Er what? It’s 6pm (ok, I knocked off early) and no weekend drinks thread…
Home alone with the boy tonight so decided to show him what a lamb lollipop is. He is ok with water, but I fancied two glasses. What goes well with lamb?
Well, it’s not like I didn’t warn you:
Early sips very promising - delicious 
, can’t wait to try it with food.
Edit for text search: Wine Society x Apostolos Thymiopoulos Bin #005 Xinomavro 2017
Haven’t drunk much of late (wife and I on health kick post baby) but decided to have the day/night off today. Opened a bottle of Chateau La Tour de By which was corked, so then opted for this…
Absolutely nothing wrong with this. But, considering what I paid, and what the wine delivers, I’m not sure if Burgundy for me at this level offers much value for money. Exceptions being Pataille and Bellavoine and Barthod (which I don’t mind paying the price for). But I realised I could have drunk La Rioja Alta 2012 for what I paid for this, and that’s not a fair comparison for either.
In terms of the wine, like I said, perfectly fine and drinkable, with a really nice chocolate note. But for the money? Not so sure.
Happy Friday all.
A bit fancy for takeaway pizza but our local independent (Shill’s of Cockermouth) had knocked £10 of it so I thought it rude not to:
Well it is something else: silky rather than velvety; glorious but restrained at the same time, a bit like I image very expensive perfume, or a Rahul Dravid cover drive.
Quite pale and lightly brick coloured at the rim. A nose you keep going back to - cloves, sandalwood, porcini, rosehip, incense, wild strawberries. As I mentioned, silky tannins, almost chocolatey so. A long finish that is quite sinusoidal in the way different elements of the aroma come and go. If only I could drink this sort of thing all the time!
In truth our pizzas were excellent too, from Fermento here in Cockermouth. They were perfect and did justice to such a lovely bottle of wine.
A delicious IGT white from Sicily on a bright, sunny evening. The TWS Fiano from Mandrarossa is delicious. We had it with a Chinese but I suspect it would go with a number of dishes.
https://www.thewinesociety.com/product/ponte-de-lima-loureiro-vinho-verde-2021
Light, refreshing, lively, a liquid sherbet lemon to go with fish and chips.
First Friday night at home in ages with a nice bottle of wine, and it’s just right. Mellow dark fruits from the off with a bit of zing. Don’t think its going to last long tongiht but have some in reserves that will be withdrawn soon. Bring on the warmer weather this weekend.
Busy work week so enjoying easing in to the weekend with a Lukas van Loggerenberg Chenin. IIRC purchased after a TWS online thingy early on in the pandemic with Lukas, Chris Alheit and other South African luminaries.
Slightly surprised that the oak is so noticeable but the wine has the body and structure to deal with this. It’s good but not knock out. The recently drunk Cabernet Franc from the same stable on the other hand is superb!
Blackbook The Mixup 2018, an infamous wine.
The only other bottle we’ve had of this was an unhappy experience but this one is better - there’s some apple and a tangy, limey flavour and a quite pleasant bitterness. The nose is not great but not so uriniferous, thankfully. Quite good with a samosa and lime pickle. Not a rebuy.
Word of the week
I’m at home with my two youngest kids tonight, so I took a plunge and opened this.
I am relieved to say that it’s drinking beautifully. The Cabernet is exhibiting beautiful, nuanced finesse. The colour is exquisite. There’s a shade of bluish purple around the rim. The nose is subdued but it hints at great things inside the glass. A teaser of a nose, may I say.
First post in ages. Just been very busy.
This is still lovely but not as fresh and grapefruit as I remember. Still love that it’s 007!
Happy weekend all.
After travelling north to Cumbria midweek, or more specifically what used to be known as Westmoreland, for a family funeral, I’m finally back at home and enjoying my usual creature comforts, ( wine and stereo mostly ). Although I must say, despite the sad circumstances it was heart warming to see my relatives again, both near and distant, for what’s getting on four years ago now.
Anyway, normal service here has resumed. Tonight’s wine is…
…a Once & Future ’ Forcini Vineyard’ Zinfandel 2016. For the geeks here. some further info…
… although I’ve no idea what boysenberries actually taste like. the succinct tasting notes mirror what’s in the glass right now.
A medium ruby red fading to brick at the rim. Ripe, spicy and savoury berried fruits on both nose and palate. Deeply flavoured, but nothing over ripe or over extracted, with good acidity and unobtrusive resolved tannins to balance and structure. The long savoury cherry / berry finish to end, with no alcoholic heat whatsoever despite its 14.7% ABV, just ices the cake. Delicious !
It was a good match to dinner too…
…the picanha steak was so thick ( 330g vs 227g on the packaging ) I had to finish it off in the oven and the aivar / ajvar, from a jar, on the Jersey Royals is now my new favourite thing on veg. pasta and prawns !
Have a great weekend everyone.
Wow. That made me homesick. Where from?
Sainsbury’s of all places. The beef is British from their TTD range. It isn’t exactly melt in the mouth stuff, more chewy and full of favour like a bavette, but for the £4.25 paid whilst on offer it’s VGV all the same.
That’s amazing. Did they call it “rump cap”?
Perfect food pairing.
Thanks. For someone born in Brazil (but who hasn’t lived there for almost 30 years), my cluelessness grows exponentially every year.
A bottle of this on the go this evening - a 2019 Planeta Cometa.
I love a good Fiano, and this is certainly right up there. This particular bottle slightly less obviously joyously fruity & intense than sometimes, but with a lovely crushed slightly-unripe peach fleshiness and a lime-stony minerality to the fore. Rather “fresh” this particular one compared with how they can be sometimes, even once warmed up a bit, and quite rounded with its wet-stone overtones. Perhaps in a quiet phase, but very nice indeed nonetheless. Went well with a simple seafood linguini.
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