What we had to drink with what (USA/Can.)

[Rieslingfan]

Forget the food...Tuesday night we had

'66 Beychevelle

'66 Gruard Larose

'70 Cheval Blanc

'70 Petrus

'86 Mondavi Reserve Cab

and

'45 Taylor Port

Among other things...

Oh yeah, the cheeses were good (Pamigiano & a Canadian Cheddar).

[GordonCooks]

Forget the food...Tuesday night we had

'66 Beychevelle

'66 Gruard Larose

'70 Cheval Blanc

'70 Petrus

'86 Mondavi Reserve Cab

and

'45 Taylor Port

Among other things...

Oh yeah, the cheeses were good (Pamigiano & a Canadian Cheddar).

How were the 66's ?

[Rieslingfan]

How were the 66's ?

Well that's the last question I was expecting.

The Beychevelle was fantastic. It was my #4 wine of the night after the two '70s and the '45. The Gruard was ok, but could not hold a candle to the Beychevelle, with which it was paired.

Oh but the Cheval...

[GordonCooks]

How were the 66's ?

Well that's the last question I was expecting.

The Beychevelle was fantastic. It was my #4 wine of the night after the two '70s and the '45. The Gruard was ok, but could not hold a candle to the Beychevelle, with which it was paired.

Oh but the Cheval...

You're very lucky - recent tastings of pre 70s have shown me a lot of wines well past their prime. How was the nose on the Gruaud?

[Rieslingfan]

You're very lucky - recent tastings of pre 70s have shown me a lot of wines well past their prime. How was the nose on the Gruaud?

The nose on the Gruard was very "un-Gruard." It had none of the Cordier funk. It smelled like Bordeaux, but had more herbal component than I would have liked.

The wines were all purchased on release by the host. He has stored them reasonably well. His cellar varies from about 55 in winter to 63 in summer, with very slow fluctuations, so it's a pretty benign environment. Given the performance of these wines it's a calming influence to people who get all uptight when their cellars go from 55 to 60 degrees.

[GordonCooks]

1999 Rosemount Balmoral - (45.99 at the wine store) Spicy, jammy fruit. Full bodied with just enough tannin to make it interesting. A very new world fruit forward wine. A personal fave with Asian dishes like Korean BBQ.

Paired with Hoisin BBQ Tuna steak and Chop Chae

[futronic]

I, for one, would love to see your tasting report on these wines if you have time.

Craig,

My apologies for the delay. I've been away for a bit. I'll post notes on all the wines I listed above when I get a chance this weekend.

[NVNVGirl]

2000 Footbolt from d'Arenberg. Big jammy fruit blah, blah, blah. I think this will be my last Australian for a while now. Back to the old world for me.

I drank a bottle of that the other night. I didn't like it as much as their The Stump Jump. I thought The Footbolt was too hot and unbalanced. Wished I had bought the Penfold's Thomas Hyland Shiraz instead, but there's always another day

Last night, as we were at our neighborhood restaurant who has a relatively pitiful wine list, I had a Z52 Zinfandel (from Lodi) with a baked ziti and spicy pork sauce. It was amazingly good...well balanced and yummy.

[GordonCooks]

Feb 7,

2000 Willamette Pinot Gris - Nice grapefruit and acidity

1998 Adelsheim "Elizabeth's Vineyard" - Very earthy and old world. Full of bing cherry and spice

These paired well with some good food and conversation with maggie the cat who's in from out of town.

[GordonCooks]

Feb 8

1998 Schramsberg Brut Rose - Kripsy Kreme doughnuts and citrus

1997 David Bruce Pinot Noit - Chalone - A little earth and spice with some cherry

2000 Argyle Reserve Pinot Noir - Long, and lingering with lemon, cocoa and raspberry

2001 D'Arenberg "Footbolt" Shiraz - Huge blackberries and high alchohol - say's 14.5% but more like 16% imho

2002 D'Arenberg "Laughing Magpie" - Huge raspberries - round and ripe. Better with food than on it's own

1998 Rosemount "Balmoral" - My fave Asian food wine - Anise, and lot's of blackberries up front. Tastes like 2 different wines when you swirl it around the mouth.

1991 Cune Rioja - Lighter than expected, not the big Rioja wallop

2000 Kracher "Four" - Honey, apricots and orange zest. Super full bodied yet so light in texture.

Paired with Asian menu

Edited February 9, 2004 by GordonCooks (log)

["T"]

Bowmore 12 yr with a pint of Guinness.

[GordonCooks]

2000 Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir - A nice Pinot fill of strawberries. Full bodied with firm, earthy tannins. Good, not great.

[futronic]

Had the following at lunch today:

1999 Via Qeubrada de Macul Penalolen Cabernet Sauvignon

2002 Paringa Cabernet Sauvignon

1998 Drei Dona Cabernet Sauvignon Magnificat

I was very impressed by the Drei Dona offering from Emilia-Romagna. Considering it had been open for three days (it was a half bottle brought to lunch by an import-agent friend), it was a very profound and powerful wine. Still very youthful, I expect this wine to need at least five more years in the cellar before opening.

As I type this, I'm sipping on some 2001 Leone de Castris Primitivo di Manduria Santera from Puglia.

[Brad Ballinger]

No notes, really on these wines, but our "gourmet group" got together on Friday the 13th and pulled some corks...

2002 d'Arenberg The Hermit Crab Marsanne/Viognier. Citrus, flowers, herbs. Nice balance. Could have too many green elements for some.

2002 Bergstrom Pinot Gris. A bit heavy-feeling, low acid, smoky, oaky.

2002 St. Innocent Pinot Gris, Vitae Springs Vineyard. Nice complexity. Good spice and fruit mix. Didn't have the oak influence of the Bergstrom, and I think this particular St. Innocent gris is tank fermented.

1995 Cosentino Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. Fully mature. Just starting to show some age.

1995 Guigal Cote Rotie Brune et Blonde. Still evolving. Meaty, leathery, fruity olives, peppery. Good structure.

1998 La Spinetta Oro. A moscato passito that is one the most perfumed wines I've ever had. This is my sixth go around with this wine. It's a terrific combination of flowers and citrus.

["T"]

Langhe DOC Nebbiolo Produttori del Barbaresco 2001

Light to medium garnet hue to a watery rim. Does not appear to be a very deep wine

Moderately intense on the nose. Some tar, smokey wood, lightly peated(in aroma) cherry, strawberry fruit. Bakers chocolate and pipe tobacco.

Dang. Good dose of acid mingles with ripe cherry and red berries. Tannins are very present but not taking away from the fruit. Toasted oak gives the fruit a nice smoked or grilled fruit flavour(we all grill our fruit don't we). Not a long finish but quite tastey while on the palate.

Can't remember what I paid. Around $$25.00 cad maybe.

Paired with lasagna and grilled asparagus finished with lemon juice.

Yummmmm.

["T"]

No notes, really on these wines, but our "gourmet group" got together on Friday the 13th and pulled some corks...

2002 d'Arenberg The Hermit Crab Marsanne/Viognier.  Citrus, flowers, herbs.  Nice balance.  Could have too many green elements for some.

2002 Bergstrom Pinot Gris.  A bit heavy-feeling, low acid, smoky, oaky.

2002 St. Innocent Pinot Gris, Vitae Springs Vineyard.  Nice complexity.  Good spice and fruit mix.  Didn't have the oak influence of the Bergstrom, and I think this particular St. Innocent gris is tank fermented.

1995 Cosentino Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve.  Fully mature.  Just starting to show some age.

1995 Guigal Cote Rotie Brune et Blonde.  Still evolving.  Meaty, leathery, fruity olives, peppery.  Good structure.

1998 La Spinetta Oro.  A moscato passito that is one the most perfumed wines I've ever had.  This is my sixth go around with this wine.  It's a terrific combination of flowers and citrus.

Brad:

I remember tasting this wine around 6 monthes ago and nosed freshly picked bud on the nose.

Could of been just me but once I mentioned it,others started laughing and agreed. Maybe it's a BC thing. :)

The wine being the Hermit Crab from d'Arenburg.

Edited February 17, 2004 by "T" (log)

[KatieLoeb]

At a French-Vietnamese restaurant I had 2002 Lazy Creek Gewurztraminer paired with a Sweet and Sour Tom Yum Shrimp soup. The wine smells like rose guest soap and canned fruit cocktail, is almost amber colored, has a decent amount of acidity backing it up and is absolutely delicious and one of my favorites with spicy and Asian foods. I also had a bottle of Miner Family Vineyards "DeMayo Vineyard" 2002 Chardonnay with a Chilean Sea Bass stuffed with Shrimp and Carmelized Onions in a Tamarind sauce. The wine was very tropical and buttery but alas, a bit too oaky for pairing with almost any kind of food, IMO. Very tasty on it's own or perhaps with another dish with smokier flavors. Might be delicious with smoked fish or something with a bit of bacon, come to think of it. Since the restaurant was BYOB, I was forced to try pair my food with the wine we'd brought, as opposed to the other way around.

[Rieslingfan]

Langhe DOC Nebbiolo Produttori del Barbaresco 2001

Light to medium garnet hue to a watery rim. Does not appear to be a very deep wine

Moderately intense on the nose. Some tar, smokey wood, lightly peated(in aroma) cherry, strawberry fruit. Bakers chocolate and pipe tobacco.

Dang. Good dose of acid mingles with ripe cherry and red berries. Tannins are very present but not taking away from the fruit. Toasted oak gives the fruit a nice smoked or grilled fruit flavour(we all grill our fruit don't we). Not a long finish but quite tastey while on the palate.

Yummmmm.

I tasted this same wine about 4 months ago & ended up buying a few (3 or 4) for some near-term Nebbiolo drinking. It's really nice juice for the money. I think I paid $15.99 (US) for it.

I have not been very happy with the Produttori lately. I thought the '97 single-vineyard Barbarescos were a pale shadow of the '96s. Hopefully the '01 Langhe is a good omen for the Barbarescos.

Hey Craig...any thoughts on how the Produttori is doing lately?

[Brad Ballinger]

I remember tasting this wine around 6 monthes ago and nosed freshly picked bud on the nose.

Could of been just me but once I mentioned it,others started laughing and agreed. Maybe it's a BC thing. :)

The wine being the Hermit Crab from d'Arenburg.

Well, I did mention herbs.

["T"]

The term "fine herbs" has a different meaning in Vancouver than it does in France.

[GordonCooks]

1999 Jamet Cote Rotie with Mushroom & Sausage Pizza -

The wine was nutty and jelly sweet - obviously was cooked. Must have gotten hot somewhere along the line.

I threw it in the fridge for sauce and had some Diet Pepsi.

[liamdc]

2000 Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir - A nice Pinot fill of strawberries. Full bodied with firm, earthy tannins. Good, not great.

I recently had the 2000 Cote de Carneros Pinot Noir (same wine, I think) at No. 9 Park in Boston. I generally prefer the Oregon style of pinot to the California style, but this was definitely the best pinot from Napa I've had. For me, it had a juicy cherry/berry palate with a surprisingly spicy finish. Definitely a bit more tannic than your average pinot.

[Phil Ward]

Mure Gewurztraminer 1990 with some nicely aged Muenster and some crusty bread. Perfect match

1986 Laurel Glen Cabernet Estate 1986 (1.5 litre) with a roated rack of grass fed veal, with sides of roasted beets, sauteed spinach and a puree of celeriac and potatoes. The Cab was drinking beautifully and I wish I had about 6 more mags in the cellar.

Finished off with a Clos de Paulilles Banyuls accompanied by a small scoop of vanilla ice cream and Bosco chocolate syrup. Now of course we should have had a chocolate dessert. But what the heck, we had just finished watching a laugh out loud movie, Saving Grace, and I figured what the heck, a little Banyuls for some more fun.

Phil

Edited February 22, 2004 by Phil Ward (log)

["T"]

Inama Soave Classico Superiore 2001 paired with a roasted chicken rissoto with green beans.

Love this Soave but then again it's the only one I ever buy. If anyone else has recommendations on Soaves it would be much appreciated.

Yesterday it was a E&JGallo Lake Aileen Cab/Sauv 1995 paired with burgers. Works for me.

[futronic]

Friday:

2001 Daringa Peter Dennis Shiraz

Tonight:

2001 Antonin Rodet Vin de Pays d'Oc Syrah

2000 Cantine dei Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta Barbera d'Asti Superiore Sant'Emiliano