Duck confit, pommes Anna, roasted Brussels….
Late afternoon glass of kir, followed by Mas de Daumas Gassac 2006
Last bottle of 6, dusty from the cellar where is has been lurking (previous bottle drunk a few years back). A fantastic wine to start the year - pretty restrained on the nose, but redolent of blackcurrant and pencil lead on the palate.
Very smooth - need to dig out the remains of the Christmas cheese
Shame on you all - it’s Monday get back to work you shirkers !
Which I shall do, just as soon as I’ve placed a small order into reserves. The Society’s Exhibition Vintage Port 1980 was so good (New Years Eve), I can justify getting another for next year.
And that’s it for wine purchases for some time. This year looks to be a very tough one financially for most of us, and I have more than enough bottles on the racks, in reserves etc.
Had the 2017 Thymopolous Earth and Sky over 2 nights, its in a lovely place right now, tannins have mellowed down nicely.
Years ahead of it, as one would expect of a serious Xinomavro. Have been off this site for a while as I came down with a flu over Christmas and my antique PC finally gave up the ghost!
Christmas wine highlight was the Trimbach 2017 Heimbourg Pinot Gris, in perfect balance, dry and rich but no flabbyness. Underlying minerality and good length. Worth the money!
By coincidence, I opened a bottle of the 2014 MdDG on Saturday to accompany a boeuf bourguignonne and finished it last night with a rack of lamb.
Very smooth and typical of this wine - drinking well after 8 years. Decanted half into a small bottle for the second day and that drank even better.
After several weeks of higher-end wines, a shout out for this one tonight:
https://www.thewinesociety.com/product/the-societys-barbera-dasti-superiore-2019
This is just really, really good for the money. Ok, it might be better at 14 rather than 14.5 degrees, and it’s a little simplistic (but much better than average for the price), but it’s a real pleasure to drink on a cold night with a bacon/garlic/random greens pasta. Annoyingly many other people have spotted this fact and it’s OOS… if the 2020 follows a case will be winging it’s way Teddington-wards.
New Year’s Day long lunch with delicious blackcurranty , softly tannic offering…loved it as did the lunch guests…
A magnum with the numbers helped as this was a birthday gift from a pre Covid summer
Opened a bottle of CVNE Imperial Reserva, Rioja 2004 last night.
After two dry days ushering in a more sober return to work (all play and no work makes Jack a dull boy… or is that the other way round… 
) we’re off the wagon again with this charming little number:
Crozes-Hermitage Blanc Papillon, Domaine Gilles Robin 2020
Don’t look for depth here – you won’t find it, but what there is – is a lot of jolly drinking. Made from young Marsanne vines (according to the back label) and without oak, this is a very approachable, rounded but dry expression of Marsanne.
Pale gold in the glass, the nose has floral notes of citrus blossom, as well as ripe pears, mellow honey and a certain herbal edge too. On the palate it’s rounded but very fresh and zesty, with tangy Seville orange marmalade notes mixed with pears, very delicate honey and a chamomile almost slightly medicinal note on the finish. It’s got a pleasant bitterness in the background and – we thought – a sort of leesy savouriness to it.
Currently reduced, though we paid the full price. Good value, even if it doesn’t quite wow. But there were enough ‘wows’ over the holiday, so it fits the theme of gentle entry into 2023 to a tee.
Happy Mitwoch! 
New year newish wine
Have not tried one of these for many years in Baden Baden.
Anyway tonight
Very enjoyable with game birds, heavier than a Bourgogne…but equally as enjoyable as food wine.
I’ve had this open last night and tonight; a Tesco Finest 2021 Falanghina.
Apparently made by Feudi di San Gregorio.
This is really rather good [if you like Falanghina at any rate!] Very crisp and citric on first dibs, quite tart, very fresh, slightly sour / young green apple. Once open a while, it takes on more body and depth, and certainly has plenty to keep you coming back.
Yes, this is a vivacious sunshine wine for a nice salty frittura mista with some fresh lemon squeezed over it on a balmy summer evening by the coast more than it is a wine for a chilly dark UK January night, but if you shut your eyes …
This here tonight…
…a Thistle & Weed Paarl Chenin Blanc ‘Duwweltjie’ 2018.
TWS notes are spot-on - ‘a naturally fermented chenin from bush vines planted in 1956, which yield tiny quantities of pristine fruit. This offers wonderful depth and complexity, with real energy and verve on the palate’.
Further notes here are - tree blossom, citrus, white stone fruit and integrated vanilla oak spice on the nose and lees textured palate. Bright acidity provides elegant balance to the deeply flavoured, tart but ripe, fruit. Has that effortless quality so many ‘new wave’ South African winemakers seem able to imbue in their wines these days.
All in all, a very good start to 2023 !
Went a bit mad midweek with chicken shawarma and opened this. Lucky I opened it four hours before, it needed it and more. Really closed down and tannic even after a few hours but came round eventually. Lovely blackberry and blood orange flavours and a ton of minerality. Pleasingly medium bodied and not too much oak, I thought this might be a bruiser when I picked it out.
First taste of Nagyapám. Very translucent light red in glass. Gentle aromas of red fruits. On first couple of sips it’s nothing special. Great gentle structure of acidity with light tannin. Then you keep sipping. Quite moreish.
I hated this. Found it mean and thoroughly dull. Which just goes to show how people’s feelings about wines can differ! Think it was my third kadarka, and i enjoyed the other two.
Got an 05 of this, which I pick out of the rack every couple of years or so, and then put back thinking it’s probably still on the up side 
Pesico 2015, Domínio del Urogallo Much improved this, over the last couple of years. It’s opened up and is now a lovely acid-driven Asturian mountain red which just invites another glug. Usual field blend of Verdejo Negro/Trousseau, Mencía, Albarin Negro/Alfrocheiro, etc.
Mouchão 2010 Quite closed on first day, but clearly a serious wine with absolutely none of the usual Alentejo sweetness of fruit. On day 3 it’s smoothed out and come into its own, lovely expression of old-vine Alicante, definitely more serious than sensual (somewhat contrary to my expectations). Pity it’s got so expensive (again). 
Have to say I just don’t get Daumas Gassac. I’ve tried a few vintages, and always felt it was one of the most overrated wines I know. But then for me Cab Sau is the devil’s work, so what should I expect?
More dull than mean. Went surprisingly well with Guinea fowl braised with lentils, though, it foiled the tomato in the lentils and let the bird do the talking.
Ok, fair enough. But I bought it in PT in early 2021 for 35 euros, and now it’s nearly 50.
Brings up another question, of course - that of massive price inflation in Portugal’s top wines, within the country (though this does of course effectively make them unsaleable outside the country too). I’m always seeing high-end wines which are actually cheaper in the UK.
Don’t suppose I’ll ever get to try Barca Velha, Pêra Manca et al. I do like Rocim, but the prices for their top wines are astronomical too. I think this is a deliberate policy as I’ve seen much discussion of it on PT wine fora, but I feel it is misguided - you can’t build a reputation through marketing.
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