WTN: Weekend Wines

[Brad Ballinger]

Friday - We had another couple over of a casual dinner of grilled NY strips, baked potatoes, spinach. Started with Laurel Chanel goat cheese, followed by seared scallops in a lemon/mustard glaze. Then the steak. Then grilled pound cake with lemon curd and blackberries.

1995 Champagne Jacquesson Blanc de Blancs, Avize Grand Cru. Nothing like getting the WOTN out of the way. This was quintessential BdB. There was a bright citrus aroma enveloped in biscuit and rocks on the nose. Flavors of lemons, almonds, some mineral, some dough nicely playing off each other in a delicate mousse. There was just enough mousse to complement the flavor without being apologetic for seeming to get in the way. The finish was very clean, almost like rain water. The wine was virtually seamless from smell to finish.

2002 Dr. Wehrheim Weisser Burgender Kabinett Trocken, Pfalz QbA. This wine was given to me gratis at the weingut by the owner's daughter because I had traveled all the way from Minnesota. It was a very nice gesture. The wine showed a fair amount of bell pepper, which I seem to have no trouble picking up in many Pfalz wines, and particularly Pfalz wines from the 2002 vintage. If one can get past that there's some bright green apple fruit and citrus. The acidity didn't jump out, but you couldn't say it wasn't there either. It was a pleasant enough wine, but nothing special. Still, the price was right.

1998 Dom. Font de Michele Cuvee Etienne Gonnet Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Our guests brought this wine. Not my first choice with grilled steak, but I'm not going to turn away this wine. It was decanted for 1.5 hours. It's not ready yet. Everything was there that one might want -- black olives, black dirt, black spices, black frutis -- in a very muted state. I would think of many 98 CdP wines, this one might be ready early (but confess to not knowing how much say Bobby Kacher has with this winemaker), but just not this early. It certainly won't have the power of the 98 VT drunk the night before, but it will reward about five more years of patience.

1996 Phillip Delesveaux Coteaux du Layon, Selection des Grains Nobles. This was also provided by the other couple, and was also opened too early. But our guests love their stickies, and have trouble leaving them alone. I'll still drink it now, but told them to try and keep their hands off the other ones they have -- drink more moscato passito instead. The acids are quite present and in complete control, regulating exactly how much honeyed quince, apple, pear, and almond the taster will get in each precious sip. Nicely balanced and full of the brashness of youth. Simply needs plenty of time.

Saturday -- a night out with the neighbors at Osteria i Nonni, fast making a splash on the fine dining scene with its cuisine from Rome and Latium. The wine list here is all Italian, and very nicely priced. The wines are rumored to be only $10 (or is it 10%?) higher than the retail sticker price in the enoteca adjacent. But sometimes those price can be higher than one would expect.

2002 Dorigo Ribolla Gialla, Colli Orientali del Friuli. I've posted on this wine quite recently. I needed to have it again. It was still as lemony, crisp/oily at the same time, and full of sunshine. Nothing more to add.

1999 Isole e Olena Cepparello, Toscana IGT. $59 on the list. I asked to have it decanted as soon as I saw it and the price on the list. It was probably in decanter 1-1.5 hours. It could've been in there two to three times as long. I just love it when oak is the fourth thing (or later) that I notice in a wine's bouquet -- especially knowing that this wine uses barrique esclusively. And here it took a back seat to graphite, cherries, and spice (in that order). The oak was more vanilla than wood. In the mouth the wine was all minerals and tart fruit. It had a terrific acid level that made it pair well with the food (Icelandic rack o' lamb in my case -- didn't know that was a Roman dish). The wine remained bright throught the entire dinner. And it was the last bottle in the bin. Some days you're living right.