Betsy was in CA and I picked up a rotisserie chicken Tuesday last week. Wine was the 1998 Nigl Senftenberger Piri Privat Riesling. I was a little concerned re color on first pour, but it was fresh on palate. Peach, grapefruit, petrol, wetrock minerals, this could be longer on finish but still a very nice bottle of mature dry Riesling. B+
Wednesday was spent in a daze, I felt like vodka shots but just had leftover Riesling (Nigl held up well). No wines Thursday (early flight Fri), or Fri, Sat, and Sun (visiting my mom in GA, wasn’t worth trip to wine store and terrible selection in grocery). So Monday I was thrilled to have wine with dinner. With matsutake gohan and kale topped with a 5’10” egg, the 2014 Cazin Cour-Cheverny to scratch that Romorantin itch. Lemon, apple, and pear, moderate acids, pleasant wine. B,
I did a Vietnamese-influenced pork sautee Tuesday, with leftover mushroom rice and broccoli.
2014 Tete Julienas. Red fruits, a hint of green pepper, but mostly this is rather quiet. Maybe a little shutdown. I feel like there’s a good wine underneath here, but for now B-
Last night Betsy made some green puttanesca (kale, capers, anchovies, green olives, pepper flakes) and pasta, while I grilled a couple of lamb rib chops. Wine was the 2011 Occhipinti “Siccagno” Nero d’Avola. Full, meaty, smoke and flint over deep red fruit, some tannin, good length. A little barnyardy with air, but brett as a spice not a sauce. B+/A-
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. 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.
