by Howie Hart » Fri Aug 22, 2008 2:02 am
Early this month, I had the pleasure of spending a week at my sister’s in York Beach, ME. I had arranged to meet up with Carl and Beverly Eppig for dinner and to share wines. My sister was gracious enough to host the event. On our drive to Maine, my sister and I had stopped in Vermont to visit an old friend, Joe, that I’d seen only twice in the past 30 years and his bride Susan. We had a very nice dinner with them; going through a few bottles of my home made wine and spent the night there. In fact, we had such a good time that we invited them to join us for the planned dinner with Carl and Beverly later that week. Joe, I learned had changed careers, became somewhat of a foodie and manages a small plant that makes organic salad dressings and salsa (Drew’s). They all arrived about the same time and we migrated to the deck, taking the opportunity to enjoy one of the few nice days New England has seen this summer. My sister’s friend Norman joined us as dinner for seven was getting under way. We spent a while chatting, appetizing on hummus, tapenade and shrimp cocktail while sipping Mumm Napa Brut Prestige. Nice bubbly for about $18. Next was Hermann J. Wiemer 2006 Semi-Dry Riesling that Carl brought. Good acid balance and nicely made. While ’06 was a strange year for many varieties in the Finger Lakes, the rains let up in late September and October was dry, allowing some very nice later ripening grapes, like Riesling to come through nicely. Carl then opened a 2005 Fincastle Hybrid Vigor. This is a white hybrid blend from Virginia; off-dry, a bit shy on the nose with citrusy flavors and a medium finish. I couldn’t determine the blend, and it was not listed on the label, but I’m guessing there is Vidal in it. After some difficulty getting the grill to light, this wine made its way into the dining room when we started dinner. I had spent most of the afternoon making a lobster bisque (will post recipe in Kitchen forum) which we had with my 2005 Oak Aged Chardonnay. Joe and I went outside to man the grill (steaks - aged, tenderized chuck) while the other folks munched sourdough – rosemary dinner rolls (from a nice local bakery) and a green salad that Joe and Susan brought, topped with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing from Joe’s place of employment. The grilled steaks and rice pilaf, which my sister made, hit the table and we opened several wines. Carl brought a 2004 Tobin James James Gang Reserve Primitivo, a very juicey wine with 15.4% abv. I liked it (See Carl’s post in the Wine Focus Forum). I opened a 1995 Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages. I’m not sure where I obtained this wine, but, while still sound, it was tired and not showing much. Earlier in the day, while digging out champagne glasses from storage in her cellar, my sister found a bottle of 1994 Brindisi Rosso Riserva. This was a very nice wine. Made from Negromaro and Malvasia grapes from the Apulia region, this wine had aged nicely in her basement, with leather and spices, it had a long, full finish with well-balanced tannins. Beverly brought a superb peach & blueberry cobbler for dessert. In addition to coffee, dessert was served with two sweeties I received I received in a wine exchange set up through a wine making website I frequent. The 2006 Catherine Valley Finger Lakes Vignoles Ice Wine was superb! Intense fruit, good acidity, sweet and a long, long finish. The Orange Blossum Muscat Port I believe was made from a concentrate kit, but it was very good quality and well made. Light golden color, sublte hints of orange on the nose, very sweet with a medium-long finish. Also through the course of the evening, we opened some of my home made wines (Riesling, Gamay Cab Franc/Merlot). Carl, Beverly and I stayed up later than everyone else, solving all the problems in the world. I sent them off with some of my home made wines and leftover lobster bisque. It was a very nice evening and a pleasure to meet more fellow WLDGers.
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Chico - Hey! This Bottle is empty!
Groucho - That's because it's dry Champagne.
