Henderson Beachwalk Cafe Dinner with a view

Henderson Beachwalk Cafe Dinner with a view

Vacationing with Linda’s friends Pat R and Marylou at The Cove, our vacation rental in Destin (FL), we dined at scenic Beach Walk Café, Henderson Park Inn, Destin, with its idealic views of the Gulf Coast beach and off-shore horizon, and the towers of Destin across Henderson State Beach Park in the distance, arguably one of the best views along the Emerald Coast.

The Beach Walk Café at the Henderson Park Inn is an award-winning, fine-dining restaurant that overlooks the beach with views of the towering condo towers along the Destin beach and harbor two miles to the west. 

It has been named one of the most romantic restaurants in North America for its pairing imaginative cuisine rooted in the freshest, local ingredients with spectacular sunsets and starry skies amidst the surf.

The cuisine is crafted by executive chef, Destin native Daniel Peters. Daniel first worked a professional kitchen at the age of 26, gaining his first taste of fine food and wine knowledge at Chan’s Wine World.

In 2011, he moved to Napa Valley to further his culinary skills and experience. There he studied under a number of world-renowned award-winning chefs, including Douglas Keane, Sang Yoon, Jake Rand and Stephan Barber. He returned home to apply what he learned to elevation Destin’s food culture, with his Gulf-to-table concept at Beach Walk.

We wrote about Beach Walk Café in these pages last summer. Last time we dined here, the limited but carefully selected wine list offered several favorite producers and selections such as Nils Venge Saddleback, Chardonnay and Cabernet, no less than five of our selection choices were not available. 

So, tonight we brought from our home cellar BYOB our own Venge Vineyards label, their limited release special single vineyard designated Chardonnay. 

With the starter course beet salad with arugula, goat cheese and mandarin orange slices, and the Seared Blue Crab Cakes with Mixed Greens and Jalapeño Horseradish Aioli, we had from the wine list Chandon Sparkling Wine from Napa Valley. The crab cakes were delicious and a favorite of all.

For dinner we ordered from the menu fresh seafood local catches Snapper and Grouper and the Ahi Tuna.

Snapper with Corn Truffle Risotto, Madeira Mushrooms, Matchstick Truffle Fries, Citrus Beurre Blanc

Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna Steak with Fingerling Potatoes, Sautéed Spinach, Ponzu Sauce

Grouper Vince with Pecan Crusted, Crispy Potato Cake, Haricot Verts, Honey Worcestershire Sauce

With the dinner course, we enjoyed from our home cellar, BYOB, one of our favorite full flavored Chardonnays, and ideal pairing with the seafood selections. 

Venge Vineyards Brown Bear Ranch Chardonnay 2018

I featured this label in detail in these pages last spring. This has proven to be one of our favorite and best tasting go-to Chardonnays. At the time I wrote, “I think this bottle is perhaps the best tasting one in our cellar right now, irregardless of the price point”. 

We first tasted this label and I wrote about Venge Vineyards and this limited release label in a these pages earlier, excerpted here back in December 2021 when we served it at a special holiday dinner - Venge Brown Ranch Chardonnay.

Venge Vineyards Brown Ranch Vineyard Los Carneros Napa Valley Chardonnay 2018

As featured, excerpted from earlier blogpost. This is a single vineyard designated label sourced from the 30 acre Brown Ranch Vineyard in Carneros, named for the previous cattle rancher owner Nadine Brown. The vineyard is bordered by HdV’s Hyde Vineyard and Beaulieu’s Vineyard No.9 on Old Sonoma Road in the Carneros district, straddling the rolling hills in the southernmost parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties. The cooling winds from the nearby San Pablo Bay, combined with the abundant midday California sunshine, create an ideal environment for producing elegant wines that combine power and finesse, with a perfect balance of crisp acidity and well-ripened fruit.

The property, formerly associated with Saintsbury Winery, was purchased in 2012 by the Renterias.

The property was planted with twenty nine acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay but most of the vines were afflicted with Eutypa, a fungi disease also known as the Dead-arm Dieback, which causes trunks or arms of the vines to essentially rot and die. Like the famous Dead-Arm Shiraz label from McLaren Vale, Australia, rather than pulling the vines out, the vineyard managers kept the rootstock, cut off the trunk just above the soil and nurtured a bud to grow into a new trunk. Like the Dead-Arm label, focusing all the mature rootstock energy into one vine branch resulted in rich, full, concentrated fruits.

The Brown Ranch’s hillside alluvial soils, with Dijon Clone 76 set into the pre-existing rootstock, produces this rich full round Chardonnay, worthy of the iconic Venge name.Winemaker's notes: The Dijon Clones are modern strains of Chardonnay carefully isolated from grapevine nursery blocks in France. These strains are selected for their incredible ability to produce the best of what the varietal has to offer and therefore have become quite popular with cool climate growers today. The cool and often foggy climate of the Brown Ranch Vineyard, located in central Carneros, Napa, allows for a slow growing season and optimal ripening. This climate aids in the balancing of acidity and lifting tropical aromas in the fruit and thus, in the finished wine. The vines were carefully hand harvested and delivered cool to the winery.

Winemaker's Notes: "This wine is stylish and freshly balanced, featuring a light, pale straw presence in the glass with a bouquet of fresh orange citrus, toasted pine nuts, mild allspice, rocky flints, and toasted oak. Crisp, savory pineapple, sweet delicious apple, savory stone fruit, and ripe pear lead into mouthwatering deliciousness. 

The grapes are blended into used French Oak barrels according to a Burgundian style of winemaking, light handed on the usage of new French Oak keeping it to an average of 45%.

495 Cases were Produced

This release was rated 93 points by Wine Enthusiast and Jeb Dunnuck and 92 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.

Golden lemon colored, medium full-bodied, full, round, concentrated, complex opulent fruits with a layer almost bordering on butterscotch, accented by notes of baking spice, hints of lemon, grapefruit, ginger and a touch of peach and almond nut cream, with bright acidity, depth and balance on a full long finish.

RM 93 points. 

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2024/05/pour-boys-gather-for-flw-weekend-and.html

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?3517412

http://www.vengevineyards.com/

https://twitter.com/VengeVineyards

https://www.hendersonparkinn.com/dine/beachwalk-cafe/

Emeril’s Coastal Restaurant Miramar Beach

Emeril’s Coastal Restaurant Miramar Beach 

Vacationing with Linda’s friends Pat R and Marylou at The Cove, our vacation rental in Destin (FL), we dined at iconic chef Emeril Lagasse’s Emeril’s Coastal Restaurant at the chic stylish Grand Boulevard in adjacent Miramar Beach. 

Our table was in the dining room next to the trendy high-top tables that align the bar area.

For the appetizer course we ordered the Roasted Oysters with garlic, butter, parmesan and a baguette, New Orleans BBQ Shrimp and biscuit, and the Coastal Crabcake. 

We tasted two wines from Emeril’s Wine Cellar (shown below) wine list. 

For a wine accompaniment with the starter course we tasted Emeril’s Private Label Chardonnay. 

Emeril’s Santa Barbara County Chardonnay 2018

As the labels states this special private label bottling is produced by Jim Clendenon and the Au Bon Climat vineyards and winery in Santa Barbara County.

This was delightful and offered great QPR - Quality Price Ratio, as one would expect if the chef puts his name on the label. 

Light straw colored, medium bodied, this was full and round with tones of peach and passion fruit with nice balance and acidity on the refreshing finish. 

For dinner entrees, we order the two daily Fresh Catch specials (shown below), grilled Grouper with creole meuniere, and Crispy Skin on Salmon with Creole cream and Parmesan Risotto.

For a wine accompaniment with the main course, we ordered from the cellar wine list the popular well known Frank Family Napa Chardonnay. 

Frank Family Vineyards Napa Valley Carneros Chardonnay 2022

The Frank Family Vineyards estate up in Calistoga is housed in an 1884 stone cellar—the third-oldest building in Napa Valley.  They did a massive renovation of the original historic Hans Kornell Champagne Cellars and the 19th-century Larkmead before that. The site is one of the most beautiful and interesting in Napa Valley. Ironically, it is one of the first wineries we visited during our very first Napa Valley wine visit back in the seventies! 

The winery and tasting room were totally reimagined a few years ago for their 25th anniversary. The Hollywood Room is a tribute to founder Rich Frank, past president of Disney Corporation and wife Leslie’s career as an Emmy award-winning broadcast journalist and Hollywood reporter. On display are the couple’s two Emmys. Frank is known as one of the guys who green-lit Aladdin and The Lion King, but it’s Frank’s penchant for hospitality, not his Hollywood credential that is behind Frank Family Vineyards being named “Best Napa Winery” eight years running by Bay Area A-List

The fruit for this Carneros Chardonnay release is from the Carneros sub-appellation in south western Napa Valley. sourced from is the winery's estate Lewis Vineyard, with additions from neighboring Beckstoffer Vineyards in the Napa-Carneros area and Sangiacomo Vineyards from the Sonoma-Carneros area.

Winemakers notes - This wine is a testament to the Carneros region, brimming with Meyer lemon, yellow apple, and salted butterscotch notes. Concentrated layers of spices and creamy vanilla meld with well-integrated oak and elegant waves of fresh acidity on the palate.

Producer’s Notes - A bright and balanced wine with vibrant aromatics of baked apple, white nectarine, and toasted oak. A lively entry of tropical fruit, and citrus expands with notes of rich lemon curd and brioche bread pudding. Ample yet refined, this unmistakably Carneros wine finished with a refreshing wave of acidity.

This wine is perfumed in brioche and baked apple, with seasonings of nutmeg and vanilla. It opens in a rich, full-bodied concentration of citrus and white peach and evolves on the palate to show structure and depth. Bright acidity lifts hints of toasted oak, maintaining a fresh and plush finish.

https://shop.frankfamilyvineyards.com/product/2022-Carneros-Chardonnay

https://www.frankfamilyvineyards.com/

We closed out the evening with two delectable desserts - the Crème Brûlée and the unique Emeril signature dish, the oddly named Olive Oil Cake for the distinctive recipe and method of preparation. We suggested this should be named Emeril’s Special or Secret Cake.  

We ordered the Crème Brûlée and at the urging and advise of our server, we tried the Emeril’s Olive Oil cake, who described its heritage distinct recipe and preparation, implying that our other Crème Brûlée was standard and widely available. In the end, the Crème Brûlée was equally distinctive and delicious. 

Because I did not order a dessert, expecting to sample shares of the other selections, I was served a special surprise, held for special occasions and diner’s celebrations - an extraordinarily unique sparkling Roman candle with cotton candy! 

Everything was delightful, delectable, delicious, all served with attentive, knowledgeable and engaging staff. Emeril’s is a treat to be enjoyed when visiting the Florida panhandle Emerald Coast. 

Clark Claudon Napa Cabernet 2004

Clark Claudon Napa/Pope Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

For a quiet evening at home, watching our latest binge-worthy series, Condor on MGM+, we opened an old favorite wine from our extensive collection from this favorite producer, with homemade chicken tortilla soup. 

After our recent anniversary, I am currently opening twenty year old 2004 vintage wines as a mini celebration, and a calibration of how that vintage is aging and holding up in our cellar. 

Here following is an updated re-post of earlier posting about this wine and this producer from October 12, 2023.

Clark-Claudon Estate Grown Napa/Pope Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

The producer, Clark-Claudon estate is situated on the ‘backside’ of Howell Mountain in an area known as Pope Valley. We have fun with this label as fellow Pour Boy Bill and Beth C's maiden name is Pope. Clark-Claudon's 17 acres of vineyards are carved out of a 117 acre property located on the north east side of Howell Mountain between Ink Grade and Howell Mountain Road, from 800 ft to 1,200 ft elevation. It’s shallow, mountain soils, cool evening breezes and excellent sun exposure are ideal for a low yield of small, intense Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot grapes. The 17 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon are planted with clone 7 which grows well in hillside rocky soil and produces small berries with concentrated flavors. A small vineyard block is planted to Petite Verdot. After completing their initial vineyard planting, Clark decided to leave the  remaining 100 acres of forests, creeks, meadows and ponds in their natural state which serves as a preserve for native birds and wildlife.

Interesting, following my discussions in recent blogpost about the terroir and appellation specificity line of demarcation being at the 1200 foot elevation level to differentiate between Howell Mountain and Napa Valley designation, we have another such-situated Napa/Howell Mountain Cabernet. Similar to the Viader Napa Valley Cabernet Red Blend from earlier tastings, and the Blue Hall Vineyard Camiana Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon that we drank the other night, this Clark Claudon Napa Cab vineyard is at 1000 foot elevation on the lower reaches of Howell Mountain. That terroir distinction doesn't apply here as the Clark Claudon property is on the backside of Howell Mountain which never sees the fog that is experienced on the Napa Valley side of the hill. 

We have been collecting this label since its introduction back in 1993 and hold two decades of vintages since. 

We first met Tom Clark and Laurie Claudon-Clark during our Napa Wine Experience 1999 when we hosted them at one of our wine producer dinners. That night, held at what was then Pinot Blanc Restaurant in St Helena (see picture above/left), we tasted Clark Claudon 1995-96 against ten year old 1989 Bordeaux. 

During our Napa Wine Experience visits of 1997 through 2000 we hosted gala tasting dinners with the "'Undisccovered Dozen', emerging new wine producers to watch", featured in an article in Wine Spectator Magazine. Many of these producers released their inaugural vintage releases in or about the 1994 vintage. Those producers and winery visits included Plumpjack, David Arthur, Clark-Claudon, Robert Craig, Del Dotto, Elan, Paradigm, Pride Vineyards, Snowden, Nils Venge and White Cottage and are featured variously on my winesite http://www.unwindwine.com. An complete index of my tasting notes of these wines over the years is on the site at this link to California Producers Index. These producers make up a foundation of our wine cellar collection even today. In many of these wines, we still have vertical selections, several dating back to those early release vintages.   

We love the distinctive unique Clark-Claudon packaging with the tall slender bottles. An interesting and trivial wine-geek's observation about the Clark-Claudon branding and packaging; as mentioned, we hold close to a score of vintages of this label. 

All our vintage holdings but this one, the 2004 release, are packaged with the wax cap inside the rim of the bottle, topping the cork, as shown left. This one, 2004, has a 'traditional' foil top of the bottle (shown below). Not sure why?

This release was awarded 93 points from Wine Enthusiast who wrote, " ... it really needs time. Give it until after 2008, if you can keep your hands off, and will come into its own after 2010."

A decade later, going on seventeen years, this release is holding its own very nicely and showing no signs of diminution whatsoever. The fill level, label and most importantly the cork were in perfect condition.

Wine Enthusiast wrote, "The 2004 Clark-Claudon Napa Cabernet Sauvignon blends fruit from all over the winery's estate, combining multiple expressions of the fruit. The higher portions of the estate yielded fruit that was rich, deeply colored with intense tannins. The lower portions of the estate produced softer, more perfumed wine." 

Tonight's tasting was consistent with previous tastings in 2015, 2016 and most recently in the Spring of 2021. In 2016 I wrote it was more expressive than earlier tastings. I sense this is at its peak, not likely to improve further, but grand and capable of aging several more years none-the-less.

At twenty years, the fill level, label, foil and most importantly the cork were all still in pristine condition.  

Like before, the room filled with dark berry fruit aromatics as soon the cork was pulled. This was dark garnet colored, rich, full, concentrated, but nicely integrated and elegant black berry and black currant fruits with accents of cassis, mocha, floral and notes of spicy oak and hints of black cherry on a lingering fine-grained silky tannin finish.

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=229261

In seeking to replenish this bottle with a more recent vintage of this wine, I looked in distribution and found none in Chicagoland, but got this response when searching national beverage superstore Total Wine - "We could not find this item at Pensacola, FL (our select store), But we found it at Denver, CO." We'll be reaching back to the producer directly, as well as looking in the secondary market. 

https://www.clarkclaudon.com

@ClarkClaudon 

Earlier tasting posts ...   

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2015/01/clark-claudon-howell-mountain-napa.html

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2015/12/festive-holiday-dinner-showcases.html

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2016/05/clark-claudon-napa-valley-cabernet.html

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/03/clark-claudon-napa-cabernet-2004.html

The James Geneva alfresco Sunday Brunch

The James Geneva alfresco Sunday Brunch 

With fellow Pour Boy from our wine group, Bill and Beth in from Charleston for the weekend, we had a delightful Sunday afternoon alfresco dinner on the patio at The James Restaurant in Geneva, IL. This followed our gala Pour Boys Wine Group Citiscape dinner the night before in the City (Chicago). 

We enjoyed a producer wine dinner at The James last fall in the patio room as featured in these pages on this blogpost - James Restaurant "Cab is King" Wine Dinner w/ Bell Wine Cellars Wines.

Todays perfect early autumn afternoon provided an ideal setting for dining outside on the patio.

We enjoyed a perfect pairing of Mendocino Chardonnay with with our brunch Benedicts and apple pear walnut salads. 

We ordered from the wine list this limited release special label from the Meyer Family Vineyards. This is from the descendants of Justin Meyer, founder of iconic Silver Oak. Justin passed away recently and the Meyer stake in Silver Oak was sold to the rest of the investor owners. Matt and Karen Meyer have elected to partner with artisan growers to produce vineyard-designate bottlings under the Meyer Family label. 

The Meyer family continue to produce several labels under the Meyer Family Cellars brand with production divided evenly between site-specific wines from both Mendocino County, where the winery is located, and their remaining holding from the original Oakville estate in Napa Valley.

Up in Mendocino, they source fruit from their estate and growers in two sub-appellations: the Yorkville Highlands and Anderson Valley American Viticultural Areas (AVAs). 

They produce Cabernets from the original iconic Silver Oak Bonny’s Vineyard as well as labels from up north, Le Bon Bon, Spitfire, Fluffy Billows, The Gravels, and a Cab Franc.

Their broad portfolio also includes Elke Vineyard Creek Chardonnay, Monument Tree Vineyard Pinot Noir, Peterson Vineyard Pinot Noir (Comptche-Mendocino County), Wightman House Vineyard Pinot Noir. 

This Meyer Family Chardonnay is vineyard label designated sourced from the Donnelly Creek Vineyard in the Mendocino County Anderson Valley.

Matt Meyer grew up in the wine business under the tutelage of his winegrower father Justin. He spent much of his time in the vineyard and cellar at Silver Oak after school and working various jobs during the summer. Matt spent a couple years gaining experience at internships in Oregon, Australia and New Zealand. He also did one semester abroad at Adelaide University enrolled in this wine studies program. he went on to the University of California, Davis, where he was awarded a Masters in Viticulture. After this he moved to the Anderson Valley and started making wine with his father at the family’s new property.

Karen Meyer was born and raised in Perth, Western Australia. After doing a harvest in Margaret River to learn more about the process, she completed a degree in enology at Charles Stuart University, then spent the next few years working harvests around the world. Karen worked in the four distinct regions of Australia, did one harvest in France and spent three years in New Zealand. In 1999 Matt and Karen met in Oregon while working the crush in the Willamette Valley. In 2004 they would work together again in New Zealand after which point Karen moved to the Anderson Valley.

Today they live with their three children in Healdsburg California halfway between their vineyards in the Napa and Anderson Valleys.

Meyer Family Cellars Anderson Valley Donnelly Creek Chardonnay 2018

From the legendary Meyer Family, descendants of the founders of Silver Oak Cellars, this is a vineyard designated label from the Anderson Valley up in Mendocino County. 

This was an ideal pairing with our Brunch Benedicts and apple, pear walnut salad. 

Winemaker notes for this release: “The evenly paced 2018 harvest shows itself in our beautiful bottling from Donnelly Creek Vineyard, a Chardonnay that is all about balance. As usual, the wine is enticing right out of the bottle, displaying aromas of citrus, fresh peach, honeysuckle, and toasted brioche. In the glass, the fruit flavors are ripe and forward, with summer stone fruit and melon balanced by dependable Anderson Valley acidity. Barrel-fermentation and nine months of aging in French oak have added a tasty richness to this elegant Chardonnay”.

This was barrel aged for 9 months in 75% Neutral Oak, 25% New French Oak.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=39600263

https://mfcellars.com/

While the ladies shopped the Fifth Avenue shops and galleries, Bill and I enjoyed a delightful relaxing afternoon on the patio. We selected an after lunch dessert wine from the wine list for sensational casual sipping.

Inniskillin Niagara Peninsula Estate Vidal 2019

We love desert wines and serve them with salads, artisan cheeses and of course with deserts ranging cake to petit fours to dark chocolates or for casual sipping such as this.

Readers of this blog know we have a fairly extensive cellar, with numerous desert wines from the world's finest producers from the finest wine regions - late harvest rieslings from California, Sauternes from Bordeaux, Trockenberenauleses (TBA's) from Germany and Austria, and of course ice wines from the Niagara escarpment peninsula between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, between Buffalo, NY and Toronto.

This is from the iconic producer Inniskillin, the crown jewel of producers who take advantage of the unique terroir in the Niagara Appellation to craft true ice wine dessert wines.

Desert wine is nectar in a glass - essence of honey, apricot, violets - there is nothing like it under the sun. Among the absolute finest desert wines in the world are ice wines - wines from grapes allowed to lie on the vine beyond ripening, then past the winter freeze such that as much as eighty percent of the juice in the grape is frozen leaving behind but all the sugars in the remaining twenty percent of the juice. 

Such is ice wine which in North America comes from a small area in the Pacific Northwest where Inniskillin Okanagan operates in Oliver, British Columbia, and from Niagara-on-the-Lake, a small strip of land between the western tip of Lake Ontario to the north and the eastern tip of Lake Erie on the south. The small land mass adjacent to the Niagara escarpment there traps the air to protect the grape vines.

When the temperature reaches 8 degrees fahrenheit the conditions are right to harvest the grapes and collect the extracted sugar rich grapes suited for ice wine. Inniskillin Wines in the Niagara on the Lake appellation, licensed in 1974, the first winery to be licensed since 1929, has been producing and specializing in perfecting ice wines since 1984. Their Vidal Ice Wine from the 1989 vintage received the prestigious Grand Prix d'Honneur at Vinexpo in France. Inniskillin produces ice wine from several varieties of grapes including Vidal, Riesling, Chardonnay and even Cabernet Franc. They even produce a sparkling ice wine, which in other realms might be considered an oxymoron. Their 2006 Vidal Sparkling Ice Wine and 2007 Riesling Ice Wine won the Premio Speciale Gran Vinitaly "World Cup of Wine" in 2007.
. 

We visited the Inniskillin estate during our visit to the region back in 2012 and featured it in these pages in a more extensive blogpost at the time - Inniskillin Niagara on the Lake Wine Experience.

Inniskillin, named for the Irish village from where GI's hailed who were stationed in the area during the great WWII, has 120 acres of vines, and purchases grapes from local producers from another 250 acres to source the grapes for their wines. Their specialty and flagship wines are ice wines.

This popular Inniskillin Icewine boasts a variety of tropical fruit including orange, mango, and lemons. Flavors of peach and apricot are balanced by a fresh, crisp and lively acidity. Pairs beautifully with aged cheddar, peach tart, and baked cheesecake with a peach compote.

This release was awarded 93 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate – They wrote that this was the richest of the Vidal ice wines this issue. 

Pale golden straw colored, medium to full bodied, intensely flavored, unctuous, syrupy peach and apricot fruits accented by notes of sugary honey nuances with a tongue coating lingering finish, 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?4047660

https://www.inniskillin.com/

https://thejamesgeneva.com/

@PassionatePour1

Pour Boys - Winers and Diners Fall Cityscape Dinner 2024

 Pour Boys - Winers and Diners Fall Cityscape Dinner 2024

The Winers and Diners contingent of our Pour Boys wine group met for another CityScape dinner hosted by Terry and Lyle F.  This is the group traditionally hosted by Lyle and Terry at their West Loop Chicago pede-a-tere turned luxury flat. 

We had the extended group of regulars for the wonderful evening of dinner and fine wines.

The gala dinner main course dry rub ribs cooked on the grill, fingerling potatoes, cole slaw, corn bread, and a southwest bean combo.

Prior to dinner the appetizer course included gezpacho, an extensive selection of artisan cheeses, shrimp, and deviled eggs, charcuterie, pickles and olives.

For the appetizer course there was a broad selection of sparkling and still white wines. 

• Haykin Family Cidery Ela Family Farms Cuvee’ Methode Ancestrale Sparkling Cider - Dan picked this up at Duck Inn (Chicago) Pour Boys Wine Group Dinner where we dined last month.
• Greywacke New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc 2019
• Roland Tissier Sancerre 2019
• https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4208644
• Veuve Cliquot Brut NV Champagne
• Pierre Paillard Champagne Grand Cru Extra Brut Les Parcelles 2017 
• https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3726313

Dan assisted Lyle in set-up and the dinner preparation including grilling of the ribs. 

Moving to the dinner course we had an extensive selection of red wines to complement the extensive dinner courses. 

The wine flight included several memorable labels from visits to the producer estate by members or combinations of members of the group. 

The red flight, in serving/tasting order:

• Domaine Grand Veneur “Les Origines” Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2006
• Chateau de Vaudieu Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2016
• Peter Michael Les Pavots 2008
• Joseph Phelps Backus Oakville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2003
• Rubissow Reserve Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
• Hall Winery Napa Valley Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
• Clarendon Hills Clarendon Moritz Shiraz 2011
• Lagier-Meredith “Tribidrag” Mt Veeder Red Wine 2019
• Seghezio Rockpile Zinfandel 2016
• Honig Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

Highlights - 

Peter Michael "Les Pavots" Knights Valley Bordeaux Blend 2008

It would be easy to say this was my WOTN - WINE OF THE NIGHT with its sophisticated Bordeaux Blend although when taking into account the food and wine pairing, this might be best suited for a grilled beef tenderloin, and some of the other bolder wines better suited to the grilled ribs. In any event, this is a spectacular wine. 

This is Peter Michael’s flagship with every attention to detail such as single berry selection, Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Cabernet Franc and 11% Merlot. 

The 2008 Peter Michael "Les Pavots" was awarded a near perfect 98 points, “Top 100 of 2011, Collectible” by WS, 97 by James Suckling, 95 by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and 94 by ST of Int'l Wine Cellar.

Dark ruby colored, full bodied, smooth, elegant, polished, seamlessly integrated and balanced black currant blackberry and plum fruits with notes of tobacco, mocha chocolate, licorice and hint of cedar and truffles with silky smooth firm tannins on a lingering finish. 

RM 95 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?1087438

http://www.petermichaelwinery.com/

Hall Winery Stag’s Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

My WOTN - Wine of the Night candidate would be this Stag’s Leap District Napa Cab, a label we know well. 

Bill brought this from his home cellar in Charleston. We’ve Visited the Hall Napa Valley Rutherford Estate Winery and Cellars several times including back in 2013 and then again in 2017 as posted again in these pages - Hall Rutherford Winery Estate Appellation Tasting. 

During our many tastings and visits to the magnificent Hall Cellars together over the years, we’ve tasted this amongst the broad portfolio of highly rated ultra-premium Hall wines. Bill acquired this as part of his wine club allocation.

Records show we tasted and acquired this wine during our visits there and as part of our Club allocations. Bill beat me to the draw and brought one first to one of our (joint) tastings, while I still hold this label in our cellar. 

 

This was rated 97+ points by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, 95-97 points by Jeb Dunnuck and 93 by Vinous.

Bill’s notes on this wine as posted in CellarTracker -  WConnolly Likes This Wine and gave it 94 points - “Needs two hour decant for the heat to blow off but this is spectacular. Dark black and blue fruit with cinnamon and pepper on the palate. Very full bodied and brooding. Grippy tannins and plenty of backbone. After a couple of hours of air, some subtle herbal notes emerge but this is very fruit forward. Lingering finish. This was one of my offerings for a barbecue dinner and this was spicy enough to stand up to the grilled ribs, beans and cornbread.

Dark inky blue-purple-black colored, full bodied, firmly structured but elegant, smooth and polished, concentrated, rich layers of ripe blackberry, black raspberry and cherry fruits with notes of lavender, earth, cinnamon spice, crème de cassis hints of cigar box, with ripe, firm, grainy tannins on a long deep finish.

RM 95 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?2639918

http://www.hallwines.com/

Joseph Phelps Backus 2003

This other ultra-premium Napa Cabernet likely would’ve been a candidate for WOTN if only I hadn’t missed it in the tasting as it was depleted before I had a chance to sample it. 

This is from another favorite producer. We all visited the Joseph Phelps Napa Valley Winery for a Private Tasting during that same trip to Napa. Ernie brought this special bottle as well, both he and Dan hold a vertical collection in their cellars that they acquire as part of their wine club allocations. 

Rubissow Special Reserve Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Several of us also visited the Rubissow Mt Veeder estate and vineyards during our Napa Valley Mt Veeder Wine Experience back in 2011. We featured that visit in these pages in this post - https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2011/03/mt-veeder-appellation-trail-rubissow-mt.html.

While several of us, Eric, Bill and I, all placed orders for wine during that trip, and opted-in on joining their wine club, only Eric got their newsletter and solicitations and offers on new wine releases. He acquired this limited release special bottling as part of those offerings. 

While this was the best Rubissow I’ve ever tasted, it lacked the power, opulence, elegance and finess of the aforementioned bottles. It was very good none-the-less. 

While we each acquired Rubissow wines over the years, at the winery and at auction, none of have this label in our cellars, so we won’t likely see it again for a follow on comparison tasting - especially since Rubissow discontinued production under their own label and this was their final vintage release. 

This release was crafted by Tim Milos of Opus One, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, and Cliff Lede fame. It was packaged in a heavy oversized bottle with painted logo on the front and label info on the rear.

True to Mt Veeder profile, this was big and powerful jammy black fruits with accents of cassis, spice and black tea notes, with fresh acidity and a long, spicy, toasty finish. 

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3071345

In the spirit of BBQ Ribs being the theme for the evening, several of the labels were targeted at, to be paired with, and ideally suited for this focus - most notably the Zinfandels and the Chateauneuf-du-Papes. In that regard, one of the more interesting and unique wines of the evening was a Zinfandel ‘cousin’ - as noted by Carol Lagier - another producer we visited together on our Mt Veeder appellation tour. 

Lagier-Meredith “Tribidrag” Mt Veeder Red Wine 2019

 

This is a classic wine to take to a blind tasting for fun and folly - a real challenge. We learned during our visit to Lagier Meredith back in 2011 that Carol was a Research Geneticist who studied the DNA of wine varietals. We were intrigued to learn of her findings determining the shared lineage of Syrah and Shiraz.  

For 23 years Carol Meredith was a professor in the Department of Viticulture and Enology at the University of California at Davis, commenting daily between Napa and Davis with the aid of audio books and Starbucks.

In addition to teaching courses, she conducted research in grape genetics. Her research group used DNA profiling methods to discover the origins of some of the greatest old wine varieties, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Syrah, and Zinfandel.

In partnership with Steve Lagier, in 1986, they bought a property back a steep, bumpy, rutted 1.5 mile dirt road high up on Mt Veeder. Steve worked at Mondavi for 14 years before leaving in 1999 to devote all his time to their own vineyard and wine. Carole Meredith left her ‘day job’ in 2003. 

Because they both had day jobs, it took several years to prepare the land for their first vines that were planted in 1994. The vineyard occupied only a small part of the 84-acre property - the rest remaining in its natural state., Their first release was in 2000. 

Lagier Meredith focused on Rhône varietals, and some other unique and interesting 'varietals such as this Tribidrag. 

In her studies at Davis, and then for a period while working at Mondavi, Carole had been in charge of the project that ultimately determined the origin of Zinfandel to be the ancient Croatian variety, Tribidrag. Though it had long been thought to be Primitivo (which it is), Carole's groundbreaking work with DNA profiling led to the discovery of its Croatian origin.

Bill discovered this unique label during that visit to the estate back in 2011 and acquired it as part of their wine club allocation in the following years. 

This Trbidrag was uniquely smooth and polished, yet full and round with vibrant fruit akin a ‘traditional’ or typical Zinfandel. 

Bill posted his tasting notes for this in CellarTracker and wrote - “WConnolly Likes This Wine” and gave it 92 Points.

“Dark, inky color in the glass. Blackberry, Raspberry, pepper and a hint of sweetness on the finish. Full bodied with plenty of tannins, this will last until 2030 at least. a nice accompaniment to our barbecue dinner.”

Steve and Carroll sold their vineyard in 2022 to winemaker Aaron Pott, with whom they had worked for many years. They sold it for the sum of $0 in an agreement in which they would continue to live on the property and work in the vines for as long as they wished. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4113622

Then, Terry served her delectable signature dessert course - Cheesecake bites and chocolate petit-fours prior to desert, her famous Mandarin Orange Cake with whipped cream and Cherry Chocolate Fudge Cake with fresh fruits and whipped cream. 

With the dessert course Lyle served a vintage port.

Grahams Vintage Port 2000

Lyle served this at our Pour Boys OTBN dinner back in 2020 when I wrote in these pages:

It is customary in these events that Lyle brings a vintage port from his collection. In recent years he has been disappointed by the showing of several labels, although the rest of us were not. Tonights selection was wonderful and met the highest expectations for the brand and the vintage. This may have been the best showing and best representation of a port in all our years of tasting together. 

At twenty years this was clearly at its prime but is perhaps only half way through its drinking window. What fun it will be to monitor this label as it ages, if you're fortunate enough to have acquired several bottles. 

This iconic release got 98 points from  James Suckling and Wine Spectator and was “Ranked #9 Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2003”, 96 from Decanter, and  94 from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and International Wine Cellar,  

James Suckling of Wine Spectator said, "This is the greatest glass of Graham I have ever tasted, young or old." It was recognized in the Top 100 of 2003 at No. 9, Collectibles. 

The 2000 vintage produced a very tiny crop, just 650 g per vine on average (they usually harvest 850 g per vine from Malvedos – their lowest yielding, most consistently cropping quinta). That said, the fruit was rich and concentrated. Wine Spectator summed it up saying, “ The 2000 growing season is known for quality over quantity.

Saturated black-ruby colored, full-bodied, superripe, powerful, huge, dense and rich black fruits,  yet balanced and smooth, opulent yet elegant, notes of mocha bitter chocolate and licorice and cassis, the finish lasts for minutes going on and on on your palate. 

This is what a vintage port is supposed to taste like and this is a benchmark standard bearer.  

RM 97 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=192

See postings of our other earlier group gatherings under OTBN - Open That Bottle Night, which traditionally occurs the last Saturday in February. 

 

Previous Pour Boys OTBN Events

Pour Boys OTBN 2019 - Open That Bottle Night

Pour Boys OTBN 2018 - Open That Bottle Night

Pour Boys OTBN 2016 - Open That Bottle Night 

Pour Boys OTBN 2015 - Open That Bottle Night -  Bordeaux Anchors OTBN 2015

Pour Boys OTBN - Open That Bottle Night 2014

Pour Boys OTBN 2013 - Open That Bottle Night 2013 

Pour Boys OTBN 2012 - Open That Bottle Night

Pour Boys OTBN 2011 - Open That Bottle Night.