Notes from Friday night dinner at Angel's Kitchen. Good, rather homey-type food rather than fine dining so no wine theme as the menu is very eclectic, with Filipino, Asian and European choices
Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2007 - Always a good budget choice. Quite acidic. Lots of limes and lemon. There is a slight bitterness in the rather abrupt finish.
Joie-A Noble Blend 2007 A Wine Inspired by Alsace - From Okanagan, BC. Essentially, this is an edelzwicker blend of Gewurztraminer, Kerner, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Ehrenfelser. Quite spicy, spritzy. Slight sweetness. Pleasant and easy rather than a wine with depth.
Dr. Loosen Bernkasteler Lay Riesling Kabinett 2006 - Apple. Spritzy. Nice and sweet. Light and easy.I could drink this like water.
Jadot Pommard 1999 - Earthy and quite full in the mouth. Dense. Very good fruit but quite dry. A bit tight. Maybe another year or two will make this more expressive. Long finish.
Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 2006 - Sweet nose. Quite sweet, spicy. Mocha. Good complexity. Medium-bodied. The finish is rather dry but long. Could still improve with short-term cellaring. Very good.
Pride Mistelle de Viognier NV - Butterscotchy. Some said honeysuckle but I have no idea what that smells like. Leafy, tobacco. Very sweet but with good acidity for balance. Very good but it comes in a rather cheap-looking plastic screw-cap bottle.
We were about done when our friend Oscar, who's wife is a partner in the restaurant, showed up. He offered us a bottle of:
Chateau La Fleur de Bouard 1999 - Very dark. Earthy, Fragrant wood. Very dry and slightly woody. Quite tannic. The finish is long but tastes ashy and burnt. This is a dense wine but seems to lack freshness in the fruit. If you want to drink this now, better have a grilled steak on hand. It's hard to get this down without any food. Best not to touch for at least 3 years. I'm not sure if it will improve the fruit but at least the tannins will soften.