Several things from the last many days, starting with last night's tragedy and redemption:
Château de Beaucastel 1998 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge, bought ca. 2001, last bottle, corked beyond belief. Waah.
Replaced, in a slightly different direction, by a Reynvaan Family Winery 2012 Walla Walla Valley Syrah, "In the Rocks". 14.0% ABV. Our first taste of Reynvaan and it's a beauty: light funk, animal and tar, with brighter and more floral notes lurking beneath. Has size without feeling heavy. Decanted after pouring the first glass, and it opened up beautifully, staying bright and nervy even as it broadened. On the savory side of Syrah, which was just what we were looking for. A terrific introduction to the label. (Amused to see one CT review complain that it was "light on the alcohol.")
From the Department of Wines I Shouldn't Have Owned In the First Place:
Lodi Native / Macchia 2013 Mokelumne River/Lodi Zinfandel, "Schmiedt Ranch," 15.9% ABV. One of the six Lodi heritage-vineyard Zins produced by different area winemakers according to common procedures, including native yeast fermentation and the use of no new wood. But you'd never know it, as the first impression of this is of sticking your face into a cedar chest. Must be the stems and grape tannins, but it's a weird wine, which, by the time this faux-woodiness has mellowed out to reveal some fruit, has become annoyingly hot. All due respect to Randy Caporaso, but no, we can't stop talking about Zin being too high-alcohol, at least not in this case. We didn't finish the bottle.
Ridge Vineyards 2010 Sonoma County red wine, "Mazzoni Home Ranch," 51% Carignane, 48% Zinfandel, 1% Petite Sirah, 14.7% ABV. Uncharacteristically high proportion of Carignane for this wine. Tart cherry pie, tobacco, and spice-box. Remains way too candied for my taste. We didn't finish the bottle.
From a tasting menu at MK on Andrea's birthday:
Lucien Crochet 2009 Sancerre "Le Chêne," by the glass from 375. We don't drink much Sauvignon Blanc with bottle age on it so this was a pleasant surprise. Rounded edges but hardly tired, some nice oiliness emerging to complement the minerality and subtle fruit; nice pairing with a hamachi crudo dish with pickled and green flavors that might have been overpowered by a younger wine.
Rainer Wess 2014 Wachau Grüner Veltliner, by the glass. Solid basic Grüner, good typicity, not super-concentrated but a good balance of herbaceous, spicy, and fruity. I'd drink it again.
Edmunds St. John 2013 Dry Creek Valley "Rocks and Gravel," Unti Vineyard. One of the best Rocks & Gravels in recent memory, terrific balance and verve, showing more Syrah florality than some editions of this wine. Great pairing with seared pompano, which seems to be our fish of the month.
Claus Preisinger 2013 Neusiedlersee Zweigelt/Blaufränkisch "Basic," by the glass. Not sure of the composition: I see different sources suggesting 50/50, 60/40, and 90/10. But in any case, this is terrific. Riper than I would have expected from Austrian reds, admittedly based on limited experience, with framboise and cassis up front, but a solid backbone behind it and interesting earthy things happening around the edges. This supposedly retails for around $16-17 USD and at that price it's a steal.
Max Ferd. Richter 2007 Mosel Riesling Kabinett, "Mülheimer Sonnenlay," by the glass, good, nothing special but in a nice place now, with a fair bit of petrol over stone and muted lemon-cream fruit.
From hither and yon:
Casaloste 2011 Chianti Classico. Continuing an exploration of hitherto unknown-to-us Chianti producers with the help of the Europa newsletter. This was terrific, particularly for what was reputed to be a questionable vintage in CC. The high-toned notes of classic Chianti Sangio are there but there's a layered character and a depth to this wine that's unusual in a basic Chianti, with a lot of black fruit and some earth providing a wide base on which the brighter flavors can rest. Great deal at $16.50.
Occhipinti 2014 IGT Terre Siciliane Bianco "SP68," Albanello and Zibibbo. Deep, rich yellow color, rich, almost heavy mouthfeel, ripe stone-fruit and citrus, brightened by decent acidity. Like watching a 747 takeoff: how can something so big get off the ground with such apparent ease?
I Clivi 2014 IGT delle Venezie Ribolla Gialla. Solid, well-made, tastes like a (lighter-style) Ribolla, but unremarkable.
Abacela 2014 Umpqua Valley Albariño. Drank this long enough ago that the memory is fading, but I recall (a) liking it a lot; and (b) thinking that it had more weight and intensity than Iberian versions of the grape I've had.
Coca i Fito 2013 Empordà "Tocat de l'Ala," Grenache-Carignane-Syrah blend. Again, memory fading, but the point of this was to try something else by the same producer that had made another Empordà we'd had at a restaurant and enjoyed a lot; this one, we thought, was more shaggy and less focused, but it still made for a tasty weeknight pizza wine, and at $15, it wasn't too shabby. Or too shaggy.
-- but they were a lot pricier.) In any case, yes, a real connection! It'll be interesting to compare to the DeLille Doyenne.