TN: Italian, French, and US wines

No wine Tuesday and Wednesday in Atlanta, flew back Thursday to be with my wife and out very sick dog. After a long (inconclusive) vet visit, we had Betsy’s pressure cooker lamb with white beans. Wine was the 1999 Mastroberardino Radici Taurasi. Still fairly tannic, red fruits, smoke, mint. Needs time. B

Friday we had some friends (also close friends of the hound) over for dinner. Ron had just smoked some mahi-mahi and brought as an appetizer. Wine was the NV Le Mesnil Blanc de Blanc from Rare Wine Company. Bosc pear, toast, chalk, good value. B+/B

I made (with help getting onto stone, I need a peel) the clam chowder pizza from recent NYT magazines (totally delicious). Cooking wine was the 2015 Blanc de La Haye (Bdx AC). Lemon, grass, a little gooseberry. Assume most Sauvignon, ok for cooking. C+

Pizza wine was the 2015 Picollo Gavi di Gavi. I had asked guy at store which had a couple of Gavis for the one with the most zip, I don’t want to taste the other one. Round, peachy, herby, but flat and needs acid. B-/C+

We also grilled skirt steak and Betsy made broccoli rabe, with the 2006 Hoage “The Pick”. This could be a ringer in a lineup of modern CdPs, plush red fruits, a bit of acidic backbone, lots of herb, but marred by a little heat. B/B-

Saturday I went to a great benefit concert featuring Matisyahu (son of one of my board members), came home for a very late dinner.

2014 Cavallotto Nebbiolo (Langhe)
Light tannins, red fruit, a little tar and saddle leather, good value. B+/B

Betsy had needed 2 cups wine, used rest of the Bdx blanc and some of the 2014 Fichet Aligote (I need to buy some cheap whites for cooking!). Tart, lemony, fresh. B

Sunday Betsy went to Texas, I spent most of day at home worrying about the hound. Leftovers (lamb/bean stew, broccoli rabe, salad, etc) and the 2012 Ar Pe Pe Rosso di Valtellina. Crisp, light, fresh/crunchy red fruits, very floral B+

Tonight I had to leave the hound to take a group on a mission in city (she slept whole time) - no wine as I was driving .

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.

Sorry to read about your sick dog, Dale. We all get a lot of friendship from our dogs and cats but their short life span is also a source of grief from time to time . Our daughter lost her old cat only yesterday.

[David M. Bueker]

Best wishes for the hound!

[Jenise]

I'm distressed to read that dear Lucy (from your notes over the years, I feel I know her) is not in a good way. My best to all of you.

I'm surprised that Taurasi wasn't ready yet and agree on that Ar Pe Pe, which I liked a lot. I might even love saying 'Ar Pe Pe' even more than I enjoy drinking it.

Re the pizza peel--I got rid of mine after changing methodology--I make all my pizzas on a strip of parchment whose overage gives me handles for lifting on and off the stone. Gets just as crispy.

Re the pizza peel--I got rid of mine after changing methodology--I make all my pizzas on a strip of parchment whose overage gives me handles for lifting on and off the stone. Gets just as crispy.

Interesting. I have a peel but only use it for taking the pizza off the stone once it is cooked. I usually put the dough down on the stone (often in a few steps of awkwardness) and then add the sauce/toppings while the dough is already on the stone (and the hot oven is blazing in my face, but hey, I've survived thus far).

[Jenise]

Rahsaan, I started using parchment because I couldn't get my soft homemade dough pizzas to slide off the peel. Parchment was the solution, and eventually I just quit using the peel period.

[David M. Bueker]

Jenise - do you cook your pizzas at a (relatively) low tep? I normally have my oven at 450-500, and parchment would go up in flames.

interesting re pizza ideas.

Was writing notes as therapy/avoidance. Hard morning. Lucy crossed the bridge about 10:15 today
We were hoping we could just deal with the pancreatitis through diet and pain pills, and get a few months of peace for her before worrying about spleen tumor, but she had a rough weekend. Thought she was a little better Mon AM, but Mon afternoon she wouldn't eat and was uncomfortable. Got her to sleep before I went on Run and she slept till I got back. B I slept on couch with her-couple times she woke up and would just sit staring blankly, and she was quivering. This AM still wouldn't eat and was weak and confused. Clearly she was really uncomfortable. Betsy is in Texas and we talked this AM. She is of course heartbroken.
Couple friends came to see her before we went to vet. She is at peace.
14 1/2, up till last week she was bouncy (it's 1.25 miles to my office, previous weekend she was running half the time). She had a good life, and we were blessed with the Best Hound Ever! Thanks for listening

[David M. Bueker]

Laura and I send our condolences Dale. Lucy was a good, sweet family member.

Please accept our sincere condolences, Dale..We lost our yellow lab, Eddi, to cancer in 2015, she was 14+..

[Jenise]

Oh no. I've got tears running down my cheeks, Dale; I so didn't want you to lose her. And what grief for Betsy NOT to be there. Next time get five or something. I used to tell people that we didn't really have seven cats, it was just one cat and six back-ups. A loss of one is so devastating.

So sorry to hear about the hound Dale. Jenise is right, losing one of your family is devastating.

That is really sad news for Betsy and you, Dale. It's always a wrench when one loses a dog or cat. I've seen about 7 generations of dogs in my lifetime but still weep buckets when one goes.

Oh no. I've got tears running down my cheeks, Dale; I so didn't want you to lose her. And what grief for Betsy NOT to be there. Next time get five or something. I used to tell people that we didn't really have seven cats, it was just one cat and six back-ups. A loss of one is so devastating.

Now I understand the friend who was married five times, one wife and four backups?
I'm sorry, I thought a little humor might help. We've had cats and dogs and losing is a very tough thing.

[Robin Garr]

Dale, joining the chorus of condolences. I'm so sorry to hear of the loss of your beloved Lucy. They give us so much, and ask so little, and when they leave us it is not like losing a member of the family, it IS losing a member of the family. Peace.

Sad news indeed. I always thought Lucy was part of all of us on this forum .

Lucy crossed the bridge about 10:15 today

Dale,

I am so sorry to hear about Lucy. At least she suffers no more.

Please accept my sincerest condolence on your loss.


Jeff

Sad to hear, Dale. She was a good and faithful servant.

A real heartbreak. I grieve for you and Betsy.

I went to a Beach Boys concert in Fayetteville Monday night and learned for the first time that my friend's dog Woofie died last week. Such a cute dog but Woofie lost the use of her hind legs and owner was considering getting wheels for her when condition worsened. I was also in a down mood over the weekend due to being in an auto accident Saturday, but the concert lifted my spirits. I had seen the Beach Boys once before at an outdoor concert at Laguna Seca in California in the 80's. I was glad they sang "Surfing USA" as my sorority, back in the 60's did a surfing-themed rush party and altered the lyrics to "Surfing K.A.T.+ (Kappa Alpha Theta.) No personal injuries in my car accident but one result is that I will be getting a new car in the next week or so--I have a rental car currently.

Thank you all.
Lou, humor never hurts.
JC, glad you weren't hurt, sorry about car.
Lots of friends surrounded me this week. Will have some TNs up tomorrow- helps distract!

I'm just catching up on old threads after a bit of an absence. Please accept my heartfelt condolences on the loss of your buddy. I've had numerous pets over the years, and the loss of each has always hit hard. All the best to you.

Oh man, this is so sad. Pets are family, even cats (sorry, Jenise, didn't really mean that). I've spent years wondering why our dogs are so attached to us. I guess we breed them for that herd attachment, so we owe it to them to give them a great life. I don't think anyone in the world ever looks at - and up to - us humans like our dogs do. I wish my kids would, but they don't. I know Lucy had a great life and love.

PS. I meant we humans bred dogs etc, not the Shraga family. It kind of sounded like we are a mad scientist family the way I phrased it.