Double Diamond (Schrader) Amber Knolls Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2002

Shrader Double Diamond Lake County Beckstoffer Amber Knolls Cabernet Sauvignon 2002

I pulled this Double Diamond label from the cellar as the double diamond is a fun play on words sharing it with two sons who had weddings in recent months. Also, this provided another tasting of the handiwork of winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown who produced the Kinsella Estate Dry Creek Valley Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon that Alec and Viv shared the other evening.

Thomas Rivers Brown was originally from South Carolina. After graduation from the University of Virginia he traveled the wine regions of France, and eventually made his way to Napa Valley in the mid-1990's. He worked with and earned the craft as cellar hand and lab enologist for notable winemakers Ehren Jordan and Larry Turley of Turley Wine Cellars.

In 2000, Thomas got his chance to produce his own wines when he was appointed winemaker for the new winery project Chiarello Vineyards which I wrote about in these pages a couple years ago. 

Since then, in addition to Chiarello, Thomas has overseen winemaking operations or consulted for many well known Napa Valley wineries including Schrader, Outpost, Maybach, Revana, TOR, C. Mondavi, Jones Family, Harris Estate, Hestan, Seaver, Black Sears, and Casa Piena. He also has his own wine label, Rivers-Marie, where Thomas Brown focuses his efforts on Pinot Noir.
 
Thomas Brown has been called "the nation's hottest winemaker." by David White of The Terroirist Wine Journal., He is one of but a few winemakers globally to have received multiple 100-point wine scores from the penultimate wine critic Robert Parker Jr. of The Wine Advocate, as well as from wine noted critic, James Laube of The Wine Spectator. In 2010, Thomas was honored as Food & Wine Magazine "Winemaker of the Year."

This is the second label of the classic super premium Shrader brand/collection. This is from the Amber Knolls Vineyard up in Lake County, over the hill from Howell Mountain to the northeast from Napa Valley, not to be confused with the Oak Knolls district in southwest Napa.

The Double Diamond brand, crafted by winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown, has featured several different labels, sourced from a complement of prime vineyard estates in and around Napa Valley. "From rocky, high-elevation soils to the warm, rich valley floor, each incredible vineyard contributes its unique character to this enticing and eminently satisfying Napa Cabernet."

Consistent with last tasting .... this was dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, forward expressive black berry fruits, smokey black creosote tones with hints of black licorice and touch of dark cocoa with moderate firm tannins.

RM 90 points. 

http://www.schradercellars.com/content/double-diamond

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=14835

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2016/08/double-diamond-amber-knolls-cabernet.html

Hall Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2018

Hall Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2018 

 

The third white wine we opened for our Gala Family Christmas celebration wine dinner was this Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc from Hall Wine.

 

Sauvignon Blanc in the most natural of white varietal wines, vinified nearest to the core fruit and less adulterated than any other varietal. Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc is one of my favorite white wines for serious wine and food pairings as well as purely simple pleasurable sipping. 

 

The bright fruit and crisp acidity of this label were markedly different, lighter, simpler and more focused than the two more complex Chardonnay's we opened to accompany the lobster medallions. Most folks tended to one side or the other. I preferred this. 

 

Straw colored, medium light bodied, bright sprites of peach predominated accented by notes of melon, subdued green apple, hints of grapefruit and wet stone with a lengthy smooth finish. 

 

RM 91 points. 

 

This was awarded 92 points by Wine Enthusiast and 91points by International Wine Review.

 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3457653

 

https://www.hallwines.com/

 

@HALLWines

 

Walt Bob's Ranch Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2017

Walt Bob's Ranch Vineyard Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2017

During our Gala Family Christmas celebration wine dinner, we opened three white wines to accompany the medallions of lobster including a Hall Sauvignon Blanc and this Walt, Bob's Ranch Chardonnay. Alec brought this bottle as part of relocating his cellar from Manhattan to Chicago. Walt is another brand and label of Hall wines, named for vintner proprietor Kathryn Walt Hall's family. Her parents Bob and Dolores Walt first purchased a vineyard in Northern California and were dedicated grape growers in Mendocino County since 1972.  

The Walts acquired more land and grew production to grow six different varietals that they sold to several notable wineries including Fetzer, Parducci and Beringer. 

Kathryn and her brother managed the family vineyard from 1982 to 1992, selling grapes to other wineries, as well as producing Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon under the WALT Vineyards label. 

The Walt family owns 63 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc in the Redwood Valley. Walt Wines produce varietal wines Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Rosé sourced from estate (family owned) vineyards in five Appellations of Sonoma County, Anderson Valley, Central Coast, Carneros and Willamette Valley in Oregon.

After her stewardship as United States Ambassador to Austria from 1997 to July 2001, Kathryn returned to America and resumed her role as proprietor of HALL Wines along with her husband Craig. Continuing her family tradition, she maintains a strong emotional attachment to vineyards, wine and the wine country. 

We were introduced to Walt wines when we tasted a Walt Pinot Noir at the Kathryn Hall Cabernet regional release tour in Chicago. That was a vineyard designated select label from Bob's Ranch vineyard on the Sonoma Coast. 

We also tasted a Walt Chardonnay that was designated Sonoma Coast, where the rear label cited Bob's Ranch Vineyard as one of the sources for the bottling, a blend from numerous sources from the area.

This Walt Chardonnay is a single vineyard designated label from the Bob’s Ranch Estate Vineyard near the Pacific Ocean in the Sonoma Coast Appellation. There the coastal breezes along with low rolling hills and morning fog define this cool climate site. Heavy fog and the strong Petaluma Wind Gap winds tempered by bright afternoon sunshine  creates a unique micro-climate within the appellation, producing a distinctive terroir for Burgundian varietals Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. 

The vineyard consists of 43 Vineyard Blocks on 72 Acres of sandy, well-draining soils in the low rolling hills along the coast. 

Winemakers notes for the 2018 release also represent this tasting, "Vibrant color with a green tinge, this wine has complex aromas of orchard fruit, toasted hazelnut, lightly toasted grain, and freshly struck flint. The palate brings layers of bright fruit coupled with a creamy texture and beautiful bright acidity. The Old Wente field selection’s naturally low yields and unique cluster shape bring and energy and concentration to the mid-palate. Perfectly balanced oak adds length and depth to the finish and tames a bit of the lively minerality inherent to this special vineyard site."

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3280327

https://www.waltwines.com/bobs-ranch-release

https://www.waltwines.com/

@waltwines

Fantesca Russian River Valley Sonoma Chardonnay 2010

Fantesca Russian River Valley Sonoma Chardonnay 2010

For our  Gala Family Christmas celebration wine dinner,  our third white that we opened for pairing with the lobster medallions was this Fantesca Russian River Valley Chardonnay. We tasted and acquired earlier releases of this label during our visits to the Fantesca Estate on Spring Mountain in Napa Valley. We visited Fantesca in 2009, 2011, and in 2007, and hosted producer Dwayne Hoff in Chicago back in 2006.

We first met producers Dwayne and Susan Hoff when they acquired the Spring Mountain property in St Helena and created Fantesca. Dwayne visited us in Chicago during one of his early promotion tours for the 2004 release of Fantesca Cabernet. We visited the winery several times during our Napa Wine Experiences. We hold a vertical collection of more than a dozen vintages of Fantesca and their Chardonnay is one of our favorites that we hold for special occasions. 

We have served or taken this label to several special dinners including: Bon Soiree Chicago French-sian Fusion Dining and Wine Experience with Ryan and Michelle, for Linda's birthday and Valentine's Day Dinner and Fantesca Chardonnay and for our getaway weekend and Goosefoot Chicago Anniversary Celebration Dinner.

This label is produced by the legendary winemaker Heidi Barrett and was her first Chardonnay project. World-renowned winemaker Heidi Barrett has been dubbed ‘the first lady of wine’ and ‘the Queen of Cult Cabernet’ by top wine critic Robert Parker. She has been honored with five 100-point scores from the major critics during her career. Heidi is well-regarded for the exceptional finesse and quality of the wines she has crafted over the years.

 

So, it was fitting to serve that at our gala family dinner with so many milestones and remembrances this year.  

This is sourced from fruit from the Russian River Valley AVA in Sonoma County. With its proximity to the cool northern California coast and river and associated fog, well drained soils it is ideally suited for top ranked Burgundian varietals Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. In recent decades the AVA has become one of the best in the state with its wines routinely getting top reviews and has gained considerable cachet. 

 

The AVA status was awarded in 1983 and today the appellation has 15,000 vineyard acres mostly planned in Chardonnay, but increasingly in Pinot Noir as well. 

 

Fantesca Estate & Winery Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2010

 

Proprietors Duane and Susan Hoff are supreme marketers and not only recruit the best talent available, but they package their product in their classic oversized etched bottles. This has the largest punt I've ever seen in a Chardonnay. 

 

They also seal each bottle with a 'fortune corkie', corks imprinted with quips and quotes selected from customer entrees each vintage. This bottle was no different, with a classic notable and memorable quote from legendary football coach Bud Grant, "When you reach the end zone, act like you've been there before." Of course Bud coached the Minnesota Vikings, team of Minnesota natives Duane and Susan. Gotta love it!

This classic Burgundian style chardonnay was a perfect complement to the seafood course and was stylistically centered between the other two whites.  

Crisp, clean, rich, well balanced; golden straw in color, darkening some from earlier years, aromas of classic chardonnay, more subdued than the other offerings - green apple, pear and hints of citrus lemon meringue, tropical fruit and lychee with subtle oak and a delicate crisp acidic finish. At ten years, this is likely at the end of its prime drinking window. 

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1368658

https://fantesca.com/

@FantescaWine

Pride Napa Valley Cabernet 1995

Pride Mountain Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1995

As part of our gala family Christmas celebration dinner, Ryan pulled from the cellar this aged vintage Napa Cab for tasting alongside the other Cabs. 

I noted in a tasting note recently, this wine is at its apex, will not improve with any further aging and should be consumed as it will start to diminish in due course. As such, this is our third tasting of this vintage label release this year as we drink up!

In a November blogspot tasting note I wrote: "At twenty-five years, this is amazingly showing well and not exhibiting any diminution from age. I noted in earlier posts several years ago that this was showing its age. Perhaps these were bottle variations which might explain the negative review, not the positive. Ideal provenance of this bottle in our cellar since release shows the true age worthiness of the label. While likely at its apex, it will not improve with any further aging and should be consumed as it will start to diminish in due course".

Earlier this year, in May, I wrote: "Consistent with earlier tasting notes, "Dark, full bodied, firm, initially closed and tight, after a while it opened up to reveal big full complex dark blackberry and black currant fruits accented by anise, with hints of spice, dusty cedar, and a subtle sweet dark mocha on the full firm lingering tannin finish."

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/11/pride-napa-valley-cabernet-sauvignon.html

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/05/vintage-napa-cab-trio-mark-celebration.html

Hill-Family Estate Origin Napa Valley Red 2016

Another wine served during our gala family Christmas celebration dinner ...

Hill Family Estate Origin Napa Valley Red 2016

The newlyweds Alec and Vivianna visited Hill Family Estate during their forest fire shortened honeymoon in Napa in September. They visited the new estate winery, located just minutes south of Yountville just off the highway. They tasted this wine there and acquired it as part of their wine club allocation.

The Hill Family, lead by patriarch and proprietor and fourth-generation farmer Doug Hill, started producing their own branded portfolio of wines after four decades of farming grapes for some of the finest Napa Valley wineries.

Doug grew up in Healdsburg on the family farm. After earning a degree in Plant Sciences at Cal State Fresno and traveling some, Doug returned home to Sonoma County in 1978 where he learned the art of vineyard management while working at Sonoma-Cutrer. 

 

After settling in Yountville, Doug managed the extensive holdings of the Jaeger family before starting Oak Knoll Farming. Doug and Darci Hill settled down on an acre of land at the northern edge of Yountville in 1981 where they raised their family, Ryan who runs the sales division, and Carly who lives and works in San Diego and hosts tastings and dinners in Southern California.

Hill Family Estate produced their first wines in 2001, a Merlot and a red blend called Origin.
 

Today, the Hill Family owns 120 acres of vineyards with a properties on Atlas Peak, in Carneros, Oak Knoll and American Canyon. They are 100% family-farmed, family-owned and family-operated. Production ranges between 9,000 to 12,000 cases annually sourced from 12 different estate vineyards allowing them to select the highest quality fruit for their wines. 

 

The Hill family began to select and plant their own vineyards in the 1980’s, using their intimate knowledge of the diversity of Napa Valley terroir - the range of microclimates, soil variations and the many subtle growing factors which influence the characteristics of the grape and the resulting quality of wine. They planted Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Albariño, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc in the Carneros appellation. They planted Merlot, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon in the Oak Knoll district, and Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah at 1,500 feet elevation near Atlas Peak; both areas with a perfect environment to develop the rich berry flavor and intense fruit color that make these red wines some of the best in the world.

 

The Hill Family portfolio has grown to over twenty five different labels across the broad range of varietals, blends, and single vineyard designated offerings.  

 

Hill Family Estate winemaker Alison Doran joined the team and crafted the inaugural 2001 vintage. Alison was introduced to Doug while he was growing grapes and she was making wine for Lewis Cellars, another one of our benchmark favorite producers, and the other estate visit tasting the kids attended during their shortened honeymoon. Alison developed her skill while being mentored by renowned wine expert Andre Tchelistcheff, completing a degree in winemaking at UC Davis and spending time in the legendary wine region of Alsace, France. Today, Doug and Alison work closely together selecting the highest quality grapes and producing ultra premium wines

 

Origin is their Bordeaux blend comprising all five Bordeaux varietals sourced from Hill Family estate vineyards - Cabernet Franc that Doug planted at the Beau Terrior Vineyard which had its first harvest in this release, hillside Merlot at Beau Terroir in Carneros, and Beau Terre in Oak Knoll for added structure and plushy fruit, Malbec, adds big color and lower tannins, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc add serious texture to balance the Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon adds 'dignity' to all blends.  

The composition of 2016 Origin is 55% Merlot, 18% Malbec, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, and 5% Cabernet Franc sourced from Carneros, Oak Knoll, Yountville and Atlas Peak Appellations.

 

Production was 960 cases.

 

The blend was aged in 68% new oak barrels aged for 16 months (of the new barrels, 61% French oak (Nadalier, Treuil Terroir, Orion, Tonnellerie O), and 7% American oak (Canton).

 

Winemaker Alison Doran’s tasting notes: "The 2016 Origin has lovely aromas of raspberry and roses. The broad entry has a big mouthful of berries and crunchy cherry. The ripe and intense mid-palate rolls into more sweet fruit –blueberry, red currant, and plum, with subtle tannins rounding out the finish.

This was a superb addition to our two big hitters, the premium Bordeaux and Napa Cab. 

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, bright vibrant black raspberry, currant and plum fruits with spice, oak and tangy acidity on a full tannin laced lingering finish.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3243704

https://www.hillfamilyestate.com/

@HFEWine

Gala Family Christmas celebration wine dinner

Gala Family Christmas celebration surf & turf dinner features festive flight of red and white wines

The family gathered for our gala Christmas celebration and we feasted on surf and turf and a festive flight of red and white wines. We Decked the Halls with a flight of Hall wines - a top ranked red and two whites, one from Napa and one from Sonoma.

Offspring ... kids, grand-kids ...

Before dinner we had an extensive selection of artisan cheeses and holiday sweets accompanied by Pierre Gimmonet et Fils 1er Cru Champagne. 

Dinner started with Linda's signature lobster tails on a ramaken of buttered croutons. With this we served a Hall Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, a Walt Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, and a Fantesca Russian River Valley Chardonnay. 

Dinner featured Linda's signature grilled beef tenderloin served with mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, haricut verts, and sauteed spinach in a Madeira sauce. For the main course we served two very special wines, Château Léoville Las Cases 1990 and Hall Jack's Masterpiece Napa Valley Cabernet 2015, two memorable wines ideally suited to the occasion.

 
Later with deserts and after dinner treats Alec opened a Hill Family 'Origin' Napa Valley Cab, and Ryan pulled from our cellar a 1995 vintage Pride Napa Valley Cabernet. 

It was a wonderful memorable gathering with family after a tumultuous year.  

Château Léoville du Marquis de Las Cases, St Julien-Beychevelle, Bordeaux 1990

 

I wrote about birthyear celebration wines for son Alec's wedding this summer. To contribute and join in the celebration dinner, I took from our cellar a flight of very special wines I have collected over the decades and held for this occasion, from the birthyear vintages of the bride and the groom. Fortunately, his birthyear 1990 vintage was one of the most spectacular of a lifetime.

 

Three times, wines from that vintage were awarded #1 Wine of the Year by Wine Spectator Magazine as part of their annual Top 100 Wines of the Year, all from the 1990 vintage. A testament to the global success of the vintage, one was from California, one from Bordeaux and one from South Australia, a further testament to the amazing spectacular 1990 vintage. 

 

We served those three wines at Alec and Vivianna's wedding celebration dinner. All those wines were acquired upon their release back in the early nineties, in some cases, even before being so recognized and heralded. A fourth wine from that vintage was also part of the wine flight, the 1990 Château Léoville Las Cases. 

At the time, I wrote that "we're holding a case plus several bottles of Alec's 1990 birth year release that we'll most assuredly celebrate with him, family and friends as part of his wedding festivities in the coming year". 

 

Since the wedding festivities were significantly scaled back due to the Covid pandemic, we didn't get to serve most of these. So, tonight, we opened another one as the 2020 celebrations continue. 

Linda's and my visit to the Chateau was one of the highlights of our trip to Bordeaux last year both because we've been fans of and have been collecting this wine for four decades, and because it was going to feature prominently in our once in a lifetime celebrations. 

 

This wine was awarded 96 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, he projected the drinking window at the time, in 2009 to be "now-2035".  Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar gave it 94 points, Wine Spectator 93 points. Neal Martin gave it 95 points in his Wine Journal.  

 

As with an earlier tasting of this wine, this bottle had a good above neck fill level, the foil, label and cork were all in exceptional, excellent condition, the wine was great, drinking very nicely and still at a peak drinking level, showing no signs of diminution whatsoever, dark inky garnet purple, medium full bodied, elegant, polished, smooth, complex but perfectly integrated and balanced, sweet blackberry fruits, notes of graphite, leather, cassis, tobacco on a lingering balanced finish with tangy acidity and smooth approachable silky tannins. 

RM 94 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=254

 

https://www.domaines-delon.com/en/accueil.html

@DomainesDelon

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/08/leoville-du-marquis-de-las-cases.html

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/10/broad-diverse-flight-of-big-reds.html

Hall Jack's Masterpiece Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

HALL Wines is a 500-hundred acre estate in the Rutherford Hills of Napa Valley. It was established in 2003 when Craig and Kathryn Hall acquired the historic Bergfeld Winery and then remade it into a state-of-the-art facility. Today Hall has ten estate vineyards and two wineries and hospitality centers, one in St Helena and one in Rutherford. 

 

Our tastings at the Rutherford site have been highlights of several of our Napa Valley Wine Experiences such as this on back in 2013. We tasted this wine during with Kathryn Hall during the release tour tasting for Club Members in Chicago in 2018. We acquired this wine as part of our Hall wine club allocations.

 

Before getting into the wine business, both were successful luminaries with meritorius careers, Craig Hall created the HALL Group at the age of 18 in 1968, a business in college rooming houses and apartment buildings. Over time the company diversified into the HALL Park in Frisco Texas, the KPMG Plaza at Hall Arts in downtown Dallas and a financial services firm. Craig has invested in oil, American Airlines and the Dallas Cowboys.

Kathryn was a successful businesswoman, community activist, attorney and in 1991 ran for mayor of Dallas. She was Ambassador to Austria under the Clinton administration. Kathryn’s family had been in the wine industry for several decades as grape growers in Mendocino County where she and her brother managed their family property for 10 years. 

This is another very special wine for a several reasons; it is devoted to family, it is based on artwork, and it is a birthyear vintage for two of our grandkids. Our dearly beloved Lucy was an artist, our daughter Erin was educated in Art, Art History and Fine Arts, and taught art for several years, and Linda is a budding artist and studied and taught art history. 

Shown 2013 Jack's Masterpiece

Each year, HALL’s former winemaker and current president, Mike Reynolds, returns to his first love and blends a signature Cabernet Sauvignon known as “Jack’s Masterpiece,” named for a piece of artwork that decorates the label. The painting was created by Mike's son Jack as a Father’s Day gift  when he was only 18 months old. Every year Mike steps back into the cellar to create this signature blend and he chose this very special painting to appear on the label. Mike oversees the blending of this special wine to create a deeper expression of Cabernet Sauvignon. “This is a wine that really demonstrates the depth and muscularity of the fruit we source from our HALL St. Helena estate and Sacrashe vineyards,” he says. 

The 2015 HALL Jack’s Masterpiece is 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc.

Winemaker notes: "The 2015 yields highly complex aromas, lead by ripe dark fruits, espresso, dark chocolate and loads of crème de cassis currently on parade. The hedonistic nose continues to bring you back to the glass for more. Crème de cassis, pencil lead, dark cherry reduction, mocha, anise and red bell pepper flavors all marvelously build in the glass. Intense and focused, with moderate tannins, this is an extremely age-worthy wine that needs at least one more year of bottle age before it begins to hit its stride."

Dark inky purple colored, rich concentrated dense black fruits, powerful and structured yet elegant, polished, smooth and approachable with jammy fruits accented by dark chocolate, expresso bean, hints of licorice and baking spices with gripping sinewy fine grained tannins on the lenghty finish. This should be delicious over the next decade or more. 

RM 95 points. 

This release was awarded 97-99 points by Jeb Dunnuck, 96+ by The Wine Advocate, and 91-94 points by Vinous / International Wine Cellar.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2592084

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/09/kathryn-hall-vertical-tasting-hall-wine.html  

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2013/04/hall-napa-valley-rutherford-estate.html

https://www.hallwines.com/

 

@HALLWines

 

Also see...

Walt Bob's Ranch Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2017

Hill-Family Estate Origin Napa Valley Red 2016

Fantesca Russian River Valley Sonoma Chardonnay 2010

Hall Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2018

More to follow ... 

Kinsella Dry Creek Valley Cabernet 2017

Kinsella Dry Creek Valley Spencer Vineyard Cabernet 2017

Son Alec and wife Viv arrived from NYC as part of their journey to relocate to the midwest from Manhatten. Part of the campaign includes moving his wine cellar holdings to our cellar for interim storage. His collection includes a portfolio of exciting new labels we hope to be introduced to and explore in the time ahead. The exposition began with him opening this premium label Sonoma County Cabernet. 

This is the label of Kevin Kinsella who founded Kinsella Estates in Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley in 2007. Kevin bought a 12-acre vineyard in the foothills of the western edge of Dry Creek Valley and hired legendary winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown to lead his project.

Kinsella is founder of the private venture capital fund, Avalon Ventures, which funded the first big data company, multiple billion dollar pharmaceutical companies, the first touch screen for the Apple iPhone, the first mega social gaming company and the radically new stealth vessel for the Navy SEALS. Avalon has participated in and helped develop more than 120 different companies. As a consultant to the Peruvian government, Kinsella developed the first international marketing plan for the remarkable Andean grain, quinoa. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. 

Kinsella is also a Tony Award winner as he gained further fame and fortune as the largest individual investor in the musical Jersey Boys, which became a worldwide smash hit becoming the 12th longest running musical in the history of Broadway playing to nearly 23 million people worldwide in five locations worldwide over a decade. 

The musical Jersey Boys not only provided resources to pursue his passion for wine but also was the impetus for the name of one of the three vineyards on the estate named after the musical.

Kinsella Estates is situated in a private valley in the foothills of the western edge of Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley near Healdsburg, situated at an elevation of 500 feet above the Russian River. The valley provides a warm climate that seldom sees a winter frost, some hills even grow citrus trees. The valley runs east-west and is planted with 12 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon vines on steep eastern hillsides made of loamy, metamorphic soil.

The estate has three vineyard blocks; the six acre Jersey Boys Vineyard, Spencer Vineyard is four acres, and two acre Heirloom Vineyard (formerly Tamara Vineyard), a steep sloping 17-year-old parcel wedged between an arroyo and a knoll of Spanish oaks, 

The Kinsella Estate property is a bit unique spot because the Dry Creek AVA is known primarily for the predominant varietal Zinfandel and not much Cabernet. This vineyard however gets plenty of sunshine to provide appropriate terroir for the Bordeaux varietal. 

The Heirloom Vineyard was planted in 2001 with 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. The Jersey Boys Vineyard was replanted in 2008, utilizing four Cabernet Sauvignon clones, with two thirds of an acre planted to Wente clone Zinfandel and eight rows to Petit Verdot. 

With the purchase of the the 12-acre vineyard estate, his business instincts took over. "Part of the philosophy of venture capital is to go with the best people you can," explains Kinsella, who hired talented winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown as winemaker in 2007. Prior to Kinsella, since 2000, Brown had crafted 37 individual bottlings of Cabernet Sauvignon for Schrader Cellars. Twenty of those releases earned ratings of 95 points or higher on the Wine Spectator 100-point scale, including a pair of 100-point 2007s. Ninety-one is the lowest score in the bunch.

Working with Thomas Rivers Brown are viticulturist Kelly Maher and Josh Clark of Clark Vineyard Management. Josh is the son of Tom Clark of the family wine label Clark-Claudon. Josh says he started in this business at age 12, when he would spend the day with “the vineyard as his playground", and where he “practically grew up on a tractor.” Josh took over the family business in 2003 that Tom Clark, started in 1978 so that Tom could focus on the Clark-Claudon label. Notably, we hold twenty vintages of the Clark-Claudon label in our cellar collection dating back to the inaugural vintage 1994.

Kinsella Estates is the only vineyard property Josh farms in Sonoma County with the rest of his clients being in Napa County. Josh says Kinsella vineyards receive even sunlight throughout the day and the soils are well drained to accommodate Cabernet.    

 

The Kinsella team quickly set their sights on making the best-tasting Cabernet from Dry Creek, an area better known for Zinfandel. Success came swiftly with their very first vintage, the 2008, scoring 95 points at Wine Spectator.

Kinsella Estates produces 2,000 cases annually and has no plans to expand outside of what the vineyard has to offer, as Kinsella prefers to remain a single estate production. "Buying grapes to supplement a label would be considered absurd in Burgundy or Bordeaux," he says. Instead, he wants the Kinsella story to be about a single estate. "I have no need for other varietals," Kinsella says. "No need to amp up production. I'd be very happy just to do this perfectly." 

Kinsella Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley Spencer Vineyard Cabernet 2017

The premium label comes packaged in an extra heavy bottle (as heavy as I have ever seen in a standard 750ml!) forged to hold an embossed coin emblem with the Kinsella moniker and motto, "Su Una Stretta Di Mano" which is also on the rear label.

"Su Una Stretta Di Mano" (on a handshake) is a line from the Broadway show, Jersey Boys, but expresses perfectly the enduring bond forged among us, the sun, rain and soil, our excellent winemaker, Thomas Rivers Brown, our dedicated vineyard team... and our customers, who by buying and enjoying our wine - our passion - have joined that circle of friendship.'

Our wines let the fruit speak for itself - an expression of the terroir, the exceptional clones and the seasonal variation of sun and water in our vineyard. Kinsella Estates wines showcase beautiful expressions of the vineyard blocks from which they are made. Characteristics of the wines include expressive floral and dried herb aromas combined with bright fruit flavors and seductively smooth tannins.

Kinsella Estates Spencer Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot. Production was 508 cases.

Dark blackish garnet colored, full bodied, intense concentrated forward black fruits accented by notes of menthol, cedar, cinnamon and clove spices with hints of cassis and leather on a bright acidic finish. Give it some time to settle and become a bit more approachable.

RM 91 points. 

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Spencer Vineyard was awarded 95 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate in 2016.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3542037

https://www.kinsellawines.com/

 

"Where Dreams have no end ..." Chardonnay 2017

Movie featured, Rock album inspired wine - Jermann "Where Dreams have no end ..." Bianca Venezia Giulia Chardonnay 2017

Jermann is an internationally acclaimed producer in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy, the far northeastern corner of Italy bordered by Austria on the north, Slovenia to the east, and the Italian Veneto to the west. With a history as a political and cultural crossroads, it is no wonder that the wines and cuisine of Friuli-Venezia Giulia reflect Italian, Austrian, French and eastern European traditions. 

 The region is best known for its white wines, and specializes in the native Tocai Friulano, a white grape that produces plush dry wines with fruit flavors balanced by minerals and acidity. Pinot Grigio, Sauvignnon Blanc, and Chardonnay area also grown, along with the native grapes Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia and Istriana. Artisanal producers in the region also make white blends, called “super whites,” which are generally distinctive blends of native grapes and Chardonnay. 

The Friuli-Venezia Giulia region is famous for these often fascinating and unusual white wines that are savory (as opposed to fruity) and are superb matches for the seafood dishes common to the Adriatic Coast of Friuli. In contrast to the whites, Friuli’s catalogue of unique reds from indigenous varieties such as Refosco, Schioppettino, and Tazzelenghe are bright, fresh, and berry-scented - far more in keeping with the Northern Italian paradigm of flavors and aromas.

Nearly 40% of Friuli-Venezia Giulia wines are red. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon are grown, along with the native grapes Refosco, Pignolo and Schioppettino, which is also called Ribolla Nera. The region has 46,000 vineyard acres, of which 60% is classified as DOC. There are nine DOCs.  

Like many producers in the area, the Jermann family’s roots are Germanic. The Jermanns migrated from Austria to Slovenia in the 18th century, then in the 19th century moved over the border to Friuli. Jermann was founded in 1881 in the quiet village of Villanova di Farra by Austrian-born Anton Jermann. Today, the winery is led by Silvio Jermann, grandson of Anton, and Silvio’s son Michele.

Jermann has 330 acres of vineyards. In the mid-20th century Angelo Jermann grew grapes and raised livestock, and in the 1970s his son Silvio began focusing on wine production. In 1975 the estate released its first vintage of Tunina, a then daring blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia, Istriana and Picolit that quickly became a cult hit. Friuli blends were unheard of at the time, but it was just the first for Jermann. Since then the estate has created other highly rated white blends using indigenous grapes such as Tocai Friulano. Jermann also produces unblended Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay and Riesling. 

Although known for white wines, Jermann makes reds from Pinot Noir and Franconia, among other grapes. Silvio Jermann’s willingness to buck tradition also explains why most Jermann bottles come with screw tops. Jermann was an early adopter of screw tops, even for high end wines.  In 2019 Gambero Rosso named Jermann’s 2016 Capo Martino, a white blend, the top Italian white wine of the year.  

"Where Dreams Have No End", is the wine label produced at the Jermann's Ruttars winery in the crescent-shaped Collio zone near the Slovenian border to the east. The vineyards are located in the area known as Ronco del Fortino, where the rolling hills are composed of chalk and clay marl banded with sandstone and cooled by the Bora wind off the Adriatic Sea. A wide shift between day and nighttime temperatures endows wines from Collio with vibrant acidity and deeply-perfumed aromatics.

This whimsically named label was inspired and created by the song “Where the streets have no name” from the U2 rock group′s album “The Joshua Tree” produced in 1987. Its not the only label inspired by or named for a Rock and Roll song, Cliff Lede wines in Napa Valley have several vineyards with sections named for famous rock and roll albums or songs, famously called the 'rock blocks'.

This wine was created with the 1987 harvest and over the years has become somewhat of a cult wine, even before it was featured in a popular movie which only served to ignite its legendary name. The name has undergone a number of variations. For its first nine years it was called “Where the Dreams have no end…”. Jermann changed the colour of its capsule with every vintage, cycling through the seven colours of the iris (plus white and black) on the label, beginning with white and progressing anticlockwise. The four phases of the moon were also shown.

In 1996 it became “Were Dreams, now it is just wine!”, with a blue capsule bearing a stylised Comet Hale-Bopp, a packaging that continued for seven years. 

In 2003 the branding returned to the earlier designs and adding the year of harvest below and drawing Mars on the capsule. 

The 'dreams' branding got a boost in its acclaim when a bottle of red wine with the label branding was featured in the opening scenes of the movie Parent Trap when a bottle with the same label was poured and presented at the elegant dinner. 

The legend was hightened further with the movie score, by notable music producer Alan Silvestri, also bears the same name as the label, "Where Dreams Have No End" (Parent Trap movie score).

So it was that when we saw the label on offer in the local wine shop, we picked up a couple for fun and to try. 

Jermann "Where Dreams have no end ..." Bianca Venezia Giulia Chardonnay 2017

We opened this during one of our family dinners when all were gathered in town for a family funeral recently. Despite the circumstances, the dinners that ensured included a celebration of several fine wines.

This label is primarily Chardonnay with a small amount of blended white grapes from the local area of Dolegna del Collio

It was straw colored, medium bodied with what James Suckling writes eloquently about the wine .... "it offers charm and complexity, with aromas of rare elegance and refinement. Exotic hints of ripened fruit, melted butter, vanilla and pastry prevail. In the mouth it keeps all the promises made to the nose, follows through on them, and embellishes them with gentle flavours and aromatic nuances that are fresh and persistent."

Suckling gave the wine 95 points.

We found this straw colored, medium bodied,  notes of creamy pear, apple and citrus with hints of pineapple, moderate acidity and toasty spice notes. 

RM 89 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3350235

Force Majeure Red Mountain Syrah 2015

Force Majeure Red Mountain Syrah 2015

We recently received our case allocation from Force Majeure which featured their top rated 'SJR' Syrah, their Cabernet and Épinette, their Right Bank Bordeaux Blend. We're holding them for special occasions but opened this 2015 Syrah that we tasted and obtained during our visit to the estate vineyards in Walla Walla in 2018. We look forward to returning to Walla Walla and seeing the new facilities they were building when we were there. 

 

This is 100% Syrah from their rocky steep hillside estate vineyards in the Washington State Columbia Valley Red Mountain AVA. This release got 93-96 points from Jeb Dunnuck of the Wine Advocate, 92 points from Jeb Dunnuck and 91 points from Wine Spectator.

We last tasted this about two years ago to the week when I wrote: "Dark blackish garnet colored, full-bodied, rich concentrated black berry fruits, hints of blue fruits, accented with layers of smokiness, minerality and tones of anise, black tea, black olive tapenade and hints of smokey meats, with bright lively acidity and cloying but approachable tannins on the tangy lingering finish."

RM 92 

Great flavorful sipping with some hearty artisan cheeses.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/10/force-majeure-vineyards-site-visit-and.html

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2659540

https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/wp/

Paradigm Napa Valley Oakville Merlot 1996

Paradigm Napa Valley Oakville Merlot 1996

Paradigm Ren Harris, Linda
and Rick, 1999

I opened this for drinking with leftover beef tenderloin from the weekend. We tasted and acquired this wine during a visit to the Paradigm Estate and vineyards with proprietors Ren and Marilyn Harris during our Napa Valley Wine Experience back in 1999. Ren and Marilyn had owned and operated various properties in Napa Valley since 1964 and purchased the Paradigm property in 1975. The '91 release was the inaugural vintage for Paradigm.

Paradigm Winery is in the Oakville appellation of Napa Valley. Owned and managed by Ren and Marilyn Harris, both of whom come from long-time Napa Valley families, they bought the 55 acres of vineyards vineyards in 1976 and began making wine in 1991. 

 

They hired winemaker Heidi Peterson Barrett in 1991 and she went on to become one of the area’s winemaking stars. The estate vineyards are planted in Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel and Petite Verdot. The estate makes about 6,000 cases of wine a year. 

 

The vineyards are located a couple hundred yards west of Brix Restaurant and Piazza Del Dotto accessible from the north off Dwyer Road.  

Paradigm Napa Valley Oakville Estate Merlot 1996

The legendary Heidi Barrett has been winemaker at Paradigm since their first vintage back in 1991. That year they started producing their own wine from their own estate grown grapes instead of selling them to other producers.

A Napa Valley native and a graduate of UC Davis, Heidi went on to be winemaker for some of Napa Valley’s most highly-regarded and well known wineries. Her current wine projects include Amuse Bouche, Fantesca, Lamborn, Kenzo Estate, Au Sommet, Vin Perdu - as well as her own labels, La Sirena and Barrett & Barrett. She gained fame and notoriety working with Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle, Jones Family, Grace Family, Vineyard 29, David Arthur, Barbour Vineyards and Showket.

Winemaker Notes - Quite dark in color with deep ripe aromas of chocolate covered black cherries. Enticing fruit nose and layers of spice and toasty oak add up to a wonderful rich complex aroma profile. Flavors match the aromas in a mouth coating, textural, silky and tasty wine. This wine is loaded with aging potential.

Wine Spectator gave this 91 points and projected it would be best from 2000 through 2008.

While this is still drinking nicely at twenty four years, since our last tasting two years ago, it continues to show it age with further diminution of the balance and fruit. It has passed its prime and should be consumed over the next couple of years. 

Like the last opening, the cork was in fine condition but darkening to a tobacco color, there was ever-so-slight rust tinge color on the rim, and the fruits were starting to give way a bit to non-fruit tones of smoke, cedar, leather, tobacco and hints of creosote. It was still very enjoyable and holding on but needs to be consumed before it deteriorates too much further.

Garnet colored with the slight rust hue, medium bodied, blackberry flavors with tones of tart cherry and currant fruits, accents of cedar tobacco, leather and a hint of spice turning to herb accents on a lingering slightly tart acidic tannin finish.

RM 89 points, reduced from 91 points two years ago, aging diminution or perhaps bottles variation.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3252

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/03/paradigm-napa-valley-oakville-merlot.html

https://paradigmwinery.com/

Whitehall Lane Napa Valley Syrah 2016

Whitehall Lane Napa Valley Syrah 2016

For casual mid-week sipping we opened this Napa Valley Syrah. We discovered, tasted and acquired this wine during our Whitehall Lane Napa Valle Vineyards and Winery Estate visit and tasting during our Napa Valley Wine Experience in August of 2018. 

Syrah, aka Shiraz is one of our favorite wines for causal flavorful sipping, or for hearty cheeses or tangy spicy pizza, pasta or bbq. Whitehall Lane, and more and more Napa producers are releasing Syrah varietal wines and in some cases including it or featuring it in Red Blends.

The estate winery and vineyards sit right on Whitehall Lane on the St Helena Highway, Rt 128 just south of the Del Dotto Estate Winery and Caves as you approach the town of St Helena. The modern winery facility includes the production facilities and a hospitality center and tasting room that overlooks the vineyards to the west nestled up against the Mayacamas Range. 

Whitehall Lane Napa Valley Syrah 2016

As written in our earlier  tasting notes when we opened this on release and receipt and again last year, "This showed dark inky purple colored and full body with layers of blueberry and currant fruits accented by notes of subdued pepper and hints of cinnamon and a hint of mocha. I defer to the eloquent and artfully drafted tasting notes from the winemaker below."

"The 2016 Luchtel Vineyard Syrah offers fragrant notes of mixed berry compote, violets, blueberry fritter, white pepper, and baking spices. On the palate, the tannins are soft and supple, while the flavors are showing sweet red currants, stewed black plums, beetroot, rhubarb, and a touch of cinnamon."

Consistent with earlier tasting notes. Not a big full throttle fruit bomb like some of the bold concentrated Aussie Shiraz' or some Napa's, but tasty none-the-less. Dark inky purple, medium full bodied, dark black berry and black raspberry fruits with notes of blue fruits, cinnamon spice, white pepper and hints of sweet mocha on the moderate tannin laced finish.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2990406

Whitehall Lane Napa Valley Estate Vineyards and Winery - https://whitehalllane.com/

@WhitehallLane

 

Ninety Plus Cellars Lot 150 Spring Mtn Cabernet

Ninety Plus Cellars Lot 150 Spring Mtn Cabernet

Ninety Plus Cellars Lot 150 Napa Valley Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

We opened this label for casual mid-week sipping with some cheesy pasta dishes. The write-up of this label is a repeat of an earlier post where I wrote about Ninety Plus Cellars and their Negociant model of wine marketing. They buy surplus juice or bulk wine or bottled product, and then private-label it with their branding featuring an anonymized 'Lot' reference number tied to the source of the wine. Such arrangements are typically done under a non-disclosure agreement to shield the original brand/producer. In this case, Ninety Plus Cellars, Lot 150, is a Napa Valley Spring Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon.

This case is especially interesting in that when one pulls the cork of these bottles, the cork reveals the true source of the wine, Spring Mountain Vineyards. Apparently, in this case, the wine was already bottled but not yet labeled for distribution. It was then acquired by Ninety Plus Cellars who packaged it for retail sale under their negociant general brand that masks the supplier. The packaging, however, reveals the original branding of the producer on the original cork in the bottle. According to the Ninety+ Cellars website, the "Source Label Price" for this wine was: $79.99, hence the need or practice of anonymity or not disclosing the original source of the wine. The Ninety+ price is about half of that - high QPR (quality-price-ratio) indeed. 

For the Lot 150 release, the rear label of the Ninety Plus packaging speaks to Spring Mountain District as the source for the product, without attribution to a particular grower or producer.

When I purchased the first original bottle, I imagined who the source of this wine might be, thinking about the different Spring Mountain District suppliers of Cabernet Sauvignon. Spring Mountain Vineyards was one of those potential suppliers that I considered, but I presumed it would never be revealed or confirmed as the source. This is not the first occurrence of this happening as I recall at least one other occasion where the product was bottled and the cork revealed the original producer source of the wine. On at least one other occasion, the source was pretty much revealed or confirmed based upon the published detailed percentages of the blend of the wine.

I've written much in these pages about Ninety Plus Cellars Lot 101 which I enjoyed immensely, and lamented often the mis-fortune of not knowing the source so as to be able to purchase more product in subsequent vintage releases of the label. Since, in my experience, Ninety + tend to have more misses than hits to suit my personal taste, I tend to buy a bottle and try it before I load up on any label. Here is another case where I went back and bought more, and then did so again.

Ninety Plus Cellars Lot 150 Napa Valley Spring Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

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 months in French Oak.

 

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2793688

https://store.ninetypluscellars.com/lot-150-cabernet-sauvignon-spring-mountain-district-napa-valley-california-2013-p419.aspx