This is an update from a previous post (viewtopic.php?f=3&t=56492&p=450637). I completed my chemo in early October. At the end of October I had another CAT scan and no cancer was found. My taste buds are almost back to normal and I’m enjoying wine again. However, my hands and feet are still very sensitive to cold and have a constant numbness and tingling. The oncologist says they may never return totally to normal.
That being said, I’ve been enjoying wine again – mostly dabbling in my home made stash, but on New Years Eve I had two commercial wines.
Arrowhead Springs 2012 Estate Cabernet Franc – Niagara Escarpment AVA: $25 at the winery; 13.5% abv., unfined and unfiltered I secured a few bottles of this and this is the first one I opened. We had this with French onion soup and prime rib. This wine received a rating of 96 (http://www.tastings.com/Wine-Review/Arr ... -2016.aspx). Dark ruby color, good aromatics with hints of olives, oak and spice. Full, medium long finish, with good tannin structure, but could use 5 more years to soften a bit. Very enjoyable. I also opened a bottle of my 2010 Bordertown Red (70% Cab Franc; 30% Merlot) to see how they compared. Mine was a bit softer and seems a bit more mature, though it displayed more fruit notes. Both wines opened up nicely an hour or so after uncorking.
For the New Years toast, we opened Gruet Demi-Sec NV. My sister-in-law brought this, as it was recommended by her daughter. I have read reports about Gruet here, but had never tried it, so I was anxious to try it. Unfortunately, I could only force myself to drink one glass. The somewhat muted nose was baffling. There was some sort of fruitiness there, but nothing I could really identify, and being demi-sec, it was way too sweet for my tastes.