But I can't quite figure out which is which.
My uncle Dan and his wife Amy and my aunt Ede came for lunch last Friday, to talk with Mom and admire our new kitchen. Dan was my inspiration for getting into wine, so I dug out a couple of interesting bottles.
Lunch was beans with ham hocks, so I wanted wine that could stand on its own two legs.
I opened a bottle of Joseph Swan Stellwagen Vineyard Zinfandel 1998 and a bottle of Foppiano Reserve Petite Sirah 2001. I think the Stellwagen is getting old; the Foppiano is a muscular youth.
Here's a historical set of notes on the Stellwagen:
8/01: Mom exclaimed over the smoothness and forthright fruit of this wine! Dad held up his empty glass! Soft, rich, thick texture, layered like a Black Forest cake, aromatic, legs on the glass, so long that I can still taste it after ice cream and coffee. Spaghetti wine!...and that's what it accompanied.
6/03: A most excellent Zinfandel. (I must have been busy.)
8/04: It has hardened a bit. Still great wine, but it's no longer lush.
11/07: Clear claret color, fuly mature, almost like a claret but still tastes like Zin. An excellent wine which has become somewhat austere. I don't think it will improve from here.
On a second night, the wine was a little bit drying and had lost a bit of its depth. My last bottle will have to go soon.
And here's what I think about the Foppiano:
11/07: Dark, opaque, youthful appearance. Strong tannins, rich berry and pepper flavor. Very long, very even. Has years ahead of it.
On a second night, the wine had lost some of its tannin, but it still coated my teeth. Perhaps a bit better balanced from a couple of days in the fridge.
I paid $16.20 for the Stellwagen in February 2004. That's less than I paid in 2000, so I think Rod was having a special.
The Foppiano cost me a whopping $48 in September 2006. I have another bottle, and I won't hurry it. BTW, I have opened a couple of bottles of the regular PS 2001, and this reminds me of the one I opened in 2003. The one I opened last year was perhaps a bit "dumb", or perhaps my nose was working even worse than usual, because I complained about a lack of nose.
Spreadsheets help a lot when your senior moments become senior weeks.