#blancaneaux

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Inglenook Blancaneaux ~ Wine of the Day

There is something special about a wine that can warm you from the inside, even when served chilled, especially during the cold winter months. Inglenook Blancaneaux does just this. The winery shines as a quality benchmark in Napa Valley. The historic 235-acre property has 120 separate, organically farmed vineyard plots within the Rutherford AVA. Blancaneaux is the winery’s signature white blend,…

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Wine of the Day: Inglenook Blancaneaux

Wine of the Day: Inglenook Blancaneaux

It is no secret that I am a fan of Napa Valley’s historic Inglenook estate in Rutherford. The Rubicon red blend was one of my first ah-ha wines. I remember drinking it at this adorable wine bar in Dallas with my old friend Becky twenty plus years ago when my palate was young, my curiosity was high, and my passion for wine was just igniting.

To match their bold, powerful, yet always elegant…

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The Wines of Inglenook Vineyards with winemaker Philippe Bascaules featuring 2011 Blancaneaux

Where: La Chaumiere 

Assessed By: Adrian Bryksa 

When you get a chance to come to the table and taste the wines from one of the most important estates in Napa Valley, you simply cannot turn the invite down.  This was the case when our good friends from Trialto contacted us, rather frantically in fact, to invite us to join the new winemaker Philippe Bascaules from Inglenook Vineyards for a vertical tasting of Inglenook's flagship Bordeaux blend Rubicon with their Cask Cabernet Sauvignon from the 2009, 2010 and 2011 vintages. As if this wasn't enough, we were also going to be working through Inglenook's Rhone white inspired blend dubbed Blancaneaux from the 2011 vintage as well at the 2010 Edizione Pennino Zinfandel.  This lineup was paired to the splendid food from the kitchen at La Chaumiere.  

After spending 21 years working with Paul Pontallier and the extraordinary team at Chateau Margaux in Bordeaux, Mr. Bascaules made the transition to California in 2011 to take over the helm of Inglenook as its general manager and was the winemaker behind the vintage. Whether it was fate or luck, the 2011 vintage in Napa was a challenging one as growers had to deal with unseasonably cool weather and late season rains that brought rot onto grapes that already struggled with uneven ripening.  Fortunately for Inglenook, the steady hand of Mr. Bascaules had years of experience dealing with tricky vintages at Margaux. 

2011 Blancaneaux

Retail: $110.00

Available At: Willow Park Wine and Spirits, Calgary Petroleum Club and The Cellar

Before crafting the 2011 Blancaneaux, Mr. Bascaules had never before worked with its constituent Rhone varietals of Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier, however in his first effort he crafted a wine of extraordinary purity and depth. On the nose and palate, there are sensations of orange blossom, lemon and peach which are uplifted by a spice tinged mineral core and carried by laser accurate acidity. The length on this wine is ultra long and soft on the palate and is one that will reward cellaring over the next 10 years.  A superb wine that may be one of the finest whites I have ever tasted out of Napa.  

94 Points

  If you liked this post, check out our 2001 Napa Valley Retrospective Tasting

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08/25/2010 - Belize - Blancaneaux frogs & fountain

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Belize Musings

14-08-2011

Belize City

Hot and sticky, dirty but sometimes pretty. Untamed vegetation invading every available space. Bursts of colour, here and there.

At the door of an old Church:

-       “Come on in”

-       “I feel so underdressed”

-       “Tssss, the Lord don’ mind’ Honey, it’s wat’ in da heart dat mattas”

I feel drunk and hazy from the humid heat. I need to ease in, the stress and anxiety cling to me like a ravenous leech. Cayo will be better, Cayo will be better…

  15-08-2011

Mountain Pine Ridge, Cayo Region

So.like.Paradise… but first we have to get here.

A drive for all ages. We leave Belize city on the Western Highway, which was pretty sketchy, but not all that bad.

We passed the national prison. It was the annual “family day”, which turns out is a huge spectacle. The scene is forever forged in my mind. Hundreds of women and children, the token gang member cousins and uncles – all bearing gifts of food, mixtapes and magazines – what other things to bring to a hot Belize prison?

We reach Georgeville and start on the “bad road” – well fuck me, “bad” is the most understated term for the 10 mile rocky hell of a fucking road.  I thought I was going to literally break the rental. My boyfriend would have laughed than cried seeing me stall in the 45 degree hill… Oh, and then out of nowhere, we pass bonnet wearing, wagon driving (yes with a horse) Mennonites. Really, just a strange day.

We slowly entered the Mountain Pine Ridge area, which is simply breathtaking. It’s the longitude where continental vegetation meets tropical vegetation. Palm tree, meet Pine tree, and so on and so forth… Very schizophrenic and confused, I felt right at home.

We arrived at Blancaneaux Lodge, owned and run by Francis Ford Coppola. Holy Mother of Luxe. It’s like Robin Crusoe meets lifestyles of the rich and famous at Off-season prices: Bingo. I’ve had the chance to see some really swanky places, but this place take the gold being able to pull off “swanky” in the middle of nowhere. I am literally writing in a tree house.

This morning we got up and went for a swim in the river at 7am, big Belizean breakfast, than off to hike the Big Rock falls. Amazing, epic.

I am calm and elated as an emu. Belize rocks.