A few years ago, I was slotted to conduct a paid wine tasting and I had it all planned out; I had two mini-verticals (three bottles each), two different varieties, two producers. Since I didn’t have to deal with the food at all, I was pretty proud of myself that I had it all planned out with three to four weeks to spare.

Then, about a week before the event, I had still not received the wine, which was being shipped directly from the individual producers. So I called them.

They both said that they had forgotten to send me the wine.

Um. Excuse me, what was that?

Yeah. Problem.

I know what you are thinking, I could have pivoted, created a different theme, and go get all of the wines locally (since it is virtually impossible to find two vintages of the same wine in the market, much less three). The problem was I had already alerted the client of the theme and she, in turn, had advertised it as such to her paying customers.

So yeah. Problem.

Panicked, I decided it was time to pull in some favors, since, well, I harbored no illusions that they would get the wines to me in time. I contacted three of my friends in the wine industry and asked if they could possibly help me out. Given the quality of each of their characters, I should not have been surprised that each came to my rescue and each sent two bottles each of a mini-vertical (three different vintages of the same wine). And they all arrived the day before the tasting–the same day that the original wines I ordered arrived.

I decided to go with the original wines, since those were the wines that had been advertised, and I held onto the “emergency” 18 bottles for another as yet unnamed event.

Then COVID hit and nobody was doing anything, Then, well, I forgot about them since I had put them in the cellar without putting them into my inventory (classic rookie mistake).

When I found them doing a slight re-org of the cellar a while ago, my heart sank, wondering if they were all still good. I had bantered about the idea to have a dinner and raise some money for a charity and my wife agreed that would be a good use of the wines that were so charitably sent to me.

Some might say my wife had an ulterior motive (and they would be right) since the charity we landed on was the Texas Medical Center Orchestra (TMCO), a community orchestra for which my wife plays the cello (we would need several more articles to cover what an overachiever she is).

At this point, I had had the wines for six(!) years and they needed to be popped, so I agreed (and in her defense, the orchestra operates on a shoestring budget and they really are quite good).

So, I came up with a menu and the folks at the orchestra sent out an email to their supporters. It sold out in about three hours.

In an attempt to shorten this very long story, the meal, the wines, and the evening all went swimmingly and we raised some money for a good cause.

The menu.

The Table.

The wines.

The Chardonnays: 2011, 2016, 2021 Davis Bynum River West Vineyard, Russian River Valley. Graciously provided by Chris O’Gorman, Senior Director of Marketing Communication at Rodney Strong Vineyards.

2011 Davis Bynum Chardonnay, River West Vineyard, Russian River Valley, CA: Retail $50? Heavy Bottle (657g; 23.1oz). Under cork. Near golden in the glass (really moist cork) with a glorious nose of lemon curd and white honey blossom flower. The palate is intense, rich and layered with a magnificent honeyed note as well as a slight sherried element, which I really love, but some Chard folks would eschew. The finish is pretty close to off the charts in both intensity and length. I was really worried about this wine as it was intended for a wine dinner back in 2019, but even another six years out, this is gangbusters. Outstanding. 95 Points.

The first course: Watermelon Gochujang Gazpacho with Lime Avocado Cucumber Crab.

2016 Davis Bynum Chardonnay, River West Vineyard, Russian River Valley, CA: Retail $40? Heavy Bottle (657g; 23.1oz). Medium straw color, well short of yellow with bright Bosc pear, a touch of mandarin orange, and that characteristic lemon curd on the nose. A bit more demure on the palate than its older cousin, but no less refined as the fruit is shy initially (a tad too cold), so the tartness is the first to the palate and it is firm but far from assertive. The fruit comes in and it pairs perfectly with the tartness and the two proceed in harmony to the wonderful finish, perhaps not quite as intense as the 2011, but every bit as long. Outstanding. 96 Points.

2021 Davis Bynum Chardonnay, River West Vineyard, Russian River Valley, CA: Retail $30. Very Responsible Bottle (493g; 17.3oz). Screw cap. Pale straw in the glass with the brightest nose of the three, understandably, tons of pear, white peach, and just a hint of lemon curd, with white flower and a bit of crushed wet rock. The fruit leaps to the front on the palate with plenty of heft, mostly lemon and pear, and the tartness joins in rather quickly. Not nearly as shy as its older siblings, this is raring to go from the jump. There are a ton of analogies here, but I will put this one as the petulant teenager at whom its older siblings just shake their heads and smile. Outstanding. 94 Points.

The Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: 2001, 2016, 2020 Pedroncelli Block 007 Estate Vineyard. Graciously provided by Ed St. John, former Vice President of Sales at Pedroncelli Winery.

2020 Pedroncelli Cabernet Sauvignon, Block 007 Estate Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley, CA: Retail $40. Responsible Bottle (536g; 18.9oz). Medium to dark magenta with a highly perfumed nose of red roses, dark plum, blackberry, and cassis. Yowza. Rich, intense,  and fruity on the palate. Holy cow. While I would not classify this as a “big Cali Cab” it certainly as plenty of power as all of that fruit goes on its merry way as a zingy tartness seems perfectly content to stay in the background, letting the fruit do its thing. On the mid-palate, though, the acidity asserts itself thoroughly, taking over the wheel as it drives confidently through to the finish. Pedroncelli might be one of the more underrated stars of Sonoma County. Outstanding. 95 Points.

The pasta: Trofie con Fungi with 48-hour braised short ribs.

2016 Pedroncelli Cabernet Sauvignon, Block 007 Estate Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley, CA: Retail $50? Heavy Bottle (611g; 21.5oz). Dark magenta with an amazingly complex nose: herbal (mint), a bit of chocolate, blackberry confit, vanilla, just a cornucopia of aromas. Whoa. The palate is harmonious as all those aromas and flavors come together and create an amazing experience. Rich, layered, and wonderfully balanced. Outstanding. 94 Points.

2001 Pedroncelli Cabernet Sauvignon, Block 007 Estate Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley, CA: Retail $80? Very Heavy Bottle (711g; 25.0oz). Medium to dark magenta with a very earthy nose. Mushroom, forest floor, mint, sweet basil. Yowza. Holy goodness, this is incredible. There is some blackberry coulis on the palate, but it is almost entirely tertiary flavors and aromas at this point, and it is glorious. We paired this with trofie con fungi and 48-hour short ribs and it was magical. Outstanding Plus. 97 Points.

The Napa Cabernet Sauvignon: 2005, 2010, 2015 Beringer Private Reserve. Graciously provided by the late great Jim Caudill, the nicest person I have ever met in the wine industry.

2015 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve, Napa Valley, CA: Retail $140. Extremely Heavy Bottle (866g; 30.5oz). Inky dark in the glass; no light is getting through this puppy. Black fruit and peppery on the nose with a lovely floral note in the background. The palate is concentrated, rich, intense. Whoa. This is what people mean when they say “Napa Cab”. Yowza. I do not drink a ton of wine like this so my experience is limited, but this is fantastic. Outstanding. 96 Points.

The Ribeye: Wagyu, Grass-Fed, Prime. Served family style.

2010 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve, Napa Valley, CA: Retail $150. Extremely Heavy Bottle (866g; 30.5oz). Another dark one with more of an earthy nose, black earth and pine needles abound with some dark fruit, even really dark fruit that comes off as ever-so-slightly stewed. The palate, though, is gorgeous. Rich, intense fruit (blackberry tart, yowza) and a subtle (at least initially) tartness that is perfectly happy letting the fruit do its thing. Whoa. Tons of mocha as well. Holy cow. Outstanding Plus. 97 Points.

2005 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve, Napa Valley, CA: Retail $175. Extremely Heavy Bottle (866g; 30.5oz). Super dark in the glass with only the slightest of bricking. Not a ton of fruit on the nose, but plenty of earth and a lovely mushroom aspect, black pepper and thyme lead the spice brigade. Whoa. The fruit almost explodes on the palate; it’s becoming cliché with this wine, but intense, layered, powerful but elegant. My goodness, this has to be near the top of Napa Cabs I have tried. Yowza. Extraordinary. 98 Points.

The Company.