Another small glass of Amontillado to kick the evening off and the Twiglets pairing is working well. Managed about a minute of peace in the garden before the kids returned.
Later osso buco with risotto Milanese and alongside our first bottle of Terra Petra Rapsani, the 2018. Opened it last night to try a sneaky glass. I know it’s a favourite of many here so no need to go on about it at length but - wow, what a wine. Really looking forward to the rest tonight.
Edit - the osso buco turned out well. And the wine was fabulous.
With yesterday’s left-over chicken risotto this 2017 Pfalz Forster riesling trocken didn’t shine, and needed something richer and more lemony but with over half left for tonight to go with peppery Cromer crab butter pasta with peas and corn (home-grown frozen remains from last year’s garden harvest) it was much better. There’s a nice blend of the petrol-ey, white pepper, greengage and honeycomb elements and not too acidic like some Mosels tend to be. Whether this was a day-2 improvement or just a better dish to accompany it remains debatable. It would have been in one of TWS’s mixed rieslings cases from back in the day.
Plaimont Saint-Mont, Les Vignes Retrouvées 2018 tonight with the seasons first BBQ of supposedly Italian sausages with lightly charred spring cabbage (surprisingly good). Lovely light wine of gros manseng, petit courbu and arrufia. Not sure which grape provides the flavours of citrus and slight tropical fruits as it warmed up, familiar palate of past afternoons spent sailing around Brittany. TOH thought it a touch sweet, I found it well balanced given the flavours. Remarkable value when checking the price, shame no more 2018’s available, perfect wine to sip whilst oversee the BBQ chimney.
Already a huge fan of their food-friendly sparking rose, and this secures the producer in my purchase list. Really works with the food - I think someone mentioned a previous vintage made a good PN substitute and I see what they’re saying, with maybe a nod to Xinomavro?
Edit - the glass post-dinner did highlight how much this needs food. Still good, but very dry.
(Social services caveat - he’s not after the wine, he’s after the meat. That was meant to do tomorrow’s lunch as well but someone decided that he would eat half a coppa steak, a chicken wing, lamb kebabs and some boerewors. Oh, and about a spoonful of salad…)
Deep red centre, purple rim. Medium nose. Blackberry, black cherry and ripe strawberry. Medium plus palate. Ripe tannins. Fresh acidity. Damson, black cherry, cranberry. Black plum. Herbal notes - mint? Medium minus finish.
Not a wine from TWS but one I’d picked up from a local merchant and enjoyed a previous vintage.
Honey, apricot and white flowers on the nose, rich but still fresh palate some mango, papaya and some spice. They do use French oak but it’s not over done. I probably preferred the 2015 but I’ve another 2 bottles of this 2016 so I’ll see if it develops.
A Muscadet- 2019 Les Quinze Hommees by Jeremie Huchet. Very good indeed yesterday with smoked salmon and crab pate. Will finish today with baked wild salmon fillets. A very fine example, with a smooth finesse on the palate. And it really did smell of melon to me🙂 as well as citrus.
Like @Robin63 we also opened a WS Sicilian Reserve Red which was a good match to our oven baked parcel of chicken with herbs, garlic, mixed mushrooms and wine. With Jersey Royals @Robin63 tasting notes very much in accord with our experience. We were looking for a smooth low tannin red as recommended for our dish and this fit the bill nicely.
2010 Angludet Margaux. Lovely with roast duck. Polished purple to the rim. Delicious from the start. Some cedar, lovely rich fruit, well balanced. Very good and ready.
Last night ended up with 2 and a half out of 3 ain’t bad.
First a Graham Beck Brut from a recent Waitrose offer. Already mentioned several times in this forum and a very nice aperitif at a tenner a bottle. Will definitely get more if it comes up at that price again, or even a bit higher.
Finally a Pouilly Fume either from Aldi or Lidl. Can’t remember the name but a gentle and easy drinking sauvignon which disappeared rather rapidly. I think it was also reduced to about a tenner and certainly justified the price.
We were eating a Slimmers World goan fish curry - tasty and healthy but I must say I prefer a bit more salt, and probably a bit more fat or something to thicken the sauce. And I hadn’t lost any weight this morning!
Golly you can’t beat a lovely ripe claret with a lamb casserole with tomatoes and carrots, served with garden veg (mash and cauliflower) Starting to make inroads into my 2008 EP’s and this Batailley is à point. Ripe cassis, pencil shavings, hint of tinned tomatoes, just enough tannins to smack the lips. Gorgeous. This is why Sunday lunch was invented. Bon Continuation à tous.
I have enjoyed the GV, it is obviously well made and has loads of flavour. I suppose my question is whether it justifies being a wine champion and costing £16, almost double the WS bottling, and I’m not sure it does.
The monteraponi is the very last of a set bought as part of a cellar plan some years ago. I will be sad to see it finished it is now wonderfully integrated. I see that tea is a recognised tasting note for Chianti Classico but I’ve rarely seen it so pronounced. Really lovely mature wine and yet another reminder of why we (sometimes) hold off in the face of temptation to open sooner.
Sunday lunch brought aged rib-eye steaks with mushrooms and bearnaise sauce needed the Claret which went well into the cheeses. French Apple Cake with Vanilla Ice-cream called for some Sauternes which was satisfied.
My, what a gorgeous springy day it was in Brighton! I did precisely nothing – which feels like a fitting end to a week’s leave
Fosse Meadows chicken is roasting in the oven - for my money, one of the most flavoursome chickens out there – and a much-loved white Rhône to drink with it:
I know there are quite a few fans of this delightful wine on the forum. This blend of Clairette, Roussanne and Grenache Blanc seems to always raise the spirits with its approachability and generosity of flavour.
Pale gold in the glass, it has a floral nose of white blossom and buttercups, with ripe pears and tangerines and a delicate note of honey too. On the palate it is honeyed and creamy – but not heavy at all, with notes of orchard fruit, tangerine/orange zest, fresh aniseed-y dill and a lovely bitter finish (almonds? Or maybe citrus peel).
After a lovely pub lunch, now enjoying the evening sun with Charlie with a rather nice glass of the te Muna Road Pinot Noir from Craggy Range. Light, refreshing but silky ripe fruit.
Pale red centre, rose rim. Perfumed nose, medium minus intensity. Ripe strawberry, red cherry and red currant. Notes of coffee and vanilla. Light palate. Balanced acidity. Soft tannins. Ripe, fruit. More cherry than strawberry. Red currant and raspberry. Some cranberry. Medium plus finish.
2016 but tasted blind I would have pegged it at 2010, even visually it has the colour and brick rim of maturity. A very good wine, but wouldn’t leave it much longer.
Gone rogue with roast Guinea foul (chickens in the butcher resembled turkeys in size…). This is interesting, unusual, fruit driven (blueberry?). Lovely persistent finish and did just about manage to stand up to the amounts of garlic, wild garlic and assorted other herbs I threw at the bird. But better when left to sing solo after.
Definitely pleased to have tried, would enjoy again but possibly won’t re-buy at this price point as there are various others I want to try. Recommended - but not if you’re after a “traditional” Aussie Bordeaux blend.
Just coming to the last few sips of this very enjoyable Bruno Clair, Savigny-Les-Beaune La Dominode 2010 recently purchased from TWS.
Made for an interesting comparison after a recently drunk bottle of Dog Point PN 2010. The Burg was fresher, crisper and appeared far less evolved than its antipodean cousin. Both quite weighty with the Burg carrying a longer finish.
Both are smashing wines and given the price differential represent similar value.
The Planeta is a real crowd pleaser but probably a little full on to my tastes. The Ardanza 2012 was bought essentially so that I would keep my mits off the 2010s which are still resting in Reserves. Glad I did. This bottle was excellent and I’d be amazed if there’s a better value £20 wine out there.
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