A few (un)interesting things from the last few days:
Since we've been cooking with a lot of late spring and early summer produce, we've also been drinking a lot of rosé, white, and light reds. Reached for a Domaine des Marnes Blanches 2015 Côtes du Jura Trousseau to go with charcuterie and found that it was on the burly end of Jura reds: richly floral, in a way that made me think briefly that it seemed like a red cousin of Muscat (I don't think there's actually much relation), some meat and pepper on the palate too, which played well with the salumi, but there's a heavy unctuousness about this that puts me off, and I can't tell whether it's the wine or my July palate. If I had more I'd squirrel it away -- and eventually drink it during a colder month.
Something slightly similar happened with a Harrington 2013 Santa Clara Valley Teroldego, Fratelli Vineyard. This had been my favorite Harrington so far, and after tasting it I went back for four more bottles. It wasn't dissatisfying this time either, nor off-putting: a fine balance between tart brightness and richness, and among earth, fruit, and spice, just as I remembered it -- but somehow, even at a modest 14.1% (for its region), and despite tasting perfectly balanced, it was tiring to finish, though we "suffered" through it. A good lesson (not that one was needed!) in how the experience of wine is affected by the environment in which it's consumed...
Last night, back to white: Weingut Knoll 2015 Wachau Grüner Veltliner Smaragd, Ried Schütt. Outstandingly intense and focused, lime juice and pith, ripe but mildly vegetal midpalate, and a very long, complex, saline-and-pepper finish. Racy for its size, which is something I find myself particularly drawn to. Along with the Ingrid Groiss drunk recently this is another really terrific 2015 GV, of which, in this case, I'm lucky to have a few more!
