Last week we had an honor to host Kathy Simpson and our very own Ivan the Fiver as they shared with us a fantastic lineup of Cabernets from vines all of which are planted and managed by our dear friend Jim Barbour! Jim only works with the A-Team of Napa so you know the wines are going to be exceptional! We featured three of our favorite Cabernets, starting with Jim Barbour’s personal wine: 2011 Barbour Vineayrds Cabernet. The dreadful green stigma of the 2011 vintage has made such a strong impact in the Cabernets of Napa but with the right vineyard management and winemaking team, the 2011 vintage is a beautiful vintage that is not to be missed! Take Jim Barbour’s 2011 Barbour Vineyards Cabernet… made by Celia Welch, this Cabernet offers gorgeous dark luxardo cherries, black plums and deep graphite minerality lead the nose while rich layers of vanilla beans and caramel broaden the palate. The flavors are all encompassing and its body is broad shouldered with ripe tannins all leading into a smooth finish. Graileys doesn’t always open and drink 2011, but when we do- it’s 2011 Barbour Vineyards Cabernet… or 2011 Tusk 
Our second Barbour managed Cabernet was the 2012 Jones Family Cabernet Sauvignon. From the heart of Calistoga and made by Thomas Rivers Brown, the 2012 Jones Family Cabernet showed the most aromatics and opulence of the lineup with plush blueberry, crème de cassis, red plums and sweet baking spices driving the wine. There was an underlying layer of sweet, ripe herbs, leather and chocolate that gave the Cabernet another dimension to the delicious fruit core.
One of my personal favorite Cabernets- the bold, polished, and powerful 2012 Perfect Season Cabernet Sauvignon, the personal project of Norma Hunt, widow of the late Lamar Hunt of the Kansas City Chiefs. Here is another Napa dream team- Jim Barbour and Philippe Melka, this bottle of wine commands your attention from the nose to the finish with intense aromas of dark red and black fruit, lavender, cassis, and sweet vanilla and spice. The palate delivered these same flavors with an added layer of molten graphite that really pulled the wine together and with its polished tannins, voluptuous body, and long finish- this is a near perfect bottle of wine for my palate. It was terrific to show Jim Barbours works side by side, what a fantastic tasting indeed!
Also last week, I started something a little different for Graileys. I am taking some of our Graileys tastings outside the Graileys wine walls and into some of the best local restaurants in the Big D! For my first Graileys pop up wine dinner, I took my guests to the heart of Spain with a Gran Reserva Rioja wine dinner at Dallas’ hottest tapas restaurant, Casa Rubia! With four courses of phenomenal Spanish flair, we dove into the diverse regions, styles and vintages of Rioja.
The first course was a family style serving of Spanish cheeses, charcuterie, Bocadillos and Boquerones all paired with a bottle of white Rioja- 2009 Marques de Murrieta Campellania Rioja Blanco Reserva. This is 100% Viura at its finest. From ripe pear to tropical tangerines, the fruit is ripe and fleshy, but the minerals and deep spice are what drives the wine from extended aging in new French barrels.
The Second course was Tuna a la Plancha- Grilled Yellowfin Tuna with potato confit, turnips, Hollander mussels and charred arugula all in a saffron broth. This course was paired to a Gran Reserva vertical of 1990, 1994 and 1995 Marques de Caceres and the pairing was phenomenal! From the rich sauce of the dish to the deeper weight in each component of the dish really stood up to these aged, more modern in style Tempranillo. The 1990 was showing at its prime with ultra silky texture and completely melded flavors while the 1994 was the most complex and the 1995 had the most power.
The final savory course was Beeman Ranch Teres Major- wood grilled shoulder with roasted mushrooms, crispy potatoes and black truffle aioli paired with a lineup of more traditional, yet more youthful Rioja Tinto: the benchmark of traditional Rioja 2005 La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904, the single vineyard 2005 Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial and the 2010 Remondo Palacios Propiedad Garnacha from Rioja Baja. The 2005 La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904 was my star of the flight with more savory tones of ripe dill, wild herbs, leather, cured meat and bright red fruit. Made from La Rioja Alta’s most famous single vineyard, La Plana, the ’05 Castillo Ygay showed more oomph in every degree from fruit to minerals, herbs, spice, texture and finish. Lastly the 2010 Remondo Palacios Propiedad Garnacha was a crowd favorite with deep dark black fruits, notes of tar, licorice, smoke, bitter dark chocoalte and dense spice. There is a true sense of Rioja’s deep south in this bottle of Garnacha. It is the home estate of Priorat famed Alvaro Palacio and this is a serious Garnacha coming from 90 year old vines in extremely elevated vineyard sites of Rioja Baja’s most famous and most southern town Alfaro.
The final course was the most decadent Chocolate dish I have ever had- Chocolate cremoso with kumquat, hazelnut, toasted marshmallow, cardamom-cocoa crumble and coffee espuma paired with a bottle of 1983 Toro Albala Don Px Sherry Gran Reserva. Wow! The dish and the sherry were equally powerful yet wonderfully complimentary. The notes in the Sherry were nearly parallel to the dessert with cocoa, espresso and chocolate, but there were hidden notes of savory spice and smoke in the Sherry that popped out against all the chocolate and coffee.
Both tastings at Graileys and at Casa Rubia were a great hit! We will always host great tastings at Graileys and I plan to host more pop-up tastings at Dallas’ finest establishments! If you can’t come to Graileys for one of our tastings, catch us at a local restaurant near you! We sealed the week with a bottle of 1992 Heitz Trailside Cabernet Sauvignon. Wow what a beautiful bottle this was! Ultra silky smooth with sweet red fruit that was soft enough to let the savory notes brilliantly shine. Gorgeous notes of dried dill, roasted coffee, sweet sage, soft leather and striking eucalyptus- this bottle was a solid close to another fantastic week at Graileys!