Weekday Drinking Thread [22 to 25 February 2021]

Inbar · February 23, 2021, 6:54pm

Another long day of work is over, thankfully. It included shouting and swearing whilst trying to test a new IT system I just couldn’t figure out, which was really not very dignified

Anyway – wine to the rescue! Pinot Noir from the Var, from Maison Latour:

It’s got all the attributes we like in our reds (especially midweek ones): lightness, freshness, juiciness but with a nice savoury kick for a little interest too. Very pale ruby in the glass, with maybe just a hint of brick…? (this is a 2017 bottle), and the nose is all hedgerow berries, pomegranate, hibiscus and undergrowth.

Light on the palate, it explodes into crunchy red fruit (cranberry, raspberry, pomegranate), before offering something a little more herbaceous and savoury (oregano, perhaps), and even a touch of smokiness – not unlike an Etna Rosso. It’s not multi-layered, but it’s so quaffable, and together with venison liver and mash should erase all memories of my tantrum earlier. Or so I hope…

Happy Tuesday!

Andrew1990 · February 23, 2021, 6:52pm

Serving this at cellar temperature. Joguet is top stuff. Almost Burgundian in style…

Ignore the carton of Bird’s custard.i had mine with a grilled pork chop…

Andy999 · February 23, 2021, 7:20pm

Always good to know your new system can take a bit of abuse!

Brocklehurstj · February 23, 2021, 8:04pm

Won’t be long before we’re all doing the same at the new TWS one

robertd · February 23, 2021, 8:26pm

Another foray into midweek drinking and Mystery Case exploration tonight, with this Saint-Véran Le Vernay 2018 from Château de Beauregard, to pair with mushroom and black garlic risotto (no gurnard ). Having our daughter at home means an extra drinker, which means more wine without increasing alcohol consumption

White peaches, ripe pears, a little bit of apricot, and some not unpleasant apricot stone bitterness on the finish. There seems to be some lees-y complexity too. Excellent drinking, and less than half price

Rio_Jano · February 23, 2021, 8:44pm

It’s not fancy, big or clever, but we are having Grove Mill NZ SB. And very nice too. Not as in-yer-face aggressive-gooseberry as some other budget NZ SB, but something a bit more passionfruit-y.

EdMcK · February 23, 2021, 8:45pm

I’m very keen on trying this one, @robertd. Do you think this would go well with cod, haddock, pollock etc?

adbdorset · February 23, 2021, 9:27pm

Pasta and Ragu tonight with this…always on @peterm updates and I can see why.

Perfect, red stone fruit flavours and an uncomplicated mid week wine. Definitely a reorder

robertd · February 23, 2021, 10:54pm

@EdMcK - yes, I think that this would go well with fish like that, with a bit more bite. The fruit is well balanced by acidity, but it’s probably going to show its best with something less delicate than, say, plaice or lemon sole. So cod, haddock or pollack would work well.

EdMcK · February 24, 2021, 8:11am

Thanks for this feedback, @robertd!

Luccasman · February 25, 2021, 6:51am

We are having a very mini celebration of my wife’s freedom from a sling after surgery with this beautiful Spanish white , in translation, the nest of the stork, a feature of the winery which we visited some year and half ago.
Beautiful golden colour in the glass, fresh apples on the nose and a wide stream of exotic fruit coupled with a brioche salty core. Frankly much more than we anticipated at the winery tasting. Thank you the Lord of Wine! Who ever you may be!
We enjoyed the wine with my fish cakes of naturally smoked haddock, kale and white sweet potato, mange tout and a spiced cous cous.

Luccasman · February 24, 2021, 7:00pm

I meant to say the grape mix is Xarel.lo, Chardonnay and Albariño , and if this is anything to go on , wonderful!

JohnBarleycorn · February 24, 2021, 8:14pm

A more involved and wine-y dinner than we would normally have midweek chez Barleycorn. Not for any particular reason other than that we could and the ingredients were stuff we already had to hand.

The wine was a 2013 Savigny Les Beaune Burgundy from Domaine Serrigny that I got in a mystery case last year. Red Burgundy is a bit of a blind spot for me, in my limited experience I’ve found it a bit intimidating, expensive and inconsistent and have tended to either get my pinot noir kicks from NZ and Chile or taken the view that gamay (and particularly Cru Beaujolais) is good enough for government work. This was definitely one of my better Burgundy experiences, crunchy red fruit, fine tannins and an enjoyably savoury finish. A very positive mystery case experience and one that will lead me to look at the Bourgogne rouge and village wines offered by the Society in more detail than I have before.

The wine paired very well with a mushroom/leek risotto and a pork chop. I could claim that I slaved over the risotto for hours, stirring it religiously, but the truth is that I sautéed off the veg and then whacked it with the stock in a pressure cooker for 5 mins. A very effective technique and one that made it a much more achievable Wednesday night meal.

NickFoster · February 24, 2021, 10:32pm

Lovely on the nose, a little too astringent on the palate. The 16 was better, but still decent with a simple plate of pasta and tomato sauce. Still good Sangiovese for the money. Hope the`18 is a return to form.

Joewlmansfield · February 24, 2021, 9:16pm

With spag Bol tonight; the match worked well but there’s something about this wine that just doesn’t sit right to me. I’m fairly confident that’s my problem, not the wine, in the same way some people don’t like orange with chocolate for example. Technically it’s ripe,has soft tannins, juicy fruit with a slightly savoury edge, but there’s a flavour I can’t pin down that just jars with me.

JayKay · February 24, 2021, 9:28pm

Tale of two sherries here. TWS Fino as an apero, lovely glass. Then a glass of Maribel Amontillado with some pate. A delicious combination.

adbdorset · February 24, 2021, 10:15pm

Have enjoyed this Rosé over a few days and this Crozes tonight with lamb chops.

The Rosé was fresh and very easy to drink, light soft red berry finish and as per TWS notes. Very easy to drink and a great price.

The Crozes from reserves was delightful, smooth very rich still and quite tannic still. Opened two hours before drinking and decanted an hour before drinking. Inky dark wine with a black fruity finish

First of six which means storage slots now required to be found .

MikeFranklin · February 25, 2021, 10:26am

Opened this last night:

It was from a freebie Virgin Wines case given to us a couple of years ago by one of our regular office suppliers so can’t expect too much! I think VW normally sells it for around £10 and it’s probably a fair wine for the price. Light easy drinking, floral, very acidic on first pouring but settled down after an hour in the glass. My lack of excitement with Pinot Noir is not going to be challenged by this but it’s okay.

CCouzens · February 25, 2021, 1:43pm

It feels almost sacriligeous to say you’re not keen on Jaume here, but I have to agree with you. It’s quite a while since I’ve had any of their CdR (it’s a perennial at tastings) but I do have a couple of bottles arriving in a pre-mixed case next week. I thought at the discounted case price I’d be prepared to give it another shot. There also seems to be a good chance it will appear in my mystery case.

Mike_P · February 25, 2021, 5:47pm

Thank goodness for the consistency of good old fashioned claret. 2005 Cantemerle, lovely, ready but no rush