It's been a strange little while. It's been hot -- pricey-Zin-left-on-a-warm-bar hot. The elevator's been out for two weeks, so wine's not coming in to the apartment from storage or retail. And work has been nuts. Nevertheless, corks have been pulled. Notes from memory.
First up, two Harringtons, a 2013 Santa Clara Valley Teroldego, Fratelli Vineyard, and a 2013 Mendocino County Carignane, Lover's Lane Vineyard. The Carignane was solid, but nothing special; I recall it being very high-toned, almost with a spiced sour-cherry note that didn't do much for me. The Teroldego, by contrast, was delicious: mouthwatering, complex, vivid, with a palette of flavors ranging from brooding, dark fruit through bitter almond. Between this and a recent Unti Montepulciano, I really like the California renditions of Italian varieties I've been tasting lately.
Another delicious red, good for hot weather, was our second bottle of Aha Wines 2013 El Dorado County Red Wine, Cab Franc with a touch of Gamay Noir, which we slurped down with ziti all'amatriciana made with local Sungolds, local bacon, and non-canonical (but local) basil. Balanced, fresh, flavorful, and light on its toes.
The lack of an elevator and the hot temps together have left us depleted when it comes to whites, so the mix has been... mixed. First, a pair of lower-level Meursaults that needed to be opened, the first a Domaine Philippe Chavy 2004 [I know] Meursault "Narvaux" that was not premoxed, I don't think, just undrinkably over the hill. That night we replaced it with a Edmunds St. John 2004 Paso Robles White Wine, "Los Robles Viejos," a Viognier-Roussane-Marsanne blend that was in a very good place, still bright and fresh at the core but also evolved, in the direction of wax, honey, and spice, around the edges. The next night -- what a difference a vintage makes -- a Thierry et Pascal Matrot 2005 Meursault that I expected to be equally over the hill, based on CT notes; but a lot of those were from 375s, and this was doing perfectly well, thank you very much: nothing profound, but a tasty mature village Burg whose only weakness, I thought, was a perceptible buttery note that sometimes stood out against the background, though it wasn't strictly unpleasant.
Sticking with 2005, we also opened a Radikon 2005 IGT Venezia Giulia Ribolla Gialla, 500ml. Cloudy blood-orange in color, orange pith and zest, dried stone fruit, spice, oxidated aound the edges. I'm pretty sure we opened the pair to this bottle four or five years ago, but my memory of it has lapsed; still, I'd say it seems faded, though still pleasant, if you like the style.
Moving north: Weingut Hirsch 2013 Kamptal Grüner Veltliner, Kammerner Renner; an excellent Grüner, which I don't drink enough anymore. Lithe but still has some weight in the mouth, relatively ripe palate but still with some of the aromatic greenness and pepper that, along with the acid, keeps it in such balance.
Finally, a La Scolca 2012 Gavi, "Black Label," was a great accompaniment to a seafood meal out, fresh, bright, and citrusy but with enough minerality to make it deep and serious too. Cortese isn't a grape I know well but this encourages me to explore it more.
Now, will someboy PLEASE fix this elevator?
