Shadowbox wine dinner at Cafe Maxx

"It’s a black fly in your Chardonnay. It’s a death row pardon two minutes too late."

Ironic by Alanis Morrisette

The schedule has filled up rather quickly for next week with the two events at Capital Grille Fort Lauderdale with Joseph Phelps winery. 

There are still a few seats left for our masters of Verona tasting on Friday night and this is one event that Amarone lovers do not want to miss as these are some of the rarest wines from Verona and a “Once in a Lifetime” opportunity to try four wines from each producer including the 1997 Recioto from Quintarelli which is one of the best wines that I have ever tasted!!

And on Thursday night we have a small producer from Napa that is what we call a “virtual winery” as they do not have their own winemaking facility.  Making wines for private individuals has become more than just a hobby as there is a whole industry of facilities now that offer custom crush options.  You also have grape growers that will sell you any particular row of vines in their vineyard for the right price so it is now in the realm of possibility that any person can create their own wine.

We have several locals here in South Florida that created their own wines and the best wines can only be made from the best fruit so it helps if you know where the grapes are buried.  Who better to source quality Napa grapes than the couple who produces the most comprehensive wine guide to Napa, The Preiser Key to Napa Valley.   Monty and Sara Preiser have a few partners in crime and I always say you need to know what a great wine tastes like to make one so wine collectors, Ira and Eydie Holz share a love and appreciation for wine and make the perfect partners to complement the Preiser’s first-hand knowledge of Napa’s winemakers and vineyards. 

They have four different wines and each has a different superstar winemaker that specializes in that particular varietal.  Meet the people behind Shadow Box Winery at Cafe Maxx for dinner along with all of the current releases from this boutique winery.  Chef Oliver Saucy will make a special five course tasting menu to accompany the wines.  The fee for this tasting is $125 + tax + gratuity, for reservations call 954-523-9463.

Shadowbox wine dinner at Cafe Maxx
Thursday, April 30, 2015
7:00 PM

First course
Steamed Maine lobster and seafood medley, scallops, oysters, shrimp and crab in chardonnay beurre blanc with tropical fruit and purple potato

2010 Shadowbox Chardonnay Napa
Price: $45.00    Your Price: $39.60    Case $459

Winemaking Notes:  Only 100 Cases of this beautifully balanced and layered Chardonnay were made by Winemaker Mike Drash. 11 months of aging 50% new and 50% once used French Oak barrels, and 50% malolactic fermentation have given this wine a golden straw color and a fruit-to-dry finish that seemingly lasts forever. Aromas of brioche, grapefruit, and Crenshaw melon abound, with a mid palate of caramel, apples, and a hint of ripe banana. Overall, the wine is bright and round enough to enjoy on its own or to accompany light meats, salads, and fish, while suggesting a period of ageability. Drinking perfectly now.

2011 Shadowbox Chardonnay Napa
Price: $45.00    Your Price: $39.60    Case $459

After an exciting 1st vintage Shadowbox Cellars is excited to announce the release of 97 cases of 2011 Chardonnay sourced from the Orchard Vineyard in the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley. The over 42 year old vines and winemaker Mike Drash fought a tough growing season to produce an exquisite wine with early hints of apple and banana followed by kiwi and pear. It is crisp, full bodied, and perfectly balanced.

Winemaking Attributes:  Harvest: November 3, 2011 Alchohol: 14.4% Cases Produced: 97 Winemaker: Mike Drash Barrel Program: 25% New Oak and 75% Once Seasoned Oak Barrels: Combination of Billon and Francios Ferre

Second course
Cured Magret duck breast, Cassis & balsamic glaze, extra virgin oil
red watercress, aged Camembert and crostini

2010 Shadowbox Cellars Pinot Noir Napa
Price: $62.50   Sale $55.00   Case $638

Vineyard: Anne Katherina AVA(s): Carneros of Sonoma Winemaker: Dan Fishman Cases Produced: 75 Alchohol: 14.2% Barrel Program: All French, 66% New - 34% Once Used Accolades: Double Gold Medal - American Fine Wine Competition

Third course
Green peppercorn & porcini seared yellowfin tuna, fingerling potato
wild mushroom and leek mélange with pearl onion

2009 Shadowbox Syrah Napa
Price: $49.50    Your Price: $43.56    Case $505

Winemaking Notes:  This is an excellent stylistic example of one of our favorite varietals. Only 47 cases of 2009 shadowbox Syrah from Mountain Terraces Vineyard were produced, and we wish we had more. Winemaker Ames Morison's choice to age the juice in all French Oak, 50% new and 50% once used, gives this wine sought-after backbone. Give it time to open and experience tar and charcoal on the nose, hints of graphite that pop up in various stages, and black plums that seem to frame the tannins. Velvety/rose petal smoothness followed by notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, and purple fruit stay with you to the back palate and through an extended finish. Game or lamb pair magically well, and if you have the time we recommend decanting for an hour before your meal. This is wine that will drink at its best through 2017.

Fourth course
Rosemary and garlic grilled lamb T-bone, sweet pea risotto cake  roasted fennel and spring zucchini with red wine demi glace

2009 Shadowbox Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
Price: $78.75    Your Price: $69.30    Case $804

Winemaking Notes:  Blending a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is both an art and a science. With the guidance and superb fruit of winemaker Steve Reynolds we went through blending trials to create this wine. The 68 cases are a blend of 85% Cabernet, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Merlot - all from Napa Valley. The rich, alluring and inviting intense color of this full-bodied Cab only hints at the beauty of the wine in the glass. Supple aromas of caramel, Bing cherries, and toasted spiced nuts give way to a smooth, creamy, and layered mix of dark fruit, currant, and black cherries. While the touch of Merlot assures drinkable tannins, and the Cab Franc enhances each sip, a chocolate finish supported by orange zest screams that this is Cabernet all the way. Will drink best 2014-2020.

2010 Shadowbox Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
Price: $78.75    Your Price: $69.30    Case $804

Robert Parker gave it 93 Points! "This limited production 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon offers up notes of roast beef, black currants, sweet oak, spice and plums. The complex aromatics are followed by a full-bodied, layered, opulent, textured mouthfeel. Long and rich, this beauty should drink well for 15+ years." - Robert Parker. Our 2010 vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon is bold full-bodied homerun. Order now before it is sold out.

Winemaking Attributes:  AVA(s): Stag's Leap, Napa Valley, Chiles Valley Varietals: 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot Winemaker: Steve Reynolds Cases Produced: 72 Alchohol: 14.7% Barrel Program: All French - Multiple Cooperages Accolades: 93 Points - Robert Parker

Dessert
Chocolate crème brulee with dried cherries

The fee for this tasting is $125 + tax + gratuity, for reservations call 954-523-9463.

Proprietors

MONTY & SARA PREISER

Attorney Monty Preiser and his wife Sara Preiser reside full time in Palm Beach County, Florida, and spend their summers visiting wineries and studying wines on the west coast where they have a home in Napa. The Preisers publish the world's most comprehensive guides to Napa Valley and Sonoma County wineries and restaurants titled, appropriately, The Preiser Key to Napa Valley and The Preiser Key to Sonoma County, in which they write the informational and educational articles. The guides have received accolades as the best (or indispensable) from, among others, famed writer Jancis Robinson of the Financial Times, Dine Magazine, msnbc.com, cnn.com, Tom Simoneau of KSRO Radio, and Frommers.

For many years Monty and Sara were the wine columnists for The Boca Raton News, served as contributors to the South Florida Business Journal and numerous magazines, and were the principal wine writers for Sallys-Place.com, one of the Internet's largest travel sites with over 3.5 million readers. Presently they serve as wine editors and contributors to Living on the Suncoast. They are also wine judges, serving on panels on many competitions in addition to being co-founders of the American Fine Wine Competition in South Florida.

Unable to resist the wine business itself, a condition quite common to those who spend a great deal of time in Napa and Sonoma, Monty, Sara, and their partners founded shadowbox cellars.

Proprietors

IRA & EYDIE HOLZ

Ira and Eydie Holz share a love and appreciation for wine with everyone involved in Shadowbox Cellars. Eydie works in interior design and enjoys travel and the arts. She is also very involved in philanthropy and has chaired and organized events and served on committees for numerous charity organizations.

Ira Holz has been a passionate collector of wines for many years. He possesses a highly developed palate and brings a wealth of knowledge about wine to Shadowbox cellars. He was a longtime member of the Chicago Board of Trade and The Chicago Board Options Exchange. He is currently an investor in a diverse group of businesses. Ira is also involved involved in philanthropy and enjoys golf, collecting art, and travel.

Proprietors

JUSTIN & STACY PREISER

Justin grew up in South Florida and with both parents being food and wine writers, there is little doubt how he was drawn to Napa After school at the University of Colorado in Boulder, he moved to the Napa Valley and began his day job - Director of Operations for The Preiser Key.

Stacy was born and raised in Rusk, a small town in east Texas, and continued on to study at Stephen F Austin University and receive a Masters from Texas Women's University.

Justin and Stacy met in December of 2008 when Stacy was visiting Napa with several friends. It did not take long before they were travelling to and from Northern California and Texas almost every weekend. And Justin knew she was the one when she called from Texas, upset with him because she could no longer pallate the wines grocery store wines she drank before they met.

Stacy moved to Napa, and works as a Speech Patholgist, and in September of 2010 they were married. They are both looking forward to doing the grunt work to getting shadowbox up running.

What I Drank Yesterday:  Livernano and Casalvento