Well, we had some wine friends over last night and drank these with some grilled pronghorn backstrap steaks, butterflied over asparagus and topped with a reduced mushroom/wine sauce and roasted baby potatoes. Yes, it was good!We got an early Christmas present from @AKMINK's dad and stepmother. I am looking forward to these!
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Who's the cook?Well, we had some wine friends over last night and drank these with some grilled pronghorn backstrap steaks, butterflied over asparagus and topped with a reduced mushroom/wine sauce and roasted baby potatoes. Yes, it was good!
Moi.Who's the cook?
Sadly, I was not in Tahoe! My last day was March 26 this year. Not really regretting, because the snow surface was pretty darn good that day. But my real job has been demanding too much attention of late.@skibob, where were you last week when @mdf and I were at Tahoe?
Anyway, couple of lovely bottles from the past week.
The first, I hasten to note, is not the CdP from Pegau, which is beyond me, but the CdR. Nevertheless it is superb. The best known "super Côtes du Rhône," such as Coudoulet from Beaucastel, don't have much, if anything, on this except higher prices. The wine is totally straight and true to type, with all the ripe fruit of its modern peers but perfect balance and a real backbone. The Grenache and Syrah qualities are notably complementary, with the nod going to the G, as it should in the south. This could easily pass for a top Gigondas.
The second wine has rushed into my heart despite its stuffy label. This is what happens, I guess, when you grow Dolcetto on a vineyard site that is the Barolo equivalent of a grand cru - "on the hillside between Bricco Boschis and Monprivato/Codana," (!!!) according to the winery.
In striking similarity to the Pegau, it is loaded with perfectly ripe black cherry fruit, but far transcends that with traditional fennel, tobacco, and leather overtones and - especially - insane length and evolution on the palate. Great match with tonight's earthy spring chard-and-chorizo risotto.
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I went France and got a case of the ClapeSo it's been several months of drinking lighter-colored (but not necessarily lighter) reds almost exclusively. Gamay, pinot, mencìa, dolcetto, and especially nebbiolo. @mdf gave me some nice cabs when we were at Squaw, but that was the exception to the rule.
Then last night I popped a La Clape from the Languedoc. It was not overweight or overripe or overreaching. In fact it was really good. But ....... oh my god it was like eating a marzipan croissant after six months of nothing but pain au levain. Kind of awesome, but kind of nauseating. Just too much. Interesting phenomenon.
"Give me my thistles back!" said Eeyore.
Inevitable.I went France and got a case of the Clape
So tonight we had the Sicilian wine and it was very good, they tend to be heavy red wines and this one did not disappoint. It had a slightly earthy or mineral taste, not bad but seemed just right.We have three new to us for the weekend.
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Two reds and a white, the first is the Pinot Noir that I enjoyed with tonight's dinner. It was very pleasant and lived up to it's name. As we open the others I will add my thoughts on them.
Interesting. This is the Altare barbera. I had to Google to refresh my memory. Obviously the '16s from Piemonte are getting great press, and I've certainly had good ones, though unfortunately not in this price bracket. How does it hold up to the new oak that I think this estate is still known for. employing?Anniversary dinner last evening. We had a bottle of this in the 2016 edition.
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Absolutely spectacular. There are 6 bottles now coming to join my well-stocked cellar...
My wife and I were blown away by this wine. It has quite high alcohol (15.2%!) which we generally don't appreciate, but it is not hot at all. The new oak is well integrated into the structure of the wine. Galloni gave it a 95+, and I thought it was pretty apt: "The 2016 will soon take its place as one of the greatest Larigis ever made. It is every bit that special." It drinks beautifully now, but I'll likely keep it in the cellar 5 or more years to see how it develops.Interesting. This is the Altare barbera. I had to Google to refresh my memory. Obviously the '16s from Piemonte are getting great press, and I've certainly had good ones, though unfortunately not in this price bracket. How does it hold up to the new oak that I think this estate is still known for. employing?
That's a new area to me. Good to know.I have a new wine maven. He recommended this and it's good stuff. Very juicy and drinkable. Lots of things in common with a good Côtes du Rhône but with a bit more lift and brightness. Something very herbal on the nose along with the raspberry. Yummy.
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Tell me more about this "lift and brightness" stuff.I have a new wine maven. He recommended this and it's good stuff. Very juicy and drinkable. Lots of things in common with a good Côtes du Rhône but with a bit more lift and brightness. Something very herbal on the nose along with the raspberry. Yummy.
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