 

 

Husk Savannah focuses on preparations that represent the essence of Southern food that highlight the unique ingredients of coastal Georgia. 

They offer a broad selection of Oysters and a Raw Bar with selections from the Southeast from Virginia, the Carolina's Georgia and Florida.

 

The dinner menu is somewhat limited featuring offerings of Georgia Shrimp and Grits, Smoked Cobia, Roasted Chicken Breast, Smoked Pork Porterhouse and Prime New York Strip.

The selection of  'Sides' is limited with three offerings, Carolina Gold Rice, Wakefield Cabbage and White Lily Biscuits.

For a starter we shared from the limited selection of four 'Firsts', the Selection of Southern Cheeses with Spiced Pecans, Hibiscus Honey, Blueberry Preserves and toasted Baguette and Pimiento Cheese with Benne Crackers and Husk Pickles, and from the sides selections, the White Lily Biscuits, named for the fineness of their flour.

 Husk offers an extensive imaginative wine list that showcases 'artisan producers, small productions, and rare finds, grouped by terroir and soil type, rather than the traditional classifications of political geography or grape varietal'. They also feature a boutique wine program emphasizing organic and bio-dynamic, family-style producers who share the restaurant’s focus on environmental preservation. Lastly, they also feature three wines created and bottled in Husk’s own vineyard in Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina.

The wine list offerings includes a selection of WBTG - Wines By The Glass - a dozen white, sparkling and Rose' wines and ten Red Wines. The Bottle wine list is extensive covering forty pages including a dozen NV Champagnes and Sparkling wines, and ten Vintage selections.

The White Wines offered include French Burgundies featuring twenty selections creatively listed geographically from North to South, five other French, seven from California, eight from Germany (listed North to South), and selections from Spain (seven), Greece (3), Italy (3) and the Southern Hemisphere (five).

The Red Wines offered a broad selection of French, listed by Region, geographically North to South from Burgundy (12), Beaujolais (4), Northern Rhone and Languedoc (6), Loire (3), Bordeaux (8), and Spain (3). 

They offer American Reds, listed Light to Bold; from California (18) and Oregon (3), Italy (8), Germany (3), Austria (2), and the Southern Hemisphere (3).

There are a dozen dessert wines including ultra premium Château d'Yquem Sauternes, Bordeaux (1998) offered at $38 per ounce. 

Then there is also an extensive list of a half dozen pages of Whiskeys, Rye, Agave, Tequila, Gins, Rums and other specialties. 

The wine prices were a bit crazy, all over the map, offering numerous selections at the customary 2x retail price, but then from Bordeaux they offered some of our favorite producers such as Château Ducru Beaucaillou and Château Margaux, but featuring their second labels, Croix de Beaucaillou (@ $245), and Pavillon Rouge (@ $600), prices more appropriate for their Grand Vin rather than their 'second' wines, such that the effective price is four to five times retail price, almost as if they're confused about the labels, or confusing unsuspecting patrons!?! But then, anyone ordering a $300 to $600 bottle of wine is most likely a knowledgeable consumer, or someone with more money than sense or knowledge, based on these prices. Other Bordeaux were similarly more than customarily priced, Château Pontet-Canet 5ème Grand Cru Classé 2015 at $385, and Château Giscours 3ème Grand Cru Classé, 2015, $225, both offered at about three times retail. 

In the end, we found and ordered a delightful Northern Rhone Syrah from the Domaine of Patrick Jasmin, “La Giroflarie” Côte-Rotie 2019, at $125, an appropriate 2x retail offering, providing reasonable QPR (Quality Price-Ratio) considering its good quality and ratings. It was a nice pairing with Bill's Porterhouse and my New York Strip steak.

For the ladies, we ordered BTG - Buy The Glass, Obsidian “Poseidon Vineyard” Chardonnay, 2021, from Carneros, Napa Valley, California, the only California Chardonnay on offer! It was 'okay', per the girls, a decent complement to their entree of Shrimp and Grits.

I ordered the grilled New York Strip steak and Bill ordered the Smoked Porterhouse Pork, both artfully prepared and presented.

The girls' Shrimp and Grits entree was lackluster and did not compare with those that we had on the Savannah food tour earlier in the day  at the trend-setting eatery at Andaz Savannah at 22 Square.

Our wine selection - 

Domaine (Patrick) Jasmin “La Giroflarie” Northern Rhone Côte Rôtie Syrah 2019

This is a classic example of 'old world' (France, Italy) vs. 'new-world' (US) labeling where they feature the locale source of the grapes rather than the variety of grapes and producer name on the label.  

Côte-Rôtie is a Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) in the northern Rhône river valley wine region of Southern France. The vineyards are located just south of the village of Vienne. The vineyards' terroir are steep slopes facing the river and are known for their picturesque stone walls, so common in the region. The name Côte-Rôtie can be roughly translated in English as "the roasted slope", referring to the long hours of sunlight that the steep slopes receive.

This is from Patrick Jasmin, a fourth generation winemaker, who took over from his father Robert (after his sudden death) in 1999. Patrick's Great-Grandfather, Alexandre, was the chef at Château Ampuis and was granted some vines for his services to the estate in the early 1900's. The property was historically one of the original domaines that started to bottle their own Côte Rôtie over 100 years ago. 

Today, Patrick farms 13 acres of vines located in 12 parcels in 8 separate climats or lieu-dits spread across both escarpments of the Côte Rôtie appellation – the Côte Brune and the Côte Blonde. 

The name 'La Giroflarie' is used to distinguish this principal cuvée from a special cuvée called 'Olea' that Patrick first made in 2015. La Giroflarie is an historic name for the Côte Baudin lieu-dit.

Patrick blends into this label approximately 96% Syrah and 4% Viognier in this classic Côte Rôtie, and produces two cuvées of Côte Rôtie, sourced from 11 different parcels spread across the appellation. He also produces a number of IGP (Vin de Pays) bottlings. 

Patrick's extensive vine-holdings allow him a sufficient production of fruit from which to select to blend and his wines are known for a laudable fine integration of fruit and tannin earning him a reputation for wines described as the 'most Burgundian' wine of the appellation.

Patrick Jasmin's Côte-Rôtie is aged for up to 2 years in oak barrels (with up to 25% being new, originating from France, Russia & the US). Half of the wine is racked into 228 litre barrels and half into 590 litre demi-muids. Approximately 23,000 bottles are produced in a typical vintage.

The Jasmin wines are noted for their velvety Burgundian texture and richness. Typically, a bouquet of violets and stewed red fruits precedes a palate of darker Autumnal fruit with some cooler granitic notes over a framework of fine-grained tannins. Although it is surprisingly approachable on its youthful fruit, it cellars well for a decade and far longer in finer vintages.

This label release was rated 93 points by Josh Raynolds - vinous.com, and Matt Walls - Decanter.com.

According to the pundits, this Côte-Rôtie from Patrick Jasmin is known as one of the most terroir-expressive Northern Rhône Syrahs and one of the greatest values in the category. 

Dark purple colored, full bodied with full, round, concentrated black currant fruits with tones of smoked bacon and cola flavors accented by floral, cassis, and notes of spice and pepper with fine grained tannins on a long finish. A great example of Côte-Rôtie, high achiever with decent value. 

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3816597

https://husksavannah.com/

Patz & Hall Chardonnay at The Olde Pink House Savannah

Patz & Hall Chardonnay at the legendary historic Olde Pink House Restaurant in Savannah

Despite its large capacity seating in the countless dining rooms, The Olde Pink House in Savannah is one of the toughest reservations to get in town. We dined at the historic colonial mansion turned restaurant, an icon of Savannah's historic district with a history as old as Savannah itself. The Olde Pink House recently celebrated their 250th year anniversary as a building and nearly 100 years as a restaurant.

We were visiting Savannah for the week for a mini-family reunion with Sister Jan from So-Cal. During our short week, we also dined at Husk Restaurant, Chive and several local cuisine eateries as part of the Savannah Squares Food Tour.

 

 

Food & Wine Magazine named it #5 of the 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America in 2023 with over twenty thousand reviews.

USA Today featured The Olde Pink house as the lone Georgia entry according to OpenTable's 2022 list of the "Top 100 Restaurants" in the United States. The "most beloved restaurants coast-to-coast" were based on 13 million reviews by diners who booked via OpenTable this year and 20,000 diners surveyed in the U.S. and Canada.

Featuring 47 cities across 21 states, the list is "curated for diners" and "by diners" looking for ideas now or in the new year, OpenTable said in a statement. Qualifying restaurants were scored by data points such as overall diner rating, the reviewing accountholder's "clout" on OpenTable, total number of reviews and overall regional rating.

The Olde Pink House Restaurant was the sole mention from the State of Georgia on the list. 

California dominated the list with 21 restaurants, giving the most populous state in the U.S. the most "top 100" restaurants.

Chicago was the city with the largest number of restaurants: all 17 restaurants that ranked from Illinois are in the Windy City. 

The Olde Pink House has a long fabled history in Savannah. It was the residence of  Savannah's James Habersham Jr., a pioneering merchant and wealthy planter, he built the original residence in 1771 on a land allotment granted by the Crown of England. 

In 1811, a decade after his passing, the Habersham property became home to the Planters’ Bank, the first bank in Georgia. Later, in 1864, the house became a military generals’ headquarters for Union troops following Maj. Gen.William Tecumseh Sherman’s Civil War Siege of Savannah

The timeline of the building can be found on the back of restaurant menu, but the menu selections offer much about the history of the City that occurred during the port city’s checkered past: overlooked immigrants, wayward travelers, enslaved peoples brought here against their will.

“The very story we tell through our food is one of survival,” Proprietor Jeffress says. “It’s a way of honoring all of those hardworking people who endured, so that we can be here [today].”

The Olde Pink House features numerous dining rooms throughout, each one appointed with historic decor.

The building is full of history with much care and attention to every last detail. Revived period pieces curated by owner Donna Moeckel fill the walls of The Olde Pink House - Ivy curls around the Palladian portico, crystal chandeliers shimmer in every room and an extensive oil-painting collection tells the story of Savannah through centurial seaside vignettes and portraits of the city’s esteemed citizens.

The menu is extensive with a broad selection of a dozen Appetizers, eight Soups and Salads, more than a dozen entrees, complemented by no less than twenty Sides offerings.

The winelist offers no less than forty wines by the glass WBTG - twenty whites, Sparkling and Rose, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Other Varietals, and twenty reds - Cabernets, Merlot, Pinot Noir and other varietals - all moderately priced. With such a broad selection, there's no need to order a bottle since everyone can order their preferred selection to suit their entry pairing unless one chooses a more premium selection only available by the bottle. We ordered a bottle since it was the best consensus offering as it paired well with all our entrees. 

The basement level has a large cavernous dining room in the bar room. There, is the old vault that today houses a wine cellar, that is more for show than a functional working cellar. The old cellar vault was once used as the bank vault.

Having done the Savannah Food Tour in the afternoon, coupled with an early dinner, we had a light dinner of soup, salads, sides and wine. The staff were understanding and accommodating with gracious, personable, attentive service.

We started with the Cheese Plate with Capital Bee Honeycomb and Fresh Fruit (below).
It was rather minimal and was served with some rather strange crunches that were more akin to Fritos than crackers, too 'big' and thus not well suited to accompanying the cheese or honey selection, in our collective view. The staff were not able to accommodate our request for crackers or bread of any type as an alternative.

Bill and I started with the Strawberry Arugula Salad with goat cheese, spiced pecans and poppyseed vinagrette.

My main course was the Savannah specialty, "Low Country She Crab" soup. I have to say, it was not as delectable as that served on the Food Tour at Rhett's near the waterfront. 

Linda had the Pulled Pork Sliders with Cheerwine BBQ sauce, vegetable slaw and Bread and Butter pickles. They were lean as she hoped, and as promised.

 

 

Jan had the Fried Green Tomatoes with Grits. 

 

For a wine selection we had from the winelist a bottle of the Patz and Hall Sonoma Coast Chardonnay.

 Patz & Hall Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2018

Patz & Hall was founded in 1988 by Donald and Heather Patz, and James Hall and Anne Moses, the collaboration dating back to early 1980s when assistant winemaker James Hall and national sales manager Donald Patz struck up a close friendship while working at Flora Springs Winery and Vineyards. 

They shared a vision to produce rich, compelling wines from fruit sourced from elite, small vineyards. 

James and Anne Moses visited France and Burgundy in 1986, and were impressed by the talented and dedicated vignerons and winemakers who crafted rich and powerful Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. That alerted them to look to cooler growing sites with distinct terroir in Napa Valley for Chardonnay and Sonoma Coast for Pinot Noir, to create a collection of Chardonnays and Pinot Noir that reflected the great wine regions of California.

Patz & Hall have become one of California’s highly regarded wineries with a notable portfolio of exceptional limited-production single-vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines leveraging close personal relationships with many of California’s finest growers including Larry Hyde, Lee Hudson and the Martinelli and Pisoni families.

Over three decades Patz & Hall have established long-term relationships with the very best small, family-owned world class sites of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vineyards in California. They produce a broad diverse portfolio of notable cuvées and sought-after single-vineyard wines from world-class vineyards in the acclaimed Sonoma Coast appellation.

This label is sourced from a "who's who" of the appellation's most renowned vineyards, including Sanchietti Vineyard, Gap's Crown Vineyard, Zio Tony Ranch, Dutton Ranch, and Durrell Vineyard. 

Winemaker Notes - 

The 2018 offering is a collection of fourteen single-vineyard quality sites that could all be bottled on their own including; Dutton Ranch, Sanchietti Vineyard, Gap’s Crown Vineyard, Zio Tony Ranch and Durell Vineyard. The wine has inviting aromas of spicy pear, lemon drop and lime zest. As a cool-climate Chardonnay, there’s a nice tartness on the palate giving the wine great poise, balance and energy. A pretty floral note adds a layer of complexity and melds with the peach nectar and apple flavors on the long finish.

This is 100% Chardonnay sourced from partner grower vineyards on the Sonoma Coast. It was aged in 28% new Burgundian French oak barrels.

This label release was awarded 92 Points by Jeb Dunnuck and 92 Points by Wine Enthusiast.

Golden straw colored, medium-bodied, with rich vibrant lemon, green apple, melon, crushed stone, and white flower-like aromas and flavors finishing with hints of brioche and toasted oak on a long and focused crisp acidic finish.

RM 91 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3880625

https://www.patzhall.com/

 

https://twitter.com/PatzHall 

 

@PatzHall

Lilac & Kracher Transylvania Romania Icewine 2020 

I was intrigued by and also ordered from the winelist BTG (By-The-Glass) - this Lilac & Kracher Transylvania Icewine from Romania. We hold close to two dozen vintages and labels of Kracher dessert wines in our cellar but have never seen or heard about this label.

This 'Liliac & Kracher' Ice Wine is a joint venture between Rudolf Krizan, the winemaker at Liliac in Romania and Gerhard Kracher from the well-known legendary Austrian Kracher wine family.

Gerhard Kracher and the well-known francen Kracher wine family, who have been making sweet wines for generations. Kracher is considered the genius of the Trockenbeerenauslese category. 

In the late 1980s and up to his early death in 2007, Alois Kracher handcrafted some of the greatest noble sweet wines of the world. His annual collections of numbered TBAs (Trockenbeerenauslesen), produced in Illmitz at the lake Neusiedl, became legends and were often presented and compared alongside the finest sweet wines from Sauternes (namely Château d’Yquem), Tokaji (Szepsi) and Mosel-Saar-Ruwer (Egon Müller, Joh. Jos. Prüm). 

Alois’s son Gerhard Kracher continues the tradition maintaining the prolific high level of quality.

Interestingly, this Ice Wine is made from grapes that were grown in Transylvania, in Romania.

Kracher started the collaboration with the Liliac Winery in Transylvania, so as to enhance the climatic peculiarities of the Lechinta region which are optimal for the production of Eiswein. Zwischen den Seen (traditional with fermentation in steel or wooden barrels) and Nouvelle Vague (modern with the use of new barriques).  

According to Stephan Reinhardt of The Wine Advocate, the joint venture between Rudolf Krizan, the winemaker at Liliac in Romania, and Gerhard Kracher of Austrian fame came about because Kracher  asserts that climate change makes it "harder and harder to produce ice wine in the Burgenland." Teaming with Krizan in making a wine in Romania, "this region offers the perfect conditions to produce this kind of wine every single year."

Ice Wine (Eiswein) is made from grapes frozen on the vine. For best results the grapes need to be hard frozen at temperatures of -8°C or less, which makes waiting for a suitable cold snap very risky. 

The fruit is hand-picked and whole-bunch pressed while frozen, so that the ice (water) is removed, thus dramatically increasing the concentration of sugars and flavours in the grape. The pressed juice is then fermented and matured for 16 months in stainless steel tanks.

The final result is a Ice Wine that shows immense concentration of sweetness and complexity along with a good acid structure. 

Golden straw colored, medium full bodied, rich unctuous sweet notes of white stone fruit, lychee and hints of pineapple, and honey on the lingering finish.

RM 92 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4511959

The Olde Pink House also has two sister restaurants:

GARIBALDI SAVANNAH - SAVANNAH, GA

ANSON RESTAURANT - CHARLESTON, SC

https://www.theoldepinkhouserestaurant.com/

Château Mouton Rothschild highlights Mother’s Day

Château Mouton Rothschild  highlights Mother’s Day celebration and family gathering

Much of the family gathered for Mother’s Day at son Sean’s house down the street from us, for a cookout including our three son’s. Notably, Sean just recently had another baby daughter making this Mother’s Day extra special. In recognition of the day, and Sean’s new daughter, Lilac, I took a special birth-year vintage bottle of wine to celebrate the occasion – this ultra-premium First Growth Bordeaux.

The boys grilled out fantastic lean hamburgers with mushrooms, onions and peppers served with Muenster cheese on Brioche buns. 

Our daughter and her family were elsewhere celebrating Mother’s Day on this day, as was son Ryan’s wife and kids, hence our gathering featured our three youngest (of ten) grandkids, three young girls, who captured the day with their play and wonderment of the new-born baby. 

The wine.

Château Mouton Rothschild Pauillac Bordeaux 1985

Fitting for the day, not only was this commemorative vintage bottle celebrating Sean’s birth year, but it also adorned a special artists label I felt especially suitable for the special occasion. Mouton Rothschild are legendary for their artist label series wherein each year a notable famous artist is tapped to produce special artwork for their vintage release label. 

As I write on my winesite page devoted to and featuring the Mouton Rothchild wine label library - "No wine producer in the world captures the imagination or attention of wine collectors more than Mouton Rothschild with their annual artist series of labels.'

"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 Château Mouton Rothschild for their work. Every collector dreams of collecting a 'vertical' of Mouton to display the artwork of Mouton. 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.

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 (below), and 2003 which is devoted to Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild depicted in a period photograph celebrating the 150th anniversary of 1853 acquisition of the Mouton estate by the family. 

We drove around the legendary Château Mouton Rothschild estate and vineyards during our visit to the Pauillac appellation during our tour of the Bordeaux region wine visit in 2019.

https://mcnees.org/winesite/labels/label_library_pages/French_wine_label_pages/MR-Lbls/Label_Library_Mouton_Rothschild.htm

The official Château Mouton Rothschild Rothschild Official Label Art is featuring on pages on the producers website.

The 1985 vintage label features artwork by Belgium surrealist artist Paul Delvaux (1897-1994) showing two diminutive demure girls, apart, yet drawn together by a bunch of grapes, and eventually the wine?

This label is especially appropriate for Mother’s Day with and celebrating Sean’s mother, wife and now two daughters, as well as son Alec’s wife and his next-newest baby daughter. 

One reviewer describes the label - "Paul Delvaux represents here two model and chaste little girls of his drawing seem pensive and invaded by shyness. It is the bunch of grapes, the central element of the drawing, which links the two young women and connects them to each other." 

The 1985 vintage year was one of the driest years on record in Pauillac, with only a few summer storms and warm weather straight through harvest, producing one of the top vintages of the 1980s. 

Of course, I acquired this birth year vintage bottle decades ago, long before I would or could know about all the females that would come to surround Sean in his life, making the occasion, and the artwork on the label that much more special and appreciated on this day. 

This is one of a dozen vintages of the wine we hold or have consumed from our cellar, including the birthyear vintages of each of our kids. 

At thirty eight years, the bottle and wine were in amazing, ideal condition for their age; the fill level, foil and cork, and the label, all in ideal condition for their age. The cork was very tight forming a rigorous seal of the bottle, such that a traditional corkscrew was inevitably going to pull the cork apart up extraction. Hence, I ran back home to fetch my Ahso, two pronged cork puller, which readily extracted the cork intact, despite the fact it had been severely compromised by the complete penetration of the cork all the way through by the corkscrew. 

Winemaker Notes - The wine has an attractive, intense ruby color with a red-orange tint and a nose of considerable aromatic intensity on which lovely jammy fruit (blackberry, bilberry, blackcurrant) mingles with notes of vanilla, incense, cinnamon and roast coffee. Round and smooth on the attack, it asserts a fine texture over nicely rounded, well-integrated tannins, developing a stylish mid-palate on toasted, roasted notes of caramel, biscuit, spice and chocolate. The powerful finish, lush, long and full, reveals all the generosity, elegance and balance of this very fine vintage.

Critics Acclaim - This vintage release was awarded 99 points by James Suckling, 94 points by John Gilman, and 93 points by Decanter and Wine Advocate 

This Premier Cru Classé is made from 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot.

At thirty eight years, the wine was in remarkably good condition, well within its drinking window, albeit starting to show slightly with some bricking to the deep garnet purple color, and showing a slight bit of vegetable funkiness in the fruit, that for the most part gave way after a decanting and short period of time. Really good, we caught it in time, but clearly nearing the end of it's drinking window.

Purple garnet colored, medium-full bodied, elegant, polished, complex and finely integrated blackberry and black raspberry fruits highlighted by notes of spice, leather, tobacco, black tea with hints of mocha, graphite and smokey oak, with a lingering smooth moderate tannin laced finish.

RM 92 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1582

https://www.chateau-mouton-rothschild.com/ 

Great selection of fine dining in Destin - Bijoux

Great selection of fine dining in Destin includes Bijoux Restaurant in Sandestin Miramar Beach

We spent a week traveling, visiting the Emerald Coast of the Florida Panhandle getting to know the area and evaluating the real estate market and several properties. During our stay, we dined at four local legendary restaurants. In Destin (FL) we dined at Louisiana Lagniappe, Boshamps Seafood and Oyster House, and The Crab Trap, Destin. We also dined at Bijoux in the Sandestin Resort community. The wide range of fine and casual dining options in one of the key reasons we're considering the Destin area for a vacation or vacation home. 

We featured some other wine and dining experiences in recent posts from a trip to the area earlier this month - Kistler Les Noisetiers Sonoma Coast Chardonnay at Emerils Coastal.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2023/04/kistler-les-noisetiers-sonoma-coast.html

Bijoux Restaurant Destin/Miramar Beach

Bijoux is one of Destin’s top award-winning restaurants since 2002, offering “coastal cuisine with a New Orleans flair.” Bijoux is a full service fine dining restaurant located in The Market Shops at the entrance of Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Miramar Beach. Its open for dinner seven nights a week which is great since so many restaurants close one or two nights a week, most often on Mondays. They feature fresh Gulf seafood, prime steaks and an extensive award winning wine list.  

Bijoux has been selected Best of the Emerald Coast from 2009 through 2018 and the Best French Restaurant by Emerald Coast Magazine.

The restaurant is tucked away in the back behind another more prominent restaurant at the front, so its easy to miss if you're driving by. There is parking in the front or in the rear, beyond the resort security access entry gate. 

They offer a spectacular imaginative and well selected wine list with a wide range of favorites and several ultra-premium reserve selections, as well as numerous respectable modest budget selections. Its easy to offer great high priced wines. Its difficult to offer great wines at entry level or lower tier prices. Of course, most often I am focused on finding the best great values with high QPR (Quality Price Ratio) across price points. That is what readers of these pages most often ask about. Bijoux does a great job offering great wines and some good values at all price points. 

While most often I'm challenged to find a choice of more than a couple interesting and tempting offerings, Bijoux's wine list offered a dozen such labels. Their wines are priced at about or slightly above the customary 2x retail. Their wine list was awarded the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence award over the last decade.

Their "Wine Special Selections" Reserve list included these interesting, enticing special occasion wines:

• Jarvis “Finch Hollow” Chardonnay, Napa 2018 230
• Hudson Chardonnay, Carneros 18 120
• Pott Kaliholmanok, Spring Mountain District 2019 315
• Spottswoode Estate “Lyndenhurst” Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena 2018. 94 pts 135
• Tor “Beckstoffer To Kalon” Napa Valley 19 650
• Forman Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa 2017. 95 pts 185
• Saint Helena “Sympa” Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2016 200
• Staglin Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2018 475
• Caymus “Special Selection” Napa Valley 2017 300
• Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley 2018. 99 pts 350
• Barnett Vineyard “Rattlesnake” Spring Mountain District 18 335
• Figgins, Walla Walla Valley 2015 170
• The Mascot by Harlen Estate, Napa 2016 240
• Macauley "Stagecoach" Napa 2018 299
• Doubleback by Drew Bledsoe, Walla Walla Valley 2019 190
• Realm "The Bard" Napa 2019 275
• Realm "The Tempest" Napa 2019 250
• Barbour Napa Valley, 2017 260
• Pahlmeyer, Proprietary Red, Napa Valley 2017. 96 pts 260
• Opus One Red Wine, Napa 2018. 95 pts 500
• Darioush Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa . 96 pts 210
• Hundred Acre "Wrath" Napa 2016 900

For a starter we had the imaginative and superbly prepared and presented Blackened Brie with Toasted Walnut Bread Pickled Grapes and Local Honey. It was fabulous.

 We also had the Roasted Beet Salad, Baby Arugula, Walnut Bread Croutons, Ruby Red Grapefruit, Whipped Goat Cheese, and Citrus Vinaigrette.

For my entree I had the “Black Skillet” Filet Mignon with Buttermilk Gruyere Mashed Potatoes, Port Wine Onion Confit and Roasted Garlic Herb Butter.

Normally, I would not order grilled beefsteak when on the coast where fresh seafood is available, but the preparation of this entree coupled with an ideal wine pairing, and the fact we'd have seafood several times this week, I opted for this steak entree, which was fabulous.

Linda had the Grouper Almandine Toasted Almonds, Crispy Brussels Sprouts with Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette, Creamy Herb Risotto.

For our wine selection we had one of our favorite labels, a Right Bank Bordeaux Blend that would be an ideal pairing with my steak as well as Linda's seafood. 

Spring Valley Vineyard “Uriah” Walla Walla 2015

I featured the Spring Valley Wines in detail in this detailed blogpost Spring Valley 2013 Blends - Uriah vs Frederick, and this particular label in a recent blogpost back in February - Uriah Spring Valley Red Blend 2015.

From that February posting - With a dinner of take-out of one of my favorite dishes from local eatery Gia Mia, their Meatballs al Forno, Veal Meatballs with Creamy Polenta and Roasted Tomato Sauce, and some artisan cheeses including Raclette cheese which was featured in our spectacular dinner the other night at 3-Michelin Star Alinea restaurant, that we were eager to try. 

For this favored meal combination, for a nice relaxed evening dinner together, I pulled from the cellar one of my favorite drinking Right Bank Bordeaux varietal blends from one of our favorite producers, Spring Valley Vineyards. 

We visited Spring Valley during our appellation visit to the Walla Walla (Washington) wine region in the fall of 2018. We visited the Spring Valley Vineyard tasting room in downtown Walla Walla, then ventured out to the vineyards and winery northeast of town. There, we met Dean Derby patriarch, and husband to Shari Corkrum Derby, grand-daughter of Uriah Corkrum, namesake for this label. Meeting Mr. Derby was one of the highlights of our Walla Walla Wine Experience, especially since he has since passed on. We posted a Tribute to Dean Derby and memorium of that visit - Spring Valley Vineyard toward the end of 2021. 

All of the Spring Valley wines are named for one of the ancestral or current family members. Spring Valley Vineyard wines are all produced from 100% estate-grown fruit, a relative rarity in Washington.

Washington State and regional powerhouse Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estates purchased the winery and the brand from the Derby family recently, but they continue to own and operate the vineyards.

Spring Valley Vineyards Uriah Red Blend 2015

The Spring Valley Vineyards adjacent to the
farmstead site

This label, Uriah, is named for the Spring Valley Vineyards founder Uriah Corkrum, grandfather of matriarch Shari Corkrum Derby. Born in Walla Walla on June 1, 1866, he began successfully farming on his own during the 1880s. Unusual summer rain kept him from getting his harvested wheat to the warehouse so he lost everything in the depression of 1893. He persevered and, in 1897, acquired land in the area known as Spring Valley that is the site of the vineyards today. Uriah is featured on the flagship label Uriah Spring Valley Red Blend. This is our favorite label from the Spring Valley portfolio. 

This is 100% sourced from Spring Valley Vineyards in the wind-shaped Palouse Hills 12 miles northeast of Walla Walla, amid the picturesque wheat fields of southeastern Washington and the Blue Mountains in the distance. The initial block of Merlot was planted in 1993 on a southern hillside facing southwest. The vines follow the north-south slope of the hills in vertical rows, an orientation that when combined with the declination of the slope, allows the vines to take optimal advantage of air drainage, sunshine, and the reflective nature of the surrounding wheat fields.

The 2015 vintage was one of the warmest growing seasons on record in Washington. Warm temperatures continued through the spring and summer, moderating slightly into fall and extending an early harvest. Overall, 2015 saw very favorable growing conditions, producing optimal ripening across varieties and yielding outstanding wines throughout the region.

This label, Uriah, is a Right Bank Bordeaux Blend, meaning it is predominantly Merlot based rather than Cabernet, complemented by Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. This release has a high percentage of Cabernet Franc which provides spiciness and bright flavor sprites.

This 2015 release is a blend or Bordeaux varietals, 43% Cabernet Franc, 38% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec. It was aged 18 months in 100% French oak, 40% new.

Winemaker Tasting Notes: “Our most terroir driven blend, mostly Cabernet Franc and Merlot. A rich wine coming from one of the warmest harvests. The tannins are velvety and the finish is long and soft.”
~ Serge Laville, Winemaker.

This was rated 93 Points by Wine & Spirits, 92 Points by James Suckling, 91 Points by Wine Spectator, and 90 points by Sean Sullivan of Wine Advocate. 

We hold half dozen vintages of this label and pulled the oldest vintage as part of effective cellar management rotation. 

At eight years this is probably at its peak, the apex of its drinking profile, not likely to improve further with aging, but certainly to age gracefully for another decade if you're patient enough to keep it that long. 

Bright garnet colored, medium bodied, elegant polished, rich but approachable for pleasant but sophisticated drinking, its right-bank style blend shows vibrant black berry and dark plum fruits with notes of cassis, spice, floral and hints of balsamic and herbs with dusty minerality with polished soft tannins on the lingering finish.

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2648699

Linked referenced in this blog:

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/10/spring-valley-vineyards-tasting-and.html

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/11/spring-valley-vineyards-nina-syrah-2017.html

https://www.springvalleyvineyard.com/

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2023/02/magnificent-dinner-at-alinea-kitchen.html

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2023/04/kistler-les-noisetiers-sonoma-coast.html 

Great selection of dining in Destin - The Crab Trap

Great selection of dining in Destin - The Crab Trap on James Lee Park / Destiny Beach

In a recent blogpost Great selection of fine dining in Destin - Bijoux we featured Bijoux Restaurant in Sandestin Miramar Beach.

We spent a week traveling, visiting the Emerald Coast of the Florida Panhandle getting to know the area and evaluating the real estate market and several properties. During our stay, we dined at four local legendary restaurants. In Destin (FL) we dined at Louisiana Lagniappe, Boshamps Seafood and Oyster House, besides The Crab Trap, Destin. As featured in that earlier reference blogpost,  we also dined at Bijoux Restuarant in Destin/Miramar Beach in the Sandestin Resort community.  As mentioned, the wide range of fine and casual dining options in one of the key reasons we're considering the Destin area for a vacation or vacation home. 

We featured some other wine and dining experiences in recent posts from a trip to the area earlier this month - Kistler Les Noisetiers Sonoma Coast Chardonnay at Emerils Coastal.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2023/04/kistler-les-noisetiers-sonoma-coast.html

We visited the Destiny neighborhood (shown in background, opposite the Crab Trap restaurant) in Destin on Florida's Scenic Highway 98. We had lunch at The Crab Trap, Destin, the original historic Gulf/beach front seafood restaurant located at James Lee Park, first opened in 1991.

The Crab Trap has several dining options, inside, with open air windows, on the veranda, or out on the patio deck. The restaurant features local art and hand carved sea side sculptures and a playground for the kids, all on the central site of the community beach with incredible views of the beautiful beach on the Gulf of Mexico. 

The Crab Trap Destin is a favorite of both tourist and locals with unparalleled views of the sugar white beaches of the Emerald Coast, They offer a wide variety of menu options featuring Fresh Seafood with  daily specials ranging from Bronzed Grouper or Grilled Filet to Alaskan Crab Legs. Their 'secret' to fresh Gulf seafood is their very own wild fish processing facility, known as the Seafood Commissary, located at The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island, it is a hub for all locally-sourced seafood for the Crab Trap and their sister restaurants. With deliveries arriving daily straight from the harbor, each year the commissary prepares over 250,000 lbs of fresh-caught Gulf seafood such as shrimp, grouper, snapper, mahi-mahi, cobia, wahoo, and amberjack. 

https://www.crabtrapflorida.com/

Louisiana Lagniappe Destin for spectacular fresh seafood

Louisiana Lagniappe Destin for spectacular fresh seafood

We spent a week traveling, visiting the Emerald Coast of the Florida Panhandle getting to know the area and evaluating the real estate market and several properties. During our stay, we dined at four local legendary restaurants. In Destin (FL) we dined at Louisiana Lagniappe, Boshamps Seafood and Oyster House, and The Crab Trap, Destin. We also dined at Bijoux in the Sandestin Resort community in Miramar Beach (FL). The wide range of fine and casual dining options in one of the key reasons we're considering the Destin area for a vacation or vacation home. 

Louisiana Lagniappe is somewhat of an institution in Destin, FL, opened in 1984 and established inside the Sandpiper Cove condominium community on the waterfront of the Destin Harbor lagoon.  Since then, Louisiana Lagniappe has developed a loyal following due to the quality of the food and the attention to detail of the service, consistently serving only the freshest Gulf seafood and steaks prepared with a Creole flair.

 

 

 Lagniappe is consistently ranked in the Top 10 restaurants on TripAdvisor and wins the Award of Excellence every year. 

We arrived shortly before 5:00 pm and were seated immediately on the outside deck overlooking the waterfront. By the time we left, the huge dining room inside and all the others were full and there was a line outside waiting for tables. There was a long line of cars waiting to be parked by the valet parking associate. 

Their extensive menus offers ten appetizers, ten 'Chef's Selections', eleven 'Lagniappe Favorites', three fried seafood and four steak offerings - all served with their delicious homemade hush-puppies, house salad and twice-baked potato.

With twenty delectable mouthwatering seafood dishes Louisiana Lagniappe is a landmark for finest Seafood in the area.

We had two seafood dinners, the Twin Lobster Tails and the Grouper Meuniere - Fresh Gulf Grouper, pan sautéed and finished with meuniere sauce. Both were fabulous, perfectly prepared and presented.

With our dinner we had WBTG standard Napa Chardonnay from the fundamentally sound basic wine list. 

Can't wait to return! Get there early. 

They also have a sister restaurant just across the state line on the Alabama shore at Perdido Beach in Orange Beach, AL. 

http://www.thelouisianalagniappe.com/destin/

Pour Boys Coq-Au-Vin and wine dinner

Pour Boys Coq-Au-Vin and wine dinner features medley of premium Chardonnays

Passing through Northern Indiana, we stopped to dine with fellow Pour Boy, Dr Dan. His Linda prepared a new recipe for Coq-Au-Vin so he pulled from his cellar, and we brought from our's, several wines to accompany dinner. 

As is our custom, prior to dinner they served a selection of artisan cheeses, fresh fruits, assorted nuts, and fresh shrimp.  

Dan pulled from his cellar a duo of Gary Farrell premium single vineyard designated Chardonnay's from the Sonoma County Russian River Valley. Dan acquired these labels as part of his wine club allocation shipments. 

He joined the Farrell club during our visit to the Gary Farrell estate and winery in the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County during or Napa / Sonoma Wine Experience in 2017.

To complement, pair and compare the dinner and wines I brought from our cellar this premium label bold Napa Valley Chardonnay from Moone Tsai.

 We opened and tasted the Chardonnays in order by vintage year, oldest to the youngest, of the three sequential vintages.  

An interesting pairing comparison of three different Chardonnays, only by tasting them side by side like this can one truly appreciate and assess comparing their nuances, character and profile. 

There was unanimous agreement on rating and ranking the three wines. Everyone selected the Rochioli Vineyard as their favorite, followed by the Moone Tsai, and then the Farrell Sonoma County.

Gary Farrell Rochioli Vineyard Sonoma County Chardonnay 2015

Gary Farrell was a pioneer of winemaking in Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley appellation. He produced his first vintage in 1982, before the Russian River AVA even existed. He crafted that first Pinot Noir from fruit grown in the now-legendary Rochioli Vineyard. 

Over the years, Gary Farrell become somewhat of a legend producing a portfolio of varietal, single vineyard designated wines produced from only the best vineyards that showcase the unique terroir from the Russian River Valley and across Sonoma County.

Gary Farrell never owned a vineyard but produced consistently exceptional wines from that first vintage in 1982 by partnering based on handshake deals with the region's pioneer growers like the Rochioli, Dutton, Ramey, Allen and Hallberg families, whose Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vineyards represented the best of the time and place. Since then, the winery has produced critically acclaimed Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in collaboration with the most esteemed growers in the Russian River Valley and throughout California’s greatest wine regions.

The nearly 40 different vineyards extend beyond the Russian River Valley and include grapes from as far north as the Fort Ross-Seaview Vineyard along the Sonoma coast to the Sanford and Benedict Vineyard in Santa Barbara County.

Theresa Heredia is the winemaker for Garry Farrell. Theresa found her passion for wine through biochemistry, earning a bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She became a Ph.D. candidate in chemistry/enology at UC Davis before leaving the program to pursue winemaking. At Freestone Winery in Sebastopol, she gained acclaim for her small-lot, single-vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir before arriving at Gary Farrell Winery in 2012. Aside from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Theresa has also crafted Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel and a Rosé of Pinot Noir.

Farrell sold his winery in 2004, but his name and reputation for producing outstanding wines continues under the leadership of Theresa.

We visited the winery’s beautiful estate and hospitality center that lies just west of Healdsburg, (CA), perched on a hilltop overlooking the Russian River Valley during our Napa / Sonoma Wine Experience in 2017. The inviting indoor space offers stunning views of the valley with floor to ceiling windows, and there’s an expansive terrace so guests can enjoy the wines alfresco. The walls are adorned with a collection of colorful artwork.

Tonight, our favorite of the three Chardonnay labels tasted was the Gary Farrell Rochioli Vineyard Chardonnay. Rochioli Vineyard was originally purchased in 1938 by Joe Rochioli, Sr. The quest of growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the fertile, gravelly soils was continued by Joe Jr. after his father’s passing in 1966. This label is the result of the collaboration between Gary Farrell Winery and the Rochioli Vineyard that has been in effect for more than 30 years. It is a foundation of the Farrel portfolio of  Russian River Valley wines.

 

Most of the Chardonnay blocks are located at the far eastern edge of the estate, sitting along and above the meandering Russian River. The majority of this blend comes from the River Block clone 5, planted in 1989. The balance comes from the Mid-40s Block, a field selection planted in 1993, and Allen Block 1, clone 15, planted in 1995. 

 

Winemaker Notes: This beautiful offering from the famed Rochioli Vineyard emanates aromas of lemon oil, honeysuckle, and dried herbs, with underlying layers of flintiness and fresh cut cedar. The sandy, gravelly riverside soils, warm sunny days and morning fog yield an intensity and concentration that is unique to the Rochioli fruit. The palate offers richness that is classic Russian River Valley, yet possesses energy and vibrancy typical of our house style - ripe golden fruit, lime zest, nectarine and lemongrass, balanced by zesty spice, tangy acidity and just the right amount of phenolic structure. Altogether, these features meld together to form a wine that is enjoyable today, but also suggest increasing complexity and elegance with age.

This label was awarded 95 points by Wine Enthusiast, and  92 points by Wine & Spirits. It was #1 of the Wine Enthusiast Top 100 of 2017.

The favorite of the three, golden colored, full bodied, rich, round, concentrated, elegant and balanced, bright vibrant apple and hints of peach fruits with notes of floral, citrus and stone fruits, spice and tangy acidity on a tongue coating lingering finish. 

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2769348

Gary Farrell Vineyard  Olivet Lane Vineyard Sonoma County Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2016

This is another single vineyard designated Chardonnay sourced from the Olivet Lane Vineyard, located on the Olivet Road in Santa Rosa, seven miles from Gary Farrell Winery. 

The vineyard sits on 65 acres of sloping bench land in the heart of the Russian River Valley, in a sub-region called the Santa Rosa Plain, in between the warmer Westside Road region and the cooler Green Valley where warm summer days are moderated by cool breezes and chilly evening temperatures, this unique site is heavily influenced by fog that rolls in through the Petaluma Gap to the south. 

The rolling bench land location with the combination of well drained clay loam soils and east/west vine exposure with long, cool nights, create an excellent environment with optimum growing conditions great for ripening, producing world-class Chardonnay that develop cool-climate characteristics and impeccable acid at fairly low sugars. The wines from this vineyard simultaneously express power and finesse, and they do so with tremendous balance.  

This historic property is one of the oldest existing Pinot Noir vineyards in the Russian River Valley, a former apple, prune and olive orchard. At the recommendation of Dr. Armand Kasimatis at University of California at Davis, the Pellegrini family planted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, developing one of the first vineyards in the region devoted exclusively to these two varieties.

Planted in 1973 it covers 60 acres, twenty planted in Pinot Noir and forty in Chardonnay, that two-thirds of the vineyard is planted to Wente selection Chardonnay on AXR rootstock, a heritage selection that produces some of the best Chardonnays in all of California. The old vines create natural vine balance, excellent concentration and ample quantities of natural acidity. The vines are cane pruned, vertical shoot positioning (VSP) and faithfully tended by Robert Pellegrini for the past 40 years. The wines from this vineyard simultaneously express power and finesse, and they do so with tremendous balance.

Besides Gary Farrell, the Olivet Lane Vineyard provides fruit to several wineries sourcing from this vineyard including Merry Edwards Wines, Pellegrini Wine Company, WesMar Winery, Pali Wine Co., and the notable premium producer Williams Selyem.

Winemaker Notes - The Olivet Lane Vineyard is consistently a benchmark for Chardonnay in Russian River Valley, and the 2016 delivers without fail. Its’ always welcome nose of Meyer lemon, crisp apple and Satsuma mandarin fill the glass alongside the intoxicating aroma of freshly baked butter cookies. The palate is equally as generous, offering layers of lemon cream, coriander, brioche and flaky puff pastry, and the supple, lengthy finish leaves nothing to be desired.

The juice was left in tank to cold-settle then transferred to 35% new and 65% one to three-year old neutral French oak barrels and puncheons for fermentation and aging, where it remained for 9 months on its primary lees until it was bottled. The wine was racked off the primary lees only once, just before bottling.

This label was awarded 92 points by James Suckling and 91 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Jeb Dunnuck.

Straw colored, medium bodied, crisp notes of citrus pink grapefruit and clove spiced apples, stone fruits, white peach, crushed rocks with bright acidity on a long zesty finish. 

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2951999

https://www.garyfarrellwinery.com/

Moone Tsai Napa Valley Chardonnay 2017

Moone-Tsai is the fulfillment of the vision and dream of Larry Tsai and MaryAnn Tsai, Co-Founders and Proprietors. Larry and MaryAnn started Moone-Tsai wines in 2003, with the dream of making rare and remarkable wines bearing the finest fruit from Napa Valley's most heralded vineyards. Pursuing this vision, focused on Howell Mountain, Moone-Tsai launched its distinctive, limited production Cabernets, Chardonnays, and Bordeaux blends, including Moone-Tsai's signature landmark Howell Mountain Hillside Blend. 

As founders and owners, the are entrenched in every aspect of winery operations. They are devoted residents of their beloved Howell Mountain and take pride in sharing wines that bear the "best of the best" fruit from the celebrated AVA, as well as from other most prized vineyard blocks across Napa Valley.

Fresh out of Harvard Business School, MaryAnn set her sights on a career in the Napa Valley wine industry. She helped create some of Howell Mountain's most acclaimed wines, most notably the establishment of Beringer's legendary Bancroft Ranch Merlots. In subsequent years, MaryAnn was instrumental in other acclaimed wine releases and AVAs (including three wines that each received ratings of #1-rated Wine in the World), she never forgot the allure of Howell Mountain.

MaryAnn and Larry call the enchanting Las Posadas district of Howell Mountain their home and have their winery and tasting room operations down the hill in St. Helena.

MaryAnn Tsai grew up in a spirited Italian family in Boston, Massachusetts. She spent summers helping her grandmother tend a garden featuring rows of vegetables, herbs, and an especially precious vineyard from which the family celebrated the rite of winemaking.

During college, MaryAnn did a study-abroad program at the University of Angers, France, in the Loire Valley, known for well-crafted wines and inspired cuisine. There, MaryAnn developed her interest in wines, which inspired her move to Napa Valley, following graduation from Harvard Business School, to pursue a career in the wine industry.

She was hired by Mike Moone to join Beringer Wine Estates in 1989. Over the next twenty plus years, she was involved with producing notable wines and brands, three of which earned the distinction of being named as "Wine Spectator's #1-rated Wine in the World". With the creation of Moone-Tsai wines in 2006, MaryAnn and Larry set their sights on earning a fourth #1 rating, one under the Moone-Tsai banner. 

Larry Tsai, a first generation Chinese-American grew up in the North Shore neighborhoods of New York's Long Island. After earning degrees at Princeton and the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Larry pursued a career that enabled him to indulge his intertwining interests in wine, food, and the arts.

He gained experiences across Fortune 500 companies, and emerging gourmet/food/lifestyle enterprises and Napa Valley non-profits; Larry applies his management skills to create and deliver extraordinary wines and experiences promoting Moone-Tsai.

Since taking on Moone Tsai in 2010, Larry has expanded from its single-cabernet-infancy to the brand's current annual production of 3000 cases of seven acclaimed wines. He enjoys connecting with people who enjoy well-crafted wines, teaching and tasting from "Baton Rouge to Bali, Seoul to Sun Valley, Jackson Hole to Jakarta, and Manhattan to Mumbai" as their website states, he promotes Napa Valley and Moone-Tsai wines with people over good times and fine conversation.

The legendary Philippe Melka is Winemaker for Moone-Tsai. We're huge fans of Philippe's handicraft as these pages attest throughout. Bordeaux-bred and mentored by the world's most revered winemakers, Philippe is quick to credit the masterful influences of Delmas and Masclef from Haut-Brion; Moueix and Berrouet from Petrus; Paul Draper from Ridge; and Michel Rolland from Chateau Le Bon Pasteur. 

Phillippe helped put the likes of Dominus, Hundred Acre, Bryant Family Vineyards, and Dana Estates on the map for the most discerning Cabernet labels and brands; Robert Parker named Philippe as one of the world's top nine consulting winemakers.

Moone Tsai Napa Valley Chardonnay is sourced from Bald Mountain, a neighbor of Mount Veeder in the Mayacamas Mountains on the western border of the Napa Valley. The south-facing vineyard sits at nearly 1600 feet above sea level overlooking the convergence of both Sonoma and Napa Valleys, as well as of Marin's Mt. Tamalpais to the south. Cool sunshine is abundant throughout the growing season, allowing the grapes to ripen slowly while varietal character evolves completely.

Producers' notes - The 2017 growing season was marked by ample winter rains, a mild spring, hail in June, and intermittent waves of summer heat. A third and final temperature spike prompted picking in early September.The result is a delightfully delicious chardonnay displaying both richness and resolve. On the nose, the wine expresses notes of star jasmine and citrus, giving way to flavors that tempt the palate with a pleasing panoply of lemon candy, grapefruit zest, tropical fruit, and (wait for it…), a suggestion of bananas foster and crème brulée. Aged 17-months in 30% new French oak, the wine demonstrates a pleasingly light acidity to provide a refreshing counterpoint that balances the wine from start-to-finish. Teasingly inviting but refined in a way that memorable white burgundies can often be, the wine conjures up the dulcet tones of Fleetwood Mac’s sultry singer-songwriter, Christine McVie, who in her memorable hit, "You Make Loving Fun" compelled many of us who “never did believe in the ways of magic” to "…begin to wonder why."

This is 100% Chardonnay from Bald Mountain was aged in 30% new French oak (Burgundian) Marcel Cadet, Rousseau, Francois Frères Dargaud et Jaegle (light to medium toast). 570 cases were produced. 

The 2017 Moone-Tsai Napa Valley Chardonnay was rated 95 points by Jeb Dunnuck.

This was our second favorite of the three wines - an intersection middling of the two in all respects.

Golden straw colored, medium to full bodied, elegant and balanced stone fruits and spiced apple and pear fruits with notes of pain grille and sweet floral with s smooth polished lingering finish.
RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3236491

https://www.moonetsai.com/wines/napa-valley-chardonnay/2017

2017 Moone-Tsai Napa Valley Chardonnay