So, it is that time of year. The young kids may go to Acapulco or Fort Lauderdale, or Who Knows Where (I was never on the circuit even in my undergrad days). But, for me, Spring Break consisted of Nyc and DC, with Long Distance Wife by my side.
Wine was of course not the main attraction. But, we did run across a few bottles.
With Indian food, a 2006 August Kessler Riesling "R" QbA was delicious juicy, succulent, not too heavy. Just don’t let it get too warm, as it lost the Much Needed zip.
For Easter dinner with the family, I toted the 2006 Domaine de Triennes Viognier Cotes de Provence Sainte Fleur because I had enjoyed previous vintages of this wine (much to my surprise – viognier from Provence and all) and this continued in the grand tradition of drinkable succulent florals with fresh mineral backbone that I understand comes from the elevation of the vineyards. For whatever reason, my family was more enamored with the Clos Roche Blanche Touraine Sauvignon Blanc #2 which was more direct and firm and even a bit austere in this context. Not what I was in the mood for. But to each his or her own. For red wine we all guzzled the 2006 Marcel Lapierre Morgon which was very easy to guzzle, but a bit biting and acidic and left me wanting. Perhaps I’ve been skewed by 05. Or this was just in an awkward moment.
At Cork in DC we had a bottle of 2005 Foradori Teroldego Rotaliano, which I was very happy to see on the list. It probably needed more air to fill out than we had time to give it, but there was some deep coiled and highly structured potential that pleased even the acid-averse in our crowd. And, for the DC folks, I don’t know any of back story, but this Cork place seemed like a welcome addition to any scene. Sure the list wasn’t 100% on. But the food was excellent and there were lots of smaller gems like Cossais Montlouis and this Foradori, at humane prices. I would go back.
At a friend’s house in Tribeca, we naturally had a night that was heavily influenced by Chambers St. Arriving in the door, I find glasses of 2006 Canneto Rosso di Montepulciano and 2004 Triacca Valtellina Superiore Sassella to go with anchovy pizza. Both are serviceable, although neither is stunning. The nose on the Triacca is gorgeous, but the palate is a bit too sour, even for me. That said, it seems to have resolved a bit and is in a comfortable confident place, at least in comparison to the Canneto which is also sour on the backend, but still sorting itself out. More meditation sipping on the 2006 Oupia Minervois while waiting for the crowds to arrive. Plenty of fruit, nothing to complain about for those who want that. However, the 2005 Texier Côtes du Rhône Villages Saint-Gervais Vieilles Vignes des Cadinières frightened even the Big Fruit Lovers with a seriously ripe stewed-fruit middle. There was some nice freshness around that middle, so it would have been interesting to see where this bottle went with air. But unfortunately it didn’t get enough time to do that.
And, we were on to fish with 2006 Pépière Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine Clos des Briords, which you all know rocks. It easily outshone a 2005 Bourgogne blanc of decent quality, as well as a disappointing 2004 Foreau Vouvray Sec, which was a bit flat, and I had been hoping for so much more. I got my chenin fix from the NV Chidaine Montlouis Sur Loire Brut Methode Traditionelle which was plenty rich sweet and caramel-ey in the middle, almost disturbingly so. Is that an oak thing? Or a High Percentage of 03 thing? But, it made up for it with lots of great chenin flavors, energy, and minerals. So, I was happy.
I was also happy with dinner at Cendrillon. Although, I arrived late and my friend had already ordered a 2004 Domaine Le Sang des Cailloux Vacqueyras “Cuvée Floureto”, which was fine, as it had a deep dose of fruit buttressed by firm structure and slight wild brett. But, I wanted white wine. So I queried Romy about the 02 Clos des Perrières on the list, which was very intriguing, but seemed like a gamble as I had every reason to believe it might be in an awkward phase. Quite the honest man, Romy admitted that he had not tasted it recently, so he couldn’t offer advice. But, he agreed to open the 2000 Domaine de la Soucherie Savennières “Clos des Perrières” and take it back if something was amiss. This seemed fair, and I thought we would have a better chance with the 00 than the 02. But, indeed, it was in that funky golden brown oxidized moment when I would not derive pleasure. So, we graciously moved on to the 2006 Schloss Gobelsburg Steinsetz Grüner Veltliner, which was mineral, fresh, and not as heavy as I expected at all. Delights all around.
