Balaban's will host a 5-Course wine pairing dinner on Sunday, August 19th beginning at 6:30 PM featuring the one of kind wines from Cakebread Cellars.
Since its founding in 1973 by Jack and Dolores Cakebread, Cakebread Cellars has been famous for its warm, gracious hospitality and unmatched wines. Cakebread Cellars has vineyard properties located throughout Napa Valley and a location in the Anderson Valley. The winery ranches surrounding the production facility in Rutherford are where it all began in 1973. Cakebread is known for innovative wine growing strategies and technologies. Over the years, these have included night-harvesting to ensure the grapes arrive at the winery in pristine condition; whole-cluster pressing of white grapes to enhance juice and wine freshness and varietal intensity; and aging Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay in barrel on its spent yeast, a traditional French practice known as sur lie which produces a very rich, creamy style of Chardonnay.
The nose offers vivid, creamy aromas of green and golden apple, pear, and citrus with supporting scents of beeswax and mineral. Full-bodied and vibrant on the palate, with bright, intense, apple, citrus, and melon flavors, our 2015 Napa Valley Chardonnay is remarkably persistent on the palate, culminating in a long finish showcasing pleasing spice, yeast and mineral tones. Released soon after bottling, it will hit its stride after 6-8 months, and reward 5-7 years’ aging.
Fragrant aromas of sweet black cherry, raspberry, and rose petal introduce the rich, pure fruit of this fresh and lively pinot noir. Dense mid-palate flavors of ripe black cherry, red cherry, strawberry and plum, supported by fine, supple tannins, offer a layered complexity and glide into a round, long finish highlighting bright raspberry, cherry and mineral tones. Delicious now, this lovely pinot noir will develop additional complexity with another 3-5 years of bottle age.
Fresh blackberries, plum skin and fresh juniper berries intermixed with dried strawberry and sandalwood. Swirling brings up ripe black currants, baking spice and crème de cassis. The palate is dense and polished with superfine tannins and great length. It’s mouthwateringly fresh with ripe but restrained fruit and terrific presence.
On the nose very intense, with aromas of ripe fruits such as cassis, combined with rockrose and peppery spice. On the palate, very powerful and full bodied, fresh and well-structured, with flavors of blackberries and hints of chocolate. Long and slightly dry finish.