Clos Fortet Bordeaux for Paris Bistro French Cuisine Dinner

Clos Fortet Bordeaux for Paris Bistro French Cuisine Dinner

After a tumultuous day, we planned to dine out and to check out Paris Bistro in south Naperville. We went to see and support our friend Rosa who works there as a server. When we discovered it allowed BYOB,  we selected this eight year old Bordeaux from the cellar to take to accompany our French cuisine dinner. While they offer half priced bottles of wine on Monday nights, the selection is very limited and that offer does not apply to few the premium labels on the wine list, so we stuck with our BYOB selection.

Paris Bistro is part wine bar, part Boulangerie Patisserie, it promotes itself as a Rotisserie and Creperie. Its open for breakfast and lunch as well as dinner. While this is true, it doesn't do justice to its serious dinner entree beef and seafood offerings. The menu is simple and limited with a seafood and beef entree in addition to its crepe and rotisserie features. The menu is the handiwork of a local artisan chef who is eastern European but develops and serves authentic French cuisine. They offer a simple limited wine list of French labels to compliment each menu selection either by the bottle of by the glass. The selection included a couple of Crus Bourgeois du Médoc equivalent Bordeaux, a Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and a varied selection of other reds and whites - mostly modest wines at frugal prices.

I chose the day's special, a beef shank on the bone served in onions, carrots and mushrooms in a red wine reduction that was delicious, with truffle infused whipped potatoes (shown left). Linda chose the other day's special selection, shrimp and sea scallops served on a bed of polenta. Both were moderate portions served in a stylish thoughtfully prepared presentation, and were tasteful. While prices for most of the menu selections offered good value, our daily special selections were priced at 'upscale' suburban or even 'city' prices (thirty+ dollars).

Prior to dinner, we had a featured plate of cheese, pate and olives in olive oil ($14), served with toast points. Three various cheese, creamy, soft and moderate, were served in this delightful offering which by itself would be a great small plate accompaniment to a couple glasses of wine. It was tempting to not try their by-the-glass selections with the plate but we had our BYOB Bordeaux which turned out to be a perfect complement to this plate as well as our entrees.

After dinner we enjoyed superb creme brulee and chocolate mousse desserts.

Clos Fortet 1er Grand Cru Classe St Emilion Bordeaux 2004

The Clos Fourtet château sits right outside the gates of the medieval city of Saint-Emilion and is one of the oldest, most renowned and frequently visited estates in the area. It is within walking distance from the luxury hotel and restaurant Hostellerie de Plaisance. The property has about fifty acres of vineyards planted with Merlot (72%), Cabernet Franc (22%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (6%).

Clos Fourtet has had several owners over the years and underwent a mini-renaissance under the stewardship of the Lurtons family who bought the property in 1949. The winemaker Pierre Lurton established the property`s reputation as one of the finest on the St. Martin plateau. He left to become winemaker at the esteemed Cheval Blanc and was replaced by Daniel Alard. In 2001, Clos Fourtet was bought by Paris businessman Phillipe Cuvelier who continued to modernize and develop the property. 

Clos Fourtet has had an exceptional run of terrific vintage releases in recent years. Robert Parker, the legendary acclaimed critic loves this wine and has praised their efforts in recent releases. Parker cited their 2003 a breakthrough vintage for this estate and their best ever. He said this 2004 was a worthy successor to the 'brilliant' 2003, however not as powerful. He gave their 2005 vintage a classic 98 points rating, and then he awarded the 2009 a perfect 100, saying 'it was one of the greatest young Bordeaux (he) had ever tasted'.

Tonight this wine was dark purple colored, medium to full bodied. Upon opening it burst with aromas of berry fruits. It was vibrant and bright with a symphony of youthful exuberant black cherry, black berry and blue raspberry fruits, accented by tones of  spice, creme de cassis and licorice, with hints of smoke and mocha, turning to a soft spicy lingering moderately tannin finish.

RM 92 points. RP 91-93 points.

I wish I had more than my few bottles of this to taste over the next decade or so. 

http://www.closfourtet.com/

http://www.parisbistronaperville.com/

Vineyard 29, Elan Atlas Peak Napa Cabernet 95 Duo, Fogdog Chardonnay Highlight Beef Tenderloin Surf & Turf Dinner

Vineyard 29, Elan Atlas Peak Napa Cabernet 95 Duo, Fogdog Chardonnay Highlight Beef Tenderloin Surf & Turf Dinner

For a beef tenderloin wine dinner with friends Beth and Bill C, I suggested a (Napa) Cabernet theme following our Shiraz and Bordeaux dinners during last weekend's NYC getaway.

Bill brought a 1995 Vineyard 29 Napa Cabernet. Bill brought this same property's Grace Vineyard label from the '93 vintage to our OTBN 2013 (Open That Bottle Night) dinner and it was one of my favorites of that evening that featured more than thirty wines.

For a comparison mini-horizontal tasting, I pulled a 1995 Elan from the cellar. This provided an interesting contrast in styles and terroir of two wines showing the same state of their aging profile.

At eighteen years of age these two wines are reaching the end of their drinking window and both, while showing their age, are still drinking well.

The two aged Napa Cabernets were a perfect complement to Linda'a beef tenderloin, green beans and wild rice dinner, as well as the chocolate mousse and selection of artisan cheeses. Prior to dinner we drank Joseph Phelp's Sonoma County Fogdog Chardonnay 2010 with lobster medallions and artisan cheeses.


Freestone (Joseph Phelps) Fogdog Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2010

This is an interesting whimsical label from the legendary Joseph Phelps known for Bordeaux varietal wines from Napa Valley. Yet Phelps loved the wines of Burgundy and wanted to craft wines in that style. Originally he sourced Chardonnay from St. Helena, then Yountville and later from Carneros.

Through the years, he continued searching for the ideal spot to grow both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. He found the perfect combination of climate, soil and location in Freestone, in the Sonoma Coast appellation AVA, just five miles from the Pacific Ocean. In 1999, Joseph Phelps Vineyards began developing 100 acres of vineyards just outside of Freestone.

In 2005, he built a new winery which was completed in time for the 2007 harvest. Today, 80 acres of Pinot Noir and 20 acres of Chardonnay produce remarkable estate-grown wines bearing the Joseph Phelps name.

The moniker 'fogdog' refers to 'a bright or clear spot that appears in the breaking fog'. Being just five miles from the coast, the fog rolls in from the ocean and graces the vineyards early in the day before being burned off by the late morning sun.

We've had the Fogdog Pinot Noir on several occasions, most recently during last weekend during our New York/Hoboken getaway, but this was our first encounter with the Chardonnay.

Winemaker Notes: This wine has a very expressive floral bouquet with notes of baking spices, wet stone and toasted vanilla bean. There is a hint of mid-palate sweetness that nicely buffers the core of acidity and complements the array of pear tart, white peach, green apple and lemongrass flavors. 

Sonoma Coast Chardonnay sourced from the Dutton Ranch Mill Station Vineyard (67%) and the Freestone estate vineyards (33%). 

The 2010 Chardonnay growing season was slow and cool, producing excellent fruit quality with uniform sugar and acid levels, despite the late season weather challenges, making for excellent natural winemaking conditions. The finished wines are balanced and fresh with a distinctly Freestone spice element.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1342737

http://www.josephphelps.com/visit-us-sonoma-coast/
 

Vineyard '29' Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1995

Vineyard 29 derived its name from the estate's physical address, located at 2929 Highway 29, just north of the town of St. Helena. The estate is located on the eastern-facing slope of the Mayacamas mountains that form the western boundary of Napa Valley. The property has had several owners over the last two decades. During the 1995 vintage year it was owned by Tom Paine and Teresa Norton who were partners in the international human resource consulting firm, Hewitt and Associates. They purchased the 28-acre property (not 29?) in St. Helena in 1988 and moved there in 1989.

They hired David Abreu as vineyard manager, a third generation rancher in St. Helena, a graduate in viticulture and enology from University of California at Davis, and founder of Abreu Vineyards and David Abreu Vineyard Mangement.

David planted the Grace Family vineyard with the Bosche clone of Cabernet Sauvignon in the Bordeaux style, with five feet between rows and four feet between plants, resulting in about 2,000 vines per acre as opposed to the 500-600 vines found in most vineyards. By 1993, Vineyard 29 was comprised of four acres and more than 8,000 vines. Vineyard 29 was in partnership with Grace Family Vineyard until 1998, using their facilities. Dick Grace hired Heidi Peterson Barrett of Dalla Valle and Screaming Eagle fame in 1995 and she also made the Vineyard 29 wine until 1998.

After nearly a decade of producing highly acclaimed vintages, Tom and Teresa sold the property in 2000 to Chuck and Anne McMinn, who constructed a state-of-the-art, gravity-flow winery and cellars on the property.

Vineyard 29 produces classic, rich, concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon, attributable and distinctive to its terrior of its eastern-facing slope where the grapes receive the most direct sunlight during the early morning hours when the heat is less intense. Afternoon sunlight falls indirectly on the vineyard, allowing for slightly cooler afternoon exposure. This pattern of exposure is ideal as the grapes can ripen with well-structured tannins. The slope ensures perfect drainage, creating the perfect amount of vine stress to yield highly concentrated fruit. In addition, the close spacing, a more expensive way to farm, stresses the vines so the yield is lower and the grapes more intense. The wine was aged in 100% new oak.

This wine is dark ruby colored, medium bodied, elegant with good depth, concentrated vibrant expressive spicy black cherry and black berry fruits with a layer of leather, cassis, oak and cigar box that likely have come on and are indications of its age, with smooth nicely integrated fine-grained tannins on a long flavorful finish.

RM 92 points.


https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=286122

http://www.vineyard29.com/

Elan Vineyards Atlas Peak, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1995

We first tasted and picked up this wine from the producers Richard & Linda Elliott-Smith during our 1998 Napa Wine Experience. We're getting towards the end of a case we acquiered back then.

During our  Napa Cab 95 Vintage Horizontal Tasting back in August, of the five eighteen year old '95 Napa Cab's tasted, this was the one showed the most diminution from age. I think its Bordeaux style renders more earthiness and leather with more muted fruits. 

Full bodied, with firm but well integrated tannins, the black berry and black cherry fruits are falling off a bit and giving way to tones of leather and tobacco, accented by anise, cedar and oak.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=72763

Amon-Ra Barossa Shiraz 2008

Amon-Ra Barossa Shiraz 2008 Overpowers Italian Dinner

For our special getaway weekend to NY/Hoboken to visit son Alec, we picked up this special wine to take for a BYOB dinner. We chose the wine and then settled on a restaurant and despite the pairing being less than ideal, the wine and the dinner individually were wonderful. 

We dined at Cafe Michelina a short walk from son Alec's place - trendy' lively and quaint  traditional Italian featuring pasta dishes with some select seafood and chicken entree's. 


If you read this blog, you'll see continually that we, and especially Linda, love big bold Shiraz, so she selected this label for tonight's dinner. This was our first adventure tasting the classic AMON-Ra and this is indeed a BIG wine ...  not for the feint of heart!  While it overpowered our Italian fare and begs for a big steak, dark chocolate or hearty cheese,it was delicious none-the-less.

AMON-Ra is the flagship wine of the Glaetzer Family who have been producing Barossa Valley wines since 1888. We hold several Glaetzer wines going back a decade including one of our favorites, GoDolphin, which has since been discontinued, Wallace, Annaperenna and Bishop. The branding and labels for these wines all feature hieroglyphic symbols from ancient Egyptian mythology.  

Since AMON-Ra was considered to be the king of all gods, winemaker Ben Glaetzer chose that symbol for his flagship, top of the line ultra-premium label. Perhaps this is fitting since the temple of AMON-Ra was believed to be the first temple to ever plant a vineyard to produce wine for the citizens of the temple.

The eye on front of the AMON-Ra label is the all-seeing eye of Horus or wedjat ("whole one") - a powerful Egyptian symbol of protection. It is represented as a figure with six parts, corresponding to what Egyptians regarded as the six senses; touch, taste, hearing, sight, smell and thought.
Ben created AMON-Ra Shiraz to appeal to all these six senses. And it certainly does! 


Fruit for Glaetzer wines is sourced from the small sub-region of the northern Barossa Valley called Ebenezer. Some of the vines are as up to 80-120 years old. The 2008 release of AMON-Ra Shiraz is the eighth release of this label. The 2008 vintage in the Barossa was a difficult year for wine producers due to a heat spike during the vintage. As a result, Glaetzer limited the total production of AMON-Ra to maintain the quality of the wine. The strict fruit selections were rigorous and uncompromising to sacrifice quantity for quality resulting in the smallest volume released since the tiny 2003 vintage, lower than the 2007 production. This required carefully monitoring the vines and making multiple passes through the vineyards carefully selecting only grapes with the right intensity of fruit and balancing different levels of ripeness before the heat spike overstressed the fruit. 
 

This release was produced by winemaker Ben Glaetzer who was New World Winemaker of the Year in 2006. According to the producer, "the 2008 vintage shows great purity of fruit and firm but fine tannins, giving great structure and power to the wines."

This was dark inky purple colored, full bodied, dense powerful and concentrated with a firm structured core of fruit yet nicely balanced. The bright aromatic fruit scents filled the room upon opening - the flavors were of ripe sweet dark berry, cranberry, boisenberry with a layer of mild licorice and tones of spice turning to smooth silky clinging tannins on the long finish.

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=743959

http://www.glaetzer.com/

More on our getaway weekend and dining experience to come ...

Château Haut-Brisson La Réserve 2009

Château Haut-Brisson La Réserve St Emilion Grand Cru 2009 BYOB at Anthony David's Hoboken

We selected this Grand Cru St Emilion to take BYOD to trendy Anthony David's Gourmet just a couple blocks from son Alec's place in Hoboken thinking it would go with a variety of dishes including a hearty beefsteak. Succumbing to the peril of buying wine on the road for an occasion as opposed to sourcing from the cellar (due to TSA carry-on bag restrictions), we drank this wine far too young/early. The tight tannins should soften with some aging hopefully rendering this a bit more approachable. 

The marketing appeal of this label might have been enhanced by the oversized hefty bottle packaging but of course it didn't enhance the wine. Medium-full bodied, dark purple in colour, moderately complex but a bit disheveled, (Parker called it 'unevolved'), the black cherry with a hint of tartness predominated over the black berry fruit and the terroir elements of black tea, leather and hint of tobacco on a tight tannin finish. Parker said it will benefit from 5-7 years of cellaring and I would echo that advice. 

RM 90, RP gave this a 92. 

Blend - 85% merlot 10% cabernet sauvignon 5% cabernet franc.

The wine was a wonderful complement to Anthony David's foie gras, but then it was so rich and flavorful with the toast points and black cherries that any wine would've been enhanced. The Haut-Brisson was also a perfect complement to the Anthony David's demi-glaze sauce on my rib-eye steak entree. The highlight of Alec's seared sea scallops was the creamed corn accompaniment. Linda's chose the special red snapper. The chocolate and pistaschio ice creams were wonderful.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1345833