Friday, February 18, 2022

Amon-Ra Aussie Big Shiraz for Tomahawk Dinner

Amon-Ra Aussie Premium Big Shiraz for Tomahawk Beefsteak Dinner

Friday night dinner culminating a week of celebrations, Linda prepared a fabulous dinner of Tomahawk Ribeye beefsteaks, with twice baked potatoes and a delectable sauteed spinach in her incredible special sauce of shallots, nutmeg, clove of fresh garlic, cream and shaved sharp cheddar cheeses, pinch of cayenne pepper offset with honey.

I pulled from the cellar a premium label Aussie Shiraz, one of Linda's favorites in the big bold expressive style that she loves. 

Ben Glaetzer "Amon-Ra" South Australia Barossa Valley Shiraz 2005 

When I brought this up from the cellar, Linda immediately cited "Hoboken", reminiscing a memorable getaway weekend dinner we had where we took this wine BYOB while visiting son Alec in NY/NJ.

I wrote in my blogpost about Hoboken dinner that night, that this big powerful big red overpowered the Italian dinner

Amon-Ra Barossa Shiraz 2008 - Amon-Ra Barossa Shiraz 2008 Overpowers Italian Dinner

I chronicled this wine in that blogpost October 26, 2013:

"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.'  

Note - Ben Glaetzer was named New World Winemaker of the Year in 2006.

"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.'

Note, that night in Hoboken we drank the 2008 vintage release. My blogpost from then continues: "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."

Tonight we drank the 2005 vintage release of this label.
This release was awarded
98 points by Jeb Dunnuck, 96 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 95 points by Wine Enthusiast, 93 points James Halliday, and 92 points from Wine Spectator.   

Dunnuck calls this 'a monumental wine', the 2005 Glaetzer Amon-Ra Barossa Valley Shiraz is from a single vineyard in the Ebenezer region, 100% old vine Shiraz, dry-grown 100-110 year-old Shiraz vines, aged 14 months in 100% new oak, 20% American and 80% French (70% hogsheads & 30% barrique.)

I tasted and wrote about this label's 2005 vintage in my wine journal pages, back before I started publishing this blog.

"March 27, 2007 - Ben Glaetzer Barossa Valley Amon Ra 2005 - RM 93 RP 98 - $59 - Dark berry, graphite, mineral, cassis and a hint of vanilla with long silky firm tannins on the finish. Tasted at Vino Volo at IAD."

While Linda loves and prefers this big bold style, I would prefer and opt for a more balanced, elegant, complex style such as a Bordeaux varietal blend for a beefsteak or other fine dining experience. Never-the-less, this was awesome with tonight's dinner. 

At seventeen years, the fill level, foil, label, and most importantly, the cork, were all perfect. The cork was firm, tight and dry. This is probably at the apex of its drinking profile, but not likely to improve with further aging, it still has life left and should go for another five years and perhaps a decade.  

The Winemaker's Notes: "Brooding, vibrant black with bright purple hues. On the nose, absolute purity with black fruit aromas complemented by notes of fragrant spice.Seamless, rich and full-bodied with black plum flavors intermingling with dried spice and finely balanced supple tannin. Impressive yet restrained."

My rating tonight was consistent with that earlier post in 2007 for this label.

Deep garnet in color, with hues of inky blackish-purple, full bodied , muscular with firm grainy tannins, a bit of alcohol heat, rich, dense yet balanced, blackberry and black currant fruits, bramble, spices, bitter dark chocolate, licorice, savory soy with hints of pepper and cedar, fresh crisp acids on a bright vibrant long finish.

RM 93 points.   

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=262071


http://www.glaetzer.com/



Gala Family Celebration Dinner at Angelis Italian

 Gala Family Celebration Dinner at Angelis Italian - Naperville

The family successfully pulled off a surprise birthday party for wife/mom/grandmother Linda for her deca-milestone year. We gathered in the private dining room at Angeli's Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria (Naperville, IL). We ordered a broad array of appetizers, our favorite dinner entrees from the menu and daily specials, followed by celebratory birthday cake, accompanied by our special BYOB wines. 


All our kids and their kids were able to attend, including a surprise pop-in visit from Alec and Vivianna, only hours after release from the hospital, with less than 48 hour old, just arrived, daughter, grand-daughter, Marylin - named after her grandmothers Mary-Lisa and Linda. This was everyone's first encounter meeting her and the first time hearing her name as this was announced as part of her introduction at the gathering. All this further amplified the excitement and special circumstances of the occasion.

To accompany the dinner I brought BYOB, from our wine cellar a magnum of champagne and two reds - Del Dotto Napa Cabernet and a Venge Vineyards Sangiovese. 

Piper Heidseick Brut Champagne (Magnum) 

There's nothing like Champagne served from a large format magnum bottle - especially for special occasions. This bottle is even more festive with its red holiday packaging.  We acquired several cases of these commemorative bottles upon release last year and have had fun serving them at weddings, holidays and special family occasions such as tonight. 

 

Venge Vineyards Sangiovese Family Reserve Penny Lane Vineyard 2010

I pulled this bottle for its traditional Italian Sangiovese varietal composition to accompany our Italian cuisine dinner.  This is from Venge Vineyards, one of the earliest growers and producers of this varietal based wine from Napa Valley sources. Nils Venge has long been a pioneer and thought-leader in Napa Valley.

The Venge (ven-ghee) family has farmed vitis vinifera varieties in Napa Valley for nearly half a century dating back to Knud Venge who emigrated from Denmark to the US in the early 1900’s. Knud's son, Per Venge, was passionate about wine and spirits and imported Western European fine wines and spirits. Per's son, Nils Venge started in the family business in the 1960's before leaving to study viticulture at UC Davis and then went on become an icon in the Northern California winegrowing community.

Venge family viticultural took root in Napa Valley in 1976 with the purchase of a 17-acre vineyard in the Oakville District that was planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. 
 
We've met Nils and Dianna Venge on numerous occasions at Napa events and visiting the Venge Vineyards in Oakville during the nineties. We first met their son, Kirk Venge, who engaged in winemaking from an early age while they were developing the Rossini Ranch Vineyards, Winery and caves up in Calistoga.  
 

Nils' and Dianna Venge's son, Kirk Venge, engaged in winemaking at an early age and has emerged as a talented winemaker like his father.

I've written often in these pages how we have fun with this label with the prominent "V" in the branding, for special dinners with daughter-in-law Vivianna, such as tonight. 

This is 90% Sangiovese and 10% Charbono from the Venge estate Penny Lane vineyard in Oakville. 
 
Dark inky colored, full bodied, rich concentrated extracted fruit, aromatic,almost intense black cherry and black raspberry with notes of tobacco leaf, tea and hints of tar on a smooth silky tannin laced finish. This was and ideal accompaniment to our zesty Italian pasta!

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/12/venge-napa-valley-oakville-penny-lane.html

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1351252 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1351287

http://www.vengevineyards.com/

https://twitter.com/VengeVineyards

@VengeVineyards 

Del Dotto Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 (Magnum)

We've been collecting Del Dotto Family Wine for over twenty-five years, since their inaugural release of this Napa Cabernet in 1993. The Del Dotto brand, holdings, portfolio and presence have grown substantially over those years, yet they still maintain their focus on small production, premium wines. 

Over that time Dave Del Dotto has acquired vineyards in some of the best American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) including Rutherford, Oakville, St. Helena, Howell Mountain, and Fort Ross-Seaview Sonoma Coast. The portfolio and brand has grown proportionally as well. 

Today Del Dotto produce wines based on cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, sangiovese and sauvignon blanc from their Napa Valley vineyards, as well as pinot noir, chardonnay and limited amounts of syrah, sauvignon blanc, sparkling grenache and mourvedre from their Cinghiale (wild boar) Vineyard in the King Ridge region of the Sonoma Coast.

We still hold nearly two decades of Del Dotto wines dating back to that 1993 inaugural vintage release. 

Over the years we've held Del Dotto wine dinners with Dave and Yolanda such as our Napa Wine Experience back in 1999, and attended numerous Del Dotto hosted special events. More recently, our Pour Boys wine group did the Del Dotto Napa Valley Cave Tour and Barrel Tasting at the magnificent St Helena estate winery and caves. And, our Del Dotto Piazza DELICACIES Food and Wine Experience at the then new Piazza Del Dotto estate and winery (and now caves) was one of the memorable highlights of our Napa Wine Experience in 2018. 

Our collection of Del Dotto family wines remains one of the largest holdings in our cellar with both vertical and horizontal collections of favorite labels. Hence it was only fitting for a special occasion family dinner that I took a Del Dotto estate label, in magnum - especially since it was held at our local Italian trattoria. 

Our   -https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/08/del-dotto-napa-valley-cave-tour-barrel_12.html

Its hard to believe that with published tasting notes of no less than sixty-five different labels and vintage releases - and countless iterations thereof, I have not tasted, or published a tasting note or blogpost of this particular label vintage release. 

At twenty years, the fill level, label, foil and cork were all essentially perfect - indications of the aging environment in our cellar as we acquired this bottle upon release. This is probably at the peak of its drinking character and profile and not likely to improve with any further aging, but showed no sign of diminution whatsoever.

This vintage release was awarded 92-94 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. 

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, bright vibrant ripe concentrated blackberry and black currant fruits with notes of earthy leather, tobacco, hints of spice and cassis with moderate tangy acidity and tannins on the lingering finish. 

RM 92 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1158239

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=84270

https://www.deldottovineyards.com/

https://twitter.com/DelDottoWine

@DelDottoWine

Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Brut Limited Edition Red Magnum Bottles NV

The Winemaker Notes for this release: "The Brut NV represents the epitome of the Piper-Heidsieck
style: a classic, well-structured, and fruit forward champagne.

Piper-Heidsieck carefully selects fruit from more than 100 of Champagne’s crus to blend the Brut NV. This adds great complexity and dimension to the wine and allows the bold Piper-Heidsieck style to shine through.

A majority blend of Pinot Noir provides structure to the composition while Pinot Meunier expands the wine with its brilliant fruit expression and fleshiness and Chardonnay bring elegant tones and acidity. The precious reserve wines create a consistent flavor profile year after year.'


"This Champagne teases and allures us with its festive, light-drenched, pale gold shimmer and joyful display of neat, lively bubbles. Notes of almond and fresh hazelnut accompany the precise ascent of its bubbles. It is lively, subtle and light, leaving a deliciously incisive sensation of smoothness, marked by the pureness of fresh pear and apple and a delicate hint of citrus fruits. A harmonious mixture of bright, crunchy pomelo, blonde grapes and juicy white fruits creates the delightfully surprising sensation of lightness embraced by the structure and depth from the Pinot Noir; all beautifully balanced."

This release achieved Critical Acclaim having been awarded WS 92 points by Wine Spectator, 91 points by Jeb Dunnuck and 90 points each by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Wine Enthusiast.

White-golden straw colored, balanced, fruity, fresh and elegant, medium-bodied, stimulatingly fresh and well-structured blend with gorgeous fruit and a clean, persistent finish, a mineral edge and final fruitiness, beautifully textured with a solid mid-palate, good density, and a clean, crisp finish.

RM 90 points

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2651727

Saturday, February 12, 2022

Family Surf and Turf Dinner Features Diverse Wine Flight

Family Surf and Turf Dinner Features Diverse Wine Flight

Daughter-in-law Vivianna is due to deliver first baby any day now so with family in town for the big event, we hosted the in-laws for a gala dinner. 

Linda prepared flank steak with mushroom sauce of butter, garlic, shallots and olive oil, and pan seared halibut in a garlic butter lemon sauce.


Prior to dinner we had a selection of artisan cheeses, olives and mixed nuts.

 

 

 

 

 

She also prepared twice baked potatoes and sweet potatoes and a colorful pan of roasted potatoes and vegetables. 


I pulled from the cellar a medley of wines for the dinner and to celebrate the upcoming Valentines Day holiday. 


For the wine flight, with the Halibut, I served Rochioli Russian River Valley Chardonnay. With the steak, and noting this crowd favors reds over whites, I served several disparate reds. In commemoration of Valentines Day, we opened the current release of Arrowood Sonoma Cabernet, this following the aged vintage bottle we enjoyed the other evening. 

For another Valentine's selection we served Fantesca, a fun play on the branding of this premium Napa Cabernet - named for a character in the Italian comedy troupe that inspired Cirque Du Soleil. La Fantesca was the single female character in the early theatrical performances of Commedia dell’Arte. Fantesca, Sexy, Smart, and Unpretentious, both the lover and the equal of the protagonist, Harlequin, Fantesca could always be counted on to charm the audience.

Lastly, I served a Chateauneuf-du-Pape from Domaine Vieux Telegraphe, which we visited together during our Rhone Valley Wine Experience in 2018.

Rochioli "Estate" Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2016  

I served and wrote about this wine during our Covid forced Virtual OTBN for 2021.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/03/covid-forces-virtual-otbn-for-2021.html

Rochioli Vineyards & Winery sits just ten minutes south of Healdsburg, further inland up the Russian River Valley, where they produce estate sourced Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.
 
The Rochioli family legacy began in 1911 when current proprietor and winemaker Joe Rochioli's grandfather, Joe Rocchioli Sr. immigrated to America along with his parents, Michele and Menichina Rocchioli (they later dropped the second "c").  Originally from a small village just outside of Lucca, the Rocchioli’s were one of many Italian families that arrived in New York, made their way across the country, and settled in Northern California.

In those days children worked from a young age, and so Tom's grandfather, Joe, still only 10-years old, labored alongside his father on a farm called Wohler Ranch, in the Russian River Valley.

 In 1934 Tom's grandmother Neoma gave birth to a son, Joe Rochioli Jr.  Shortly after, they moved to a 125-acre property nearby called Fenton Acres, the site and same location where Rochioli Vineyards is today.  

In 1959, Tom's father, Joe Jr, and grandfather, Joe Sr, planted Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc grape vines.  The Cabernet did not grow well and was pulled out in the 1970's.  Sauvignon Blanc, at the time, was a strange new white grape that nobody wanted and was used mainly for blends.  It was soon discovered by a few famed wineries and became desirable as a high quality grape. Today, these same vines are still in production and are considered some of the oldest Sauvignon Blanc vines in California.

The Rochioli's passion for fine wine and high quality grape growing began in 1968 when Joe Jr. began planting Pinot Noir. He had his own ideas as to what would grow best here and planted fine Pinot Noir clones from France. This was revolutionary as there was very little known about the grape in the US and he was considered a pioneer at the time for doing this. Rochioli had the foresight to know that the soil and microclimates of this unique spot in the Russian River Valley were very special and would one day produce some of the world's greatest wines. Shortly after growing Pinot Noir successfully, he  planted Chardonnay.

I have written often in these pages about another American Pinot Noir pioneer, Josh Jenson of Calera Winery,  and the chronicles of his endeavors to plant Pinot Noir that was featured in a book on the subject, the Heartbreak Grape

By the early 1970's, Rochioli were selling Pinot Noir grapes to Davis Bynum Winery and shortly thereafter they started producing wine under their own Fenton Acres label. In the early 1980’s they began selling to Williams Selyem Winery, and others.  

Tom Rochioli went to college and worked at a major financial institution for a year, then returned to the family farm with a new idea. Based on the quality of the grapes they were selling, they knew their grapes were very good and were making great wines, so they set upon producing their own wines under the Rochioli name.  In 1983, they changed the name of the property from Fenton Acres to Rochioli Vineyards.  At that time Tom took over the family business operations and soon after became the winemaker.

In 1987,  they release their first estate wine with the 1985 Rochioli Pinot Noir.  It topped Wine Spectator’s list of Pinot Noir and was named ‘The Best Pinot Noir in America’.  The Rochioli brand struck gold and was validated as a premier label. With three generations of dedication to the land, Rochioli Vineyards and Winery earned the reputation as one of Sonoma County's finest wineries.

This 2016 Rochioli Estate Chardonnay was awarded 94 points and 'Editors Choice' by Wine Enthusiast , 92 points by Vinous, 91 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, and 90 points by Jeb Dunnuck.

Straw colored, medium bodied, notes of stone fruit and lemon curd citrus, hints of peach, honeydew melon and finishes with a sense of bright pineapple and a hint of what I might call cotton candy.

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2817007 


https://twitter.com/rochioliwinery
 
@rochioliwinery

 
Arrowood Sonoma County Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 

Following our tasting of the 2004 vintage release of this label the other night, I picked up the current release to replace it, hoping it was as good. Its tough to compare vintages fourteen years apart but the pedigree and legacy promises for pleasant drinking ahead. I wrote about the history of this label in that blogpost.

This is from the Knights Valley, tucked into the foothills of Mount Saint Helena (not to be confused with St Helena in Napa Valley), on the remote eastern edge of Sonoma County, where the terroir experiences a moderated climate, protected from ocean influences, offering a longer and later growing season that develops dark fruit aromatics.  

The Arrowood vineyard there lies thirty miles north of the winery and tasting room in Glen Ellyn, Sonoma Valley.

Knights Valley AVA is one of Sonoma County's original five AVAs, Knights Valley AVA was formally designated back in 1983. Knights Valley AVA includes approximately 37,000 acres of which about 2000 are planted to vineyards. The Knights Valley AVA abuts the Alexander Valley AVA to the west, Chalk Hill to the south, and cozies up to Calistoga (in Napa Valley) on the east.

Knights Valley is pretty remote, tucked between the mountain ranges with the only practical access via twisty sections of Highway 128 through mountainous terrain before it eventually straightens out in a high valley.

This is one of ten different Arrowood Cabernet labels, an estate bottling, with a single AVA versus single vineyard designation as with several of the more premium and ultrapremium offerings.

Winemaker Notes for this label release: "The 2018 Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is bold with black forest fruit and anise, nuanced with violet, pine resin, sage, and nutmeg. Densely concentrated and intensely flavorful on the palate with dark fruits, graphite and cocoa nibs."

Wine pundit Jeb Dunnuck gave this 91 points and wrote: "The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley is terrific and just classic Sonoma Cabernet. Lots of cassis, blackcurrants, lead pencil shavings and rocky, savory earth-like nuances all emerge from this spicy, medium-bodied, beautifully balanced Cabernet. It shows the fresh, focused style of the vintage, has wonderful purity, and enough tannins to warrant 2-3 years of bottle age."

While I concur with the above notes on some of the flavors, I would add that there was a predominant layer of sweetness, almost akin to caramel, which is not represented in those notes. I found it less structured and more moderate than the 2004 vintage, and the Fantesca Napa Spring Mountain Cab as well. 

RM 89 points.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/02/arrowood-sonoma-county-cabernet.html

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4094954

https://www.arrowoodvineyards.com/

@ArrowoodWinery 

Fantesca Napa Valley Spring Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

As mentioned above, I selected this for a Valentines Day wine for its whimsical name from a character in the Italian comedy troupe that inspired Cirque Du Soleil. La Fantesca was the single female character in the early theatrical performances of Commedia dell’Arte,  who could always be counted on to charm the audience. Owners, Duane and Susan Hoff write that "when we heard Fantesca described as ”Sexy, Smart, and Unpretentious,” we knew we had found a name worth living up to."'
 
 
We first met owner/producer Dwayne Hoff when we hosted him in our home during his promotion tour to Chicago shortly after acquiring the Spring Mountain Estate. 
 
Fantesca Estate and Winery, Spring Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon 2004.

Fantesca Napa Valley,
Spring Mtn Cabernet Sauvignon
Etched glass, painted bottle.
(2006 shown)
I bought a case of this label back upon release and note it is the best drinking bottle to date. Perhaps this is now reaching its stride and apex of its drinking character and profile at a dozen years of age.
 
Medium-full bodied, dark garnet color; complex but smooth and polished with bright forward fruits of black currant, dark berry and cherry, accented by sweet dark chocolate, a hint of cassis, and a tone of spice on the lingering refined tannin finish.

RM 91 points.

As always, this was the blockbuster hit of the evening, a great complement to grilled beef steak.

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=355836

http://www.fantesca.com
 


Domaine Vieux Telegraphe "Télégramme" Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2016

As noted above, I selected this wine in remembrance of our visit with Alec and Viv to Domaine Vieux Telegraphe, one of the highlights of our Rhone Valley wine experience back in 2018. This provided a background for fun reminiscences about our trip and visit and our friends there.

Earlier in the day, I had already picked up the latest vintage release of this label, so I already had a replacement for drinking this vintage release bottle tonight. 

Télégramme is the Brunier brothers’ “second” label, based on the fruit of the estate’s younger vines. “Young” is a relative term as the vines that contribute to this blend average 35 years in age and come from some of the appellation’s most esteemed parcels, such as La Crau and Pignan. Available at about half the price of the estate’s flagship La Crau label, this offers great QPR - Quality Price Ratio.

While the second label of the estate, like the "La Crau" grand vin label, it is a blend of the thirteen different varietals sanctioned by the Chateauneuf-du-Pape (CDP) appellation controllee rules that require predominance of the GSM - Grenache, Syrah and/or Mourvedre grapes. This is a blend of estate grown 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 6% Mourvèdre, and 4% Cinsault.

This release was awarded 96 points byJames Suckling, 92 by Jeb Dunnuck and Wine & Spirits, and 91 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. 

Bright ruby colored, medium bodied, complex but balanced, the Grenache flavor profile prediminates with black raspberry, red-berry and plum flavors, with herbs, crushed rocks and pepper notes accented by spices with firm but smooth, ripe tannins on the finish. 

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2857462

http://www.vieux-telegraphe.fr/en

Friday, February 11, 2022

Arrowood Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Arrowood Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Linda prepared hearty Chicken Cacciatore in a zesty sauce of tomatos, mushrooms, onions, herbs of provence and sherry. Cacciatore means “hunter” in Italian, and it is hunters who first ate this dish. It is thought that the first Chicken Cacciatore was not made with chicken, but with rabbit or other wild game, sometime during the Renaissance period, between the 14th and 16th centuries. Chicken Cacciatore’s simple but delicious recipe was likely developed to satisfy the appetites of hunters who may have been on the track of a larger animal or herd of animals for several days, and who needed a tasty, filling stew that could easily be cooked outdoors to keep them going.

This warranted a nice hearty red wine  - not too big or complex, but not too small/light, not too fruity, but firm enough to stand up to the sauce. I selected from the cellar this Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon and it proved to be an ideal pairing for maximum enjoyment of both the food and the wine. 

Before I write any more about this wine or this food pairing, I found this ..... Amazingly, the last time we tasted and I blogged about this wine was exactly a year ago tonight! Wine karma? In any event, history repeats itself, and tonight's tasting was a recreation of that earlier evening and the experience was consistent with that last year in every respect when I published the following post.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/02/arrowood-sonoma-county-cabernet.html

Thursday, February 11, 2021 

Arrowood Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

The deep freeze in Chicago continues and we remain shut in for winter and of course Covid. Having a deep and broad wine cellar reduces the dread of cabin fever and makes for enjoyable evenings dipping in to our collection. 

Tonight, Linda created a delicious medley of grilled steak, sweet potatoes and mushrooms. This was a wonderful pairing that suited this Sonoma County Cabernet perfectly. As I've written several times recently, an ideal food and wine pairing such as this accentuates the enjoyment of the whole experience, enhancing the wine and the food. 

We've visited or stopped by the Arrowood winery a couple times during visits to Sonoma, the winery sitting just north of town back off the highway. We hold a collection of this label dating back to 1991 of which we acquired a case upon release and still hold just a couple remaining bottles, along with a half dozen other vintages including this '04. 

My opinion and experience is that the Sonoma County Cabs tend to be lighter and softer (than Napa's) and therefore a bit more approachable and less challenging, more suitable to casual sipping and lighter or less complex food pairing. 

This is the craftwork of winemaker producer Richard Arrowood. Born in San Francisco and raised in Santa Rosa, he started his winemaking career in 1965 at Korbel Champagne Cellars just north of St Helena. He earned degrees in organic chemistry at California State Sacramento and graduate work in enology at California State, Fresno. He moved from Korbel to United Vintners, then Sonoma Vineyards. 

From 1974 through 1990, he was winemaker at Chateau St. Jean, where he developed some of the first vineyard-designate Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon produced in Sonoma County. His role there grew to be winemaker and Executive Vice President of Chateau St Jean.

He and his wife, Alis, founded Arrowood Winery with the 1985 vintage where they produced small-lot varietals and vineyard designates. In April 1990, after sixteen years at Chateau St. Jean, Richard set out to devote himself full-time to Arrowood where he was producer/winemaster. He originally planned to produce reserve quality Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon only, but his passion for making wine lead him to explore and develop unusual varietals that he believed had potential to produce exceptional fruit. The Arrowood portfolio expanded to include Merlot, Viognier, Pinot Blanc, Late Harvest wines, Malbec, Syrah and a few special reserve wines.

Richard and Alis were successful building the Arrowood brand and portfolio which they sold to Robert Mondavi in 2000. Richard and Alis stayed on, but left after Constellation Brands purchased Mondavi in 2004 and subsequently sold Arrowood in 2005 to the (now bankrupt) Legacy Estate Group. 

Jackson Family Wines acquired Arrowood Vineyards & Winery through the bankruptcy court in September 2006. I wrote recently about the Jackson Family history upon reading the book, A Man and His Mountain, a chronicle about Jess Jackson. 

Richard continued as winemaster there until June 2010, when he founded and left to devote his energies full-time to Amapola Creek Vineyards and Winery. They sold Amapola in 2019 and set out to retire after 54 years in the wine business.  

Arrowood Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

This release is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (89.9%), Merlot (7.2%), Malbec and (1.6%), Petit Verdot (1.3%), all from Sonoma County.

Winemaker notes: "This 2004 Arrowood Caberent Sauvignon is a lovely, complex wine that exemplifies our distinctive style. Beginning with exceptional fruit from several Sonoma County vineyards, we selected and blended small lots of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. Each key component was aged for nearly two years in French and American oak. To retain maximum complexity, we chose not to fine or filter this wine, hence a small amount of harmless sedimentation may occur. Although delicious now, this rich and complex claret will develop well beyond the next decade.' 

"Our 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon is a complete wine. It is a testament to both vintage and the vineyards. The growing season opened with a heat wave in the first half of March triggering an early bloom. The remainder of the year was awash in warm days, cool nights and morning fog. All in all, we feel it was one of the finest Cabernet vintages of the last decade.'

"For vineyards, this Cabernet combines our favorite bench, hillside and mountain sites (many organically farmed) in Sonoma, Alexander and Dry Creek Valleys. By blending lots from a variety of sources Richard was able to capture the character of the vintage and the essence of Sonoma County Cabernet."

Back in 2016 I wrote about this release, "I have two left in the cellar and I wish I had more. At a dozen years old, it must be at the apex of its drinking window - it was delicious and a perfect compliment to the steak and to the anti pasta caprese salad.'

"We often turn to Sonoma County Cab's for more casual sipping as they are thought to be a bit lighter and softer than their Napa counterparts. There was nothing wimpy or second class to this Big Cab."

While the Arrowood winery and vineyards are located in Sonoma Valley just north of the town of Sonoma, they source the fruit for this label from three different Sonoma County AVA's - Knights Valley, Alexander Valley and Sonoma Valley. We consider Arrowood to be a benchmark, representing the best of Sonoma Cabernet.

We have visited the Arrowood properties on several of our trips to Sonoma Valley. 

This wine represents great value, high QPR as Arrowood seem to have held the price on this label as similar Napa and Sonoma labels have risen by 30-40% over the decade.

At sixteen years, this was drinking very nicely, probably still at its apex, not likely to improve any further with aging, but not showing any signs of diminution whatsoever. The filled level was proper and the cork was in perfect condition.

Wine Enthusiast gave this release 93 points. 

Blend: 89.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.2% Merlot, 1.6% Malbec, 1.3% Petit Verdot
 
Back in 2016 I wrote, Dark blackish garnet color, medium-full bodied, the berry fruit aromas filled the room on opening, bold expressive black cherry accented by a layer of leather, mocha and hint of cedar and spice on the long smooth soft tanning finish.

Tonight this was dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, complex yet nicely integrated and balanced rich elegant dark berry fruits with floral notes turning to cassis, hints of black tea and oak with smooth soft tannins and balanced acid on a lingering finish. 
 
RM 91 points. 
 
 
https://www.amapolacreek.com/

Tuesday, February 8, 2022

Montemercurio 'Messaggero' at Palinuro Italian Katy

Montemercurio 'Messaggero' at Palinuro Italian Restaurant Katy

For a team workshop with our tech team in Houston, we held a dinner at Palinuro Italian restaurant in Katy (TX). Since their opening in 2019, owner/manager Gabriele and staff have developed a reputation for innovative Italian cuisine in the style of his southern Italian seaside hometown Palinuro, after which the restaurant is named. 

Gabriele applies skills honed over 15 years in the restaurant industry mastering old world techniques of handmade pasta, finest ingredients and imaginative preparations and presentations, in a trendy comfortable hospitable setting.

Executive Chef Paolo also has Italian roots, on the Italian island of Sardinia, and has been developing his culinary skills for over 40 years in Italy and in restaurants in Santa Monica, West Hollywood, and Beverly Hills.

I studied the menu earlier in the day and pre-selected my dinner entree choices, but when our host and server, Jorge, presented the daily specials, I opted for the Vitello Marsalla, grilled veal chop marinaded with fresh herbs and garlic served in a marsala sauce with mashed potatoes and spinach. 

Others in our group selected the Sea Bass, but when we exceeded the number of available plates, several deferred to an alternate, the special substitution Salmon offering. 

Jorge also promoted the pasta special featuring Fettucini served in a highly recommended house specialty Truffle Parmesan Reggiano sauce with fresh shaved truffle. This was presented in and served from a large cheese wheel at tableside (shown right). 

I requested a side dish of this special selection and it was fantastic, an incredibly delicious preparation of truffle, cheese and pasta, a new reference benchmark for Fetuccini Alfredo.   

Everything was exceptional from the soup and salads to the entrees and the dessert course. All were served with stylish presentations and attentive professional service. The dinner was spectacular in all respects and definitely worth checking out, and we'll look forward to returning if the occasion rises.

From the winelist I selected an Le Volte dell’Ornellaia, the baby brother of a fabulous wine we had at a dinner recently at Italian Village, Chicago. This wine was not available and Jorge suggested and offered this Super Tuscan instead.

Palinuro don't show their winelist on their website. When presented, I was surprised and impressed by the Palinuro winelist, while somewhat small or limited, it offered a creative and thoughtful selection - all Italian, especially the aged bottles such as this one (even though the vintages were not shown), and the super premium labels such as the grand vin flagship Ornellaia.

Montemercurio Messaggero Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG 2011

From the Palinuro winelist we were served this big red that proved to be a wonderful choice and an ideal pairing with our Italian fare, and a high QPR - quality price ratio, value selection.

Montemercurio is a small estate located just outside the town of Montepulciano, a medieval Renaissance hill town in the Italian province of Siena in southern Tuscany. It is located about 75 miles southeast of Florence, 115 miles north of Rome.

Montepulciano is also the center of the so-named wine-producing region, known for producing Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, the DOCG designated (Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita) name for the Brunello di Montalcino and Chianti Classico labels, the principal red wines of Tuscany.

Montepulciano wines are made primarily from the Sangiovese grape varietal (known locally as Prugnolo gentile), from a minimum of 70 to 100%, sometimes blended with Canaiolo Nero and small amounts of other local varieties such as Mammolo. The DOCG wines are aged for 2 years, at least 1 year in oak barrels, and for three years if it is a "riserva". (The wine should not be confused with Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, a red wine made from the Montepulciano grape in the Abruzzo region of east-central Italy.)

Azienda Agricola Montemercurio is owned by the Anselmi/Luciani family, run by Marco Anselmi. The estate was developed by Marco's grandfather, Damo, who planted many of the vines over 60 years ago. The estate terroir consists of clay and limestone soils sitting at an altitude of 450 meters. 

The Messaggero labeled wine is aged in large Slavonian oak barrels for 3 years, followed by a minimum of 18 months bottle. Marco refuses to release his wines until he feels they are ready to drink, consequently his current release may be five years behind what other producers in the region are selling.

Montemercurio Messaggero is 100% Sangiovese, crafted from the careful selection of the best Sangiovese grapes that have been cultivated in the optimum zones of the DOC region from those vineyards that produce grapes of the highest quality.

Dark garnet color with brick highlights, medium bodied, complex and powerful yet approachable with concentrated black cherry fruits with notes of leather and tobacco with hints of mint, tea and mineral with firm round tannins on the finish. 

RM 91 points. 

This was an ideal accompaniment to the zesty and flavorful Italian dishes - an excellent recommendation - and at ten years of age - nicely integrated and mature, likely at the apex of its drinking window. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/editnote.asp?iWine=3049585

 

https://www.montemercurio.com/en/press/85-vinous-antonio-galloni-2.html 

Sunday, February 6, 2022

Napa and Columbia Valley Big Red Wine Flight

Family dinner features Napa and Columbia Valley Big Red Wine Flight

We were invited over to Ryan and Michelle's new home for a Saturday night pot luck dinner with Erin and Johnny and the grandkids. 

Erin brought pasta and Italian Beef and cupcakes and Linda took chocolate cake for a belated birthday tribute to Erin. 

Ryan had open a Mondavi Reserve Napa Valley Tokalon Cabernet and a Columbia Valley Cab so I took from our cellar a Napa and Columbia Valley Cab to compare. 

Robert Mondavi ToKalon Vineyard Oakville Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

With a release price of $175 and monster reviews of 96, 96, 96, 94 points, and a Cellar Selection designation, one would expect this to be an impressive bottle worthy of special occasions. Hence, our dismay and disappointment over its tasting profile tonight. Perhaps and hopefully this off-putting was bottle variation and the rest of the partial case Ryan acquired will be in-line with the pundits. 

The winemaker's notes for this bottle - ".... offers flavors of rich black berries and black plum, dried herb complexity, sweet oak spices, vanilla bean, and toasted almonds unfold in mesmerizing layers.

JebDunnuck.com gave it 96+ points and said, "The flagship 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is a more long-term effort yet is loaded with potential. ....  hide bottle for 4-5 years and this beauty will cruise for 3 decades or so."
 
Wine Advocate also gave it 94 points Vinous, Wine Enthuiast, 93, Cellar Selection. 
 
They speak to black berries and plum, dried herbs, spices, vanilla, almond .... None of their accolades mention the over-riding notes of vegetable green pepper that permeates this bottle. Hopefully it will burn off or be lost in integration with time. 
 
RM 88 points.  
 

 
 

McGah Family Winery "Scarlet" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

I took this Napa Valley red from our cellar. I wrote about this producer in a blogspot about their 2013 vintage release of this label.

This is crafted by winemaker Mike Smith who uses fruit for his other winery projects, sourced by Russell Bevan, for this single vineyard red, from the McGah estate vineyard on the eastern side of Rutherford. The McGah family are most notably known for co-founding the Bay area Oakland Raiders.  Sherratt Reicher, grandson of E.J. McGah, former Boston Red Sox player and second generation Oakland Raiders owner who maintained ownership interests in the Oakland Raiders football team until 2005, oversees their wine interests.  

McGah family own and operate 64 acres of vineyards in the storied Rutherford appellation on the east side of the central valley near Silverado Trail. They sell fruit to other producers and also offer Scarlett Wines under their own, recently rebranded label, named after the producer/founder's daughter. 

This is similar to the 2013 vintage release we tasted and reported in earlier blogposts

Awarded 92-94 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and 91 points from Jeb Dunnuck. 

The Cellartracker community Average Value for this wine is listed at $122.  I consider this a key source of valuing a wine as I see the Cellartracker community as savvy and astute wine consumers and buyers. This is typically a reliable benchmark price for a wine that I will reference when considering a wine purchase. This renders our Vin Chicago purchase price at under $70 a real bargain.   

Parker's Wine Advocate wrote, "As for the 2015s, as you might expect from this high-quality vintage in Northern California, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon McGah Family Vineyard is a fruit bomb, and called it "in-your-face and rather flamboyant, dramatic style, are all part of its appeal and personality."Jeb Dunnuck called it 'fruitcake'.

Amazing notes of sweet caramel candy predominate, dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, the bright full forward concentrated blackcurrant and blackberry fruits are accented by a layer of delectable sweet vanilla, almond and sweet clove and oak notes turning to ripe tannins on the long finish. 

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2750354

Mark Ryan "Long Haul" Columbia Valley Red Wine 2015

This is produced by Mark Ryan McNeilly who founded Mark Ryan Winery in 1999 with the simple and lofty goal of making the best wine in Washington State. Mostly self-taught, Mark honed the craft of winemaking through rigorous study and the welcomed advice of some of the area's most experienced producers.

He studied wine for years before producing his first vintage. He was working as a wine distributor during the day and a server/bartender at night when he developed his passion for wine. Reading about wine making and hanging out with winemakers back in the 90's, he bought a truckload of Washington fruit, paid for from proceeds of his first vintage release. His first labels were 'Dead Horse', named for the vineyard from which it came, and this 'Long Haul', named for the road he started walking with his venture.

Ryan had this big red open from the previous evening. He and I discovered and tasted and acquired this together at the producer's tasting room in Woodinville during our  Seattle Culinary and Washington Wine Tour, Woodinville Wine Experience. 

Tonight's tasting was consistent with my notes posted from that earlier tasting at the producer.

8/25/2018 - I like this wine: 92 Points

Like many others in these pages, we tasted, and acquired this in the Woodinville tasting room. This was dark garnet colored, medium bodied, bright vibrant dark berry, accented by what some refer to as violet and spiced plum, we detected notes of dark mocha, spice, hints of cassis and cedar with firm but approachable tannins on the lingering finish.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/09/mark-ryan-columbia-valley-wine-tasting.html

 

 



Friday, February 4, 2022

Rosemount Balmoral McLaren Vale Syrah 1999

Rosemount Balmoral McLaren Vale Syrah 1999

We ordered a carry out pizza from Angeli's Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria. I opened from our cellar this aged vintage Aussie Shiraz for a full throttle big red.

This is one of our favorite Australian wines from this era, one that we collected going back to the 1992 vintage. We held a decade of vintages of this label including every vintage during the nineties. Over the years, we discovered and collected more Australian Shiraz' from other producers but this was one of our benchmarks. 

This 1999 vintage was one of our favorites from those early years and is one of the few remaining bottles. In those days, these were bottled in six packs which is how we bought them so we invariably had six bottles per vintage (or more).

Rosemount Estate began producing high-quality wines from its founding in 1974. Rosemount’s 1980 Show Reserve Chardonnay won a rare Double Gold Medal at the International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) in London, England, establishing the company’s reputation for quality in Australia and overseas.

Rosemount purchased the 100-year-old Ryecroft winery and vineyards in 1991 and developed other vineyards in the South Central Australia McLaren Vale region, and they source fruit from these vineyards to this day.

The McLaren Vale wine region lies 40 kilometres south Adelaide, the South Australian capital. Built around the coast of the Great Australian Bight, the region has a Mediterranean feel, with its seaside location.

McLaren Vale is a diverse region boasting a mix of sub-regions with different characteristics each best-suited for different varietals, depending on their geology, soils, elevation, rainfall and distance from the sea. Over 18000 acres of the region are covered in vineyards. While 51% of the McLaren Vale vines are Shiraz, the region is also home to many other varieties including Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet, and lesser known varieties such as Grenache, Mouvèdre (Mataro), Fiano and Vermentino.  

With this 1999 vintage, Rosemount Estate was awarded Winery of the Year at the San Francisco International Wine Competition. In 2000, Rosemount Estate was awarded Winemaker of the Year and Best Australian Producer at the IWSC in London and Best Australian Producer at the International Wine Challenge (IWC), and in 2011 were awarded New World Winery of the Year from Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

Rosemount Estate’s Balmoral Syrah is a flagship label, sitting at the top of the Rosemount Estate family tree, achieving international recognition, winning both a Trophy and a Gold medal at the coveted Decanter World Wine Awards in 2011 and again in 2012 and regularly receiving 90+ points in the notable US Wine Spectator across multiple Balmoral vintages.

Balmoral is predominantly sourced from the McLaren Vale sub-region of Seaview, in the northwest corner of the region, northwest of the town center sitting above the McLaren Vale township at roughly 110 metres above sea level. The soils range from quite sandy to red clays with quite a bit of surface iron stone.
 
The Balmoral label is produced from premium parcels from carefully selected vineyard blocks (ranging from 50 to 100 years old) that produce tiny quantities of exceptional fruit that typically delivers intense depth of flavour, superb length and fine acidity with a soft, velvety tannin structure. 
 
Rosemount Estate Balmoral McLaren Vale Syrah 1999

This release was #37 of Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2002 with a rating of 93 points. It was awarded 92 points by Wine Enthusiast, and 90 points from Wine and Spirits and Jeremy Oliver.

The Winemaker Notes for this release cited: "A classic, collectable Syrah - one of the best red wines to make it over here from Australia. Made from grapes grown on 50-100 year old vineyards, this McLaren Vale classic is matured nearly two years in new American oak prior to bottling. The richly textured fruit and deep, velvety tannins interweave beautifully into a long, harmonious finish. 15 years plus cellaring potential." 

This certainly held up for the prescribed fifteen years. Here at 22 years it is holding its own, showing well, but starting to show diminution from aging. The fill level, label and most importantly the cork were all in ideal condition, considering their age. 

I started to remove the cork with a traditional corkscrew and it was a bit soft and threatened to come apart. Switching to the ahso two pronged cork puller it extracted intact. 

The color was garnet colored with some brown bricking starting to set in, medium-full bodied, the full blackberry and black currant fruits are starting to give way to the non-fruit notes of tobacco, spice box, hints of pepper, anise and black olive with tangy acidity on the lingering finish. 

RM 88 points.

My first published review of this label was back in Aug, 19, 2003 - Rosemount Estate Balmoral McLaren Vale Syrah 1999, RM 92, WS 93 SS $53, Huge forward long mouth full of currant, plum, blackberry and anise. Bigger and more robust than other recent years. Try it and see why this is one of my perennial favorites - even better this year! 
 
I published follow on reviews: Rosemount Estates Balmoral McLaren Vale Syrah 1999 - Aug, 19, 2003, Nov 23, 2002, and my most recent previous review, September 17, 2016.
 
My previous review for this wine: This vineyard is one of the few in Australia with vines dating back a hundred years. The concentrated fruit is akin to the Chateau Tanunda with its legendary 100 year old vines. The story of  we Pour Boys discovering and then capturing the US allocation of this wine is written often in these pages. 

Dark inky purple garnet colored, medium-full bodied, forward  currant, plum, blackberry fruits turning to blueberry on the mid-palate, accented by a layer of anise, raisin and fig with hints of clove and spice.

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3000 
 
Fellow Cellartrackers' reviews for this label: 

12/11/2020 - bdhanna Likes this wine: 89 Points  "Just past peak. A near perfect cork after two decades in the bottle. Consumed over two days. Popped and poured this wine, it opened up quickly. On day two the fruit was still fresh, this wine had softened to reveal increased depth and integrated complexity.

Dark burgundy color with little to no oxidation and clarity was medium. Aromas of bing cherry and raspberry. Flavors of black cherry cola, black pepper, raspberry framboise, leather, and a little funk. This Syrah has a medium finish. This is my last bottle of this vintage. Always a great fruit source and a good winemaking effort."

12/31/2018 - corkus Likes this wine: 94 Points "Purple brownish color. Mint, pepper, musk and brambles on the nose. Palette of pepper, blackberry, black cherry with mint overtones and a creamy light tannic finish. Still quite a long finish with a good acid spine. The fruit is not as prominent as it was and I think it's starting to get close to the end of it's drinking window, Hint: Be careful of the cork, it's starting to crumble!"

9/12/2015 - Bsmith457 Likes this wine: 95 Points "Very dark almost black colour. On second night, aromas primarily of oak and leather. Black berry, pepper and a sweet cherry flavour. Surprisingly fresh still. Tannins have not taken over at all and the fresh fruit is still evident. Still looks like it has few years in it."

6/18/2020 - Bsmith457 Likes this wine: 93 Points "Dark dirty crimson. Dry spice, rotted wood. Sweet plum, strawberry, black cherry, coffee beans. Full body, tannin is remarkably fine. Acidity is a bit low. Some signs of oxidation when first opened, the cork broke apart but could be recovered. Recovers very well, impressive wine for its age. I was worried it would be flat but still has good flavours, even if a bit dull. It’s my last bottle, but if I had more I would be happy to open them."

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3000

https://www.rosemountestate.com/