Another Night of Pizza at Grimaldi’s

Posted on March 8, 2024 by thewineraconteur

I realize that most people that go to Las Vegas, believe the quotation “whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”  Not for us, we go to Vegas to see two of our children and five of our grandchildren.  We try to see as many as possible for every outing, but as they get older, other things like school, dates and jobs get in the way.  The weather was just a little warmer in Vegas, compared to Detroit, so a sport coat was perfect to wear.  Our first night after getting our luggage, rental car, and stopping to get some supplies for our hotel room, we were worn-out, so it was just a day of traveling.  In Vegas, everyone drinks bottled water and that is a major supply, besides wine for our room.  The first couple of nights we eat early, because we are still on Detroit time, three hours difference, so I am sure the kids think we are fuddy-duddies.  Our first night for dinner, we met at one of our stand-by restaurants, because everyone likes pizza and Grimaldi’s makes a pie, like the early days.  Though we did have to move the reservation up an hour later, but the restaurant made it happen, it was a double whammy of Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day. 

My Bride and I got to the restaurant first, to make sure that they knew the table was going to be used.  We like that we can actually walk to the shopping center from our hotel/casino; and when you are on holidays any additional walking is great.  My Bride went to the church, our kids use and she had the ashes applied earlier in the day.  The kids were going to be late, because the mass after school didn’t agree with the original reservation.  So, we had a chance to study the menu and know what we were going to order, and it was rather easy, since I was the only heathen that could eat meat.  We ordered two large salads to begin with, an Antipasto, with all of the meat, going towards the heathen, and of course, a Caesar Salad.  We started off with a bottle of Anterra Pinot Grigio Terre Siciliane IGT 2022.  Anterra which means ¨ancient lands¨ perfectly describes the island of Sicily.  Anterra describes their wines as authentic and uncontaminated from vines whose roots are embedded in soils rich in history and culture.  Terre Siciliane IGT is region wide and replaced the older Sicilia IGT in November 2011, and Terre Siciliane translates to ¨Sicilian lands. ¨ The only two designations as Sicilia DOC is for wines made from Grillo or Nero d´Avola.  This wine is made from pure sustainable techniques in the sunny and dry Central to Western part of the island.  A soft golden colored wine that offered notes of tropical fruits and a hint of almonds.  On the palate there were tones of fresh fruit and a short finish of fruit.  A very simple wine and easy to understand, and easy for the grandkids, in case they decided to pour some into some of the extra empty wine glasses on the table.

As the rest of the guests arrived, we also placed an order for a couple of extra-large pies, one with just cheese and one with cheese and vegetables, and one small meat lover´s pizza (for the heathen).  We also ordered a bottle of Decoy Merlot Sonoma County 2021from the Duckhorn Portfolio.  I first discovered Duckhorn back in the Nineties when everything was done in Napa Valley, and they didn´t even have a tasting room, but through a friend, we had a private tasting in the back of a semi-trailer and Decoy was their second label originally as a red Bordeaux style wine.  Now Decoy is in Sonoma County as a blend, as well as single variety bottlings.  Duckhorn Vineyards bucked the trend and they were resolute about Merlot, and when I think of California Merlot, I automatically think of Duckhorn.  This wine was aged for twelve months in French Oak, forty percent new and sixty percent neutral. A beautiful deep red wine, and it offered tones of black fruits and baking spices.  On the palate there were tones of black cherry, currants, mocha, vanilla, blended with silky tannins and a medium finish of fruit.  A great way to start our visit, and no desserts, as Lent had begun, and that is what is given up among my crowd; and they also got a Valentine’s card.  

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What Happened?

Posted on March 5, 2024 by thewineraconteur

I guess I have been going to this little city in the dessert for years, at least from the Seventies.  In the old days there were plenty of “junket flights” which were basically free transportation.  I think the casinos underwrote these flights and they were fun, you could feel the energy on the plane as people were geeked up to go and donate their money to a worthy cause.  Men wore suits and women had dresses as they boarded the plane.  There really wasn’t any food on the four-hour flight from Detroit, but the booze flowed easily, back then, I don’t recall if wine was even an option.  Everyone had haircuts, manicures and shoes were polished; and at least two suitcases were in the cargo hold for the trip, because everyone dressed up to go gambling, unless you were going to the old downtown district.  Nowadays, I am about the only man that has a sport coat and a pair of dress shoes on; as I figure it is a couple of bulky items that I don’t have to pack.

The Strip has changed from the days of Ocean’s 11 to Ocean’s Eleven.  It costs a small fortune to take a cab from the airport to The Strip and they are basically abutting each other, so unless you are getting limo service, you have to rent a car, and especially for us, as we no longer stay on The Strip, as we want to be close to our children and grandchildren.  Only a few of the Old Guard are still standing and some are truncated.  The Aladdin with its old ties to Detroit is gone and replaced by a Planet Hollywood.  The Dunes has been replaced by the Bellagio.  The Sands is now the Venetian.  The Stardust has been replaced by Resorts World.  The Dessert Inn has been taken over by the Wynn and the Encore, though the golf course remains.  The Hacienda gave way to Mandalay Bay, and the Riviera has become part of the Las Vegas Global Business District. The beat goes on.

The city went from Family owned to Corporate and it just doesn’t have the same glamour.  It’s expensive on your own dime, as in the old days the casino at each hotel underwrote the entire entity.  Now the hotels, and the restaurants have to carry their own freight, and I think that there are probably still some buffets around, but I can’t tell you, as I never went to them, and I am not going to start now.  I also haven’t walked on The Strip, as the last time we were there, the streets were littered with advertising papers for hookers.  Also the shows are different, while there are  still some headliners, the town now lives on dazzling productions with cast members that can be changed without anyone being the wiser; would you know if it was a new crew of “blue men?”  This year, we got lucky as we don’t have any grandchildren graduating, but next year we may have three to regale with special dinners.  Though this will be a unique trip, as we may not be able to have everyone at every dinner, as the grandchildren have extracurricular activities from school, and they all have part-time jobs.  And by the time you read this, we will be back home, as I never have understood the concept of telling the world that your house is empty.  

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Dinner at Le Supreme

Posted on March 2, 2024 by thewineraconteur

It was a Sunday evening and we had booked an early dinner at Le Supreme, before we went to see “Wicked” with another couple. My Bride and I had brunch there a couple of months earlier, right after their opening; and there are only so many brunches and Mimosas that I can write about.  There were two buildings side by side, the southern edifice was the Book Building and on the north was the Book Tower, both built by the same designer. When I was a kid, I used to walk by these two buildings and at that time, the major airlines of the day had their booking offices in Downtown Detroit.  For all the years that I was down there, it was the first time, I had ever been in the building, and let me tell you that the Book Tower was magnificent, then, and it has been brought back to its former glory again.  The buildings along with the later Book Cadillac Hotel towered over Washington Boulevard and the dream of the Book brothers, who at the time were the wealthiest men in Detroit, was to have a street more impressive than Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

Le Supreme is a Parisian-inspired brasserie offering French fare breakfast through dinner.  A truly delightful destination, but we did have to warn the other couple that the lavatory facilities were a common-room sink destination with seven private stalls, first come, first serve.  After that it was easy, especially because the venue felt Parisian in a subtle way.  The other couple we had went with to see a play in Toronto last year, and they wanted to be with us again, and were even going to be a bit more daring for dinner.  We suggested that they share the Steak Tartare in a classic plating of hand-chopped beef, capers, cornichons, and a quail egg.  My Bride and I went with the Pâté de Campagne, a country style pâté with a picked vegetable salad and cornichons. The concept was that the four of us, could share the two plates along with the fresh baked bread and hotel butter.  We ordered two bottles of wine, for dinner, and started off with Chateau Guiraud Sauternes 2019, a First Growth, Premier Cru Classe in 1855.  The estate has eighty-five hectares planted with Semillon and Sauvignon with vines that average about thirty-five years of age on a soil of sandy and clay gravels, over red clay, limestone, and fossilized oyster beds; perfectly conducive for the spread of Botrytis Cinerea, or the Noble Rot that has made Sauterne wines immortal.  The estate was originally the Noble House of Bayle and bought by Pierre Guiraud in 1766, and stayed in the family until the 1980’s when it was bought by a group of like-minded friends.  The wine is a blend of sixty-five percent Semillon and thirty-five percent Sauvignon Blanc.  Only grapes that have been affected by the Noble Rot are picked by hand and fermented plot by plot in new oak barrels.  After the wine attains the desired level of sweetness it aged for about twenty-four months in oak, before bottling.  This youthful wine had a beautiful golden color and offered notes of peaches, pears, apricots, tropical fruits, white florals, and nuts.  On the palate there were tones of rich orange and yellow honey-imbued fruits and a nice long count finish of the honeyed-fruit and terroir; which was a perfect segue to the following course.

The service at Le Supreme was exceptional and they split one entrée into two plates for the ladies of Trout Amandine, which was Michigan Rainbow Trout, along with Haricot Verts, toasted almonds and brown butter.  The men both had Crispy Duck Confit, Fois Gras, Pommes Sarladaise (thinly sliced potatoes roasted in clarified butter, goose fat and truffle paste) and frisée lettuce; it was the Fois Gras that called for saving some of the Sauterne along with the red wine for the second course.  I wasn’t enthused by the Pinot Noir selections which would have been perfect, with both the trout and the duck, so I went with Chateau du Petit Thouars “Les Georges” Chinon 2021.  When Yves and Marguerite du Petit Thouars married in 1974, they hadn’t planned that in in thirty-five years they would be managing a sixteen hectare fully equipped winery.  When they were going through papers in the family estate’s castle that had been in the family since 1636 and bought on the advice of Cardinal Richelieu, they discovered that there had been a vineyard.  The estate is in the heart of the Loire Valley between Chinon, Saumur, and Bourgueil.  This cuvee is from the Les Plantes vineyard planted on clay and limestone soils from 1978-1988 and is named after the many ancestors named George.  The wine is pure Cabernet Franc and they only use the “vin de goutte” (free run juice) and fermented and matured in Stainless Steel tanks for six months.  This deep purple wine with magenta highlights offered notes of black fruit, violets, eucalyptus, Sous-bois, and bell pepper.  On the palate the tones of black cherry, plums, silky tannins, and a touch of licorice, balanced though with a bit of acidity; followed by a medium count finish of fruit and wet stones.  

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A Sunday of “Wicked”

Posted on February 28, 2024 by thewineraconteur

Thankfully we had a most unusual mild winter here, as we were meeting another couple to go and see another theatrical run of “Wicked” and this time it was at the Detroit Opera House, or the Michigan Opera Theatre, and the venue is actually the fifth location for the Detroit Opera House.  The building opened in 1922, designed by one of the most lauded designers in Detroit, and was built for 2,700 seats, and called the Capitol Theatre.  Later it was converted to a cinematic theater that seated about 3,500 people, when it became the Paramount, then the Broadway Capitol, and finally the Grand Circus Theatre; and it was reportedly the fifth largest movie theater in the world. The theater like Downtown Detroit had slipped down in prestige and eventually had a minor fire.  The Michigan Opera Theatre purchased the building and named in the Detroit Opera House and had a major renovation with a return to 2,700 seats in 1996 and the debut performance was with Luciano Pavarotti.

We met the other couple and made arrangements to park at the structure behind the theatre., If there are several events going on in Downtown Detroit, parking becomes dear, and sometimes unavailable.  Hence, we met early and decided to go have some wine before dinner and then the play.  The weather was hospitable and a sport coat and sweater sufficed for walking about the twenty blocks that we covered.  We went to The Royce Wine Bar, which is located on the opposite “corner” of Grand Circus Park from the theater building.  We have been there for wine tastings, and sometimes just for a glass or two of wine, but since there were four of us, we just bought a bottle of wine, and I felt a little sheepish, as I wasn’t aware that there was a corkage fee for enjoying a bottle in the shop, I am so pedestrian.  We shared a bottle of I. Brand & Family Cabernet Franc Bayly Ranch Paicines 2020.  Winemaker Ian Brand is a maverick, and I like his very modest statement on his website “We are not in ‘wine country’ Nor do we have trophy wineries.  This farm land, desolate hills, and solitude.  What we do is simple, without artifice, and we enjoy it.” He produces three collections of which the I. Brand & Family is his single vineyard offerings.  The Bayly Ranch is a three-acre planting of ten-year-old Cabernet Franc vines located on an 800-foot elevation facing the slope that faces the San Andreas Fault.  Paicines has a population of about forty people, and at one time was a major growing area for Almaden Winery.  The area is very similar to the Loire for daily temperature swings.  The fruit undergoes a twenty-two-day maceration, using whole berries. The wine is aged for eleven months in six neutral and one once-used French oak barrels, and then aged for an additional nine months in bottle.  A total production of one-hundred-sixty-five cases produce.  A nice garnet colored wine with red highlights offered notes of cranberry, strawberry and “Sois-bois.”  On the palate a mature feeling wine with tones of cranberry and strawberry, with hints of cooking spices and a nice medium length finish with dusty fruit (terroir).     

My Bride and I had seen the first theatrical performance of “Wicked” and I really wasn’t thrilled to see it again, as I didn’t really enjoy the first run of the play here in Detroit, as it was at The Masonic Temple, which sounds like a strange venue, but it is very popular not only for theatrical productions, but also concerts.  The Masonic Temple in Downtown Detroit is the largest Masonic temple of its kind, basically a city block in size and was built in the glory days of Detroit, when big was better and the city was actually competing with New York City, especially for the arts, and the largesse of the Detroiters, was basically second to none.  To give you an idea how large the facility is sixteen-stories tall, with three theaters, three ballrooms and banquet halls and a clear-span drill-hall.  The cornerstone was placed in 1922, using the same trowel that George Washington used to set the cornerstone of the United States Capital.  The horseshoe-shaped temple auditorium was originally designed to seat five-thousand, but because there are a few poor sight-lines for a theater venue, six-hundred seats were removed. The funny thing is that my Bride and I both agreed that it seemed like we had seen a totally new production of “Wicked” and we really enjoyed this version, much better, but I still complain that enunciation has suffered from the current theatrical actors that I have seen in the past decade or so.  I only lament, because when I was in elementary school, we had to attend a class called “auditorium” and we had to learn how to speak and project from the diaphragm, which sometimes my family and grandchildren wish I didn’t.

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Etre Artiste Pour la Saint-Valentín

Posted on February 25, 2024 by thewineraconteur

Being an artist for Valentine’s Day was the theme of a painting party that my Bride attended for the girls, that one of my cousins hosted at her house.  The good news is they didn’t need to get a curly-haired wig to paint “some happy little trees.” Instead of using “wet on wet” painting that became a major hit on Public Television, everyone had the same paint kit.  They were using a “paint-by-number” kit which is appropriate as the system was invented, developed, and marketed in 1950 by the Palmer Paint Company of Detroit, Michigan; though the original patent was in 1923. They went on to sell over twelve-million kits, and the archival materials can now be found in the Smithsonian Museum of American History.

Now my cousin made all the arrangements and wanted no assistance for food and beverages or any of the other incidentals for the evening.  She was having fun.  The kit had an image of the final artwork and contained a stretched canvas on a frame, twelve paint tubs, two different size paint brushes, and hardware to hang the finished painting as well.  Now my cousin was not content to just furnish the painting kit, she also supplied everyone with a red and white “Be Mine” motif painting apron/smock and to complete the image, a red beret.  The food that she had catered in was Italian instead of French, which I think was probably safer for the group, as it was a big tray of Lasagna and other sides from the specialty market near our home.

To keep the evening party going, everyone drank as well as took splits of wine home with them for Valentine’s Day.  The wine was Banfi Vigne Rogali Rosa Regale Spumante Brachetto d’Acqui DOCG 2022.  Castello Banfi was founded in Tuscany in 1978 by the Italian-American brothers John and Harry Mariani.  The origins of their father’s business in Banfi Vintners which was founded in 1919 and at one time was America’s leading wine importer.  Brachetto d’Acqui DOCG was awarded classification in 1996.  Brachetto is the only varietal allowed for frizzante, spumante, and sometimes passito wines, as well as Acqui DOCG Rosé. The latter was awarded in 2017 and is regulated by the Consorzio for Brachetto d’Acqui, and is produced using the Charmat method with pressurized tanks.  There are twenty-six communes near Asti and Acqui Terme, and the soil must be calcareous and marl.  The pressure of the tanks determines the level of sparkle e.g. frizzante or spumante. The wine has two days of maceration and thirty days of fermentation under pressure, followed by three or more months in the bottle.  I haven’t had a chance to open the bottle that my artiste brought with her, along with all the accoutrements of the evening, but the wine is described as a cherry-pink colored wine that offers notes of strawberry, pepper, sherbert and dark chocolate.  On the palate it is described as mouth-filling with tones of cream and strawberry sundae with balanced acidity, a touch of terroir and a decent finish.     

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Fine Wine Source – February 2024 Club Selections

Posted on February 22, 2024 by thewineraconteur

Around the tenth of the month, is when you will always find me for sure at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan as I always look forward to getting the wine club selections.  It is always a mystery and I don’t even look at the selections in the bag, until I get home.  It is like a treat to discover what I will be writing about in the future and read the notes that are inserted into the bag along with the wines. I enjoy the concept of the wine club, as it gets me into the shop for sure, I get to mingle with the owner, the staff and now many of the regulars that frequent the shop as well.  There is always a chance to taste something new and interesting, as well as seeing some one of the kind wines that may pop up, every now and then.  So, besides two curated wines, the club entitles me to case pricing anytime from one bottle to a case or more, and club members are also the first to be contacted if the shop gets a great buy from the varied suppliers that want to be part of the inventory. 

The first wine that I will discuss is from the Old World, which means the classic European wine production countries.  Vila Voltaire Je Suis Tombe Par Terre Coteaux d’Enserune IGP 2016 is named and dedicated the French freedom writer Voltaire and “I fell to the ground” to express the freedom of winemaking found in the Languedoc.  Vila Voltaire is a small personal passion project for winemaker Stephane Yerle, who is a traveling winemaker throughout Europe as his career is a consulting oenologist to both boutique and large production estates, such as Chateau Latour, Chateau Pibarnon, Famille Fabre etc.  Originally from the Basque region of France, he and his wife purchased property in the Languedoc to start his own personal winery.  He began with a little over one hectare and he is now farming twelve hectares all organically.  He is a leading expert in micro-oxygenation in wine, and uses different vessels (French Oak, concrete, and amphora) to produce his wines.  The wine is equal parts of Old-vine Carignan, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot grown on sandy-limestone soil.  Each varietal is fermented first in Stainless Steel, and then aged for one year in used 300-liter used French Oak. Then the wines are blended.  The wine is described as ruby colored and offers notes of black fruits, “ Sous-bois,” river stones and traces of wood.  On the palate the wine is described as rustic with spicy-wood, but not “oaky” with tones of ripe plums, blackberries, and black cherries with a fresh finish.  This spicy wine is suggested for beef, lamb, or pork roasts.   

Representing the New World is Toad Hollow Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles 2021.  While Toad Hollow conjures an idyllic place to enjoy wine, it is the story of two friends that weren’t quite ready to retire as they enjoyed wine too much.  Todd (Dr. Toad) Williams and Rodney (The Dancing Badger) Strong decided that they needed to create wines that are understandable and affordable to repay the world for all the fun that they had.  One was a restaurateur, and the other was a dancer, turned winemaker and they created their own world along with “Mrs. Toad.”  The two gentlemen have since retired their glasses, but the “Mrs. Toad” maintains the business venture, that was founded with the love of the grapes.  They began in 1994 with three-thousand cases of 1993 Chardonnay Russian River Valley done in Stainless Steel and grew from there, and are now also importers.  This wine is pure Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles, which is one of the largest AVA districts in California.  The fruit was hand-harvested, crushed, and initial fermentation in Stainless Steel and then aged in American Oak.  The wine is described as a red velvet hue with notes of carnations, hard cherry candy, and a tinge of mint.  On the palate tones of raspberry, cherry, blueberries, chocolate, and baking spice with a finish evoking fresh and warm berry pastry.  It is touted for grilled steaks and hamburgers.

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Another Night at Andiamo

Posted on February 19, 2024 by thewineraconteur

We met our son and his wife at Andiamo in West Bloomfield, one of the restaurants that is kind of half way between our two houses.  This particular restaurant is rather infamous as it was the Machus Red Fox that was the last place that James R. Hoffa was seen at.  Now there is a movie that was made for one of the cable stations, at least that is what I think their status is, made by a very famous director with a big cast and this restaurant is mentioned in the film.  Now, I didn’t see the film for several reasons, but one major reason is that I know for a fact that there is no mountain range to be seen in any direction from this restaurant; and I go back to the days when it was the original and they also had a great bake shop for carryout desserts. 

And from one film to another, Andiamo is promoting their “Passport to Wine Series 2024” that the in-house sommelier dropped off at our table, during the course of the meal.  The different theme dinners were: Big Night (Italy), Like Water for Chocolate (Mexico), Chef (Cuba), My Big Fat Greek Wedding (Greece), and Sideways (California).  We were not there for this promotion either, but to spend time with our son.  We had a couple of different appetizers to begin the meal, and then everyone ordered their entrée.  My Bride and I were the only two to enjoy some wine, so we made sure that we paid for the wine, as we got to the restaurant early enough to pay for the wine ahead of time.  It was easy to select a wine for our dinner, as there was a varietal that my Bride enjoys, so we went with Sella & Mosca La Cala Vermentino di Sardegna DOC 2022.  Sella & Mosca (Sella e Mosca) is the largest wine producer in Sardinia, featuring local varieties and “international” varieties.  The winery was founded in 1899 by two Piedmontese businessmen.  Their I Piani estate is one of the largest wine estates in Europe with five-hundred-twenty hectares of contiguous vineyards.  Vermentino di Sardegna DOC was granted in 1988 and covers the entire island.  The history of Vermentino on Sardinia is vague as to whether it is from Liguria in Italy where it is known as Pigato, Provence and the Languedoc of France where it is known as Rolle or from Spain, where it is barely seen anymore.  Internationally, the lion’s share of Vermentino is Italy.  There is not a lot of information about the wine, outside of soft pressing, cold settling, fermentation, and short aging in Stainless Steel.  A pretty golden color offering notes of citrus fruit, florals and minerals.  On the palate the wine has tones of fresh fruit, a soft and balanced wine with a nice finish of terroir and a touch of iodine.

After dinner, our son and his wife are big fans of dessert, and my Bride went along for the ride.  I have found that I have lost my desire and appreciation for most desserts anymore, maybe I have lost my sweet tooth, but I am sure that I will still continue to have twice a year dental check-up anyway.  I had a glass of W. & J. Graham’s 10-Year-Old Tawny Port NV.  Graham’s is a prominent Port house in Douro Valley of northern Portugal, they began as a textile company in the early 1800s by the brothers William and John Graham of Glasgow, who had received a barrel of Port as payment for a debt.  In 1820, that was the beginning and today they are owned by the Symington family who also owns Dow’s and Warre’s.  Their pride is the Quinta dos Malvedos vineyard that they acquired in 1890, as well as their four other vineyards: Quinta do Tua, Qunita das Lages, Quinta da Vila Velha and Quint do Vale de Malhadas.  The predominate grapes grown are Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional.  The wine is a deep tawny color and offers notes of assorted nuts, honey, and figs.  On the palate tones of oxidative nuts with dark raisins, figs, traces of orange zest and orange marmalade in a delightfully fresh wine with a totally enjoyable long count finish of dark fruit to savor.

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An Arrow & Branch Tasting – Part Two

Posted on February 16, 2024 by thewineraconteur

A wonderful wine tasting at my local wine shop The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan and featuring the wines of Arrow & Branch Estate Vineyard of Napa Valley.  The Contursis had developed a love for Bordeaux and the wines from there. They were out looking for property and everything fell in place when they were able to buy the Etude Wines estate of Tony Soter who was famed for his “Little Creek” Cabernet Franc wine.  The Contursis now had the ability to live both in Laguna Beach and on their new vineyard, and they were able to have the key element of their liking of a classic Cabernet Franc, as they felt the other varietals would fall into place.  They have a passion and a commitment to create the best Bordeaux style wine regardless of time and money, and that includes diminishing crop output, if need be, to ensure the best fruit is harvested.  The vineyards that they use are considered the top in the valley. 

The fourth wine of the tasting was the Arrow & Branch Estate Vineyard Right Bank Blend Napa Valley 2019, with fruit from the Estate Vineyard in St. Helena and from the Stagecoach Vineyard in Atlas Peak.  It was interesting to taste this wine after having enjoyed the 2012 vintage earlier.  This wine was a blend of seventy-three percent Cabernet Franc, nineteen percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and eighteen percent Merlot. The wine was made from destemmed fruit and aged for twenty-two months in French Oak, of which sixty-five percent was new; and about two-hundred cases were produced.  This deep purple hued wine offered notes of red and black fruits, black tea, flowers and “Sous-bois” (which I still think sounds better than saying “forest floor”).  On the palate this wine had great tones of black cherry and blueberry, mixing harmoniously with the tannins to give a rich, understated and balanced wine with a nice medium to long count finish of fruit.

The penultimate wine was an Arrow & Branch Estate Vineyard Cabernet Franc Heritage Coombsville 2019 from the Little Creek Vineyard.  This wine was pure Cabernet Franc from the original vineyard, hence the Heritage name.  The wine aged for twenty months in French Oak, of which forty-five percent was new; and only ninety-eight cases produced.  I am glad that my Bride could not attend this tasting, as I may have had to go back to work.  A deep purple wine with vivid red rim, this wine offered red and black fruits, florals and “Sous-bois.”  On the palate this full-bodied wine hit all of my checkpoints, because I have been a true fan of Cabernet Franc for over fifty years.  The fruit was perfect, and I am sorry if you prefer California jammy wines, as the fruit was ethereal understated, balance with ripe tannins and a long count finish of fruit, spice, and terroir.    

The final wine was the Arrow & Branch Estate Vineyard Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard St. Helena 2019 and it was a show-stopper.  This wine was ninety-nine percent Cabernet Sauvignon and one percent Petit Verdot from probably America’s “Grand Cru” designation, if there was that designation.  The wine was aged for twenty-two months in French Oak, of which ninety-five percent was new.  There were two-hundred-five cases produced of this wine and I saw them being offered in beautiful wooden presentation cases of three.  This dark garnet wine with a bright red rim offered notes of black and blue fruits, truffles, tobacco, and “Sous-bois.”  On the palate this wine would be best described as rich and opulent, the fruit was magnificent, blending with the tannins and with secondary tastes of truffles, tobacco, ashes and very long count finish of fruit and terroir.  A superlative tasting event of some great wines that one doesn’t require having a subscription for.

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Arrow & Branch Tasting – Part One

Posted on February 13, 2024 by thewineraconteur

I had a very intense morning and I was not sure if I was going to make a tasting at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, but the Gods approved and I was able to do a tasting of wines from Arrow & Branch Estate Vineyard of Napa Valley.  The winery pays homage to the Contursi family’s success in the rare coin business.  They are famed numismatists that have handled most of the fabled coins of the United States of America, and the ones that they haven’t are basically residing in permanent museum collections across the country.  The name refers to the eagle found on the obverse of most of the original coin design who is grasping arrows and an olive branch in its talons and it symbolizes that America is a peace-loving nation that is willing to defend itself in times of need.

The first wine was the Arrow & Branch Estate Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Stagecoach Vineyard Atlas Peak 2022.  This wine is pure Sauvignon Blanc made entirely from the Stagecoach Vineyard from rootstock and Musque clones that were planted five years ago, specifically for Arrow & Branch.  The wine is Barrel Fermented and then aged on fine lees for five months in French Oak (both one year old and neutral).  There were two-hundred-twenty cases produced of this wine.  The very soft golden-yellow wine offered notes of citrus fruits and white florals and it was totally different from California Sauvignon Blanc wines.  On the palate there was perky grapefruit and other citrus fruits mingling with honey and flowers.  The bright acidity is what just jumps out at you, when tasting this wine, it is not a meek and mild wine, as this wine wants to be recognized for its own personality and it was very refreshing.

Then we had a bottle of wine that was brought in from their library to help envision how the wines would age.  We had a bottle of the Arrow & Branch Estate Vineyard Right Bank Blend Napa Valley 2012 ; the fruit was harvested from the Lewelling Vineyard in St. Helena and the Stagecoach Vineyard at Atlas Peak.  The wine is a blend of fifty-eight percent Cabernet Franc with twenty-one percent Merlot and twenty-one percent Cabernet Sauvignon.  The wine was barrel aged for twenty months, of which seventy-five percent was new.  The made two-hundred-fifty cases of this wine.  The deep purple wine offered notes of black and red fruit, black tea and “Sous-bois.”  On the palate for a ten-year-old wine there was still plenty of fruit, though evenly mellowed with the tannins and the alcohol for a very pleasant drinking wine and not even close to peaking.

Then we had the Arrow & Branch Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label Napa Valley 2019; the fruit was harvested from both the Lewelling Vineyard in St. Helena and from the Beckstoffer “Dr. Crane” Vineyard. This wine was a blend of ninety-five percent Cabernet Sauvignon and five percent Merlot.  The wine was aged for twenty-two months in French Oak, of which seventy-five percent was new.  There were two-hundred-thirty cases produced.  This was a deep garnet colored wine that offered notes of black fruits, dark chocolate, and tobacco.  On the palate a very elegant understate wine with tones of the fruits, blending seamlessly with the tannins with a nice long count finish. In a blind tasting, I am quite positive that I would have claimed Bordeaux over Napa Valley.   

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Three Stellar Reds

Posted on February 10, 2024 by thewineraconteur

Sometimes I have to pinch myself, to make sure that I am alive and not dreaming when I go to a tasting at my local wine shop, The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  After a tasting of a group of sparkling wines by Roederer, the distributor also had a few other wines for us to taste as well.  The first wine was Dominus Estate Napanook Napa Valley 2015.  I once wrote that I never wanted to stop admiring the nose on a Dominus Estate wine. Christian Moueix has had part ownership since 1982 and ran the estate concurrently with his family business in Bordeaux until 2008. The estate is based on the Napanook vineyard, which was one of the first sites planted in grapes in Napa Valley.  George Yount (Yountville) began the vineyard in 1838 and the fifty-hectare site has had many owners and steward of the land.  Moueix went into partnership in 1982 and in 1995 became the sole owner; Dominus is Latin for Lord of the Estate.  Dominus Estate is the flagship of the winery, Napanook is the mid-level wine and the entry-level wine is Othello.  The vineyard is dry-farmed, both to conserve water and to control the yields and hence the quality of the fruit, the same practice that was started in the 1970’s at Petrus.  Another unique aspect is that about two weeks prior to harvest the vines are rinsed to eliminate dust, then when harvested by hand, they use small French shears, instead of knives to minimize bruising and damage to the grapes.   This vintage is a blend of ninety-three percent Cabernet Sauvignon, four percent Petite Verdot, and three percent Cabernet Franc. The wine is aged for about ten months in French Oak.  A beautiful deep garnet colored wine that offered notes of blackberry, black olives, pipe tobacco, a touch of smoke, and violets.  On the palate, a velvety texture with tones of blackberry, dark plums, with secondary tones of savory spices, florals wrapped around smooth tannins and an elegant finish.  The wine was more Pomerol than California and that is understandable.

We then had Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Reserva 2017 and it has its fruit from the famed Finca Ygay vineyard of the winery and they are located in Rioja Alta.  There are three sub-regions of Rioja and Rioja Alta tends to be the region that is often named, and it refers to the elevation of this region compared to the other two sub-regions.  The winery was founded in 1852 by Luciano de Murrieta and since 1983 it has been owned by the Cebrian-Sagarriga family.  When the winery was being built it was found to be part of Rioja Baja (lower elevation), but it makes the region sound inferior and Rioja Baja is now Rioja Oriental; they had enough clout to have the boundary moved, so that the winery was in Rioja Alta and today it is in its own enclave of La Rioja Alta. The wine is a blend of eighty-two percent Tempranillo, nine percent Graciano, six percent Mazuelo, and two percent Garnacha.  The wine is aged for twenty months in a blend of new and used American Oak, and then an additional eighteen months in the bottle, before release.  A dark garnet color wine that offers notes of black cherry, blackberry, chocolate, leather, and baking spices.  On the palate there were rich tones of black cherry, blackberry, dark plum, and vanilla integrated with smooth tannins and a nice medium count finish of fruit and bright acidity.

The third wine was Marqués de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 2011.  This wine is not made every vintage and the fruit comes the single vineyard La Plana, planted in 1950 and is on a plateau which is the highest point of the Finca Ygay vineyard on the estate.  This wine is a blend of eighty-four percent Tempranillo and sixteen percent Mazuelo.  After manual harvesting, destemming and gentle crushing the wine spends eleven days fermenting in Stainless Steel with constant attention during this period.  The wine is then aged for twenty-eight months in a mix of American and French Oak, then followed up with thirty-six months of aging in the bottle before release. This deep violet-red wine offered notes of red and blue fruits, incense, mocha, pipe tobacco, “Sous-bois”, anise, and cloves.  On the palate this full-bodied wine offered tones of black cherry, black berry, and dark plums with secondary tones of mocha, caramel, orange peel, and baking spices all blending with velvety tannins and a nice long finish of a cherry compote.  A delightful wine, that would be wonderful to experience around ten years from now.   

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