Wednesday was Dave's last time before returning to St Andrews, his mom made one of his favorites, beef stroganoff. I've decided light reds are my favorites with this, so opened the 2004 La Casaccia "Casa Poggeto" Grignolino del Monferrato. I only had a small glass as I was taking a group out that night, but it was a lovely one. Cherry and raspberry
fruit, a little herb, bright, light. A glass with a snack after my return shows a little more weight, a little tar and earth. Very nice wine. Another half-glass on next evening is still going strong. B+
I was a bit tired Thursday, but in charge of dinner as Betsy returned from taking Dave to airport. I got some lemon sole and made a sole Meuniere variation with Meyer lemon, plus squash in a mint/honey sauce.Accompanied with a "Chinese iceberg salad"* and the 2006 Clos Roche Blanche " Numero 5" Touraine Sauvignon Blanc. Recently saw a negative note on this,but this is one year where I have a real preference for the #5 to the #2. This is a rich graperuit-driven Sancerre lookalike, with body, chalky mineral notes, and a long finish. Just a hint of grass, a lovely full-bodied style of SB. B+/A-
* we actually had this salad several nights:
http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes ... asp?id=359
quite tasty, but the Szechwan peppercorns wreak havoc with wine tasting!
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency