8th Annual West Institute Wine Reception and Dinner

On Thursday, July 17, 2014 Mike and Mav hosted the Institute team at The Hilltop Winery for another great evening of fun and fellowship after a great week at Loyola Marymount University.

We mixed it up a bit this year and decided to stay on The Hilltop for a special pizza party using the relatively new wood fired oven in the backyard.  Our friend Edgardo, a specialist when it comes to making pizzas, was making everyone smile with his creations.

And of course, since we didn't make our annual trip to Sam's by the Beach to see our friend Sam and his wonderful staff for dinner, we brought Sam to The Hilltop Winery.  He provided us with a Caesar Salad, passed appetizers and a wonderful assortment of dessert items.

Now let's get to the good stuff!

Our very own faculty member and industry wine expert Brian Baker from Chateau Montelena Winery brought three Estate Bottled Cabs from the winery that The Hilltop Winery Sommelier, Mike Wojo, matched with three bottles of Bordeaux from his cellar.  Let the comparisons begin.

But before we get to that we obviously had to start with a few white's.  So sit back, don't get jealous and enjoy the ride we took on this beautiful Thursday evening with friends and family.

White

• 2005 Puligny-Montrachet, Domaine Henri Boillot
• 2010 Julien ColloVray, Saint-Veran
• 2011 Aubert Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast
• 2011 Staglin Chardonnay, Rutherford Estate

Red

• 1986 Chateau Olivier, Pessac-Leognan
• 1989 Caymus Special Select Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
• 1989 Dunn Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
• 2004 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (Magnum)
• 2006 Chase Zinfandel, Napa Valley
• 2009 Staglin Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, Napa Valley
• 2010 Pedestal Merlot, Columbia Valley

Special Cabernet Sauvignon vs Bordeaux Tasting

• 1989 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon, Estate Bottled
• 1995 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon, Estate Bottled
• 2002 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon, Estate Bottled

• 1989 Chateau Montrose, Saint-Estephe Bordeaux
• 1995 Chateau Cantenac Brown, Margaux Bordeaux
• 2002 Chateau Leoville Barton, Saint-Julien Bordeaux

As we all know, all good things must come to an end.  So as we packed up, said our goodbyes and took a couple of last minute photos, we got on the bus and returned to the hotel for our trip home in the morning.

Mike and Mav hopes that Brian, the Institute staff and volunteers had a great time at The Hilltop Winery.

A great evening wouldn't be complete unless we captured the memories to hold us over until next year.

Feel free to download any pictures from the entire evening HERE.

A Lawyer Visits The Hilltop

On Tuesday, July 15, 2014 The Hilltop Winery hosted a special tasting for one of Institute's favorite lawyers - and you know who you are, right?

We started in the early afternoon in the wine cellar!

We were allowed to compare a number of Cabernet Sauvignon's and then moved on to dinner at Sam's by the Beach to try the new pre-fixe dinner advertised in the local Pacific Palisades paper.

Before we left the cellar for Sam's, we lifted two magnums and they were the bomb!

After a perfect dinner with our friend Sam, we put the lawyer in the cab and told him to have a safe trip to the East Coast on the red-eye.

We retreated back to The Hilltop for a little clean-up, the wine of course. Tough life!

Here's the list of wines we tasted in the cellar before dinner at Sam's:

• 1980 Silver Oak, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
• 1986 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Estate Bottled
• 1986 Caymus Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley Cuvee
• 1986 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District
• 2005 Meursault, Henri Boillot

Here's the two magnums we took to Sam’s by the Beach:

• 2006 Pedestal Merlot, Washington State
• 2011 Liquid Farms Chardonnay, Santa Barbara

For a complete slide show of the evenings events go HERE.

Chamber Hilltop Wine Reception

On September 25, 2012, The Hilltop Winery held a special wine reception for their friends in the chamber industry. The format was - see something, pull something!

The following bottles of wine were tasted throughout the afternoon and evening with the exception of: 

 
• The Pedestal and Feather Magnums;
• The Araujo Syrah;
• The HDV Chardonnay; and
• The LaFollett Chardonnay.

...they were properly packaged and taken to dinner at Sam’s by the Beach, one of our favorite boutique restaurants in Santa Monica, CA.

Thank you Mike and Mav for a wonderful wine tasting afternoon!

White

• 1995 Kistler Cuvee Cathleen
• 2006 HDV, Chardonnay
• 2009 Copain Chardonnay
• 2009 LaFollette, Chardonnay

Red

• 1982 Heitz Cellar, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
• 1984 Insignia, Joseph Phelps Vineyards
• 1986 Cain Five, Napa Valley
• 1986 Chateau Lagrange, Saint-Julien
• 1986 Groth, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
• 1989 Chateau Lynch Bages, Pauillac
• 1989 Brander Bouchet, Santa Ynez Valley
• 1990 Chateau Pichon Longueville, Pauillac
• 1993 Von Strasser, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain
• 1994 Talley, Pinot Noir
• 1995 Araujo, Syrah, Eisele Vineyard
• 1998 Dunn Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain
• 2003 Raymond, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, St. Helena
• 2006 Surh Luchel, Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands
• 2006 Pedestal (Magnum), Merlot, Columbia Valley
• 2006 Feather (Magnum), Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley
• 2008 Alto Moncayo, Veraton, Garnacha
• NV, Barbi, Brunello, di Montalcino

For a complete slideshow of the wine tasting go HERE.

Jared on the Hilltop

On July 31, 2011, we celebrated Jared’s last road trip with the team in Pennsylvania.

At our traditional Thursday night dinner we presented him with a special slideshow (see below) of his past five trips to The Hilltop Winery for the annual West Institute Wine Reception and Dinner event.

At this dinner, we enjoyed a Feather (Randy Dunn) and Pedestal (Michal Rolland) - two wines we first tasted at The Hilltop Winery the previous year.

These two wines have an interesting background. Basically, they’re made from Washington State Columbia Valley grapes by famous winemakers from other parts of the world (Randy Dunn from Dunn Vineyards - Feather and Michal Rolland from Pomerol winery Le Bon Pasteur - Pedestal).

Good luck Jared in your new gig!

For a complete slideshow of the past five reception and dinners with Jared and friends click HERE.