Joseph Phelps Dinner at the Capital Grille Fort Lauderdale

I’d rather see you drink a glass of wine than a glass of milk. So many people drink Coca-Cola and all these soft drinks with sugar. Some of these drinks have 8 or 9 teaspoons of sugar in them What’s the good of living if you can’t have the things that give a little enjoyment?
Jack LaLanne

That’s exactly how we feel and today the surgeon general is recommending 3-5 glasses of wine per day- preferably red but mixing in a bit of white wine won’t hurt!!

We need to get our daily dose of wine and that is one of the reasons why we have so many wine events.  And when Chef Marc Gruverman from the Capital Grille Fort Lauderdale called and asked us to help them get the word out about their two Joseph Phelps Winery dinners next week- it was a no brainer for me.  I have been involved with many events over the years with this establishment always does a great job as Marc is a very talented Chef and has been with this establishment since they opened in the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale.

You have two chances next week to come out and taste two vintages of the first Bordeaux inspired blend produced in California along with all the other new releases from Joseph Phelps winery along with a six-course dinner has been crafted by Executive Chef Marc Gruverman for an evening you will not forget.

This exclusive Joseph Phelps wine dinner is $175 per person plus tax and gratuity. Valet parking is complimentary.  Please RSVP by Friday April 26th by responding to this email or calling 954-446-2000.

Joseph Phelps Dinner at Capital Grille Fort Lauderdale Back to Back nights
Tuesday, April 28th & Wednesday, April 29th
6:30PM

First Course

Citrus Cured Halibut Ceviche and Chilled Lobster, Chili Vinaigrette, Wasabi Sprouts

Joseph Phelps Sauvignon Blanc St. Helena 2013
Price: $39.00       Sale $34.32          Case $398

Winemaker Notes:  This wine shows bright Mandarin orange blossom, lemon curd, citrus and honey aromas. Full, ripe flavors of Meyer lemon, pear, honeydew melon and vanilla cream fill the mouth with a streak of minerality through to the nicely balanced long citrus finish.

Vintage Notes:  The 2013 growing season proved to be another excellent year in Napa Valley. Overall, it was slightly warmer than 2012, resulting in the earliest Sauvignon Blanc harvest at our St. Helena Home Ranch Vineyard in the last seven years. Lower than normal rainfall paired with moderate spring weather brought with it early bud break and bloom. Sunny skies throughout the summer months led to earlier veraison and set the stage for an early harvest. Warm daytime and cool night temperatures leading up to harvest created evenly ripened fruit with ideal hang time throughout our estate vineyards.

Second Course

Seared Day Boat Scallop, Sweet Corn Blini, Infused Cream

Joseph Phelps Freestone Chardonnay Sonoma Coast 2013
Price: $45.00       Sale $39.60          Case $459

Winemaker Notes:  Bursting with aromatic floral and citrus notes, the 2013 Chardonnay envelopes the senses with honeysuckle, ripe pear, lemon zest and sweet honey. This wine shows beautifully balanced acidity with mouthwatering green apple and tangy Meyer lemon throughout the richly layered palate to the sumptuously viscous finish.

Vintage Notes:  The 2013 Sonoma Coast growing season proved to be another excellent year. The season began with a dry, mild winter followed by light spring rains and warm weather giving way to early bud break and veraison. Minimal morning coastal fog led to sunshine filled afternoons throughout the summer ripening months setting the stage for an early harvest. Grapes received ample time for even, full maturity with harmonious sugar and acid levels. The wines produced from the 2013 vintage are balanced and concentrated with classic fruit structure.

Third Course

Snake River Farms Pork Belly, Heirloom Tomato Jam, Soft Fried Egg

Joseph Phelps Freestone Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2012
Price: $45.00       Sale $39.60          Case $459

Winemaker Notes:  A bright bouquet of red cherries and summer berries, black pepper, cassis and sweet vanilla open this latest Pinot Noir offering from our Freestone Vineyards.  An exceptionally fruit expressive wine with a core of black cherries and blackberries, lingering Freestone spice and notes of forest floor and tangerine peel. A creamy mouthfeel and silky texture paired with balanced tannins and acidity lead to a long, pleasing finish.

Vintage Notes:  The 2012 Sonoma Coast growing season began with normal winter and early spring rains. The 2012 weather pattern more closely aligned with the 2008 growing season, with bud break and veraison occurring earlier than in 2010 and 2011. Coastal morning fog gave way to warm afternoon sunshine during the important summer months for a long, moderate growing season. Grapes were given ample time for even, full maturity with uniform sugar and acid levels.

2012 produced exceptional quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from our estate vineyards in Freestone. The Pinot Noirs are balanced and concentrated with luscious fruit elements.   

Fourth Course

Braised Short Rib, Celery Root Puree, Baby Carrots, Natural Jus

Joseph Phelps Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
Price: $75.00       Sale $66.00          Case $765

Winemaker's Notes:  The 2012 vintage marks the fortieth Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon release from Joseph Phelps Vineyards. This latest bottling highlights beautiful aromatics of dark fruit, cigar box, dried herbs, graphite notes and pain grille. Expressive Bing cherry, licorice, blueberry and blackberry layer this silky smooth wine of great depth and personality. Richly nuanced with supple tannins and a lingering velvety finish.

Blend: 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec and 1% Cabernet Franc
   

Fifth Course

Snake River Farms Wagyu Rib Eye, Seared Foie Gras, Cherry Reduction

Joseph Phelps Insignia 2011
Price: $231          Sale $195.00

(93-95 Points) "The 2011 Insignia is showing beautifully today. The cool vintage has given the 2011 distinctly European leanings in both the flavors and structure. At the same time, there is tons of energy and pure vibrancy in the glass. It will be interesting to see where the 2011 goes once it is in bottle, but it is almost likely to require several years to fully come together. The 2011 is 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot, 4% Malbec, 2% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc.  Vinous / Antonio Galloni

Joseph Phelps Insignia 2005
Price: $217.50    Sale $185

(95 Points) "Since 2004, 100% of the Bordeaux varietals used in the Insignia proprietary blend have been from estate vineyards. The beautiful, dense ruby/purple-tinged 2005 Insignia (a 12,500-case blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, and 1% Merlot) possesses sweet aromas of black cherries, cassis, chocolate, camphor, and a subtle hint of roasted herbs. Medium to full-bodied and elegant, with a European style imposed on the rich, velvety, California fruit, this cuvee will benefit from several years of bottle age, and should easily keep for three decades. "    The Wine Advocate

Sixth Course

Caramelized Pineapple “Inside out” Cake

Joseph Phelps Eisrebe 2012
Price: $39.00       Sale $31.68          Case $398

Winemaker Notes:  2012 Eisrébe is layered with aromas of lemon verbena, yuzu zest, honeysuckle, tropical fruit and vanilla wafer. The luscious, concentrated flavors of floral infused citrus, apricot and honey lend to great freshness and a perfect balance of acid and residual sugar on the palate.
Vintage Notes:  The 2012 growing season was excellent. It was a warmer year than the prior three and the degree-days for the Spring Valley Ranch were similar to 2008 weather patterns. In the Scheurebe block, bud break took place in early April, which is fairly typical. Bloom and veraison were both earlier than in 2010 and 2011. Fruit had a longer hang time in 2012 for extended flavor development.

The menu for this six-course dinner has been crafted by Executive Chef Marc Gruverman to pair with each of these remarkable wines, for an evening you will not forget.

This exclusive Joseph Phelps wine dinner is $175 per person plus tax and gratuity. Valet parking is complimentary.

Please RSVP by Friday April 26th by responding to this email or calling 954-446-2000.

A brief history of Joseph Phelps Winery:

Joseph Phelps, a Colorado construction magnate, came to the Napa Valley to build wineries for others.  Like everyone else who loves wine and visits this beautiful valley, he quickly succumbed to the romance of it all.  In 1972 he purchased a 600-acre ranch in the hills east of St. Helena and began planting it to different varietals.  The wooden cellars, on a west-facing slope of the home property, are a tribute to two arts, architecture and winemaking.  Two pavilions are joined by a closed bridge housing offices.  One pavilion contains fermentors - steel in an otherwise woodsy environment - and the other holds lofty racks of French oak barrels.  In addition to the home ranch, Phelps now owns vineyards in Stags Leap, Rutherford, Yountville, and the Carneros District.

The first Phelps wine to appear in the marketplace was a 1973 Johannisberg Riesling. That it was an immediate success was no surprise; the winemaker was Walter Schug, born and trained in Germany. Schug left the winery in 1983 to devote full time to his new venture, Schug Cellars. (His assistant from almost the beginning, Craig Williams, assumed the reigns as winemaker.)  The winery gradually began to produce a wide range of interesting, high-quality varietals - not only from its own ranch, but also from selected growers in the Napa Valley and in Sonoma County as well.  In fact, Phelps once made one of California's best Zinfandels from eighty-year-old vines in Sonoma's Alexander Valley.  However, the winery gradually began to trim its number of offerings and concentrate primarily on the Napa Valley for fruit sources.

Joseph Phelps was one of the pioneers in the production of the now-fashionable Syrah.  After the popularity of Rhône varietals virtually exploded in the late 1980's, the winery launched a separate Vin Du Mistral label concentrating exclusively on Rhône-style wines in the summer of 1990.  Under this label the winery now produces a Syrah; a Le Mistral Rhône blend similar to a Châteauneuf-Du-Pape consisting of grenache, mourvèdre, syrah, and carignane; a Grenache Rosé (said by numerous critics to be among the finest rosés produced in California); a Viognier (enchanting for its delicate pear and spice flavors and widely-acclaimed as one of the best in California); a Muscat (with 12% residual sugar); and a Marsanne and Rousanne (dry whites introduced in 1996).  With the edge in Germanic expertise created years ago by Schug, Joseph Phelps has produced some extraordinary and unusual late harvest dessert wines.  The winery's late harvest Johannisberg Riesling, the late harvest Scheurebe (a rare German hybrid) and the Delice du Sémillon (a very sweet Sauternes-styled wine first produced in 1983 and made only for the fourth year in 1995) are often so good they are not to be believed!  Presently the winery is working on an experimental "Eisrebe" (made by freezing late harvested scheurebe grapes).

Mention must also be made of the exceptional Chardonnay now being produced at Phelps called Ovation, introduced in the 1993 vintage.  Ovation is made in very limited quantities (about 700 cases) and is intended to demonstrate the artistic range of winemaker Craig Williams.  The wine comes from estate-grown grapes in Carneros - the Sangiacomo Vineyard in which Joe Phelps is a partner.  It is made from the winery's finest barrels, and we feel it is one of the best Chardonnays currently being produced in California.

The winery's truly monumental wines are usually red and are based on the cabernet grape.  In each vintage Phelps produces a regular Napa Valley Cabernet from grapes grown on several of the Phelps ranches as well as grapes purchased from independent growers.  Some of the Phelps regular Cabs have been outstanding; the 1975 (probably the winery's best ever), the 1977, and the 1980 were at the top of their price class in the Napa Valley.  In the middle 1980's Phelps acquired and developed two new vineyards in the Napa Valley - one in Rutherford along Manley Lane in the heart of the bench area and the other in the Stag's Leap District immediately north and adjacent to the historic Fay Vineyard.  These two ranches have provided the backbone for the Phelps regular Cabernet as well as a Merlot that was first produced in 1989.  Although we felt that the Phelps regular Cabernets had slipped in the years since 1980, beginning with the 1992 they have been again among the best in their price class.  In fact, the recent Cabernets are probably the best regular bottlings produced at this winery in nearly twenty years.  Although a portion of the fruit is purchased from independent growers, over half comes from the winery's Las Rocas Vineyard in the Stags Leap District and the winery's Manley Lane Vineyard in the Rutherford Bench area.  Really special, however, have been the vineyard-designated Cabernets (one from the Backus Vineyard and one from the Eisele Vineyard) and the super special Insignia bottling.  The Eisele bottling was discontinued after the 1991 vintage, because - unfortunately for Phelps - Milton Eisele sold his legendary vineyard to Bart Araujo (The Araujo Estate Cabernet has already garnered enormous critical acclaim under its new owners).   The Insignia bottling - the flagship of the winery and the first Meritage blend ever made in California (1974) - has been consistently fine for two decades.  However, beginning with the 1989 vintage, it has clearly been in the top handful of red wines produced in every vintage.

Over the last few years things have been turned upside down at Phelps Winery.  When long time president Tom Sheldon and long time winemaker Craig Williams were both forced to retire in May of 2008, a lawsuit followed.  Unfortunately Tom Sheldon died in July of 2008 of brain cancer, but both men were awarded their 40% stake in the winery that was given to them by Joseph Phelps in 1999.     In a binding judgment issued Sept. 9, 2008 retired Judge William Bettinelli ruled that Mr. Shelton is entitled to a total of $12,264,000 in damages and Mr. Williams is owed $11,856,000, according to the ruling.  Their attorney stated for the record; "Everyone in Napa knows what Tom Shelton and Craig Williams did for the Phelps brand and the Phelps family," said Hainline. "It is time for the Phelps family to do the right thing, honor their agreements and acknowledge how these two men made monumental contributions to enhance the status and reputation of Joseph Phelps Vineyards and their work was what made the winery successful." 

This lawsuit left a bad taste in the mouth of many people in Napa Valley, but on my visit to Joseph Phelps winery in July of 2009 the staff had their best foot forward and were moving on trying to look toward the future.  Ashley Hepworth was promoted to winemaker in 2008, she has been with the winery since 1999 and we don't think that the style of the wines will change.

Our condolences go out to the Phelps family as Joe passed away on April 15th, 2015 at the age of 87.  He was a pioneer in the California wine industry and an inspiration to many who followed him in the wine industry. 

A few older vintage wines available from Joseph Phelps winery:

2001 Joseph Phelps Insignia Napa
Price: $335.00    Your Price: $295
Quantity in Stock: 2

(99 points) The sensational, prodigious 2001 Insignia Proprietary Red Wine (89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec) has never performed better. Still extremely youthful with a dense purple color as well as a beautiful bouquet of cedar, charcoal, incense, creme de cassis and black cherry jam, fabulous intensity, a multidimensional mouthfeel and a skyscraper-like texture, it is a Napa classic that is still very youthful and belies its age of ten years. Like its stablemate, it should age impeccably for 35 or more years. Kudos to Joseph Phelps Vineyards! Two brilliant wines from Joseph Phelps Vineyards, the Insignia is closer to drinkability, but it still needs another five years whereas the Backus Vineyard requires 7-8. Both are 35-40 year wines for those with cold cellars and youthful genes. Wine Advocate # 195 Jun 2011

2002 Joseph Phelps Insignia Napa
Price: $322.00    Your Price: $284
Quantity in Stock: 1

(95 points) A beautifully made Bordeaux blend that can age for 20-30 years, 10,000-20,000 cases of Insignia are produced each year. The 2002 Insignia, the finest effort made in this century, is a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, and 1% Malbec. Its dense purple color is accompanied by a fragrant perfume of espresso roast, Asian spices, creme de cassis, smoke, and minerals. Dense, voluptuous, full-bodied, rich, long, and harmonious, it can be enjoyed now or cellared for 2-3 decades. It is also the #1 Wine of the Year for 2005 in The Wine Spectator. Wine Advocate #162 Dec 2005

2010 Joseph Phelps Insignia Napa Magnum
Price: $477.00    Your Price: $419.76
Quantity in Stock: 2

(93-95 Points) The 2010 Insignia is striking. Cool, mineral notes frame a core of blue and black fruit, licorice, spices, smoke, and melted road tar as this stunning wine opens up in the glass. Totally alive in the glass, the 2010 captures the essence of this cold, late harvest. Hints of menthol, violets and crushed rocks all flow through to the incisive, vibrant finish. My sense is that the 2010 is still holding back much of its significant potential. The 2010 is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot, 3% Merlot and 2% Malbec. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2030. Winemaker Ashley Hepworth has done a fabulous job with these new releases. While most of the attention at Phelps centers around the flagships Insignia and Backus, over the last few years I have been equally impressed with the straight Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine that delivers tremendous bang for the buck. In addition to these wines, I also tasted a few Syrahs from the 1970s. Today, Phelps is known for their Cabernet Sauvignons, but it is also worth remembering Joe Phelps was the first grower to introduce Syrah to the Napa Valley several decades ago.  Wine Advocate #204, Dec 2012

2005 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Napa
Price: $212.00    Sale Price: $171.00
Quantity in Stock: 6

(94 Points) The dense 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Vineyard (93% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petit Verdot and Malbec) offers sweet creme de cassis aromas interwoven with scorched earth, espresso roast, and licorice. Full-bodied as well as elegant with sweet tannin, gorgeous purity, and admirable depth, this effort has developed beautifully since I tasted it last year. It appears to have 25 or more years of aging potential. Wine Advocate # 180, Dec 2008

2000 Joseph Phelps Backus Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
Price: $183.00    Your Price: $161.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

(90 points)  A new, elegant, yet heavy bottle (obviously designed to encourage lower back pain) was introduced with the 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Vineyard. Aged in 100% new Taransaud barrels, it exhibits a dense purple color along with a sweet nose of smoke, blueberries, blackberries, and cassis. Firmly tannic, rich, and medium to full-bodied, with a slight narrowing at the finish, this is an outstanding effort in a difficult vintage. It requires 1-2 more years of cellaring, and should keep for 12-15.   Wine Advocate #150 Dec 2003

2012 Jospeh Phelps Chardonnay Freestone Sonoma Coast
Price: $45.00    Your Price: $36.00
Quantity in Stock: 10

This wine is made from 100% estate-grown Chardonnay from Phelps Freestone Vineyards out on the true Sonoma Coast. This wine has a very intense bouquet of lemon drop candy, flinty minerally notes, lightly toasted oak spice, vanilla bean cremem brulee, a very concentrated and rich bouquet. Thick and creamy on the tongue with a solid core of lemon drop candy fruit , apricot and a nice touch of buttered toast and that vanilla and cinnamon spice here through the tingly mineral laced finish, very rich and layered with a long finish. Finish 50+ Most Excellent

2006 Freestone Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
Price: $65.00    Your Price: $57.20
Quantity in Stock: 5