CWD: What did you drink last night (or whenever)?

2019 Cerbaiona Rosso di Montalcino: After a really enjoyable 2016 La Torre, I picked this up as an impulse purchase. Needs some cellar time. Not so long, probably, but something like three or five years. Had some nice, focused fruit and intensity on the first day, then tightened up. I like my Montalcino on the lighter side, and this wasn't there.
 
2019 Groebe Riesling Grosses Gewachs Westhofen Kirchspiel
2017 Emrich-Schonleber Riesling Trocken Halgans

Both were delightful, reminding me I need more dry German riesling in my life. The Halgans was especially impressive.

I definitely want to follow up by trying the Emrich-Schonleber Halenberg GG so I can compare it with the Halgans.

I'm also going to have to seek out more Kirchspiel (Wittmann for sure; Keller hopefully one day).
 
2021 Kelley Fox Freedom Hill Vineyard Pinot Blanc: Probably the best domestic Pinot Blanc I've had, but that's not an extensive list. Reminds me quite a bit of the Holger Koch Pinot Blancs, which is a compliment as those are my favorite example of the grape. Perhaps a bit more palate presence than Koch, which is not surprising. But still acid driven and refreshing. At $32 fairly priced, especially as I don't see any of Koch's Pinot Blancs available on the U.S. market. Worth trying, as are all of the Kelley Fox wines.
 
originally posted by Jim Hanlon:
2021 Kelley Fox Freedom Hill Vineyard Pinot Blanc: Probably the best domestic Pinot Blanc I've had, but that's not an extensive list. Reminds me quite a bit of the Holger Koch Pinot Blancs, which is a compliment as those are my favorite example of the grape. Perhaps a bit more palate presence than Koch, which is not surprising. But still acid driven and refreshing. At $32 fairly priced, especially as I don't see any of Koch's Pinot Blancs available on the U.S. market. Worth trying, as are all of the Kelley Fox wines.

Yes, those Holger Koch Weissburgunders are excellent. I’ll have to give the Kelley Fox PBs a try. Our favorite domestic examples are Vincent’s Tardive from OR and, in certain years, Navarro’s from the Anderson Valley.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by Jim Hanlon:
2021 Kelley Fox Freedom Hill Vineyard Pinot Blanc: Probably the best domestic Pinot Blanc I've had, but that's not an extensive list. Reminds me quite a bit of the Holger Koch Pinot Blancs, which is a compliment as those are my favorite example of the grape. Perhaps a bit more palate presence than Koch, which is not surprising. But still acid driven and refreshing. At $32 fairly priced, especially as I don't see any of Koch's Pinot Blancs available on the U.S. market. Worth trying, as are all of the Kelley Fox wines.

Weißburgunder!

Have you tried 2021 Nerthus yet? Have one on ice.
 
originally posted by Pavel Tchichikov:
originally posted by Jim Hanlon:
2021 Kelley Fox Freedom Hill Vineyard Pinot Blanc: Probably the best domestic Pinot Blanc I've had, but that's not an extensive list. Reminds me quite a bit of the Holger Koch Pinot Blancs, which is a compliment as those are my favorite example of the grape. Perhaps a bit more palate presence than Koch, which is not surprising. But still acid driven and refreshing. At $32 fairly priced, especially as I don't see any of Koch's Pinot Blancs available on the U.S. market. Worth trying, as are all of the Kelley Fox wines.

Weißburgunder!

Have you tried 2021 Nerthus yet? Have one on ice.

Have not, but curious to hear your impressions. I don't think I've had any past vintage either. I like rose, and cellar some, but have to be pretty impressed to pay for shipping on it when there are so many good rose options available for free delivery in the Bay Area. I did get a bottle of her vermouth, which I haven't tried yet, but will soon.
 
Opened on Father's Day with some delicious grilled d'Artagnan European quails (strains of Mayakovsky in the background) was a fantastic bottle of 2014 Henri Jouan Morey St. Denis Vieilles Vignes that embodied many facets of what I value in Burgundy: silken texture, feminine red-fruitiness, a growing undercurrent of meaty goodness and a delicate palate presence. From my limited experience, comparisons to the wines of Truchot are not totally out of line.

Mark Lipton
 
Needed a half bottle for dinner at home. The only one on hand did the trick.

2004 Olga Raffault Chinon Picasses. A medium weight 12.5% beauty, this is cool vintage classic Olga Picasses unabashedly showing its Cab Francness in feathery nose and bold flavors.

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half-bottles of respectable 2004 cab francs indicates impressive cellar depth, but more importantly that the collection was expertly curated
 
originally posted by Pavel Tchichikov:
half-bottles of respectable 2004 cab francs indicates impressive cellar depth, but more importantly that the collection was expertly curated

To be fair, I bought 3 half bottles from the 2020 (I believe) cellar release.

But I endorse the implied dig on wine buyers or purveyors as alleged curators.
 
2020 Lieu Dit Cabernet Franc, Franc de Pied, Santa Ynez Valley: I find myself becoming something of a Justin Willet fanboy. The wines from his Tyler winery are almost uniformly balanced, nuanced, and site expressive. Lieu Dit is a secondary project where he focuses on Loire varieties, again all grown in Santa Barbara County. Back when Louis Dressner imported Breton, I used to drink a fair amount of their various earlier drinking, glou glou wines. This bottle took me back there, but with impressive depth as well. I'm lousy at predicting how well Cab Franc will age, but it wouldn't surprise me if this has a decade plus. But it's also very delicious now. The Lieu Dit wines are worth checking out for those curious about Loire sensibilities in California.
 
originally posted by Salil Benegal:
not wine but a couple of martinis tonight with 3 parts Hayman's London Dry and 1 part Lustau white vermouth hit the spot.

a suitable vermouth quantity i'd say. add a splash of regan's and you have a cocktail ;)

if anyone hasn't read it, david embury's rant on 'strong' vs 'weak' cocktails is kind of a treat in this idiom. tl;dr: you are adding teh booze to more yet booze, d'ya really think adding a little more hooch a than hooch b matters at the end of teh evening? (or, for that matter, the following morning?)

fb.
 
originally posted by Pavel Tchichikov:
metras 09 fleurie is an unbearable lactic mess
Good thing they're so bargain priced! Isn't it odd for a wine that old to have lactic notes? I often get them in young Syrahs, but in my experience they go away fairly rapidly. Something else must be going on here, I guess.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by MLipton:
originally posted by Pavel Tchichikov:
metras 09 fleurie is an unbearable lactic mess
Good thing they're so bargain priced! Isn't it odd for a wine that old to have lactic notes? I often get them in young Syrahs, but in my experience they go away fairly rapidly. Something else must be going on here, I guess.

Mark Lipton

then how to explain 85 beychevelle?
 
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