Easter Celebration Dinner Wine Flight

Gala Easter Celebration Family Dinner with Wine Flight

The family gathered at our house for a gala Easter celebration dinner including an Easter Egg hunt for the (grand) children. We were joined by cousin, niece Becky and husband Keith, visiting for the weekend, and in-laws, Frank and Marylisa visiting the new parent kids and newest grandaughter Marylin, in from Naples. 

Linda prepared an extensive dinner with salad, baked ham, scalloped potatoes, french toast, baked beans, baked pineapple and apples, steamed broccoli and more. Prior to dinner we served a selection of artisan cheeses with crackers, fresh shrimp cocktail, smoked salmon, a broad assortment of French pastry maccaroons, fresh fruit, and other delectables.

I pulled from the cellar a flight of wines for the various courses.

Besserat de Bellefon - Cuvée des Moines brut Rosé Champagne 

Long Shadows Dance Columbia Valley Chardonnay 2019 

Calera Ryan's Vineyard Mt Hollister Pinot Noir 2010

Cliff Lede Napa Valley Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 

Les Brulières de Beychevelle 2016

Besserat de Bellefon "Cuvee des Moines" Brut Rosé Champagne

The Maison Besserat de Bellefon was founded in Aÿ in 1843 by Edmond Besserat. Originally from Hautvillers, he imposed his artisanal know-how creating cuvées that he sold to renowned hotels, restaurants and wine merchants of the day. After Edmond, his grandsons, Victor and Edmond, followed in his footsteps continuing his pursuit of excellence and high standards, one as technician, the other as emeritus taster. 

In 1920, the marriage of Edmond with Yvonne de Méric de Bellefon, of the noble Champagne house, sealed the beginning of the legend of Champagne Besserat de Bellefon and endowed the House with the family coat of arms.

This label, the Cuvée des Moines was conceived in 1930, comprised of a selection of the best Champagne wines. In the best vintage years, Besserat de Bellefon selects the best plots to produce the best wines of Champagne. 

Each non-vintage Besserat de Bellefon cuvée rests in the cellar for a minimum of three years; the vintage cuvée remains there for a minimum of five years, ageing in the cellar much longer than the minimum period required by the Appellation.

Besserat de Bellefon "Cuvee des Moines" Brut Rosé Champagne

This label of Besserat de Bellefon Cuvee des Moines Brut Rose is now part of the house of Besserat de Bellefon Simplicité Line in the brand portfolio. 

Besserat Bellefon produces a range of pure, fresh, lean and elegant low-pressure wines that do not undergo the typical malolactic fermentation. The Champagnes of Besserat de Bellefon are unique in that they are made at only 4.5 atmospheres of pressure across the range rather than the standard 6. The resulting quality, first-class Champagnes are made specifically to be paired with food, or are ideal served as aperitifs or celebratory sipping.

The NV Brut Rosé Cuvée des Moines is a blend of 45% Meunier, 25% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay.

This release was rated 92 points by Wine Spectator, 90 points James Suckling and Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.

Bright golden pink orange colored, ripe and tangy red boysenberry and yellow peach fruits are framed by crisp juicy dry acidity, chalk and smoke notes with hints of almond, lemon and ginger accents on the finish.

RM 92 points.

https://www.besseratdebellefon.com/index-en.php

https://twitter.com/BesseratB

@BesseratB

Long Shadows "Dance" Columbia Valley Chardonnay 2019

This label, Dance has special significance in that our daughter-in-law Vivianna's sister, Grace, was a career professional performing arts dancer having studied dance at New York Fordham University and then traveling with the world famous Alvin Ailey dance troupe. 

It was a great fun to serve this in tribute to Grace, who was just engaged to be married, to Vivianna and their parents, Frank and Marylisa, who joined us for our festive holiday dinner.

As written in this pages a couple of weeks ago, we discovered this label on the Catch 35 wine list during our dinner there a couple of weeks ago. We've been Long Shadows Key Club Members since our visit to the Woodinville tasting room during our Washington Wine Experience when we visited the winery tasting room in Woodinville back in the fall of 2018.

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

Following our enjoyment of this wine at our recent dinner, I promptly called Long Shadows and ordered a case of this limited release label, "Dance" as part of my wine club entitlement allocation. 

Winemaker's Tasting Notes - A layered, aromatic wine that displays minerality and white blossom fragrances with flavors of white peach, apple and a hint of baking spice woven throughout a subtle, creamy texture.

The aromas intrigue on the nose, with notes of clarified butter, straw, spice and pumpkin. The palate shows depth and breadth to the stone fruit flavors but also sophistication. The balance is exquisite.

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

Light straw colored, medium bodied, rich crisp clean green apple with notes of baking spice, pumpkin, stone fruit and hint of citrus on a bright tangy finish.

93 Points

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

https://longshadows.com/

https://twitter.com/LongShadowsWine

@LongShadowsWine

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2022/04/catch35-naperville-seafood-and-wine.html
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2022/04/catch35-naperville-seafood-and-wine.html

Calera Ryan's Vineyard Mt Hollister Pinot Noir 2010

In the spirit of the family celebration, I pulled from the cellar a birthyear vintage wine of our eldest grand-daughter, Lucy, this single vineyard designated wine from an estate vineyard with son Ryan's name. 

Calera are one of the legendary classic California Pinot Noirs. Founder Josh Jenson was the pioneer of California Pinot Noir. 

As I have written in these pages, any lover of Pinot Noir would benefit from reading The Heartbreak Grape,  A California Winemakers Search for the Perfect Pinot Noir by Marc de Villiers, 1994, Harper Collins.  

This is a wonderful true story that starts when Devillers becomes captivated by a wine served at a holiday party. The story evolves as his journalistic curiosity leads to researching the wine and its origins - the story of  Josh Jensen and Calera winery. 

He chronicles the challenges and travails of developing the Pinot Noir grape in California, and then turning it into a business, an industry, and pursuing a dream. 

 

The name Heartbreak Grape speaks to the challenge of pioneering bringing the Pinot Noir grape varietal to America - finding the right terrior, climate, terrain, soil, drainage - all the elements required to produce this wine. It then follows the story of an entrepreneur following his dream to build a business and a brand.  

 

From the namesake vineyard bearing son Ryan's name, I keep a half dozen vintages a label in our cellar for tasting during such family gatherings. This, 2010 vintage release, is the oldest in our cellar, selecting the oldest as part of appropriate cellar management. 

We've held onto this vintage release since it is a birthyear wine of one of our grandchildren. Also, it was the special 35th Anniversary Release Vintage, hence I was holding it for the possibility of gifting it or serving it from someone's 35th Anniversary celebration. 

Calera is an oenphile's wine - the rear label is one of the most imformative of any producer's label I know of, with detailed information on the vineyard, geography, harvest, location and terroir including a map of the estate of the vineyard sites.  

As shown, this release is 100% Calera Estate fruit from the 13 acre Ryan Vineyard at 2200 feet elevation on Mt Harlan in the Gavilan Mountains nine miles from Holister, California, twenty miles inland from Monterey Carmel on the Pacific Coast, ninety miles south of San Francisco.

In any event, this label was awarded 94 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 92 points and *Cellar Selection* by Wine Enthusiast and "Outstanding" by Allen Meadows - Burghound.

Dark ruby colored, starting to take on a slight bit of discoloration at a dozen years of age, medium bodied, the complex flavors of plum, dark cherry and dried rose petals are showing slight diminution of the fruit from aging, turning to a textured tangy acidic firm tannin laced lingering finish. 

RM 88 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1546892

https://www.calerawine.com/

https://twitter.com/calerawine 

@CaleraWine

Ryan brought from home the remains of a bottle he had opened the night before. 

Cliff Lede Napa Valley Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

Our visits to the Cliff Lede estate winey and vineyards have been a highlight of several of our Napa Valley Wine Experiences. Since son Ryan and fellow Pour Boy Bill C both are club members and receive regular vintage release allocations of this producer, we opt to collect a different producer, thereby affording all of a greater variety of tasting experiences. 

This Diamond Mountain appellation label is one of Ryan's favorites from his broad collection from this producer. We've enjoyed several vintages of this label with Ryan and Bill. 

Winery notes: "Our Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon comes from exceptional, low-yielding vineyards with volcanic ash and gravelly loam soils in the Diamond Mountain appellation, nestled in the Mayacamas Range on the northwest side of Napa Valley. The sun-drenched mountain vineyards have late afternoon breezes that ripen the fruit slowly and evenly. Both sites are planted to extraordinary old vines on a steep incline with historic Napa field selections and produce age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon with dark fruit, intense structure, minerality, and perfume." 

This was dark garnet colored, full bodied, complex, rich concentrated brooding layered black berry and black raspberry fruits accented by notes of graphite, dark mocha chocolate, tobacco leaf, leather and smoke on a tongue coating long finish. 

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3145685

https://www.ledefamilywines.com/

 

@CliffLedeWine 

Les Brulières de Beychevelle Haut Medoc 2016

I found this label at Binny's, our wine and beverage super store recently. We know this producer well, having visited the Chateau Beychevelle estate vineyards and winery in St Julien Bordeaux during our visit to the region and appellation a couple of years ago.  

We hold several vintages of the grand vin Chateau Beychevelle dating back more than three decades, but have never seen this more pedestrian entry level label from this producer, so I was compelled to pick some up to try.

Clearly not the grand vin, or their second label sophistication or quality, but at a fraction of the price, this represented reasonable QPR - Quality Price Ratio for simpler every day sipping, a 'pizza' wine as I refer to such wines. Notably, this is a Haut-Medoc appellation labeled wine, not from the more prestigious and distinctive St Julien appellation.

Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, black cherry and black plum fruits accented by notes of smoke, herbs, green pepper, leather and a bit of wet earth and tar with a bright tangy acidic finish. 

RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3107238

https://beychevelle.com/

https://twitter.com/Beychevelle1855 

@Beychevelle1855

 

 

 

Diamond Mountain Cabernet Duo

Diamond Mountain Cabernet duo for Tomahawk Rib-eye grilled beefsteak dinner

Sister Jan and Bro-in-law Bill visiting from SoCal for holiday and family festivities, we pulled from the cellar a couple of classic super premium Cabernets for a Tomahawb Rib-eye beefsteak dinner. Bill chose two wines where Jan and Bill accompanied us to a pair of private tastings at both estates during our Diamond Mountain Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2011. - Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyards, and Diamond Creek Vineyards. At seventeen and eighteen years of age, this was a good vintage comparison of two vintage wines perhaps at the apex of their drinkability. 

As shown, both bottles' fill levels, labels, foils and corks were in ideal, near perfect condition - another testament to the provenance conditions of our wine cellar.

Diamond Mountain Vineyards Gravelly Meadow Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 

We last tasted this Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyard Napa Cabernet Cabernet 2004 during the Coronavirus shut-in in the spring of 2020. As I wrote in a blogpost at that time, we discovered and acquired this wine when we visited the spectacular picturesque Constant Vineyards estate high atop Diamond Mountain during our Diamond Mountain Appellation Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2011.

We're approaching the end of a case of Constant wines we acquired then, and again, tonight we were rewarded for being patient as this wine has continued to develop very nicely. At seventeen years of age it still has life left and may be at its apex, perhaps still benefiting from continued graceful aging.

Our tasting and visit back then were hosted by proprietor Freddie Constant, founder and proprietor. Sadly, Freddie passed away in 2014. All of our group that were there remember him fondly and toast him each time we drink his wine.

The Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyard sits at the peak of Diamond Mountain on the Mayacamas Range separating Napa Valley to the east and Sonoma Valley to the west and is one of the area’s highest, oldest, and smallest wineries in the region. At 2121 feet above sea level, it may be the highest, or certainly one of the highest, vineyards in the region.

Constant Diamond Mountain Estate Vineyards

The Diamond Mountain District appellation, one of the smaller Napa wine districts, sits just south of and above the town of Calistoga in the northwest corner of Napa Valley.

The unique terroir and micro-climate at the very top of Diamond Mountain provides grapes with optimal sun exposure and elongated ripening periods, The sun drenched slopes with their rocky terrain and volcanic soil produce rich concentrated Bordeaux varietal fruit.

Today the area is home to some of the most notable and prestigious labels including the namesake label Diamond Mountain vineyards. Our afternoon on the mountaintop retreat was one of the more memorable settings from our many Napa Valley trips.

Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyard was established by Freddy and Mary Constant in 1993. While they started producing small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon then, their first vintage release under the Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyard label was in 1995. They proceeded to build a winery on the estate producing their wine under the Constant label and brand. In 1999 Wine Spectator wrote that Constant was “a new can’t miss Cabernet, this vineyard is able to produce stunning wines on a consistent basis.” The original winemaker was the notable Philippe Melka. With the 2009 vintage, Paul Hobbs took over as consulting winemaker.

In 2016, Aries Liu and Sai You became the property’s caretakers with the continued commitment to producing some of Napa Valley’s best Bordeaux varietals.

Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

I believe this is the best, most memorable Constant Cabernet I have had and may be, at sixteen years of age, at the apex of its drinking profile and window.
 
Deep garnet purple color, medium-full bodied, delicious concentrated but smooth and elegant and nicely balanced ripe blackberry and black raspberry fruits with hints of black currant, notes of spice and graphite.

RM 92 points. 

The blend includes small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=437961

https://www.constantwine.com/

Diamond Creek Gravelly Meadow 2003 

We visited Diamond Mountain Wine Experience - Diamond Creek Vineyards with Jan and Bill and were hosted by matriarch founder Boots Brownstein. 

A trip to Napa Valley Diamond Mountain by the serious wine enthusiast or collector would not be complete without a visit to the legendary Diamond Creek Vineyards. Founded in 1968 by the late Al Brounstein, a visionary pioneer who defied conventions of the time by planting Bordeaux varietals on secluded Diamond Mountain in the Mayacamas Range at the north remote end of Napa Valley.

This is one of the four Diamond Creek labels - all single vineyard designated bottlings from one of their distinctive four vineyards. Diamond Creek is a case study in terroir - each of its four vineyards with its own micro-climate, soil type and geography that are revealed in their single vineyard designated Cabernet Sauvignon wines - named for their four distinctly different origination vineyards. The vineyards of Diamond Creek are  Gravelly Meadow (5 acres - center left), Red Rock Terrace (7 acres front), Volcanic Hill (8 acres opposite), and Lake (¾ acre), plus Petit Verdot (1 acre) to the left outside of frame. The vineyards as pictured below, are amazingly co-located close to each other yet have distinctive individual characteristics that are revealed in their wines.

Our visit to the chateau and tasting room provided a spectacular tasting experience with the magnificent setting and view of the vineyards on the slope and meadow below and of the opposing hillside.

 

The private tasting at Diamond Creek chateau offered an elegant tasting experience showcasing their wines harmonized by Diamond Creek cabernet sauvignon reduction with petit beef tenderloin and artisanal cheeses.

We visited the estate again during our 2017 Napa Valley Wine Experience for their release tasting of the 2015 vintage Diamond Creek releases at an Open House held at the Estate. 

Diamond Creek Gravelly Meadow Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 

Our Cellartracker records indicate we have a dozen vintages of this label dating back to the 1983 vintage, birthyear of our daughter-in-law, Michelle. We served that wine from magnum at her and son Ryan's wedding. 

K&L Notes indicate that "This muscle-bound Cabernet hails from Diamond Creek's second coolest mesoclimate. The five-acre Gravelly Meadow vineyard was originally a prehistoric river bed. Today, this stony, gravelly soil drains rapidly, and the vines must struggle for moisture. Gravelly Meadow is also this esteemed winery's lowest yielding vineyard, typically producing a Cabernet that is earthy and a touch cedary, as well as jammy with ripe blackberry with a spicy expansive finish. This one needs time. And more time. After which it will blow you away." 

This was awarded 93 points by Wine & Spirits,  90 points by  Connoisseurs Guide. 

Tonight, this was dazzling, not as forward, bright or vibrant as the more expressive Constant, more subdued but full, round, perfectly balanced, elegant and polished. Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, complex black fruits with earthiness, truffles, dark mocha chocolate, hints of mint on a moderate, smooth tannin laced lingering finish. 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=104586

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/07/diamond-creek-open-house-2013-release.html

https://www.diamondcreekvineyards.com/

 

 

Cliff Lede Napa Diamond Mountain Cabernet 2014

Cliff Lede Napa Valley Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 highlights family birthday celebration dinner

The family gathered for grandson Mile's birthday party. The parents/hosts Johnny and Erin ordered in carry-out Italian dinner. There's nothing better than gathering with family for a special occasion such as this. Son Ryan and I brought a couple wines for the dinner.

The wine highlight was clearly this Cliff Lede Diamond Mountain Cabernet that Ryan brought from his cellar. Ryan and Michelle tasted and acquired this wine during their visit to the Cliff Lede Stags Leap District estate and received it as part of their regular club allocation shipment. He says that this was their absolute favorite of all the wines tasted during their tasting of the Lede portfolio. 

Our visits and tastings at the Cliff Lede estate vineyards and winery in the Stags Leap District have been highlights of a couple of our Napa Valley trips. 

Cliff Lede Stags Leap District
estate vineyards and winery

Winemaker Christopher Tynan describes the 2014 Diamond Mountain vineyard for Cabernet Sauvignon: "Our Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon comes from an exceptional, low-yielding vineyard with volcanic ash and gravelly loam soils in the Diamond Mountain appellation, nestled in the Mayacamas Range on the northwest side of Napa Valley. The sun-drenched mountain vineyard has northeastern exposure and late afternoon breezes that ripen the fruit slowly and evenly. Planted and farmed by David Abreu Vineyard Management, this extraordinary site of old vines planted on a steep incline with a historic Napa field selection produces an age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon with dark fruit, intense structure, minerality, and perfume... "

He continues, "The 2014 vintage was a vintner’s dream. A dry late winter with unseasonably warm temperatures prompted an early bud break, leading to one of the earliest harvests on record. Moderate weather throughout the spring and summer allowed the vines to achieve a good set. The dry soil conditions led to low-vigor vines and small, abundant berries, creating very concentrated fruit that ripened with the warm fall days. With lovely autumn weather, harvest proceeded at a steady pace."

Diamond Mountain vineyards in distance
as seen from Diamond Creek Vineyards (foreground)

Cliff Lede Napa Valley Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

Winemaker's Notes for this vintage release: The ravishing inky purple 2014 Diamond Mountain is a seductive and complex tincture where a panoply of cassis, pine forest, black tea, bay laurel, and cedar aromas playfully dance in the glass. Layers of blackberry, new leather, and fresh tobacco notes lay out on top of the bouquet. The long and decadent mouthfeel is guided along the palate by a fresh acidity and gobs of chocolaty tannins provide an enticing structure. Lingering notes of ancho chile, cumin, and crushed blueberries persist long after tasting."- Christopher Tynan, Winemaker

This was a blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot; 440 cases were produced.

This is a full throttle Napa Cab, about as full bodied and fruit forward as they come. Dark inky purple, medium full bodied, complex, dense concentrated black and blue berry fruits with accents of cedar, black tea and tobacco leaf with hints of cassis and cedar on an expressive, structured, tongue coating full tannins on the lingering finish. After an hour the initial slightly astringent notes of camphor wore off to reveal bright sprites of the expressive fruit.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2534482

https://www.ledefamilywines.com/

https://twitter.com/CliffLedeWine 

@CliffLedeWine  

Nova Wines Napa Valley "Marilyn" Merlot 2006

Erin and Johnny opened this whimsical fun label. We have a deep vertical collection of this wine spanning two decades and I enjoy gifting it to folks, daughter Erin included. This is from her collection I've given her over the years. 

I did a feature on this producer and their Marilyn Merlot and Norma Jean Wines - A Study in Branding  several years ago. 

We first tried the 2006 Marilyn Merlot Napa when we did a vertical tasting of the 06, 07 and 08 vintages several years ago. The '06 was the concensus favorite of that tasting.

Today it was medium bodied, dark ruby color, pleasant easy drinking black berry fruits with tones of spicy oak on a moderate tannin lingering finish.

RM 87 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=675866
 

http://www.marilynwines.com/ 

 

We also took and finished up a bottle we had opened and written about the previous evening -

"Wines of Substance 'CS"' Columbia Valley Cabernet

"Wines of Substance 'CS"' Washington Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

 

Close out 2020 with Diamond Mtn Cabernets

Close out year with two top flight Diamond Mountain Napa Valley Cabernets

Family gathering to close out the year, son Ryan and I pulled two diverse Diamond Mountain Cabernets to share and compare. The Diamond Mountain appellation label was Ryan and Michelle's favorite of all those served during their tasting at the Cliff Lede estate. They acquired this as part of their wine club allocation shipments. 

Cliff Lede Diamond Mountain Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

Robert Parker writes that Cliff Lede Vineyards is one of the best-run wineries in Napa Valley. Cliff Lede Vineyards was established in 2002 by Canadian born Bordeaux enthusiast, Cliff Lede, when he acquired the sixty acre estate in the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley. 

We've visited the Cliff Lede estate on several of our Napa Valley wine trips and our wine several of our wine buddies including son Ryan source allocated wines as members of their club. 

Determined to produce optimal top rank Bordeaux varietal wines from estate vineyards, Lede tapped David Abreu, considered the best viticulturist in Napa Valley, to replant the vineyards. Lede decided to name each vineyard block after some of his favorite rock songs and albums—from “My Generation” to “Dark Side of the Moon,” creating what is known today as the Cliff Lede Vineyards “Rock Blocks.”

In 2005, he built a state of the art, 25,000 square foot winery and cave system was etched into a hillside overlooking the estate vineyards. Lede spared no expense in creating a magnificent property, and assembling a top rank team to achieve his vision of top quality wines. He also sourced grapes from prime properties across Napa Valley. Winemaker Christopher Tynan crafts Cabernet Sauvignons from the flagship, Poetry Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from the steep eastern hillside portion of the estate to appellation designated labels from Stags Leap, Howell Mountain, and this label from Diamond Mountain in Northwest Napa Valley. 

This Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from an exceptional, low-yielding vineyard with classic, legendary volcanic ash and gravelly loam soils in the Diamond Mountain appellation. The site is on the Mayacamas Range on the northwest side of Napa Valley above Calistoga.The sun-drenched mountain vineyard with steep hillside slope of old vines has northeastern exposure and late afternoon breezes that ripen the fruit slowly and evenly. The vineyard was planted and is farmed by David Abreu Vineyard Management.

Christopher Tynan, Winemaker writes of this release: "A deep,dark purple in color, this extraordinary mountain Cabernet offers loads of Pauillac-like aromas of graphite, cedar, cassis, and blackberry. Layered in with these classic scents area lovely array of powdered cocoa, black fig, and tobacco.The essence of terroir is echoed in the gravelly loam and pine forest notes that appear in the generous aromas and flavors. The long opulent palate tastes of liquefied minerals and possesses a voluptuous velour-like texture. Lucky imbibers of this rare elixir are privy to a wine made from a legendary site in an epic vintage."    

This is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot. Production was 466 cases. 

This was dark, inky purple, full bodied, rich concentrated but elegant and polished with lush black berry and black raspberry fruits with layers of cassis, clove spice, sweet oak, black tea, mocha and vanilla bean, with smooth silky soft tannins and nicely balanced acidity on the finish. 

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1748175

https://www.ledefamilywines.com/

@CliffLedeWine 

 Marco Di Giulio "Mark K Vineyard" Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2001

To compare in a side by side tasting, I brought to daughter Erin's this rare limited release Diamond Mountain vineyard private label from winemaker Marco Di Giulio. We hold a half dozen different labels of Marco Di Giulio releases from legendary vineyard sources, Mt Veeder Pym Rae, Progeny and this Diamond Mountain Mark K, all between 2001 and 2004 vintages, this 2001 being the oldest. 

Marco Di Giulio unique hand-crafted wines minimalist style wines were available under the winemakers' label and branding in limited quantities. They could be found in the boutique and specialist wine shops in Napa Valley or in the 'after market' via wine auctions. They were classic vineyard expressions of terrior, that unique expression of each vineyard's distinctive character, produced in very small quantities of 200 to 300 cases. His approach to winemaking was minimalist, letting the vineyard and each vintage speak for itself. As he says, he wants to “taste” each vineyard.

Marco produced his wines at Bin to Bottle, a high quality custom crush facility for a number of small Napa Vintners in South Napa where he is a partner.

As he writes on his Marcowines website, Marco was born and raised in San Francisco, California, shortly after his parents had emigrated from Tuscany and become successful Bay Area restaurateurs. Along with wonderful Italian meals, wine was an everyday part of their North Beach household life. As a result, Marco inherited his family's appreciation for great wine and food.

Marco developed an in-depth knowledge of winemaking and viticulture through education and experience in the industry. He graduated with a degree in Fermentation Science from the University of California at Davis in 1985.

After two years at Buena Vista Winery, Marco worked as cellar master at Pine Ridge Winery for more than four years. His next stint was as the production manager for Atlas Peak Vineyards, followed by his 1994 appointment as winemaker for Pezzi King Vineyards. Just before the 1995 harvest, he became the winemaker at Pepi Winery in Oakville. While making Pepi Wines, he also took charge of the Lokoya brand after the death of celebrated winemaker and mentor Greg Upton. It was at Lokoya that Marco's reputation for making world class Cabernet Sauvignon was first established.

Marco release his own label wines between 2001 and 2004. Today, Marco serves as consulting winemaker to many top labels and devotes attention to his personal projects: Vintage Wine Estates, Bin to Bottle, Lookout Ridge and Marco DiGiulio Wines where he strives to produce wines that reflect the rugged landscapes of the vineyard sources.  

Marco Di Giulio "Mark K Vineyard" Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2001

Marco Di Giulio obtained the fruit for this label from Norm Kiken Cabernet Sauvignon from his Diamond Mountain Mark K Vineyard. Marco began working with the Kiken vineyards when he was the winemaker for Lokoya. Norm Kiken became renowned for his Reverie wines and collaborated with Diguilio in sharing a few tons of Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. 

The grapes were sourced from rows that run East-West at a little over 1000 ft. above sea level on a steep south-facing slope. The soil consists of a well-drained volcanic loam and the vines are trained on a vertical trellis.

The 2001 vintage was a classic example of what Diamond Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon appellation has to offer.  The aromas that jump out of the glass are pure Diamond Mountain District with loads of cherry cough drop and black cherry fruit.  The oak adds layers of spice and a warm vanilla character. 

Giulio wrote of this release, "On the palate, the wine exhibits exceptional balance and nuanced character while still being big enough to handle anything you put it up against.  As in the nose, black cherry is the predominant fruit.  The mouthfeel is silky smooth and rich and the finish seems to go on forever.  Layers of brown spices and red fruits show themselves as the wine opens up in the glass."

On release, Di Giulio wrote of this wine, my sense is that with proper cellaring, this wine could easily continue to improve for another 8 to 12 years.

It took ninety minutes to open and reveal its true character. This was similar profile to the Lede but not as dark, rich or concentrated. There was still life left in this twenty year old, showing no signs of diminution from age.

Garnet colored, medium full bodied, black berry and black raspberry fruits with notes of cassis, black tea and hints of clove spice, oak and vanilla bean with smooth polished tannins on a lingering nicely balanced acidic finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=302285

http://www.marcowine.com/Marcowine/Marcowine.html

Marco DiGuilio Diamond Mtn Cabernet

Marco DiGiulio Mark K Vineyard Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2001

Entering week four of the Coronavirus shut-in, we order from Angelis Italian, our local neighborhood trattoria. I pulled from the cellar this vintage aged Marco DiGiulio single vineyard designated Cabernet Sauvignon for the wine pairing. I have blogged about the background and history of Marco in these pages.

 Marco DiGiulio gained a reputation producing premium wines as consulting winemaker for a number of high end boutique producers in the Napa area. He worked at well known wineries including Buena Vista, Pine Ridge, Atlas Peak and Pepi Winery. While at Pepi he was put in charge of the esteemed Lokoya brand focusing on high end Cabernet Sauvignon.

He came on the scene with his own label in 2001 through 2005 and then seemed to fall off the grid in terms of his own label. We saw his label in the Napa Valley wineshops that featured hip limited release boutique producers such as Bounter Hunter wines in downtown Napa. He also had some select distribution in New York, Florida and a few other states. We found and acquired his wines on Winebid.com. It was also available on his website at www.marcowine.com, but it has become increasingly scare with the passing of time.

We still hold each of his vintage releases, '01 through '05, from both his vineyards, Mt Veeder and Diamond  Mtn. As a borderline obsessive wine geek, we researched his vineyard sources and his subsequent works to track terroir and legacy and succession in artwork. We have written about his work as we have in the cases of the Long Shadows and their Vintners' Collection which features the works of Philipe Melka and Randy Dunn, two legendary Napa producers, or Nils and Kirk Venge, who touched so many labels across the valley over time.

Much of the fun of collecting and studying fine wine is to follow the careers of notable winemakers from label to label, from vintage to vintage. Much of my journaling in these pages is following winemakers through such studies. Such a pursuit and study has been more difficult with the more stealthy, less public Marco DiGiulio.

Marco DiGiulio Wines featured single vineyard designated selections with premium fruit sourced from prime vineyards on Mt Veeder and this Mark K Vineyard from Diamond Mountain.  I wrote about his Mt Veeder label sourced from the legendary Pym Rae vineyard in this blogpost.

Marco branded release bottlings are packaged in large extra heavy gauge glass bottles with an extra deep bung, that 'bump' in the bottom of the bottle to separate sentiment. Each of his two wine labels were produced in small quantities of only 200 to 300 cases. Marco’s wines were aged in 100% New French Oak barrels.

Marco DiGiulio Mark K Vineyard Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2001

This Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from a vineyard owned and managed by Norm Kiken, the owner of Reverie Winery. The vineyard grows on volcanic soils with a southern exposure and always ripens well.

Dark garnet colored, full bodied, nicely balanced and well integrated rich black berry and black cherry fruits with notes of smoked oak, anise, spices, hints of soy and dustiness with lively acidity on a smooth lingering finish.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=68522

http://www.marcowine.com/

Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyard Napa Cabernet 2004

Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

With the late Freddie Constant at the Constant
Diamond Mountain estate

As the Coronavirus shut-in continues, tonight, we ordered out from Angelis Italian, our favorite neigborhood trattoria and wanted a special bottle of wine, so we pulled from the cellar this Constant Diamond Mountain Cabernet.

We discovered and acquired this wine when we visited the spectacular picturesque Constant Vineyards estate high atop Diamond Mountain during our Diamond Mountain Appellation Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2011.

We still hold close to a case of Constant wines and tonight we were rewarded for being patient as this wine has developed very nicely.

Our tasting and visit back then were hosted by proprietor Freddie Constant, founder and proprietor. Sadly, Freddie passed away in 2014. All of our group that were there remember him fondly and toast him each time we drink his wine.

The Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyard sits at the peak of Diamond Mountain on the Mayacamas Range separating Napa Valley to the east and Sonoma Valley to the west and is one of the area’s highest, oldest, and smallest wineries in the region. At 2121 feet above sea level, it may be the highest, or certainly one of the highest, vineyards in the region.

Constant Diamond Mountain Estate Vineyards

The Diamond Mountain District appellation, one of the smaller Napa wine districts, sits just south of and above the town of Calistoga in the northwest corner of Napa Valley.

The unique terroir and micro-climate at the very top of Diamond Mountain provides grapes with optimal sun exposure and elongated ripening periods, The sun drenched slopes with their rocky terrain and volcanic soil produce rich concentrated Bordeaux varietal fruit.

Today the area is home to some of the most notable and prestigious labels including the namesake label Diamond Mountain vineyards. Our afternoon on the mountaintop retreat was one of the more memorable settings from our many Napa Valley trips.

The mountaintop land that would become Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyard was first settled in 1895 by Andras Rasmussen, a Danish immigrant. After working in the wine industry for 15 years at Talcoa Vineyard (now Hudson Vineyard in Carneros), at Summit Vineyard and Winery, and studying viticulture at UC Davis – Rasmussen purchased 120 forested acres atop Diamond Mountain, cleared about 30 acres himself, and planted the first grapevines at the summit.

The vines were abandoned in the 1920s and 1930s due to Prohibition.

Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyard was established by Freddy and Mary Constant in 1993 when they bought a dilapidated but historic farmhouse and set upon reestablishing the vineyards which by then were overgrown and wild.

The couple had backgrounds as radio station entrepreneurs but their plan on Diamond Mountain was to grow and sell grapes to winemakers. They believed they had a unique and spectacular plot of land capable of producing premium fruit and soon they were growing grapes for several of the best winemakers in the area.

The started producing small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon but their first vintage in 1993 was not to their standards and it was never released.  They released their first vintage in 1995 under the Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyard label. They proceeded to build a winery on the estate producing their wine under the Constant label and brand. In 1999 Wine Spectator wrote that Constant was “a new can’t miss Cabernet, this vineyard is able to produce stunning wines on a consistent basis.” The original winemaker was the notable Philippe Melka. With the 2009 vintage, Paul Hobbs took over as consulting winemaker.

Notably, we collect Philippe Melka wines to this day an featured his label at a recent business dinner. 

Freddie and Mary hired renowned architect Howard Backen who built a stunning house along with a tasting room hospitality center overlooking the valley floor with a full view of Mount St. Helena.

In 2016, Aries Liu and Sai You became the property’s caretakers with the continued commitment to producing some of Napa Valley’s best Bordeaux varietals.

Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

I believe this is the best, most memorable Constant Cabernet I have had and may be, at sixteen years of age, at the apex of its drinking profile and window.
 
Deep garnet purple color, medium-full bodied, delicious concentrated but smooth and elegant and nicely balanced ripe blackberry and black raspberry fruits with hints of black currant, notes of spice and graphite.

RM 92 points. 

The blend includes small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Merlot.


https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=437961

https://www.constantwine.com/

Constant Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 1998

Constant Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 -
The adventure, joy, and perils of holding vintage wine for a couple decades or more ...

Son Ryan came over for the evening and we went down and dug deep into the cellar to pull out this aged 1998 vintage release Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyards Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. We acquired this wine at the Estate during our Napa Valley Wine Experience back in 2011. My early blogpost of our visit to Constant Diamond Mtn Vineyard was here.

Bill & Beth, Bill & Jan, the late Freddie Constant,
Linda and me.

I’ve written often about the 1998 vintage Napa Cabernets. It was widely panned as being a subpar vintage, especially after the much heralded block buster ’97. As a result, prices on the 98 releases were lower, especially after a couple of years when 98’s were still sitting on the shelves and the vintage was considered lackluster relative to the range of choices of more favored releases.

Lo and behold, IMHO this represented an opportunity to pick up quality wines at bargain prices when compared to the higher price points on the highly rated releases. Ironically, a decade, and now two decades later, those wines were and are often tasting very nicely and in some cases are on par equivalent to some of the other vintage releases.

Often, ‘off’ vintages can provide great QPR (Quality Price Ratios). Of course, perhaps just as often, off vintages are just that, ‘off’ in terms of quality in some way or other, due to whatever shortcomings that vintage suffered, excessive heat, not enough rain at the right times, or too much rain at the in-opportune times, all suppressants to the realized quality of fine wine.

This disparity was magnified perhaps by the fact that the much heralded 97 vintage in many cases, never achieved its lofty accolades and expectations – too closed, too tight, too subdued, or some other diminution of expectations.

Perhaps its time will come as the ‘lesser’ 98 reaches and surpasses its prime drinking window and eventually end of life, while the 97, a longer lived vintage, lives on, and perhaps still realizes the apex of its potential, late in life. It can happen. . So, caveat emptor. Don’t be afraid to invest in ‘off’ vintages. The price differential can be significant with savings of 50% or more.

Often, only in such years are some of the higher rated, ranked wines approachable or affordable. Take advantage to experiment, if you dare. You might be mightily rewarded. Or, your lowered expectations will be met.

Another related point, my wine buddies have heard me talk about my experience with a case of Dominus Proprietary Red Wine that I purchased on release back in 1986. Dominus, the Napa Valley project of legendary Bordeaux owner/producer/winemaker Christian Moueix often trades at super premium prices, and tends to be a long lived wine, in the tradition and style of sophisticated, complex Bordeaux’s.

Those early Dominus labels featured pencil sketch drawings of Christian Moueix on the labels for the first decade, up until the 1991 vintage release.

With that 1986 Dominus, I was patient, and waited, and opened a bottle of the 1986 around 1989 or 90. It was lackluster, rather closed and tight. I waited another couple years with the same effect. This exercise was repeated several more times until about 2006, when at twenty years of age, two decades, it showed complexity, polish, balance, breadth and depth – the attributes of its true character and potential one might hope for or expect from the pedigree’d label. Alas. That is what Dominus is supposed to taste like. But then, ahah, I only had three bottles left to experience its magnificence.

While its fun to enjoys one’s investment in a cellar, with case lots of wine, to experience how a wine will age and mature and hopefully improve over time, there is the real risk of drinking your wine too early, or holding it too long. I now realized I drank many of my Bordeaux from quality 1980’s era vintages too young. But, I also fairly often come across a bottle that I held on to too long, especially if it got overlooked or lost in the cellar, or just got passed over too many times for something more appealing or exciting. Such is the art of collecting fine wines.

Most folks would think that we hold onto our wines too long and drink them too late. Count my wife, Linda in those ranks. We look at it as part of the adventure.

Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1998

My previous tasting of this label was in March of this year when I had a similar tasting experience and wrote: "Some bottles of this vintage are at or nearing their end of life and need to be consumed. While at the end of or past its prime drinking window, this bottle was still holding its own, maintaining its fruit and some of its terroir character and profile.'

"Dark garnet colored with some slight bricking in color, medium bodied, the black fruit is giving way to notes of earth, spice, leather and hints of vegetable with modest tannins. Time to drink up but this was still pleasant drinking."

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/03/constant-vineyards-diamond-mountain.html

Tonight, this 1998 Constant was drinking very nicely – probably as good as ever, and most assuredly not likely to improve any with further aging, and very likely to start to diminish from this point forward.

Not for the casual feint of heart drinker, son Ryan and I enjoyed it and its ‘maturity’ immensely, and we opened something more ‘youthful’, or ‘approachable’ for Linda and the others.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=43557
 

Bon chance!