With the main course we opened an imaginative flight of assorted premium red wines. As usual, care was taken to serve the wines in the proper order - light to heavy, with the complex red blend for the main course, and the heavier big bold red last as we pivoted to the dessert course and dessert wine.
Red wine flight -
Scarànto 2020 Italian Sangiovese Blend
Costello Banfi Poggio Al’Oro Brunello Di Montalcino Reserva 2015
Cloud View Napa Valley Pritchard Hill Red Blend 2001
Don Melchor Puente Alto Vineyard Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
Scarànto 2020 Sangiovese based blend from Italy
Scarànto is a medium- to full-bodied red wine with expressive Morello cherry, blackberry, dried red fruit, and herb aromas. Look for the same flavors on the concentrated, velvety-smooth palate. Hints of spice introduce the long, satisfying finish.
This Tuscan red is from special vineyards in the Conca d’Oro (golden conch)—a hallowed, shell-shaped slope in the heart of Chianti's famed Panzano district. Those vineyards are next door to Fontodi, whose flagship red costs over $100 a bottle. This release received a perfect 100-point score from Italian critic Cosimo Dell'Anna.
Scarànto is the first solo project from the talented Matteo Bernabei who heretofore worked alongside his legendary father, Franco — dubbed “Mr. Sangiovese” by the Italian press—as a consultant to some of Italy’s top estates (like the aforementioned Fontodi). See the duo below.
For this hugely acclaimed, barrel-aged Super Tuscan-blend of Sangiovese (70%) and Merlot (30%), he used the traditional governo method. After hand harvesting the fruit in September, he held back a small amount of Sangiovese grapes, air-drying them until December. Called leggermente appassito, these raisined grapes are added to the wine for a flavor-boosting secondary fermentation that brings extra richness and concentration.
Over to critic Cosimo Dell'Anna on what you can expect in the glass:
“Superb...cherry, blackberry, dried rose, tobacco and tar, with a balsamic finish. Soft and enveloping on the palate, it's rich and warm...with hints of jam and cocoa. 100 points.”
View awardsFrom hallowed Chianti Classico vineyards (next to Fontodi, whose flagship red costs over $100 a bottle), this “superb” Sangiovese-Merlot from stellar 2020 was made using an ancient, flavor-boosting met
Costella Banfi Poggio All’Oro Brunello Di Montalcino Reserva 2015
A Banfi family jewel, the Reserva Brunello, Poggio all'Oro is produced exclusively in the great vintages. A particularly elegant Brunello with a complex personality, which is expressed to the nose through a series of scents that are expressed slowly, from licorice, coffee, plum jam, and tobacco to end even with a slight hint of violet. The refined structure is in perfect balance with the acid part, which excellently supports the long persistence, perfectly suited to long ageing. It perfectly pairs with rich and complex dishes, also excellent as a meditation wine.
Winemaker Notes
The Poggio All'Oro Brunello di Montalcino Riserva has a deep ruby red color and a complex aroma of ripe black cherry, plum, tobacco, leather, and spices. On the palate, this wine is full-bodied, with a firm structure, balanced tannins, and a long, lingering finish.
Wine Enthusiast
98+ points Luca Gardini: "Thirty months in small barrels followed by fermentation with maceration lasting 12-14 days. A wine of unique character on the nose recalling cherry, bay leaf and caper berries with hints of caramel. The mouthfeel is taut, iodized and balsamic. On the finish, a salty return with excellent persistence. (Nov 2020)"
96 points Monica Larner (Wine Advocate): "[$200 list] The Castello Banfi 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Poggio all'Oro is the top-shelf wine and shows careful integration and well-managed intensity. It opens to tart berry fruit, cassis and sour cherry. As it reveals itself in the glass, it begins to slowly deliver more spice, smoke and tar. All these various elements come together with balance and harmony, although these 2015 Riservas remain plumper and richer compared to their counterparts from 2016. Wait a few more years before opening this bottle; it needs more time. Some 27,000 bottles were made, and this wine will be released in September 2021. (Nov 2020)"
96 points/'Cellar Selection,' Kerin O'Keefe (Wine Enthusiast): "[$200 list] Forest-floor, new leather and pipe-tobacco aromas mingle with notes of violet and coffee bean. Elegantly structured, the taut, savory palate doles out ripe black cherry, blackberry jam, licorice and a hint of espresso while polished, fine-grained tannins and tangy acidity provide age-worthy support. It's still youthfully austere so give it a few more years to come around. Drink 2024–2036. Alcohol 14%. (May 2021)"
95 points Jeb Dunnuck: "The 2015 Poggio all’Oro Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is only produced in exceptional vintages and was aged for 30 months in 70% large French oak casks and 30% in French oak barriques. It reveals smoky aromatics of cedar, dried black cherry, and dark mineral earth and a persistent core of ripe black fruit that is cloaked with ripe, velvety tannins and notes of black tea and clove. A luxurious and contemplative wine from the historic Banfi estate, it will benefit from additional time in the cellar and keep over the next 20 years. Drink: 2025-2045. (3/4/21)"
95 points James Suckling: "Mixed-cherry, floral and crushed-stone aromas. Full-bodied with firm tannins and a fresh finish. Linear and tight with a line of fine tannins that holds this all together. Iodine and mushroom notes come through. Try after 2023. (11/5/20)"
96 points, Kerin O’Keefe, Wine Enthusiast: “Forest-floor, new leather and pipe-tobacco aromas mingle with notes of violet and coffee bean. Elegantly structured, the taut, savory palate doles out ripe black cherry, blackberry jam, licorice and a hint of espresso while polished, fine-grained tannins and tangy acidity provide age-worthy support. It's still youthfully austere so give it a few more years to come around. Drink 2024–2036.” 05/21
Wine Advocate
96 points, Monica Larner, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate: “The Castello Banfi 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Poggio all'Oro is the top-shelf wine and shows careful integration and well-managed intensity. It opens to tart berry fruit, cassis and sour cherry. As it reveals itself in the glass, it begins to slowly deliver more spice, smoke and tar. All these various elements come together with balance and harmony, although these 2015 Riservas remain plumper and richer compared to their counterparts from 2016. Wait a few more years before opening this bottle; it needs more time. Some 27,000 bottles were made, and this wine will be released in September 2021.” 11/20
James Suckling
95 points, James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com: “Mixed-cherry, floral and crushed-stone aromas. Full-bodied with firm tannins and a fresh finish. Linear and tight with a line of fine tannins that holds this all together. Iodine and mushroom notes come through. Try after 2023.” 11/20
Excerpts from that and earlier posts ...
The Cloud View Vineyards estate was located on Pritchard Hill in the Vaca Mountain range that forms the eastern wall of Napa Valley, just south of Lake Hennessy and to the east of the Oakville AVA. The vineyards are grown between 1,000 and 1,500 feet above the Napa Valley floor. They were originally planted by owners Linda and Leighton Taylor who moved to Pritchard Hill in 1990 and began planting 23 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot on the 90 acre property five years later in 1995.
The property eventually included 26 acres planted to Bordeaux varietals Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Merlot, planted by the original owners Linda and Leighton Taylor.
After selling the property, the Taylors had intended to continue the brand, but use purchased Pritchard Hill grapes but we've never seen any indication of a release from them.
Pritchard Hill is the site of some of Napa's most prestigious labels including Brand, Bryant Family, Colgin, Del Dotto's ultra-premium Villa Del Lago, Ovid and one of our favorites, Chappellet and David Arthur. We visited
David Arthur on Pritchard Hill during our Napa Wine Experience in 2013, and previously, we visited Chappellet on other side of Pritchard Hill during our
Pritchard Hill, Napa Valley Experience - Autumn '09 with our visit to long time resident/producer Chappellet Vineyards.
While Pritchard Hill is not an official appellation (AVA - American Viticultural Area), it certainly could be, but lacks a sponsor to apply and lobby for designation. Donn Chappellet, owner/producer, the earliest settler in the modern era owns the 1971 Pritchard Hill trademark and firmly declares, “It will not become its own AVA.”This 1999 Cloud View release was the inaugural release of wine and this label from this estate. Production was limited with 400 cases produced in 1999, 560 cases were made in 2000, growing to 2,000 cases were made in 2004.
We have six vintages of this label, from the 1999 through the 2005 vintage. A fellow Cellertracker'er contacted me year before last, seeking one of our vintages to fill out his vertical collection. We traded bottles to each fill out our verticals in a perfect trade scenario. Of our six vintages we hold of this label, we selected the oldest one, tonight, as part of cellar inventory management. Earlier we drank the ‘99 and 2000 releases so tonight, this ‘01 was our oldest vintage. We recently drank an ultra-premium Napa Bordeaux from this same 2001 vintage, so I was eager to compare the two.
This vintage release is a blend of 57% Merlot and 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, all sourced from the winery's estate vineyards. Interesting that they publish the lower percentage Merlot first and the majority Cabernet second (on the rear label - as shown here). Note this very limited production release was acquired at auction at Winebid.com.
The winemaker for these wines was Karen Bower Turjanis who previously worked under Paul Hobbs at Lokoya and Cardinale Estate. We tasted a Cardinale Estate just the other evening, as featured in a blogpost in these pages -
Boys night features flight of ultra-premium Napa Cabernets. Fernando Espinoza was the cellarmaster and owner Linda Taylor was the vineyard manager.
The entire 85-acre Cloud View property was acquired by Continuum, the wine label owned by brother and sister Tim and Marcia Mondavi with Margrit Biever Mondavi, widow of the legendary Robert Mondavi. The Continuum brand was founded in 2005, and is Tim Mondavi's first venture since leaving the Robert Mondavi Winery in 2003. Both the 2006 and 2005 vintages were made from grapes from a leased Oakville property, and the Pritchard Hill purchase helps realize the family's goal of being a single-vineyard estate winery. The switch from an Oakville bottling to a Pritchard Hill bottling began with the 2008 vintage.
The late Robert Mondavi, who was also a partner in the Continuum brand, visited the site with his family before he passed away in May of 2008. "It's so meaningful that he saw it, to see where we are headed in the future," said Carissa.
Winemaker Notes for the Cloud View Vineyard's 1999 Proprietary Red Table Wine .... "is rich with intensely dark ripe fruit, round mid-palate and a long lingering finish of velvety tannins. The myriad of aromas includes anise and fennel, black olive and wild ginger, and is supported by a solid base of dark fruit and the toasty vanilla of fine French oak. On the palate, the ripe fruit opens up to hues of raspberry, blackberry, and dark black cherry with subtleties of lavender. The tannic backbone, which draws itself directly from this mountain site, weaves seamlessly with the warmth of creamy oak. We have crafted this wine for enjoyment now and well into the future. Aroma & Color Earthy–red dust, dark ripe fruit, wild sage, anise, fennel, black olive, ginger, vanilla oak. Profoundly garnet with the deep colors unique to mountain fruit. Flavor - Dark ripe fruit, raspberry, blackberry, lavender, velvety tannins, and subtle, creamy oak. Overall comments - Lush, delicious, round mid-palate, long finish, mouth filling.
I featured other vintages of this label in these pages in these blogposts and Cellertracker posted tasting notes.
In February 2018 -
I wrote I like this wine: and gave it 92 Points.
This was dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, with firm concentrated structured core of brambley earthy black currant and black berry fruits with a layer of sweet caramel accented by tones of cassis, sweet spicy tangy oak and silky tannins on the lingering finish.
I featured it in a blogpost in these pages -
Cloud View Napa Valley Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2004.
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/02/cloud-view-napa-valley-pritchard-hill.htmlIn June last summer, 2023 I featured this label in these pages in this blogpost -
Cloud View Napa Valley Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2005The Brand estate had been owned by the Miner Family Winery till it was purchased by businessman Ed Fitts. Portuguese Gandona owners bought the land from Bob Long (Zelma’s husband) when Long Vineyards ceased operations.
The Cloud View Vineyards estate ceased operation with the 2006 vintage when it was sold to Tim Mondavi when he struck out on his own after the family broke away from Robert Mondavi Winery. When he acquired the Pritchard Hill estate and founded Continuum Estate, the 62 acre vineyard was the second largest estate in the region. Note that the Cloud View brand was not sold so we might see it re-emerge in some fashion at some point in the future although the website is gone and the domain name is for sale.
In November 2021, fellow Cellartracker'er
Thirsty1 wrote about this wine in a vertical tasting. 
"The 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 Cloud View Vineyards wines were enjoyed side by side at Bourbon Steak with Rib Cap, grilled Vidalia onions and crispy brussel sprouts. The wines were left upright for a day, then opened with an ah-so at home an hour before dinner to keep the corks together, then quickly reinserted to minimize oxygenation. The clear winner was the 2002 - in full flight. Still exhibiting youthful fruit and towering structure, this beauty had weight, leather, dark hanging fruit and stunning aroma. Lingering, lasting finish. It still has much life ahead of it. The 2001 was a bit of a surprise. It was massive and brutish, but reserved. As if it were a towering building draped in a cape. The 2000 was a shocker. From a horrible vintage, it excelled. Not near the greatness of the other vintages there was no expectation it would be good, and it was - just to a lesser note. The 2003, 04 and 05 were fairly interchangeable; mature fruit, acid and tannins in balance. All delicious in their own right. The 1999 was the oldest and looked the part. It was brick around the rim and had that dried blackberry note, plowed earth and cocoa powder texture. It was the only one, aside from the 2000, that I would say was on the decline. Incredible wines on an incredible night."
I've been waiting for an opportunity to enjoy this rare label and the other five vintage releases that I hold in the cellar. This tasting was consistent with earlier tastings of other vintages.
2001 Cloud View Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot
91 points Wine Enthusiast
Smoky and tarry at first, later opening into black cherry and tobacco notes. Long, intense and tannic on the finish; needs time. (6/2005) Int'l Wine Cellar
Subtle aromas of dark berries, sassafras and bitter chocolate; became oakier with aeration. Lively, intense, supple flavors of dark berries, chocolate and spices, nicely framed by well-integrated acids. Finishes with firm, building tannins. (ST) (6/2004)
K&L Notes
Continuum purchased this prime vineyard site on Pritchard Hill in the Vaca Mountains in the mid-2000s. Cloud View produced a Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blend that Robert Parker once noted "...adroitly marries the elegance of Bordeaux with Napa Valley's rich, ripe fruit."
We then moved to the final Cabernet Bordeaux varietal of the evening.
Don Melchor Puente Alto Vineyard Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
This is from Don Melchor Estate Vineyard located at the foot of the Andes Mountains on the northern bank of the Maipo River, 650 m above sea level. It consists of 310 acres, planted to 90% Cabernet Sauvignon; 7.1% Cabernet Franc, 1.9% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot. The vines in the old vineyard average 30 years in age.
Antonio Federici Rosso Roma 2021
Red Blend from Italy
4.3 out of 5 stars, average rating value. Read 777 Reviews. Same page li3 out of 6 (50%) reviewers recommend this product
View awardsCantine Federici is one of the first (and best) producers in Italy’s Roma region. You have insi
Wine Flavor Profile
Antonio Federici is a full-bodied red with ripe Morello cherry and delicate raspberry aromas. The sumptuous palate has luscious black fruit and cherry flavors, plus hints of warming spice on the long, complex finish.
Led by third-generation Damiano Federici, Cantine Federici is one of the first (and best) producers in Italy’s Roma region.
Named after Damiano’s grandfather, this powerful red marries hand-harvested Montepulciano and Cesanese grown in the hills outside of Rome—the same ones that supplied stone for the Colosseum.
Continuing a well-established tradition, the new release arrives with major acclaim. It sports a 98-point score from leading Italian critic Luca Maroni, as well as a double-gold medal and Great Value designation from the China Wine & Spirits Awards. Crafted with a portion of dried grapes (which creates seriously concentrated flavors), Antonio Federici delivers a sumptuous texture, with luscious black fruit and warming spice notes.
Most of Cantine Federici’s wines are sold directly to local restaurants (where they’re served with rigatoni all’amatriciana and other hearty pasta dishes)—so it’s rare to see them in the U.S. Act quickly for your share of this Roman sensation.
varieties
cabernet sauvignon cabernet franc merlot
petit verdot
bottling date
December 2020
92% 5% 2% 1%
winemaker
Enrique Tirado.
vineyard
Don Melchor Vineyard, D.O. Puente Alto, Alto Maipo Valley.
vineyard description
Later, the ripening period in March and April was marked by cool temperatures that continued throughout the entire harvest period, which is ideal for achieving slow ripening in the bunches, the perfect condition for obtaining lively fruit expression and tremendous elegance in the tannins.
Looking at the entire ripening period between January and April 2019, we observe an average of 18.2oC, which is slightly higher than the historic average of 18.0oC.
harvest
Manual, from March 18 through May 9, 2019. The vineyard yield was 4.0 tons per hectare.
vinification cellar
Don Melchor Cellar, Puente Alto.
vinification
Alcoholic fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks and lasted 8 days at 25o–26oC with 3 pumpovers per day. Upon completion of the fermentation process, the tank was hermetically sealed for an 8- to 10-day maceration at 23o–25oC for greater extraction and smoother tannins. At the end of the maceration period, each tank was drained, tasted, and evaluated for selection by the Don Melchor enological and viticultural team. All of the wines were later tasted and selected to make the final blend, which was then transferred to barrels.
aging
15 months in French oak barrels (72% new and 28% second use).
aging potential
Over 35 years.
tasting notes
Deep purplish-red in color. The wine from this vintage shows an extraordinary elegance with an abundance of fresh red fruit and notes of blackcurrants and flowers.
On the palate it has an enormous wealth of flavors, with breadth from beginning to end, and plenty of energy in perfect balance with the elegance of the textures and flavors.
food pairing
Red meats, especially lamb, and game meats prepared by different methods—roasted, braised, and with sauces made with red wine, mushrooms, rosemary, and tomatoes. Assorted terrines and pâtés, especially duck with truffles. Dry and well-aged or creamy cow’s and goat’s milk cheeses.
The Don Melchor Vineyard is located at the foot of the Andes Mountains on the northern bank of the Maipo River, 650 m above sea level. It consists of 127 hectares, planted to 90% Cabernet Sauvignon; 7.1% Cabernet Franc, 1.9% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot. The vines in the old vineyard average 30 years in age.
plantation year and density
Old vineyard (80%): 1979–1992, 2,000 to 4,000 plants/hectare
New vineyard (20%): 2004–2017, 8,000 plants/hectare
soil
The first 30 cm of the soil profile is loam. Then, a large number of stones with a sandy-loam texture appear at depth. These soils ensure good drainage and low fertility, conditions that allow the restriction of vegetative growth and generate the ideal restriction of water during veraison. This encourages the accumulation and ripening of phenolic compounds, which is very important for producing great red wines.
climate
In general, the vineyard has a semi-arid Mediterranean climate with an average annual rainfall of 335 mm. This is one of the coldest zones of the Alto Maipo Valley.
This season was characterized by presenting less rain than in a normal year, with just 161.6 mm, primarily concentrated in the winter and spring. On the other hand, the average annual temperatures were close to normal, with higher temperatures in November, which encouraged good, concentrated flowering and fruit set, and in January and February, which produced the
