Sunday, February 17, 2019

Vie Culinary Wine Pairing Dinner

Vie Culinary Wine Pairing Dinner

We dined at Vie Restaurant in Western Springs to celebrate several birthdays, most notably, Sean and Michelle's, and post Erin's from two weeks earlier and Linda's coming up a week later. Vie were featuring their Chicago Restaurant Week Special dinner with wine pairing. This is the second time in recent years we've dined at Vie for such an occasion that occurred during their restaurant week special.


We love Vie's cozy atmosphere with its' chic, stylish, cosmopolitan, contemporary setting. There are  tables and settee's around a fireplace, dining settings surrounding the bar, progressing further inward to several interior dining areas and rooms, each artfully decorated with stylish wall coverings or black and white framed photographs.



Vie normally offers a five-course and an eight-course chef's tasting menu, each available with optional wine pairings. Tonight, they offered a limited selection that regrettably failed to showcase their culinary capabilities.

The last time we dined there, it was also during the Restaurant Week special feature with the same result. That night, they featured two of the four courses with the same profile of a heavy emphasis on smoked pork.

This night the limited menu selection featured some strange flavor pairings where the quest for elegance or imagination seemed to miss the mark and resulted in dishes that were lackluster and uninspiring.

My first course was crunchy rice 'tahdig',  braised chicken leg and smoked chicken breast, saffron, roasted turnips, and pickled baby summer squash. As with our previous experience, smoke was the featured and most predominant flavor. The 'tahdig' was crunchy but flavorless, an uninspiring start to our dinner flight.

The course was appropriately paired with 2015 Johann Geil Bechtheimer Heilig-Kreuz Scheurebe Rheinhessen Kabinett.


The highlight of my course selection was the roasted carrot soup with the cherry bomb pepper and caramel, an explosion of a trio of competing flavors, accented by textures of spiced pumpkin seeds which was a bit annoying.

This was an interesting combination of dueling contrasting flavors - the sweet caramel and the spicy cherry bomb pepper. To my taste, the pumpkin seeds pushed it over the top.

The wine pairing for this course was a 2015 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Côtes du Rhône Parallèle “45” from the Rhone River Valley in the south center of France

Once again, as with our earlier visit, pork loin was the feature, this time complemented with cannellini beans and slow cooked greens. The highlight of the course was an andouille sausage which actually outshone the pork in flavor and pairings. There was also listed a blueberry aigre doux pork sauce which might have been a savior but I don't recall it being apparent or having an impact.

This course was paired with 2015 Montinore Estate Pinot Noir from Oregon's Willamette Valley, a thoughtful and appropriate pairing selection.

Apparently, it is hard to showcase their culinary artwork at a reduced price point that is the Restaurant Week feature. This is unfortunate because we love the atmosphere and independent upscale fine dining experience with the talent and professionalism that Vie offers, that is so needed in the near west suburbs.

The dessert course was a lemon creme donut. Really? A donut? Yes, but, the saving grace was the accent of gedeo coffee ice cream and milk chocolate gianduja ...

The highlight of the course was the thoughtful wine selection to accompany the course - 2017 Maculan Moscato Dindarello Passito from Italy.


Its easy to select wines to pair with food when you have a budget to choose $50 wines. Its a challenge to select and offer appropriate wine pairings when you're offering sub twenty dollar wines. Vie did a commendable job offering interesting and acceptable wines to pair with each course.


The wine pairings for the dinner were:

2015 Johann Geil Bechtheimer Heilig-Kreuz Scheurebe Rheinhessen Kabinett 
2015 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Côtes du Rhône Parallèle “45”
2015 Montinore Estate Willamette Pinot Noir 
2017 Maculan Moscato Dindarello Passito Italy



 
https://www.cellartracker.com/w?2596010




https://www.vierestaurant.com/












Wednesday, February 13, 2019

BV Tapestry Reserve Napa Cab 2004

BV Tapestry Reserve Napa Red 2004

Following the 2007 and '08 vintage Napa Cabernets last week, I wanted to compare with some other near vintages from that era. We hold a vertical collection of more than a dozen and a half vintages of this label dating back to the 1996-97 releases. We opened this to taste with leftover lasagna one night and beef tenderloin the next night. This was more fruitful and floral the second night than the first, sufficient such to warrant a a personal rating two points higher.

From the classic legendary Beaulieu Vineyards, one of the first historic producers in Napa Valley dating back to 1900. The Tapestry label was first released in 1990 as a complement to the premium flagship Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet. Tapestry is appropriately named as it represents a blend of all the classic Bordeaux varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. Tapestry is sourced mostly from the BV vineyards 1 and 2 at the famous historic Rutherford Estate along St Helena Highway, the same sources that provide grapes for the Georges de Latour Cabernet.

This is a quality sophisticated label that compares with higher priced premium labels and Bordeaux that sell for ten to twenty-five percent more. Its impressive that BV can produce a consistent quality wine such as this in large production.


Beaulieu Vineyards Tapestry Reserve Napa Valley Red Wine 2004

Consistent with earlier tasting notes, dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, nicely balanced and textured, a bit tight and closed initially, the brambly black berry fruits were highlighted by a layer of cassis eventually giving way to tones of tea, tobacco and cedar, with hints of anise and smokey oak on a moderate tannin lingering finish. After being open for a day the black berry and black cherry fruits revealed themselves accents by a violet floral layer.

RM 89 initially, 91 after opening on the second evening.

92 points Wine Enthusiast 

90 points Vinous 
90 points Wine & Spirits  




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

https://www.bvwines.com/

Monday, February 11, 2019

Piazza Del Dotto Sangiovese

Piazza Del Dotto Sangiovese

Piazza Del Dotto Sangiovese for Last Minute Weekend Italian Dinner

For the second time in three days we had a commercial airline flight canceled so we brought son Alec back home from the airport instead of seeing him off. We headed to Angelis Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria for dinner in light of our disrupted evening. We stopped at home and picked up a bottle of Del Dotto Sangiovese to take BYOB to pair with the Italian cuisine.

We tasted and acquired this wine during or Piazza Winery Delicacies Wine and Food Tasting Experience during our Napa Valley Wine Experience 2018. We had previously tasted and acquired the 2015 release a year earlier at our Napa Valley Del Dotto Estate Cave Tour and Barrel Tasting in 2017.

As we have written in recent tasting reviews of wine acquired during this Estate visit, this label is from Piazza Del Dotto, Del Dotto's newest project, a new winery south on St Helena Highway featuring an Italian-inspired “barchessa,” or barn, magnificently appointed with tasting rooms and dining areas. It is surrounded by fountain gardens with al fresco tasting cabanas, vegetable gardens, 17th century fountains and an outdoor barn with turkeys, peacocks, pheasants and doves. There are wine caves as well, all surrounded by 8.5 acres of cabernet sauvignon vineyards.

Piazza Del Dotto Sangiovese 2016 

This is Estate grown fruit, I believe from the Rutherford vineyards that surround the Venetian Estate Winery & Caves, the site for the Del Dotto cave tours and barrel tastings.

This was an ideal complement to Alec's Chicken Jardinara and my Pasta and Peas with Angeli's Vodka Cream sauce. 

This was ruby colored medium full bodied, delicious sweet ripe raspberry fruits accented by notes of vanilla and almond with supple smooth silky tannins on the lingering finish.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3038663

http://www.deldottovineyards.com/ 

Sunday, February 10, 2019

Robert Craig Affinity Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Robert Craig Affinity Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Twice this week Linda prepared dinners that called for a hearty red wine. Both times I pulled from the cellar Robert Craig Affinity Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Monday night she prepared baked pork chops with baked sweet potatoes and asparagus spears. Then, for Sunday dinner she prepared a beef roast with carrots, onions and mashed potatoes.

Robert Craig is one of our favorite Napa Valley producers and represents one of our largest holdings in our cellar. We've held many wine dinners with Robert and Lynn Craig and attended many events at the estate and winery. We visited Robert Craig's site high atop Howell Mountain several times with sister Jan and bro-in-law Bill, and Bill and Beth C. One of our memorable trips featured a picnic lunch at the site overlooking the  valley below shown below. It was during that trip that Bill discovered and subsequently sourced Howell Mountain Cabernet, Affinity and Robert Craig Zinfandel which they served at daughter Krista's wedding.

With Robert Craig at the estate high atop Howell Mtn
back in 2008.

We hold as many as two decades of Robert Craig vintages dating back to the inaugural vintage release in 1993. This label, Affinity, represents the Robert Craig Cabernet Sauvignon based blend of Cabernet Sauvignons and other Bordeaux varietals sourced from the various Napa Valley appellations.
Robert Craig flight of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons

Robert Craig offers at least five different Cabernet labels from what he used to refer to as 'three mountains and a valley', referring to his appellation designated premium labels from Mt Veeder, Howell Mtn and Spring Mountain. He used to speak fondly of this label and the QPR - quality price ratio, as he strived to hold the price point of this wine to provide excellent value and be a draw to the Robert Craig brand. The appellation designated labels sold for twenty to thirty percent more. I wrote recently about the discontinuation of the Mt Veeder label after two decades of being one of the flagship labels, and was Robert's favorite.

In recent years, as Robert and co-owner wife Lynn retired and stepped down from running the daily business, the new owners have raised the price point of this label from the mid to high forty dollar range to mid to high sixty dollars, splitting the difference in the entry level price and the price point of the higher premium price appellation designated labels.

Robert Craig Affinity Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
 
Earlier tastings of this label cited this release being "a bit tight and slightly closed on opening, but after an hour opened up to show wonderful black and blue berry fruits".

This week this was more approachable on opening and even appealing in the couple of following days, better than when young. It showed the same profile as earlier, garnet colored, medium full bodied, complex black berry and black currant fruits with slight hint of mocha - nicely balanced and polished with velvety well integrated smooth silky tannins on a nice lingering soft finish.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=802059

For Sunday dinner, after church, Erin and Johnnie joined us for Sunday dinner and Linda's beef roast. I pulled this 2008 vintage of the Robert Craig Affinity Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon to compare with the 2007 we drank earlier in the week.

Robert Craig Affinity Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

Tonight this was consistent with my earlier tasting when I wrote of this wine back in 2011, "Dark inky color, medium-full bodied, black berry, black cherry, and ripe plum fruits with hint of spice and cedar on smooth moderate tannin finish."

RM 92 points. 

Fellow Cellartracker,  sums up this wine well in his tasting note, "At 10 years of age, this is drinking very nicely right now! Blackberry, wild berry, and black cherry fruit up front. Notes of espresso, dark chocolate, licorice, with subtle spice and minerals on the mid-palate. Still has some firm, supple tannins with a nice long finish. The extra age has really done this wine justice."

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=980053 

https://www.robertcraigwine.com/index.cfm

 

Mitolo GAM McLaren Vale Shiraz

Mitolo GAM McLaren Vale Shiraz

For relaxed evening watching Netflix after a grueling week of travel, we pulled this vintage Aussie McLaren Vale Shiraz to enjoy with artisan cheeses and beef tenderloin sandwiches.

This wine is from the legendary Australian winemaker Ben Glaetzer. It is named GAM after the Mitolos’ children Gemma, Alex and Marco, and was his first wine made, back in 2000.

Mitolo G.A.M. McLaren Vale Shiraz 2004

At fourteen years, I was expecting this to be starting to turn to a raisin fig profile with the aged fruit starting to turn to leathery earth tones, as some of the other McLaren Vales do such as Rosemount Balmoral and others. Alas, while this may be at or near its peak of its drinking window, it most likely will not improve any further with aging. It probably has started to 'turn' but the accent was to a cross between floral and cigar box - a very interesting and delightful tone.

Dark blackish garnet colored, medium full bodied, the black berry and black raspberry and blue fruits were punctuated by notes of cigar box, roasted coffee and hints of floral. It was a nice accompaniment to creamy Harvarti and sharper Bellavitano cheeses, and the beef tenderloin on toast points. While there is not a hurry to drink up, I would say this will diminish here forward with the fruits giving way to the non-fruit tones of cigar, leather and earth.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=80874


Jeb Dunnuck of Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave this 97 points back in 2010 when he noted, "Given where the ’03 is right now and how much younger this wine seems, it could have a long life ahead of it. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this still going strong in another 10 to 12 years. Impressive!" Back in 2005, he wrote, "It should drink well for 15 years". He was right both times. Both times they gave it 97 points. 

James Halladay gave this 94 points and Wine Enthusiast gave it 92 points.

Friday, February 8, 2019

Walls Curiositas Red Mountain Cabernet

The Walls Curiositas Red Mountain Cabernet

With Mike Martin, Owner Walls Vineyards
With son Alec visiting home from NYC, we wanted to open something special with the beef tenderloin dinner Linda prepared for the occasion. We discovered and acquired this wine during our visit to the producer during our recent Walla Walla Wine Experience. It was our favorite of the portfolio of wines tasted with Mike Martin, owner/producer Walls Vineyards and Winery.


This is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Red Mountain AVA in central Washington but it tastes more like an old World Bordeaux than a fruit forward fruit bomb from Napa - with its refined, polished and elegant style.


The Walls Curiositas Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

This was my absolute favorite of the flight. Of course I tend to favor Bordeaux varietals  but I found this especially appealing.

The fruit for this is sourced from the Obelisco Vineyard on the higher slopes of the Red Mountain AVA. The vines get increased exposure to the sun and are planted in higher density to further stress the grapes. The result is a wine of great complexity but one that is elegant and lush, yet subtle with tones the winemaker describes as possessing 'freshness that evokes a Margaux-styled fragrant' Cabernet'.

While  I grabbed a case of this to serve with grilled steak, it is so approachable, this is suited for  elegant but casual sipping. It was great leading up to dinner and with the salad course, yet it stood up well and was an ideal accompaniment to the beef tenderloin. 

From my Walls Winery producer visit report:

The Walls Curiositas Red Mountain Cabernet 2015

2015 Curiositas is an elegant, complex and lush, yet subtle, wine. Its tone of freshness evokes a Margaux-styled fragrant Cabernet Sauvignon.

Sourced from the Obelisco Vineyard, high in the Red Mountain AVA where the vines get full exposure to all the elements.

“It is beautifully situated, with more vines doing less work, and planted with higher density,” says winemaker Ali. “It lends itself to complexity so how could we not take advantage of that?”

Bright garnet ruby colored, it was medium bodied and did not have a firm gripping backbone structure expected watching the glycerine legs cling to the glass, the polished elegant tannins were so smooth and silky that it made for enticing casual sipping - bright red and black fruits accented by notes of creme de cassis, spice, tobacco leaf and subtle vanilla and oak. Jeb Dunnuck of Robert Parker's Wine Advocate talks about its 'well-integrated tannins, solid grip, coupled with a swath of fresh acidity that delivers muscular structure' but then talks about it being 'light footed through the long finish'.

RM 92 points.

Jeb Dunnuck, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave this  “Editor’s Choice" and rated it "Extraordinary (95-100 pts.) "
 Obelisco Vineyard, Red Mountain AVA 

331 Cases were produced.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2965947

https://www.thewallsvineyards.com/

Sunday, February 3, 2019

Arns Syrah

Arns Napa Valley Melanson Vineyard Syrah

We discovered and tasted this wine during our visit to the picturesque Arns Estate during our Napa Wine Experience back in 2013.

Arns are a small boutique producer of Estate Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from their twelve acres of vineyards on the lower reaches of Howell Mountain on the eastern slope above St Helena.

Proprietor and viticulturist John Arns and his winemaker partner Sandi Belcher produce this limited production single vineyard designated Syrah from fruit sourced from the Melanson Vineyard on Pritchard Hill.

Rick, Linda and John Arns
This vintage year they produced 200 cases of this label. It represents the style and profile that we favor in a Syrah. We pulled this bottle to enjoy with artisan cheeses and fruit for enjoyable casual sipping watching a movie.

ARNS starting producing this SYRAH back in 2004. They admit, "It was a great surprise to be able to craft such a beautiful wine from Pritchard Hill, Napa Valley. We have enjoyed many spicy vintages from this time forward."



Arns Napa Valley Melanson Vineyard Syrah 2013

This 2013 ARNS SYRAH was aged four years in two year old French Oak barrels.

Dark inky blackish purple, full bodied, concentrated flavors of gooseberries, plum and what Arns refer to as 'wild black cherries' are accented by notes of spice, black pepper, and what Arns refers to as 'beef and violets'.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2887804

https://arnswinery.com/






https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2887804

Napa Wine Experience 2013 - Arns Estate (Blog post at http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/)