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In a phrase, structually delicious. Fine ripe tannins coated in bitter cherry fruit.
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I was considering the 2018 Exhibition Langhe Nebbiolo, but tonight is as much about quaffing as anything serious (and the small matter of that 15% on a school night). So what does quaffing, and fairly serious, in one handy package? Literally anything by Thymiopoulos!
Red-slightly-more-than-black fruits, decent acidity, lithe tannins bit with a slight grip on the end, medium bodied at most, a touch of sourness and (and we completely disagree on this, though I am of course right) a touch of liquorice in the finish.
Very nice 
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I think this is one of the best bang-for-your-buck wines on the list at the moment - very lovely stuff indeed :~}
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I don’t drink enough Barolo.
After inexplicably not having any for a good 7-8 months, an Ultravino delivery a few weeks ago restored the balance. My 2022 aim is to end up having around a bottle of Barolo a week during the colder months, binning the stupid (but strangely irresistible) idea of ‘saving’ those favourite wines for some unidentified special occasion.
Tonight I’m having the Society’s Exhibition 2013 which is evidently open for business, and enjoyable enough to mean I’ve just plonked cases of the 2016 and Bolmida’s 2010 into reserves. I can see why they chose this as their own brand Barolo, as it hits the most identifiable features associated with those wines. A floral, cool raspberry nose - but not the mind-blowing aromas you can find in some pricier Barolo. Tangy, palate cleansing red currents and cherries to taste, with some tannic grip still evident - but not the total velvet found in some. A pleasant bit of length, but not endless.
It doesn’t have the extraordinary magic of a Burlotto, Mascarello etc. but it is a lovely wine to drink at a fraction of the price.
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Opened my last-but-one litre bottle TWS 16 y/o blended whisky - sadly cannot be replaced because now has been deleted from range. Such a shame it’s at 40%.
I have to say, it’s outstanding - balanced yet at the same time complex which must be tricky to achieve. The high peaty notes are balanced by bass notes of demerara sugar - no obvious cask influence which is a fine achievement
The Blended 16 y/o is now extinct, at the end of its evolutionary journey, do you think TWS might be persuaded to release it’s latest recipe? purely for interest - or maybe so geeks like me might try to recreate it?
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Godello in the “burgundy” style. First is the yellow colour, a sign of some of the oak influence to come. Nose quite dominated by the oak. In the palate not quite enough acidity or fruit to carry the style. Slightly oxidative effect to me. Possibly a couple of years past it’s best. Meaty weight to the bottle.
I’m all for a buttery oaked white in what is an unfashionable style these days but not enough fruit/acidity here for me. A bit disappointing. If we’re going to do Spanish wines in a non native “burgundy” style I prefer the cheaper Rioja
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I’ve really enjoyed these in the past, but I agree with you on this one; I had one a few weeks ago and found it a bit out-of-balance and past it. I wasn’t sure if it was me having funny post-COVID taste or the wine itself.
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Dinner with a friend in Trivet yesterday. Fantastic food, for a price. Very intriguing wine list, also for a price. Best canele I have ever had, also probably the best Cote du Rhone I have ever had (2019 from Jamet). Also to start had a glass of the 2014 Bachelder, Wismer-Parke, Pinot Noir, from 20 Mile Bench in Niagara, would definitely buy this again.
Sweetbread dish on photo to die for.
Ultravino order delivered today. Opened an Alto Piemonte Vespolina for a sneak peak. Cherries and raspberries, freshness from acidity. Friendly alcohol levels. Want more.
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Monday grabbed an opportunity caused by Mrs M not playing Bridge in the evening to go to Prime. Monday is their free BYOB night so I took this
2019 Cline Cellars Zinfandel Ancient Vines ( California, Contra Costa County)
The 2018 was the best Zinfandel I’ve had but when I was able to return to the Welsh shop I’d got if from, it was gone, and they’d decided not to restock. So when, a few weeks ago, I found another independent close to me had the 2018 listed in their website I went to get 6 more, only to find they’d sold out and it had been replaced with the 2019. I took a punt and got six and I’m jolly glad I did. The vines are said to be 100+ years old, but there’s no more information on the label.
I wonder if the vines are in the Oakley Road vineyard used by Joel Peterson for his Once & Future bottling.
Tuesday our weekly pasta dish was Penne Puttanesca with a mixed salad. As usual with pasta we drank no-brainer™
2019 Casa Vinicola Roxan The Wine Society’s Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (Italy, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo)
Wednesday Stir fry diced chicken with cashew nuts and red pepper strips in black bean sauce with mixed vegetables including pak choi, bean sprouts and water chestnut in oyster sauce and plain rice, and to drink
2018 The Wine Society’s Blaufränkisch (Austria)
Thursday It’s the first Thursday of the month so it’s our U3A wine tasting group meeting, The host has chosen the theme of Languedoc and I understand they’re all coming from TWS, so no doubt some will be on my next order.
(Cline from Hedley Wright, all the rest from TWS)
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I can remember buying Cline Ancient Vine Zin from Majestic about 15-20 years ago. At least I definitely bought the wine and I’m pretty sure it was from Majestic. (Hmmm - maybe 25 years ago?)
If you kiss enough frogs, you will meet a prince.
Apparently.
So after a series of quite frankly ‘meh’ reds, tonight thank goodness a wine prince (or princess - let’s not be sexist) - in the form of a Clisson 2017 which I incorrectly thought would be a chenin blanc but turned out to be muscadet.
Naturally it’s o.o.s. which is always a good sign. This is Muscadet, with (I guess) a touch of barrel age, plenty of lees and terroir by the spade full. In terms of quality it is easily on a par with a good prem cru chablis - oncle vincent maybe - but with much less body.
Even more unusually for a muscadet, it absolutely sings given a large glass and time to open up. One to look out for in the future.
With sea bass fillets ‘meunier’ (flour dusted and butter fried) and a fennel & blood orange salad.
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Splitting hairs here, and… pedantry alert, chenin is a variety, Muscadet is an appellation. I take it you mean that the variety is melon de Bourgogne ?
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anyway no risk of me triggering the pedantry police with this one - the variety, the town it comes from and the PDO appellation are all the same word !!
This Robola is the entry level incarnation at the Robola Co-op and a time - expired travel souvenir. It was to accompany wild salmon steak in mild creamy mustard - curry sauce with stir fry rice and garden vegetables (leeks mainly…)
It’s harmless enough but not as nice as their up-the-range barrel fermented version; some lemony / pear/ grapefruit polite niceness but not zingy or lengthy. It didn’t jar with the meal; at least. I’m not devastated that I have no other bottles of it.
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Quite agree. Gorgeous town near nantes i stumbled accross when looking for a couple of nights stop en route somewhere else in France. Stayed about 5! Some decent restaurants and exceptional Cru communaux muscadet - tried a 2005 year old Clisson a year or so before the lockdown in Kilbus. Forget the maker offhand but stunning, your reference of good premier cru chablis is spot on and better vfm. Currently drinking my 2014s and they are excellent.
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Comtesse de Lalande 1990. If you want to buy a bottle that’s a good price retail.
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Just opened a Burrier St Veran Chateau de Beauregard, Château de Beauregard, Saint-Véran Le Vernay 2020.
I find even before tasting I have slid rapidly off the curmudgeonly scale, and some way up the good-will to all scale. Rich, buttery aroma, full of promise. Also rather rapidly from “even before tasting” to “better have another glass”. Ah well, there’s a good reason for drinking decent wine!
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No brainer… the Rioja every time
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With Shakshouka this evening (I love Shakshouka 
) a nice light-to-medium bodied favourite. More juicy and strawberry fruited , less savoury than the previous couple of vintages, with a surprising touch of sandpaper grip on the finish.
If it is a pointer as to the typicity of the vintage - and the 2016 was a marvelous bottling - it is nice and fruity and airy, but perhaps a step down from 2016 in sheer sophistication.
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