The Rooftop Winery: 2013

California to France: Two Great Venues on The Hilltop!

On Tuesday, December 10, 2013 The Hilltop Winery, once again hosted the wayward relative from the East Coast, and you know the deal, he brought the old and some new folks to enjoy the latest grape to hit the market (the old timers know who you are).

And obviously, they got carried away and went deep into the cellar, and with the Sommelier's permission, were allowed to pull some incredible wines from around the world dating back to 1979.

The evening also reunited the wayward relative with Monrose Catering. Thank you Richard and your staff for taking care of us again with an excellent selection of appetizers for all to enjoy!

Mav was the bomb with her incredible chocolate flour-less tart/cake. I'm not sure what it was or where it came from but it was delicious!

From a Ph.D. on the East Coast to a Ph.D. on the West Coast, "while the economy may go up and down, a visit to The Hilltop Winery is always an up day!"

So from all the East Coast folks Mike, all we can say is thank you for allowing us to enjoy the following wines from your cellar.

White

2011 Golden Slope Liquid Farms Chardonnay
2011 Four Liquid Farms Chardonnay
2012 Kobalt Sauvignon Blanc

Red

1979 Chateau Lafite Rothschild
1982 William Hill Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
1982 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (bottled 1986)
1986 Chateau LaGrange, Saint-Julien
1988 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
1989 Clos du Bois Marlstone Vineyard
1994 Chateau Lynch Bages
1996 Araujo Syrah, Eisele Vineyards
2001 Fratelli Revello Barolo, Vigna Giachini
2002 Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot, Howell Mountain, Napa Valley
2003 Clarendon Hills Merlot, Brookman
2005 Hunnicutt Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
2008 Arns Syrah, Napa Valley
2011 Bjornstad Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley

Port

1983 Dow's Vintage Port

For pictures of the evening swirl click HERE.

"I Should Have Drank It By Now" Party

On Saturday, August 17, 2013 The Hilltop Winery hosted two-dozen of their friends and family in an effort to thin out the cellar of bottles of wine that should have already been consumed.

Everyone did their best to thin out the 4,000+ bottles that are housed in a cellar, on top of a hill, buried in a backyard!

The outdoor wood fired pizza oven was once again a major hit with the attendees. Pizza’s made to order was a nice touch to a perfect evening of wine and fellowship.

The sunset was spectacular and we have the pictures to prove it!

The following wines were tasted:

White

1991 Chalone Vineyard Chardonnay
1997 Batar Agricola Querciabella
2005 Chassagne-Montrachet
2006 Staglin Chardonnay
2006 Jayson Chardonnay
2006 Les Corbins Meursault
2007 Macon-Chaintre White Burgundy (two bottles)
2008 Bjornstad Chardonnay
2008 Hubert Lamy Saint Aubin
2009 La Follette Chardonnay, Sangiacomo Vineyard
2009 Luis Felipe Edwards Chardonnay

Rose

2005 Stagliano Rosato di Sangiovese (three bottles)
2011 Bandol La Bastide Blanche

Red

1974 Sterling Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
1985 Arrowood Cabernet Sauvignon
1985 Chateau Olivier Graves Leognan
1986 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
1987 Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
1988 Chateau Bouscaut Pessac-Leognan
1990 Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Bosquet des Papes
1990 Groth Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
1994 Talley Pinot Noir
1994 Maya
1995 Chateau Marguex, Premier Grand Cru Classe
1996 Rubino della Plazzola
1997 Turkey Flat Shiraz
1998 Spottswode Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
2000 Maya
2001 Serpico Del Feudi Di San Gregorio
2003 Duckhorn Merlot, Napa Valley
2003 Clos du Val Pinot Noir, Carneros Vineyard
2003 Fess Parker Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County
2007 Pets Petite Sirah
2007 Roc Du Bel Air Bordeaux Superieur
2008 Darioush Cabernet Sauvignon
2010 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon

Dessert Wine

2005 Chateau De Cosse, Sauternes

For a complete slideshow of the event go HERE.

7th Annual West Institute Wine Reception and Dinner

On Thursday, July 18, 2013 The Hilltop Winery hosted 26 Institute staff, faculty and volunteer wine enthusiasts to a great wine tasting event.

We even worked with the local chamber of commerce to make sure the weather was as great as the wine. And it was a chamber of commerce kind of day!

This year we had a dozen newbies to the hilltop. The other 14 (and you know who you are) are seasoned veterans who made the annual pilgrimage, once again, to the hilltop. We enjoyed the following wines:

White

2009 Luis Felipe Edwards Chardonnay

2011 Muirwood Chardonnay

2011 Rombauer Chardonnay

2012 Natalie Brander Cuvee Chardonnay

Red

2003 Araujo Eisele Cabernet Sauvignon

2003 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon

2003 Dunn Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mountain

2003 Dunn Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

2003 Frasier Cabernet Sauvignon, Momento

2003 Hunnicut Cabernet Sauvignon

2003 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon

2003 Kobalt Cabernet Sauvignon

2003 Staglin Cabernet Sauvignon

2003 Surh Luchtel Cabernet Sauvignon

And once again, our special guest and faculty member Brian Baker from Chateau Montelena Winery brought three special bottles to taste.

1985 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon, Estate Bottled

1990 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon, Estate Bottled

1999 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon, Estate Bottled

We couldn't help ourselves and then we did a see something, pull something! These wines were added to the list of magnums we took to Sam's by the Beach.

1970 Barolo Marcheri de Barolo

1979 BV Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Bottled

1989 Chateau Lynch-Bages Bordeaux

1993 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon

Now it was finally time to pull the magnums and head off to our favorite restaurant, Sam's by The Beach in Santa Monica, CA with proprietor Sam Elias. He always takes great care of us each year.

The Magnums lifted from the cellar and taken for a ride to Sam's included:

1993 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Magnum

1996 Cakebread Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Magnum

2007 Domaine de Saint Siffrein Chateauneuf-Du-Pape (Magnum - two bottles)

2007 Sea Smoke Pinot Noir Magnum

Sam and his incredible staff served us a wonderful three course meal that complimented the wines.

As the evening came to a close we said our goodbyes, piled into our cabs, headed back to the hotel, and were off to LAX airport in the morning.

For a complete slideshow of the event click HERE.

Institute All Stars

On Tuesday, July 16, 2013, The Hilltop Winery hosted the Institute All Stars for a wine reception and pizza party while enjoying the view and the Baseball All Star Game being played in New York.

It was a quick trip and a prelude to our upcoming Annual Institute Wine Reception and Dinner this coming Thursday.

The following wines were tasted along with some great wood fired pizza’s:

White

2010 Aubert Chardonnay
2010 Julien ColloVray Chardonnay
2012 Realm Sauvignon Blanc

Red

1988 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon
1998 Araujo Eisele Syrah
2003 d'Arenberg Shiraz
2005 Alto Moncayo
2005 Pahlmeyer

For a slideshow of the afternoon and evening event click HERE.

WPO Wine Reception

On Saturday, February 9, 2013, The Hilltop Winery hosted 19 wine enthusiasts from Canada and the United States. They even let a few locals in, as well as, their brother-in-law from Washington they can't seem to get rid of - get over it!

The reception started with a selection of Chardonnay's, we then proceeded to the backyard for a quick picture or two of the sunset and then immediately ran to the cellar where the fun began on pulling some reds.

Let's not forget to mention our caterers who were fantastic, Monrose Catering Company based out of Malibu delivered on the promise of an exquisite evening of hors d' oeuvres.

The following 25 wines were consumed.

White

1995 Kistler Russian River Chardonnay
1996 Chassagne-Montrachet Burgundy
2004 Alsace Riesling
2005 DR Stephens Chardonnay
2007 Staglin Chardonnay (two bottles)
2009 Ramey Sonoma Coast Chardonnay (two bottles)
2010 San Simeon Chardonnay (two bottles)
2011 Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay

Red

1984 Shafer Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, Hillside Select
1985 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
1989 Caymus Special Select Cabernet Sauvignon
1991 Pahlmeyer Napa Valley Blend
1994 Dunn Vineyards Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
1994 Maya Cabernet Sauvignon
1996 Eisele Vineyards Syrah Araujo
1999 Eagle Rose Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
2000 Constant Cabernet Sauvignon
2000 Downing Family Zinfandel
2002 McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon (Australia)
2002 Muga Rioja Unfiltered (Spain)
2004 Alto Moncayo Garnacha (Spain)
2007 Stagliano Sangiovese

For a slideshow of the evening event click HERE.

A View From The Hilltop

On February 8, 2013, The Hilltop Winery welcomed me back for a quick visit and dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Casa Nostra.

We began the tasting at the house with the Chardonnay and moved on to the Petite Sirah from Howell Mountain. We took the Zinfandel to dinner.

Tasting details on the wines:

2003 Downing Family Vineyards, Zinfandel, Oakville, Napa Valley, CA
2007 Retro - Petite Sirah, Howell Mountain
2009 Ramey Chardonnay, Hudson Vineyards

For a few pictures of the wines and a view from the hilltop click HERE.