Gala Easter Dinner

Easter dinner was a small but joyful event this year, calling for some exceptional wines. We opened a 2006 Fantesca Cabernet Sauvignon and in honor of second sons birth year, a 1984 Duckhorn Cabernet Sauvignon.

Fantesca Vineyards

Fantesca is located in the Spring Mountain AVA in Napa Valley. We first visited during our September 2009 Napa Valley trip and were warmly welcomed by Duane Hoff, the owner (with wife Susan) and proprietor. The property was originally part of a dowry from the wife of Charles Krug. The Hoffs bought the property in 2004. Nils and Kirk Venge were the winemakers for the 2006 vintage. Fantesca consists of 14 acres planted almost entirely to Cabernet. Sauvignon.

Bill, Rick & Duane Hoff

The 2006 Fantesca Cabernet is a beautiful, deep garnet color. It's big, bold and fruit forward. On the palate, red fruits predominate with dark, sour, cherry and black raspberry most apparent. This is a complex, layered wine with additional notes of vanilla and oak. I opened this for an hour before serving and should have allowed an hour more. This is drinking very well right now but is structured to go another 10 years.

Having Drew and Alyssa with us, provided an excuse to open a 1984 Duckhorn Cabernet in honor of Drew's birth year. The Duckhorn was a medium red in the glass with just the slightest hint of orange at the rim. Tannins were modest, well integrated and the wine was well balanced. There was some fruit left but the wine overall was pretty earthy. This was decanted for about 2 hours and never seemed to open up. It was certainly drinkable but a bit flat. At this age it may have needed 3 or 4 hours to breathe. Something to remember with my last bottle.

Both wines were a nice accompaniment to an Easter dinner of HoneyBaked ham, au gratin potatoes, haricot verts and deviled eggs.

Mini Family Reunion Celebration

Selecting the right wine to go with a meal is getting easier. The new challenge is in identifying high quality wines that also appeal to a broad range of tastes. Let's face it, the big fruit, spicy and somewhat metallic notes of a big Shiraz or the earthy minerality of a 30 year old Bordeaux are distinctive characteristics that can be off putting to some. Fortunately, there are a couple of readily available standards that can be counted on to deliver quality and style regardless of the vintage.

Two examples of these standards for me are Beaulieu Vineyards Tapestry Reserve (https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=529101) and Fiddlehead Cellars Pinot Noir 728 Fiddlestix Vineyard (https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=410294). The occasion was a welcome visit from and dinner with my cousin and her family who were on a college tour in the area.

We opened the 2005 Fiddlehead Pinot Noir with appetizers of aged gouda, artisan crackers, strawberries and fresh shrimp. The Fiddlehead is my preferred style of Pinot Noir. Brilliant garnet in color, with light red fruit, cherry, strawberry and raspberry on the nose. The fruit gives way to more earthy flavors of leather, mild spice and mocha. Soft and medium bodied but well balanced with just a touch of acid and a long lingering finish. We first discovered Fiddlehead in a "recreation" of the 1976 Judgement of Paris tasting. Binny's was holding there annual Fall Extravaganza and Doug Jeffers, the wine buyer for Binny's selected a variety of French wines and their California counterparts in an exceptional seminar. California won again.

With dinner, we opened a couple of bottles of the 2004 BV Tapestry. To my surprise, the two were drinking differently and my 88 rating is based on the most favorable. At its best this is deep dark red in color. It was a bit musty or smoky upon opening. Smooth light tannins with cola and mocha as well as some blackberry and cherry on the palate. First bottle was allowed about an hour to breathe and was almost flat. Second bottle served with dinner was significantly better. Not sure what caused this as both were purchased at the same time and stored in the same conditions. Never the less, this nicely accompanied a dinner of grilled tenderloin, twice baked potatoes and haricot verts. Wonderful evening with Beth, Marilyn, Bill, Caroline, Gordon and Matt & Molly who had traveled out from the city to meet second cousins.

Just goes to show, it helps to know what your fall back wine is for alternative occasions or events.

Sonoma Sampler

Vintage after vintage, ratings for Sonoma reds are consistently lower than those of their Napa cousins. Granted, styles are different with Sonoma typically producing rounder, softer spicier wines. Napa reds on the other hand tend toward more structure and complexity. But last night's experience highlights that Sonoma wines can be every bit the equal of  their counterparts in the next valley.

The evening opened with a 2006 Constant Syrah "The Queen of Hearts" Diamond Mountain (https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=694606). Wait, you say. I thought this was a Sonoma retrospective. We first visited Constant almost exactly a year ago. According to Freddie Constant himself, his is the only vineyard which falls in both Napa and Sonoma and his Syrah is officially a Sonoma wine. The Queen, deep inky purple in the glass, opens with a bit of an herbal nose  and lots of bright fruit on the palate. Over 30 minutes or so, it evolves into something a bit more complex. The nose gives off more perfume. On the palate, the wine begins to evidence some of the minerality and spice typically evident in syrah or shiraz. We served this with fresh strawberries and blueberries and some mimolette, gouda and pepper cheese. I rated the Constant Syrah a 90. This was a really delicious wine, fresh, fruity and well balanced. I do not believe this has the tannins or structure to be very long lived however and the Cellartracker drinking window of 2011 to 2014 seems right.

Of late, I have been trying to prune the cellar of wines that may be approaching the end of their drinking window. It does add interest to work in a horizontal or vertical flavor to this initiative. So it was on this occasion as I brought out a 1997 Gundlach Bundschu Cabernet Sauvignon Rhinefarm Vineyard (https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=136899) and paired it with a 2000 Gundlach Bundschu Cabernet Sauvignon Rhinefarm Vineyard (https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=109617) from the southern end of Sonoma Valley. Rick and Linda were kind enough to contribute a 2000 Hanna Cabernet Sauvignon Bismarck Mountain from the northern end of Sonoma to keep with the theme.

The 1997 Gundlach Bundschu, drinking beautifully now, was the highlight of the evening (my rating 91). It opened with a beautiful floral nose, almost perfume like and lots of bright red fruit, strawberry, raspberry, cherry. Over 30 minutes it began to reveal some minerality and herbal flavors The additional layer of complexity combined with the incredibly floral nose  reminded the group of a good Margaux. The 1997 is very balanced with well integrated tannins and has several of years life yet. Beth had prepared a dinner of Steak Diane, grilled asparagus and sauteed small potatoes and onion. The Gundlachs, both vintages, had a sweetness that was a perfect match to the sweetness in the Steak Diane which stems from the shallots and brandy used to flame the beef.

The 2000 Gundlach (my rating 86) was not the equal of the '97 nor was it expected to be given the difference in the quality of the vintage. The 2000 still showed depth and balance, just not the same layered complexity of the '97. The 2000 still gave off the floral notes on the nose. The color was darker and more opaque than the '97 but on the palate, the 2000 was one dimensional, more focused on the minerality and herbal tones and much less on the fruit so fresh and evident in the '97.

Rick's 2000 Hanna Cabernet Sauvignon Bismarck Mountain (my rating 88) was still in excellent shape, a tribute to proper cellaring as the recommended drinking window ended in 2008. The Hanna was still fresh with ample fruit. Deep, opaque purple in the glass, this reflected a more traditional Sonoma profile...a little oak and herbs on the nose. Dark fruits, black raspberry and currants on the front palate, a bit of pepper and maybe some licorice on the mid palate. Mild tannins. The Hanna was a nice complement to a dessert of individual serving cheesecake (vanilla and chocolate), chocolate truffles and miniature mixed nut pies.

Open That Bottle Night 2012

In 2000, two wine journalists with the Wall Street Journal observed that wine collectors often had a few (or more) bottles tucked away in a dark dusty corner of their cellars. These wines were often being saved for a "special occasion" which never seemed to materialize. Very often there were special memories associated with those bottles; possibly purchased on a memorable occasion or received as a gift from a special person. Recognizing the benefits of rekindling those memories and sharing the stories behind the wines, to say nothing of drinking a spectacular bottle of wine, Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher, those journalists, proposed that the last Saturday in February be designated "Open That Bottle Night" or OTBN.

2011 Wine Spectator Grand Tour

OTBN 13 was lucky 13 for us as we were invited to celebrate with a very large group (18) of friends and family. We were even able to reassemble 5 out of the group of 6 that attended the 2011 Wine Spectator Grand Tour at Chicago's Navy Pier. Linda and Rick were exceptional hosts as always, serving an incredible assortment of fruits, cheeses and foods to accompany an eclectic but incredible assortment of wines.



We opened the evening with a magnum of Bollinger Special Cuvee non-vintage champagne from Rick's cellar. The bottle had been a gift from a business associate on a trip to Paris 15 years ago (and was still in the gift wrap). It was followed by a 1998 Iron Horse Thomas Road Vineyard Pinot Noir provided by Dr. Dan. Both wines while still very drinkable are beginning to show some age. The champagne had retained all of its sparkle but was a bit flat in flavor, not offering much fruit but a bit of yeast. The Pinot Noir was evidencing more earthy, loamy, musty notes and less fruit than would be expected with a younger wine. Both were nicely complemented by strawberries, artisan cheeses and some freshly steamed scallops which were tender, delicious and a wonderful pairing with the champagne.

I brought a bottle of 1996 Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepages, Wine Spectator's 1999 Wine of the Year, which I had purchased while leading a project in St. Louis in 1999 for $60. Rick reached into his cellar to pair a 1994 Cinq Cepages with my 1996. My CellarTracker notes from the pairing follow https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=5960 :

Absolutely fantastic and the hit of OTBN. Tasted side by side with 94 Cinq Cepages. As Rick observed, the '96 had the side effect of making the '94 better. The '96 still has plenty of raspberry and strawberry blended nicely with a bit of graphite and mocha. There were also additional layers of complexity and a fill the mouth quality that was not apparent in the '94. In my opinion, the complexity and balance of the '96 made the '94 seem more fruit filled and bigger than it might have seemed otherwise. Both were excellent and very OTBN worthy.

As we were having a wonderful tenderloin dinner provided by Linda, one outstanding bottle of red followed another. Dr. Dan provided a 1996 Caymus and a non-vintage, home made, unlabeled, red given to him by a friend at his health club. It was reminiscent of a sangiovese and suprisingly palatable.

Ernie opened a 1996 Chateau Lafon Rochet St. Estephe and a 2000 Les Forts de Latour Pauillac, the wonderful second label of Chateau Latour. Matt brought a 1998 Raymond Generations, Napa Valley that we did not get to until the next evening. Lyle opened a 2006 Thorne Clark Shotfire Shiraz.

Then there was dessert! Dark chocolate squares, gorgonzola and cranberry stilton cheeses were complemented by a handful of dessert wines. Lyle provided a 1997 Niepoort Port. Rick unearthed two Alois Kracher Trockebeerenauslesen; the first a #7 Made from Chardonnay and the second, a #12 Scheurebe. I contributed a 2005 Tobin James "Liquid Love" Late Harvest Paso Robles Zinfandel. My CellarTracker notes for the Tobin James follow here: https://www.cellartracker.com/list.asp? 


If you like dessert wines with a bit of an edge, this is for you. Not quite as sweet as more traditional dessert wines, this also represents the bramble like qualities of Zinfandel as well as the heat and spice I have come to expect from Paso Robles wines. Sorry I don't have another bottle. Opened this for OTBN against a fine aged 1997 Niepoort Douro and a Kraacher 12 Scheurebe TBA with fruit, bittersweet chocolate squares, flourless chocolate cake and artisan cheeses. Good thing we had 18 people.

We also opened 4 or 5 unique novelty wines at various points in the evening which I won't go into here as most are not available in the mainstream but what a terrific event. Best of all its only 364 days until OTBN 14!

Southern Cuisine at its Best

Table 52

Art Smith, understated, celebrity chef and personal chef to Oprah Winfrey for ten years has created an exquisite dining experience at Table 52. Located in a white two story house in the middle of the Chicago entertainment district off Dearborn and Division, Smith's flagship restaurant, Table 52 is a southern oasis in the heart of the city.

The gracious southern experience begins upon entry as we were greeted at the door and escorted to the upstairs dining room. The high ceilings are adorned with large chandeliers. The striped wallpaper, wainscoting, oversized mantle, white tablecloth and comfy chairs remind of earlier days of gracious entertainment and dining. The wine list is broad but shallow. Most varietals and wine growing regions are represented and many are available by the glass. The choices within a region or varietal are limited however, the wines are all current vintage and the corkage policy at $40 per bottle is pricey. The food however is incredibly good and makes it easier to overlook the wine constraints.

Our group included our youngest, Matt, Molly and Molly's parents Bob and Sherry. Dinner service begins with complimentary deviled eggs topped with flying fish roe and buttermilk biscuits laced liberally with cheddar cheese. Both were excellent although it was unclear what the roe added to the deviled egg other than texture. We ordered Chef Arts fried chicken (available on Sunday only) soaked in buttermilk for 18 hours and shrimp and grits as appetizers to share and both were delicious. The chicken was tender and moist with a light, crispy batter.

My entree I had the special of the day was a generous piece of whitefish on top of jambalaya. We ordered two very generous sides, cauliflower infused with bacon and white cheddar and three cheese macaroni. What is so impressive is the layering and depth of flavors. As much as I tried to get a little of everything in each bite of jambalaya, different flavors continued to bubble to the surface. The cauliflower was down right decadent, proving once again that bacon makes everything better.

2000
Freemark Abbey
Bosche'

2000
Freemark Abbey
Sycamore

This exceptional meal was accompanied by two bottles of Freemark Abbey single vineyard Napa Cabernet from my cellar. Both were from the 2000 vintage. Once again we had the luxury of tasting a Sycamore and Bosche from the same vintage. As usual, both wines were highly representative of their respective terroir and as usual, very different. Both showed depth and complexity that I found surprising for the modest 2000 vintage. In fact I found 2000 to be drinking better than the much higher rated 1995 Sycamore and Bosche which we tasted side by side a few days before Christmas. Both bottles were opened and allowed to breathe for about 45 minutes before pouring. The Sycamore represented as a medium bodied, light fruit forward, Bordeaux style. The Bosche as usual, was a bit more brooding and herbaceous with a hint of mint reflecting the nearby eucalyptus trees. As usual, the table was split as to which was the favorite with several of our party vacillating on their choice over the course of the evening.

This was truly an exceptional meal with the complete package of service, ambiance and spectacular food. Table 52 goes to the top of our list of favorite restaurants.

Eclectic Reds for a Birthday Celebration

An impromptu and slightly belated birthday celebration for our friend Linda at a local Italian bistro, provided the opportunity to taste some diverse and varied reds. The venue was Angeli's Restaurant in Naperville, IL. Angeli's has been a fixture since 1996. Such longevity in the fickle, trendy, restaurant industry points to the quality of the food, service and atmosphere. We were thrilled to be joined by Rick and Linda, Bob and Gloria.

We opened with a shared Artichoke Lasagna accompanied by a 2006 Castillo di Gabbiano Alleanza Toscana www.cellartracker.com/w?616376  from Angeli's cellar. What a pleasant surprise! I am partial to super Tuscans with a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Alleanza is 70% Merlot and 30% Sangiovese and was bigger and more fruit forward than the blend implies. Bright red in the glass with an unimpressive nose, the wine opened to reveal bright fruits, cherry, raspberry on the front palate evolving to earthy, leather and mocha on the finish. It was smooth, well balanced and the Merlot softened the acidity I usually associate with Sangiovese. It combined nicely with the delicate artichoke pasta and a house salad with Gorgonzola.

I selected the spinach lasagna as an entree while Beth opted for an "off the menu" portobello ravioli. The portobello ravioli which is a semi regular offering was outstanding as usual. The lasagna was al dente with a bright and spicy red sauce. The only downside was that the spinach itself was stringy and chewy. Accompanying BYOB wines included a 1998 Seavey Napa Cabernet www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=8472 i from my cellar and a 1998 Lewis Reserve Napa Cab www.cellartracker.com/w?21629  from Rick and Linda's cellar.

The Seavey is drinking very well and in the sweet spot of its drinking window. Deeper in color than the Alleanza, the nose provides a combination of floral, moss and mineral notes. The Seavey reveals red fruit, spice, a bit of vanilla and oak on the palate. It also required a full 90 minutes to reveal its complexity. This is a traditional cab, stylistically much like a left bank Bordeaux.

The 1998 Lewis Reserve was a more new world style, huge with dark fruit. Deep purple in the glass, with, herbs, spice and oak on the nose. A fruit bomb on the palate, evidencing blackberry, plum, cassis and surprisingly almost no oak. The Lewis offers a mouth filling, palate coating finish that goes on an on. As enjoyable as it is now, the Lewis seems to have plenty of time left. One can only imagine what this will be like in 10 years.

Howell Mountain Retrospective

With Bob Craig at 2009  Harvest Party

Our very good friends Rick and Linda provided the venue for Beth's birthday celebration. Dinner was festive and highlighted by a caprese salad, strip steaks from the family farm and a delicious chocolate cake. The  menu provided the opportunity to reprise our 2009 trip to Napa which focused in part on the Howell Mountain AVA and was highlighted by Robert Craig's Harvest Party at the Howell Mountain winery. Special thanks to Linda for an outstanding celebration and to Dr. Dan for the complementary wines before and after dinner.

The Howell Mountain flight consisted of a 2000 vintage O'Shaughnessy, 2001 La Jota, 2004 Clark- Claudon and 2007 Blue Hall Vineyard Camiana.

The Clark-Claudon Howell Mountain Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=229261 was clearly the most distinctive of the flight and representative of the outstanding 2004 vintage. Deep indigo purple in the glass, big mouth feel and a long finish. Lots of fruit, some mocha and a touch of oak on the palate. Clark-Claudon produces a classic, well balanced Cabernet with just the right amount of oak.

The 2007 Blue Hall Mountain Camiana http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1268057 showed incredible promise and may have been the surprise of the evening. Blue Hall Vineyard is located 1700 feet above Napa Valley and consists of only 3 acres divided by a stream. The vineyards were planted in 2001 and Ted Olsen is  current winemaker. The first released vintage seems to be 2004 and this wine though limited in production, has received some outstanding reviews. The 2007 is a deep indigo color in the glass. There are lilac and lavender notes on the nose. The wine is tight with tannins outweighing the fruit but dark raspberry and cherry fruit is apparent in abundance. Can't wait to see how this evolves. This was so well received that we ended placing orders for multiple verticals while still at the dinner table.

2001 La Jota Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=14319. La Jota is always a solid wine representative of its region and the 2001 was no exception. This bottle was medium bodied with well integrated tannins. The nose was a bit earthy and mossy. The wine opened on the palate to reveal ample raspberry, plum and cassis. This wine will no doubt last a few more years but is drinking so well now, why wait?

2000 O'Shaugnessy Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=15897. We have become spoiled by the surfeit of outstanding vintages in Napa Valley. Accordingly a normally exceptional vineyard such as O'Shaughnessy pales against counterparts from exceptional vintages such as 2004 and 2007. The 2000 O'Shaughnessy evidenced plenty of fruit but was lacking in complexity, depth and structure compared to the rest of the flight. By itself this would likely show better.