Notes from a rowdy and extremely fun pizza night for the members of the Wines and Spirits Club Philippines.
I showed up an hour early but Arnie was already there. By 7 PM, those at our table were already getting thirsty so although the food hadn't even been cooked yet, we decided to open:
Taittinger Brut Reserve Champagne NV - Very dry and crisp. Light and lemony. A clean, refined and very good basic Champagne.
Once the food was served, the wines came flying thick and fast. I could barely keep up with all the bottles making the rounds. As this was a BYO event, there was a lot of sharing between tables but it was impossible to try everything. What follows are my notes for what I was able to score at our table.
Wold Blass Gold Label Eden Valley Riesling 2006 - Oddly, seemed corky to a few of us even though it was a screw-capped bottle. Light, watery and a little cheesy. Possibly a bad bottle.
Torres Waltraud Riesling 2008 - Muted nose but light, floral and very pleasant in the mouth. Rather like a Mosel Kabinett Trocken. Not bad although more suited to sipping than for pairing with food.
Chateau La Gravette des Lucques Bordeaux Rose 2002 - Starting to brown. Fruit gone with oxidation evident on the finish. Unfortunately, years past its consume by date.
Les Vins de Vienne Cotes du Rhone Les Cranilles 2005 - Dry, dried fruit. Medium-rich. Soft and ready for current drinking. Clearly inferior to the 2007 which I had a chance to try recently.
Trimbach Riesling 2006 - Dry, spicy, lime. Although I find Trimbach wines rather austere, this Riesling had some good fruit to it.
Maurizio Zanella Rosso del Sebino 2001 - This is the first time I've encountered this DOC. A bit oaky. Modern and still a little tannic with some acidity sticking out. Not too interesting alone but very good with the pepperoni pizza.
Bricco Buon Natale Barbera Santa Barbara County Bien Nacido Vineyards 2003 - Smoky and sour cherry. Soft tannins. Very good.
Torremilanos Cyclo 2006 - From Ribera del Duero. Sweet fruit. Nothing else noted except that it was also great with the pepperoni pizza.
Frescobaldi Nippozano Chianti Classico Riserva 2005 - Great nose. Rich and tannic. Not yet ready. Best to leave alone for a couple more years.
Grabner und Schierer Blauer Zweigelt 2007 - From Austria. Very juicy and sweet. Grape juice with alcohol. Charming and easy.
Michele Chiarlo Barbaresco 2001 - Ripe cherry fruit. Already soft. Very approachable and probably at peak now. Very good.
Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel 2002 - By itself, the oak just dominates the wine. Concentrated, sweet, rich. With the food, the oak disappears. For me, the food and wine pairing of the night was the Lytton Springs with the Bourbon-glazed beef ribs.
Castell'in Villa Chianti Classico Riserva 2000 - A new name for me. A bit of browning on the rim. Lively sour berry flavors. Sour cherry. Still a bit tannic. Could probably use a little more time in bottle.
Banfi Cum Laude 2004 - Extremely dry. Coffeeish. Good nose.
For me, anyway, the wines took a back seat on this night as it was just so much fun going around and connecting with all the people who showed up hence, the rather abbreviated notes. I do hope we have more evenings like this, though.