Upchurch Vineyards Cabernet Review by BoutiqueReds.com

Many wine enthusiasts will recognize Chris Upchurch as the  long-time acclaimed wine maker at Delille Cellars. Now he has applied his passion and focus to the 2013 and 2014 vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon from his own single-parcel estate grapes on Red Mountain; the limited 700 case production is well suited to delivering the notable concentrated results this finely crafted wine presents. Wine is "made" in the vineyard and refined by the wine-maker's artistry and experience.

We were introduced to the Upchurch 2014 by Ram(the wine guy) at the Sammamish Metropolitan Market and have been impressed by the quality of fruit and complexity of flavors displayed at its price point. Jen Dunnuck's (Wine Advocate) tasting notes: "The 2014 Upchurch Vineyard Cabernet has a youthful nose of violets, cracked pepper, blueberries, sandlewood, cigar box and a whiff of smoke. This vintage has a great attack that includes delicious broad flavors of deep black cherries, cassis, sage and earth characters. I particularly like the juicy savory acidity and precise tannin structure that flows into the incredibly long finish." We are excited to find this relative new offering from the great Red Mountain appellation AVA in Benton County, Washington from which many of the best Washington State wines are sourced. Run this one down while you can! We conclude with Chris Upchurch's succinct mission statement: "One Family. One Vineyard. One Wine." Cheers! RJKirk

Realm Cellars Review by BoutiqueReds.com at The Butcher's Table

The Butchers Table Seattle is perhaps one of the finest steak-centric restaurants at which we have ever dined, just spectacular! In addition, most of our best dining experiences involve a combination of fine wine and food; of course! On this evening from which this video is featured we enjoyed a bottle of Realm Cellars "The Bard" 2014. Over the past several years, many of their wines have been scored at 100 points by Robert Parker of the wine advocate as was the 2013 and for good reason. This is one of those boutique wineries in Napa that  produces some of this world's best wines from some of the world's best grapes; yet to be compromised by large corporate interests. Simple put, we love their wines of exceptional depth and complex big bold fruit consistently produced year after year. A little secret; when these wines score 100 points, the price increases proportionality. However, for most of us we would not notice the difference between 95+ and 100 points in this price range and they are more affordably amazing. Cheers! RJKirk

Carmine's Bellevue Patio Dining & 100 Point RP Wines

A stunning Northwest summer evening brings us to the patio at Carmine's Bellevue to enjoy good company, great food and wines. The featured wines this even were the 2014 Quilceda Creek Cabernet and the 2013 Vineyard 29 Estate Cabernet, both received 100 point Robert Parker(Wine Advocate) scores; thus providing excellent examples of highly evolved wine creations from Washington and California with their contrasting viticulture styles. As expected, the Vineyard 29 is more fruit forward opulent, faster over the palate with a longer softer finish while the Quilceda is far more "Bordeaux", potentially more complex and begging for greater cellar time; both are consumed far to quickly :) As usually the food and service was at the level that has made Carmine's our go to restaurant (Italian or otherwise) in Bellevue. This evening's featured entrées were Halibut over pasta and Osso Buco with risotto; both outstanding example of the culinary expertise that is exhibited. Especially notable on this occasion was the response to a food sequence challenge that was responded to with speed and flair by their GM, Adrian Lopez; impressive. Thank your for a delightful evening! Cheers! RJKirk

Sails Restaurant @ the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas

The Sails Restaurant @ the Ritz Carlton, located at a breathtaking property on the southeast side of Saint Thomas at Great Bay is one of those special restaurants that we have had the good fortune to discover in our travels. Fresh seafood hours off the boat is offered in a casual resort atmosphere nestled between beach and pool. Mussa Bey, the chef, presents a seafood centric menu with both skill and enthusiasm. Dinner is exclusive to Tuesday & Saturday evenings, presenting great focus and staff attention as the sun sets and casual fine dining commences. If you find yourself on St. Thomas, don't miss this one and tell them RJKirk@BoutiqueReds.com sent you, Cheers!

2014 Outpost True Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

With the 2014 vintage of their True Vineyard Cabernet Outpost Wines has produced what we consider a perfect wine and as confirmed by Robert Parker of the wine advocate. Congratulations to the Dotzlers and Thomas Rivers Brown! As we sip this 2014 True Vineyard Cabernet at Café 1853, we again note the big intense fruit, complexity and soft tannins with lingering finish matching our palate to a tee. Indeed, this release has achieved another level with perfect balance through the entire tasting spectrum. As always, all the best and Cheers! RJKirk

2013 Vineyard 29 Estate & Del Dotto St Helena 887 Tasting

Tonight at BoutiqueReds.com with good friends we present a dual tasting of 2013 Vineyard 29 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and 2013 Del Dotto St. Helena 887 Cabernet. What would your favorite be, depends on your individual palate but very generally the Vineyard 29 is a bit more balanced and refined while the Del Dotto 887 is big dominant fruit forward; both striking examples of what was possible from the 2013 Napa vintage. Enjoying these fine wines brought back memories of our visit last year to their Napa Valley locations… All the best and Cheers! RJKirk

Turnbull Wine Cellars St Helena

Turnbull Wine Cellars is a perfect model for creating limited production wines of exceptional quality and value. They are a small, family-owned, multi-generation business with the long view in mind; controlling their vision from vineyard to bottle produces results that place them at the top list of wine expert accolades and make then a must visit when enjoying the Napa Valley. Their tasting room ambience is casual, inviting and attentive, an experience that compliments their highly enjoyable wines that are well expert rated across their entire line-up. Our current favorites are the 2013 Black Label and 2013 Pierra Cabernets that we feature here. Cheers! RJKirk

Long Shadows Vintners Tasting Room Woodinville

The Long Shadows project is the brain child of Allen Shoup of St . Michelle Fame. The concept was to use Napa and internationally renowned winemakers to produce 7 exceptional wines of multiple varietals using Columbia Valley grape sources; the result have been nothing short of spectacular. Our personal favorites are Feather by winemaker Randy Dunn of Dunn Vineyards in Howell Mountains and Pirouette, a joint-effort of Philippe Melka, of Napa Midas touch reputation and Agustin Huneeus, Sr. of legendary America’s prominence. Cheers! RJKirk

Del Dotto Vineyards St. Helena

While dining at Carmines Bellevue on Valentine's Day we opened a bottle of 2014 Del Dotto St. Helena Family Reserve Block 2 and were reminded of the several tasting experiences enjoyed at their wineries in Napa which you can enjoy vicariously through this video. All of Del Dotto's wines are powerful and elegant examples of the results that various outstanding wine source terroirs and wine making expertise are capable of producing. This particular example received a score of 98 from Robert Parker. So sit back and enjoy the show! All the best and cheers! RJKirk

North Block Hotel Yountville

When we visit the Napa Valley for wine tasting and reviews, we like to stay at the North Block, a boutique hotel located at the north end of Yountville, close to many of our favorite wineries. Enjoy this video review of their grounds, accommodations, staff and amenities and tell them RJKirk sent you. Cheers!

A Season of Fine Wines

Over the past holiday season during which we celebrated the birth of our great creator's son and the hope and commitments traditional for a new year we had the opportunity with friends and family to taste a few special wines. These were all from select areas of Napa Valley and each had the good fortune of being scored 100 points by Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate. Notably all were special, but we highlight the 3 that impressed our palates the most. Included are the links to the tasting notes for each:

1. 2013 Vineyard 29 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
2. 2013 Cliff Lede Vineyards Poetry Cabernet Sauvignon
3. 2013 Turnbull Wine Cellars Pierra Cabernet Sauvignon
All of these wines are powerful examples of a 2013 Napa vintage that produced wines that are lusciously flavorful, beautifully balanced and should be hallmarks of your table and cellar for years to come; in our opinion this is the vintage of at least a decade. These wines have similar taste profiles while at the same time displaying the uniqueness of their individual terroirs and artful interpretation of each of their accomplished wine makers.

The limited productions levels of these wines (ranging from less than 100 bottles to several 100 cases) confirms the boutique nature of the best that Napa Valley has to offer. They are/were available directly from the winery or in limited distribution. It is the charter of boutiquewines.com to bring you wine ideas that reach well beyond those typically available through "big box" wine/liquor and grocery stores. These special wines present a superior value for the price and along with these wineries' expanded offerings are worthy of special occasions with your friends, families and selective associates.

The included video should further perk your interest. All the best and cheers! RJKirk