Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 19, 2019 by thewineraconteur

Holidays, no matter how noble, are nights that we normally try to avoid eating out at restaurants.  Actually, there are so many holidays that are really family oriented, so it gives us a reason to have a big party at the house.  There are some events that people feel that they have to go out for, and alas, I find that many restaurants anticipate the onslaught by reducing the options for the menu, there is a desire to move as many tables as possible and unfortunately the service tends to dissipate.  We happen to eat out enough, that this is not a problem, if we don’t go out, and it does not mean that we are not romantics.  Guess what?  We were going out for Valentine’s Day and we had no reservations.  I had a couple of ideas, but they didn’t work out, so I still had a back up plan, even though it made us sound like a couple of retirees in Florida, we were going to have an “early-bird” dinner and kind of with the “early-bird” pricing.

We went to the new steakhouse in the area that we went to when Ms.  Yoga was in town.  We went to Hyde Park and I discovered that the bar opens for “Happy Hour” at four in the afternoon and the restaurant opens at five.  I figured that we could always eat off of the bar menu, but they were honoring their Early Nights menu as well, which had a couple of different options and a couple of different prices.  We had the Amuse Bouche that was sent out from the kitchen to begin the evening, and there was a bread basket that arrived with three varieties to munch on and a slab of butter that had two different seasonings added on.  My Bride had a Caesar Salad that she has been on withdrawals since there was all of the recalls on the Romaine lettuce, so she was happy, but of course I won’t order a Caesar salad out, unless I have to, because as far as I am concerned, no one can compete with my Bride’s recipe.  I decided to go with the healthy choice of Lobster Bisque with Sherry and poached lobster meat in butter added just before serving. We both went with the Tenderloin Medallions, which were two three-ounce cuts, cooked perfectly with a side of Bearnaise Sauce.  I guess we are slowing down, because in the old days a Queen cut was eight-ounces of filet, and now we were sated from six-ounces, actually I had nine, as she only wanted three; and it was way to good to leave or to reheat.  We had no room for dessert.

As I was studying the wine list, as a way to drive my Bride a little crazy, because I know that they use the Coravin system to pour glasses of some of the “unicorn” wines and so that she will think that I am being fiscally irresponsible.  I calmed her down and found some wines to make her happy, in fact, she jumped on the first wine that I mentioned and claimed it for herself.  She wanted some wine that I was able to do a virtual wine tasting of, of another vintage and she had a glass of Murrieta’s Well “The Spur” 2015 from Wente Family Estate in Livermore Valley of California.  Louis Mel started planting grapes in the 1860’s and they were not just any grapes, but cuttings from Chateau d’Yquem and Chateau Margaux.  In 1884 Louis Mel built and installed in a hillside a gravity flow winery.  In 1933 Louis Mel sold his winery to Ernest Wente and the winery has been part of the Wente Family Estate ever since.  Here is a blended wine that features fruit grown in two of their vineyards.  The Petite Sirah and part of the Cabernet Sauvignon were grown in their historic Louis Mel Vineyard.  The balance of the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc came from their Sachau Vineyard.  All of the varietals were fermented individually in Stainless Steel, and then they were blended together and aged in French Oak for twenty-four months, of which half was new, a quarter of the barrels were used for the second time and the other quarter were aged in barrels used for the third time.  While the wine is forty-eight percent Cabernet Sauvignon and thirty-two percent of the other famed varietals from the Medoc, there was twenty percent Petite Sirah to give the wine a Livermore Valley zing.  There were three-hundred-nine barrels produced and they suggest that this will be enjoyed up to 2023.  It had that Black Cherry color and the taste evoked Black Cherry with a nice long finish, so she was a happy camper.  I opted for something new and went with the Rodney Strong Upshot Red Blend 2015 from Sonoma County.  Rodney Strong Vineyards was founded in 1959 and Rodney Strong was considered one of the pioneers of Sonoma County.  In 1989 the Klein family bought the winery and kept Rodney Strong on as a consultant until he retired in 1995.  The wine came from Sonoma County and basically from Alexander Valley and Knights Valley.   The wine is a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot and five percent Riesling.  The wine had a nice deep color, but I thought more of blackberries and spice, and the Zinfandel was the predominate varietal that I could taste and it was big, but on the sweeter side compared to “The Spur.” So, as we left the restaurant on Valentine’s Day and noticed that the dining had filled up, it was still daylight and our dinner was finished by five thirty.

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The Historic Holly Hotel

Posted on February 17, 2019 by thewineraconteur

Our Christmas gift from our son and his wife was to have dinner at the historic Holly Hotel in Holly, Michigan.  Originally known as the Hirst Hotel it was built in 1891 to capitalize on the railroad travelers and it became the center of attraction for a large area.  Over the years it has had a few owners and a few fires and it has been rebuilt to its old splendor on the outside.  It has ceased being a hotel, but has continuously been a restaurant.  A series of governors in Michigan have made it a point to dine there and it has also seen the likes of Carrie Nation and President George H.W. Bush.  The building is said to be haunted and they do play that up, and they have events that they host during the year as well, from a Titanic evening to nights of comedy, in fact they were having a night of comedy later that evening, the kids went, but we went home, as we almost have to pack a lunch to get there or back.

If and when you go there for dinner, make sure that you are famished, as they think that all of the diners are farmers who toil from sunrise to sunset, as the portions are huge, but more importantly the dishes are well prepared and plated, this is no diner in the sticks.  We were kind of excited to see that they had listed on their website that they sometimes serve Foix Gras, but alas not that evening.  The kids were going to have the Eight Course Degustation, but my Bride and I were just going to go lighter and we are glad that we did, we would have had to ask for a doggie bag, by the time the entrée arrived, let alone the desserts.  We ordered one plate of the Liver Pate and it is good that we only asked for one, as there were two large slabs of the pate which was a mixture of organic chicken and duck livers, served with Brandied Cherries and other garnishes, in fact we had to ask for another plate of crackers to finish off the pate.  Our dinners came with either a soup or a salad, my Bride had a Crunchy Thai with spinach, Napa cabbage, carrots, roasted pinenuts and a Thai vinaigrette, while I had an Iceberg Wedge with Gruyere and large chunks of roasted ham and a Caesar dressing.  My Bride tried a new fish that none of us had ever encountered and that is Escolar which was seared and served with two grilled prawns, and I might add that they were not jumbo shrimp, but actual prawns with lemon and dill, with potatoes and vegetables.  I had the Tournedos of Beef, two four-ounce medallions served perfectly at Medium Rare with a Morel Mushroom demi-glace with mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables.  We did not need a dessert, and the kitchen prided themselves on the quality of the food, as the dinners that the kids had was just excellent.

My Bride and I arrived quite a bit early, because we weren’t sure how long the travel would be, because of the snow and the rush-hour traffic, but we made it there in good time, we would have walked the downtown are, but it was frigid that evening, so we went to the bar at the hotel instead, which worked for me.  Naturally I wanted to look at the wine list and my Bride was going to attempt to rein in my zealousness of ordering, even though we were going to pick up the beverage tab as we were the only drinkers at the table.  The bartender was telling me, how the owner of the restaurant prided himself on selecting all of the wines on the carte and it was not a cookie cutter grouping, there was a very well thought out selection of twenty-four bottles of wine from around the world and all reasonably priced, but the real surprise was that there was twenty-nine bottles world-wine that were all priced at twenty-one dollars each.  Of course, I didn’t tell my Bride and when she heard that I was ordering a bottle of wine, she was ready to send daggers towards me, until I told her, that the bottle of wine that I selected was less than what we sometimes order by the glass.   We were having a bottle of Domaine Laroque Cabernet Franc IGP Cite de Carcassonne 2017.  The IGP classification replaced the old Vin de Pays to make France align to the other members of the Common Market.   The IGP Cite de Carcassonne is a large area in the Languedoc region and encompasses eighteen communes and allows all three colors of wines.  We were both happy with the wine, especially from the second glass on, as it opened up.  There was not a big nose or any other exciting traits, but just a good honest bottle of wine that even surprised me.  Since this is not far for the kids, we will probably be going back there again.

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Another Guest Article

Posted on February 15, 2019 by thewineraconteur

I have a guest author today, who happens to be writing about an event that through Social Media I discovered that both he and his charming Bride were only a few miles away from where my Bride and I were that same evening.  He has written two other articles here and of course I totally endorse his nom de plume.

A Birthday Party for One of My Mentors

The Wine Raconteur, Jr. 

As a grateful guest contributor to the chronicles of the Wine Raconteur, I strive to find my most memorable moments to ensure they warrant inclusion in the blog of my close friend and wine mentor.  One such occasion was the recent birthday of a mutual acquaintance; whose family also appreciates wine.  This man has been with me since my college days, although he is 10 years my senior.  He has blessed me with many glimpses into the future, a familial ‘crystal ball’ if you will.  Since he married before me, sired his children before me, and has led me in most other life milestones, I’ve benefited from his learning and guidance and I consider him another mentor and good friend.

On the occasion of his recent birthday, his bride arranged for a small gathering at Michigan by the Bottle in Royal Oak, Michigan.  This establishment exclusively serves Michigan wines, and they have quite a selection from which you can craft your own tasting flight.  I knew the evening would be both entertaining and memorable when our party of 9 had 70 wine glasses on the table for our tastings, along with a few tasty small plates of wine-friendly snacks like almonds, cheeses and charcuterie, olives, and various crackers and breads.

Now the Raconteur knows I’m not the biggest fan of Michigan wines.  I often find that Michigan vintners try too hard to do things they should avoid, like attempting to vinify grape varietals to which Michigan weather is very unkind.  My long-held opinion is that Michigan needs to respect its climate and terroir and work with what the elements and divine Providence have allowed to flourish here.

My beliefs were vindicated by the two outstanding Michigan wines I had in my tasting flight, and for which I would recommend bottle (if not case) purchases.  The first wine that set my palate aflutter was the 2017 Dry Riesling from Verterra Winery in Leland, Michigan.  The wine had barely any color to it, and the nose included honeydew and apple among other fruity notes.  On the palate, I just kept writing down “balanced”.  This was a wine I could drink all afternoon, on its own or with a variety of snacks or small plates.  It represents what Michigan does well, and I dare say it was the best wine of the night for me.  The second wine surprised me because it was a red, and I tend to be biased against Michigan reds.  This time, however, the Bluestone Vineyards 2016 Winemaker’s Red gave me a lot to consider about Michigan’s ability to produce solid red wines.  Bluestone is also located in Leland, MI, and this blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Syrah showed a deep burgundy hue, with a nose of grilled meat!  It was a huge nose with a lot going on.  It boasted a full palate that rounded out the smoky nose and a long finish that would accompany a full “meat and potatoes” dinner nicely.

The evening continued with more wine for dessert (an ice wine and a port-style cherry wine), birthday torte, and live music from a local guitarist’s trio that played many standards from the Great American Songbook and did a great job engaging the crowd in the intimate venue.  My friend’s birthday was a total home run, and when I posted my exploits on social media, I drew the Raconteur’s attention and that’s how I knew that this memorable night warranted an entry (humbly requested, of course) on his blog.

Happy Birthday to my good friend and mentor, and deep thanks to my wine mentor, the Raconteur, for allowing me to share in his love of life and great stories with wine.

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Domaine LaFage

Posted on February 13, 2019 by thewineraconteur

It is just amazing what you will find when you go tasting wines, and I try to taste wines as often as I can.  When I first started my wine education back in high school, I had the lofty goal of wanting to try wines from all the countries and all the regions that produced wines.  That goal was soon kaput, as where I lived, wine selection was much smaller and not as diverse as it is today.  I also found out rather quickly that even in France, some of the regions could not compete with Bordeaux and Burgundy, and that discovery was with a very young and totally unsophisticated palette, though I question how sophisticated it has evolved after all of these years.  For ages I think I went out of my way to avoid wines from the Languedoc-Roussillon, because I thought of it as only table wines and not that great.  It was to my chagrin as I started hearing about and reading about how the wines from this region were being lauded, and I kept telling myself that after forty to fifty years, I should eventually go back and give them another try.  I was doing just that when I was at the Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan and I guess that I am glad that I tried some wines again.

Domaine Lafage is one of the popular and larger estates in the Roussillon.  Winemaker Jean-Marc Lafage also works as a wine consultant in other countries as well.  Domaine Lafage produces dry red, white and rosé wines under the Cotes du Roussillon AOC as well as sweet wines from Maury, Rivesaltes and Muscat de Rivesaltes.  In the last decade they have truly been discovered for their big, over-the-top style that is the trademark of one of the major voices in the wine industry.  With wines scoring in the mid nineties and at very popular price points the wines are being an understandable hit.  The Lafage cellars are just outside of Perpignan, they have an aggregate total of about four-hundred acres across the Languedoc-Roussillon with vines that are centenarians.

 

The first wine that I tasted was actually a refresher for me, as I actually wrote about it back in September and I have bought more of it, almost every time I have ventured into the shop and will continue, until I cannot buy any more.  I have also found some of the other bloggers are touted this wine as the buy of the year and I have to agree with them.  Domaine Lafage Bastide Miraflors Vielles Vignes Cotes du Roussillon 2018 has been getting rave reviews.  The Bastide Miraflors is a custom cuvee and is a blend of seventy percent Syrah and thirty percent Old Vine Grenache.  After six weeks of maceration the Grenache is aged for twelve months in concrete and the Syrah is aged in French Oak.  This is a deep purple wine that is made to be enjoyed immediately or in the next couple of years, and it has a heady 14.5% Proof.  I usually don’t quote ratings, but for a very affordable wine Robert Parker gave this wine 94 Points.  The owner of Fine Wine Source says “this is the best Syrah based wine you can buy for the money!  Rich yet elegant on the palate with a silky and satisfying finish.”  I next had Chateau Saint Roch Kerbuccio Rouge 2015 from Maury and for years Maury was noted for their sweet wines, but the dry wines were actually given an AOC in 2011.  Domaine Lafage became the owner this estate in 2007.  There is not much production information on the wine, but it is a blend of forty percent Grenache Noir, forty percent Syrah and the balance is Mourvedre.  Another popular price wine to score 94 Points and I will concur that it is big, some great pepper and a good long count finish.  Both of these wines are what I would call “no-brainers.”

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“It Certainly Is”

Posted on February 11, 2019 by thewineraconteur

“This is another fine mess you got me into” was all I could think, with a tongue firmly in the cheek as we were off to the cinemas.  I grew up enamored with films and I loved them, but as I have gotten older, I am not as pleased with the caliber of writing that I come across, and the idea that they now “act” in front of a blue screen, so that they can be plotzed into a setting by a computer.  We were having a date, though it was not a date night, as we were going to a matinee.  In a sense, I feel sorry for my Bride, as I tend to turn down most films, for any number of reasons.  Though I guess that I am not as bad as some of the folks we know, some now refuse to see movies, because of the opinions of the “actors” who now wish to dictate how the rest of us should live.  If the weather was more suitable, I might have gone out with a bowler, instead of a trilby in deference to going to see Stan & Ollie.  A rather poignant adaptation of the two in their later years of their lives, without being maudlin, and most of all, I found it well written with an enormous amount of respect for Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy.

Afterwards to continue our date, we like so many other Senior Citizens who go see a movie for a discount, went and became mall-walkers.  We normally like a nice three-mile walk, but at the mall that is rather difficult, but we do walk the interior perimeters, along with so many others, and my Bride was wonderful and did not require to stop into any store for a moment, though she did treat me to a bag of caramel popcorn.  We also ate out, and went to California Pizza Kitchen.  She wanted to split a pizza that day, and she was letting me pick the movie and the pizza.   I decided to try a frou-frou pizza, as I call modern pizzas that have evolved from my formulative years of what a pizza should be.  We had the Spicy Chipotle Chicken which besides the chicken and the thin pizza dough crust had a Chipotle Adobo sauce, shaved poblanos, Monterey Jack cheese, house made roasted corn and a black bean salsa with fresh cilantro and a lime crema that came as a side to drizzle onto the pizza.  I think both of us were impressed with the meal, as there was none to take back home for a snack.

Now what would a date with my Bride be like without some wine, I guess it would just be unthinkable.  My Bride surprised me, by ordering a split of Mionetto Prosecco de Treviso DOC Brut NV.  Prosecco de Treviso DOC is a relatively new designation from 2009 for the Treviso province in Veneto in North East Italy. To get this designation the wine must be made from at least 85% Glera or Prosecco grapes. The other 15% can be Verdiso, Bianchetta, Trevigiana, Perera, Glera Lunga, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanco and/or Pinot Nero.  As for me, since the pizza had a south of the border taste, I went really south of the border for my wine.  I had the Bodega Tamari Malbec Special Selection 2017 from the Uco Valley in Mendoza, in Argentina.  Uco Valley is becoming famous in its own right and many have declared it to be the Napa Valley of Argentina, not only has the last couple of decades brought enormous money from wine investors globally, it has also become a wine/tourist destination as well.  This was a decent glass of Malbec, as I was not expecting anything, but a bulk production wine that worked with the meal, and that is what I wanted.  Since, I began with a couple of their most identifiable quotes, I shall leave you with one of the best lines ever uttered by Stan Laurel “If any of you cry at my funeral, I’ll never speak to you again!”

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Back to Boodles

Posted on February 9, 2019 by thewineraconteur

You know the old expression “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it,” I think that is the perfect description for Boodles in Madison Heights, Michigan.  You could walk or drive by it constantly without really noticing it, because it is a cinder block building by appearance, and today everything is a façade, but not at Boodles.  The restaurant opened in November of 1985 as a romantic supper club evoking the feel of the neighborhood dinner clubs in Manhattan, back in the day, when going out was the norm.  While the outside might be unimpressive, the inside was what was expected back in the day, with dark wood, and frosted glass and a piano player for the weekend.  To this day, depending on the location of your table, you may still experience table side service for Caesar Salad, Chateaubriand and Steak Diane to name a few.  I was also surprised but happy to see that there were plenty of younger people there, having dinner, which is always great to see.  Of course, for me, dressing for dinner hasn’t changed since the glory days of the Rat Pack, and this restaurant is so in tune to that era, even with the music, as we could hear the ivories being tickled.

It is always much more pleasant to be out for dinner, and a real added bonus is that the only television set was in the bar area, and we only saw the back of the monitor.  We started off with a couple of appetizers that were shared by all; one was Escargot with mushroom caps, butter, garlic, white wine and cashews and the other was Crab Stuffed Mushrooms with Boursin and a Lobster sauce.  Next was a good old-fashioned bread basket, and each dinner came with either a house salad or soup, and there is something refreshing that not everything has to be ala carte.  Our friends tried two different dishes, one was Michigan White Fish that the restaurant offers three different ways and she had the Dijon herb encrusted while he enjoyed one of the specials off of the blackboard which was a classic version of a Lamb Shank.  My Bride had Seared Ahi Tuna and Shrimp with Sesame Seeds, spinach, julienned vegetables, rice, and a Chili Thai Sauce, while I had Veal Oskar, three pounded medallions with asparagus, crab and Bearnaise Sauce.  We would have watched our desserts prepared tableside, except that we were in an elevated section that the floating cooking station could not reach.  The two desserts were for two, so they were split in half to make it easy, so there was an order of Cherries Jubilee and an order of Bananas Foster.

There was a Negroni, a Cosmopolitan and a Bloody Mary ordered while we were there, but I started of by ordering a bottle of Louis Jadot Pouilly-Fuisse 2017, a Chardonnay from the Maconnais. Louis Jadot began with his first vineyard Clos de Ursules in the 1820’s and became a negocient in 1859 based in Beaune, one of the centers of the Burgundy region of France.  The Louis Jadot firm has a portfolio of wines from the basic regional wines to some of the most lauded vineyards in the region.  Pouilly-Fuisse is considered one of the finest regions for white wines in Southern Burgundy.  There are no Grand Cru listings, there are a few vineyards to watch for and mostly one goes by the reputation of the grower or the negocient.  The grounds are all basically limestone and the terroir from this region gives the Chardonnay a taste unique to the area.   The grapes are harvested in small batches and gently pressed.  They are aged in French Oak, of which a third are new, and the aging goes for about fifteen months on the lees.  The wine is very crisp with the minerals from the limestone shining through.  Then came Rodney Strong Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 from Sonoma County.  Knights Valley is in the northern end of Sonoma County and the terroir is based on the grounds of the volcano Mount Saint Helena.  It was originally discovered and planted by Thomas Knight and prospered until Prohibition.  The area is famed for Cabernet Sauvignon, which is basically two-thirds of the yield.  Rodney Strong Vineyards was founded in 1959 and Rodney Strong was considered one of the pioneers of Sonoma County.  In 1989 the Klein family bought the winery and kept Rodney Strong on as a consultant until he retired in 1995.  This wine is almost all Cabernet Sauvignon, except for eight percent Malbec and it was aged for eighteen months in French Oak, of which half was new.  This was a big California Cabernet that is what the public expect these days, especially in a popular price wine and it was very easy to drink.  I think we had the most popular varietals, perhaps not the most popular of sellers, but they had a nice wine list for their menu.  If you are curious if we would go again, that is most certainly an affirmative, as we have been going there forever it seems, and we plan on continuing.  I think every town, needs a place to hang your hat, that isn’t chasing the latest culinary trend, but just keeps giving a real bang for the buck, in an atmosphere that doesn’t need exposed bricks and pipes.

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Two from Podere Ciona

Posted on February 7, 2019 by thewineraconteur

Some of my earliest wine memories are of Italian wines, both commercial and home-made.  Of course, that makes sense as I grew up in a mixed ethnic neighborhood, so most meals and beverages from the Mediterranean are like comfort food to me.  I was happy to try a couple of wines from Italy when I was at my local wine shop the Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  Back around this past Thanksgiving a Rosé was one of the two monthly wines and it was from Podere Ciona and in fact we like it so much, that we bought more of it, and then I was really pleasantly surprised at how much more I enjoyed it, compared to one of the big boy offerings that I tried side by side here at the house.

I was reading the history of the winery on their website “Franca and Franco Gatteschi were looking for a place in the countryside to retire to, after many years of working in Italy and abroad, when they came across a small, beautiful, albeit run down property: 100 acres of land, mostly wooded with 10 acres set aside for cultivation, of which 2.5 acres already had vineyards; a house from the 18th Century, abandoned for more than 40 years; and, above all, a view without equal on the Chianti hills, with Siena in the distance.”  It really sounds idyllic and makes one ponder how this property was neglected and ignored for years.  “They purchased the estate at the beginning of 1990 and they immediately started the reconstruction work on the main house (it took nearly three years). They also set up a small but well- equipped wine cellar for making wine. In 1996 they permanently moved to live on the estate and the following year, the great 1997 vintage, saw the birth of the first “official” wine of Podere Ciona: A Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva.”

I actually started off by tasting the Podere Ciona Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG 2008, only eleven years after their first commercial bottling.  Like all Chianti Classico Riserva wines, this wine is made with ninety-two percent Sangiovese grapes and the balance is made up from Merlot and Alicante Bouschet.  The wine is aged for eighteen months in French Oak in two distinct types of barrels and then some time in the bottle before release.  Since the winery figures that they achieve one bottle per vine, they produced six-hundred-seventy-five cases of this wine.  The nose and color were big, just as I expect from this wine with red fruit, but what really pleased me is that the winery is in the town of Gaiole and I was amazed at the terroir that was in my glass and some heat, the heat I expected, but the terroir was a definite bonus.  The wine that I tasted right afterwards was Podere Ciona La Diacce Rosso Toscana IGT 2013 and this is their flagship wine.  This wine is a Merlot wine with just a touch of Alicante Bouschet added to give it a little Italian zest.  This wine gets basically the same treatment that the Riserva does in regard to details like eighteen months in two different size French Oak barrels and then additional time in the bottle.  I think that I would have preferred having tasted this wine first, because it was younger and the fruit was much more evident.  I have always been partial to Merlot and I guess that I have a natural bias towards it, but this wine I really think would benefit with about ten years in the cellar and then it will display why it is their flagship wine.

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Two from Chappellet

Posted on February 5, 2019 by thewineraconteur

With the endless stream of wineries and brands in the international wine market, I am not sure if even all the professionals can keep track of what is out there.  So, just think of the rank amateurs like me that attempt to write about wines, and why do I?  It is because I enjoy the beverage and sometimes, I just want to warn people about some of the wines they may encounter, but since I am fortunate to try wines from all spectrums and price points, I guess I am quite fortunate.  I also read plenty of articles and other wine blogs and through all of this, there are some wineries that always seem to pop up in front of my eyes.  Some of the brands also appear when I am doing wine tastings, like these wines that I tried when I was at the Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.

Chappellet Winery of Napa Valley, California is one of the brands that is endeared among the wine trade, both professional and the amateur like me.  Donn and Molly Chappellet started the winery in 1967 by purchasing land on Pritchard Hill at the advice of legendary California winemaker André Tchelistcheff, who I can honestly say that I read some of his writings and interviews with him, when I was in high school and college. Pritchard Hill is one of the sites that one reads about that is awesome for a vineyard due to its steep aspect, high elevation and east-facing slopes, you know an easy place to grow grapes. Chappellet Winery’s specialty is red Bordeaux varieties, especially Cabernet Sauvignon which is about seventy-five percent of what they grow in their assorted plots.  Its flagship wine is the critically acclaimed Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon which is sold mostly to members of its wine club by allocation, so the odds are, that I won’t be writing about it, unless Lady Luck looks down at me with great fortune one day in the future.  I would also say that they are not greedy as only about sixteen percent of the estate is under vines.  They are organic and they have also erected enough solar panels to take care of the all of the winery’s electric requirements.

The first wine that I tasted was the Chappellet Cabernet Signature 2015.  This wine is seventy-nine percent Cabernet Sauvignon that has been blended with Petit Verdot, Merlot and Malbec.  I couldn’t find any aging notes, but I can easily go out on a limb and claim that it was aged in oak.  As much as I am not into descriptors, I found the nose to be “great,” that is how I write my notes with promises of dark fruit, herbs and anise, and I found that tasting it had lush tannins with an oakiness and the kiss of black licorice that was telegraphed from the anise.  I can also say that it had a nice long finish that definitely required some water, so as not to be unfair to the following wines that were still waiting to be tried.  The last wine that I tried for the session was the Chappellet Cabernet Franc 2013.  Cabernet Franc is a relative newcomer to the lots on Pritchard Hill as it was planted in 1989.  This wine is composed of seventy-six percent Cabernet Franc and then blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Merlot.  The wine spent twenty-two months in French Oak and it delivered a great nose that I expect from this grape as I appreciate more red fruit and some spice.  The taste showed once again a lush tannin base with a creamy oak finish, with red cherries and some chocolate, and finished with another long finish.  All I could think is that I was glad that my Bride was not with me, as the checking account would be considerably less, as this is her favorite varietal and she always lets everyone know it, that is in the tasting room.  Now with just talking about two of their wines, that the public can get, one can see how Chappellet is one of the darlings of the wine writers.

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Our Get-together Dinner

Posted on February 3, 2019 by thewineraconteur

My Bride becomes this little dynamo of energy once she gets hyped up for a party, and then if you add into the equation, that the party is for old friends, she just doesn’t stop.  Even with the wine that should make her mellow has little effect, once her adrenaline begins to flow.  I mean she had unpacked one of the sets of China the day before and had the table set.  We have one set of Bone China for eighteen that I just adore, but she doesn’t like to use them, because they are not dish-washer friendly, and even though her contemporaries all chip in after dinner to clear the table and get all the dishes washed, she avoids that set just about all of the time.  Her associates all get up and help which is a great asset, but I notice that some of the next generation feel that they are exempt from such duties.  We all left the living room to go into the dining room, and yes, we are old fashioned and use these two rooms for entertaining, alas, some houses we go to, these two rooms may as well have velvet rope barriers and a docent to identify what can be found in those rooms.

We started off with a Spinach Salad, it seems that it may be awhile before we have our famous Caesar Salad, because of all the problems these days with Romaine Lettuce.  There were a couple of different dressings and I went with the Creamy Garlic, I know it is very old school, but I did lament that I really enjoy warm Bacon Dressing on a Spinach Salad, and I am a curmudgeon.  Then we had a side of Baked Cauliflower with Moroccan Spices and Armenian Pilaf that she prepared two different ways, traditional and Gluten-free.  The entrée for the evening was her Bourbon Salmon, and there was enough for seconds for everyone and left-overs.  The table was cleared and then she brought out dessert, one of the dishes that she learned on one of our trips to New Orleans, she made Bananas Foster.  I think you can tell that the group were all contemporaries, as the coffee of choice is now decaffeinated, and that happens to the best of us.

We had white wine during the appetizer course of the evening, and we went and switched gears and served red wine for dinner, but that is because we happen to enjoy Pinot Noir with Salmon, and there were no complaints.  We started off with a bottle that we had found on one of our trips in the wine country of Michigan, and years ago, I would only drink the whites, but there are so many enjoyable red wines here that I have had to change my position.  We started off with Verterra Winery Pinot Noir Leelanau Peninsula 2016.   I was listening to a radio program about the virtues of Michigan and they were interviewing the owner of Verterra Winery.  He was explaining the process in which he had to get the name approved and his first several choices were already being licensed.  He decided to create his own name and went to Latin, which is the base language for so many terms used in winemaking.  He took the word Veritas which means Truth, and the word Terra which means land, combined them to make Verterra which means True to the Land, and Verterra was free and clear and he had his name.  As fussy of grape as Pinot Noir is, it just seems to like that the 45’th Parallel in both the Old World and the New.  The Verterra Pinot Noir 2016 had fourteen months of aging in French Oak, but I had originally found it to be light, but even an additional half a year gave it more maturity and potentially a year or two in the cellar may aid this wine to be more rounded.  The nose had cherries and pomegranates that also showed up in the taste and very mellow with a nice finish and it was a great opening round for dinner.  The second round of red wine was a Comanche Cellars Pinot Noir 2015.  Comanche Cellars is a small winery that produces under a thousand cases of wine, and it is named after the horse that Michael Simon had when he was ten years old, and Comanche’s horse shoes are on the label. The bottle of Comanche Cellars Chevera Vineyard Pinot Noir 2015 comes from the Arroyo Seco AVA, and the vineyard is owned by Frank Stanek who named the vineyard after his two granddaughters Charlotte and Eva and the vineyard is high above the Arroyo Seco valley.  The wine had a bolder nose and the wine could be chewed and the tannins were still quite pronounced, so I may have opened this wine a bit early.  There were one-hundred-thirty-four cases produced of this wine, so I am pretty sure that it is sold out now, but there are always new vintages to watch for.  I am also pretty sure that the group has decided on another get-together in summer time, and everyone left, with room to spare before the blizzard that was to arrive after midnight.

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Appetizers for a Get-together

Posted on February 1, 2019 by thewineraconteur

We tend to have gatherings at our house, you may have noticed, as over the years I have written about many of them.  The main reason is that my Bride is a wonderful cook and hostess, and the other small reason is that I am never sure what I can expect elsewhere, and God knows that I am fussy.  Actually, that is why I prefer meeting in restaurants, so I can anticipate; I can also research a restaurant, something I cannot do for an individual.  There are some people that I have confidence in, but some I do not know what to expect.  When it is here, I don’t have any worries, except for what wines to grab from the cellar.

My Bride still stays in contact with some of her schoolmates, some going back to elementary school days.  There were eight of us for dinner, and I was rather the odd man out, as I wasn’t from the schools, but I am from the era and that makes the conversation a little easier.  My Bride also goes so far as to pick out music from that era for the background, even though everyone is there for the conversation.  Even the day worked out, as it was between bouts of heavy snow.  I had even gone so far as to plow the street on both sides of our driveway to make parking easier and more accessible.  As the guests arrived, they were seated in the living room and we had a table set up for munchies or appetizers, to allow the conversations to begin flowing.  It started rather simple with some cheese and crackers and fruit, and then followed with spinach pies and a “Mexican” casserole similar to a botana, that had demarcation lines to accommodate people that were Gluten-free or had dairy issues.  Munchies are always a good time for me.

The first wine that we opened up has always been a good stand-up, guaranteed good bottle.  The Joseph Carr Josh Cellars Chardonnay 2017 is a wine that I never worry about, as it is always fresh, citrusy with a touch of oak/butter in the mix.  Joseph Carr began in 2005 making his line of wines, representing the best of vineyards for a California version of the classic French wines.  In 2007 he created the Josh Cellar line to represent California wines in a more relaxed, and affordable price range and named this collection after his father.  The fruit for this wine comes from both Mendocino and Monterey counties, both respected for producing quality Chardonnay grapes.  Joseph Carr is part of the much larger Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits, and as an interesting side note, Joseph Carr lives in Cape Cod when he is not making wine.  The second wine that I grabbed from the cellar had the potential for being iffy, only because I may have kept it too long, but since I had other back-up wines, I wasn’t really concerned.  I opened up the Wrath Estate Fermata Chardonnay 2009 from Monterey.  The cork was perfect, the color was an excellent golden shade and the nose was very subtle.  There was no signs of oxidation or foxiness that one could encounter from an older white wine.  The wine is called Fermata, which is an Italian word for halted, because the fermentation process is halted at the halfway point to keep the acidity high and then it is aged in French Oak for ten months.  The fruit for this wine comes from their estate that is just outside of the Santa Lucia Highlands and the cool growing cycle and the rich mineral laden ground is perfect for the Chardonnay vines to struggle with.  The two words that I heard the most bandied about was “layered” and “complex” especially when they compared the gold color to the first wine.  We were getting ready to move to the dining room.

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