WTN: Champagne, Burg, Bojo, Cali, & more

I sous-vided a double rib pork chop, seared it, and served with roasted vegetables and salad. Wine was the 2016 Rings Weilberg Trocken GG Pfalz. Powerful but with good acids, spicy, with ginger and white pepper notes over deep pear fruit. Impressive. B+

With gochujang Cioppino and kimchi Brussels Sprouts:
NV (2015 base) Marguet Shaman 15 Rose Champagne. Pale, citrus and cherry, plenty of baked bread, both full and precise. Only bought 2, should have gotten more. A-
2016 Keller Von der Fels
Bright and rocky, nice snappy wine. B+

Next night with oysters, leftover Champagne better than either Riesling. Then we had Flannery ribeye, baked potatoes, green beans, salad
1978 Raymond Cabernet Sauvignon
Mature, black and red cherry, cedar, a little herbal note. Solid old school CaliCab, if not especially complex. B+/B
Sunday went to an annual pre-Valentine party, lots of nice food (I carried salad of chiogga beets, ricotto, arugula, and pumpkin seeds), lots of wines, not a geeky crowd
2017 Ch. La Canorgue (Luberon)
I’ve had Cotes du Luberon before, but this just Luberon. Pretty ripe but not OTT, some tannins, riper red fruit with some underbrush and herb, could pass for serious CdR or an average CdP. B
2018 Martin Ray Sauvignon Blanc
I didn’t know MR still existed. Actually not bad- mildly grassy, moderate acids, pear and peach fruit. B/B-
2016 Villa Rosa Gavi di Gavi
Wow, I can’t wait to get this out of my cup. Low acid, low flavor, and what flavor there is unattractive, with a cheesy lactic note. C-

2018 Chermette/Vissoux “Les Champs-Grillés” Saint-Amour
This is pretty ripe, all framboise fruit, some structure. Juicy but not complex at moment. Does it need time, or is it just too warm a vintage? B now , could go either way

Betsy made an incredible La Tour d’Argent recipe of scallops with sunchoke puree and artichoke, I fell down on my job by opening the 2006 Remi Jobard “Le Poruzot Dessus” Meursault
Fat, oaky, and spineless, no oxidation but who cares. C+/B-

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.

I sous-vided a double rib pork chop, seared it, and served with roasted vegetables and salad. Wine was the 2016 Rings Weilberg Trocken GG Pfalz. Powerful but with good acids, spicy, with ginger and white pepper notes over deep pear fruit. Impressive. B+

With gochujang Cioppino and kimchi Brussels Sprouts:
NV (2015 base) Marguet Shaman 15 Rose Champagne. Pale, citrus and cherry, plenty of baked bread, both full and precise. Only bought 2, should have gotten more. A-
2016 Keller Von der Fels
Bright and rocky, nice snappy wine. B+

Next night with oysters, leftover Champagne better than either Riesling. Then we had Flannery ribeye, baked potatoes, green beans, salad
1978 Raymond Cabernet Sauvignon
Mature, black and red cherry, cedar, a little herbal note. Solid old school CaliCab, if not especially complex. B+/B
Sunday went to an annual pre-Valentine party, lots of nice food (I carried salad of chiogga beets, ricotto, arugula, and pumpkin seeds), lots of wines, not a geeky crowd
2017 Ch. La Canorgue (Luberon)
I've had Cotes du Luberon before, but this just Luberon. Pretty ripe but not OTT, some tannins, riper red fruit with some underbrush and herb, could pass for serious CdR or an average CdP. B
2018 Martin Ray Sauvignon Blanc
I didn't know MR still existed. Actually not bad- mildly grassy, moderate acids, pear and peach fruit. B/B-
2016 Villa Rosa Gavi di Gavi
Wow, I can't wait to get this out of my cup. Low acid, low flavor, and what flavor there is unattractive, with a cheesy lactic note. C-

2018 Chermette/Vissoux "Les Champs-Grilles" Saint-Amour
This is pretty ripe, all framboise fruit, some structure. Juicy but not complex at moment. Does it need time, or is it just too warm a vintage? B now , could go either way

Betsy made an incredible La Tour d'Argent recipe of scallops with sunchoke puree and artichoke, I fell down on my job by opening the 2006 Remi Jobard "Le Poruzot Dessus" Meursault
Fat, oaky, and spineless, no oxidation but who cares. C+/B-

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.

I think Martin Ray exists in the same sense as Inglenook. It definitely doesn't have anything to do with the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Gavi di Gavi are always too low-acid for me. Thanks for confirming my bias.

[Jenise]

I think Martin Ray exists in the same sense as Inglenook. It definitely doesn't have anything to do with the Santa Cruz Mountains.

You're right, someone bought the name. But whoever that is seems to be nailing a consistent style. I've had a few of the whites, always fairly lean and acid-driven yet elegant. I got a case each of Sauv B and chardonnay years back for $10/bottle on close-out--because of the acidity we didn't rush to drink them, and each bottle was better than the last.

I think Martin Ray exists in the same sense as Inglenook. It definitely doesn't have anything to do with the Santa Cruz Mountains.

You're right, someone bought the name. But whoever that is seems to be nailing a consistent style. I've had a few of the whites, always fairly lean and acid-driven yet elegant. I got a case each of Sauv B and chardonnay years back for $10/bottle on close-out--because of the acidity we didn't rush to drink them, and each bottle was better than the last.

Really! That's a total surprise, but I will try one the next time I see it.

[Jenise]

My luck, you buy it and it will be wholly different from what I've had. But we did have good luck with them--might have been ten years ago, though.