Midweek Drinking Thread [2nd to 5th August 2021]

Inbar · August 2, 2021, 6:38pm

Mondays are usually dry, but certainly not on holiday. So after a long walk in the lovely Dorset countryside, chicken Basque is bubbling on the hob, and we opened this much loved Mencía from Alvaro Palacios:

What to say? It is my benchmark Mencía, and to be perfectly cliched about it - ticks all my boxes. Still very young looking the glass (lovely magenta colour), the nose is definitely evolving, however, with notes of bramble, spiced plums, pot-pourri, tomato leaf and an earthy whiff of the potting shed.

On the palate there seems to be a perfect balance between fruit, acidity and (chalky) tannins. The fruit is concentrated (bramble, red plums, dark cherries), but still retaining freshness, the earthy tone is a little beetroot-like, and the floral violets offer a background note. Simply gorgeous!

What’s in your glass this week?

NickFoster · August 2, 2021, 7:12pm

Lovely, fruit driven Barbera. Cranberry, black cherries and a hint of spice.

Polished off the bottle far too quickly - another one straight back on the wishlist!

Andy999 · August 2, 2021, 7:35pm

Is it a bottle of two halves?

I’m finishing off a bottle from yesterday, a Frascati, and as far as I can remember probably the first one for about 20 years or more. It’s a decent wine but not terribly exciting. Very very pale colour. Lemon, flower, and mineral. Yes, I’ll go with that, but not too convinced about crisp. To me it seems quite soft and mellow. Easy to knock back with food, in this case a prawn stir-fry, but perhaps needing a little caution. My recollection of drinking (cheap) Frascati in Rome is that it was 11.5 or 12%. This is 13.5%, and it does make a difference.

Leah · August 2, 2021, 8:44pm

A very challenging start to the school holidays …. I’m trying to evoke my inner Ghandi with peaceful thoughts and calmness over the wailing , screaming, meltdowns and fights ……
I should really have a real gin …

Andy999 · August 2, 2021, 8:59pm

Didn’t Ghandi prefer Bombay Sapphire?

strawpig · August 2, 2021, 9:01pm

Nobody prefers Bombay Sapphire.

Inbar · August 2, 2021, 9:50pm

Oh, hang on in there, @Leah! Hope things calm down for you a bit soon…

ken99 · August 2, 2021, 9:54pm

Last night saw us eating a Maine lobster accompanied by a bottle of Val de Rois from Valreas, a new wine for us: lively and fresh, perhaps a little like Cairanne and not as heavy as the Gigondas we normally drink. Most satisfactory!

sequentialogic · August 2, 2021, 10:26pm

Ironically their ferry/airport special “East” is far superior. A shame it isn’t easier to get hold of.

Currently drinking ordinary Bombay Sapphire as we’re fed of of seeing it at the back of the cupboard!

Embee · August 3, 2021, 6:43pm

I’ve no great experience of aged Pinot Gris…

…but this is going down very nicely indeed. Bright golden yellow. Fragrant and floral, musky and spicy, no obvious fruit notes but at a push, ripe pear and peach, albeit, after being baked in a cake for my nose. Weighty, squidgy conference pear and ripe stone fruit flavours, a raft of mixed spice and a touch of musk, once again, on tasting. Off to medium dry with plenty of fresh acidity, for a ten year old wine especially, to cut through the richness. Soft in texture but with a nice tingle thanks to the acidity and a long and complex finish to conclude. Very satisfying !

Dinner was a sweet and sticky chicken and veg stir fry…

…and the wine was a decent, but by no means classic, match. It certainly didn’t clash that’s for sure.

Happy midweek drinking everyone !

winechief · August 3, 2021, 6:44pm

No reason other than it’s Tuesday and I’ve had 2 dry days in a row. And it’s fantastic as expected

lapin_rouge · August 3, 2021, 7:33pm

Not without a time machine. He died 36 years before B.S. was created in 1986. Unless you are talking about his daughter - she died 1984.

Olivercg · August 3, 2021, 7:55pm

Burlotto Dolcetto 2018 - just lovely and everything I want from an easy going dolcetto. Alas, my last bottle. Hoping Sarah is releasing the ‘19 soon (along with the Pelaverga!)

Andy999 · August 3, 2021, 8:05pm

No, it was just a frivolous comment, not a serious one.

CCouzens · August 3, 2021, 8:09pm

For us too, but our wine was less grand

Still, it did the job😃

Pear, spice, acidity, but probably less so.

Martyn · August 3, 2021, 8:25pm

Trying to return to posting after a few weeks without smell - courtesy of The Blight

Enjoyed this with trout en papilotte and crushed new potatoes. Much as the WS notes describe, although for me the assyrtiko was too dominant - lots and lots of grapefruit and consequently a touch unbalanced. But I stress I am not the best taster at the moment, and the bottle did disappear rather quickly, so clearly Mrs M was a fan!

Martyn · August 3, 2021, 8:28pm

Glad you enjoyed this. We’ve got 4 bottles of the 2010 left, and I really enjoyed early bottles - for 2010 it’s clearly mature but not over the hill. I think our last bottle was with a curry, which was a good match. Ridiculously good VFM - I think the 2015 is on the list at £19ish. A proper ‘yum’ Pinot Gris.

Tannatastic · August 3, 2021, 8:49pm

Because it’s a school night, and just because I’m dreaming of being in SW France next week (that is the fourth time I have said that in the last 18 months and this time I want it to be true), though sadly not in Jurançon. And because, obviously, this is on everyone’s lips right now, seemingly

It’s quite a nice wine, and certainly a lot of wine for the money. It’s not entirely typical of the style of the Cave de Gan ISTR (2019 a hot vintage perhaps?) though it does possess the telltale lick of underripe pineapple acidity with a faint lick of liquorice on the tongue and a certain florality.

Happy Tuesday

wine.arbitrageur · August 3, 2021, 10:47pm

I’ve struggled a bit with Portuguese wines. This however, was lovely. It’s had a couple of extra years storage from when it was bought.

I think for my palette they may need more time in storage compared to when they are released from Vinha.co.uk or Portugal vineyards?

My Favourite Portuguese wine prior to this wasn’t very Portuguese given the grape variety but my benchmark for enjoyment. Also excellent!

eugene · August 4, 2021, 1:26am

I don’t often have Rosé wine because I find that they are often unbalanced and neither here nor there – to acid or too harsh/rustic or too insipid and without any real character of their own. Apologies to those who love Rosés. However on a browse recently this piqued my interest and I bought one of these to see what the mighty Muga could make of a rosé.

Well chilled, I have to say this was the best rosé I have ever had and I might actually buy some more! ‘From a mix of Rioja varieties’ the label says but Muga’s website says it is actually Garnacha + Viura for the 2020.
A very pale salmon pink, nice fresh and crisp nose of flowers and fruits ?strawberries + a delicate wild bush rose? On the palate – clean crunchy ripe but not overripe fruit and also ‘mineral’ – reminiscent of Chablis but with an added hint of starfruit and pomegranate. Well balanced in fruit & acidity, easy drinking but with persistence and character. Very very good.