My sister gave us a load of beautiful fresh broad beans from her allotment, and there was some very nice wet garlic on the market this morning, both which I used in a kind of summery seafood stew, with pancetta. After last night’s Cambridge get-together I didn’t want to drink too much, but talk of Sylvaner on the weekday drinking thread (nice looking tarte flambée, @Embee) led me to a couple of glasses of Dirler-Cadé Sylvaner Vielles Vignes 2018.
Very 2018 - ripe apples, some peachy fruit, and a bit less acidity than other vintages. It all stays in balance, though, and there’s the typical bitter almond grip and length to the finish.
Happy Weekend!
Edit: Happy Birthday, @Aspedini ! Looks like you’re having a good time
Broached one of these with some chalk stream trout, watercress sauce and braised courgette from the allotment. Lovely and fruity initially, with a good bit of minerality and a bit of lime cordial on the finish. Definitely enjoyable to drink now if you have this and can’t wait. I’ll have at least one more in the next few months then leave the rest for a few years to try the aged version.
Yesterday I spent all flamin’ day setting about collecting wild myrtilles here in the Pyrenees. It’s an annual ritual. Good places are jealously - guarded secrets, so as to get a decent amount not yet despoilt by semi-professionals. But I have my annual spot (yes it’s a secret) and it didn’t let me down. But getting there involves an hour’s cycle ride gaining 500m and then another hours’ yomp up another 800m. Then 5 hours picking the things, returning, and another hour sorting them out - taking away the insects, leaves, twigs and the 10% or so of spoilt / unripe ones. Still, the carbon footprint / food miles is zero.
Result is a net of 2.8 kg - need to be turned into jam today.
Anyway I felt sufficient justification for cracking open this travel souvenir to have with supper of goats cheese and bacon flan. It’s one of the top cuvées from Castra Rubra, Thracian Lowlands, where we visited in 2019 Butterfly’s rock | Castra Rubra
Celebrated making it through a week of work after two weeks annual leave with some hawksmoor rump steaks via ocado on the bbq first time we’ve tried these and they are great.
Went with the much discussed (on the Rhone Rangers thread) Petite Chapelle 2013. I have a case from TWS but this was a single bottle from the vivino offer to get a taste of where things are
A good match to the steak and béarnaise. No detailed notes on the wine, but I agree with @wine.arbitrageur that this is open for business but definitely on the refined side of things. A slight lack of concentration or “depth of flavour” that TWS tasting notes convey. I decanted for two hours, and had a little taste from the bottle immediately. It definitely benefited from decanting as it was a lot more expressive on the nose and more developed flavours abounded. Just still lacking a little depth, although it might never have that and I have very little Hermitage experience. It may be that style of this particular wine and vintage, others will know more.
Edit: a couple of glasses left for tonight but second jab today so will all depend on how that goes!
Opened this Godello last night. It’s from TWS and I’m sure it was recommended on this board. A lovely summer wine. Fresh and rounded with peach and a little citrus/acidic to keep it interesting. Pretty good and will reorder.
Ruby red colour, slightly transparant. On the nose mainly red berries, delicate. On the palate again berries and a bit of spice, with medium acidity, light tannins, medium bodied. Medium to long finish. Well balanced wine which is very pleasant to drink. This cuvee is made of Zweigelt 55%, Blaufränkisch 25%, and Cabernet Sauvignon 20%.
…a 2018 Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese. I can only concur with others here who’ve enjoyed the same previously.
As you can see, a translucent pale garnet colour, what I couldn’t capture, were its rusty amber glints. Perfumed nose, wild strawberries, fresh flowers with a lovely savoury undertow to add further interest. Soft red berries, really tiny ones though, a herbal note and plenty of savoury complexity on tasting. Fresh acidity and light ripe tannins provide good structure with just a touch of grip. One of those paradoxical wines that’s simultaneously light in body but deep in flavour.
Amazingly two glasses remain for the same meal tonight ( it was a great match to the salami ).
Have a great weekend everyone, if the weather where you live is the same as it is here, stay cool too
Treated myself to this last night: https://www.thewinesociety.com/shop/HistoricProductDetail.aspx?pd=CM8061
Bought this a couple of weeks back when a few bottles briefly appeared on TWS. Its a bit naughty really since, when buying it, the notes simply said “Drinking now” but once bought, in My Wines it says:
So it’s actually already three years outside TWS’s own drinking window! Fortunately the TWS windows are notoriously conservative and it’s still drinking well. In fact very well indeed; absolutely delicious, some fruit still there but it did fade in the glass and certainly lots of very mature flavours. But a lovely mature example of Pauillac.
I should probably think about drinking the second bottle without too much delay.
Purchased when on a real offer at Majestic, Montes Purple Angel a not unexpensive Carmenere.
Very aromatic nose and to coin a well used phrase Black Forest Gateau springs to mind, dry but very smooth and fruit forward full of chocolate plum blackberry blueberry, it is all in there, well balanced and a lot of finish.
There is 8% Petit Verdot in with the Carmenere that would appear to give it a bit more complexity over the single grape versions, but in any light this was a very good bottle.
No decant just let it stand for half hour initially and took it from there, the only thing against it is the price, very good though it is would I pay the £50 asking price with offer again, despite elsewhere they want around £70, not sure about that, but having enjoyed it that is no longer a consideration for now.
Not sure we agree with the notes on the back of the bottle. We got pear, grapefruit and nutty notes. Definitely had a “Sherry” quality but very refreshing acidity and a near to bone dry flavour that suited the warm weather.
Saturday is Market Day; 2 minutes’ walk and the plan for late lunch is always to see what there is.
Result - pan fried bream, local new potatoes, home made wild garlic pesto and some Txakoli (the Getarian version). It’s a great accompaniment to a buttery lunchtime fish dish as it’s sprightly and acidic and low ABV (11.5%). Local Charlotte strawberries and mountain cheese to follow.
Getarian Txakoli (as opposed to Biskais) is made from hondarribbi zuri (= courbu) and is served with an aerator in the bottle neck and poured from a height to make it temporarily slightly fizzy. As this is the requirement the Mosel riesling glasses make most sense as my aim is not that good !
After a hectic week of work, a family wedding and birthday we slumped in front of the telly last night with our last bottle of Bin 009 Chiroubles. Perfectly pure drinking pleasure, slightly chilled on a warm summer evening it partnered pasta with walnut pesto beautifully.
On Monday when first opened its obvious quality was on display even if you had to work a little to find it all: it developed nicely in the glass: blackcurrant and dark plum, some red crunchy fruits too, Parma violet, cedar. I had decanted a glass into an Eto and when I tried it last night the result was mesmerising. Everything was smooth and perfectly integrated: dried herbs and dried fruit too, forest floor, chocolate but with the ripe fruit still very much present. TWS drinking window is until 2025 - I’d say at least until then and will leave the remainIng four bottles I have for a couple more years before opening another.
Must just add in something here as Chatterers may like to see it - D’Arenberg has one of the most amazing cellar doors (" The Cube") out there - plus in the vineyards a nice sculpture (ruined by two annoying tourists standing on it…)
Tasting is done on the top floor and easily the highest point in McLaren Vale and the only place from where there are views to speak of.
01438 741177
As for your meal 
