Am I first off the blocks? Glass of this excellent Amontillado to get things going:
Sanchez Romate Maribel A Blend of Amontillado
Crazily good value at £9.25.
TOH has demanded a bottle of nice white to go with roast whole mackerel so it will be this:
Chateau de Tracy Pouilly-Fume 2018, recently arrived in a mystery case, lucky us. Hope you all have great weekends in the sunshine.
Last day of our holiday - boy, a week flies by when you’re advanced in years… 
Veal Ragù for dinner, and a joyous Mencía to accompany:
Adegas Terrae, Pepe Porter Mencía, Monterrei, Galicia 2020
Reminiscent of both a Beaujolais-village and a juicy Loire Cab Franc, this wine is ripe and fruity, but with a pleasing earthy and herbaceous edge too. Violet hue in the glass, the violet theme continues on the nose and on the palate.
The nose also has notes of cherries and bramble, with freshly-turned soil sort of earthiness and a touch of dried herbs.
Juicy and ripe on the palate, it brings a smile from the first sip… there’s cherries, red plums and raspberries, with a background note of violets and a leafy/herbaceous note too. Acidity is lively, and there’s a surprising tannic grip on the finish. Lighter and less complex than my favourite Bierzo examples, but oh, so quaffable!
A new discovery from a local merchant in Brighton, which will be a repeat purchase 
Happy weekend, all! 
Well, I think I just beat you to it, but posted on the wrong thread again… Sheesh! 
Well I thought I’d had a long week, but when I got home this evening, MrsB declared she was off to sit in a friend’s garden (friend’s daughter has COVID) and watch the dogs play, aka drink copious quantities of gin.
She’s going to “sort supper out on her way home”, so I hope to god she picks up a takeaway else I’ll shortly be dead from food poisoning or starvation.
Daughter is out for a sleepover 
Son is shouting at me from the toilet, demanding sellotape for his loo roll glove 
To fortify me before investigating the loo roll glove situation I decided on a splash of Vermouth.
Everything will be fine
Retro cocktail this evening. A Harvey Wallbanger! Needed to use up some orange juice so either a HB or a Scewdriver. HB marginally more interesting taste wise. Very good 
We’ve headed to the north Norfolk coast for week 2 of our holiday. I share @Inbar’s feeling that a week’s holiday goes too quickly. The only solution is to have another one straightaway.
The closer I get to the sea, the more I seem to fancy white wine. Tonight, some of this lovely white Burgundy:
Has that delicious melon-lemon-grape flavour that only white wine from Burgundy seems to deliver, with freshness and balance. Not an unduly complex or long wine but a pleasure to drink.
None in the list at the moment but if this and/or the Oncle Vincent make an appearance in the 2020 vintage, it’s the credit card’s look out.
Another Burn Valley wine from Norfolk this evening. This time we had the Pinot Blanc 2020 to accompany a Thai selection of dishes. This was the unoaked version from the vineyard - certainly better than a number of Alsace versions of this grape that I have tasted.
Zorzal Cuatro del Cuatro 2018. A single variety graciano from the society’s favourite ornithologically themed winery (zorzal means thrush in Spanish- the bird not the yeast infection). It’s probably the best looking of their many great looking labels.
As I understand it, tiny portions of Graciano are used in blending Rioja to add colour and acidity. And it shows here. The wine is a real dark purple colour, very attractive but one that will leave horrid stains, I imagine. I gave this a two hour decant, and it wasn’t enough. There is a real piercing acidity here, like in madiran but the tannins are much more restrained. After nearly four hours it has fully opened up. There is blueberry, mulberry, dusting of nutmeg and pepper, maybe a hint of cloves and a tiny bit of rosemary. The tannins are lovely and smooth and fine grained. Persistent finish
It’s very pleasant indeed, but nothing like a Rioja, even though it is from the next door region, and is made from a Rioja grape. Just decant it properly
After my last post on Tuesday a 24 hr stomach bug ripped through the family. Starting almost immediately after the post. It made the walking dead look like CBeebies!
Following that, and a few days rest I wasn’t sure whether to crack anything this evening but it’s a Friday and on first nose this has reinvigorated desire/appreciation
It’s my last bottle and I need to restock.
Yes it’s a forward new world wine and i don’t think it should be ashamed of that 
. The nose and complexity elevates it. A real treat. Holds very well at the £25-30 range
Well, this was interesting.
Sandhi Sta. Rita Hills La Côte Pinot Noir 2013
Decanted (essential, in my view) at 2pm and started drinking at 4. Initial thoughts were that it was possibly corked. Cloudy and rather sour, with a strange undertone that I hadn’t come across before. Despite this, the nose was quite fresh and sweet, although no fruit bomb, so all a bit odd.
Within fifteen minutes of pouring, however, it all started to come together. Still the sour cherry flavour but evolving, sweeter red berries and a more classical mushroom undertone. It still felt slightly more New World, at this point but over the next few hours, it developed into a serious Burgundy style, with the final glass, seven hours after its initial opening, being the best.
This is a serious wine but it does require patience and I believe that there is more to give, over the next five years or more. There is plenty of spice and the tannins are still quite prominent.
I don’t think that this will be to everybody’s taste but if you enjoy classic, mature, high end Burgundy, then I think that there is a good chance that you will really enjoy this. One thing’s for sure though, you will struggle to find a wine of this quality, from Burgundy, at this price.
In my opinion, this is another excellent find from @Sarah, fantastic value and immensely enjoyable. Bravo!
I bought some of this recently but haven’t had a bottle yet - was interested to see the description on the TWS website saying decanting recommended, and good to know you agree! Wouldn’t usually expect a 9 year old PN to benefit massively from a (fairly long!) decant. Looking forward to trying it.
We rarely drink Nebbiolo but thought this was pretty good. A very expressive rose petal nose developed after about six hours.
My neck of the woods. Where exactly ?
Really enjoyed this last night. A big, bold warming red. Much better with food. Lots going on from the various grapes used. Spice, bramble, smoke and liquorice.
Tannins evident and probably opened a little early in the window. This has plenty of life left and well worth cellaring for a few years.
Lucky you!
We’re staying in a little cottage not too far from Burnham Market. Any outing recommendations, suitable for a weary couple with a 20 month boy and a dog?
Ha ! being life-time childless and dogless I can only share your pain but not offer anything helpful. Castle Acre is a fabulous ruin that we enjoyed going to as kids but won’t cut it for a 20 monther…I can also recommend Drove Orchards farm shop, a trip to Holkham Hall and of course the beach at Holkham and the becoming-trendy-again Wells next the Sea. I’m not sure if they are doing seal trips to the Point from Morston yet worth checking out. Your local vineyard / winery will be Burn Valley (as featured in @Robin63 's post on this thread) which is open later today. https://www.burnvalleyvineyard.co.uk
Have fun. As for me - I’m working. I keep my head down @ weekends
Along with Burn Valley we went walking on the marshes. There are also boat rides to see the seals from Blakeney (along with great sea front bakery) and the is a windmill at Cley ( a hotel). Try some of the local cheeses also.
Our wine group got together to taste South African wines last night, with many from Glenelly, but a few others too. One of our members recently tasted at Glenelly during a visit to the country, and was keen to share their wines with us.
They all really impressed with their value for money, and interestingly among the three syrahs (Cederberg, Boschkloof and Glenelly), the Boschkloof was the most expensive and many people’s least favourite, tending more to a New World jamminess than the restraint of the other two. The Glenelly cabernet franc was a big hit, too (I think that others here have liked it in the past), and the 2015 Lady May was a different beast entirely - intense, darkly fruited and savoury. It seemed like a wine that would be good for decades to come, but is already very enjoyable.
Hope everyone has a good weekend.
Couple Number 1 : Laurent Miquel Nocturnes Viognier 2020, Languedoc, France v
Viognier Mon Grand Pere etait Limonadier 2020. Northern Rhone, France
Couple Number 2:Howard Park Miamup Chardonnay 2020, Margaret River, Australia V Blackbook Winery Clayhill Vineyard ‘Painter of Light’ Chardonnay 2019. Essex
Couple Number 3 :Zephyr 6 Marlborough Pinot Noir 2020, New Zealand V
Assmannshäuser ‘Rotschiefer’ Pinot Noir, Künstler 2019, Rheingau, Germany
Couple Number 4:Gluck & Bray Riverland Aglianico 2020 - South Australia V
Basilisco Aglianico del Vulture Superiore 2013 - S Italy
couple Number 5**:Plantagenet Great Southern Shiraz 2013 - Western Australia V
Crozes-Hermitage La Picaudières, Domaine Rousset 2016, Rhone, France
It was a great exercise. even the experienced tasters were challenged. It seemed that apart from the Pinot and the Syrah/shiraz guessing was universally off.
I hadn’t tasted the wines either so I came to them at least with a little challenge. I would happily drink any again, except for the Black Book Clayhill Chardonnay which is made in a natural wine way and had a cider note which I think a fault. The Danbury Ridge wines which I tasted last week are excellent and grown about two miles from the Clayhill. So these are the English/Essex wines TWS should stock.
Brief impressions, The Laurant Miquel is a great cellar defender at £6.99, the Pilon Viognier a Condieux ringer. The Howard Park always lovely, oddest guess was Riesling. Both pinots are stars the Zephr is only £13.50, complex but sweet, the spatburgunder more earthy and burgundy like. Aglianico is new to me as a grape, the Italian a star food wine, the Australian very much like a modern Claret, guesses included merlot. Buy the Planagenet if you have £30 to spare, you won’t regret it, sweet, mature and Grange was mentioned which is a compliment. The Crozes was dark, meaty, bretty, maybe a touch corked but I really enjoyed it.
have a great weekend.
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