Gala Holiday Dinner features Napa Cab Pairings

Gala Holiday Dinner features Napa Cab Pairings

 We hosted a holiday dinner with 'Pour Boy' wine buddy Dr Dan and Linda, neighbors Mark and Shirley and colleague Rick and wife Debbie. Linda prepared her classic beef tenderloin with scalloped potatoes and haricot verts and a dinner salad and fresh baked bread. We were joined later with Sean and Michelle.

Dan brought this one of a kind Special Barrel Selection 25th Anniversary release Cabernet Sauvignon from Saddleback Cellars aptly named 'Nils' for founder, patriarch and Napa winemaker legend Nils Venge. He also brought a 1996 vintage Brunello Montalcino. Ironically I had just been down in the cellar seaching for tonight's dinner wines and came across and considered a 1996 Saddleback Cellars Oakville Cabernet, essentially the same wine  as the Nils. So, this bottle provided both a vertical (multiple vintages of the same wine) comparison tasting of this label, and a mini-horizontal comparison(multiple wines from the same vintage) tasting of two same aged vintage wines, 1996.

For a further horizontal and near vertical comparison tasting, I also pulled a 1996 release of Paradigm Napa Cabernet, another Oakville appellation wine. Extending the vertical theme / approach, we later also opened a 2004 release of the Paradigm (albeit a 2006 would've completed the symmetrical comparisons).

Rick and Debbie noticed my extensive collection of Del Dotto wines and commented on their memorable visit to the Del Dotto Estate Cellar Tour and Barrel tasting. Hence, we pulled a couple of Del Dotto wines to complete our tasting flight for the evening, a vintage 1997 Cabernet Franc, and a Piazza Del Dotto Petit Verdot. 

For the appetizer course, Mark brought a selection of artisan cheeses and shrimp cocktail hors d'oeuvres, We served a vintage Champagne and pair of Sauvignon Blancs including our favorite, Cliff Lede.

Somewhere during our wine talk over dinner the conversation turned to Negociant wines and private labels. Dan and Linda were just returned from Thanksgiving weekend and wine tasting at the Inn at the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina. They talked of their two million bottle wine sales, the majority sourced from Northern California fruit and juice. I pulled a Ninety+ Cellars Lot 150 Cabernet Sauvignon as a classic fun example of such wines. More below.

Wines w/ shrimp cocktail hors d'oeuvres course -

Michel Gonet Blanc de Blancs Champagne 2009

Wines with artisan cheeses and salad course:

Cliff Lede Sauvignon Blanc 2015

Whitehaven Winemakers Select Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018

Red wines flight:

Saddleback Cellars Napa Valley Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 1996

Saddleback Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Nils Special Barrel Selection 25th Anniversary 2006
Paradigm Napa Valley Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 1996
Paradigm Napa Valley Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2002

Ninety+ Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 150 2013

Del Dotto Napa Valley Rutherford Cabernet Franc 1997 

Del Dotto Piazza Napa Valley Rutherford Petit Verdot 2015

Canalicchio di Sopra Brunello de Montalcino 1996 

Michel Gonet Blanc de Blancs Champagne 2009

This is a vintage Champagne, as opposed to a common NV (non-vintage) blend of several vintages. 

The Michel Gonet family have been producing wine for 7 generations, since 1802. Michel Gonet expanded and improved the winery in 1973. He has since retired and turned winemaking over to daughter Sophie Signolle who manages Champagne production. She is President of Women Winegrowers of Champagne and also "l' Universe du Gout en Champagne."

The family owns 40 hectares (about 80 acres) of vineyards stretching south from the city of Epernay on the Côte des Blancs, part of which is the finest classified Grand Cru vines located in Avize, Mesnil sur Oger and Oger, the most renowned terroirs of Champagne. The vineyards' are of the finest terroir in Champagne with exceptional climate, protected by the mountain of Reims from the cold North winds and rainfalls in the Marne valley. The characteristically chalky sub-soil combines with ideal exposure to the sun. This Blanc de Blanc is composed of Chardonnay which is 80% of Gonet production. The remaining is Pinot Noir used to produce Blanc de Noir Champagne.

We visited the area during our Champagne Wine Experience back in 2006. 


Cliff Lede Estate Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2015

This is the latest release of one my favorite Sauvignon Blancs. Light straw colored, medium-light bodied, harmonious nicely balanced layers of subdued citrus, peach, pear and lychee fruit with a refreshing crisp clean, smooth acidity finish.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2324460

 

Saddleback Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Nils Special Barrel Selection 25th Anniversary 2006

We first met Nils Venge back in the mid-nineties when he was winemaker for Del Dotto Vineyards and Winery. We visited Nils at the Penny Lane Estate and vineyard back in 2001 when we acquired a selection of Venge Vineyards and Saddleback wines.

I was not aware of this label and was delighted that Dan discovered this and acquired some to bring and share for our dinner.

This was dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied with full forward black berry and black cherry fruits accented by notes of spice, black tea, leather, and dusty rose with full smooth silky tannins on the finish.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=673349

Saddleback Cellars Napa Valley Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 1996

To compare with the Nils 2006 special release above, we opened this 1996 Saddleback Oakville Napa Cabernet. Initially a bit tight and closed, we decanted and aerated this bottle and it opened a bit more and reveal its native character and fruits over the course of the next hour.

The two Saddleback wines had remarkable similarity, being potentially the same wine but ten years removed. They showed the same basic profile and character but the '96 showed darker blackish garnet with slight hints of gray color, the same fruit profile albeit slightly subdued, accented by the same notes above of smoke, dusty leather, earth and tea.

RM 89 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=73478

To compare with the '96 Oakville Napa Cab above, we also opened this Paradigm Cabernet from the same appellation and same vintage.

Paradigm Napa Valley Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 1996

This provided an interesting comparison with the other '96 Oakville Cabernet sitting side by side. This wine had the same color and body as above. We also decanted and aerated this bottle which accentuated its bouquet and flavors which emerged further after about thirty minutes. The Paradigm showed fewer aromatics and more subdued fruit than the Saddleback above, but opened a bit more over the next hour. 

We tasted and acquired this wine during a winery visit back in 1999.

My wine tasting notes for this label from back in 2009. "This wine is showing its age, probably beyond its apex, or any chance for improvement, but still within the drinking window. Showing some diminution of fruit, giving way to non-fruit charcoal and earth tones, yet, revealed some of its native fruit character at some point during the evening.'

"I opened, decanted and then rebottled and recorked this wine an hour before setting out for the restaurant. Upon decanting it released huge aroma's of berry fruits and some floral. After opening for serving the fruit was a bit muted for almost an hour before revealing black berry and hints of sweet black raspberry, giving way to a layer of charcoal, anise and spice. Tannins were moderate on the lingering finish. This wine is still showing okay but should be consumed over the next few years."

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2014/08/vintage-napa-reds-vs-bold-barolo.html

 

Ninety+ Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 150 2013

Dan and Linda spent Thanksgiving weekend visiting the Inn at the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina where they tasted Estate and other private labeled wines. They produce two million bottles per year although only a fraction are from grapes grown locally. The remaining majority are sourced from Northern California fruit and juice. 

We talked about Ninety+ Cellars who produce a large portfolio of wines, sourced from numerous producers and growners from around the globe. Each label is named with a unique 'Lot' number indicating the source and vintage release. This is done to anonymize the source typically acquired under non-disclosure agreements to maintain their secrecy, since they don't want to be revealed and thereby conflict with their brands. 

In this particular case, Lot 150 Cabernet Sauvignon, 'sparklers' were acquired, the name given for bottles of wine already filled but not yet labeled. The labels are applied last to avoid them being torn, stained or soiled during storage or shipping. In this case, labels were not yet applied as the wine as sold to a third party private label marketer who applied their own labels accordingly. The issue was that they had already corked the bottles with branded corks identifying the source producer, undermining their quest for secrecy or confidentiality. Only upon opening the wine is the originator source revealed! One of the reasons for seeking anonymity is that often, as in this case, the private label wine is half the price of the original source producer label, providing great QPR (quality price ratio).

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, firm structured backbone, complex concentrated blackberry and black currant fruits with layers of firm bone dry tannins with notes of oak, spice, hints of dark mocha, anise, leather and dust. Needs a bit more time to settle and not for the feint of heart with the rock hard tannins but if you like that style (which I do) then this is a great find at a good QPR (quality price ratio) value. This is a blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, with Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot aged 22 monthsin French Oak. As noted by others, and in my blogpost (url below), and my label/cork picture submission, the source for this wine is Spring Mountain Vineyards.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/01/ninety-plus-cellars-lot-150-spring-mtn.html

Del Dotto Napa Valley Rutherford Cabernet Franc 1997 

We served this Cabernet Franc to compare against similarly aged Cabernet Sauvignons to contrast the different character of the Bordeaux varietals where Cab Franc is introduced into the Blend for spice, breadth and depth alongside the firmer Cabernet Sauvignon and the softer Merlot. We chose Del Dotto that Rick and Debbie visited during their trip to Napa Valley. This is one of the last remaining bottles we acquired on release back in the late nineties.

Consistent with tasting notes from two years ago, "Tonight's tasting was more consistent with notes from a few years ago, dark ruby color, medium to full body, spicy black berry and black currant fruits are still vibrant in this nineteen year old, accented by tones of earthy leather, cedar and tobacco with hints of anise on the smooth tannin finish."

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=35491

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/12/del-dotto-napa-gio-and-cab-franc-1997.html

Del Dotto Piazza Napa Valley Rutherford Petit Verdot 2015

We tasted and acquired this wine as part of the during our Del Dotto Piazza DELICACIES Food and Wine Experience Tasting at the winery during our Napa Wine Experience this summer. 

Like the Del Dotto Cabernet Franc above, we served this Petit Verdot to compare against similarly aged Cabernet Sauvignons to contrast the different character of the Bordeaux varietals where Petitot Verdot is introduced into the Blend for backbone, structure and color, as well as further breadth and depth, alongside the primary core Cabernet Sauvignon and or  softer Merlot.

Dark blackish garnet colored, full bodied, nicely balanced, firm forward concentrated black berry and black cherry fruits, with notes of mocha, spice and hints of pepper spice with smooth lingering tannins. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2757017

Later Dan and Sean and the girls opened this vintage release '96 Brunello which rounded out our horizontal tasting of that release.

Canalicchio di Sopra Brunello de Montalcino 1996 

Dan brought this to our wine tasting this summer too. This is 100% Sangiovese for very pleasant easy drinking - ideal for food or hearty cheeses.

Garnet colored, medium bodied, black berry and black cherry fruits with notes of earth tones, tobacco box and sweet brown spices with a tangy long spicy finish.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=637618

More to follow ...

 

Vintage Cal Cab Flight - Signaterra Chardonnay

Vintage Cal Cabs, Signaterra Chardonnay, Taittinger Highlight Surf & Turf Dinner

Post holiday surf and turf dinner features a trio of vintage California Cabernets - Vinyard 29, David Arthur, and BV (Beaulieu Vineyard) Tapestry. Reuniting with friends Bill and Beth C after the holidays, Bill and Beth prepared steak Diane served with rice pilaf and green beans.

Anti, prior to dinner courses included artisan cheeses with fresh berries, lobster medallions on a bed of clarified buttered cracker crumbs, and wedge salad with blue cheese.

The cheese flight included three perfect wine accompaniments, two of my favorites, aged cheddar and Bellavitano, and a spectacular full bodied, grainy, hearty aged white cheddar called Prairie Breeze from Iowa (!?).

To accompany the anti courses, Bill served Taittinger Nocturne NV Champagne followed by Benziger Sonoma County Carneros SanGiacomo Chardonnay.

 For after dinner dessert, Linda prepared a decadent double chocolate brownies with caramel sauce and butter roasted walnuts.

Taittinger Nocturne Sec Champagne NV. 

It's always time for Champagne! Enjoyed with fresh berries and the cheese course, this was refreshing, crisp and delightfully fruity with a modest tone of almond nut.

RM 88 points.

Bill's tasting notes from Cellartracker - "Lovely blush color and moderately tight bubbles. Toasted almond and hazelnut on the palate with a hint of lemon. Certainly not equal to the Comte we celebrated with on News Year but a very nice accompaniment to artisan cheeses and crackers."

 WCC 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=232988





Benziger Sonoma County Carneros SanGiacomo Vineyard West Rows Chardonnay 2008 

We first discovered Benziger's Signaterra single vineyard designated select wines when we met producer family member Erinn Benziger when she attended Binny's grand expo tasting in the winter of 2008 that featured the Judgement of Paris recreation tasting.

We then visited Benziger Valley in central Sonoma during our Sonoma Wine Experience in the fall of 2009 where Bill picked up this limited release San Giacomo Vineyard West Rows Chardonnay.

Bill's tasting notes from Cellartracker -  "Medium straw coloring the glass. Nose reveals some pear and a touch of oak. Was buttery on the palate, clean with notes of green pear. Not much acidity and thankfully not over oaked. Nicely complemented broiled lobster in clarified butter."

WCC 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=878073

http://www.benziger.com/ 

With the steak dinner ...

Vineyard 29 Napa Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1993

Vineyard 29 was featured in an earlier blogpost after a tasting of their 1995 vintage from Bill's cellar. 

Bill's tasting notes from Cellartracker -  "Medium garnet in the glass. Still some fruit left. Nicely balanced with flavors of raspberry, sour cherry, mocha and a hint of cedar. This was the consensus favorite at "Open That Bottle Night" one year ago. A year later, it is still very tasty but tannins are fading and is not as vibrant as it was last year."

WCC 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=72837


http://www.vineyard29.com/




David Arthur Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1998

We chronicled our David Arthur estate visit in previous postings, one of the highlights of our Napa Valley Wine Experience 2012.

Tonight, this took about ninety minutes to open and reveal its fruit which was more subdued and has fallen off from earlier tastings. While not flawed, this is losing its luster and not surprisingly perhaps starting to  show its age.

My notes from autumn of 2011 tasting - Dark inky garnet color. Medium-full bodied. Bight vibrant black raspberry and current fruit flavors highlighted by a layer of soft cedar turning to a hint of anise and eucalyptus with a smooth silky tannin finish. Very nice drinking in this thirteen year old - still has life left, no need to hurry - a very nice wine from a vintage that was given a bad rap as many of the 1998s turned out reasonably well, beyond expectations set by reviewers at the time.

REM 87 points. 

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=6095

http://www.davidarthur.com/

Beaulieu Vineyards Napa Valley Tapestry Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

This is another example showcasing the consistency and QPR (quality-price ratio) of this label. We continue to hold a vertical of this wine going back a dozen years and it continues to reward us. By the end of the evening, the Tapestry was standing tall showing off nicely polished fruits and silky tannins perhaps reveling in the apex of its drinking window.

Readers of this blog will notice our many recantations of our visits with the producer's of featured wines. Beaulieu Vineyards is an exception, having been the subject of our earliest visits to Napa Valley back in the eighties, long before we started chronicling such activities.

As one of the classic historical producers in Napa Valley, its classic facility on Route 29, mainstreet of Napa Valley, should be included on anyone's itinerary as a starting point for those exploring Napa wines and visiting the hallowed region.

My tasting notes from autumn of 2012 - Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, a bit tight and closed initially, it took more than an hour for this to open up and fully reveal black berry fruits, a layer of anise and tones of cedar, black tea and smokey oak on a moderate tannin lingering finish.

RM 89 points.

Bill's tasting notes from Cellartracker -  "Tapestry almost never disappoints and this was no exception. Lesson learned from previous bottles, decanted for almost two hours before drinking. Medium garnet color, smooth, well integrated tannins. Slightly floral nose with cherry, mocha and a hint of oak on the finish."

WCC 88 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=410294

http://www.bvwines.com/

Still working ... more to come .. .check back ... 


  

Soaring Red Flight - Silverado Solo - Darioush - Château Faugères

Red Flight Soars High - Silverado Solo, Darioush, Château Faugères

Readers of this blog see many instances of our wine encounters with enticing wines, so its significant when wine buddy Bill says we may have outdone ourselves - tonight's wine dinner with Bill and Beth C was extraordinary in the pairings of great wines and food.Our rib-eye roast dinner wine flight served up three blockbuster reds that showcased different but complementary styles.

The evening featured Château Faugères St Emilion Grand Cru, Darioush Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Silverado Vineyards SOLO Napa Valley Cabernet Sauivignon over dinner. A starter course of lobster medallions was highlighted by Te Kairanga Casarina  Martinborough New Zealand Reserve Chardonnay. The evening finished with Warre's Quinta da Cavadhina Vintage Porto with the desert course.

The evening started with artisan cheeses (shown above with wine flight) - Stilton with berrys, white cheddar and danish blue, served with fresh berries and mixed nuts. Broiled lobster medallions with drawn butter followed.

The dinner featured a rib-eye roast served with grilled mushrooms, twice baked potatoes and fresh garden salad.

Desert featured Linda's baked apple and berry pie with apples, blueberrys and strawberries served alongside artisan hand-made chocolate truffles from The Chocolate Garden, a holiday gift from colleague Lora J.


Château Faugères St Emilion Grand Cru 1998

Following our attendance at the UGCB grand tasting grand tasting of the 2010 vintage release in Chicago this week, I was compelled to open with a vintage Bordeaux selection.

Decanted an hour before drinking, medium to full bodied, inky purple color, subdued nose but complex medley of flavors evolved throughout the evening - predominate black fruits, layer of graphite with tones of cedar, mushroom and leather with hints of anise and mocha. After ninety minutes a slightly funky barnyard tone set in but eventually burned off leaving a pleasant, complex but polished tone with nicely integrated firm tannins on the moderate finish.  

RM 88 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=5046

http://www.chateau-faugeres.com/

 Darioush Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2001

 This was a fitting selection for this evening. We first were introduced to this wine by Bill and Beth when we were invited by them to a wine dinner at their Cress Creek Country Club in the late nineties.

We visited the winery during our Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2003. Their fabulous winery and tasting facility on Silverado Trail in southern Napa Valley was not yet open but was well under construction at that time.  Tonight's wine selection was from the case we purchased during that visit.  

We then attended the gala Darioush - Domaine de Chevalier Gala Wine Dinner. This was a fabulous private dinner hosted by Darius & Shaptar Kaledi of Darioush Winery and Bernard Laborie of Domaine de Chevalier at Everest restaurant in Chicago in the summer of 2004. 

I mention this since we just saw Bernard at the UGCB grand tasting of the 2010 Bordeaux release in Chicago this week and we reminisced about that evening. See my UGCB blogpost of that evening.

This remains a blockbuster wine, living up to the tone set by the large oversize, almost magnum size bottle - dark inky color, full bodied, complex but smooth and polished, full forward black berry and currant fruits with a layer of spicy cinnamon oak with tones of black tea, anise, tobacco leaf and dark chocolate - well balanced and polished with nicely integrated silky smooth tannins on the lingering finish.

Blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=462550   

http://www.darioush.com/
 


Silverado Vineyards SOLO Napa Valley Cabernet Sauivignon 2006

Bill brought this cellar selection from home which set the stage with this Stag's Leap District Napa Cab for me to select the 'neighboring' Darioush Cabernet. Its hard to imagine the Darioush being upstaged but this flagship of the Silverado family is a huge blockbuster wine. It was a treat to experience this wine for the first time.

Dark inky purple, huge, powerful, complex forward black berry fruits accented by spicy toasty oak, leather and pencil lead on a tight firm lingering tannin finish.

 I can't wait to try this again and can imagine this wine after five or even ten years being more smooth and polished but still retaining that firm powerful core and long tannin finish.

This was a great transition progression, building 'up' from the Faugueres and then the Darioush. This wine begged for hearty cheese, dark chocolate, or charbroiled beefsteak.

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=779038

http://www.silveradovineyards.com/

Te Kairanga Casarina  Martinborough New Zealand Reserve Chardonnay 2005

Regrettably, this was the last bottle of this partial case I bought a while back.

Light golden honey coloured wine - medium-light bodied. Winemaker notes say it well - Hints of white peach, citrus and grilled hazelnuts with attractive vanilla oak characters. Nice easy drinking wine - tight acidity and good length.to add a bit more body, richness  Since the earlier tastings, I sense this added a bit more body and complexity and actually possessed somewhat of a buttery oakiness resembling a Sonoma County style. Very nice and perfect complement to the lobster medallions and salad.


RM 89 points.


https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=642640

https://www.tkwine.co.nz/


Warre's Quinta da Cavadhina Vintage Porto 1995

Dark coffee color - full bodied, a bit of an edge of sweet black fruits, layer of smokey creosote with hint of cedar and cassis and black cherry on the finish.

RM 89 points. 

This was one of WINE SPECTATOR’S Top 10 Dessert Wines for 1998

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3721  

http://www.warre.com/section.php?id=777
More to follow ... 

Wine flight - baked apple berry crisp with chocolate truffles

Easter Celebration Dinner Wine Flight

Gala Easter Celebration Family Dinner with Wine Flight

The family gathered at our house for a gala Easter celebration dinner including an Easter Egg hunt for the (grand) children. We were joined by cousin, niece Becky and husband Keith, visiting for the weekend, and in-laws, Frank and Marylisa visiting the new parent kids and newest grandaughter Marylin, in from Naples. 

Linda prepared an extensive dinner with salad, baked ham, scalloped potatoes, french toast, baked beans, baked pineapple and apples, steamed broccoli and more. Prior to dinner we served a selection of artisan cheeses with crackers, fresh shrimp cocktail, smoked salmon, a broad assortment of French pastry maccaroons, fresh fruit, and other delectables.

I pulled from the cellar a flight of wines for the various courses.

Besserat de Bellefon - Cuvée des Moines brut Rosé Champagne 

Long Shadows Dance Columbia Valley Chardonnay 2019 

Calera Ryan's Vineyard Mt Hollister Pinot Noir 2010

Cliff Lede Napa Valley Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 

Les Brulières de Beychevelle 2016

Besserat de Bellefon "Cuvee des Moines" Brut Rosé Champagne

The Maison Besserat de Bellefon was founded in Aÿ in 1843 by Edmond Besserat. Originally from Hautvillers, he imposed his artisanal know-how creating cuvées that he sold to renowned hotels, restaurants and wine merchants of the day. After Edmond, his grandsons, Victor and Edmond, followed in his footsteps continuing his pursuit of excellence and high standards, one as technician, the other as emeritus taster. 

In 1920, the marriage of Edmond with Yvonne de Méric de Bellefon, of the noble Champagne house, sealed the beginning of the legend of Champagne Besserat de Bellefon and endowed the House with the family coat of arms.

This label, the Cuvée des Moines was conceived in 1930, comprised of a selection of the best Champagne wines. In the best vintage years, Besserat de Bellefon selects the best plots to produce the best wines of Champagne. 

Each non-vintage Besserat de Bellefon cuvée rests in the cellar for a minimum of three years; the vintage cuvée remains there for a minimum of five years, ageing in the cellar much longer than the minimum period required by the Appellation.

Besserat de Bellefon "Cuvee des Moines" Brut Rosé Champagne

This label of Besserat de Bellefon Cuvee des Moines Brut Rose is now part of the house of Besserat de Bellefon Simplicité Line in the brand portfolio. 

Besserat Bellefon produces a range of pure, fresh, lean and elegant low-pressure wines that do not undergo the typical malolactic fermentation. The Champagnes of Besserat de Bellefon are unique in that they are made at only 4.5 atmospheres of pressure across the range rather than the standard 6. The resulting quality, first-class Champagnes are made specifically to be paired with food, or are ideal served as aperitifs or celebratory sipping.

The NV Brut Rosé Cuvée des Moines is a blend of 45% Meunier, 25% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay.

This release was rated 92 points by Wine Spectator, 90 points James Suckling and Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.

Bright golden pink orange colored, ripe and tangy red boysenberry and yellow peach fruits are framed by crisp juicy dry acidity, chalk and smoke notes with hints of almond, lemon and ginger accents on the finish.

RM 92 points.

https://www.besseratdebellefon.com/index-en.php

https://twitter.com/BesseratB

@BesseratB

Long Shadows "Dance" Columbia Valley Chardonnay 2019

This label, Dance has special significance in that our daughter-in-law Vivianna's sister, Grace, was a career professional performing arts dancer having studied dance at New York Fordham University and then traveling with the world famous Alvin Ailey dance troupe. 

It was a great fun to serve this in tribute to Grace, who was just engaged to be married, to Vivianna and their parents, Frank and Marylisa, who joined us for our festive holiday dinner.

As written in this pages a couple of weeks ago, we discovered this label on the Catch 35 wine list during our dinner there a couple of weeks ago. We've been Long Shadows Key Club Members since our visit to the Woodinville tasting room during our Washington Wine Experience when we visited the winery tasting room in Woodinville back in the fall of 2018.

We receive a case of Long Shadows wines every quarter and hold several cases of their labels in our cellar and this was the first time we have seen or heard about this label, purported to be the latest addition to the portfolio.

Following our enjoyment of this wine at our recent dinner, I promptly called Long Shadows and ordered a case of this limited release label, "Dance" as part of my wine club entitlement allocation. 

Winemaker's Tasting Notes - A layered, aromatic wine that displays minerality and white blossom fragrances with flavors of white peach, apple and a hint of baking spice woven throughout a subtle, creamy texture.

The aromas intrigue on the nose, with notes of clarified butter, straw, spice and pumpkin. The palate shows depth and breadth to the stone fruit flavors but also sophistication. The balance is exquisite.

The result is a rich, yet refined Chardonnay with a beautiful viscosity that carries the mid-palate
while the acidity persists across a lengthy finish.

Light straw colored, medium bodied, rich crisp clean green apple with notes of baking spice, pumpkin, stone fruit and hint of citrus on a bright tangy finish.

93 Points

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3322908

https://longshadows.com/

https://twitter.com/LongShadowsWine

@LongShadowsWine

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2022/04/catch35-naperville-seafood-and-wine.html
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2022/04/catch35-naperville-seafood-and-wine.html

Calera Ryan's Vineyard Mt Hollister Pinot Noir 2010

In the spirit of the family celebration, I pulled from the cellar a birthyear vintage wine of our eldest grand-daughter, Lucy, this single vineyard designated wine from an estate vineyard with son Ryan's name. 

Calera are one of the legendary classic California Pinot Noirs. Founder Josh Jenson was the pioneer of California Pinot Noir. 

As I have written in these pages, any lover of Pinot Noir would benefit from reading The Heartbreak Grape,  A California Winemakers Search for the Perfect Pinot Noir by Marc de Villiers, 1994, Harper Collins.  

This is a wonderful true story that starts when Devillers becomes captivated by a wine served at a holiday party. The story evolves as his journalistic curiosity leads to researching the wine and its origins - the story of  Josh Jensen and Calera winery. 

He chronicles the challenges and travails of developing the Pinot Noir grape in California, and then turning it into a business, an industry, and pursuing a dream. 

 

The name Heartbreak Grape speaks to the challenge of pioneering bringing the Pinot Noir grape varietal to America - finding the right terrior, climate, terrain, soil, drainage - all the elements required to produce this wine. It then follows the story of an entrepreneur following his dream to build a business and a brand.  

 

From the namesake vineyard bearing son Ryan's name, I keep a half dozen vintages a label in our cellar for tasting during such family gatherings. This, 2010 vintage release, is the oldest in our cellar, selecting the oldest as part of appropriate cellar management. 

We've held onto this vintage release since it is a birthyear wine of one of our grandchildren. Also, it was the special 35th Anniversary Release Vintage, hence I was holding it for the possibility of gifting it or serving it from someone's 35th Anniversary celebration. 

Calera is an oenphile's wine - the rear label is one of the most imformative of any producer's label I know of, with detailed information on the vineyard, geography, harvest, location and terroir including a map of the estate of the vineyard sites.  

As shown, this release is 100% Calera Estate fruit from the 13 acre Ryan Vineyard at 2200 feet elevation on Mt Harlan in the Gavilan Mountains nine miles from Holister, California, twenty miles inland from Monterey Carmel on the Pacific Coast, ninety miles south of San Francisco.

In any event, this label was awarded 94 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 92 points and *Cellar Selection* by Wine Enthusiast and "Outstanding" by Allen Meadows - Burghound.

Dark ruby colored, starting to take on a slight bit of discoloration at a dozen years of age, medium bodied, the complex flavors of plum, dark cherry and dried rose petals are showing slight diminution of the fruit from aging, turning to a textured tangy acidic firm tannin laced lingering finish. 

RM 88 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1546892

https://www.calerawine.com/

https://twitter.com/calerawine 

@CaleraWine

Ryan brought from home the remains of a bottle he had opened the night before. 

Cliff Lede Napa Valley Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

Our visits to the Cliff Lede estate winey and vineyards have been a highlight of several of our Napa Valley Wine Experiences. Since son Ryan and fellow Pour Boy Bill C both are club members and receive regular vintage release allocations of this producer, we opt to collect a different producer, thereby affording all of a greater variety of tasting experiences. 

This Diamond Mountain appellation label is one of Ryan's favorites from his broad collection from this producer. We've enjoyed several vintages of this label with Ryan and Bill. 

Winery notes: "Our Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon comes from exceptional, low-yielding vineyards with volcanic ash and gravelly loam soils in the Diamond Mountain appellation, nestled in the Mayacamas Range on the northwest side of Napa Valley. The sun-drenched mountain vineyards have late afternoon breezes that ripen the fruit slowly and evenly. Both sites are planted to extraordinary old vines on a steep incline with historic Napa field selections and produce age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon with dark fruit, intense structure, minerality, and perfume." 

This was dark garnet colored, full bodied, complex, rich concentrated brooding layered black berry and black raspberry fruits accented by notes of graphite, dark mocha chocolate, tobacco leaf, leather and smoke on a tongue coating long finish. 

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3145685

https://www.ledefamilywines.com/

 

@CliffLedeWine 

Les Brulières de Beychevelle Haut Medoc 2016

I found this label at Binny's, our wine and beverage super store recently. We know this producer well, having visited the Chateau Beychevelle estate vineyards and winery in St Julien Bordeaux during our visit to the region and appellation a couple of years ago.  

We hold several vintages of the grand vin Chateau Beychevelle dating back more than three decades, but have never seen this more pedestrian entry level label from this producer, so I was compelled to pick some up to try.

Clearly not the grand vin, or their second label sophistication or quality, but at a fraction of the price, this represented reasonable QPR - Quality Price Ratio for simpler every day sipping, a 'pizza' wine as I refer to such wines. Notably, this is a Haut-Medoc appellation labeled wine, not from the more prestigious and distinctive St Julien appellation.

Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, black cherry and black plum fruits accented by notes of smoke, herbs, green pepper, leather and a bit of wet earth and tar with a bright tangy acidic finish. 

RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3107238

https://beychevelle.com/

https://twitter.com/Beychevelle1855 

@Beychevelle1855

 

 

 

Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio 2009

I came home from a long day of windshield time and L was preparing beef skewers on the grill. I asked what kind of wine she wanted and she said, "Something Big!!". So, I served up a surprise. What? A tasty, full bodied, serious drinking wine from where? Jumilla, Spain? Just because my expectations were so low doesnt diminish the results of this blockbuster tasting. As noted in an earlier blog, we're huge fans of big fruit filled Syrahs and this stood with the best of them, with none of that metallic, mineral or creosote that I expected of a Spanish Red. A blend of  70% Monastrell (and 30% cabernet sauvignon) which I now know is aka Mouvedre which is the M in GSM - Genache, Mouvedre and Syrah, a popular blend in the Rhone River Valley as well as South Central Australia. Now I learn that the chief winemaker for this wine is Chris Ringland of R Wines as in big fruity Aussie Shiraz. - is there a pattern emerging here? 

The 2009 Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio, much like the 2004, is another in a series of show stoppers, consistently over-achieving, full-bodied reds. Look at this track record (all scores from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate): 2003 - 96 points; 2004 - 97 points; 2005 - 95 points; 2006 - 95 points; 2007 - 94 points, 2008 -94 points. 

While I found this to be not as fruit filled and oppulant as the earlier tasting of the 2004 (see my earlier blog of the 2004 Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio), the 2009 gets high marks and glowing reviews indeed. Glass-coating opaque purple color, full bodied with a full bouquet of black fruits - black berry, black currant and black cherry, a layer of smoke, anise and expresso with a long lingering subtle oak moderate tannin finish. Give it time to open. It was more approachable ninety minutes later... but we were finished by then. While not inexpensive at $40, it does pack a lot for that pricepoint and delivers a reasonable QPR (quality price ratio) even at that level. and it lists for more in a lot of places. 

RM 91 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1248745

http://www.orowines.com/ 

See the Rhone Report who gives it a 95+:
"Possibly my favorite vintage of this to date, the brilliant 2009 Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio, mostly old vine Monastrell that?s aged in new French oak, boasts awesome aromatics of smoky blackberry and creme de cassis that?s intermixed with notions of roasted coffee, chocolate, mineral, and sweet spice on the nose. Full-bodied, impeccably balanced, and awesomely fresh and focused, this blockbuster has layers of sweet fruit and texture, ripe tannin, and a detailed, clean finish. While no doubt a seriously fruited wine that carries a shine of classy oak, it has real depth, character, and structure. It's beautiful now with a decant, but should be even better with 2-3 years of bottle age, and drink well for a decade or longer. I'm a huge fan and this is all around impressive!"

International Wine Report 92+
"The 2009 Clio is made in a very modern style. The color on this is deep purple almost black, it is packed tightly with blackberry jam, blueberry, sweet currant, spice, citrus peel, toasty oak, espresso and crushed floral. This is deeply layered, dense and racy with polished tannins that explode on your palate. This finish doses out more black fruit and chocolaty espresso notes that linger. This is delicious and hard to resist, so give this a few hours of air-time if drinking now."

Stoutridge Winery Marlboro, NY

Our third winery visit along the Shawangunk Wine Trail was Stoutridge Vineyards and Winery in Ulster County's Marlboro, NY. Stoutridge is a member of the Shawangunk Wine Trail as well as the Meet Me in Marlborough Farm Trail.

The farmhouse at Stoutridge Vineyard dates back to the mid-1800s and was built by pioneering Italian immigrants. Sometime around the American Civil War, the farm became a part of the historic 80+ acre McCourt fruit farm. In 1895, Hannah McCourt sold off a 14-acre parcel to Moses McMullen, the majority of what is now Stoutridge Vineyard. 

Moses farmed the land for seven years until he, in turn, sold it to Vincenzo Marino in 1902. Vincenzo converted his barn into a winery and began producing wine commercially, doing so until his death in 1919. Prohibition was ratified later that spring and the Vincenzo’s eventually lost the farm.

In 1923, the farm was purchased by Joseph Noto of Miami, Florida. He immediately dismantled Marono’s winery and built a pig barn and automobile garage. He and his family farmed the fruit orchards and grapevines until his death in 1944. To this day people in Marlboro refer to the land as "The old Noto Farm."

In 1945 Joseph Olivo bought the farm and sold it in 1952 to Philippa Turrigiano who used the farmhouse as a consolidation warehouse for illegal brandy production, a popular activity on farms throughout Marlboro at the time. Philippa was arrested by federal agents in 1956 and the land was confiscated and sold at government auction to Dominic Pagnotta II.

Dominic and his family kept up the fruit trees and grapevines until his death in 1969. (Dominic III became a teacher and used the land for hunting and as a training ground for pistol and rifle use with the New York State Hunter Safety Program. In 2006 at age 70, Dominic became the champion of the Amateur Trap Shooting Association’s annual event, "The Empire Grand American.")
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Stoutridge is Born. The century-old farmhouse was burned down by vandals in 1988 although the foundation remained intact. The current owners of Stoutridge Vineyards, Stephen Osborn and Kimberly Wagner, bought the farm from Dominic and JoAnn Pagnotta in 2001. They set about the restoration of the farmhouse, vineyards, and the old Marono Winery. 

In restoring this property, Stoutridge took great care to plant native trees and shrubs. Over 100 trees have been planted on the property since 2008. They even utilized recycled materials for the driveways and roadways, constructing them with recycled NY highway tailings — the part of the road that gets scraped up before a new blacktop is applied. 

Today, Stoutridge Vineyard exemplifies natural winemaking and environmentally responsible operations. 

In addition to the winery, since 2017, the property is also a working distillery. Stoutridge is outfitted with two five plate Christian Carl Stills and an impressive 30 plate pot still for vodka production.

One of the most unique aspects of Stoutridge is their malting and kilning floors, one of only eight distilleries in America to do its own malting and the only US distillery with a kilning floor.

Ninety percent of Stoutridge wines are produced from grapes sourced from local vineyards. Using local grapes reduces the amount of fuel used for transportation to the crush pad. One of the goals at Stoutridge is to capture the local flavor. Many of the wines are farm-centric, wine bottled 100% from the vines of Hudson Valley farms to capture regional and local authenticity.

Stoutridge focus on natural winemaking with fermentation being the sole processing step believing their wines retain more of the balance, flavor and complexity found in nature. Careful control over fermentation is key to making wines with no chemical intervention  with fermentation conditions maximized for the natural effects desired.

Stoutridge have a barrel room that houses large barrels that can hold up to 700 gallons, and smaller barrels that can hold 375 gallons. The barrels are made from Hungarian oak which is quite similar to French oak, but at a significantly lower cost. They estimate their barrels lasting over 100 years, which is considered sustainable since a new oak forest can be grown to harvest wood to replace the barrel. 

Stoutridge strive to make wines that reflect the flavor of the grape and vineyard. Their Hungarian oak barrels are perfect because they do not impart any oak flavor to the wines. Their winemaking techniques are focused entirely on making the best wine for our region of the Hudson Valley with no need or desire for speed, but rather as nature intended. Stoutridge avoid, pumping, filtering and fining processes that speed up winemaking striving for the most natural produce. 

Kimberly Wagner, co-proprietor served us in the tasting room and explained their emphasis on natural wine production resulting in natural wines that are un-like traditional wines we typically encounter.

She exclaimed they may taste like cider or even have tones of beer in some cases, and that many that would otherwise prefer red wines may lean towards their whites, and vice versa. So, we were warned, and somewhat inquisitive as we dove into tasting our flight of wines. 

The tasting notes provided with the wine samples stated: "Our award winning wines are processed without pumps or filters and without the addition of any chemicals(including sulfites). The wines are made on-site from local grapes and are unfiltered or unfined (so cloudiness and sediment is normal). When you pour the samples into the glass, notice they smeill different than they taste!"

I inquired about how much of the wines are 'estate', meaning they are produced from proprietor grown grapes, asking many acres were under vines and producing grapes that are used in their wines. She intimated that many of their twenty acres are being replanted due to an infestation of an invasive Chinese louse akin to the stink-bug that attacks and saps the energy from the stems. Hence only two acres were currently producing grapes for wine. The rest of the wines are crafted from grapes sourced from growers throughout the Hudson River Valley.  

The wine flight was packaged with a couple of branded wine glasses, tasting notes and some promo materials. 

We tasted our wines on the patio in front of the estate chateau.

Stoutridge Winery Ridge White

Winemaker notes: Fresh vibrant wine with the unmistakable fruitiness of American native grapes and the soft smooth finish of European varietals. A great wine for lunch and light dinners that will remind you of our Hudson Valley vineyards. Best served ice cold. Unfiltered and unfined.

The day's tasting notes specified a 50:50 blend while the current bottle on offer specifies 60% Seyval and 40%g Niagra grapes in the blend. 

Tasting notes indicate this won the following awards:

• Finger Lakes Intl. Wine Comp. Bronze
• NY Wine & Food Classic Silver
• Finger Lakes Intl. Wine Comp. Silver Finger Lakes Intl. Wine Comp. Silver

RM 84 points.

Stoutridge Winery Seyval / Riesling 2016

Winemaker notes: "Refreshing crisp wine with flavors of fresh cut lemon and grapefruit. It is medium bodied and bone dry with vivacious acidity and inviting finish. Great with fresh chees or pairs perfectly with any seafood or shelfish. This is a blend of 60% Seyval and 40% Riesling. 

RM 85 points.

Stoutridge Winery Ridge Rose 2008

Winemaker notes: "The Ridge designation is one that the winemaker uses on the most artistic creations out of the cellar. This dry wine has powerful aromas but also is nuanced and subtle. Deep smoky and nutty flavors wrapped around a plum and black cherry core of ripe fruit. Astoundingly good wine with hard cheeses and fresh fruit. Decant 30 minutes for best flavor. Unfiltered and unfined."

Atributed to NY Wine: 85% Lemberger, 10% Chancellor, and 5% Noiret

RM 85 points.

Stoutridge Winery Merlot 2010

Producer Notes: "This wine has outstanding vibrancy as well as the notable silkiness which makes the Merlot grape so prized. Of all of our wines, this one tastes most like the vineyard. From top-quality Long Island fruit. Pairs well with veal, chicken, and game birds. Or a wonderful sipping wine without a dry tannic edge. Unfiltered and unfined."

100% Merlot

Awards cited: 

• Finger Lakes Intl. Wine Comp. Bronze
• NY Wine & Food Classic Bronze

Stoutridge Winery Merlot-Frontenac 2010

Producer Notes: "Very complete flavor profile from the deepest, richest purple fruits on the Frontenac side to the bright red zestiness of the Merlot side. Fermentation comes through with a savoriness that finishes the wine and makes it very food-friendly. Nothing heavy or jammy here. The 14.4 alcohol is completely buried in the fruit and the wine remains cool and juicy. Unfiltered and unfined."

Award cited: Finger Lakes Intl. Wine Comp. Bronze

RM 86 points. 

https://www.stoutridge.com/

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