It’s been a long week at work - I’m very glad it’s the weekend. I cooked cioppino and some poppy seed sourdough rolls, and we drank Domaine Loew, Muscat, Les Marnes Vertes, 2019.
Unmistakably muscat, really grapey, violets and lavender on the nose, very dry, with a body of Asian pear, more grapes, and almost dill rather than the normal mint on the finish. Wintry weather, and by rights quite a summery wine, but it partnered the food perfectly.
Happy Weekend!
Went to the fishmongers this morning and it was clear when I got there what I would be having for dinner. Before the wild prawns we had a dover sole which was delicious. These are the biggest prawns I ever cooked. So meaty, a wagyu of the sea! Paired with a really big wine to match the sauce made with butter, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and all the juices from the prawns heads. The wine is just starting to stretch its legs and it’s quite dense and viscous. It needs food with substance. Complex and very interesting, beautiful colour.
Hermitage here too, although I think I’d swap for those prawns!
A 2013 Petit Chapelle Hermitage. Not an overly concentrated hermitage. I’ve not had many but other vintages/hermitage has been more concentrated rich and intense.
This is lighter in style, acidity still present and offering a decent backbone. Maybe a little austere with reduced ripe fruit in support.
Recommended by ToT, I’d agree with @GHobson’s last checkin on it. May let the others go for longer and visit the more tertiary development.
Happy weekend all. I think it’s starting to feel Christmassy now!
Thymiopoulos Rosé 2013
Dinner at home with childhood friend I don’t get to see often. Salmon fajitas for supper and a first chance to try Thymiopoulos Rosé after reading much about it here.
Beautiful deep colour. Lovely depth of flavour. Cherries and strawberry but also a hint of something herbal. Well worth the money.
A bit left over which went with cheeseboard. As expected paired very well with goats cheese, but less expected also good with Beaufort and cheddar. 
I thought I would give a 2nd Swiss bottle a whirl. Courtesy of Aldi and weighing in at £9.99, I expected a little bit more from this Pinot Noir, compared to the excellent Gamay I sampled last weekend. This one was slightly sharp with an unusual aftertaste. It was not a disastrous adventure, just not as satisfying as the Gamay, which I am managed to secure a small additional parcel of.
Inspired by last week’s Boeuf Bourguignon thread https://community.thewinesociety.com/t/beef-bourguignon/13426
and it being ToH’s turn she announced that she would make a proper one last night - and very slow-cooked it was too, on account of those longer-than-anticipated 1/4 final games.
Burgundy was indeed harmed in the making thereof, apparently no stock or water should be added to the wine, and it reduced down nicely. I picked a generic Bourgogne from I-Marché from the second-lowest shelf.
Rather let the side down with the choice of wine to go with it - a Rioja GR which we picked up at their cellar door 3 or so years ago. This was ideal with the meal, good structure but not wood-dominated and boysenberry / loganberry fruity flavours.
There was some cheese begging to be finished off and so I opened a bottle of Cypriot Commandaria; again a travel souvenir. It fills a NV Tawny port hole quite competently. It’s a passito-style from sun dried Xinisteri and Mavro grapes, sometimes they are lightly-fortified, but this wasn’t (see the 13% abv). It’s also believed to be the oldest specifically “named” wine in production in the world, - since the 12th century - and has been made in the same way since at least 800 BC apparently. Don’t really see it for sale in the UK do we ?
Picked up some Thai, Korean and Chinese ready meals (feeling lazy). Opened up a Villa Maria Riesling as that’s a grape they used to have lots of in NZ. Good, drinkable stuff. It’s not meant to be full on fireworks but has a nice mid body, moderate acidity and a flavour that reminds me of lemon & lime marmalade. Gladly, it’s not a petrol bomb. Can be drunk with spicy food without feeling guilty.
A special Saturday lunch en famille of venison casserole followed by cheeses and ended with a chocolate mousse brought these wines.
First Lady cab sav and Gilles Robin papillon C.H … tonight … got them out earlier to warm by the log stove
Opened a Half bottle of Château Angludet, Margaux 2012 tonight:
I couldn’t be happier with tonight’s food and wine pairing. Opened after 30 minutes in the fridge…
…a Morgon ‘Cote du Py’ 2015 from Jean-Marc Burgaud.
A deeply attractive purple red colour. Violets, bramble berries, potting soil and a stony mineral quality on the fragrant nose. Similar flavours plus black cherry on the savoury, ripe but tangy, deeply flavoured palate. Beautifully fresh acidity and powdery tannins, that seem to pop in the mouth, provide lovely balance and structure to the medium to full bodied fruit. Despite the fruit ripeness and 14% ABV there’s nothing remotely heavy or over the top about it either. Every bit as satisfying as a decent Northern Rhone or Burgundy, which stylistically it falls between, only this cost a fraction of the price (£14.50). Oh, and still good for a few years yet I’d imagine.
It was superb with my relatively simple to cook roast dinner too…
…a mini game roast, glazed fennel seed carrots, etc. Or as my late mum might have said, ooo lovely, meat and two veg, my favourite !
We’re both ailing a bit this weekend so it’s a meal from Cook, pork Dijon - and very tasty too. We’re enjoying this Guigal Saint Joseph 2014
which is immeasurably better with the food, and not too cold. A weighty marsanne, with a little bitterness of lemon pith, and a lingering finish.
BTW, is it ok to be drinking French wine tonight?
Yeah, I thought the same but eventually concluded that the dodgy metaphor of consuming something French might be karmically appropriate 
Well that’s a bit of a bummer. Consoling myself (responsibly, you understand) with a jaunty bobal from Utiel-Requena, not an area I’ve bought from before, cherry notes, fruity, bright but not excessive acidity.
Have you tried the other Bruno Murciano wines? Could do with a notch more plush than Cambio de Tercio
We finished the hermitage 2013 remnants, which were improved second day. Better integration of flavours. Rhone nearly always improves with air!
Switched to a Saint Joseph (majestic mystery case) which is very enjoyable.
Shame for England. Always sad when it’s from missing a penalty. They were very much in that match. Commiserations for those impacted
Cheers All!
Yes, it is expensive, but we had celebration and chose this one to mark the occasion. Complex aromas and flavours of pineapple, melon and many stone fruits, you name it. Long finish, a very special wine. I think this will keep another decade, I wish I had a case of them and follow its development!
A small family gathering in Pewsey, convenient for the train for some (though one was cancelled - a regular event according to a chap on the platform) and not too far for us to drive. A cold day enlivened by a bottle of French pinot noir in The Royal Oak. Alas, their kitchen was closed so no lunch (lack of staff, a common story these days) but they helpfully recommended the baker’s shop across the road so we brought in Cornish pasties, sandwiches, etc., and with plates supplied by the pub we had a decent meal by the log fire and coffee to follow. A very hospitable pub indeed.
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