David Arthur Chardonnay Redoux at Captain Dave’s Seafood, Destin
Traveling on to The Cove, our Destin, FL vacation rental home, we were joined by fellow Pour Boy, (our wine group), Bill C, and Beth who came over from Charleston. We dined at one of our favorite local eateries that we seek to frequent when in town, Captain Dave’s. Situated on the beach front at the Destin/Miramar Beach, Okaloosa/Walton city/county line, a short walk from our home.
Captain Dave’s On The Gulf is the oldest seafood restaurant in Destin, (FL), family owned and operated since 1968. It offers beach front views from the spacious high ceiling dining room overlooking the gulf.
They feature the usual appetizers, soups, salads and sides. Their speciality is American seafood cuisine infused with a ‘contemporary Gulf Coast twist’. - the local fresh catch seafood dishes - Flounder, Grouper, Mahi Mahi, Snapper and Refish as well as shrimp, lobster and salmon as well as steaks and chicken dishes.
A highlight is “Captain Dave’s Faves”, signature dishes artfully prepared with imaginative preparations featuring their signature homemade sauces such as their Parmesan Italian Cream Sauce. Our server, Dee, provided prompt attentive gracious and friendly service.
DAVE’S FAVES
DAVE’S FAVES
CAJUN REDFISH - BROILED BLACKENED REDFISH TOPPED WITH FRIED BABY SHRIMP, DICED BELL PEPPERS AND A CAYENNE PEPPER LOBSTER SAUCEGROUPER & GRIT CAKE - CHARGRILLED BLACKENED GROUPER OVER SEASONED TURNIP GREENS AND FRIED SMOKED GOUDA GRIT CAKESGROUPER PONTCHARTRAIN - BROILED GROUPER TOPPED WITH A WHOLE SOFT-SHELL CRAB, SWEET BASIL BEARNAISE SAUCEMAHI PARMESAN - MAHI BROILED IN A HOMEMADE PARMESAN ITALIAN CREAM SAUCE TOPPED WITH PARMESAN CHEESE
From Dave’s Favs menu, Bill and Beth both ordered …
STUFFED SHRIMP PARMESAN - SHRIMP WITH CRABMEAT STUFFING BROILED IN HOMEMADE PARMESAN ITALIAN CREAM SAUCE TOPPED WITH BABY SHRIMP AND PARMESAN CHEESE
Linda ordered from the starter menu the Coconut Shrimp as her entree.
Coconut Shrimp - Lightly sautéed and dusted with coconut with Dave’s homemade orange marmalade dipping sauce
Coconut Shrimp - Lightly sautéed and dusted with coconut with Dave’s homemade orange marmalade dipping sauce
I ordered my regular favorite Grouper in the Parmesan Italian Cream sauce. This is featured on the menu as the Mahi Parmesan but I substituted Grouper in place of the Mahi Mahi, Grouper broiled in Captain Dave’s homemade Parmesan Italian Cream sauce topped with Parmesan cheese - a plate size filet of Grouper basking in an incredibly delicious Parmesan butter cream sauce with shallots and scallions.
We took BYOB another vintage of this Napa Chardonnay from our our favorite producers.
David Arthur Napa Valley Chardonnay 2022
This extends a mini-vertical (tasting multiple vintages of the same label) that began with the 2018, then the 2021 vintages, featured in these blogposts … David Arthur Chardonnay at Vintij Grand Blvd, and Seafood and David Arthur Chardonnay BYOB at Waterway Cafe in Palm Beach Gardens.
I wrote about this label and producer in earlier blogposts … excerpted here …
A highlight and targeted visit of our Napa Wine Experience 2013 was our visit to David ArthurNapa Valley Estate Vineyards and Winery. I wrote about that day in this blogpost - David Arthur Napa Valley Estate Vineyards and Winery.
As written in earlier posts, we've been collecting and enjoying David Arthur wines since the late nineties since the 1997 vintage but have been pacing our consumption as we watch this wine age and achieve its true potential. The property is situated up at the end of Long Ranch Road up atop Pritchard Hill in the Vaca Mountain range. The drive up offers some spectacular vineyard views and vistas of the Napa Valley below. The adjoining vineyards represent some of the premier producers of Napa Valley wines - Brand, Bryant, Colgin, Continuum, Montagna, the new Del Dotto property Villa Del Lago, and Ovid. Not (yet) designated an appellation, never-the-less, it is fast becoming one of the premiere wine growing areas of Napa Valley.
David Arthur wines represent the unique terroir of the mountain with its rough rocky terrain. They have 21 acres on their Pritchard Hill estate (left) planted in the Bordeaux varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petite Verdot, as well as Sangiovese and Nebbiolo which go into their unique Meritaggio.
We first discovered this wine when we purchased a case back of the 1997 vintage release and still hold about half of those bottles, but we quickly turned and became fans of their Cabernet Sauvignon and their flagship wine Elevation 1147, creatively names for the vineyard site situated 1200 feet above the valley floor. All are crafted 100% from estate grown grapes. This visit offered us the opportunity to experience (and acquire) their latest vintage releases as well as their new Three Acre and Old Vines labels Estate bottled Cabernet Sauvignons and a new release bottling of David Arthur Napa Valley Cabernet Franc.
David Arthur, named for the grandfather of the owner/producer, is a family affair consisting of three generations of the Long family, who over the years acquired the mountain land to raise cattle. Today it is operated by brothers David and Bob along with Joye Long, all are co-owners, with David acting as General Manager and his daughter Laura running the office and daily operations.
A point of interest and fun part of this trip was the fact that Linda (nee) Long and Pat (nee) Long, daughters of Indiana farmer Ned Long were with us. Wife Linda and I were joined on this Napa trip by sister/sister-in-law Pat (Long), so it's only fitting we saved our David Arthur visit and this Long reunion for this trip together.
Adding to the Long legend and heritage on Pritchard Hill, adjacent to the David Arthur vineyards are Long Family Vineyards owned by Napa Valley legends Bob and Zelma Long, who gained notoriety in the 70s as chief enologist at Robert Mondavi Winery. Divorced from Bob, today, Zelma and husband Phillip produce wines in Germany and South Africa under their Zelphi label..
David Arthur Napa Valley Chardonnay 2022
Like the 2019 and 2021 vintages of this label from that recent tasting, the grapes for this vibrant and expressive wine are grown in the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley at the southern end of the valley floor. The close proximity to San Pablo Bay provides a cooler climate for which these vines thrive. Morning fog and cool off-shore breezes allow the fruit extended hang time resulting in lower sugars and higher acidity.
Winemaker Notes - “A golden straw color with tints of green offers aromas of ripe Bartlett pear and Fuji apple. There is a freshness to the fruit as well as notes of lemon rind, pineapple and white fig. The oak spice is subtle with vanilla bean crème brulee notes. The palate is broad and expansive yet a mineral acidity balances the texture while flavors of white peach, green apple skin and kiwi carry the length of the palate.”
As written in earlier posts, we've been collecting and enjoying David Arthur wines since the late nineties since the 1997 vintage but have been pacing our consumption as we watch this wine age and achieve its true potential. The property is situated up at the end of Long Ranch Road up atop Pritchard Hill in the Vaca Mountain range. The drive up offers some spectacular vineyard views and vistas of the Napa Valley below. The adjoining vineyards represent some of the premier producers of Napa Valley wines - Brand, Bryant, Colgin, Continuum, Montagna, the new Del Dotto property Villa Del Lago, and Ovid. Not (yet) designated an appellation, never-the-less, it is fast becoming one of the premiere wine growing areas of Napa Valley.
David Arthur wines represent the unique terroir of the mountain with its rough rocky terrain. They have 21 acres on their Pritchard Hill estate (left) planted in the Bordeaux varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petite Verdot, as well as Sangiovese and Nebbiolo which go into their unique Meritaggio.
We first discovered this wine when we purchased a case back of the 1997 vintage release and still hold about half of those bottles, but we quickly turned and became fans of their Cabernet Sauvignon and their flagship wine Elevation 1147, creatively names for the vineyard site situated 1200 feet above the valley floor. All are crafted 100% from estate grown grapes. This visit offered us the opportunity to experience (and acquire) their latest vintage releases as well as their new Three Acre and Old Vines labels Estate bottled Cabernet Sauvignons and a new release bottling of David Arthur Napa Valley Cabernet Franc.
David Arthur, named for the grandfather of the owner/producer, is a family affair consisting of three generations of the Long family, who over the years acquired the mountain land to raise cattle. Today it is operated by brothers David and Bob along with Joye Long, all are co-owners, with David acting as General Manager and his daughter Laura running the office and daily operations.
A point of interest and fun part of this trip was the fact that Linda (nee) Long and Pat (nee) Long, daughters of Indiana farmer Ned Long were with us. Wife Linda and I were joined on this Napa trip by sister/sister-in-law Pat (Long), so it's only fitting we saved our David Arthur visit and this Long reunion for this trip together.
Adding to the Long legend and heritage on Pritchard Hill, adjacent to the David Arthur vineyards are Long Family Vineyards owned by Napa Valley legends Bob and Zelma Long, who gained notoriety in the 70s as chief enologist at Robert Mondavi Winery. Divorced from Bob, today, Zelma and husband Phillip produce wines in Germany and South Africa under their Zelphi label..
David Arthur Napa Valley Chardonnay 2022
Like the 2019 and 2021 vintages of this label from that recent tasting, the grapes for this vibrant and expressive wine are grown in the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley at the southern end of the valley floor. The close proximity to San Pablo Bay provides a cooler climate for which these vines thrive. Morning fog and cool off-shore breezes allow the fruit extended hang time resulting in lower sugars and higher acidity.
Winemaker Notes - “A golden straw color with tints of green offers aromas of ripe Bartlett pear and Fuji apple. There is a freshness to the fruit as well as notes of lemon rind, pineapple and white fig. The oak spice is subtle with vanilla bean crème brulee notes. The palate is broad and expansive yet a mineral acidity balances the texture while flavors of white peach, green apple skin and kiwi carry the length of the palate.”
This release was rated 93 points by Vinous.
The 2022 spent 17 months in French oak, about 40% new.
Similar to other vintages, a bit more polished and balanced … golden colored, full-boded, rich round, creamy textured and balanced, notes of apple, pear and accents of almond and hints of caramel and whisper of butterscotch with a long expressive finish.
RM 93 points.
