Cabs Bistro BYOB Wine & Dine Experience

Cabs Bistro BYOB Wine & Dine Experience

We revisited Cab's Bistro and Wine Bar in tony Glen Ellyn, Illinois, for a wine and dine experience. Ownership has changed since the early founding days when the two Dave's combined their wineshop with the adjoining wine bar and bistro. The wineshop is gone, as is the extensive and imaginative award winning winelist, but a new manifestation of Cabs Bistro and Winebar remains, downtown on Main Street just south of the commuter rail-stop.

Looking forward to a wine and dine experience, we took advantage of the BYOB policy and brought a couple of quality sippers. Bill brought from his cellar a Chateau Giscours Margaux 1998. I brought a rare special Premiere Napa bottling of Ladera Two Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon 2000.

Opening with the salad course including the Spinach Pear Walnut Salad with sliced pear, blue cheese, walnuts, raspberry white wine vinaigrette, we selected this Sonoma County blend from the winelist. 

Gundlach Bundschu Sonoma County Mountain Cuvee 2011

We met and had an enjoyable visit with producer Jeff Bundschu back in February 2005 in Chicago at the Silicon Valley Bank hosted wine producer wine tasting and networking event held at the One North Wacker restaurant.

We stopped in at the winery and vineyard during following Sonoma Valley visits. We need to schedule a tour and tasting on an upcoming Sonoma trip.  




This cuvee is a complex blend of 45% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Zinfandel, 3% Cabernet Franc, 3% Syrah, 3% Petit Verdot, and 2% Malbec, sourced primarily from the estate (72%), but including fruit from other local sources.

Not the least bit subtle and lacking polish, this begs for pairing with expressive food, cheese or dark chocolate. Beth liked this a lot. This was garnet colored, medium-full bodied, bold, forward black cherry, plum, and blackberry fruit with tones of smoke, black tea and hints of anise and subtle mocha on a tangy finish.

RM 88 points. 


https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1740457

http://www.gunbun.com/


With our entrees Bill & Beth enjoyed the food and wine pairing that matched the Margaux with the daily special beef bourgnogne with garlic mashed. I had the Seared Maple Leaf Farms Raised Breast of Duck with potato melange, red cabbage and grilled asparagus in a delicious sweet red berry wine sauce that paired perfectly with the Ladera.

Linda enjoyed the Scottish Salmon on wild rice, saying it was as good a Salmon entree as any she remembers.

Afterwards we matched both wines with the creme brulee (on a layer of dark chocolate) and the Flourless Dark Chocolate Cake.

Chateau Giscours Margaux 1998

True to its heritage, the Giscours exhibited classic Bordeaux nuances of floral, subtle earth and leather on a core of black berry fruits - dark inky blackish colored, medium bodied, smooth, polished and complex, turning to a lingering tongue coating powder dry soft silky tannin layer that filled the mouth with a berry-floral tone that lingered for minutes on the finish. No signs of diminution in this sixteen year old.

RM 91 points.

Bill's Cellartracker notes - "Dark inky color. Quite surprising for a 16 year old. Only when side by side with a 2000 Napa Cab did the color difference become evident. Typical Margaux floral nose. Earthy and full of minerals but still surprisingly full of blueberry, plum and cassis. Long, lingering, layered finish that slowly reveals layer after layer."

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=30802

Ladera Two Mountains Premiere Napa Valley Lot 64 Cabernet Sauvignon 2000

We've been fans of Ladera since the Montana rancher Stotsmayers took over the classic old stone barn winery and vineyards of Chateau Wolter high up on Howell Mountain back around the Milennium. 

Ladera Winery was one of the highlights of our Napa Valley Howell Mountain Appellation Wine Experience 2008. We then hosted them here during their Chicago visit the next summer.

One of my favorite picturesque Napa Valley screensaver photos is this one of the old winery building set amongst the estate gardens. 

This was a select bottle from a barrel sourced from fruits from Howell Mountain and Mt Veeder that went into a special bottling donated to the Napa Valley Premiere charitable auction by Ladera Vineyards and Winery. The fruit from the 2000 vintage was bottled and auctioned in the 2002 auction, Lot 64.

My wine tasting notes were consistent with earlier posting at http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2013/03/ladera-two-mountains-napa-valley.html.

This wine was dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, bold, expressive and aromatic with full forward flavors of classic Howell Mountain terroir predominating - black cherry, currant, black berry fruits with a layer of spice, and hints of earth and tea on the finely integrated smooth tannin finish.


Like last week, my preference for the bolder brighter Napa Cab style was favored over the more polished, subdued and civil Bordeaux style.


RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=959982

Clark Claudon Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Clark Claudon Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2004


We discovered Tom Clark and Laurie Clark-Claudon shortly after their inaugural release back in the early nineties. We hosted them as a featured wine producer at one our wine dinners back during our Napa Wine Experience 1999. We still hold a vertical collection in our cellar going back to the 1995 vintage. This 2004 release was drinking very nicely a couple years ago, at a young age, somewhat out of character with the normally long lived, slower to emerge, label.

Clark-Claudon typifies the Howell Mountain terroir of its heritage and origins. Their vineyard sits back on the north east side a bit more than half way up Howell Mountain between 800 ft and 1,000 ft elevation. They have 18 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and a bit of Petit Verdot vines, 'carved out', as they say, of their 117 acre hillside property.

The shallow, rocky, mountain soils, consistent sun exposure tempered by the cool evening breezes just about level with the fog line hovering over the valley below provide ideal conditions to produce intense extracted mountain fruit with that ,characteristic Howell Mountain spice and firm solid core of smooth tannins.

We hold several bottles of this vintage in both standard, half bottles and a few magnums. Tonight, I opened a 375 ml half bottle for casual sipping with a steak dinner. I raise this as it seemed to be less vibrant and expressive than earlier experience with this label. I will attribute that to the bottle size rather than the aging of the vintage. Only time, and further tasting experiences will tell if that is the case.
 
Deep dark purple - full bodied - big mouth-full of forward spicy black and edge of red berry fruits, violets, layers of mocha and oak with a long lingering tannin finish.

RM 91 points.

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

http://www.clarkclaudon.com/

Select California Cab Comparison Tasting

California Select Cabernet Comparison Tasting Showcases Contrasting Styles - Compliments Pot Roast Dinner

For a comparison tasting of three distinctive select California Napa Cabernets, Bill & Beth had me over for a pot roast dinner. I brought a Del Dotto "David" Napa Valley Cabernet based red blend. Bill opened a Quintessa Napa Valley Red 2010, and for a trio comparative tasting, a Cliff Lede Napa Cab 2010. A nice tasting of three select Napa Cabernets representing three different styles, each with a distinctive character and profile.

Del Dotto "The David" Napa Valley Red Wine 2002

Named for proprietor producer David Del Dotto, one could argue that this is the flagship wine of this prolific producer. We acquired this bottle during one of several winery visits during this era. This was an aggressive ambitious offering of a Bordeaux blend with 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, and 19% Cabernet Franc. Four hundred cases were produced.

In it's twelfth year, this was still vibrant and lively but will likely not improve further with age. Dark garnet colored, full bodied and bold, the Rutherford fruit shows through as the expressive full forward black berry and black cherry fruits predominate with accents of cassis, spice box and Mayacamas Cedar tones. That Del Dotto craftmanship of layered oak and hints of mocha are apparent on a long soft, plush, layered fine tannin finish.


RM 92 points. Robert Parker gave this 94 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=74222

http://www.deldottovineyards.com/


Quintessa Napa Valley Red Wine 2010

The 'quint' or five in the name Quintessa reflects both the five hills that make up the diverse estate property in the southeast corner of the Rutherford appellation, as well as the five Bordeaux varietals they grow for this flagship meritage blend wine. The magnificent Quintessa winery along Silverado Trail was one of the first elegant upscale big budget facilities of the modern era which is almost modest by today's standards of opulance. We visited the property back during our Napa Wine Experience 2003. While this is another Rutherford based Bordeaux Blend, it is a contrast in style to the Del Dotto.

The Quintessa estate red blend is very Bordeaux like with its elegant polished finely integrated stylistic blend of the five varietals grown on 170 acres of diverse vineyards in 26 different blocks on the 280 acre Rutherford estate: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carmenere. 

Almost subdued in contrast to the bolder more aggressive Cal Cabs, Quintessa is elegant, polished, a symphony of flavors that take time to unfold in the glass, best revealed with an accompaniment of matched food - perfect with the pot roast and roasted carrots. Dark inky color, medium to full bodied, the black berry fruits are refined revealing layers of fruit, graphite, black currant and tones of soft subtle mocha, sweet oak and muted flora with finesse on the smooth silky tannin finish. This will likely evolve to reveal more sophistication and complexity with some age.

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1339213

 http://www.quintessa.com/

Cliff Lede Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

One of our favorites and mainstays of both Bill's and my cellars, the Cliff Lede Stags Leap property is very near the Quintessa site geographically, but stylistically, the estate Cabernet is more like the Del Dotto David with its bolder, more vibrant forward fruit compared to the Quintessa, but slightly moderate from the more 'over-the-top' Del Dotto. An interesting cross section representing the best of Napa Valley Cabernet.

Bill's notes summed it up well, "Deep indigo color. Complex layered, bright red fruit, sour cherry and raspberry on the palate. Lingering finish with a hint of oak. This is delicious and drinking beautifully right now. Interesting comparison to a 2002 Del Dotto "David". Stylistically very similar profiles. The Lede was almost a lighter "little brother" to the Del Dotto."

Bill gave this 93 points. I gave it 92 as it compared with the other two wines, despite its stylistic difference.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1386511

http://www.cliffledevineyards.com/

Syrah Syrah Extravaganza Barbecue Dinner

Syrah Syrah Extravaganza Barbecue Dinner

For a bar-b-q rib dinner faire, Syrah, Shiraz and Zinfandel were the wine theme for our annual gala (end of) summer dinner on the deck in the city hosted by friends Lyle and Terry on their spectacular, supersized deck with a great view of the Chicago cityscape.

Like last year, the early autumn weather was perfect for the gathering of the 'Pour Boys'  wine group (named such after our wine adventure at the UGC tasting event event last year).  As always, we assembled a fabulous intriguing flight of select wines. Many thanks to Lyle and Terry for their hospitality and a super dinner.

Before dinner featured a flight of white wines with artisan cheeses and Lyle prepared grilled scallops on the deck. The whites included Caymus Conundrum, Cote de Provence, Grigich Fume Blanc and a pair of champagnes. 

Of course this evening was all about big bold reds suitable for bar-b-q. As customary practice dictates, the wines are listed in tasting order - light to heavy, aged to young. One of the highlights of these events is the ritualistic 'line-up' of the flight. This process entails determining the tasting order, first based on alleged style, age, reputation, and knowledge of and experience with the wines. Once the order is established it is validated and tuned or corrected based on a sample tasting of each wine. Remarkably, as is typical, our initial order was right on the mark (as shown in the picture below) with only one correction following the tasting, with the HdV moving from right to left of the Balmoral.

Syrah or Shiraz? Consider them the same ... different monikers for the same grape, genetically related whether it be from France, Australia or California, according to Carol Lagier, winemaker, Syrah specialist and plant geneticist at Syrah producer Lagier-Meredith which we visited during our 2011 Napa Wine Experience. 

The Big Reds Flight - 

Santa Ema Amplus One 2008
Jackson Franklin (Elyse) Petit Sirah
HDV Carneros Syrah
Rosemount Balmoral Syrah 1995
Dead Arm 1995
Dead Arm  2002
Dead Arm 2004
Outpost Zinfandel 2009
Branson Coach House Rare Single Vineyard Syrah 2004
Chateau Tanunda Old Vines Shiraz
Sine Quo Non - The Raven






Santa Ema Carménère Amplus One 2008

This was the only blend in the flight, and the only South American wine, from Chile, an interesting mix of 75% Carmenere, 20% Syrah, and 5% Carignan. Since none of us are versed in such wines, we have no basis for comparison. Then again, this is such a unique blend we have no previous exposure to such a blend. The contribution of Syrah was our only baseline. It would be a good stumper in a blind tasting. I almost would've picked a right bank Bordeaux.  

Credit the Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide with this information on the producer, region and appellation. "In 1931, Pedro Pavone-Voglino acquired a plot of land in Chile’s Maipo Valley and began producing high-quality. Then in 1956, Pedro and his oldest son, Félix Pavone-Arbea, began producing and marketing their own bottled wine. The business continued to grow, and in the late 1960s the company purchased a large amount of land in the Peumo commune located in the Cachapoal province—an area known for red varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Carmenère. Today, Santa Ema exports its wines to more than 30 countries throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. Santa Ema has five lines—Selected Terroir, Rosado Soul, Barrel Select, Reserve and Amplus—as well as two red blends—Catalina and Rivalta. The winery has received numerous awards for its value-driven wines, particularly the Reserve and Amplus series."

This was dark garnet colored, medium to full bodied, nicely balanced, smooth and polished with dark berry and black raspberry fruits offset by moderate tones of soft oak, hints of earth and mocha with modest soft tannins.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1386293

Jacob Franklin Napa Valley Chavez Leeds Vineyard Petit Sirah 2008

We visited this winery on the guidance of Bill Arns during our Napa Valley Wine Experience 2012 with Bill and Beth, when we tasted and Bill acquired this wine during the visit.

Perhaps a point of serendipity, this is the product of Elyse Winery and we maintain a couple of bottles from the label in our cellar for when dining with dear friends Eric and Cathy, in recognition of their daughter Elyse, who has also joins us on occasion. I think however it was coincidence that Bill brought this to the tasting tonight given that Eric and Cathy would be there.

This wine exceeded our expectations which were modest when compared to this flight of comparative labels. It was medium bodied, dark garnet colored, forward blackberry fruit with hints of anise, eather, bit of cedar and black pepper on a moderate dusty tannin finish.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1215967
 
Hyde de Villaine Carneros Syrah 2004

This is the estate label formed from the combination of two legendary wine families, the Hyde family of California and and the de Villaine family of France. The 178 acre Carneros estate has been farmed by Larry Hyde since 1977 when he purchased and developed the property after serving as an apprentice at some of Napa Valley's top wineries. His late father, Richard Sr., an attorney from Woodside, purchased the first piece of land that now makes up Hyde Vineyards in 1979. At that time the Carneros area was undeveloped grasslands at the top of San Pablo Bay extending up to the beginning of the Mayacamas foothills leading to the mountain range that separates Napa and Sonoma Valleys.

Producing some of the most coveted grapes in Napa Valley, Hyde Vineyards has gained distinction sourcing fruit for some of the leading California winemakers including Paul Hobbs, Kistler Vineyards, Kongsgaard Wine, Mia Klein's Selene Wines, Patz & Hall and Ramey Wine Cellars. Most of these producers release single vineyard designated label wines featuring fruit from Hyde Vineyards. These wines are primarily Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and to a lesser degree, Syrah.

I've written in this blog about perhaps the best Shiraz/Syrah that I have ever tasted, from Kongsgaard Wines , which was produced from fruit from the nearby Hudson Vineyard from south-sloping land at the Hudson Ranch near the Bay on the southern Napa Valley side of the Carneros District. This site is also the source for Ramey, Kistler and other notable producers who also get their fruit from the Hyde property. The Hudson property is named after Hyde's mother Virginia Hudson and sits next to the Hyde de Villaine winery.
 In 1999, Aubert de Villaine, codirector of Burgundy's legendary  Domaine de la Romanee-Conti (DRC), who happens to be married to Hyde's cousin Pamela F. de Villaine, partnered with Hyde to form HdV Wines, to brand and produce single vineyard wines from Hyde Vineyard fruit.


Aubert de Villaine is a legend in France's Burgundy region as the proprietor of his own wine, A. & P. de Villaine, and as co-director of DRC, one of the world's most exclusive and sought after wines.

While Larry Hyde manages the vineyards, his older siblings, Richard Jr. and Diana, are also involved in the business along with Diana's son Ryan Bailey, Richard's son Rick and Larry's son Chris.
Larry's other son Peter, 23, makes a proprietary family blend from the property's unsold grapes.

Based on the pedigree of this wine, I had very high expectations and approached it with much anticipation.  I was hoping it would fit the profile and character of Konsgaard Syrah, but it fell short in weight and polish, but this is certainly understandable since it is a fraction of the price.

Medium-full bodied, dark ruby color, black berry and black cherry fruits with hints of cassis, spice box and a bit of  pepper, turning to a funky grassy tone of dried meat on the moderate tannin finish that detracted from the rich fruit flavors. 

RM 89 points. This got 90 points from Wine Enthusiast; 92 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar and 92 points Connoisseurs Guide.

 https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=176312

http://hdvwines.com/


Rosemount Estate Syrah Balmoral 1995 
 
We still hold several cases of this wine in nearly a decade long vertical going back as early as 1992. Its time to drink them up as they're definitely reaching the end of their drinking window. This was showing its age with a somewhat funky leather and damp wood essence that thankfully subsided after an hour or so after decanting, giving way to aromas and flavors of blueberry fruits and eventually turning to its traditional tasting profile. 

Dark full flavor, over ripe berry, raisin, notes of blueberry, plum fruit, with spice and anise. Showing age on opening but opened and softened with a long full complex finish.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=12022

d'Arenberg Dead Arm McLaren Vale Shiraz 1995, 2002, 2004

Ernie, Dan and I all brought this label (without any collusion or prior communications), thankfully from different vintages, which afforded  us the chance to comparison taste this mini vertical of this popular wine. 

1995 - Like the aged Rosemount Balmoral from the same vintage, this was also showing its age with a bit of funky earthy leather and tobacco overtaking the fruit, but after decanting for an hour or so, this subsided and the black and blue fruits emerged.

Intense ruby, colored, medium bodied with black berry, tone of vanilla and oak giving way to earthy leather and bacon fat overtaking the fruits, rich and reasonably long modest tannin finish.

RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=27224

d'Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz 2002

The biggest of the three, always a big fruit forward complex wine, this was much more expressive than as documented in my earlier 2004 and 2009 tasting journal posts. Its bigger and still boasts a forwardness but what was an off-tone of minerality now is more natural ripe raisin-fig with a layer of cedar predominating over complex black and blue berry fruits with tones of pepper, spice, and cassis and hint of vanilla with a big long bold finish that has a slight tone of tangy cherry. Linda likes this ripe boldness but its a bit too much to my liking. LIke the rest of these wines,  this wine is suited to a bigger accompaniment like beef steak or even perhaps bar-b-que!

RM 91 points.

Subdued black berry and black cherry fruit, leather, hint of spice and pepper on a moderate tannin finish.

d'Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz 2004

Dark inky black purple color, full bodied, thick, tongue-coating unctuous layer of ripe plum, black raspberry, ripe blueberry and a layer of anise and black cherry with a spicy long firm tannin lingering finish.

RM 90 points. 


Outpost Howell Mountain Zinfandel 2009

Howell Mountain anchors the north east corner of Napa Valley and is known primarily for its distinctive Cabernet Sauvignon. Its terroir of rocky soil, western sun exposure with gentle breezes and altitude also produces a select style of Zinfandel with its rich, brambly extracted dark fruit and a unique spice that almost borders on cinnamon.

Outpost sits high atop the west facing slope just below Robert Craig and across the road from Lamborn, two of our other favorite producers.We worked our way up the road there during our Napa Valley Wine Experience 2008.

A great wine that demands bar-b-q or rich hearty meaty pasta, every cellar should have a couple bottles of this style Zin for such occasions. At the high end of price-points for typically moderate priced Zinfandel but this one is worth it.

Dark garnet colored, full bodied, this wine typifies that classic rich thick extracted forward Howell Mountain briery mountain berry fruit accented by spice, floral with hints of tobacco on the supple long lasting chewy tannins.

RM 92 points 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1084352

http://www.outpostwines.com/

Branson Coach House Coach House Block Rare Single Vineyard Barossa Valley Shiraz 2004

We discovered this wine several years ago and acquired and rapidly consumed the 2002 and 2003 vintages. We still hold several bottles from the neighboring Greenock Block. This 2004 that was selected for Wine Spectator's Top 100 2006 comes from old vines in Greenock, a prime growing area in the Barossa for Shiraz. Eric found this at Kahn's in Indy and brought it to share and compare.

Full bodied, rich, concentrated, complex, dark inky purple colored, with layers of black and blue berry, black cherry and black plum fruit flavors, with tones of dark mocha, cigar box and smoke notes with well integrated firm lingering tannins.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=236098&searchId=304406



Chateau Tanunda "The Chateau" 100 Year Old Vines Eden Valley Barossa Shiraz

We discovered this wine at the Wine Spectator Grand Tour in Chicago when it was being poured by Chateau Tanunda's Dagmar O'Neill. Only 100 cases were produced. We orchestrated a purchase of eight three packs in OWC's (shown below) which we split amongst the wine team, pictured below.

The Barossa is home to some of the world’s oldest Shiraz vines and the grapes for this wine come from hundred year old vines from a high altitude, one acre single vineyard in the Eden Valley. 

Full bodied, complex, concentrated, full lingering tannins predominate the dense, black and blue berry fruits with hints of liquorice, plum and spice and spicy oak.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=937673

http://www.chateautanunda.com/





2006 Sine Qua Non "The Raven No. 3" Syrah 

This legendary ultra-premium label has taken on almost a cult-like following.
Since its founding in 1994, the winery located in Ventura, on California's Central Coast has become the a classic example of an artisanal, garagiste winery. The husband-and-wife team of Manfred and Elaine Krankl produce very limited quantities of hand-crafted wines primarily from Rhone varietal grapes such as Syrah, Grenache, Pinot Noir, Roussane, and Viognier.

Robert M. Parker Jr. has called Sine Qua Non "one of the world's most creative wineries" and one that "is turning out world-class wines of extraordinary complexity and individuality. The Krankl husband-and-wife team remains wholly dedicated to the pursuit of perfection."

The branding of Sine Qua Non wines is as distinctive as their carefully crafted wines bearing unusual, sometimes outlandish names to their wines, such as "The Hussy", "In Flagrante," and the "The Raven", and they often change the wine names from vintage to vintage.

The 2006 Raven Series Syrah is a blend of 93% Syrah, 5% Grenache, and 2% Viognier, aged nearly two years in French oak. 

Dark blackish ink colored, full bodied, complex, big ,bold, rich layers of dark blackberry and black cherry fruits accented by hints of blueberry and plum, creosote, mocha and spice with tones of anise and pepper turning to a thick tongue coating tangy chewy tannin lingering finish.

RM 95 points.

Wine Spectator gave this 95 points, Robert Parker 96 points and Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar 94 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=557926


After dinner there were three dessert courses accompanied by two dessert wines.

 Grahams Vintage Port 1991

Grahams Vintage Port 1991

Domaine de laAncienne Cuvee Prestige Monbazzilac 1999























More to come .. ...

Yountville Woodinville Reds For Family Dinner

Yountville Woodinville Reds For Family Celebration Dinner

Celebrating son-in-law Johnny's birthday, the family assembled for a gala dinner. Daughter Erin prepared lasagna so son Ryan and I brought two reds, two Bordeaux varietals from diverse regions. From Yountville, a 'lesser appellation' of Napa I brought a Ninety Plus Cellars Yountville Cabernet Sauvignon. From Woodinville, Washington, the tony Seattle suburb that is home to legendary Chateau St Michelle, Ryan brought 'D2' from DeLille Cellars, named for the famous Bordeaux arterial highway that extends from Bordeaux city along the southern bank of the Gironde through the regions famous appellations to the west.

The town of Woodinville lies about 20 road-miles northeast of downtown Seattle and has become a wine-tourism destination. It all started with Chateau Ste. Michelle, opened in 1976, and has grown to over fifty wineries. It is also home to other notable producers such as Betz Family Cellars, Matthews Estate, Columbia Winery, and upcoming boutique producers such as Mark Ryan and Ross Andrew.

But unlike Napa, center to the nation's most famous wine growing region, the grapes are grown elsewhere, in the Columbia Valley and other wine growing areas a hundred miles or more to the east in eastern and central Washington. We visited Woodinville during our Washington Wine Tour back in 1998. Our cellar, while predominantly Napa and Bordeaux, followed by Australia, holds more than ten cases from Washington producers including Abeja, Andrew Will, Matthews, Dunham, Woodward Canyon, Spring Valley and Quilceda Creek.

Like many other Woodinville producers, DeLille Cellars make their wines in Woodinville from grapes grown in a number of eastern Washington appellations (AVAs - American Viticultural Areas). DeLille have operated since the early nineties and are one of the more notable producers. They have branding under two different labels: Doyenne for Rhone-styled blends, and Chaleur Estate for their Bordeaux blends and Cabernet Sauvignon releases. DeLille were nominated for Winery of the Year in 2014.


DeLille Cellars "D2" Columbia Valley Washington Red Blend 2011

Delille’s 'D2' is billed as the second wine of their Chaleur Estate blend and is a classic Bordeaux blend of Merlot 56.5%, Cabernet Sauvignon 35%, Cabernet Franc 6.5%, and Petit Verdot 2%.

The winemakers review says "A layered vintage of D2 expressing a fruit-driven nose of blueberries, cassis, and cherries along with lavender, cigar wrappers, toasted vanilla, crushed stones and pencil shavings. The flavors have a harmonious combination of red and black fruits with blackberries and cherries leading the profile. The majority of characters, however, are all about spices:  fennel, white pepper, Herbs de Province, cinnamon, graham and a touch of menthol. Definitely a complex D2 that is delicious, savory and balanced."

I certainly picked up the blue berry fruits, tones of cassis, tobacco and pencil. It was dark inky garnet with tones of purple, medium bodied, complex and concentrated with predominant black berry fruits and a hint on the back pallette of what the producer referred to as fennel, a particular flavor I find unfortunate in the profile. This likely will improve with some time.

RM 90 points. Robert Parker gave this wine 93 points.

This profile, review and rating is consistent with my earlier experiences and memories of  this wine.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1577586

http://www.delillecellars.com




Ninety Plus Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Lot 109 Yountville 2012

Napa wine aficionados recognize Yountville as one of the Napa Valley sub-appellations or AVA's (American  Viticultural Area), named for founder George Yount, who settled the area and planted the first vineyards in the Napa Valley in 1836. Today, the area is also known as NapaNook. Yountville is one of Napa Valley's lesser known appellations despite the fact that 4000 of its geographic 8000 acres are planted in vines. Unlike its more famous neighbor Rutherford, with it's famed 'dusty reds', or adjacent Stag's Leap and it's "velvet fisted" cabs, Yountville lacks a distinctive label for its patchwork combination of soils and climates that are a bit antithetical to the concept of terroir. 

Yountville possesses a unique combination of distinctive soil characteristics with volcanic soils to the east that are similar to the neighboring Stags Leap District, and centuries old coastal deposits with both sedimentary and alluvial soils to the west, interspersed with sandy and gravelly loam. No other area in  Napa Valley boasts this particular geomorphic combination. Indeed, very different soils are found in the areas immediately surrounding Yountville in Oakville, Stags Leap, Mt. Veeder, and Oak Knoll districts, hence its AVA designation.

According to the Yountville AVA site, climatically, historical record keeping and modern weather gathering techniques indicate that cool marine air currents from San Pablo Bay to the south, are trapped when they reach what are known as the Yountville Mounts, keeping natural "air conditioning" working even on the warmest summer days. These milder temperatures allow the grapes of the region plenty of time to develop unique flavor characteristics, demonstrate the local "terroir."

Based on its unique soil and climatological data, Yountville was granted Appellation status in 1999, and was one of the last Napa Valley sub appellations to be officially recognized. As with all AVAs, a minimum of 85% Yountville grapes must be used in the bottle to have the Yountville AVA cited on the label.

We've talked about Ninety Plus Cellars numerous times in this blog and their negociant model of buying excess or set-aside product from growers or producers, and releasing it under their private label.  They cite the 'source price' for this wine at $45 and are releasing it for $18. I can imagine it being offered under the source label at the $45 price and being considered over-priced or underwhelming at that pricepoint. Perhaps that is why the producer sold it to be marketed under a different label. However, it may prove to be a great buy and offer tremendous QPR (quality price ratio) at the under twenty dollar price point. I bought it for $18 and another local retailer is currently offering this at $16. At that price I'd suggest buying it for a complex sophisticated every day wine that may evolve into a really good wine. With 2000 cases produced, this should be generally available. Notably, since its a negociant offer private label, its a one of a kind, not likely to be repeated, so enjoy it while you can.

This was dark garnet colored, medium to full bodied, big floral aromas, complex with dense rich black berry, tones of black cherry and sweet spice, hints of cassis and creosote with a layer of firm but approachable tannins on a long lingering finish. It lacked polish and was a bit forward and needs time and we no doubt drank it too early. It also needs time to open and breath and should be decanted and allowed time to open. The next morning it was much smoother and more approachable.

RM 88 points upon opening, 90 points the next day after settling.
 
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1845865

Conn Valley Anthology Highlights Capital Grill Board Room Dinner

Conn Valley Anthology Highlights Capital Grill Board Room Dinner 

For an important client dinner, we dined in the Board Room at the Capital Grill in Chicago. Readers of this blog know that I place high emphasis on the wine and food combination pairings, coupled with value, and hence choose the restaurant and my entree based on the winelist selections, offset or influenced by the corkage policy. That said, one would be right to infer that I lost the vote (or deferred to rank) on the restaurant selection to dine at Capital Grill this evening. Sorry Jared.

I find it more than a bit irritating that they don't publish a more complete list online to aid the diner in advance dinner planning. While this may be okay for a personal social outing or impromptu dinner, I believe an important client business dinner warrants and deserves better info for appropriate planning. 

Capital Grille tout their winelist as "having more than 350 world-class wines ....  hailing from nearly every wine growing region on earth. Old World and New World gems, little-known labels on the brink of stardom, and a Captain’s List featuring some of the world’s most celebrated wines." The Sommelier  Selections they feature on their website are very limited and mostly uninspiring wines.

While this description of their wine offerings may be technically correct, it leaves an impression of depth and breadth in a wine selection. I consider it rhetoric as I don't think it offers either, unless you look at California Bordeaux varietals - Cabernet, Merlot and Blends. The European and ROW (rest of world) selections are very limited.

Perhaps this limited selection would be acceptable for the serious wine drinker if it was selective in signature wine offerings -  those that are at the critical intersection of 'reasonably' priced and delectable wines. Naturally if you can afford $200 for a bottle, then you can find a pleasant impressive sipper. I find it hard to pay $110-125 for a mediocre uninspiring wine. Sure, the winelist is filled with many of my cellar favorites that I own and enjoy at home and am pleased to serve guests, but those wines that cost $40 to $50, the mainstay of my and many serious consumer cellars, but those wines cost $150 or more on the CG winelist.  Even on a business expense account, I find this difficult to justify.

Again, as is typically the case, I cant afford to drink my own cellar in most fine dining restaurants.

This angst is exacerbated by the vintage selections, or lack thereof.  I carefully selected a quality classic, favored Napa Valley mainstay label, Joseph Phelps, Cab 2010, but they were out of this vintage and tried to sell an alternate.

I craftily selected from the Captains List a unique boutique label - a single vineyard designated Ken Wright Cellars Pinot Noir 2011, winning out over a colleague's preference, Domain Drouhin 2011. I discovered Ken Wright during my years commuting to a large software firm in suburban Seattle back before the millennium. In the end, we were served a 2012, and while I thought this would be a great discovery to share with colleagues, it turned out to be a disappointment - certainly not worthy of a Captain's List feature selection.

In the end, we did discovered a gem on the Captain's winelist that was a huge hit. Even then, we captured the last two bottles, so this will not available on our next visit, or to the next diner.

Our server was apologetic and noted they will soon be offering a interactive tablet based virtual winelist. Perhaps this will result in greater accuracy and currency in the data, but it won't address the selection and pricing challenges or concerns.



Ken Wright Cellars Carter Vineyard Pinot Noir 2012

I hold several of these wines going back to the turn of the millennium when I discovered it in the Pacific Northwest. I distinctly remember a tasting featured in my wine journal with a wine post for the 1997 vintage of this wine tasted back 1999.

Located in rural Carlton, Oregon, near the farm of a dear friend, Ken Wright Cellars specializes in featuring quality select vineyard designated wines - most notably Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with special emphasis on Pinot which they believe is best at reflecting the unique character of the location where it is grown - terroir.

Ken Wright sources fruit from nearly a dozen sites in the Northern Willamette Valley, known especially for outstanding  Pinot Noir. Compared to other Pinot Noir regions around the world, the region is extremely cool, offset by a long growing season. The Wright Cellars source Pinot Noir vineyards span five different appellations or AVAs including well know Dundee Hills, McMinnville, the Coastal Range and this one, Eola Hills.

Tonight's selection is from the Carter Vineyard near Canary Hill in the Eola Hills AVA and features mature vines planted back in the mid-eighties. Sited low on the hillside at just 325 feet elevation,  the leaner, less fertile soil stresses the vines to produce more concentrated extracted fruit. Carter Vineyard wines tend to be firmer than Canary Hill when young, then age nicely to reveal darker vibrant earthy fruits.

This wine in recent years has been highly acclaimed with rave reviews. Tonight the 2012 vintage of this wine was lean and astringent lacking balance and polish and coming across rather flabby, ruby colored, light bodied, cherry and hints of cranberry with a layer of earthy dusty rose on the tangy spicy moderately tannin finish.

RM 87 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1499592

http://kenwrightcellars.com/
 

Conn Creek Napa Valley Anthology 2010

This was a big blockbuster stand-out hit, enjoyed by all. When finished, rather than switching to another bottle for a comparison tasting, which I would normally do, we had a second bottle, which happened to be their last. It was smooth, polished and nicely balanced which is a bit surprising given the blend of all five Bordeaux varietals was sourced from no less than twenty-one different vineyard sites across the range of diverse Napa Valley appellations.

The Blend:
 - Cabernet Sauvignon, 78% from Atlas Peak (Stagecoach), Calistoga (Surber & Frediani), Stags Leap District, St. Helena (Collins), and Spring Mountain (Crowley)
 - Petit Verdot, 8% from Napa Valley (Rodeno)
 - Cabernet Franc, 7% from: St. Helena (Carpenter), Atlas Peak (Stagecoach)
 - Merlot, 4% from Atlas Peak (Stagecoach)
 - Malbec, 3% from Yountville (Herrick


Medium bodied, dark garnet colored, rich, nicely balanced symphony of smooth soft sweet black berry and black raspberry fruits highlighted by layers of vanilla mocha, cinnamon, and sweet spicy oak, with silky fine grained tannins on a smooth polished lingering finish.
 
RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1392790

https://www.conncreek.com/Wines/anthology/2010-anthology

https://www.thecapitalgrille.com/

Mr Riggs McLaren Vale Shiraz 2004

Mr Riggs McLaren Vale Shiraz 2004

For a relaxing dinner on the patio at our favorite neighborhood trattoria, Angelis Italian, we took this aged Mr Riggs McLaren Vale Shiraz, BYOB from the cellar. The large heavy oversize bottle packaging hints at what is to come.

This wine typifies everything we love in a Aussie Shiraz - big, thick, chewy, sweet forward fruits - a perfect compliment to the Italian pasta and soup with red meat, tomato and ricotta cheese. It was sinfully good with the caramel and sea salt gelato. I can't wait to finish the remaining partial bottle tonight with some hearty cheese. I'm already mourning the fact we only have a few bottles of this left in the cellar. I pushed the CT (Cellartracker) drinking window out a couple more years too.

Dark inky garnet colored, full bodied, rich, concentrated, complex, full forward sweet black and blue berry fruits, accented by a layer of mineral and tones of sweet caramel, cassis and graphite on a lingering tongue coating full tannin finish.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=128274