Plans for Weekend Wines?

We used to do this a lot, so I hope it's not inappropriate to revive the "tradition"?

I'm thinking of opening:

1995 Chianti Felsina Beradagna (or however the heck you spell it! ).

Maybe an Alsatian White-not sure which, and

DeMoor Aliogte from Burgundy!

Hope the Chianti is still good! I'm actually looking forward to this!

I just put a bottle of '04 Wairau River Home Block SB in the fridge so that will probably go tonight or tomorrow.

Haven't figured out what I'm cooking yet this weekend though and that usually sways the wine picks.

[David M. Bueker]

Riesling!

Wonders never cease.

[David M. Bueker]

This just in: water is wet. Film at 11.

David Coffaro Sauvignon Blanc '06, Estate Bottled for tonight with clams and mussels in white wine sauce, with linguine. I had some Lawson's Dry Hills SB open and most of that went into the sauce.
The Coffaro was delicious! Much riper and more floral than the NZ wine. Well balanced with lemon and grapefruit at the fore with hints of melon floating around. Serious length – as much as I've seen in a SB. 14.2% alcohol, 55 cases, $12.
And the shellfish came out just right - this was my fourth try at the basic dish. Now I can start expanding my horizons.

Sunday it'll be something Rhone-ish, probably Dry Creek Valley but maybe even French, with a great looking rib steak I picked up.

John

I hope the Felsina Berardenga was terrific, Felsina is one of my favorite chianti houses, I probably have more Felsina in the cellar than any other chianti..No idea how the 95 will be doing as I tend to drink em a tad younger,oldest Felsina in the cellar is the 2001.

Ferrari Carano fume blanc is an annual buy..usually I get melons and/or figs on the palate but the 2006 offered up lots of peaches..very nice bottle, screw top as well..will buy more of this delightful, if atypical SB..also tonight,a so-so PN from Oregon, 2004 Sipino., Williamette Valley..ok, not great, flavors a bit muddled,not much coming through

The Felsina was delicious! I have a real love of the "sour cherry" school of wine (Rioja's Lopez de Herredia is another favorite!) and this Chianti was definitely a higher acid, sour cherry kind of wine. With some delicious tobacco and leather notes, but not too much, the sour cherry was the dominant flavor, and it went very well with my food! 92 points. Very balanced and elegant, and quite smooth, even with the acidity.

I did not write down the other wine of the night, a 2004 Oregon Pinot that, while quite rich, had a lovely earthyness with plentiful acidity and not a hint of candied cherry cola flavors (which I hate in too many California 16% abv Pinots!) I'll get the name from my friend Joe, who brought it back from his recent Oregon trip! 92 points.

The De Moor Aligote (2003) also came through for me, although it was somewhat controversial for some friends. I like acid, and this lovely white Burgundy had plenty (hot year be damned!) 90 points. A blast of high toned citrus opened the palate, with a very interesting savory finish. Delicious.

We had a Cabernet, too, that was ok but not real memorable. decent, and not very expensive-very drinkable.

Probably another Rose I have picked up, again from S France. I am off to the Stampede as well...yippee yi eh!!

Thinking about an '05 Chateau Paradis Casseuil. I haven't had any '05 Bordeaux yet. At $20 it's no big loss if it is too young. I will decant for 2+ hours. We will probably grill something up to go with it. Grilled food pairing suggestions are welcome

Opened last night, 2004 Domaine Cauhape Jurancon Sec "Chant des Vignes." Really nice, crisp wine, with great precision. Just the kind of thing I like! For the rest of the weekend, I don't know yet.

Hey, Sam...I have a bottle of the white, so I am interested in your impressions of this red.

NJ and I are invited to a friends place for dinner to break-in their newly remodeled kitchen:

1997 Clape Cornas
1996 Selbach-Oster Zeitlinger Sonnenuhr Auslese
1998 Mont Redon CdP (The last two btls of this have been horribly corked, so I'm prepared to be mocked)

BP

[Jenise]

Bill Spohn has invited us to pop over the border this afternoon for dinner for the sole purpose of being hereafter able to call his proprietary preparation of butterflied and grilled leg of lamb "internationally famous". Or so I think. We'll be opening a bunch of Aussies. Not sure which ones I'm taking yet.

Hey, Sam...I have a bottle of the white, so I am interested in your impressions of this red.

Brian,

I will post my note.

[Robin Garr]

We used to do this a lot, so I hope it's not inappropriate to revive the "tradition"?

I think it's a fun tradition, Brian, and I'm glad you did it. It's interesting to see what other folks are thinking about opening, and it has a double virtue in that it encourages folks to come back at the start of the business week and post TNs about their experiences.

I'm in kind of a funny position in that I often don't decide what we're drinking with dinner until a half-hour before dinner, and it's about an even crapshoot whether I'll pick a wine to match dinner or decide on dinner to match the wine.

But all that being said, I'm awfully excited about two older CalCabs that I received a couple of weeks ago from California Wine Club's Aged Cabernet Series (which I've been yakking up elsewhere). The folks who handle this club for CWC insist that a short rest is sufficient, and I really, really want to believe that, because I'm eager to try either or both of these, but hate to spoil my experience through impatience.

Oh, the wines:

Clos du Val 1992 Stags Leap District Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

Joseph Phelps 1992 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

Just looking at these familiar old labels makes me feel happy, and I've got a nice locally produced grass-fed rib eye just waiting for an excellent older Cab.

But is it too soon? Oh, ditherditherdither ...

What a difference a day makes! after a night in the fridge, the sipino PN stepped up to the plate tonight went very well with a grilled steak..nice earthy flavors,red fruits tinged with just enough acidity..

Clos du Val 1992 Stags Leap District Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

Joseph Phelps 1992 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

Just looking at these familiar old labels makes me feel happy, and I've got a nice locally produced grass-fed rib eye just waiting for an excellent older Cab.

But is it too soon? Oh, ditherditherdither ...

Robin, just finished off a 1996 Joseph Phelps Napa Valley Cab--delicious over several evenings. I imagine that '92 will be very good indeed.

And PLEASE post your thoughts on the 1992 CdV. I have a bottle of the Napa Valley and would be curious to see how the SLD is doing.

Thanks,
Michael

Just polished off the last half of a Rosenblum Zin 2001 Carla's Vineyard. Great bottle without breaking the bank.

A few things from last night:

'07 Novy Keefer Ranch Chardonnay---not overly fruity on the nose, lots of chalk and green apple, and a super clean, sorta chalky, and crisp finish.
'02 Williams Selyem RRV Pinot--smelled a little stewed when opened, but plenty of fruit and spice there, and a crazy cherry Jolly Rancher finish.
'04 Paradigm Napa Valley Zin--Opened because I panicked when I smelled the Pinot. Creamy nose (if a wine can smell creamy), but totally yummy flavors, even if a little oaky. Glad I have half the bottle left for tonight!
'96 Justino's Colheita Madeira--(a suggestion from my future brother-in-law that is a moderator on a port and madeira board)--Love it! Have no idea how to describe, except that is was like you had a pecan pie that wasn't overly sweet with an orange streak running right through the middle.

[Robin Garr]

Robin, just finished off a 1996 Joseph Phelps Napa Valley Cab--delicious over several evenings. I imagine that '92 will be very good indeed.

I'm not doubting its maturity, Michael, just fretting about whether to try one within a couple of weeks after summer shipment.

And PLEASE post your thoughts on the 1992 CdV. I have a bottle of the Napa Valley and would be curious to see how the SLD is doing.

We did open it last night ... while I'll report in more detail later, I can assure you that it was a delight already ... really nice cedar and rose potpourri, still good blackcurrant fruit, beautiful texture and balance and still enough tannin to make me think there's plenty of life in the old boy yet. It held up okay in the open bottle overnight, although I did think it had lost a little of its grace after 24 hours. (Edit: It's also interesting to see these 1992 CalCabs with their very elegant, "European" style (maybe particularly so from Bernard Portet), and only 13 percent alcohol!)

I love Clos Du Val. During my bicycle ride today, I stopped to browse in a wine shop in Sonoma. They had 1998 Reserve on sale. I know the usual critics say it's a bad year, but I've actually enjoyed many of the 1998s I've opened or sampled! For $48, how can you go wrong? (They also have another great Napa cab, from a St Emillion family ensconced in a little known winery called Beaucanon. Yum!

Yes, many critics a decade ago thought '98 was a bad year. When I tasted the first few, in about 2000, I decided they were wines to be laid down for 5 or 10 years. And I bought quite a few.
I still have a couple of bottles of Joseph Swan Steiner Vineyard, and a bottle of the Trenton Estate, cabs. I opened a Steiner about 2 1/2 years ago and told myself to wait another 5 years or more.
I've managed to drink most of my '98 Zins - I think they peaked a year or two ago, depending on the maker and vineyard - but they seem to be holding quite well.
'98 was a year when the wines started out tannic and very, very "structural" and not a few were harsh. But the balance was there in the wineries I like. I wish I had some Foppiano PS from back then.

John

I like Traci's note on the Colheita Madeira. I was finishing up two bottles opened during the week plus sampling three special wines at a restaurant in Raleigh (posted on forum.) Next up is a 2005 Vollenweider Goldgrube.