Benton Lane Estate Willamette Valley Pinot Noir for Easter Dinner

Benton Lane Estate Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2011 for Easter Dinner

I write often here about wine marketing and branding. Benton Lane have done a masterful job establishing an identity with their unique creative postage stamp styled labels. The metaphor works in creating an identity for the brand as well as allowing for multiple varietal offerings via the multi-color selections, as well as for the classification of vintages. The metaphor also works well for premium labels with the 'First Class' designation for select labels.

The Benton Lane family of labels as shown in their 'stamp' collection:

Benton-Lane derives its name from its location straddling the border between Benton and Lane counties in North-western Oregon. Lane is one of two counties to extend from the Pacific coast to the Cascade Mountain range. The Benton-Lane Estate is known as Sunnymount Ranch, named such since is is sunnier than the surrounding area due to its proximity in the shadow of some of the highest peaks in the coastal range, which tend to catch the marine cloud layer that flows in from the Pacific Ocean, in what climatologists call the “rain shadow”. The sunny slopes allow for earlier ripening of grapes increasing the chances of a complete harvest before the fall rains set in.

Steve and Carol Girard founded Benton-Lane when they purchased the property in 1988 and began planting Pinot Noir in 1989. Today the property comprises 138 acres in twenty-two different vineyard blocks predominantly planted to Pinot Noir of 7 different clones suitably matched to each sections terroir.

Benton-Lane’s first vintage was in 1992 and they produced Pinot Noir exclusively until 2003, when they expanded into small quantities of Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc.

Benton Lane offer the distinction of a high QPR - quality price ratio in a modest/moderate priced Pinot Noir, a rare find, as I often write in this blog. I first discovered Benton Lane in a fine dining restaurant and have been a fan since.

Today we opened Benton Lane Pinot Noir 2011 for our Easter baked ham dinner.

Dark garnet colored, medium bodied with predominant dusty rose and spicy black cherry, tones of rhubarb, strawberry and hints cranberry with tones of cassis and red licorice, with a smooth tangy modest tannin finish.

This was a perfect complement to our Easter dinner of baked ham with cherry compote, potatoes au-gratin, potato egg fritata with sweet and  jalapeno  peppers and scallions, and chocolate cheese blintzes with fresh berries, baked rolls and a fresh fruit plate.

RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1657893

http://www.benton-lane.com/

Herbert Triebaumer Ruster Ausbruch Burgenland Neusiedlersee-Hügelland Rust 1996/1997

This is a Chardonnay blend of Fürmint and Gelber Muskatellier (Furmint and Gold Muscatel grape varieties). Tonight this was tea colored, while it was likely straw or butter colored upon release, over time it darkened to butter color, then weak tea colored, eventually darkening to the dark orange rust color it possesses now. Allowed to continue to age, this will likely eventually darken to dark strong tea color, although I suspect it won't necessarily improve the flavor and suitability of the wine. Some classic dessert wines are built to last decades, I suspect this Ruster Ausbruch nearing twenty years is at or even past its peak drinking window. We still have a case of this wine, so watch this blog as we monitor this over the coming months and years.

The thick almost syrupy extracted sweet fruit has been offset by a smoky almond nut flavor. Rather than the highly desirable apricot or peach flavors, this tended to be more cirtus focused. This was also a nice complement to Baked Ham and the Chocolate Cheese Blintzes.

RM 88 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1455246

La Jota Howell Mtn Napa Cab Highlights Vin Chicago Holiday Tasting

La Jota Howell Mountain Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Highlights Vin Chicago Holiday Tasting

Our local wine merchant Vin Chicago (formerly Wine Discount Center) hosts a hospitable tasting of a selection of whites and reds each Saturday at their Chicagoland locations. While son Ryan and I are regulars there, I don't necessarily go out of my way to stop, sip and shop except when they feature a special wine that I want to try, as was the case today with the La Jota Howell Mountain Cabernet which was the highlight of the tasting.

La Jota Howell Mountain Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

La Jota is descended from the historic La Jota Vineyard Company founded in the 1890's by Swiss immigrant Frederick Hess, who purchased 327 acres of the Mexican land grant Rancho La Jota that was founded when Napa pioneer settler George Yount obtained 4000 acres of Howell Mountain forest lands from the Mexican state proprietors in the 1840's.

Howell Mountain, forming the north end of the eastern mountain range that borders Napa Valley, was named the first official sub-appellation (American Viticultural Area (AVA)) of Napa Valley in 1983, and is considered to be one of the most distinctive terroirs, or sense of place, of the seventeen Napa appellations. 

 Dark inky purple colored, full bodied, complex and concentrated but balanced and approachable, showing some of that classic Howell Mountain sweet black raspberry bramble fruits, with tones of dark mocha and hints of black currant, floral, spice, earth and creosote with subdued sweet spicy oak on the firm but silky smooth polished tannin finish.

RM 93 points. 

This is my style of Cabernet, big, bold, fruity, dry, slightly sweet, tones of mocha ... characteristics of Howell Mountain which is why its one of my favorite appellations/styles ... but this was a bit too earthy for Linda.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1858261

http://www.lajotavineyardco.com/ 

Aldo Conterno Langhe Rosso 2011

Piedmont based Aldo Conterno, known for stylish, high end Barolo wines, also produces this moderate priced Langhe Rosso, made primarily from the obscure Fresia grape varietal, with smaller quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the blend. The result tastes like what Vin called a 'Barbera-meets-a-Barolo with a sense of  Bordeaux!'

Dark garnet colored, medium bodied, bright vibrant flavors of black berry and black cherry with tones of floral, smoke, cedar, earth and dried herbs.

RM 88 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1962956

http://www.poderialdoconterno.com/



Anaba Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2012
 

I was also looking forward to trying to well rated Sonoma Coast Pinot. I often write here the challenges to finding a good, high QPR Pinot. 

Vin Chicago gave this 92 points, and The Pinot Report gave this 94 points and wrote of this wine and it's "bright cherry flavors with earth and forest floor notes". 

I agree with their assessment of its medium deep ruby color and rich ripe cherry. Unfortunately the tones that they referred to as 'earthy' and 'forest floor', were a bit too predominant and came across as a sense of 'green' or dried wet grass overshadowing the bright cherry fruit flavors. 

RM 87 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1759687

http://www.anabawines.com/

Del Dotto Caves Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2000

Del Dotto Caves Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2000

This is the last of a selection of this label that we acquired during one of our several visits to the Del Dotto properties around the millennium. This somewhat obscure label was a tribute to the Caves at the old historic winery facility (left) over on Atlas Peak Road on the northern edge of Napa town that they took over around that time and which they still inhabit and operate as a tasting room to this day.

Since then, they have built and opened their magnificent 'Venetian Estate Winery and Caves on the Del Dotto Rutherford Estate where Zinfandel Lane meets Hwy 29 just south of St Helena. Both locations conduct the spectacular Del Dotto cave tours (left) which  remain a highlight of many visitor's trips to Napa Valley.

Caves was a 'second' label from their flagship branding, a unique blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese. I've written here about them being a pioneer with Napa Valley Sangiovese during this time. It was likely their secondary selections that didn't make it into the flagship blend, or excess remaining bulk from the primary production, although this is less likely since this was a more value based price point relative to the flagship labels offering greater QPR - Quality Price Ratio. Even then, this is holding and showing remarkably well after fifteen years, another testament to the age worthiness of the Del Dotto line.

Consistent with earlier tasting notes, this still shows big floral and perfume bouquet, huge full forward fruit accented by sweet currant - with a predominant almost cognac flavor, dark ripe cherry, spice, and tones of smoke, anise and licorice on the long moderate tannin tangy finish. Again, as before, even bigger and brighter than earlier tastings. 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 8% Sangiovese

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=460970

http://www.deldottovineyards.com/

Elderton Command Single Vineyard Barossa Shiraz 2002

Elderton Command Single Vineyard Barossa Shiraz 2002

This is a single vineyard designated, old vine Shiraz from a site planted back around 1894, and was classified as a Barossa Centenarian Vine by the Barossa Old Vine Chapter. The site is on the banks of the North Para River that is surrounded by the growing township of Nuriootpa in the Barossa Valley wine region in south central Australia.

The historic name 'Nuriootpa' is thought to be derived from an Aboriginal word meaning ‘meeting place’, a tribute to the Aboriginals who once gathered there to trade. It is the commercial centre of the Barossa and ‘Nuri’ is the centre of the region's wine production, with more than 50 wineries in the area including some of the best-known producers including Elderton and the legendary Penfolds.

Elderton is a classic century old wine estate that was purchased by the Ashmead family in 1979 who produced their first release label in 1982. Ashmeads and their Elderton Vineyards wines have become one of the classic Australian premium wines and Command is the signature flagship of their Barossa family of Shiraz labels.

We have a mixed case of several vintages of Command dating back a dozen plus years of this wine. My last tasting of this vintage was back in 2006 when I wrote "this wine was more approachable than the first time we tried it - but it still needs some time to meld and reveal its complex fruit".

Well, nine years later, it is smoother and more polished and is certainly approachable with its delicious melange of black and blue fruits. Reiterating my initial tasting note when I wrote this was "huge, powerful, dense, richly complex, dark", tonight it was big, dense, rich and complex, but now is smoother and more approachable with full forward fruits of ripe plum, candied cherry, black raspberry, and blueberry fruits with tones of black pepper, hints of anise and dark chocolate punched by firm intense tannins on a smooth and long finish.

RM 94 points.

This was a perfect compliment to grilled sirloin steak with twice baked potatoes and peas.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=46692

http://www.eldertonwines.com.au/

Carmenet Sonoma Valley Moon Mountain Estate Meritage Reserve 1995

Carmenet Sonoma Valley Moon Mountain Estate Meritage Reserve 1995
 

This is the last of a 'six pack' of half bottles of this label. Unlike several previous tasting notes of this same wine and format (see links below) - this bottle did not show diminution from aging, rather it drank like a gracefully aging Bordeaux, to which it aspires to emulate. Surprising since its the last and therefore oldest tasting at twenty years, and from a half bottle, which tends to hold age less than a regular or larger format bottle. Great accompaniment to grilled pepper steak.

Dark garnet colored, medium bodied, there was no opening with a slight barnyard funkiness (as one tasting before), rather it opened with vibrant floral and fruits, ripe cherry, black cherry, raspberry and some blue notes, with slightly earthy, leather, cedar and herb with hints of smoke on a moderate tannin finish. 

RM 90 points.

From 375ml (half bottle). Blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=63738

http://classicwinesofcalifornia.com/carmenetwinery.html 

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2015/01/carmenet-moon-mountain-estate-reserve.html

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2011/10/silom12-bucktown-chicago-thai.html

Other earlier tastings: Sept 4, 2004, Feb 23, 2006, May 3, 2009

Ravines Finger Lakes Dry Riesling 2013

Ravines Wine Cellars Finger Lakes Dry Riesling 2013

We went out of our way and made a point to stop at Ravines Wine Cellars on the south east shore of Keuka Lake in Central New York's Finger Lakes wine region during our 2012 Finger Lakes Wine Experience.  It was a priority visit for us since its one of the few Finger Lake producers and wines available in Chicagoland.

Ravines Wine Cellars (left) is run by the husband wife team, Morten, viticulturalist and winemaker & Lisa Hallgren, self proclaimed 'foodie'. Morten was raised in Provence region of Southern France where the Hallgren family owned Domaine de Castel Roubine, a 270 acre estate with 170 acres of vineyards and where he spent years in the vineyards learning viticulture - tending to the vines.

After earning an advanced degree in Enology and Viticulture at the renowned winemaking school, Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Agronomie in Montpellier, he spent time working at the classic Bordeaux producer, Chateau Cos d’Estournel, under the legendary Bruno Pratts.

He came to America working for a French negociant, then at the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina before he was recruited by Willy Frank to be chief winemaker for Dr. Konstantin Frank’s Vinifera Wine Cellars on the opposite side of Keuka Lake, the early pioneer and most established brand, who is credited with establishing serious wine production in the Finger Lakes region.

After six years at Franks, the Hallgrens purchased the 17 acre Ravines estate in 2000, named for the ravines carved out of the glacier-sculpted hillside on the Eastern slope overlooking Keuka lake (left). They source grapes from three vineyards located on the East side of Seneca Lake.

While they offer a broad line of red and white wines, from many diverse varietals (shown left), like so many Finger Lakes producers, I feel too many Finger Lakes producers are over-extended with too many varietals and labels and should stick with what they do best, that which is most suited to their terroir - climate, soil, exposure, degree days, sun days, length of growing season, rainfall, and so on. Old World producers, after centuries of experimentation and refinements have perfected matching the most suitable wine grape varietals to their unique terroir or sense of place at their locale. Certainly, this is the case in France, Portugal, and Germany - (I don't know what to make of Italy with their 500+ grape varietals - perhaps this is a reason we don't collect and specialize in Italian wines). Several Finger Lakes producers offered more than two dozen different wines.

Several times, we walked into a Finger Lakes winery where they were serving a dozen plus different wines and I asked for simply their flagship signature wine, and they didn't have one, or didn't know which one to feature.

For most of the producer's we visited, they offered almost too broad a selection of as many as a dozen or more different wines, without a highlight or showcase feature label. Ravines seemed to be less guilty of this excess than most of the others. Even then, Ravines produce Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc and a properly licensed Meritage, as well as several white wines including Gewurtraminer and Chardonnay besides the Riesling.

From all the wines, we tasted during the several days traversing the area, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and perhaps Cabernet Franc for the reds, seemed to be the varietal (s) best suited to the cooler more moderate climate of the region. We continue to buy and enjoy Ravines Dry Riesling with each new vintage release.

Tonight, for snacking while watching NCAA March Madness, with crackers and chips, Linda prepared a creative, tasty artichoke dip with chopped spinach, jalapeno, parmigiana, Greek yogurt and garlic seasoned salt, when went very nicely with this tangy Dry Riesling. 

While not elegant or sophisticated, this is a pleasant easy drinking every day white that offers reasonable QPR - quality price ration - at under $14.

I've written a great deal in this blog about wine marketing and branding. I applaud Ravine in this area with their tasteful, creative and decorative label (label) depicting the chateau (pictured top) and terrain of the estate.

Straw colored, medium light bodied, full forward flavors of grapefruit and tones of lemon and mineral with a subtle note of garden hose rubber on the mid-palate through the tart tangy focused acidity on the citrus finish.

RM 86 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1820218

http://www.ravineswine.com/

Venge Napa Valley Penny Lane Family Reserve Sangiovese 2000

Venge Vineyards, Oakville, Napa Valley, Penny Lane Vineyard Family Reserve Sangiovese 2000

AJ and I with Nil's Venge tasting this wine
at Tra Vigne in St Helena

I've written often in this blog about our fondness for Venge Family Reserve wines and Nil Venge's pioneering with Sangiovese varietal wines in Napa Valley. We don't hold much Sangiovese that isn't the artwork of Venge, whether it be under his label, Del Dotto, or some of the other boutique Napa labels that he crafted as consulting winemaker.

I wrote just last week here in this blog in a review of another Venge label that Nil's has turned over the reigns of the family vineyards and winemaking business to son Kirk. Despite the fact our Cellartracker record shows we're out of this vintage, yet still holding two other vintages, this bottle is the second to last bottle we found in the cellar from that which we tasted and acquired during our Napa Wine Experience 2002 - Venge Vineyards, Rossini Ranch winery visit back in 2002. 

This is the last of the Venge brand Sangioveses that have been the mainstay of many BYOB wine dinners where we've taken bottles to Angeli's Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria over the last several years. As always, this was a perfect complement to Angeli's fabulous signature pasta and peas with Italian sausage in vodka cream sauce, and eggplant parmigiana.

Unlike the last tasting notes of this wine, fifteen months ago, where it was written to be showing its age, tonight this fifteen year old was at the peak of its drinking window and showed absolutely no diminution from aging. Polished and smooth for a Sangiovese, the 2000 is dark inky garnet color, medium bodied, balanced, with flavorful predominant ripe black cherry and blackberry fruit flavors at its core highlighted, by a layer of herb and anise notes and touch of leather and tobacco. It has a flavorful lush long smooth polished finish.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=17566

http://www.vengevineyards.com/


 

Twenty Bench Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

Twenty Bench Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

Found this in the cooler to go with pepper steak and salad that L prepared for dinner before she ran out for the evening. Besides our subterranean cellar we also have a cooler adjacent to the kitchen for every day or ready to drink wines. It mostly contains white wines but I checked it tonight and pulled out this bottle, so placed for consumption at some point. What a nice surprise! This certainly exceeded expectations.

This is from Nine North Wine Company, another négociant wine supplier that offers a portfolio of small production wines from Napa Valley and other California North Coast appellations. Like most négociants, they strive for high QPR wines - high quality and value relative to price, sourced from small production producers, or others seeking to liquidate (no pun intended) excess inventory or production.

Founded in 2001 by Jim Regusci and James Harder, Nine North Wine Company established a reputation for producing appellation-specific wines that provided good value for the price; their objective to leverage their network of grower producer contacts into a portfolio of négociant wines.

In December of 2012 Nine North Wine Company Nine North was taken over by Chris Nickolopoulos and Elija Pfister who had also established a reputation for producing a portfolio of appellation-specific wines' négociant wines.

Chris Nickolopoulos grew up in the midwest in a restaurant family where he was immersed in the food business. In 1990, Chris moved into a noisy little apartment next to the Addison “el” tracks in Chicago’s Wrigleyville.  He immersed himself in Chicago’s culinary scene tending bar at the swanky Spiaggia, and moved on to various roles in the wine trade. After 10 years, he moved to San Francisco to lead a respected fine wine sales organization where he spent the next seven years traveling the world tasting great wines and helping build some respected wine brands in the country.

Elijah Pfister grew up on a family farm in Northern California. When his family urbanized and moved to the Bay Area, he looked to neighboring Sonoma and Napa to pursue his appreciation of rural life and farming in viticulture and winemaking. Elijah’s uncle owned a large wine and liquor retailer and Elijah followed in his footsteps in the wine trade when after obtaining his MBA from Stanford, he pursued his love for wine in the business.

Teaming up with Chris’s connections, they assembled a portfolio of imports and launched Maritime Wine Trading Collective in January of 2009. They progressed their business parlaying contacts in the Northern California wine industry into a portfolio of négociant wines.

Twenty Bench Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley was one of the first wines released by Nine North Wine Company twelve years ago. They like to emphasize many other not-so famous-parcels of land throughout Northern California that yield terrific fruit from sites with land values not as astronomical as Napa, thereby producing fruit at substantially lower cost per ton resulting in excellent wines that are a good value for the variety.

In the fall of 2000, Nine North purchased 20 tons of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from a friend's Napa Valley vineyard. Their winemaker, Charles Hendricks, crafted this wine from what the cellar hands called 'Twenty Bench, 'signifying the 20 tons of fruit from the gentle rising bench land vineyard from which they were picked.

When Charles presented barrel samples to the principles, they noticed the name 'Twenty Bench' written in chalk on the side of the barrels. The result was a high QPR wine with the perfect name.

According to the producers, the label design is based on a native petroglyph that pays homage to the Wappo Indians, the first descendants of the Napa Valley. The name Wappo, which means 'brave', was given to this tribe who lived peacefully in the Napa Valley area going back perhaps more than a thousand years. Notably, in 1836 there were more than 8,000 Wappos living in the Napa Valley area. By 1850 there were less than 500. In 1908, less than 40. This wine is a tribute to those early inhabits of the hallowed land today known as Napa Valley.

At a dozen years of age, I didn't know what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised by a moderately complex, nicely balanced, moderately polished wine with dark garnet color and medium body. An expressive nose with flavors of kirsch, floral, with brambly black raspberry fruits, tones of cola and a hint of mocha taken over in the mid palate turning to predominant spicy tangy acidity with smokey red fruit and candied cherry on the firm tannin laced lingering finish.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=104962

http://www.ninenorthwines.com/