Chateau Montelena Wine Dinner at Cafe Maxx with Bo Barrett Tuesday, February 7, 2012 - 07:00 PM Collectors Dinner Series

This is the first Collectors dinner series event that we have done at Cafe Maxx in a long time, but when I heard that Bo was coming into town I knew that we had a lot of Montelena Collectors that would want to bring a bottle out of their cellar to share with our group tonight.

Our Collector Series dinner event is where we ask you, our wine drinking friends, to come up with some wine from your wine collection to add to the party.

Let me explain further, this is a two part event.

Part One: 10 Year Vertical Tasting of Chateau Montelena Estate

The first part of the evening begins at 6:30pm, this is where we will be tasting through a vertical selection of 10 vintages of Chateau Montelena Estate. The price of admission is one bottle of Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon from your cellar, but here is the catch- we only need 2 bottles of each wine, so the longer you wait to respond the harder it will be to get a seat as you will have to go further back in time because the youngest vintages will be filled up by the first collectors who respond.

If you would like to attend the vertical tasting just respond with the vintage of Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon you would like to trade for your seat.

**There are only 20 spaces available for the first part of this event.

Part Two: Dinner with Bo Barret

Here is where Bo will showcase his current releases and chef Oliver Saucy will be serving a special five course dinner to accompany the line-up of wines. The fee for this dinner is $150 + tax, for reservations for dinner call 954-523-9463

Line-up of wines:

Chateau Montelena
Menu:

Pass arounds
Grilled shrimp with lime caper mayo
Sea scallop with melon
Conch schnitzel with orange and chili

Chateau Montelena Riesling 2009


First course
Grilled black grouper with sweet & sour pineapple sauce, forbidden black rice and baby bok choy

Chateau Montelena Chardonnay 2009

Second course
Pressed duck confit with blackberry currant glaze, polenta croutons, red chard and foie gras

Chateau Montelena Zinfandel Estate 2008

Third course
Charred filet mignon with mole sauce, Yukon mash and roasted corn

Chateau Montelena Cabernet Napa 2008

Fourth course
Grill roasted lamb chop and wild mushrooms, bacon & sweet onion risotto and red wine sauce

Chateau Montelena Cabernet Estate 2007

Dessert
Hazel nut and dark chocolate tart with sundried cherry chocolate sauce

Chateau Montelena: is nestled in the foothills of Mt. St. Helena in the northern end of the Napa Valley. Founded in 1882, the winery was built in the "chateau" fashion by a French architect. The entire facade shown on the label is made of beautiful imported stone. Montelena's reputation was unsurpassed in the glorious golden era of California wine during the 1880's, but the entire facility fell into sleepy desuetude during Prohibition. The Yort Franks, a Chinese couple who longed for their ancestral home in Northern China, moved into the estate in 1958 and decided to evoke a slice of Chinese nostalgia in the Napa Valley. Behind the winery they created Jade Lake, a peaceful, charming, small body of water complete with weeping willows, arched bridges, geese and ducks, and an authentic Chinese junk beached on the shore. Then in 1972 the winery was purchased by James Barrett and several partners, visionaries with a dream of reviving the great name of Chateau Montelena.

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Chateau Latour Vertical Tasting at Cafe Maxx

Friday, February 17, 2012 - 07:00 PM

Throughout the 1980's, 1990's and into the 21st century Château Latour has repeated with a succession of brilliantly executed wines; in vintages such as 1982, 1983, 1986, 1990, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2010, Latour has been a leading candidate for "Wine of the Vintage". Join us as we taste 10 vintages of this famous first growth going back to the legendary 1959 vintage. Wine Watch Catering's Toni Lampasone will be sending out a few small courses to accompany the tasting wines. This event is limited to 16 people and the fee for this dinner is $895 per person all-inclusive, for reservations call 954-523-9463

Tasting Line-up:

1959 Chateau Latour Pauillac

(96 Points) Dark garnet with an amber edge, the 1959 Latour reveals a touch of volatile acidity in the nose, along with aromas of melted caramel, tobacco, and jammy red and black fruits. As the wine sat in the glass, notes of minerals, coffee, spice, and underbrush emerged. There is still copious tannin in the finish (I am not sure it will ever be fully resolved), but this sumptuous, complex, fragrant, super-rich Latour cuts a broad swath across the palate. Fully mature, it is best consumed over the next decade. Wine Advocate # 129, Jun 2000

1966 Chateau Latour Pauillac

(96 Points) The wine of the vintage, the 1966 Latour is a classic, old style Bordeaux that has required decades to become drinkable. A dark, opaque garnet color is followed by a fabulous nose of cedar, sweet leather, black fruits, prunes, and roasted walnuts, refreshing underlying acidity, sweet but noticeable tannin, and a spicy finish. This powerful, vigorous, immensely impressive, concentrated Latour has reached its plateau of maturity, where it will remain for another 10-20 years.

1970 Chateau Latour Pauillac

(91 Points) Elegant and gorgeous to drink now. Peaked. Ruby red color with an amber edge. Lovely aromas of plum, berry and mint. Full-bodied, with currant, dried herb character. Medium finish.--Latour vertical. Drink now. –JS Wine Spectator Issue: Aug 31, 2000

1982 Chateau Latour, Pauillac

(100 Points) As I indicated in the review of the 1982 Bordeaux, this is an unusual Latour in the fact that it has always been precocious. It has been jammy, forward, and delicious no matter when the cork was pulled, in total contrast to its two first-growth siblings, Mouton Rothschild and Lafite-Rothschild. The dense, opaque garnet-colored 1982 Latour reveals slight amber at the edge. Sweet, smoky, roasted aromas in the nose combine with jammy levels of black currant, cherry, and prune-like fruit. It possesses extraordinary concentration and unctuosity, with a thick, fat texture oozing notes of cedar wood, tobacco, coffee, and over-ripe fruit. Low acidity as well as high alcohol (for Bordeaux) give the wine even more glycerin and textural chewiness. The finish lasts forever. The only Latour that remotely resembles the 1982 is the 1961, which has a similar texture and succulence. Anticipated maturity: now-2040 The Wine Advocate Issue 129, June 2000.

1996 Chateau Latour Pauillac

(99 Points) A spectacular Latour, the 1996 may be the modern day clone of the 1966, only riper. This vintage, which is so variable in Pomerol, St.-Emilion, and Graves, was fabulous for the late-harvested Cabernet Sauvignon of the northern Medoc because of splendid weather in late September and early October. An opaque purple color is followed by phenomenally sweet, pure aromas of cassis infused with subtle minerals. This massive offering possesses unreal levels of extract, full body, intensely ripe, but abundant tannin, and a finish that lasts for nearly a minute. Classic and dense, it displays the potential for 50-75 years of longevity. Although still an infant, it would be educational to taste a bottle. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2050. Wine Advocate #129, Jun 2000

2000 Chateau Latour Pauillac

(98 Points) There are only 14,000 cases (only 48% of the crop made it into the grand vin) of the 2000, which flirts with perfection. Truly great stuff, it reveals perfect equilibrium, great finesse, yet colossal size, with a thickness and density that rival the brilliant 1996. This saturated black ruby/purple colored wine seems almost discreet on first inspection, but with aeration, notes of vanilla, exceptionally pure, mineral infused creme de cassis, and earth emerge. Full-bodied and tannic, it should come close to representing perfection. Latours 2000 is hard to compare with previous vintages. It obviously does not have the opulence of the 1990 and 1982, yet there is an extraordinary purity, delineation, seamlessness, and freshness to this wine that sets it apart from previous vintages. In any event, it is prodigious, with at least five decades of evolution ahead of it. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2050. The Wine Advocate, Issue 146, April 2003

2001 Chateau Latour Pauillac

(95 Points) boasts an inky/ruby/purple color to the rim as well as a glorious bouquet of black currants, crushed stones, vanilla, and hints of truffles and oak. A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance primarily Merlot with a touch of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it reveals a sweetness on the palate that is atypical for such a young Latour. The beautiful integration of tannin, acidity, and wood is stunning. The wine flows across the palate with fabulous texture, purity, and presence. This luscious, full-bodied Latour was surprisingly open-knit on the three occasions I tasted it from bottle. However, do not mistake its aging ability as this 2001, despite its precociousness, will last 20-25 years. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2025. The Wine Advocate (06/04)

2006 Chateau Latour Pauillac

(95 Points) The 2006 Latour performed even better from bottle than from barrel. Only 38% of the production (10,000 cases) made it into the grand vin, a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest primarily Merlot and a small amount of Cabernet Franc. From barrel, I thought it was a modern day version of the 1996 or 1986, and certainly the 1996 comparison still holds. I thought it was somewhat austere from barrel, but that is no longer an issue. This is a beautifully rich Chateau Latour boasting a dense ruby/purple color, a sweet, smoky, charcoal, cassis, graphite, and forest floor-scented nose, full body, an attractive freshness, and sweet, noble tannins. This layered Latour is one of the vintage's top dozen or so wines. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2030.

Latour's brilliant manager, Frederic Engerer, has purchased 15 hectares of old vine Grenache and Syrah in the Cotes du Rhone region, the Drome, at a cool-climate elevation. I can't wait to see the first vintage from this Cotes du Rhone project.

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Shafer Hillside Select Vertical Tasting at Café Maxx

Friday, March 9, 2012 - 07:00 PM

Vertical of Shafer Hillside Select featuring 10 vintages of Shafer's top wine along with several of the new releases from this landmark Napa Valley winery. Chef Oliver Saucy will be making a special 5 course tasting menu to accompany the tasting wines. The fee for this tasting is $295 + Tax + gratuity, for reservations call 954-523-9463

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Friday, March 23, 2012

7 PM

Lewis Wine Dinner at Cafe Maxx with Randy Lewis

For more information and reservations call 954-523-9463

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Bordeaux Wine Tasting at Café Maxx