Christmas Celebration & Dinner

 We hosted the family for a gala Christmas celebration, exchanging of gifts, followed by dinner and an accompaniment of wine pairings. 

At grandson Jessie’s request, Linda prepared Beef Wellington, with roasted vegetables and potatoes and pasta.

Prior to dinner we served an extensive selection of artisan cheeses, charcuterie, shrimp cocktail, fresh fruits, salad and sweets with holiday punch bowl. 

We served a broad flight of wines beginning with Champagne, vintage Bordeaux and ultra-premium Napa Valley Reds. 

We started with two Brut Champagnes, both from special release festive Christmas bottles, one in large format Magnum.

G. H. Mumm Grand Cordon Brut Rose’ NV

We bought a case of this special bottling for the holidays and it has been extremely popular and well received over several dinners and holiday gatherings. I wrote about this producer and label in this blogpost about one of those events - Festive wine for Christmas Social Gathering.

Piper Heidesieck Cuvee’ Brut Champagne

There’s always room for Champagne, and always a crowd pleaser! 

I opened for the occasion this large format magnum special limited edition bottle of Piper Heidseick Brut NV Champaign.  This festive red bottle was released a couple years ago over the Christmas holidays and I bought a couple cases 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.

This is a traditional blend of primarily Pinot Noir (for structure) and Pinot Meunier (for fruit), with Chardonnay (for elegance). This is sourced from over 100 Crus (vineyard plots) throughout the Champagne region which provides consistency from vintage to vintage as well we as complexity and depth.

This perennial favorite was rated 92 points by Wine Spectator, and 90 points by Jeb Dunnuck and James Suckling.

Pale golden colored, medium bodied, creamy, fruity, fine, persistent bubbles highlight notes of fresh pear, apple, almond, hazelnut, brioche, and a touch of spice and lemon citrus with a smooth, balanced finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?1279843

Château Figeac St Emilion Grand Cru Classe 1990

I pulled from the cellar another large format magnum of this birthyear vintage right bank Bordeaux, from one of our favorite producers. We’ve served this wine at many special occasions including birthyear vintages for the kids’ wedding and anniversary celebrations. I wrote about this producer in this blogpost following one such occasion - Birthyear vintage Silver Oak Bonny's, Figeac for father-son dinner.

Our CellarTracker records indicate we have more than a decade of vintages of this label dating back to and including our kids’ birthyear vintages, 1981, 1982, 1985 and this 1990 release, many in large format bottles. 

This right bank blend is roughly one-third each of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. It was aged in 100% new oak.

This release was rated 96 points by Decanter, 94 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and 90 points by Wine Spectator and Jeb Dunnuck.

Winemaker Notes - “With its pedigree style, Château Figeac epitomises the elegance of the great wines of Bordeaux. Its unique style gradually shows through and develops over time. This great wine displays a distinctive rich nose that has wonderful aromatic complexity. On the palate, the Cabernet Sauvignon reveals lovely floral aromas in the first year then, as the wine ages, great structure on the palate. The Cabernet Franc brings lots of freshness in the tannins, and the Merlot contributes roundness and flesh. The attack on the palate is clean, the texture is silky, and the complexity elegant. The characteristic freshness of Figeac is underpinned by great length of flavor. With its long aging potential, the wine goes on in time to reveal hints of forest floor, leather, cigar-box and licorice – always with its hallmark elegance.”

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, writing about tasting this release as part of a vertical tasting at the Château Figeac property in June 2015 said, “The 1990 Figeac was drinking gloriously and this is perhaps the best bottle that I have tasted. It is noticeably deep in color, deeper and more lucid than many vintages from the 1980s. There is something still "old school" about this Figeac, but it certainly would be my pick from this era.”

At thirty-five years, the label, foil and most importantly, the fill level were ideal for the age. The cork was partially saturated but still intact and in decent condition. 

Deep garnet colored with an ever so slight rust hue showing age, medium-bodied to full bodied, black earthy currant, berry and plum fruits with notes of black olive and black tea, tobacco leaf and hints of black truffle and smoke with with chewy tannins on a tangy lingering finish.

RM 91 points. 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/179893

Ryan brought from his home cellar this limited release highly allocated ultra-premium Napa Cabernet. 

Seven Apart “Shale” Napa Valley Stags Ridge Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 

Seven Apart is from proprietor/producer Don Dady who purchased the Stags Ridge Vineyard in 2018. The property sits up on Pritchard Hill at the southern end of the Vaca Mountain range that forms the eastern wall of Napa Valley. 

At 1,400 feet, the vineyard faces the Pritchard Gap, looking to the south with a view to San Francisco Bay. At an elevation above the fog line, the site gets generous sun exposure with afternoon breezes that blow in from the San Francisco Bay to cool down the vineyard. The breeze is said to help balance the sugar levels and acidity of the grapes. 

The rocky mountain site is covered with giant rocks that winemaker Andy Erickson says “The soil is more like a cobblestone street. Scattered throughout, some of the rock are so large that we couldn’t install trellising into the ground!” According to him, the soil contributes big, round tannins and concentration to the Seven Apart Shale wine. 

The site was developed in 1999, when the volcanic rocks, some the size of small cars, were excavated, and the land was finally cleared and planted with grapevines. The resulting vineyard was named Stags Ridge.

Acclaimed winemaker Andy Erickson produces four distinct estate Seven Apart Cabernet Sauvignon wines: Seven Apart Expedition, Seven Apart Shale, Seven Apart Basalt, and Seven Apart Summit. 

“While it may seem odd to craft three Cabernet Sauvignons from the same vineyard, that’s also the challenge for me. Even within one vineyard, you might have one section that gives you one unique element and another section that gives you something completely different. I view it as my mission to create unique expressions of our dramatic vineyard site on Atlas Peak,” says Andy.

This label Seven Apart ‘Shale’ is named for the shale rock, fine-grained, laminated soil and rock in the Stags Ridge vineyard. The name refers to the ‘soft finely stratified sedimentary rock formed from consolidated mud or clay and can be split easily into fragile plates.’ As the name suggests, the “Shale” label represents the finer, more detailed side of Seven Apart winemaking. 

Winemaker notes - “Seven Apart Shale is beautifully layered,” opens Andy. “It is simultaneously hard, yet also easily pliable rock. This dichotomy of texture is really what we want the namesake wine to capture. It’s layered, but in a soft, gentle way that means you can dig into it easily.”

“While it may seem odd to craft three Cabernet Sauvignons from the same vineyard, that’s also the challenge for me. Even within one vineyard, you might have one section that gives you one unique element and another section that gives you something completely different. I view it as my mission to create unique expressions of our dramatic vineyard site on Atlas Peak,” says Andy.

Seven Apart Shale is more delicate. Andy describes the Seven Apart Shale as being crafted with softer tannins and a subtler aromatic profile.

When they harvest the grapes and collect the individual components from the different vineyard blocks,  they let them age for a year separately before they start crafting the blending. The winemaking team taste for specific components that have the elegance and finesse best suited to the Seven Apart Shale style and start forming a blend. Once the envisioned Seven Apart Shale blend is composed, the wine is aged 24 months in the finest French oak.

 

For the 2018 Seven Apart Shale, Andy and the Seven Apart team selected only 9 barrels to be ‘worthy of this final bottling’. Described as graceful yet powerful, the latest 2018 vintage was produced from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Stags Ridge vineyard. 

Winemaker notes - “At first sight, it shows a notable black-purple hue and great density. On the nose are intense aromas of black licorice and cassis, along with savory tones of teak oil, sage, baked bread, and chaparral. The wine brims with intense berry flavors, as well as soy, thyme, and orange blossoms. Along with the voluminous palate impression, the tannins are highly polished, making for a long, velvety finish.”

This label release was rated 94 points by Vinous, 93 pints by James Suckling,

Dark purple/ruby colored, full bodied, deep rich, round, powerful, expressive concentrated but finely integrated bright vibrant ripe blackberry, black cherry and black currant fruits accent by clove spice, graphite, mint, cedar, rose petals and cassis licorice with firm but silky polished tannins on the lingering finish.  

RM 95 points. 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/3905517

https://sevenapart.com/behind-the-bottle-1-seven-apart-shale-cabernet-sauvignon/

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?3975575  

We dove back into our cellar to find a suitable pairing with the Seven Apart and pulled this 100 point Napa Valley Bordeaux varietal blend from the same vintage. 

Continuum Napa Valley Proprietary Red Blend 2018

Like the Seven Apart, this is 100% estate grown and made, sourced from a single vineyard, the Continuum Sage Mountain Vineyard, high up on Pritchard Hill in the Vaca Range along the eastern ridge high above the town of Oakville. 

The Continuum estate is on the backside of Pritchard Hill, over the hill opposite the David Arthur estate and vineyards that we visited during our Napa Wine Experience in 2013, as featured in this blogpost - David Arthur Napa Valley Estate Vineyards and Winery.

We also visited Pritchard Hill and the Chappellet Vineyards estate down the road back in 2009. Within sight of the Continuum estate, Pritchard hill is the home to illustrious neighbors, iconic cult wine producers including Bryant, Colgin and Dalla Valle.

Continuum is from the iconic Mondavi Family who founded this brand after selling the historic Robert Mondavi to Constellation Brands. Continuum was set up in 2005, a partnership between Tim Mondavi, his father Robert, and sister Marcia, (who lives in New York). 

Initially, they produced a Bordeaux blend with grapes sourced from the famous To Kalon vineyard. Meanwhile, after an extensive search, they found the site 70 acre vineyard on Pritchard Hill, about half, 41 acres planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, a third to Cabernet Franc, and the smaller remainder to Merlot and Petit Verdot

After years of searching hillside estates, in 2008 and 2009, the family acquired contiguous parcels on the slopes of Pritchard Hill along the eastern ridge of Napa Valley, now known as Sage Mountain Vineyard, the core of Continuum Estate. 

The Continuum estate Sage Mountain Vineyard sitting high on Pritchard Hill along the eastern ridge above Oakville, overlooks Napa Valley with views in the distance of the San Francisco Bay.

In total, the vineyard is comprised of 38 distinct vineyard blocks planted to Bordeaux varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Merlot. The vineyards sit above the fog line at an elevation of 1300 to 1600 feet facing to the western and south with some blocks with slight northern and eastern views. Continuum credits this diversity of plantings in the volcanic soils with the complexity of the estate bottled wines. The rocky, volcanic soils of the site force the vine’s energy to produce low yields that contribute to the fruit’s depth and complexity.

The first three vintages (2005–2007) of Continuum were not from today’s estate vineyard but were sourced primarily from Marjorie’s Vineyard within the historic To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville, plus some fruit from Stags Leap District.

The first three vintages of Continuum, from 2005 to 2007, were sourced primarily from Marjorie’s Vineyard within the historic To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville, located on the valley floor near the Robert Mondavi estate, representing the family’s past, plus some fruit from Stags Leap District.

Before this acquisition, the property had been a conventionally farmed, rocky 70 acre vineyard that needed extensive work; Tim brought in former Mondavi colleagues to re-graft, replant, and convert it toward organic and biodynamic practices.

Following early vintages sourcing fruit from To Kalon and Stags Leap, the 2008 vintage was the first that included some fruit from the new estate site. From the 2012 vintage onward, Continuum has been sourced exclusively from Sage Mountain Vineyard on Pritchard Hill, making it a true single-estate wine rather than a blend of purchased valley-floor fruit.

Having developed and transformed the property and vineyard, they build winery facilities, completed in 2013, establishing the ability for the first time, the family were able to grow, produce, and bottle from a single estate the product of a singular site. The year 2013 also marked Tim Mondavi’s 40th year making wine as well as the 100th anniversary of Robert’s birth.

The 2018 Continuum has an average vine age of 20 years reflecting 38 acres of mature estate vineyard, planted in 1991 and 1996, with additional plantings in 2004 and 2010. 

This 2018 release is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Cabernet Franc, 9% Petit Verdot and 6% Merlot.

Winemakers notes - “The 2018 growing season was a winemaker’s dream given the overall cooler weather patterns paired with ample sunshine. The spring brought timely, abundant rainfall nourishing the earth and setting the stage for a healthy crop. Moderately cool temperatures post veraison allowed the fruit an extended hang time, retaining vibrancy and evolving character complexity. Berry size was smaller than average though berry count was up given the bountiful rain. Crop size was generous for the estate at 2.4 tons per acre-still quite small by any measure. Harvest began 135 days from bloom on September 27th, and continued at an unforced and purposeful pace, thanks to record cool weather in August and September. Harvest concluded on October 22nd.’

Wine Production - “Continuum is 100% estate grown, produced and bottled. All fruit is selectively hand-harvested at night. The fruit is then sorted before and after de-stemming, and gravity fed into French oak or concrete tanks. A three-day cold soak is followed by fermentation, receiving three to four pump overs daily, and délestage two to three times in total during the most active period. The wine remains on skins in tank for 20 to 40 days. All lots are then drained, basket pressed, and transferred with lees for malolactic fermentation and aging. In 2018, Continuum spent 22 months in barrel. 63 percent of French oak barrels were new and 35 percent were once used.A single concrete amphora was also used for aging.The wine clarified slowly and settled naturally in our cold barrel room, was racked sparingly and bottled without fining or filtration.Each vineyard lot was tasted and carefully considered many times to assemble the 2018 blend.”

Winemaker Notes - The 2018 Continuum shows energy and verve. The wine expresses purity and precision, with high tone aromatics of red and blue fruit, deep plum and rose oil. This vintage shows an approachable nerve of the land in the refined mineral quality on the palate. The surrounding native vegetation of bay and sage is evidenced in an earthy, savory profile. This is a shimmering, silky and harmoniously integrated wine with densely packed fine grain tannins.”

This was rated a perfect 100 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Wilfred Wong of Wine.com, and James Suckling, 99 by Wine Independent, 98 points by Vinous, 97 points by Jeb Dunnuck and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, and 94 points by Wine Spectator. 

Deep garnet-purple colored, full bodied, dense, concentrated, complex yet smooth, polished and elegant, integrated and balanced ripe red and black fruits, blackberry, blackcurrant and black cherry fruits with notes of mocha, cassis, graphite, black tea and dusty rose with gentle silky smooth fine grained tannins in the long finish. 

RM 96 points. 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/3778487

https://www.continuumestate.com/

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?3975575 

Hall Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon  2018

We also opened this Hall Napa Valley Cabernet from the same vintage. We’ve visited the Hall Rutherford estate vineyard and winery on numerous trips to Napa Valley, one in 2017, and previously back in 2013, and hold an extensive collection of their wines spanning more than two decades.  

Winemaker Notes - “Hall 2018 Napa Valley Cabernet is deep ruby in the glass, and displays effusive aromas of crème de cassis, dark plum, anise, and dried herbs. The palate is lush and layered with fine-grained tannins supporting flavors of dark berry, cocoa, and a hint of freshly turned earth. The long and supple finish showcases the impeccable growing season that allowed us to coax the very best from each of our unique vineyard sites.”

This was rated 93 points by Wine Spectator.

Dark garnet colored medium to full bodied, dense concentrated black berry and plum fruits with notes of cassis, dark licorice, tobacco leaf, black tea, black olive and pain grille’ with smooth polished tannins on the finish.

RM 92 points. 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/3883343

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2013/04/hall-napa-valley-rutherford-estate.html

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/08/hall-rutherford-winery-estate.html

Memorable wines for Christmas Eve Celebration Dinner

Memorable wines for Christmas Eve Celebration Dinner 

We hosted son Alec and his family for Christmas Eve celebration dinner. Linda prepared prime rib of beef with mashed potatoes, broccoli & rice casserole with crescent rolls and gravy. 

I pulled from the cellar a couple of wines that have special memorable significance for all of us. We visited and toured each of the Chateaux and tasted their wines, including these, during our Rhône Provence Chateauneuf du Pape Wine Experience back in 2019, as featured in these blogposts:. A visit to Château La Nerthe and Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe. Châteauneuf-du-Pape. We hold in our cellar more than a decade of vintages of these producers’ labels.

For a mini-horizontal tasting, both wines were from the same 2016 vintage for a comparison tasting of two wines from the same region, appellation, type and of course, vintage.

Chateau La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2016

As mentioned above, we have visited this Châteauneuf-du-Pape producer a couple times over the years including with Alec and Vivianna back in 2019. 

This classic Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a blend of 37% Grenache, 29% Syrah, 25% Mourvèdre, and the remaining 7% Cinsault, and other permitted varieties, in accordance with Appellation regulations (ie. 70% of the blend must be GSM (Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Syrah), and there are thirteen different sanctioned varietals). It was aged in a twenty percent new oak.

Winemaker Notes - “The dark, deep, inky color of the wine shows immediately the concentration of the vintage. Nose of blackcurrants, black tea and dried flowers definitely stands out. The mouth is rich, fruity and velvety with an incredibly layered tannin structure. The wine is balanced, pure, really intense and long with incredible ageing potential.”

This was rated 94 points by Jeb Dunnuck, 93 points by James Suckling and Wine Spectator, 92 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Wine Enthusiast.

James Suckling in his 93 point review said of this vintage release, “It's one of the finest classical cuvées I can remember.”

Dark garnet, rust colored, medium full bodied, earthy black currant, plum and black cherry fruits with notes of herbs, spices, black tea and cassis, pain grille and hint of vanilla with moderate tannins on the finish. 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/2857447

Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2016

Our visit to the Vieux Télégraphe estate and meeting owner/winemaker Daniel Brunier (left) was a highlight of our Rhone Valley Wine Experience in 2019.

Our week of wine tours began with our visit to the historic Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Our visit to the estate hosted by proprietor Daniel Brunier was one of the highlights of our week. 

We've been fans of Vieux Télégraphe since the eighties and our visit there was a highlight of our trip to the appellation back in 1998 as well. We hold a dozen vintages of this wine spanning three decades. Back in 2020, I wrote about this vintage release, This is the best Vieux Télégraphe I recall ever experiencing. 

Joe Czerwinsk of The Wine Advocatewrites that the 2016 La Crau is undoubtedly one of the top vintages of this wine and rated it 96 points; Vinous gave it 93-95 points.

We've been fans of Vieux Télégraphe since the eighties and our visit there was a highlight of our trip to the appellation back in 1998 as well. We hold a dozen vintages of this wine spanning three decades. Back in 2020, I wrote about this vintage release, This is the best Vieux Télégraphe I recall ever experiencing. 

This was a perfect pairing with our prime rib of beef and is one of our favorite labels from the region and a go-to wine for such occasions. We also hold several other labels from Vieux Télégraphe including Piedlong CDP and Domaine les Pallières Gigondas Les Racines that we discovered during our tasting at the estate. 

Consistent with earlier tastings, this was bright garnet colored, medium bodied, nicely integrated and well balanced, polished bright expressive fruits of black raspberries and black cherries with hints of cranberry and pomegranate accented by notes of anise, Chambord and spice, turning to velvety tannins on the lingering finish. 

RM 95 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2796580

http://www.vieux-telegraphe.fr/en

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/08/domaine-du-vieux-telegraphe-chateauneuf.html

Other producer labels tasted …

Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Télégramme 2015

Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Télégramme 2017

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?2796580

Festive wine for Christmas Social Gathering

Festive wine for Christmas Social Holiday Gathering 

We hosted our church ERT (Emergency Response Team) for a Christmas Holiday Social gathering. Linda prepared a buffet of ham, Swedish meatballs, BBQ Ribs and platters of artisan cheeses and a large selection of Christmas cookies. 

As is customary, Linda had our house decorated for the holidays …

Many folks brought Christmas cookies and boxed candies and nuts, and Pat P brought his wife’s (https://karenthebaker.com/) incredible, fabulous cheesecake, which was wonderfully paired with the Ice Wine. 

For the occasion I opened a medley of wines, each a response to a query or request upon touring our wine cellar. 

There’s always room, and an audience for Champagne! 

G. H. Mumm Grand Cordon Brut Rose’ NV

We visited the G.H. Mumm estate vineyards during our tour of Champagne with son Alec back in 2006.

This comes packaged in a festive holiday bottle with a red ribbon sachet molded in the clear glass bottle with gold painted markings that shows the natural rust orange pink color of the contents.

Winemaker Notes - “G.H. Mumm Grand Cordon Rosé celebrates the bold power of Pinot Noir (60%), the signature grape of Maison Mumm. Chardonnay (22%) is added to the blend to enhance the floral aspects of the wine, and Pinot Meunier (18%) brings a softness and round, ripe fruit character. During the blending process, the Cellar Master adds 14% still red wine from our prestigious vineyard sites to create the beautiful rosé color. The wine is aged for a minimum of 24 months before disgorgement.

Blend: 22% Chardonnay, 60% Pinot Noir, 18% Pinot Meunier

This was rated 92 points by James Suckling and 91Wine Spectator.

The (14%) still red wine added to the blend to highlight the color, mutes the effervescence somewhat, this release having a bit less than customary.  

Rust orange pink colored, medium bodied, bright sprites of dusty rose petals highlights red berry and citrus fruits with notes of grilled nuts and toasted brioche, with orange peel, briny oyster shell and saline notes o a tangy zesty acidic finish. 

RM 88 Points. 

Wine Spectator described it this way; “A bright, mineral-driven rosé Champagne in an aperitif style, with a fine, airy mousse and a delicate mesh of wild strawberry, mandarin orange peel, toast point, and ground ginger and cardamom spices.” 

During a tour of our wine cellar, the conversation turned to Bordeaux varietal red wine, large format magnums and Ice Wine, which set the stage for the following bottles. 

Folks were intrigued by the whole concept of Ice Wine and were eager to try it so I pulled from the cellar this authentic Riesling Ice Wine from the Niagara escarpment. 

Stratus Niagara Peninsula Riesling IceWine 2008

We discovered this producer and tasted and acquired this wine during our tour of the Niagara Peninsula Escarpment Wine Region back in 2012. 

The Stratus estate winery and surrounding vineyards is located just south of the historic town of Niagara-on-the-lake, north of Niagara Falls on the Niagara Peninsula Escarpment that separates Lake Ontario to the north and Lake Erie and Buffalo, NY to the south. 

Their 55-acre farm, set in the Niagara Lakeshore appellation of Niagara-on-the-Lake, just three km from the Lake Ontario lakeshore, is planted to 16 grape varieties. This breadth, allows them to produce a  diverse portfolio of red and white wines including several small-lot single varietal bottlings and this special production Ice Wine. 

The Stratus Niagara Peninsula Riesling Icewine 2008 is a highly-rated, sweet dessert wine, great for  pairing with fruit desserts or enjoyed standalone as an apertif.. 

Well known Canadian Wine Reviewer Natalie MacLean rated this release 94 points. 

Golden honey colored, full bodied, rich unctuous, viscous, complex, sweet tropical peach, honeysuckle, apple, citrus and stone fruits with notes of drizzled honey and cinnamon spice with vibrant acidity on the finish.

RM 92 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1392908

https://stratuswines.com/

Some of our guests requested a Bordeaux varietal red wine so I opened a Cabernet from Columbia Valley Washington State. Seeking a wine in the ‘Goldilocks’ zone, not too old, not too young, I pulled a 2004 vintage release in large format magnum. I happened to have both standard 750 and 1.5 liter bottles of this release. Large format bottles generally age more gracefully, so the magnum would be more likely to be in that optimal drinking window. 

Woodward Canyon Artist Series Cabernet Ssauvignon 2004

This is from the family owned and operated Woodward Canyon, founded in 1981 by Rick and Darcey Smith, and now joined by their children, Jordan and Sager. The Smith family has five generations of farming and family farm ownership in the Walla Walla Valley.

The winery was named for the canyon where Rick's family farmed for multiple generations and where the Woodward Canyon Estate Vineyard is now located. Woodward Canyon was the second winery in the Walla Walla Valley. Rick was President of the Walla Walla Valley Wine Growers Association, the precursor to the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance, when the growers petitioned and received federal approval for the Walla Walla Valley Appellation (AVA) in 1984. 

Rick planted the first of thirty-five acres of the Woodward Canyon Estate Vineyard in 1977 on the family dryland wheat ranch. The hillside vineyard now includes Cabernet Ssauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah. 

In addition to estate grown grapes, the winery purchases grapes from select growers and is a partner in Champoux Vineyard which lies above the Columbia River in the Horse Heaven Hills appellation. 

Rick is partnered with wife Darcey who took the position of General Manager at Woodward Canyon in 2000. They are joined by daughter Jordan and son Sager, who are co-owners and serve as General Manager and Vineyard Manager respectively. Born and raised in Walla Walla, they grew up in the wine industry running around the dusty hills of the Woodward Canyon Estate Vineyard.

After graduating from Lewis & Clark College in 2006, Jordan returned to Walla Walla to start a career in the wine industry, working in many different capacities from managing sales at Tertulia Cellars to running the lab at Long Shadows Vintners. She joined the Woodward team in 2013 and worked in Consumer Sales in 2018 before taking on the role of General Manager in 2021. 

Sager attended culinary school in Seattle at the Art Institute and spent ten years working as a line cook in numerous French restaurants such as Rovers, Luc, and Cafe Presse, where he developed an appreciation of the synergies of food and wine. He returned to Walla Walla, and served as Woodward Canyon's resident chef while studying in the Walla Walla Community College Enology and Viticulture program. After graduation he manages viticulture on the Woodward Canyon estate vineyard and aids in producing small-lot wines with his father Rick.

In addition to fruit sourced on their 35-acre Estate Vineyard, they source fruit from some of the most-established Washington State growers including Champoux, Klipsun, Sagemoor and Tapteil vineyards.

The Woodward Canyon Estate Vineyard is the western most vineyard in Walla Walla Valley AVA, roughly 15 miles west of Walla Walla, Washington. The Vineyard lies within a 320 acre farmstead containing 35 vineyard acres planted and several more acres of green belts that support native species such as western juniper, ponderosa pine, western sagebrush, arrowleaf, balsamroot, and perennial wildflowers. 

We visited Woodward Canyon Winery when toured the area during our Walla Walla AVA Wine Experience in 2018.

Woodward Canyon produce a portfolio of premium, age-worthy cabernet sauvignons, Bordeaux-style blends and merlots as well as chardonnays. They have always focused on quality taking precedence over quality. 

This particular label is from the Woodward Canyon Artist Series that began in 1992. In addition to serving as their flagship wine, the intent of the special program label is to showcase the finest cabernet sauvignon in Washington State. The vineyards used in the Artist Series are among the oldest and most highly regarded in the state with typical vine age around 35 years old. Each year the special label features a work or art from a different West Coast artist. This 2004 release features artwork of Todd Telander, depicting the resident red-tailed hawk that hangs out behind the winery.

Wine pundit Dr. Owen Bargreen, Rick Small and Woodward Canyon Winemaker, Kevin Mott conducted a a comprehensive vertical tasting of the Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon lineup starting with the 1992 vintage which featured HERE the vintage notes and reviews. 

https://www.woodwardcanyon.com/assets/client/File/Artist%20Series.pdf

This 2004 Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon was produced from grapes grown at Champoux, Klipsun, Sagemoor, Tapteil, and Woodward Canyon Estate, five if the most highly regarded vineyard properties in Washington State. Woodward Canyon combines them in this blend to produce an extraordinary wine. 

Winemaker notes - “This wine has a beautiful nose of spicy oak and cedar integrated with ripe black fruits and cherry. A firm rich mouth feel begins with cassis and black berry leading towards chocolate and mocha. The finish is generous and long, yet there is still restraint. While this wine can be enjoyed now it will definitely benefit from additional cellaring and, with proper storage, should develop for ten years or more.”

This release was rated 93 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and 91 points by Wine Enthusiast.

At twenty-one years the label and foil, and most importantly, the fill level and cork were pristine. This met my highest expectations with its elegance and complexity, still near the apex of its taste profile, but not likely to improve any further with aging. 

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, complex, concentrated yet elegant, finely balanced and polished black berry and cherry fruits accented with notes of spicy oak, cedar, cassis and tobacco leaf with hints of mocha chocolate. 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?296725

https://www.woodwardcanyon.com/

https://x.com/WoodwardCanyon

BV Tapestry 2001 With Artisan Cheese

BV Tapestry 2001 With Artisan Cheese

For some casual sipping with some artisan cheeses, I pulled from the cellar this vintage aged Napa Valley Bordeaux Blend from a historic iconic producer. 

Beaulieu Vineyards Napa Valley Tapestry Reserve 2001

This iconic label Tapestry Reserve is from the iconic historic Napa Valley producer Beaulieu Vineyards, that dates back to 1900. French founder Georges de Latour initially bought a small, four-acre property in the town of Rutherford as a surprise for his wife. The land eventually became the foundation for Beaulieu Vineyards. The producer survived Prohibition by having one of a handful of contracts to supply churches with sacramental wine. After Prohibition the winery grew and continued to thrive, experimenting with varietals, blends and aging. Under the direction of the legendary André Tchelistcheff, the winery became one of California's preeminent producers.

Tchelistcheff, trained as a wine master in France, shaped the character of BV’s wines during the 1950s and 1960s. Today the winery is famous the breadth and depth of its portfolio, anchored by its flagship, BV Georges de Latour Private Reserve, but also includes, besides Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel.

The landmark Beaulieu Vineyards estate winery sits prominently on Napa Valley Highway 29 in Rutherford. It has grown to one of the pre-eminent Napa Valley producers, through acquisition of vineyards in other parts of Napa Valley, the winery owns 1,029 acres and produces a total of 750,000 bottles a year.

I’ve written about Beaulieu Vineyards and the Tapestry Reserve label often in these pages, notably in this more detailed feature back in 2023 - BV Tapestry with Beef bourguignon.

We hold nearly two  dozen vintages of this popular label going back to a few remaining bottles of a full case acquired from the highly acclaimed 1997 vintage. Interesting that that vintage was uniquely packaged in a premium heavier, slightly larger bottle than all the others. It consistently offers sophisticated drinking for a high QPR - Quality Price Ratio, often rivaling the much more expensive flagship label. We strive to keep this label in stock, replenishing consumed bottles with current vintage releases for reliable, quality, sophisticated wine to pair with grilled beefsteak, or enjoyable sipping such as this.  

This label dates back to its inaugural release in 1990, Tapestry Reserve is a tribute to the producer’s French heritage and the classic world renowned Bordeaux blends and Clarets. It is sourced from a selection of specific vineyard blocks of top-quality grapes that give Tapestry “the combined attributes of terroir expression and a round, approachable tannin structure”.

About half of the Cabernet Sauvignon comes from the western benchland of the Rutherford American Viticultural Area (AVA), and the balance from the Calistoga, Howell Mountain and St Helena AVAs. 

It also contains in the traditional Bordeaux Blend, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec, all sourced exclusively from BV estate vineyards in Calistoga, Knights Valley, Rutherford and Yountville. Also, Cabernet Franc, added to lend complexity, depth and “intrigue”, comes from Howell Mountain.

At twenty-four years, this label, foil, and most importantly the cork and fill level were still pristine. I selected this older vintage as part of cellar inventory management, drinking an older vintage before it wanes from diminution of aging past its prime drinking window. It was a pleasant surprise that this turned out to be a Goldilocks bottle, not too young, not too old, still at the apex of its drinking window/profile. 

We already had opened a couple artisan cheeses from earlier in the week which were a nice pairing with crackers and the wine. Especially good pairing was the Murray’s Jarlsberg. 

Beaulieu Vineyard "Tapestry Reserve" Napa Valley Bordeaux Blend 2001 

This release was rated 92 points by Wine Enthusiast back in 2004.

Winemaker Joel Aiken said, “A lovely wine, one that is more accessible than Private Reserve, but the tannins suggest ageability.” 

Winemaker Notes - “Dark ruby in color, the Tapestry's aromas evoke scents of black cherry, herbs, vanilla-oak and some black pepper. Medium-full bodied, the wine's fruit flavors are at the forefront; cherry and blackcurrant, followed by nuances of licorice, dark chocolate and peppercorn. Fleshy yet backed by firm, ripe tannins, the finish shows some torrefaction notes from the oak now, but should evolve gracefully with 4-7 years in the bottle.”

Dark garnet colored, medium-full-bodied, complex and nicely integrated, smooth, polished, elegant, black currant fruits are highlighted by notes of mocha chocolate, black tea, coffee and herbs with hints of licorice, with soft silky tannins on the graceful finish for very pleasant drinking. This exceeded my expectations. Wish I had more of this, Would be fabulous with a grilled beefsteak! 

RM 92 points. 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/191504

https://www.bvwines.com/

Big Red Wines for Christmas & Birthday Celebration

Big Red Wines for Christmas Lights Tour and Birthday Celebration Gathering 

Alec and Vivianna hosted a gala second birthday celebration for daughter/grand-daughter Millie, that included for the second year, a bus tour of neighborhood Christmas holiday decoration light displays. 

Highlights of the Napeville Christmas Lights tour including the “Believe” house and the Taylor Swift Tribute display. 

The gathering provided an opportunity to share a broad selection of festive food and wines. 

Alec served a flight of whites and reds ….

Alec served a favorite label, Venge Vineyards Scout’s Honor from a large format magnum, paired with another Venge, Stagecoach Vineyard Shiraz, that I brought from our home cellar. 

We have fun with the Venge branded portfolio of wines with their prominent “V” on the label, in regards to daughter-in-law Vivianna! 

Venge Vineyards Napa Valley Scout’s Honor Red Blend 2018

This is a mainstay of our cellar that we keep on hand for such occasions. We have a half dozen vintages of this label in our cellar, drinking and cycling the oldest, replacing it as we go with the latest current release. This is the latest, most current release in which they introduced the new branding of a painted wine bottle as opposed to the more traditional and modest glued paper label. This was our first tasting of this vintage release that just appeared in distribution in Chicagoland in recent weeks and is slated for general distribution this winter. 

This wine is based on a tradition of producing a full bodied, robust, fruit filled red wine based on old-vine Zinfandel and blended with dry-farmed Petite Sirah, old-vine Charbono, and finished with mountain vineyard Syrah. 

The result is an unpretentious, generous mouthful of red wine that we recommend be opened and enjoyed immediately upon release.

This is unique Red Blend is always a crowd pleaser! 

The blend for this release is 63% Zinfandel, 16% Charbono, 12% Petite Sirah, and 9% Syrah; aged in 50% new American Oak and the balance in once-used tight grained French Oak for 14 Months.

Grapes were farmed and harvested from four single vineyards in Napa Valley. The Zinfandel was picked from two, old-vine (60 to 100+ years old), dry-farmed vineyard sources: Venge’s newly acquired “Signal Fire Vineyard” estate, and the Frediani Vineyard—both located in the heart of Calistoga. The Charbono is from old, dry-farmed vines (60 to 100+ years old) also planted in the Frediani Vineyard. Robbie Mondavi’s Oso Vineyard located on Howell Mountain supplies the Petite Sirah; the Syrah from  Napa’s finest, from Stagecoach Vineyard, high in the mountains of the Atlas Peak AVA.

The Winemaker notes sum it up perfectly: "The result is an unpretentious, generous mouthful of red wine that we recommend be opened and enjoyed immediately upon release.' 

"This vintage has a gorgeous, concentrated assemblage of violets, anise, honeysuckle, blue herbs, and a touch of vanillin. The palate is pure richness with loads black fruits and currants, pepper spice, and an enveloping masculinity of char and tannins from the Syrah, Charbono and Petite Sirah. A seamless balance and mouth coating deliciousness lead to a wine that is quite pleasing to the senses. Cellared correctly it will age for 5 to 8 years."

Everyone loved this wine, especially with the tangy BBQ ribs. 

RM 92 points.  

https://www.vengevineyards.com/ 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?3525137

I took from our home cellar another Venge “V” wine - a favorite label that we all enjoyed together last month as part of another family celebration that was featured in this blogpost, Venge Stagecoach Vineyard Lot 1-4 Shiraz, which is excerpted here.

Venge Napa Valley Stagecoach Vineyard Lot 1-4 Shiraz 2015

As we did when we visited our newest grand-daughter, Ryleigh, home from the hospital/delivery, and took from our cellar this big bold ‘sipping’ wine to enjoy with artisan cheeses, for the occasion. Shown below, proud grand-mothers and the new grand-baby.

We took one of our Venge Vineyards wines, with their signature “V” branding, that we have fun with daughter-in-law Viviana, now able to drink again after her maternity abstention. 

Venge Vineyards up in Calistoga, Napa Valley, is owned by Kirk Venge, son of legendary Nils Venge, whose family emigrated from Denmark four generations ago. Originally in wine and spirits importing, the family became winemakers in the 1960s, when Nils studied viticulture at the University of California at Davis. By the 1970s Nils was producing wine in the Oakville district of Napa Valley. He started Saddleback Cellars and became one of the valley’s leading winemakers. 

We visited Nils at Saddleback and at other wineries, several times during the nineties. One of our more memorable days, featured in this blogpost, Visit to Venge Vineyards and Nils Venge, we toured Saddleback, then lunched together at Tre Vigne in St Helena, then we drove up to Calistoga to meet Kirk at the new Rossini Ranch location where they were digging wine caves. 

The old Rossini Winery in Bell Canyon, had a historic stone building that dated back to 1891. The Venge’s purchased this property in the mid 1990s and completely restored this old ‘ghost’ winery which had sat vacant from prohibition until their purchase. 

They produced their wines there until they sold the winery in 2008 to the Foley Wine Group, (although they kept the rights to the Venge brand and name). Nils sold that property to vintner William Foley and it is now home to Merus Vineyards. 

After selling the Rossini property, Kirk acquired their Calistoga property including the Bone Ash Vineyards, as well as taking over the Venge Vineyards brand from Nils. They built a new winery that was completed two years later. In the fall of 2020, the winery survived a very close encounter with flames from the Glass Fire burning right onto the property and almost up to the winery itself. 

Venge wines are popular and highly allocated, the most premium labels exclusively to their wine club, appropriately titled “In Venge Veritas” and now is called the Wine Guild; it is limited to 1,000 members and is at capacity, subject to a waiting list. 

We hold numerous Venge labels spanning a dozen vintages, including a few dating back to the early days when Nil’s was still principle. We acquired a mixed case of several vintages, from 2013 through 2017, of this limited release label at auction. 

This vineyard and Lot specific designated label is sourced from the notably Stagecoach Vineyard that sits high in the Vaca range on the east side of Nape Valley, high above Oakville and St Helena, about eight miles up Soda Canyon Road sitting about 1,800 feet above the valley floor. This was considered some of the last frontier of the Napa Valley – a wilder, more rugged country, fragrant with wild herbs and dotted with rare native plants.

The Stagecoach site rugged terrain first made history when gentleman bandit Charles Earl Bowles, known as Black Bart, robbed the daily stagecoach that travelled over the hill from St. Helena to Monticello. The hills were planted to vinis vinifera (wine grape vines) by early German settlers in the late 1800’s. They were abandoned during Prohibition and the remote ground lay fallow until 1995 when Dr. Jan Krupp purchased the 1,100+ acres that stretches from the southern edge of Pritchard Hill overlooking Oakville to the westernmost regions of the Atlas Peak Appellation. 

Today, nearly 600 acres of the vast site are planted to various varieties, most notably stagecoach is Cabernet-focused however Syrah is planted in the highest elevations. Venge has a long-term contract on the I-4 Block, that sits on the highest peak of the vineyard, adjacent Pritchard Hill. It is considered one of the most ideal areas for growing mountain Syrah.

The property was acquired in 2016 by the E. & J. Gallo Winery. Today the 600+ acres of Stagecoach vineyard planted to vines, is the largest contiguous vineyard in the Napa Valley. The 1,300+ acres of rocky, volcanic terroir extends from the south-eastern of Pritchard Hill area overlooking Oakville and Yountville to the westernmost regions of the Atlas Peak appellation.

Over 80 Wineries source grapes from Stagecoach Vineyard, with over 30 wineries featuring the Stagecoach name on their labels, and over 25 produce vineyard designated labels specifying the  Stagecoach Vineyard. 

View Regional Map of Stagecoach VIneyard site, from the vineyard owner.

Venge Napa Valley, Atlas Peak, Stagecoach Vineyard “Block I-4” Syrah 2015

We hold a half dozen vintages of the Venge Single Vineyard designated labels. This particular vintage is from the year that the new parents, Alec and Vivianna first met. 

This single vineyard, select block designated label is 100% Syrah from the iconic vineyard high up in the Vaca range near Atlas Peak. 

Winemakers notes for this label - “Goodness, this is pure, volcanic mountain Syrah at its finest! This wine possesses a bold, deep, dark color that opens the door to an array of black fruit aromatics. Cassis, blackberry, warm toasted bread and French Oak vanillin all fill the glass with purpose. While still young and in development, the palate shows superior promise with minerals, tongue swirling acidity, cherry and black plum. The tannins are firm and support the back palate for several moments beyond the initial taste. If cellared correctly, this wine will continue to improve for over a decade. Limited production runs make this single-vineyard Syrah all the more precious”. 

This was produced according to the “Method, Pellenc Destemmed Via Gravity to Open Top Fermenters, 5-Day Whole Berry Cold Soak, Slow Cellar Temp Fermentation Over 19 Days On Skins, 100% Carbonic Native Primary and Secondary Fermentation, Free Run and Press Fractions Combined to Build Structure and Durability”.

This was aged in 100% French Oak, 60% New Francois Frères, then bottled Unfiltered

Typical annual production for this label is about 400 Cases

Various releases of this label were rated 95 points by The Wine Independent and 94 points by Jeb Dunnuck, 93 from The Wine Enthusiast and 92 from Wine Spectator. Wine Advocate gave the 2011 release 96 points, while the 2010 got 94 points from The Wine Enthusiast.

This was dark inky purple colored, full bodied, rich, dense concentrated, super sweet ripe black berry and plum and blue fruits, with notes of cassis, bacon fat, clove spice, cigar box and tobacco leaf on the full round tannin lingering finish. 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?3223878

https://www.stagecoachvineyard.com/map/index.php

https://x.com/vengevineyards   @VengeVineyards

View Regional Map of Stagecoach VIneyard site, from the vineyard owner.