At the recommendation of this community, I cracked open this tonight:
Amazingly balanced and round, loads of sweet fruit and a good bite of tannin. Can’t believe it’s a 2006, and at that price! Anyone had the more expensive 2007 Malbec? No reviews online.
Hi all,
Had the in laws + brother in law and his new girlfriend over on Friday night which was fun and boozy.
Barbecued a salt marsh lamb leg from Cumbria and it was delicious with loads of salads and sides.
Drinks list was quite long so here goes… (sorry)
Aperirtifs
With the lamb
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1281745&searchId=B858DC29%23selected%253DW1281745_C90747675_K8456c8f6161268e2d169d87747858d96
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2779217&searchId=B858DC29%23selected%253DW2779217_C101544514_Ka02356710f29f10c3c9e17c859cbc767
Then we had dessert which was a black forest gateaux from M&S which we forgot to defrost so banged it on the defrost setting in the microwave. Got the job done! Served with fresh cherries and ice cream and had this to accompany which was surprisingly good (2014) and a great pairing
https://www.aldi.co.uk/recioto-della-valpolicella-docg/p/078008184038600
Then the BIL and I decided whisky would be a good idea. It probably wasn’t.
A few small samples of:
Redbreast 12 yo cask strength
Wellers 12 yo bourbon
Bulleit 10 yo bourbon
Rittenhouse in bond rye
Then back onto the red to round off the night
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3019806&searchId=B858DC29%23selected%253DW3019806_C101727080_Kfdcc162924b12c8a9b7a37d22a318fec
From what I remember, Weinart is drinking beautifully. Many thanks to all the members here for the great recommendation. Peter Lehmann was the pick of the night. So primary compared to the Weinart. Rioja meh. Ok. Zardoz… hmm, young and green but drank better as it opened up but I don’t think it really mattered at that stage.
When the boy woke up at 6am Saturday morning I was regretting those whiskies!
#pleasedrinkresponsibly
Where did you get your wild boar from @Inbar?
Looks great!
@woodap, they used to say 18 months-5 years from vintage for Riesling but I think it’s a case by case basis. Good thing you’ve got a few to test throughout its journey
That sounds amazing, nice wines to go with it, too!
It was a superb piece of meat! Really makes you appreciate paying that bit extra when it is as soft and flavourful as the one we had.
Wow, @winechief! Sounds like you had a very jolly evening- and some great wine choices too! Hope you’re not nursing too bad a hangover!.. 
We bought the wild boar on-line from The Wild Meat Company, which is based in Suffolk. This was the first time we used them- we made a bulk buy of lots of different game, and each was fantastic. This particular recipe was Wild Boar roasted in White Port, with prunes, almonds, hazelnuts and apricots. It was awesome!
We’re just about to put another order through with them. Highly recommended!
Ealing Jazz Festival this weekend. Yesterday was all about a variety of lovely beers. Tony Allen headlining, mind blowing.
Today we’re back on the wine, Norma Winstone currently singing from her new album, a Bacchus bought at Kingscote Vineyard to start.
Looks fab! Quite jealous!.. 
I love the Pepp Zweigelt, by the way; hope you enjoyed it! 
Love the unusual meats. We are lucky in having a ‘rare breeds’ butcher, with wild boar usually available from the culling in Forest of Dean. Also culled are the rare long haired fallow deer which produce excellent venison. In season the usual game suspects!. Yet to source woodcock though. There is also a butcher in Hereford that gets salt marsh lamb from the Gower. Nobody does mail order though…when it’s there you buy it.
All this bounty can be a challenge not to ruin it with inappropriate wines.
I think in another thread I said that Ludlow has lost its place in the restaurant listings, but is a great place to buy stuff to cook. 4 butchers, 3 bakers, 1 fishmonger, 2 greengrocers, 4 cheese shops, 3 delis, 1 wine shop. In a town of 10,500 population.
I’m glad you’re jealous @Inbar because your roast made me salivate!
Also, Winstone was fabulous, as was the wine. There was a lot of flavour in the Bacchus, nice english greenness to it.
Indeed! Some very unusual meats… Particularly the squirrel.
I visited Ludlow three years ago with the Johnson clan (my other half’s family) and was well impressed with the foodie side of it. Beautiful place, too!
Love the photo and the description, @Inbar. Really glad you enjoyed the wine. Yes, it’s got a “wild” quality about it, and an irresistibly Mediterranean herbaceousness. When your budget stretches to it, I recommend the top wine of the same estate, Àn. It used to be called Ànima Negra (“Black Soul” in Catalan). It actually makes ÀN/2 look tame and modest. Àn is a truly amazing wine. Either way, Mallorca is one of the most distinctive winemaking regions of Southern Europe.
@inbar Some comments about the meat, which does look good.
But no-one remarked on the roasties???
I can’t believe you ate them all!
How right you are, @peterm! I certainly did not finish all the roasties, but I did consume the poor boar right to the last bite! 
Incidentally, the plate at the front of the photo is my husband’s. Having some Irish blood is his justification for eating mounds of spuds, and indeed, piling my plate while he’s at it!
As for the wild boar- it was delicious. Cooked fairly quickly (about an hour in total), as it’s got virtually no fat, it tasted more like beef than pork. It soaked the white port sauce really well. I much prefer game to farmed meat- so much more flavour, with (hopefully) slightly less suffering.
Squirrel is around…but only from a butcher ‘out in the sticks’. You don’t see it hanging up like hare and rabbit!
It tastes a bit more gamely than rabbit, and needs a strong red to cope with it
This works perfectly with one of our favourite dishes:
This wine was scored 96 by Decanter - so does it live up to that?
The answer, in my opinion, is absolutely. It has great concentration for a wine costing under £14 - and a very long, balanced finish. Lots of dark berry fruits and cassis backed by great acidity. No “alcoholic ribena” this one. I can’t remember when I last had a Cabernet based wine this good from Bordeaux at anything close to this price point.
I personally think it is just ready (Decanter suggest drinking from 2019). However I am sure it will improve. I bought a dozen so it will be great to see how it evolves over the next few years. If it lasts that long…
Enjoying this, even more so as it was on offer. Just right with some BBQed white meats and new potatoes.
Finished our squeeze bottles of wine and they’re changing the main stage over, so we’ve popped to a local institution for a glass or two before heading back in. Lovely light red bin end, owner unsure but we think it’s cab Franc. Just the ticket.
Just cracked open a bottle of this lovely white Rioja, very classic in style, lovely balanced style some oak, some sherry notes, good fruit, acidity and lovely texture. Pretty good value for those with cellar space to enjoy it over the next decade or so.
01438 741177
