WTN: Home Alone in Day-twah

this man

Holy cow! I never imagined I'd see geo t. referred to as "this man" on a wine board! Geo, you have to get out more. That is, once Kim's back.

Two baseball question: Has the National League been fully chastened this year or what? As for our Tigers, can the next White Sox series (July 18-20) come soon enough?

[James Roscoe]

this man

Holy cow! I never imagined I'd see geo t. referred to as "this man" on a wine board! Geo, you have to get out more. That is, once Kim's back.

Two baseball question: Has the National League been fully chastened this year or what? As for our Tigers, can the next White Sox series (July 18-20) come soon enough?

Is there some doubt as to his maleness? In most cases, isnt that a yes or no question? Is geo. t. one of the exceptions? Quite frankly I would have never guessed.

The National League is getting spanked! The American League pitching is so much better, but what would happen if they actually had to bat? The DH disparity needs to be resolved. I relly don't care (kinda like my view on wine closures). They just need one rule for both leagues!

Is there some doubt as to his maleness? In most cases, isnt that a yes or no question? Is geo. t. one of the exceptions? Quite frankly I would have never guessed.

Not that this has any particular reference to geo, but do keep in mind that Jeffrey Eugenides's great novel "Middlesex" was set in MI.

Mark Lipton

Nice wines you're drinking, geo. Gunderloch Spatlese was the first reisling that really caught my attention, I ordered it at a pan-Asian restaurant in Seattle to go with a fresh crab in what they called a Burmese curry sauce. This was in the early 90's and we were there on a short holiday, the kind where you want to try as many restaurants as you can. But not us--we went back to the same place three days in a row to order the Gunderloch with the crab in Burmese curry sauce. I'll always have a soft spot for it--and a few bottles in the cellar.

Yeah, there are four or five more where I got those, and they're mine!

Are we seeing some serious thread drift here, or what?! You'd think this was Wine Therapy or something. I better get things back on track with last night's report.

June 29, 2006: Back to the work-a-day world, and that’s not such a bad thing; came home tired, but satisfied with a good days worth of accomplishment. Warmed up another portion of that Chicken and Italian Sausage Penne alla Arabiatta, and opened something Eye-talian to go with it.

2000 Barone Ricasoli Casalferro Toscana IGT, $49.99, 13.5% alc.: A virtual friend who once worked for William Grant & Sons sent us some wines to sample from Barone Ricasoli some years back, and we generally liked what we tasted; some of it was so-so, but some of it was pretty damned good, if not exactly “traditional” in style. This wine falls into the “pretty damned good” category, and doesn’t quite cut the “traditional” either, thanks to the French oak (18 months worth) and the dollop of Merlot added to the Sangiovese. Dark garnet from rim to rim, it exudes a smoky, sunbaked character that features spicy, slightly raisined dried cherry and black currant, accented with leathery undertones and subtle oaky notes that range from a little caramelized sugar at first to a hint of aquarium after three hours or so, while never becoming intrusive. A fair dose of tannins and the requisite acidity give this full bodied Tuscan red a bit of a bite on the palate over the first hour or so, but it gradually smoothes and softens with air, as does the raisined thing, and the finish maintains good length throughout. Give it an hour in a decanter before drinking now, and it should work quite well with a variety of tomato-based pasta dishes and/or grilled red meats. Better yet, give it at least a few more years in the cellar; it should be good to go at 10 years and beyond.

Barone Ricasoli Wines Imported by William Grant & Sons, Inc., New York, NY

Reporting from Day-twah,

Homie Alones

[James Roscoe]

Are we seeing some serious thread drift here, or what?! You'd think this was Wine Therapy or something. I better get things back on track with last night's report.

If this was Wine Therapy the thread drift might be funny. Of course, I don't post over there...

June 30, 2006: My doggies are pained. I spent more time stocking beer than I did selling wine, but hey, it is what it is and you do what you gotta do. So, I made it all better when I got home with, what else, some good dog shit French wine.

2002 Jean Foillard Morgon "Côte du Py," $21-25, 13% alc.: We’re big fans of the 2001 Foillard Morgon "Côte du Py," so when I saw this one during a scouting mission to Cloverleaf on Wednesday, I snatched it right up. A ruby garnet that fades at the rim, it’s perhaps a touch cloudy, but not as much so as the ’01; it seems cleaner than the previous model, though not as deep or as earthy. A little bit of barnyard blows off quickly on the nose, revealing cranberry, cherry and rose-y Gamay aromatics that follow through in the medium bodied flavors with some earth (just not as much as the ’01 has) and a hint of something slightly herbal. A little tight when first poured, it opens up with about 15-20 minutes in the glass, becoming harmonious and enjoyable. It seems to have the structure to age and develop for at least a few years, maybe longer, and finishes with decent length. All in all, nice stuff here, real wine, and if it’s not quite up to the ’01 for my tastes, it’s perfectly fine on its own terms. I didn’t drink this with food, but it’s obviously food friendly for a fairly wide spectrum of culinary delights.

Imported by Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA

Reporting from Day-twah,

Homie Alones

July 1, 2006: Another demanding day at work, so I opted for a big club sandwich there instead of trying to rustle up some dinner back at the ranch. Once home, I uncorked a fairly recent acquaintance and caught up with the Tigers – Pirates.

2000 William Fevre Chablis Les Clos, 375 ml, $29.99, 13% alc.: This has gone through some changes in a little over a year since we last tried it; the medium straw color seems to be taking on a slight tinge of pale gold, and there’s a nuttiness to its character that wasn’t there before, perhaps the evolution of the “peanut butter” thing Kim mentioned back then? Maybe it’s developing at an accelerated rate because of the 375 ml format, or maybe not. It still shows the wet stones, beeswax, quince and green apple, with the excellent cut and the good length, but it’s also starting to show the first signs of a senior moment. As it opens and warms in the glass, the fruit and minerality come to the fore, making for a more harmonious wine. I like this just the way it is (I actually liked it a little better in April of ‘05); any more of that “nutty” thing, and I’d like it less. As it is, it’s very refreshing on a warm summers night, with or without food.

Epilogue: Kim returned on Sunday, July 2; I picked her up at DTW, and brought her back to Gang Central for Thai takeout and a nice Alsatian Riesling. Hopefully this taster will be forgiven for the following notes that don’t do the delicious wine justice; I was somewhat distracted…

2004 Domaine Weinbach Riesling Alsace Cuvée Theo, $33, 13.5% alc.: Pale to medium straw, with quince and apple flavors and aromas graced with a soft herbaceous quality that really sets the tone and personality of the wine for me; medium full body, with good cut, a lovely smooth texture and a long finish. Bone dry, and yet with more than enough rich fruit to stand up the spicy Thai food. I must have more of this stuff!

Reporting from Day-twah,

geo