Smith & Wollensky Chicago lunch w/ WBTG

Smith & Wollensky Chicago lunch w/ WBTG

We hosted niece Becky and Keith for the weekend so we took them into the city (Chicago) for a quick tour, introduction, having never been there before. We love and are proud of our hometown and enjoy taking in and sharing its culture, arts, architecture and attractions. We showed them the magnificent lakefront skyline and various cityscapes. 

We took them for a power lunch in a scenic setting at Smith & Wollensky on the river adjacent numerous iconic buildings and spectacular architecture - Trump Tower, Wrigley Building, Marina City and many more. 

Our dinner featured classic beef and seafood selections and an extensive extraordinary winelist. 

We selected for our lunch entrees the Scallops, BBQ Ribs, Salmon (shown below) and the Grilled Beef burger along with side dishes creamed spinach, whipped potatoes and the asparagus spears. 

For pairing with my entree selection I ordered from the WBTG offering this hearty Napa red.

Duckhorn Napa Valley Merlot 2019

Dan and Margaret Duckhorn founded Duckhorn Vineyards in 1976, crafting classic Bordeaux varietals from the Napa Valley since then for 40 years. They have been steadfast producers of high-quality, dependable Merlot ever since.

Duckhorn Vineyards produces a portfolio of top-tier Napa Valley wines, with roots anchored deep in Merlot varietal wines. Since the winery was established in the late 1970’s, Merlot has been a key varietal in the red blends as well as a standalone Merlot based labels. Founder Dan Duckhorn has been a great fan of Merlot since traveling through St. Emilion and Pomerol in Bordeaux where Merlot is the predominant varietal in the blend. 

Duckhorn felt that the varietal known for elegance and soft velvety texture and structure was under-appreciated in North America and was a pioneer in producing Merlot as a standalone or predominant label. 

Duckhorn has been producing Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot since 1978 sourced from estate vineyards in Napa portion of Carneros where they are influenced by the cooling effect of the Pacific Ocean San Pablo Bay. Carneros is ideally suited for growing exceptional Merlot, yielding a wine with beautiful structure, velvety texture and lovely layers of plum and mulberry.  

This 2019 vintage release is composed of 90% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.

Winemaker's Notes - "From its tantalizing aromas of ripe cherry and black plum to its fine-grained tannins and lively complexity, this is a lovely expression of Napa Valley Merlot. On the palate, the flavors are rich and fleshy, with luxurious layers of black currant, red licorice, fig compote, blueberry and crushed rose petal flowing to a long, elegant finish.'

 

"2019 brought another exceptional vintage to Napa Valley, resulting in wines with alluring polish and poise! The season began with a wet winter followed by a mild spring. While this led to a slightly later-than-normal start to the season, ideal summer weather with no significant heat spikes ensured ideal flavor development, yielding complex and vibrant whites, and refined reds with elegant tannins, enticing aromatics and beautiful fruit flavors."

This was aged 15 months in 100% French oak 40% new, 60% neutral.

 

This release was awarded 92 points by James Suckling, 90 points by Wine Enthusiast, and 89 points by Wine Spectator. 

 

This was a delicious ideal complement to my Bar-B-Que ribs. 

 

Dark garnet colored, full bodied, rich concentrated elegant, nicely integrated and balanced black raspberry, ripe plum and black cherry fruits with notes of dark chocolate, sage and clove spice with toasty oak on silky smooth tongue coating polished tannins on the lingering finish. 

 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4167490

https://www.duckhorn.com/

@duckhornwine  

https://www.smithandwollensky.com/our-restaurants/chicago/

 @smithwollensky

 

 

Carlisle Sonoma County Syrah 2013

Carlisle Sonoma County Syrah 2013 with BBQ Rib Dinner

For a grilled BBQ Rib dinner we pulled from the cellar this hearty aged Syrah for a fabulous, perfect food wine pairing.

Carlisle are a small, family-owned Sonoma County winery specializing in the production of old-vine, vineyard designated Zinfandels and red Rhône varieties (Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Petite Sirah). They also produce a small selection of white wines, two of which are blends from historic, old-vine vineyards plus Sonoma County's first ever Grüner Veltliner.

They strive for wines that are bold and intensely flavored, each reflecting its vintage and vineyard, but they also look to create wines of balance, complexity, and nuance. They have built a reputation for producing outstanding, pleasurable wine at a fair price - often at high QPR - Quality Price Ratios.

Robert Parker wrote about producer. winemaker Mike Officer. "One of the great success stories in Northern California is the genesis of Carlisle Winery, whose owner, Mike Officer, began as a wine hobbiest / software developer and grew into a full-time wine producer who has done more to save head-pruned, old-vine Zinfandel vineyards than anyone else in the United States. He built his reputation on full-flavored red wines and continues to fine-tune these beauties, often field blends of what are generically referred to as “mixed blacks” planted primarily by Italian immigrants prior to Prohibition." 

Mike got hooked on wine in college, reading everything he could on the subject, became a collector, attended numerous wine tastings, and taught a course on wine appreciation.

After graduation, he worked as a software developer, but after three years, he pivoted to pursue his passion, applying his analytical skills and creativity, setting out on a career in Winemaking.

Starting with five gallons of Zinfandel in the kitchen, he progressed to a barrel of Zinfandel each vintage with the help of friends and wife, Kendall Carlisle. Encouraged by the results. he and Kendall moved to Santa Rosa in Sonoma County captivated by the old-vine vineyards with their ancient twisted vines with deep roots and long histories. By 1997 he was producing over 300 cases of “garage” wine, mostly vineyard designated old-vine Zinfandels, winning numerous gold medals in amateur competitions.

In 1998, he and Kendall with the support of family, launched Carlisle Winery & Vineyards, concentrating on old-vine Zinfandel and red Rhône varieties (Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Petite Sirah), with a goal to create small lots of distinctive, world-class wines from some of California’s most exceptional vineyards. Using vacation from his 'day' job, they produced 650 cases in that first vintage.

They sourced Zinfandel from some of the finest vineyards in the county, planted between 1888 and 1934, including their own vineyard planted in 1927. For Rhône varieties, they contracted with small, family growers, who were equally dedicated and passionate about growing grapes for making exceptional wines. 

After growing production to nearly 1000 cases in 2000, Mike was feeling over-extended in balancing the demands of the growing business and his career as a software developer. If he were to be a full-time winemaker, he would need to increase production to make a living. 

In 2001, he teamed up with Jay Maddox, an old college friend who had just earned a second degree in viticulture and enology from U.C. Davis. Jay joined Carlisle, bringing a wealth of knowledge, a keen palate, and the shared desire to produce the best wines possible. By 2004, they had grown to nearly 10,000 cases production, earning high praise from wine critics and consumers, and settled in to devoting full time to the wine business. 

Today Carlisle produce a dozen plus Zinfandels and nearly a dozen Rhone varietal red wines including this one, sourced from Sonoma estate vineyards and select contract growers.

This is a blend of 54% Russian River Valley Syrah from Papa's Block, 40% Sonoma Mountain Syrah from the Steiner Vineyard, and 6% Sonoma Valley Grenache from Rossi Ranch Vineyard.

 Syrah, sourced from the Papa’s Block and the Steiner Vineyard, which had previously been bottled as single vineyard labels. 

The Papa's Block in the Russian River Valley is named after the growers father, known as Papa to his grandchildren, a special 2-acre block planted to Carlisle specifications within the larger Atoosa's Vineyard.

The Steiner Vineyard, located on the northwest face of Sonoma Mountain has a history of growing grapes for over 40 years.  Carlisle got involved with the property in 2005 after it was taken over by Nate and Lauren Belden, working with vineyard manager Chris Bowland.

Carlisle Sonoma County Syrah 2013

This label release was rated 90-92 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and 90-92 points by  Vinous. Cases Produced: 846

Dark garnet colored with hues of purple, medium-full bodied, rich, round blackberry and black cherry fruits with notes of anise, licorice, spices, floral and hints of mint on the full lingering finish. 

RM 90 points. 

Winemaker notes: Like our Rossi Ranch Grenache, this was one of the surprises of 2013.  Despite the perfect growing season, we felt our Papa’s Block Syrah lacked its typical uniqueness.  Rather than being an outstanding Papa’s Block Syrah it was merely an outstanding Syrah, but still worthy of bottling on its own.  We looked at potential blends and found that combining Papa’s Block and Steiner Vineyard Syrahs a wine much better than each component was produced.  

Tasting Note: Very dark ruby-purple.  With swirling, aromas of blackberry, smoke, game, and cracked black pepper emerge.  Surprisingly elegant, the wine flows over the palate with notes of blackberry, boysenberry, and a hint of bitter chocolate.  Like most of our 2013s, just tremendous balance.  Supple tannins and a gentle grip emerge on the long, focused finish.  A wine that drinks at several times above its price point.  Enjoy this beauty from late 2015 through 2023.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2015014

https://www.carlislewinery.com/drinkability-chart/2013/sonoma-county-syrah

https://twitter.com/CarlisleWinery

 

 

Obsidian Ridge "Obsidian Ridge Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon

Obsidian Ridge "Obsidian Ridge Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon

This is from producer and vineyard of the same name, Obsidian Ridge "Obsidian Ridge Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon from the estate located in Red Hills in rural Lake County, thirty-five miles north of Calistoga and the northern tip of Napa Valley. 

Setting out to produce their own wines, three founders/partners Michael Terrien and brothers Peter Molnar and Arpad Molnar discovered an abandoned orchard of bonsaied walnut trees on a steep ridge half a mile above sea level on volcanic slopes in the Mayacamas Mountains in the hills above Clear Lake in Lake County, California in 1998. The three founded what is today Obsidian Wine Co., planted their first vines in 1999 and 2000 and debuted their first Obsidian Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon in 2002 followed by their first Poseidon Vineyard Chardonnay the next year.

Today, they own and farm their our own vineyards, vinify and produce their own wines, and even 'cooper' their own barrels. They produce a dozen labels, primarily cabernet and red blends.

Their vineyards are planted in rich red volcanic soil primarily to cabernet sauvignon across three climactic zones ranging from 2,300 to 2,640 feet. The uppermost portion sits above the inversion layer on the steepest, rockiest slope, ten degrees warmer on average than the lowest elevation of the vineyard. As a result, vines above 2,500’ bud and ripen a month earlier and produce powerful, ripe flavors. The lower third of the vineyard has the gentlest slope and the coolest temperatures, yielding wines that are the most aromatic and nuanced. The central portion of the vineyard is the most protected site, affording vines the longest hang time and yielding beautiful balance.

Co-founder and Managing Partner Arpad Molnar, grew up riding three-wheelers over mounds of pumice at the family vineyard where his dad grew grapes for Napa Valley wineries. In the early '90s, he and his brother Peter moved to Budapest, Hungary and began exporting barrels from a cooperage which sourced wood from the storied Tokaj forest. Today this cooperage, Kádár Hungary, is the company’s exclusive supplier of oak and is owned by the Molnar family, in partnership with the Taransaud cooperage. 

Before beginning his entrepreneurial adventures in wine, Arpad graduated from UCLA and Harvard Business School. Along the way, he picked up skills in strategy, operations, and finance, working for GE, The Boston Consulting Group and the obligatory technology start-up.

Co-founder, brother, Peter Molnar grew up tending to vineyards as a teenager, suckering and tying vines and driving irrigation tractors during summers in the vineyard where his father grew grapes for Napa Valley wineries. He moved to Budapest, Hungary in 1990, working in the World Bank and USAID programs to privatize the country’s wine industry after the fall of communism. In the four years before returning home to manage the family vineyard in 1994, Peter helped build a winery, started a négociant company, and began collaborating with Kádár Hungary, a cooperage located in the renowned Tokaj region, that the Molnars now own, in partnership with the de Pracomtal family of Taransaud Cooperage, in Cognac. In 1995, the Molnars teamed up with winemaker Michael Terrien to vinify their first Pinot Noir from Poseidon Vineyard, aged in Kádár barrels. 

Michael Terrien, Co-founder grew up in Maine but headed west to California, where restaurant work piqued his interest in winemaking. Michael earned a degree in Enology at U.C. Davis and made wine at Acacia and Hanzell under the tutelage of some industry greats. With friend Peter Molnar they decided to make some wine together, starting with just a few dozen cases for friends and family, eventually founding Obsidian.

For more than a decade winemaker Alex Beloz who has crafted Obsidian wines applying artistry and his engineering degree, Alex' intimate and longstanding knowledge of the vineyards and Obsidian's coopering has raised to a high art the skill of matching oak to wine. 

Obsidian wines are the only Cabernet Sauvignons in California (perhaps the world) aged in 100% Hungarian oak barrels. They exclusively use barrels made from Tokaj oak by Kádár Hungary, the cooperage that they have owned for the nearly three decades. Their oak for their barrels is sourced from Kádárok Völgye (Valley of the Coopers), the region of the Tokaj appellation has a written history of over 1,000 years of coopering.

The forest in Tokaj is planted to the same oak species used in France, Quercus Petraea, however the trees grow more slowly due to the volcanic soils, resulting in 30% higher density of the wood. These super-tight-grain barrels are low in vanillan and relatively high in eugenol, which tends to emphasize herbal and spice components, and are toasted slowly at low temperatures to avoid imparting overt toasty notes. For this Estate bottling, they use exclusively Kádár Tokaj barrels from our own cooperage, 40% new, aged 18 months.  

Obsidian Ridge "Obsidian Ridge Vineyard" Red Hills-Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 

This flagship estate cabernet sauvignon reflects the terrior, personality and verticality of the complex mountain estate, sourced from eight vineyard blocks harvested in over 20 unique lots. 

This release was awarded 93 points and *Cellar Selection* by Wine Enthusiast, and 91 points by Wine & Spirits.

 

At a dozen years old, the fill level and most importantly the cork were still perfect, there is still life left in this mountain Cabernet with no signs of diminution from age whatsoever.

 

This is a good value, high QPR (quality price ratio), quality California Cabernet, being from Lake County, not carrying the 'Napa tax' of the price afforded the cache' as Napa prices have escalated in recent years.

 

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, complex dense powerful mountain fruit flavors of black berry accented by notes expresso, smoke, spice and cedar with bright acidity and tongue puckering dry tannins on the lingering finish. 

RM 92 points. 

 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1913201

https://www.obsidianwineco.com/

Chianti Classico duo at Italian Village Chicago

Chianti Classico duo at Italian Village Chicago team dinner

We welcomed two new team members to our corporate - affiliates family and took them to our regular team dinner venue for such occasions. We dined at Italian Village, Chicago at our regular table in one of their private rooms/tables. 

We ordered from the extensive Italian Village Wine List/Cellar, we ordered two classic vintage Italian Chianti's, the most well known and popular wine in Italy, and the most commonly consumed Italian wine in the world. Chianti is not the name of a grape but actually a geographic region, it is the 35 miles of hills between Florence and Siena.

The complex geography with a complex diverse geology makes for diverse challenging grape growing  with multiple exposures and soil types on the same estate. The region comprises 9 different communes (not dissimilar to Bordeaux) where each commune has a particular characteristic or 'terrior', sense of place, that shows in the wine. 

Chianti wine is made predominantly from Sangiovese, the grape must comprise at least 80% of the blend. Chianti Classico is the "classic" region, though many other nearby regions now use the name "Chianti" to make similar wines. 

The most widely planted grape in Italy, Sangiovese is a high-acid grape with moderate to high tannins, apparent earthiness and subtle fruit. Though planted all over modern Italy, the most significant wines made from Sangiovese come from Tuscany, from the regions of Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino. Sangiovese must make up 75% of a blend to be labeled Chianti DOCG - the appellation rules that control the production, content and label designation of the wines. 

Until recently, Sangiovese has struggled to find footing outside of Italy, though in recent years California wineries have expanded and improved their grape plantings in the Sierra Foothills/El Dorado County, Sonoma and Napa Counties, and the Central Coast.

Both wines were perfect accompaniments pairing with our Italian cuisine dinners. Shown are my Ravioli di Costata Corto Brasata - raviloi pasta stuffed with braised shortrib of beef with parmesan and ricotta cheese in a red demi glaise sauce (shown). Also shown the House Specialty Atlantic Salmon, prepared Puttanesca style, broiled with tomatoes, capers, olives, garlic, basil and white wine served over sauteed spinach.

After dinner we toured the legendary historic Italian Village Wine Cellar where we picked out a special dessert wine for after dinner sipping.  The Italian Village cellar, one of the largest restaurant-based wine cellars in the Midwest, holds over 35,000 bottles with a total of 1,100 selections. It has received awards every year from Wine Spectator for well over 30 years. 

Cellar Director and dear friend Jared Gelband responded to my text from earlier in the day alerting him that we'd be coming in with some special guests and would like to arrange a cellar tour. He texted that he had (literally during our dinner) just arrived in Tuscany for his regular producer estates tour. I knew he had the trip scheduled but had lost track of the dates. We managed without him never-the-less with the selections featured on this page.

Poggerino Chianti Classico Bugialla Riserva 2015

This is from producer Fattoria Poggerino,  a small, organic family run winery located in the heart of Tuscany's Chianti Classico appellation. The estate consists of 106 acres of vineyards, olive groves and woods, with a few old traditional stone houses and a 12th century church and the winery. The property used to belong to Prince Ginori Conti, a descendant of one of Florence's oldest families. 

Floriana Ginori Conti inherited the winery from her father in the 1970s, and in 1980, with her husband Fabrizio Lanza, began to produce this Chianti Classico "Poggerino" label. Her two children, Piero and Benedetta Lanza, took over management of the property in 1988 and took overall control in 1999. 

This label was designated Chianti Riserva, a rare classification given only the finest wines in the best vintages and are limited in distribution, not often even found in the U.S., except in vast deep wine cellars with broad and special selections such as at Italian Village - only 900 cases were produced with only 200 cases imported.

This release was awarded 96 points by Wine Spectator, Highly Recommended!, their highest score ever adorned on a wine from Chianti. 

Jancis Robinson gave this 17.5 Points (out of 20) and wrote, "This would be a good introduction to a doubter of Chianti Classico’s quality. There is beauty here.”

Winemaker producer Piero Lanza's notes for this release, “The vintage is one of the best along with 2010 and 1990,” says Piero Lanza. “I think the reason the 2015's came out so well is that they are from Radda. It is one of the coolest zones in Chianti Classico, and therefore the vines did not suffer from the long, hot summer we had until the end of July. Another reason, important to me, is that I was able to harvest grapes from vines that are relatively old—between 15 and 25 years—and well-balanced, the result of the work of the previous years.”

Bright ruby colored, medium full bodied, complex elegant nicely integrated and balanced concentrated red currant and black cherry fruits accented by tobacco leaf, graphite, menthol, spice and hints of licorice and tar on a booming long lingering finish. 

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3054691

https://poggerino-chianti-italy.com/

Our next Sangiovese ....

Castello di Bossi Chianti Classico Gran Selzione 2016

Castello di Bossi (Renieri) is one of the headline estates from the Castelnuovo Berardenga commune of Chianti Classico. Owner Marco Bacci has owned the expansive property since 1998 and has significantly increased the Gran Selezione production since the inaugural 2013 vintage - from 10,000 to 50,000 bottles.

One of the newest and strictest Italian wine laws comes in Chianti, adding to the classifications of Chianti Classico and Chianti Classico Reservas is a new excellence standard bearer with the classification of Gran Selezione that represents the best of the best. Literally translating to “the greatest selection”, Gran Selezione is the newest quality designation to have been added to the DOCG classification system in Chianti Classico. Gran Selezione takes quality controls a step further than Riserva, which previously occupied the top tier. Gran Selezione labled wine has to contain at least 80% Sangiovese grapes – all estate grown, no purchased, or non-estate-grown fruit, with at least 13% alcohol content, aged for at least 30 months with 3 of those having to come in a bottle. 

Since taking over the Castello di Bossi in 1998, famous winemaker and entrepreneur Marco Bacci (Renieri), assisted by superstar consultant Alberto Antonini, has overhauled and restored the massive Castelnuovo Berardenga property back into one of the region’s best. 

Castello di Bossi's Gran Selezione is a selection of the best quality fruit grown across the Bacci family's Castelnuovo Berardenga estate in any given vintage. Whilst this wine will always contain a portion of fruit sourced from the noble Corbaia Vineyard, different areas of the estate may feature in the cuvee depending on the weather conditions and ripening observed over the course of a vintage growing season.

The 2016 release of Castello di Bossi Chianti Classico Gran Selzione is 100% Sangiovese, was awarded 97 Points by James Suckling, 94 Points by Monica Larner of Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 93 points by Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator, and 92 points by Decanter. It was aged for 24 months in 500 Liter French tonneaux, followed by 6 months in bottle.  

Similar to the Poggerino above, dark ruby colored with a slight purple hue, medium-full bodied, intense and concentrated, yet nicely balanced and integrated, dark cherry, plum and blackberry fruits with notes of black tea, clove spice, hints of cedar and cigar box with muscular, chewy dusty tannins and tangy acidity on the long expressive finish. 

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3734838

https://bacciwines.it/estates-castello-di-bossi/

 

We toured the magnificent Italian Village Wine Cellar and picked out a special dessert wine for after dinner sipping.

Maculan Torcolato Breganze Dessert Wine 2007

Since 1947 the Maculan family have been vinifying grapes in Breganze, a village at the foot of the Asiago high plains of Northeastern Italy in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, Italy. 

Founded by Giovanni Maculan, the estate was handed down to Fausto Maculan who was joined by his daughters Angel and Maria Vittoria in 2007, who to this day assist their father in managing the estate.

The Maculan estate consists of 100 acres of vines and olive trees, and they also manage the cultivation of thirty selected growers. From their sixteen different vineyards the Maculan family combine ancient traditions and state-of-the-art technology to produce a dozen labels of red, white, and dessert wines. 

The area around Breganze produce red and white wines, the red wines composed primarily of a minimum 85% Merlot with Marzemino, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Rossignola and Pinot Noir.

The Breganze white wines are a minimum of 85% Friulano and can be blended with Vespaiolo, Pinot bianco, Pinot grigio, Riesling Italico, Marzemina bianca and Sauvignon blanc.

Most of these wines are produced dry, with the exception being Vespaiolo that can be produced in both a dry and sweet passito style wine. The Vespaiola grape is used to produce this dessert style wine from partially dried grapes labeled as Torcolato, one of Italy’s greatest dessert wines. 

The grapes are dried in a special room for four months to concentrate flavours and sugar and then aged for one year in french oak barriques, 1/3 new and 2/3 second usage.

This was rated 94 points by Antonio Galloni (Vinous).

From  100% Vespaiola grapes, this was dark golden, weak tea colored, medium full bodied, concentrated with thick unctuous notes of honey laced notes of vanilla, spices and floral. 

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1101539

https://www.maculan.net/en/

 

Del Dotto Sangiovese with Angeli's Italian Pasta

Del Dotto Sangiovese with Angeli's Italian Pasta 

We dined at Angeli's Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria and took BYOB one of our favorite pasta wines, Del Dotto Sangiovese. Reading back through these blogposts, we probably drank most of the entire case BYOB at numerous dinners there.

Regretably, this is the last bottle from a case we acquired during our culinary tasting visit to Piazza Del Dotto two summers ago. 

We discovered the Piazza brand during our Del Dotto Estate Cave Tour and Tasting during our Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2017. We then targeted the just opened Piazza Winery Delicacies Wine and Food Tasting Experience during our Napa Valley Wine Experience 2018. It was the highlight of our entire Napa trip. We tasted and acquired this 2015 release during our Cave Tour tasting. 

Del Dotto Piazza Napa Valley Sangiovese 2015

Just like I've written in previous tastings of this label, this was delicious and everyone loved it making me wish I had more than the single case we acquired a while back. I'll be looking for more.

We tasted and acquired this wine during our Del Dotto Estate Cave Tour and Tasting last year. Our first recorded tasting note was when we took it took it BYOB to our favorite neighborhood Italian Trattoria, Angelis Italian. Tonight's tasting experience was consistent with my notes from that evening (caution about the color and slight opaqueness aside, which was not present tonight.)

My notes from previous tastings. "This was dark garnet colored medium full bodied, this was delicious with sweet ripe raspberry fruits accented by notes of vanilla and almond with supple smooth silky tannins on the lingering finish.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2579868

http://www.deldottovineyards.com/

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/08/del-dotto-piazza-sangiovese-at-angelis.html

Del Dotto Sangiovese for Family Lasagna Dinner

@DelDottoWine

 

Catch 35 Naperville Seafood and Wine Dinner

Fabulous Seafood Wine Pairing Dinner at Catch 35 Naperville     

We took fellow Pour Boy Dr Dan to Catch 35 - Naperville to celebrate his decade birthday. He brought from his cellar this ultra-premium Chateau Boswell Chardonnay for a BYOB wine pairing. The girls went to the Boswell estate while hiking during our Napa Wine Experience in 2017, the estate  burned down during the raging fires that ravaged the Napa mountainsides during 2020. 

Our dinner at Catch 35 was wonderful - exceptional in every respect - each entree exceeding expectations. Dan and I ordered the Georges Bank Scallops with braised shortrib & red potato hash on black pepper aoli. Both Lindas ordered one of the two daily special Halibut dishes - Sweet and Sour Crispy Halibut with bell peppers, onions and pineapple with jasmine rice, and Alaskan Pan Seared Halibut with Panko, Asiago-Parmesan in cannellinis beans with onions and heirloom tomatoes. 

The Georges Bank Scallops with braised shortrib & red potato hash on black pepper aoli was a mind-blowing combination pairing, almost like two separate and distinct entrees thrown together. The scallops were perfectly prepared and tasty, but almost overpowered by the somewhat off-putting braised short-rib which was delicious in its own right. The two foods compete with each other for center stage with the bigger bolder braised short rib overtaking the more delicate and subtle scallops.

 

Alaskan Pan Seared Halibut 

 

Sweet and Sour Crispy Halibut

 Our server Denzel, was exceptional, professional, hospitable and friendly, knowledgeable and attentive to the details of astute proper wine service of our wine selections, properly served, chilled and offering appropriate glassware. 

Chateau Boswell Absolutely Eloise Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2016

Dan brought this ultra-premium limited release label from his cellar, this from producer Richard Thornton Boswell, who in the 1980's pioneered the concept of a "Boutique" winery crafting small lot French Style wines sold directly to the client, at a time when the other 71 wineries in the Napa Valley sold mostly through distribution. Today, Chateau Boswell remains among the diminishing handful of privately owned family wineries amidst what has grown to 554 wineries in the Napa Valley today.

The fruit is from the Sonoma County, Russian River Valley, bordered by the Russian River and the Mayacamas mountains with the climate defined by its proximity to the ocean with coastal breezes bringing cooling fog through the Petaluma wind gap in the morning and evening, balancing the afternoon heat enjoyed in this appellation. This temperature differential creates excellent conditions for Chardonnays fruit with the long growing season, allowing time for optimum fruit maturity.

The grapes are from the Purrington Rued Vineyard, Ritchie Vineyard, and Dutton Ranch Sebastopol Vineyards, the fruit from each of these vineyards from very old vines which lends the complexity and intense fruit flavors which are key to the composition of memorable Chardonnay wines.

In the early days, famed winemaker André Tchelistcheff graced the Boswell winery with his immense knowledge and directed their early efforts. Building on that legacy and history, Boswell wines today are crafted under the tutelage of consulting winemakers Philippe Melka and Keith Hock who both work closely with Allison Nunnikhoven, Associate Winemaker for Chateau Boswell.

This was straw colored, medium bodied, with a slight haziness, rich, powerful, complex exotic medley of apple pear and apricot fruits, with a unique distinctive layer of dark toasted nuts with hints of dark toffee caramel with a cognac like lingering finish. 

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/editnote.asp?iWine=2932507

http://www.chateauboswellwinery.com/ 

Besides the Chateau Boswell, we ordered from the broad and carefully selection winelist an as yet undiscovered label from a well known producer - Dance Chardonnay from Long Shadows. 

Long Shadows "Dance" Columbia Valley Chardonnay 2017

What a surprise to discover this label on the Catch 35 wine list. We've been Long Shadows Key Club Members since our visit to the Woodinville tasting room during our Washington Wine Experience when we visited the winery tasting room in Woodinville back in the fall of 2018. 

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

Dance also has specific significance as just this very day we learned our daughter-in-law Vivianna's sister, Grace was engaged to be married. Grace was a career professional performing arts dancer having studied dance at New York Fordham University and then traveling with the world famous Alvin Ailey dance troupe. Indeed, when they toured Illinois, we met them for dinner at Angeli's Italian, our local neighborhood trattorria. 

Based on the enjoyment of this wine this evening, I promptly called Long Shadows and ordered a case of this limited release label, "Dance" as part of my wine club entitlement allocation. We'll look forward to serving Dance with the family at our next gathering, our upcoming Easter celebration dinner. 

This is 100% Chardonnay from the Washington State Columbia River basin Yakima Valley from the Wente Chardonnay clone plantings at two of Washington’s oldest Chardonnay vineyards, French Creek Vineyard, east of Prosser and Boushey Vine at the Boushey Vineyard, the Crawford Vineyard,and the old block at French Creek Vineyard.

Notes from the Winemaker: Introducing the newest addition to the Long Shadows line-up. This unique and wonderfully complex Chardonnay was fermented and aged using proprietary techniques with a combination of concrete eggs and French oak barrels for sixteen months.

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

Winemaker Tasting Notes: Great balance between vibrant fruit and minerality with flavors and aromas of white peach, apricot and baked apples. 

Straw colored, medium bodied, fresh apple and pear fruits with notes of lemon citrus, floral and toast with hints of tropical fruit, pineapple and spicy oak on a tangy acidic finish.

RM 90 points.

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

https://longshadows.com/

After dinner we retreated back to our house to finish the celebration dinner with German Chocolate Cake. 

With the cake we opened from the cellar Taylor Fladgate Late Bottled Vintage Port 1994. The 1994 vintage was one of the top vintages of the century with the top labels including Taylor Fladgate and Grahams Vintage Oporto both getting 100 points. 

At 28 years, this showed no signs of diminution from aging whatsoever, likely at the peak of its drinking window, but with another decade or two of life left yet. The label, fill level, foil, seal and cork were all in pristine condition. sea

This was a nice pairing with the chocolate cake, silky smooth, superbly balanced, ripe sweet fruits for wonderful casual sipping. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=12211

 

Sole Meunière Santenay Suzette's Creperie Wheaton

Sole Meunière and Santenay at Suzette's Creperie Wheaton

After the wonderful Chicken Liver Mousse that I enjoyed so much at Queensyard, Hudson Yard, NYC last week, I had a taste for more, and am always up for french faire, so, we dined at Suzette's Creperie in Wheaton for Friday night dinner. 

Fortuitously, the dinner special was their delectable Sole Meunière, one of our favorite entrees. 

Served in the classic French style, Filets of Sole were dredged in flour, pan fried in butter and served with the resulting brown butter herb sauce, parsley and lemon, alongside spring vegetables and mashed potatoes. Wonderful, delicious, (if only served hotter/warmer).

For a starter course we ordered the slice of smooth Chicken Liver Mousse and a slice of Country Style Pâté served with Dijon mustard, Cornichons and delicious Red Onion Marmalade with toasted Brioche on the side. Not quite as delectable as that served at Queensyard, but it met the call at least. 

For a wine accompaniment we ordered from the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence winelist, this classic authentic French Burgundian Chardonnay - a fun wine with a remarkable tradition and history.

This is from Guy Amiot et Fils, self proclaimed "winegrowers" since 1910, the family-owned and operated winery and vineyards produce 25 wine labels in the Burgundy appellations of Beaune, Chassagne & Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault, St-Aubin and this one from the village of Santenay.

The Amiot family has been producing premium wines in the legendary Chassagne-Montrachet terroir for generations. Founders, Flavie and Arsène established a winegrowing tradition passed down to their son Pierre, then to their grandson Guy, and today to the 4th generation great grandsons, Thierry (1969), Fabrice (1973), and the 5th generation embodied by Thierry’s daughter, Héloïse (1995).

The broad portfolio of family produced wines are a tribute to Flavie and her husband, Arsène, originally from Paris, who founded a wine estate in Burgundy.

The quaint family history dates back to the 1900s, Flavie Amiot was a businesswoman, owner of a fine linen laundry in Boulogne, just outside Paris. Looking for a nanny to look after her unborn children, she asked the postwoman who told her that “my sister is a nanny in Chassagne-Montrachet”! 

Flavie and Arsène moved to Burgundy and (1887-1969) founded the estate, purchasing the vines, house, raising a family and educating the children. Simone (1922-2009) devoted her life to working in the vineyards, the wine cellar and the kitchen to welcome customers and wine aficionados.

Marcel, Pierre, Lucienne and Robert, born in 1909, 1910, 1912 and 1914, were therefore brought up in Burgundy where their parents acquired houses, outbuildings and vineyards in preparation for their retirement in the 1950s.

Through the 1920's they acquired plots in Chassagne-Montrachet - Les Caillerets, Les Vergers, Clos Saint Jean and Dents de Chien (Dogteeth, which became Le Montrachet grand cru in 1937.

Arsène’s son, Pierre, took on his father’s domaine in 1935. Second generation Pierre Amiot, born in 1910, studied at the Beaune viticultural college and became a winegrower in 1935-36. Thanks to the wealthy Parisian clientele of his parents’ laundry, direct sales to consumers developed. A wine shop was opened in the 17th arrondissement of Paris that sold bottles of Domaine Arsène Amiot until 1941. 

 

The vineyard expanded with the acquisition of plots from Chassagne-Montrachet La Maltroie, Les Champgains, Les Macherelles (1er cru) and Les Chaumes (Village).

When Pierre died in 1985, Pierre’s son, Guy, carried on the tradition, a trained oenologist, he gained experience in winemaking outside Burgundy (Jura, Provence), and produced remarkable vintages with a new style from 1985 to 1995. 

 

Today: the tradition continues with the 4^th and 5^th generations: Thierry and his daughter Héloïse for the vineyard and the cellar, Fabrice for the sales.

Guy Amiot' two fourth generation sons manage the estate: Thierry the vineyard and wine-making while Fabrice manages the business.  Passing on wine production to the next generation, Thierry’s daughter, Héloise, born in 1995, also studied viticulture at the Beaune wine school, worked in a winery in Australia and graduated in oenology at the University of Dijon… Says the winery of their rich tradition and legacy, "After Flavie and Simone, the final words of the Amiot women have not yet been spoken!"

Today, the family of Guy Amiot family owns two seventeen different plots of Montrachet Grand Cru in Chassagne-Montrachet and others in the surrounding communes, most a fraction of an acre each. They produce 26 different labels, eighteen white including a grand cru and 8 premier crus in white on 200 ha, as well as 2 premier crus in red on 100 ha of  Chassagne-Montrachet vines. 

Domaine Guy Amiot et Fils Santenay Vieilles Vignes 2017

This label is produced from grapes from the best plots of  .8 acres of vineyards in the commune of Santenay, Sous la Roche, and Comme Dessu.  Guy Amiot ... et Fils means, 'and sons' while Vielles Vigne translates to 'old vines' in English.

This is from the 2017 vintage. a very good wine year thanks to constant sunshine which delivered healthy, ripe grapes full of aroma. The water stress forced the old vines to draw nutrients from the subsoil resulting in rich concentrated fruit. 

 

This was straw colored, medium bodied with sharp flavors of green apple, pear, hints of citrus, peach white stone and almond. 

 

RM 90 points. 

 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3351940

https://www.domaine-amiotguyetfils.com/

https://twitter.com/AmiotGuy

Domaine Serene "Evenstad Reserve" Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2008

Domaine Serene "Evenstad Reserve" Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2008 

For casual mid-week sipping with fresh fruits and cheeses we opened this vintage aged Pinot Noir. This particular label has some special significance since Linda and I discovered it at a memorable outing during one of our get-away weekends to Chicago. We had a bottle at Smith & Wollensky sitting outside overlooking the Chicago River for a summer afternoon wine, salad and cheese interlude. Its been a favorite ever since. Read this blog and you'll see we're not big Pinot drinkers, yet we keep this label in stock as a mainstay in our cellar. We currently hold a half dozen vintages dating back to this one, the oldest, which we'll replace with a current vintage as part of cellar management. 

This is from producer Domaine Serene, whose owner proprietors Grace and Ken Evenstad who, after 20 years building a successful business in Minnesota, settled in the Oregon Willamette Valley in 1989. They acquired a 42-acre hilltop estate that had just been logged in the Dundee Hills with the intent of growing and producing world-class Burgundian style Pinot Noir. They established Domaine Serene, naming the winery after their daughter, Serene, and their first vineyard on the estate after their son, Mark Bradford Evenstad.

Today, Domaine Serene produces wines from six individual vineyard estates, planted exclusively to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Each estate offers a diversity of soils, clones, rootstocks, microclimates, slopes and elevations that add distinguishing complexity and elegance to the wines.

In 2001, thy built a state-of-the-art, five-level, gravity flow Pinot Noir winery.

Since the first vintage in 1990, Domaine Serene has produced award-winning wines, including this Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir, recognized as the World’s #3 Wine of 2013 by Wine Spectator Magazine. Their 2012 Winery Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir was named the Top Pinot Noir in the World by Decanter magazine in 2016. The 2014 Evenstad Reserve Chardonnay received 95 points and was ranked the #2 wine in the world on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of the Year. As a result, Domaine Serene became the only winery in the world to receive a Top 3 rating in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of the Year for both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. 

In 2017, the 2013 Domaine Serene Jerusalem Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir was awarded the Top American Pinot Noir at the Decanter World Wine Awards. 

Through the continuous pursuit of quality and innovation, Domaine Serene has garnered global recognition as an iconic quality leader of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

For the past 30 years, Domaine Serene, under the guidance of the Evenstads, has been focused on excellence in a never-ending quest to produce world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Their mission is to produce outstanding quality through continuous improvement and a commitment to extremely high internal standards. Domaine Serene’s wines represent the achievement that is possible in Oregon, one of the finest regions in the world for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Domaine Serene "Evenstad Reserve" Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2008

This label 2008 release was awarded sequentially, 95 points by James Suckling, 94 points by Wine Enthusiast, 93 points by Wine Spectator, 92 points, Connoisseurs Guide, 91 points, Allen Meadows - Burghound, and 90 points by Wine & Spirits. 

Six reviews (ers), six different scores is a vivid example that such reviews are in the eyes of the beholder, and there is no right or wrong answer. All that matters is what one/you think (s), and such ranges occasionally reveal individual alignment or cohesiveness with one reviewer over another. 

This was bright dark ruby colored, medium bodied, complex forward tangy black cherry and black berry fruits, accented by notes of fennel, smoke, spice, tobacco and hints of black pepper on a taunt dry tongue coating finish.

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1098528

https://www.domaineserene.com/blog/2008-Evenstad-Reserve--Pinot-Noir1 

https://www.domaineserene.com/

https://twitter.com/SereneWine

Rodney Strong Alexander Valley Sonoma County Reserve Cabernet

Rodney Strong Alexander Valley Sonoma County Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon with tomahawk beefsteak dinner

Linda prepared one of her classic tomahawk ribeye beefsteak dinners with smashed potatoes and asparagus tips. I pulled from the cellar this vintage Reserve Sonoma Cabernet. My view is that Sonoma Cabs tend to be a bit lighter, less structured and therefore more approachable than those from Napa with its slightly warmer climate, lacking the cooling influences of the Pacific. Having less cache' perhaps than Napa cabs, Sonoma cabs also tend to be less expensive as well, often providing higher QPR - quality price ratios - as Napa wine prices have escalated through the roof in recent years. 

This wine is labeled Sonoma County, Alexander Valley, which is in the northern, eastern portion of region.

It has been written that Sonoma winemakers like to think of their region as a quieter, less glitzy alternative to the Napa Valley — though in fact, it produces roughly 50 percent more grapes annually, covers more than twice the ground, and boasts about three times the population. 

I write in more detail about Sonoma County and its diversity in my chronicles of our Sonoma Wine Experience 2017.

Sonoma had grapes planted earlier than Napa did, with the first plantings dating back as early as 1812. Legendary Hungarian writer and entrepreneur Agoston Haraszthy, called "the father of California viticulture," bought a property in Sonoma in 1857 and founded the still-extant Buena Vista winery there,  (it is the oldest commercial winery in the state). He later traveled around Europe collecting vine cuttings and is said to have introduced some 300 new varieties to California (among them, according to legend, zinfandel — though this has been disputed). 

Sonoma County boasts a broader range of more diverse soil types and microclimates due to its size and proximity to the coast on the west, and the inland mountain ranges and valleys to the east. The numerous subregion appellations are suited to many grape types with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir being more predominant to the west and Russian River Valley, and Cabernet and Zinfandel thriving inland in the warmer climate areas. 

Dating back to 1959, Rodney Strong Vineyards was the 13th winery bonded in the nascent emerging Sonoma County wine industry.

The current owner proprietors, the Klein family, 4th generation California farmers, took over in 1989.

Rodney Strong Alexander Valley Sonoma County Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

This would have been crafted by winemaker Emeritus Rick Sayre, who carried on the Rodney Strong vision, crafting wines for almost four-decades before handing over winemaking duties to current Director of Winemaking Justin Seidenfeld in 2018. 

This vintage release label was awarded 90 points by Wine Enthusiast. 

Wine Enthusiast notes, "The winery is trying very hard to boost the quality of their Reserve Cab. The challenge is to build in those extra layers of complexity and depth." I think this sums up well the impression left by this wine, that it lacks any wow factor and is less than inspiring, lacking that complexity and firmer backbone or structure one might expect or hope for.  

They did package it in a heavy stock grade bottle, indicative of more expensive premium cabernets, found commonly today.

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, black berry fruits with notes of cassis, herbs and hints of spice and cedar with moderate tannins on the finish. 

 

RM 88 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=546760

https://www.rodneystrong.com/

https://twitter.com/rsvineyards

Hudson Chardonnay at Oceana NYC

Hudson Napa Valley Carneros Chardonnay at Oceana Restaurant in NYC

In New York with a few colleagues for team meetings and a conference, we dined at Oceana seafood restaurant just off Avenue of the America's opposite Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall, not far from the Broadway theater district since 1992,

The highly acclaimed seafood restaurant is the flagship of the Livanos Family Restaurant Group. Founder John Livanos immigrated from Greece in 1957, began his career as a dishwasher, working for his uncle in Manhattan, purchased his first restaurant in 1960. Today, John and his children, Nick, Bill and Corina, own and manage several other well known restaurants, Oceana and Molyvos and Hudson West in New York City, as well as Moderne Barn in Armonk, NY, and City Limits in White Plains. 

Cooking alongside each other at Oceana since 2018, Michael Aungst and Tim Jocz share the role of Executive Chef. 

We all selected the same entree, the Seared Cod, romanesco with smoked leeks and bacon cream (shown right). As a starter, colleagues raved about the Seared Octopus tapenade with parsley root. 

From the winelist I selected a Napa Valley Carneros Chardonnay from the famed Hudson Vineyards. 

Oceana has an extensive, deep 33 page wine list that offers 600 different selections from an inventory of over 15000 bottles with special strengths in California and French Burgundy.

The Wine Spectator awarded wine list has received their "Best of Award of Excellence: since 2012. Wine Enthusiast has named Oceana one of “America’s 100 Best Wine Restaurants” from 2013-2015.

The Oceana wine list includes outstanding vintages of Bordeaux & Bourgogne, as well as a vast selection of Pinots and Cabernets from across the United States and the world. 

The world-class collection is displayed in the aptly named Wine Room, in a floor-to-ceiling glass cooler that can also provide a dramatic backdrop for private dining events for up to 18 guests.

Shown from the Oceana wine cellar glass wine wall are two of my bucket list absolute top wishlist wines, from the most select vintages, two of my favorite labels - #1 son's birthyear, 1982 Leoville Las Cases ($975), and, classic 2000 vintage Ducru-Beaucaillou ($550) - two of the highlight featured producers from our St Julien Bordeaux trip tours; and two legendary Mouton Rothschilds ($1200 & $1050). 

Needless to say, we selected a more modest, yet premium label Napa Carneros Chardonnay for our food wine pairing. Interesting and notably, they offered no less than three producers' labels sourced from the same vineyard, Kistler, Pahlmeyer, and our selection, the grower's proprietary label. 

Hudson Napa Valley Carneros Chardonnay 2013 

Hudson Vineyards on the Hudson Ranch, produce premium grapes on two hundred acres of vineyards, in the Carneros District at the bottom of the mountain range that separates Napa and Sonoma Valleys, where they come together, along the northern side of Carneros Highway that connects Napa and Sonoma. See map of vast Hudson Ranch Vineyards. 

The vines, planted back as early as 1981, source grapes that today are sold to as many as 27 wineries in Napa and Sonoma counties, some of which produce vineyard designated wines from specific vineyard sites that bear the ‘Hudson Vineyards’ designation on their labels. 

Proprietor Lee Hudson from Houston, Texas, after getting a degree in Horticulture at the University of Arizona, worked with the esteemed Jacques Seysses of Domaine Dujac, in Morey St. Denis, Burgundy; learning that great grapes from hallowed vineyard sites produce truly world class, fine wines. Lee returned to the States to study viticulture and enology at University of California at Davis, where many of his classmates are now his clients. Lee searched for property from Santa Barbara to Mendocino, before deciding on the Carneros property in Napa Valley, founding Hudson Vineyards in 1981.

Beyond supplying premium grapes to dozens of other Napa and Sonoma producers, Hudson Vineyards also produce their own estate wines from their grapes, crafted by winemaker Clayton Kirchhoff, who joined Hudson as a young Winemaker with 12 years of winery experience. This label vintage release from 2013 was produced by then winemaker Christopher Vandendriessche in collaboration with the legendary consultant winemaker John Kongsgaard, who also sources grapes for his famous ultra-premium labels from Hudson Vineyards.

This release was awarded 94 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and 90 points by Wine Spectator.

This was a perfect complement to our seafood entrees. 

Butter colored, medium bodied, clean, crisp, nicely balanced and elegant, soft peach and honeysuckle fruits with hints of spice, citrus and green apple on a pleasant finish. 

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2177061

https://www.oceanarestaurant.com/

https://hudsonranch.com/