Hideous weather out there called for comfort food, so I’m making a WS duck recipe we love – Seville Duck. Although the recipe is Spanish in its inspiration, we’re in Willamette Valley this evening, with this excellent Pinot Noir:
We thoroughly enjoyed the 2017 iteration, and this 2018 one is as lovely (perhaps lovelier?) and delivers a lot of wine for the money.
Pretty pale ruby, the nose is a mix of red plums, hedgerow berries and cherries peppered with spice (cinnamon?), a comforting incense note and a whiff of hibiscus.
Delicate on the palate, it offers a harmonious melange of red fruit (hedgerow, cherries), a touch of damson and delightful spicy and smoky notes. Acidity is lively – but not sharp or overpowering, and tannins mellow and smooth; there’s a certain citrus quality to the finish which should work nicely with the food.
It still feels young an vibrant, and has a few more years ahead to develop for sure. A gem of a Pinot!
Off to ogle at some more of your mature wine mystery cases – talk about vicarious pleasure!
A nose of tobacco and red cherry with a little cedar.
Disjointed at first, but after another hour a really lovely claret, mouth watering, some tannin left, and no need to hurry. **** or 92 ish.
Sadly whilst this Wess was okay it didn’t last in the bottle once opened (something essential for my drinking habits) and on day two it was sour and, frankly, horrible and went down the sink.
Never mind I opened my last bottle of Château Peyrabon, Haut-Médoc 2009 tonight for a pasta sauce dinner with a friend and it was just as delightful as the previous two bottles:
Opened a bottle of Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone 2017 this evening. Memories of just how good the 2015 was have been wiped. I’m not sure if CdR goes through a dumb phase, but if it does, this one’s currently in it.
It was there. I’m not sure I can say much else. There was a little bit of generic dark fruit, a little bit of tannin, and a little bit of acid. Hopefully the second half of the bottle tomorrow will bring more joy! I know I’ve had a bit of a week and wanted something uncomplicated and comforting, but I was expecting more (and some comfort!) from this.
Double dose of Domaine Cauhape (with vegetarian curry from Rasa)… a great combination.
Chant des Vignes 2020 last night was a really pleasant wine - buttery and floral with an edge of pineapple. Perfect for the job it was assigned.
Geyser 2021 tonight - a more exciting and interesting wine, very aromatic, and apricot / herbaceous. More acidity to it, and less rich mouthfeel- but on balance the winner.
Oooh! I love the Geyser, but am yet to try the Chant des Vignes. I’ve got a single bottle of it in the rack, and keen to try it now - so thank you for your notes!
I got into Willamette PN with all those visits to the US last year supporting my son. Brilliant stuff!
Had a laugh with an American guy on one of the flights over. I was telling about this fantastic wine from the willa met valley and he burst out laughing!
He said that the way to pronounce it was Will lamb mat Damitt
A ‘baby mersault’ according to TWS, and it has some of that: some richness, but still quite fresh, with subtle, well-integrated oak, some yellow plum and citrus fruit. There is plenty of acidity - maybe the vintage showing here, but ultimately the finish is short and this is disappointing. Possibly kept it slightly too long?
On my want list as I love Cosme and those ‘15’s were superb.
Could be the vintage - I had some of the ‘17 Le Deux Albions CdR that definitely went into its shell for a while, but I’d expect it to be past that stage now. Possibly a slightly duff bottle?
Both lovely wines - still remember my first bottle of Geyser which was astonishing - 2013 vintage. Completely off the charts compared with other wines I had experienced.
None of the subsequent bottles/ vintages have quite captured that height, but I keep coming back to it….
Beetroot and chickpea curry here tonight. And after a long week at work I thought we deserved something decent. So opened Boxler Pinot Gris Sommerberg W 2015.
This is rich and full bodied, and has matured to a thing of beauty. But the curry is pretty robust too so the combination worked really well. The Boxler has a touch of sweetness, which works well with sweetness from the roasted beetroot. A very happy pairing to see us into the weekend. (And helping dispel my FOMO watching all the varied mixed cases getting opened…)
The ‘17 Cosme LDA’s are great now. Very big and rich for sure, but lots going on. Not so sure about the ‘18 CdR that is also available - one dodgy review and I haven’t had an ‘18 Rhone that has impressed me yet…
That’s good to know, as I’ve got a bottle in the wine fridge Also have LDA 2020… When should I broach it, I wonder?
Mind you, I was referring to the St Cosme CdR 2017 - which @strawpig was disappointed with, whereas I thoroughly enjoyed. Hard to know sometimes whether it’s a case of a duff bottle or differing palates.
I am currently leaning towards duff bottle. The Cosme CdR is a wine I’ve had a fair few of over the years and usually really enjoyed. I’ll see how it’s doing later, but this might be one for the freezer bag.
I’m also a fan of the LDA (and several of their more upmarket offerings, their Cote Rotie was the first wine I ever bought from The Society, I also have a bottle of their Hominis Fides 2014 which is being saved for 10th anniversary).
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