Vino with Viet: Cobb, Paul Bara, Dehlinger, Lewis, Stony Hill

My wife and I were graced with a visit from Viet Ly and his lovely bride, in what was their first dinner with friends away from home since the shutdown. I didn’t scribble notes, so these are just impressions from memory.

[With jamon serrano, Midnight Moon, truffle pate and Marcona almonds]

Cobb Chardonnay Mariani Vineyard 2016. This was my #1 favorite wine from Falltacular 2018, so I went out at the time and bought five bottles. This didn’t disappoint in the least last night. A light layer of earthiness and gunflint, bright fruit with some real depth and presence to it, great white spice, some roundedness from the oak but nothing obtrusive. Really fantastic.


[With seared scallops over a sauce with spicy peppers and oranges - Viet prepared this so he could elaborate more, but it was superb. I’ll attach a couple of photos below.]

Paul Bara Special Club 2008. This has an intense beam of acidity, driving through pear, lime and citrus fruit. The wine seems fairly primary right now – fruit and high acid. I think it promises more returns with age.


[With garlic-soy-sesame marinated seared ahi and a baked stuffed avocado.]

Dehlinger Pinot Noir Goldridge Old Vines 2012. I dropped off the Dehlinger list around that time, as the pinots and chards became too big and dark for my tastes, but despite that, Tom’s pinots do have a great track record of aging, and this one, while only 8 years old, was developing positively. Dark, rich red fruit, some dark spices, balanced with adequate acidity. A definite crowd pleaser, definitely in the Big Flavor style of California pinot, alcohol listed at 14.9% and possibly higher than that in actuality.


[With garlic soy marinated prime hangar steak and broiled asparagus.]

Lewis Cabernet Reserve 2007. I bought two bottles of this off Commerce Corner maybe 5 years ago, and I had the first one not too long after, and I found it fatiguing in the sweetness and lushness of the wine. Last night’s bottle was greatly improved. Definitely still defined by ripe, concentrated, purple fruit and a rich layer of creamy oak, but the sweetness had finally shed for the most part, and that allowed some interesting menthol, soy and loamy notes to emerge. The wine overall was very nicely integrated at this age. I think we caught it in its peak window.


[With nectarines, strawberries and cream.]

Stony Hill Semillon de Soleil 1998. Very graceful at this age. I think many or most wine geeks would have pegged this for a good Sauternes. A mixture of amber and gold in color, with honey, citrus, hazelnut, white flowers, and very good balancing acids. What a lovely wine, I really ought to look for more of these.

Nice notes. Let me know if you don’t feel like waiting on the rest of your Paul Bara 08s, I can promise more returns right now.

Thanks for the note on the Dehlinger. I remember when they were released and we each got allocated one. Still have mine and will wait a few more years

Thanks again Chris! We had a wonderful time catching up with you two. I didn’t write down notes but will post some impressions and hopefully my photos will do justice to the delicious food that we were treated to.

The charcuterie board by the fire pit was a nice way to start the night. I also thought the Cobb chard was one of the standouts at the Laura’s House event, but in my case it was last year’s event with the 2017 Joann’s Block. The 2016 Mariani has a similar style, pretty yellow fruit that’s supported with a vibrant steak of acidity but doesn’t overwhelm. A bit of mineral notes playing a supportive role with a framework of balanced oak. Nice texture and finish. A style of Sonoma Coast Chardonnay that both my wife and I enjoy.

The scallops were seared and served with navel oranges, pickled onions and parsley. The sauce was comprised of freshly squeezed orange juice, passion fruit vinegar and olive oil. I also sprinkled some Aleppo pepper and smoked Maldon salt to finish the dish.

Agree with Chris, the 2008 Paul Bara was likely still very young and has more to offer with time. Right now it’s all about the bright fruit but I also experienced some light brioche/toast notes. That’s one of the things I’m still learning: is that note considered in line with what others call an “oxidative” style in Champagne?

The Dehlinger was a treat and my wife’s WOTN. The aromatics were leaping out of the glass. I enjoyed the notes that develop in the nose with some age. On the palate was rich dark fruit. I didn’t realize the abv was that high but it makes sense in hindsight with the mouthfeel. These days I more often reach for a red fruit/vibrant style of pinot but I appreciated Chris picking something that my wife loved. She was still talking about it on the car ride home.

I’ve read about Lewis before but this was my first time tasting it so I appreciated Chris opening this for us. This was the WOTN for me and I would have had another glass if we had taken an Uber there. Like most people I started enjoying wine by drinking Napa Cab. Over time I started branching out to cooler climates and seeking out instead of avoiding pyrazines. This wine was a fun return to Napa with the dark fruit, bits of mocha, plush velvety texture, oak and round tannin. It was very easy to drink and the younger version of me probably would not have picked up on some of the more nuanced cab and age notes.

The Stony Hill was a great way to cap off the evening. We talked a bit about how I enjoy tasting wines from classic producers and this was a good example of that. I got tropical fruit tempered with caramel. Texture was light enough that it didn’t feel syrupy and made me want to take the next sip.

Food looks incredible, as always. And of course there was Paul Bara.