Piper Heidseick - Enchanted Path for anniversary celebration

Piper Heidseick - Enchanted Path for gala anniversary celebration

We traveled to Indy this weekend to attend the gala celebration of Sis-in-law and Bro-in-law Pat's and Rodger's 50th Wedding Anniversary they hosted for close friends. This follows our trip the week before last to celebrate with them personally in taking them to dinner at Sullivan's Steakhouse, Indy, which was featured in this blogpost - Sullivan's Steakhouse Domaine Serene for celebration dinner.

I took for the occasion a large format magnum of this special limited edition bottle of Piper Heidseick Brut NV Champaign which we opened in a special toast to the 'newly' wed couple. This festive red bottle was released a couple years ago over the Christmas holidays and I bought a case of the picturesque festive bottles for the holidays and for special occasions such as this. 

I also opened several of these large format bottles for son Alec and Viviana's wedding celebration dinner as featured in this blogpost at the time - Wedding Wines - Birthyear and Big Bottle Extravaganza Continues.

I also took this weekend for tasting/pairing/sharing with the pot luck dinner at the anniversary celebration this hearty red blend Aussie Shiraz withe whimsical branding and label. 

We've written often in these pages about the Mollydooker portfolio of wines and their whimsically branded, labeled, named wines. What fun to open "Enchanted Path" for a gala Anniversary celebration occasion. 

I also took and opened this label for For dearest friends, Eric and Cathy's 40th anniversary celebration party - a bottle of Mollydooker whimsically named 'Enchanted Path' Mclaren Vale Red Wine Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz - Caymus 40th Anniversary Release - An Enchanted Path.

Mollydooker "Enchanted Path" McLaren Vale South Australia, Red Wine Blend 2012

Mollydooker is the handiwork of the husband-and-wife winemaking team of Sarah and Sparky Marquis. Prior to starting their own label the pair produced under the Marquis Philips brand in partnership with their distributor Dan Philips. Previously, they produced award-winning wines for Australian producers including Fox Creek, Henry’s Drive, Shirvington, and others. The term Mollydooker is Australian slang for a left-handed person as both Sarah and Sparky Marquis are left-handed.

Since 2005, they've focused exclusively on making their own exuberant wines which include a range of Shiraz labels and a variety of Shiraz/Cab/Merlot blends, as well as some adventuresome white wines such as The Violinist, a Verdelho varietal.

They source their fruit from 116 acres of vineyards at their winery in McLaren Vale where about 50 percent are planted in Shiraz, with the rest made up of Cabernet, Merlot, Semillon and Chardonnay. Most of their wines bear distinctive whimsical and humorous names and labels with cartoon characters. Never-the-less, many of their wines, while modestly-priced, Mollydookers are often highly rated. Their premium label, 'Velvet Glove' Shiraz retails for $175, however. 

The 2012 Enchanted Path is dark inky purple colored, full bodied, rich thick concentrated and complex with varietal Cabernet notes of ripe black and blue berry and plum with clove, spice and layers of chocolate and anise, with supple creamy mouth-feel and chewy tannins on nicely polished balanced finish.

The 2012 Enchanted Path is a blend of 60% Shiraz and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon.

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1773713

www.mollydookerwines.com

Some other earlier posting notes of this label in these pages:

• Caymus 40th Anniversary Release - An Enchanted Path

•  Horizontal Tasting of South Australia Shiraz - Mollydooker "The Enchanted Path", GoDolphin, BCH and '9'

• 007 Shiraz-Cab Blends

• Mollydooker "The Enchanted Path" Shiraz Cabernet

Newton Napa Valley Unfiltered Chardonnay 2017

Newton Napa Valley Unfiltered Chardonnay 2017

Friday night stay at home movie date night, we opened this premium Napa Valley Chardonnay with a plate of artisan cheeses, ham and sweet gherkins. We served this producer's Newton Napa Valley Cabernet in a large format 6-liter Imperial bottle from our son Alec's birth year vintage at his wedding celebration welcome reception back in 2021. We wrote about that in this blogpost - Big Bottle Birthyear wines for Wedding Celebration at the time. (Our collection of large format bottles for our kids' birth years was the basis for our cellar being featured in the Collecting section of Wine Spectator Magazine back in June 2001).

Newton was founded in 1977 by English businessman Peter Newton and his Chinese wife Su Hua. Peter Newton was already renowned as a pioneer Napa Valley winemaker having founded Sterling Winery near Calistoga in the 1960s. We visited Sterling with its Disneyland like aerial skylift up to the mountaintop art museum and winery in the late seventies during our very first trip to Napa Valley. 

Peter Newton developed a single square mile of hillside on high up Spring Mountain in 1977. The site's terraced mountain estate has less than one-fifth of its total 490 acres planted to vines at elevations ranging from 500 to 1,600 feet above sea level. The non-farmed acreage remains in its native forested state providing natural habitat for indigenous wildlife.

The Newtons transformed one square mile of rolling hillside in Spring Mountain into one of the Napa Valley’s most prestigious estates, whose wines have graced the official dinners of several US presidents. The Newton estate encompasses 170 acres of prime Napa Valley terroir, distributed over four separate, wholly owned vineyards: Spring Mountain, Yountville, Mount Veeder and Carneros. 

Newton is known for producing wines that are uniquely characterful expressions of varietals emblematic of the Napa Valley, notably Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.

For this Chardonnay, they source grapes primarily from the Napa Carneros AVA,  along with Rutherford, and with small quantities coming from Mendocino Ridge AVAs.

Carneros is marked by well-drained soils and rolling hills that border the San Pablo Bay. Sea breezes from the nearby bay, combined with morning and afternoon fog, keep temperatures cool and consistent. As a result, the area supports a long growing season, which allows grapes to achieve even and optimal ripeness—leading to wines of exceptional length and freshness. Rutherford is located in the heart of Napa Valley, is characterized by warmer days and richer soils. Rutherford fruit adds volume and body to the blend. 

Winemaker notes - Nose of tropical fruit, vanilla and lemon merangue. Medium to full bodied, lots of honey, some beeswax, and citrus flavors. Some butter and toast as well. Still a bit oaky, but not to a level as to interfere with enjoyment of this wine. 

This is barrel-fermented and unfiltered making the wine very creamy on the palate. A classic fragrant with orange blossom aromas, dry, mouth-filling on the palate with white florals, ripe red apple, pear, tropical fruit and toasty oak spice flavours. - Community Wine Reviews

This was awarded 93 points byJames Suckling and 91 points by Natalie McClean.

A style signature of Newton: Elegant and precise, excellent balance between freshness, complexity, richness and structure.

Straw colored, medium to full bodied, bright expressive, complex, dense forward ripe stone, pear and apple fruits with a pronounced layer of distinctive butterscotch. 

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3445650

https://www.newtonvineyard.com/

Lunch at Hemingway's Bistro Oak Park after FLW Tour

Lunch at Hemingway's Bistro Oak Park after FLW Tour features delightful casual sipping WBTG pairing

College friends and Linda's sorority sister Sara and husband Chuck were in town to visit family and friends. We met up and arranged to host them on a tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park where I am a docent interpreter. Afterwards we met two other sisters and their partners for lunch at Hemingway's Bistro in Oak Park. 

Hemingway's Bistro is one of our favorite dinesites and one we love to combine my tour activities at the Frank Lloyd Wright home just blocks away with lunches or dinners for such occasions. We've featured some of those tour and dining outings in these pages' blogposts -

Hemingway's Bistro Wine Dinner Highlights FLW Architecture Tours

FLW Home & Studio Tour and Hemingway's Bistro Oak Park

Linda and I ordered the daily special fresh fish, Walleye served with crab cake crust, mashed potatoes and haricot verts. With our lunch, we ordered WBTG - wines by the glass, a Russian River Valley Chardonnay and Northern Rhône Crozes-Hermitage Sryah.

Before our entrees, I ordered for a starter course the Chicken Liver Pate'. As an accompaniment I had a glass of the Crozes-Hermitage. 

Paul Jaboulet Aîné "Les Jalets" Crozes-Hermitage 2017

Paul Jaboulet Aîné owns parcels of vines in several Rhône appellations both north and south, and produces an extensive range of both estate bottled and négociant wines. Paul Jaboulet Aîné is one of the most prolific producers in the Northern Rhône, notably in Hermitage and Crozes Hermitage. 

The earliest record of the Jaboulet family producing wine dates back to 1834, and the eventual house of Paul Jaboulet Aîné remained in Jaboulet family ownership until 2006. It was then sold to the Frey family, proprieters of Ch La Lagune in Bordeaux, and numerous other vineyards and labels.

Frey obtained the famous brand names such as Hermitage "La Chapelle" and Crozes Hermitage "Domaine de Thalabert", but not all of the vineyards historically used for producing those wines. Notably the vineyard used to produce Crozes Hermitage "Domaine de Thalabert" - a vineyard historically known as Les Grandes Vignes - was split, with part remaining under the control of Philippe & Vincent Jaboulet. Frey succeeded in restoring the reputation of Paul Jaboulet Aîné which had fallen away during the 1990s.

Domaine de Raymond Roure is a nine acre Crozes Hermitage vineyard high on the back of the Hermitage hill which Jaboulet acquired in 1996. The red now sells at a premium to Thalabert and is the wine for longer keeping.

Les Jalets is a modest priced casual sipper with good QPR - quality price ratio, from the Northern Rhône Crozes Hermitage AVA that produces distinctive earthy dark fruity Shiraz/Syrahs. 

Bright garnet colored, medium to full-bodied with lively expressive forward briery blackcurrant and red berry fruits accented by black pepper, licorice, spices and savory truffle notes with a tongue puckering tangy acidity on a moderate tannin laced finish. 

RM 89 points.

This was awarded 92 points by Decanter and commented by Jeb Dunnuck and Wine Advocate.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3495500

http://www.jaboulet.com/Website/site/fra_prehome.htm

With our entree course Linda and I both selected this lively Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley.

Lake Sonoma Winery Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2020 

Another modest priced good QPR selection served BTG from the winelist.
Lake Sonoma Winery produces a range of red and white wines from across the Sonoma County winegrowing region representing its diverse assemblages of terroirs and micro-climates.  This diversity is expressed through Sonoma’s sub-appellations, many of which are renowned for specific varietals that thrive in each. 

Lake Sonoma Winery work with the most celebrated of these sub-appellations to offer their portfolio of  wines designed that showcase the region’s unique characteristics and the varietal for which it has come to be known.

This moderate priced Chardonnay is sourced from Lake Sonoma estate vineyard in the Russian River Valley. 

Lake Sonoma Winery’s winemaker, Jaime “JJ” Dowell joined Lake Sonoma Winery in 2021 after spending time in New Zealand managing the production of a high-end Pinot Noir at Villa Maria Estate in Blenheim. 

The native Californian started out working as an Associate Winemaker alongside highly regarded Jean Hoefliger at Alpha Omega Winery in Napa Valley’s Rutherford AVA for five-years. She then took over winemaking duties at Round Pond Estate before moving to Lake Sonoma Winery on the other side of the Mayacamas Mountain range that separates Napa and Sonoma Valleys.

When she arrived this wine was still in barrel. The previous winemaker made the decisions on harvest and fermentation, and left it to her successor to blend the final bottled wine. JJ put her spin on things, and through the blending, the identity was crafted. 

Winemaker Notes: "This classic Chardonnay expresses the best of the Russian River Valley appellation through vibrant citrus and tropical fruit aromas with hints of vanilla.  Bright fruit flavors including kiwi, lime and nectarine round out the palate followed by a rich and lingering finish."

The wine was left on the lees for three months to enhance the mid-palate richness. Aged for 22 months in 20% new French oak, 50% neutral oak and 30% stainless steel tanks.

This was delightful and a perfect complement to the walleye fresh fish special. 

Straw colored, medium bodied, balanced and flavorful peach, and tangerine citrus fruit flavors with accents of lychee tropical fruit on a smooth elegant lingering finish. 

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4170830

https://lakesonomawinery.com/

http://hemmingways-bistro.com/

Previous lunch and dinner dining experiences at Hemingway's Bistro featured in these pages:

Roots Klee Pinot Noir Hemingway's Bistro in Oak Park

Hemingway's Oak Park BYOB BTG Dinner

Hemingway's Bistro Wine Dinner Highlights FLW Architecture Tours

Château La Couspaude St Emilion Grand Cru Classé with Hemingway's Oak Park French Fare

Festive Holiday Dinner at Hemingway's Bistro Oak Park

Anniversary Dinner at Hemingway's Bistro Oak Park

Lunch at Hemingway's Bistro Oak Park

Wine BTG with small plates at Hemingway's Oak Park

FLW Home & Studio Tour and Hemingway's Bistro Oak Park

La Spinetta (Rivetti) Cà di Pian Barbera d'Asti Superiore with Spaghetti

La Spinetta (Rivetti) Cà di Pian Barbera d'Asti Superiore with Spaghetti

Following the sensational tasting of the Pin La Spinetta (Rivetti) last week, as featured in this blogpost, Rivetti Pin La Spinetta Castagnole Monferrato with Spaghetti, I went to Binny's, our beverage superstore to see if by chance there was any more available to replace the bottle we drank. Sadly, they don't have any or even see it in distribution. I acquired the bottles in our cellar back in 2010 so its not surprising it may no longer be available. The only La Spinetta (Rivetti) label they had in inventory was this one, so I picked up a bottle to try. 

I wrote about the broad Rivetti La Spinetta history and portfolio in that blogpost.

La Spinetta was founded by Giuseppe Rivetti, nicknamed ‘Pin’, and his wife, Lidia in the 1960's. Their children Carlo, Bruno, Giorgio, and Giovanna took over the winery reins in the 1970's, implementing the teachings of their parents, acting on their great respect for the territory, the indigenous vines and the Piedmontese land.

In 1977 the children, with the support of their parents, began the first production of their Moscatos, Bricco Quaglia and Biancospino. These would be some of the first single-cru Moscato to be produced in Italy.

With the success of the Moscato business, they expanded to also focus on red grapes starting with this Barbera Ca di Pian, their first red label in 1985. 

It is 100% Barbera sourced from 74 acres of vineyards in the towns of Castagnole delle Lanze (Piani), Costigliole d’Asti and Montegrosso d’Asti. The age of the vines ranges from six to twenty to forty years.

Today, the portfolio has expanded to over a dozen red labels from Piedmont and also Tuscany that range from a number of wonderful varietals that should be reserved for special occasions, and several, like this one, that provide affordable every day drinking with good QPR - quality/price ratio - typically priced in the $20 to $30 range.  

La Spinetta (Rivetti) Barbera d'Asti Superiore Cà di Pian DOCG 2020

Like our La Spinetta Rivetti earlier tasting, Linda again prepared spaghetti with tangy hearty bolognese sauce to pair with this wine. 

From Asti, Piedmont, Italy - this intensely flavored wine shows us why Giorgio Rivetti is considered a modern master of the Piedmont.

Even at this pricepoint, this label is classified DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita), the highest quality classification designation for Italian wines. The rules for DOCG are stricter than DOC, yields must be lower and the wines must be aged in barrels longer. Also, DOCG requires the wines be submitted for technical analysis and tasted for approval by a government committee before they can be sold as DOCG wines. 

Interesting too, DOCG wines even have a numbered, government seal across the neck of the bottle to help prevent counterfeiting (shown below right).

Also, even at this more modest pricepoint, this is packaged in a heavier more substantial bottle as well. 

Winemaker notes - Cà di Pian is a Barbera with an unmistakable character representing the distinctive terror of the Piedmont. There are intense aromas of blackberry and morello cherries. This wine is truly captivating, yet it remains fresh and extremely versatile.

Maceration and alcoholic fermentation in temperature-controlled vats for an average period of 14-15 days. Malolactic fermentation was done in used (2nd and 3rd passage) French oak barrels, followed by 12 months of aging. Finally, bottle-aged for approximately 3 months.

Today, average annual production is nearly 70.000 bottles.

A nice pizza or pasta wine for simple every day sipping. Bright ruby colored, medium bodied, primarily earthy, dark and tannic as with many barbera wines, but the fruit does come through, expressive rich dark berry fruits with accents of creosote, cassis, cherry liqueur and toasty oak with a moderate long rich finish. 

RM 88 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4192221

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

@LaSpinettaItaly

Harvey & Harriet San Luis Obispo Red Blend

Harvey & Harriet San Luis Obispo Red Blend 2019

We had son Alec and Viviana over for Sunday evening dinner following our father/son (s) golf outing at beautiful Cantigny Golf Club in adjacent Winfield. Alec brought this interesting red from his cellar to pair with the ribs, haricot verts and roasted potatoes that Linda grilled on the deck. 

This label is from Eric Jenson, winemaker and farmer, who gained experience working with Central California Coast neighbors Stephan Asseo of L’Aventure, and friend Justin Smith of Saxum. He produces this Bordeaux-style blend sourced from select vineyard sites in San Luis Obispo.

The label's namesake, Harvey & Harriet, are Eric's Mom & Dad, and as the rear label states, "everyone's favorite neighbors. Or Not."

Harvey and Harriet is a Bordeaux Red Blend created by Eric Jensen of Booker Vineyard. As it is written, this is an homage to his parents, an "attempt to make a wine that his parents would love and could afford. It is a wine that’s made by hard work, the best vineyard sites, the best barrels, the best team and of course no additives or concentrates. A world class wine for everyone who appreciates high quality without the high price tag."

As Jenson writes, "Harvey & Harriet were my parents - loving, kind, thoughtful people. Kind to everybody - no enemies. They loved wine, but in today's world, they couldn't have afforded a high end wine. So I created Harvey & Harriet for them. A thoughtful, delicious, cult-style wine that can land on everyone's dinner table."

It is an interesting red blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Syrah, 10% Petite Sirah, 10% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot, and 10% Malbec from San Luis Obispo County in Central Coast of California. 

It was aged 18 months with 60% new oak equivalent.

It was awarded 94 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Jeb Dunnuck, and 93 Points and #4 WCC Top 5 Wines of 2021 by Kevin Vogt, Master Sommelier.

"A world class wine for everyone who appreciates high quality without the high price tag".

Jeb Dunnuck writes, "It’s a smoking value, and while it has plenty of up-front charm, it certainly has a decade or more of overall longevity, .... would run two to three times the cost if they were from Napa Valley." 

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate writes, "a style that will appeal to a wide range of red-wine drinkers, from lovers of Zinfandel to fans of Cabernet"

WCC writes, "Although it will drink beautifully for another 8 - 10 years, there is no reason to wait because it is delightful now." 

Deep ruby purple colored, medium full bodied, complex, concentrated forward fruits, a cacophony of black and blue berry flavors with notes of tobacco, tar, cocoa, expresso, spices and hints of cedar. This is nice complex drinking that seems to be a good value, but needs to age a bit further in bottle to integrate and settle. 

RM 90 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3981172

https://harveyandharriet.com/

https://harveyandharriet.com/collections/our-wine/products/2020-harvey-harriet-red-blend?gad=1

Diverse Reds for Duck Dogs and Ground Sirloin Burgers

Diverse Reds for Duck Inn Hot Dogs and Ground Sirloin Burgers

Returning from a overnight trip to Indiana, a day in Lafayette and a day in Indy, we stopped in St John to visit fellow Pour Boy Dr Dan and Linda for a impromptu dinner. Dan grilled 'Duck Dogs', produced by Duck Inn in Chicago as a tribute to the classic Chicago Hot Dog, all beef hot dogs with a small amount of duck fat, and grilled sirloin beef burgers. Both were delicious.

The Duck Inn Dog has received numerous local and national accolades, including being named Top Dog by Food Network and Best Hot Dogs in Chicago by Food & Wine magazine.

We dined at Duck Inn with the Pour Boys together back in 2021 as presented in this blogpost - Duck Inn Chicago Unique Dining Experience.

With dinner, Dan pulled from his cellar a medley of diverse reds. Putting a call out for requests, I asked if we could start with a California Pinot Noir, following our recent tastings of a flight of such wines. 

Dan served an ultra-premium Seasmoke Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir, followed by an ultra-premium Aussie Shiraz.

SeaSmoke 'Ten'  Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2015

This is from Sea Smoke's estate vineyard in the Santa Barbara's Santa Rita Hills AVA.

Dan is a member of their wine club and gets access to these highly allocated very popular wines.

Owner/producer Bob Davids acquired the property in 1999. They produce Pinot Noir grown exclusively on the south-facing hillsides of the estate vineyards. 

The Sta. Rita Hills AVA is the coolest, westernmost sub-region of the larger Santa Ynez Valley appellation within Santa Barbara County. It is known to have the perfect microclimate for growing world-class Pinot Noir, with crisp ocean breezes and well-drained, limestone-rich calcareous soils. The Santa Ynez River canyon funnels the cool maritime fog layer (sea "smoke") across the hillsides, slowing the ripening process and providing the extended maturation period essential to the development of top-quality Pinot Noir. The shallow clay soils are planted to French clones on vigor-reducing rootstocks, resulting in fewer grape clusters of intense flavor, ripening optimally while retaining brisk acidity and harmonious balance. 

Sea Smoke's "Ten" is named for the ten different Pinot Noir clones planted in their estate vineyard which all find their way into this bottling. 

Sea Smoke notes is "the most masculine wine of their multiple labels, brooding and intense, with firm, mature tannins and a long, velvety finish. Ten is not for the faint-of-heart and has been known, on occasion, to convert even the most fanatic Cabernet lover."

Winemaker Don Schroeder explains, “The wealth of clones at our vineyard is one of the keys to the complexity of our wines.” This bottling is made from all ten clones farmed directly from the organic- and Biodynamic-certified estate vineyard: Aged 16 months in French oak, it shows scents of chocolate syrup and baked plum pudding. A solemn Pinot, it remains extravagant with flavors of black cherry washed with rose petals and rhubarb. Tilled soil, beet root, and firm tannins prove its profundity."

 

Winemaker Notes - A brooding and intense wine. The dark fruit dominant aromas begin with notes of cola, Black Cherry and Blueberry, then some Asian spice, chocolate and a hint of Rose petals. Firm, mature tannins—evidence of Ten’s ageability—are followed by a long, velvety finish. 

The wine was aged for 16 months in 60% new French oak before bottling. 

This was rated  95 points by the Tasting Panel and 94 points by Wine Enthusiast and a Cellar Selection.

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, bright concentrated black cherry and black plum fruits with notes of clove spice, vanilla bean, pepper and earth.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2612871

https://www.seasmoke.com/

Next Dan pulled one of our favorite labels, a big hearty Aussie Shiraz.

Clarendon Hills "Piggott Range Vineyard" Syrah McLaren Vale South Australia 2011

I wrote about this label in an earlier blogpost. "This vintage release of this label was not as big or fruit filled as the other releases I have tasted, taking on a little bit more menthol and acidity than the more complex concentrated fruit flavors of the 2004 that we paired and compared. One Cellartracker reviewer MMack gave it 92 points and compared it to a CDP (Chateauneuf du Pape). Vivino reviewer DcLaxFan also likened it to a Rhone, he wrote "From a winery founded by a biochemist, the Syrah opens with a nose of smoked meat, mulberry, tapenade, and plum. Savory mouth of prunes, brisket, cassis, and earth. A wild, smoky, meaty feel like a Rhône Vacqueyras."'

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1953014

Dan then pulled from his cellar this surprise label. We both acquired this label as part of our wine club allocation from the producer. Linda and I actually took this label to Florida on our recent trip to enjoy but never got the chance to drink it and brought it back to have at a future occasion. Tonight, we got to try this new label bottling we've been eager to try! 

Force Majeure Walla Walla Estate Syrah 2020

This is from Force Majeure, an ultra-premium producer winery located in the Walla Walla Valley, specializing in estate-grown, single-vineyard Bordeaux and Rhône-inspired wines. Force Majeure wines are the handicraft of Todd Alexander, former winemaker for Bryant Family Vineyards and a couple of other notable Napa producers. He and his wife Carrie relocated their family to Walla Walla to take on the Force Majeure estate and brand. I featured Todd in these pages when he took on that role back in 2016 - Todd Alexander joins Force Majeure Winery.

We visited the Force Majeure Walla Walla Estate back in 2018 and wrote about that visit in this blogpost at the time - Force Majeure Vineyards Site Visit and Tasting, as part of our Walla Walla AVA Visit that provided the opportunity to visit this vibrant emerging wine region, meet some legendary winemakers on the Washington wine scene, and experience the best of Red Mountain and Walla Walla appellation wines. We walked the estate vineyards, source for this wine with the rocky soil, and thus were excited to eventually receive this release of this wine as part of our club allocation.

Force Majeure had recently acquired two new vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley. The site is within the boundaries of the The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA, just across the Oregon side of state line border. The portion of the vineyard outside The Rocks District is within the borders of the Walla Walla Valley AVA.

The Rocks District is named for the rocky deposits left by the Walla Walla River where the river exits the foothills of the Blue Mountains and enters the Walla Walla Valley. It resembles the gravelly soil of the Southern Rhone River Valley in Chateauneuf du Pape. The Rocks District of Milton Freewater is the country’s newest AVA. Wine Spectator calls this AVA “perhaps America’s most distinctive example of terroir."

The unique riverbed of cobblestones and pebbles is as much as two hundred feet deep, formed 12,000 years ago from massive floods that swept through the region caused by ruptures in the ice dam that held Montana's glacial Lake Missoula. The Rocks District is a 12-square mile alluvial fan of 3,770 acres. 

Force Majeure Walla Walla Estate Syrah 2020

The property is partially within the boundaries of the The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA, on the Oregon side of the border, and is located adjacent to the site of our new winery. The portion of the vineyard outside The Rocks District is within the borders of the Walla Walla Valley AVA. The Rocks District is an alluvial fan, and the cobbles that define the area are a result of deposits left by the Walla Walla River. 

This vineyard was planted between 1992 and 1994, and has a diverse soil profile covering the cobble stones, highest at the north end of the property and most shallow at the southern end. This gives us a lot of diversity within a small area, and the grapes will have different characteristics depending on the soil composition where they are grown. This vineyard is in an area proven to have very distinct terroir.

The unique topography and geological variants in these vineyards provide fruit characterized by stunning intensity, depth, concentration and complex flavors.

This wine was rated 20/20 points, Rand Sealey, Report on Washington Wines 

All Syrah that saw 30% stems and roughly 30% new barrels,

Inky dark purple garnet colored, medium to full bodied, bright vibrant complex black cherry with some blue fruit tones, with notes of earth, violet, pepper and herbs, with chalky minerality and tannins on the lingering finish. 

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4624205

https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/ 

@ForceMVineyards

Sullivan's Steakhouse Domaine Serene for celebration dinner

Sullivan's Steakhouse steaks and Domaine Serene for Anniversary Celebration Dinner

We went to Indianapolis and took Sister Pat and Bro-in-law Rodger to Sullivan's Steakhouse Indy to celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary. Sullivan's prepared a table with a nice welcome/congratulations card complete on a small bed of rose petals on the table. They then took our photo and presented each couple with a commemorative photo in a nice card. 

Perhaps we're accustomed to 'big city' Chicago wine and dine experiences, or its a Sullivan's condition, considering their numerous fifteen locations across the country, including our hometown Naperville, but several things seemed a bit amiss for our diner. The dining experience begins with the front door of the venue being broken with a hand printed sign directing one to use the other door which still closed with a bang. The dining room felt a bit dated with seemingly old carpeting, decor and lighting - despite the artsy mural adorning the wall, reminiscent perhaps of a Archibald Motley painting from the Whitney in NYC or the 'Nightlife' painting that we enjoy from AIC (Art Institute Chicago), and the wine wall looking into the wine cellar/room. 

We scoured the well appointed comprehensive wine-list (not available on-line to preview or pre-select) but struggled with the fact that no vintages were shown. It seemed an bit of an arduous imposition to ask the server to check on the vintages of several considered labels. For lack of a Sommelier or Wine Steward, the waitstaff were woefully unfamiliar with the wines on offer. This exercise reduced our selection to three bottles versus a half dozen or more I would have preferred to consider. 

Never-the-less, in the end, we ordered from the winelist one of our favorite labels, an ultra-premium Pinot Noir from Oregon Willamette Valley. We first discovered this label dining at Smith & Wollensky, Chicago during a getaway weekend years ago. While being a non-significant expense at nearly $200, it was a better value at 2X retail price, as opposed to the near 3X price point of many of the wines. It is one of the few Pinots that we keep in our cellar collection.

Three of us ordered the price fixe special promotion "Sure Thing" menu of a soup or salad starter, and entree and a dessert. 

It's promotion -  "Sample the best of the best from the Sure Thing $49 Prix-Fixe menu. Choose from a 6 oz. Filet Mignon, Sliced New York Strip, or Broiled Salmon, plus the salad or side that catches your eye. Finish the night by sinking your spoon into a New York-Style Cheesecake, Key Lime Pie, or Bananas Foster Bread Pudding."

We had the Wedge Salad and the Shrimp & Lobster Bisque with Shrimp, Lobster, Sherry and Cream.

The dinner included a plate of fresh warm baked bread with whipped butter.

Additionally we ordered two sides to share, the creamed corn and creamed spinach, along with a starter of the Charbroiled Oysters with Cajun Butter, Parmesan and Lemon (four).

The starters - salad, bisque and our steaks, and Rodger's lamb chops and accompaniments were all appropriately prepared and presented with attentive and hospitable servers. 

Domine Serene Evenstad Reserve Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2015 

The Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir is Domaine Serene's flagship wine, hand selected from their best barrels each year to create a reserve wine that is consistent in both its superior quality and flavor profile. 

 

We've written often in these pages about this label, most recently in this blogpost - Domaine Serene "Evenstad Reserve" Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and grilled beefsteak -  https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2023/06/domaine-serene-evenstad-reserve.html. 

Producer Tasting Notes: "Never shy in the glass, the 2015 Evenstad Reserve radiates a blissful bouquet of boysenberry, marionberry, dark chocolate, and sage. In the mouth, its graceful texture enters with power and seduces every part of your palate - exposing wave upon wave of alluring flavors of dark fruits, mushroom, and cola. Its silky-smooth, velvet-like tannins, give way to a long, weighted finish that endures with unrivaled finesse and persistence. This is truly a compelling wine that illustrates two and a half decades of winemaking mastery in one of the finest places in the world to grow and produce Pinot Noir."

This release was rated 95 points International Wine Report and a seeming consensus 94 points by Wine Enthusiast (Editors Choice), and James Suckling, Wine Spectator and Vinous.

Domaine Serene "Evenstad Reserve" Willamette Valley Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2015 

At eight years, this is likely at the apex of its drinking window. From the restaurant winelist, the label was soiled and torn as shown.

Bright garnet colored with purple hues, expansive complex and concentrated yet nicely balanced, elegant and approachable with aromatic flavors of dark berries with notes of black raspberry, cherry liqueur, cola, cinnamon spice, vanilla, earth and espresso with velvety tannins on the long polished smooth finish.

RM 94 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2714672

https://www.domaineserene.com/

https://www.sullivanssteakhouse.com/

https://twitter.com/SereneWine

Rivetti Pin La Spinetta Castagnole Monferrato with Spaghetti

Dining in, Rivetti Pin La Spinetta Castagnole Monferrato with Spaghetti

Linda prepared spaghetti with a delicious bolognese sauce with ground Waygu beef, home grown fresh tomatos, peppers and onions. I pulled from the cellar this big Italian red for an ideal accompaniment pairing. 

As I've written often in these pages, the optimal wine and food pairing will enhance the experience significantly greatly ameliorating the enjoyment of both. Tonight was such the case!

I wrote about this wine in detail in our tasting blogpost back in 2016, excerpts below:

Rivetti Pin La Spinetta Castagnole Monferrato 2005

We don't have much Italian wine in our cellar, it historically has comprised less than 1% of our collection. However, our many dining experiences at Italian Village in Chicago over the last few years has introduced me to Italian wines and I've expanded our collection. 

 

For our dinner tonight, I pulled this classic decade year old Italian red blend of which I hold a half dozen bottles. La Spinetta produce a line of premium Piedmont and Tuscan wines from traditional varietals in a new world style and flair.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pin Castagnole, Neive, Barbaresco Monferrato Rosso DOC 2005

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

When we tasted this back in 2016, I wrote, "As good as this was with the pasta and peas with vodka cream sauce, it was even better the following evening with char-grilled Pittsburgh style strip steak, asparagus and baked potato." 

 

At eighteen years, the fill level, label, cork and foil were in ideal condition. At this age, this may be at its peak, the apex of its drinking window, but it certainly has another decade of life yet, but I can't imagine it will improve further from aging. 

Fortunately we bought a half dozen bottles when we acquired this back in 2010. That initial review, I rated it much lower and said "Dark purple color - Dense full bodied - ripe black fruits, with a slight edge and layer of cassis and subtle tar with a firm tannin finish. Might soften and settle with time." It certainly did benefit from another six years of aging in the bottle.  

 

Tonight's tasting was totally consistent with that last review in 2016. I'll look forward to trying the last bottle, perhaps five years from now, or beyond. I wish I had more!

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

RM 92 points.

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

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

@LaSpinettaItaly

From Cellartracker:

11/12/2016 - I like this wine: 92 Points

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

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2016/11/rivetti-pin-la-spinetta-castagnole.html

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

Calera Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir

Calera Mount Harlan Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir with Cheese, Berries and Chocolates

Following our selection of Pinot Noirs tasted over the last week and a half, we continued the hit parade with another Pinot from another favorite producer and label from our cellar collection.

As featured in these pages, we had the Belle Glos Clark & Telephone Pinot Noir at the Beach Walk Café, Henderson Park Inn, in Destin FL, then the Belle Glos Las Alturas Pinot Noir at Firefly Grill Effingham, IL, then the Belle Glos RRV Dairyman Vineyard Pinot Noir upon our return home. 

So, tonight I was eager to try another Pinot from our cellar collection to continue the comparison tastings of select Pinot Noirs. As I wrote in the earlier posts, in the midst of summer, its was a nice departure from the big bold hearty Syrah's/Shiraz's we enjoy, and the robust Bordeaux varietals to the finer, more refined, less bold and burdensome Pinot Noirs. Each of these tastings were delightful and frankly, exceeded our expectations for a ideal accompaniment to our various entrees. 

 For casual sipping and pairing with food, we started with a cheese plate with assorted crackers, fresh berries, honey and chocolate. 

Linda then prepared an imaginative cheese bread baked with fresh berry compote and fresh blueberries. The combination with the paired Pinot Noir was spectacular for an extraordinary, fabulous food and wine tasting experience.

I write often in the pages about the importance of pairing the food and wine, and how it can often multiply the enjoyment of both when done properly. 

Calera Mt. Harlan Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir 2013

With a single designated Vineyard bearing the name of our eldest son, we typically reserve this wine for a family gathering or tasting when he is with us. But, tonight's tasting was special considering the odyssey we've been on the last two weeks, with the multitude of wine and food pairings. And this is a special signature wine we collect in light it being our son's namesake vineyard.

I love telling the story about the discovery of this producer and wine. 

As featured in earlier posts in these pages:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Calera vineyards are enumerated and featured on the rear bottle label of the bottles as shown here. They are perhaps the most comprehensive and informative labels one will find anywhere on a bottle of wine. They spell out the information on the vineyard, geography, altitude, plantings, vines, the vintage and the bottling. The rear label itself makes for interesting reading, and insightful comparisons across the vineyards or vintages if one happens to have such bottles.

The Calera branding features the historic massive 30 foot tall limestone kiln that sits on the property from earlier days quarrying and processing limestone. Noting limestone in the soils of the legendary French Burgundy region, Jenson scoured the US seeking similar terroir to site his vineyards to produce Pinot Noir. He found such terroir and thoughtfully chose the property in the Central Coast region of California. The name Calera translates to 'limekiln' in in Spanish.

 So it was that we pick up releases of Calera Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir whenever we can, and selected one for our intimate tasting this evening. 

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

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

RM 92 points

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

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

http://www.calerawine.com/

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

Calera’s Mt. Harlan Vineyards are located in the Gavilan Mountains 25 miles east of the Monterey Bay. The site was chosen for its limestone soils and ideal climate. At an average elevation of 2,200 feet it is among the highest and coolest vineyard sites in California. 

 

Winemaker Notes -Wafting aromas of bright strawberry and blueberry interweave with a deep, intense, earthy, enchanting palate of black cherry, sassafras and limestone minerality. This wine is big and taut and begs for bold cuisine. The generous tannins are firm yet smooth and continue into a provocative and long finish.

 

Production Notes - In 2013 we saw decreasing yields due to the second year of a drought with only 6.5 inches of rain for the entire season. Warm spring temperatures brought on an early bud break, but fortunately remained warm with no threats of frost. The summer months were fairly mild with abundant sunshine allowing us to pick the grapes with high acid and mature flavors. We picked the Ryan vineyard in three separate passes from September 4th to September 21st. Each lot was pressed 14 days after harvest, racked by gravity to French oak barrels, then aged without racking in those barrels, 30% new, for nineteen months. The lots were then combined and the resultant wine was bottled without filtration, as always.