TN: Wines with food

[Florida Jim]

A fire-roasted tomato sauced pasta with fried chick peas and parmesan was served with the 1996 Pertinance, Langhe which is 70% nebbiolo, 15% barbera and 15% cabernet sauvignon. I think this wine is at or near peak but it shows a bit too much cabernet and not enough nebbiolo for me. Still it’s concentrated, smooth and has moderate complexity . . . and it was good with the dish. 13% alcohol, imported by Veritas and about $16 on sale several years ago.

Along side pan seared flounder, grilled radicchio with shitakes, and, mashed potatoes, I served the 2001 F.X. Pichler, Riesling Reserve M which was simply magnificent. Rich, full bodied, dense, spicy/peppery, a touch of RS, and very concentrated with a finish that goes on for a long time, this wine is structured and complex. The aromatics are floral, honeyed, alpine and stony; the flavors never touch petrol but still evidence fine development and the aftertaste reprises every nuance of the palate. A special wine that was even better with the meal and did not overwhelm (which, considering the weight of this wine, was a bit of a surprise). 13% alcohol, imported by Vine Davino and about $55 wholesale, on release.

At lunch, we had a rustic tomato soup and a side of cheese quesadillas with guacamole and humus. To accompany, the 2006 Edmunds St. John, Bone Jolly Rosé Witter’s Vnyd. was excellent; fresh, bright, cherry scents with pure cherry and wild strawberry flavors, quite spicy, racy acidity and a flavor I can only describe as the essence of gamay (this wine is made from gamay), with a mouth-watering finish. Life affirming juice; J.P. Brun, move over. 13.2% alcohol, under screw-cap and about $17.

Dinner was grilled sandwiches of olive bread with tomatoes, mozzarella and sautéed portabellas and a side of oven roasted potatoes. Opened to escort was the 2005 Raymond Quenard, Mondeuse Chignin from the Savoie region of France; all roses and raspberries on the nose; earthy on the palate with good grip, salty minerality and slightly tart (but still ripe) fruit; an excellent and complex finish. Quite fresh and juicy today but there is enough structure here to go awhile (as further proof, it smoothed out later in the evening). And as perfect a pairing with the meal as I could imagine; one to write down and remember. 12% alcohol, imported by Louis/Dressner and about $17.

Best, Jim