So what are we thinking of drinking this weekend!!!

Last Night the Sig Other and I had a bottle of Chehalem Pinot Noir 2002. Quite good, lots of berries. I haven't decided on tonight's tipple yet.

Glenn

Last Night the Sig Other and I had a bottle of Chehalem Pinot Noir 2002. Quite good, lots of berries. I haven't decided on tonight's tipple yet.

Glenn

I am not familar with Sig Other?!! Google was not much help either! Ok now I get it, LOL. I was really scratching my head but did, not, go to cellar-tracker...yet!!

Significant Other: A (probably American) term for a companion who is most important in your life but to whom you are not married or engaged. At my age it doesn't seem quite right to be speaking of a "girlfriend." And I left "going steady" back in high school. Thus... "significant other" to describe a serious relationship that doesn't seem to fit in other categories.

Glenn

I use "my better half". Not quite sure what Anastasia references, maybe I will ask her. But I will keep it clean here!!!

Ian Sutton has asked on the other board that TNs be written in conjunction with this query. I think his idea is great. So even though today's drinking isn't very winey, I'll contribute. I had a sort of house-warming party where we opened up some nice beers, whiskies but only one wine!

The Freiherr Heyl zu Herrnsheim Rotschiefer Riesling Spätlese Trocken 2001 was very nice. It was rather developed, fruity, weighty but with true Riesling aromas. It did have a bit of that toothpaste aroma that I only get in very ripe vintages, but it wasn't too dominant. Quite nice acidity, and though a Trocken it wasn't tart. I had 6 bottles of this to start with, though I'm not a fan of Trockens, and I am a bit sad to see this, my last one, go!

Harviestoun's Bitter & Twisted rocks! It's a hoppy and friendly beer, very aromatic and fresh - almost floral. The low carbonation is supposed to imitate beer on cask. I don't care about the imitation, because this works very well. I've been drinking quite a bit of this beer recently as it seems to be one that hits all the right spots for me.

Black Sheep Ale wasn't too great. It was well made, drinkable, true enough to type but lacked soul and was a bit forgettable. I'll have no problems drinking this again - there were no problems with it - but I really would rather have something else. It was crisp (like it says on the lable) and fairly dry.

Marston's Oyster Stout is beer that I used to like alot. Not anymore. True and proper salty aromas which promise much but are let down by a watery palate.

Titanic Stout is however brilliant! An almost austere nose for a stout, complex and bitterly coffee-like. The palate is dry, tarry and with wonderful precicion and delineation. Long and fresh aftertaste. This is an absolutely brilliant Stout IMO! Apparently this is bottle conditioned and should improve with age, but I don't know how I'll manage to keep my hands of these ones now!

St Peter's Honey Porter was an oddity. Very honeyed scent, with a touch of lovely vegetality to it. I did find the honey a bit cloying on the nose (is that possible?), but I thought it integrated on the palate which was surprisingly dry and even austere compared to the scent! Odd. Not really to my taste, but it was very interesting to try it. Cool looking bottle also.

(No I didn't drink all these bottles by myself!!)

Then we sampled a couple of Islay malts:

Caol Ila 12 Y.O. was nice and smoky and peaty and had a true Islay soul. This was funky in all the right ways. The palate was a bit sweeter than expected, but balanced. Not terribly complex, but very drinkable and pleasurable.

Laphroaig 10 Y.O. has usually been a favourite of mine thought it is a bit over-the-top in its stereotypical Islay aromas of smoke and peat. I have before thought it rough and rugged and rather unsophisticated but charmingly so. This bottle seemed a bit too tame - even the Caol Ila was more funkily Islay-like!!! I haven't tasted Laphroaig in quite a while. I hope they haven't started making a more "friendly" whisky?

I hosted a Cab Tasting party on the 13th. Food included tri tip (a California roast), roasted chicken, eggplant parmigian, salads, and deserts. Quite a big group fro my little towhouse. I am ashamed to admit I overdid it quite a bit but since it was my house I didn't have to drive home, just stumble upstairs.

On the menu:

Larkmead 2003-showed much better last night than it did at the winery. Still quite fruit forward, but there was more balance this time and I quite enjoyed it.

Frank Family 2002 Frank Family puts out a nice, rich, smooth and balanced basic Cab. Delicious. A crowd favorite.

Cafaro 2001 Estate Cab. Not one of my favorites-probably the weakest wine of the night. This contrasts with the 1999 Reserva, one of my absolutely favorite top 5 wines I've ever had (a bottle awaits), but this one was quite harsh, frankly. Too young? I don't think that's it. They've dropped the price way down to $21 at K&L. Tuco at his wine bar in Davis was right-but he says the newest vintage (2002) is quite nice, so there's hope for this winemaker, yet.

Mazzoco Maretix 1999. Bordeaux Blend. Now I remember why I bought two bottles when I visited the winery. Delicious! A crowd favorite at a modest price. Nice color, delicious herbal nose, rich mouthfeel and a great savory character.



Stonestreet Christopeher's Vineyard 1996. Decanted for two hours, should have been given even more air. Even after ten years, this mountain wine (2400 feet elevation in the Mayacama Mountains) was a tannic monster. It was also amazingly complex and multilayedred. Another favorite.

Chateau Prieurie Lacchine Margaux 1996 Frankly, a disappointment. Perhaps too young and tight (the K&L guy said that 96 Margaux are very tight) but I found this wine quite harsh. Would I buy it again and cellar it for 10 years more? I'm not sure. The Cafaro and this one are the two I didn't care for enough to buy again.

Merryvale Profile 1999. Merryvale surprised me. Huge place with a big tourist draw, but they produce a quite austere and interesting Bordeaux Blend that is not what I would have expected. Another favorite-nice complexity, beautiful color.

Opened as the party wound on (we were a happy bunch):

Volker Eisele 2002- A very nice cab from a small grower in the valley east of Napa Valley proper. Nice herbal and savory character with great fruit. IMO equal to the Jones family cab I tasted next at 1/3 the price.

Elizabeth Spenser Oakville Cab 2002-One of my favorite discoveries. Great dense, rich wines with a lot of balance, even young.

Sawyer Cellars 2002-another nicely balanced cab that compares to the Frank Family in profile.

Raymond generations 1998. Still a lot of raisiny port-like character on the nose, but the palette is less pronounced here.

oops

Thursday: Babich 2004 Pinot Noir, really nice light to medium-bodied, well -balanced Pinot matched up nicely with an herb encrusted pork loin rib roast.

Friday: Goat Roti 2005 nice wine, but I did not have the best food match for it (ham and fried potatoes).

Saturday: Sa' Solin Ripasso Valpolicella 2003. see posted tasting note.

Sunday: ?

Weekend wines are always fun.

Right now: 2004 Root:1 Cabernet Sauvignon

Saturday:
NV Gruet Brut - we're celebrating my daughter's horse show Championship

2004 Saint M (Dr Loosen for Chateau St Michelle) Riesling

Sunday: ??????

Hello Doug,

I have a bottle of the exact riesling you mention ("2004 Saint M") that I've yet to uncork. If you could post your tasting notes for that one along with your food match (if you're having food with it) that would be awesome. Thanx, Aaron.

Aaron, see my WTN posted as a separate thread.

Otto, just a quiet evening at home I see. No excitement over here this weekend, two managers away in Hawaii so had to cover two restaurants...and I did not make the karaoke party!! Maybe just as well eh. I did try a Sangiovese blend from Pikes (Oz). Very nice.

Otto, just a quiet evening at home I see.

Well, not very quiet but at home yes Quite some party it was: I hope the neighbours didn't mind too much to hear Schubert's Schwanengesang sung by Hans Hotter blasting from the speakers, lol!!

I forgot to write about one rather interesting beer we also tasted. TN to appear above soon.

Otto, I just saw your Open Mike!! "So what are we thinking....." seems to be quite popular eh. Lots of imput I`d say.