Merry Christmas, Disorderlies!
- Thread starter MLipton
- Start date
Ian Fitzsimmons
Ian Fitzsimmons
Cheers. We opened a Glen Manor (Virginia) 2011 Sauvignon blanc last night, followed by 2010 Hudelot-Noellat Bourgogne and 2010 Pavelot Dominodes, accompanying chicken breast stuffed with Prosciutto and Fontina cheese. Each wine good in its own youthful way.
Lining up a 1999 Cote Rotie (Burgaud) or Hermitage with green-egged beef loin roast tonight, spinach, and potato galette. Probably a Chidaine NV sparkler to open.
Lining up a 1999 Cote Rotie (Burgaud) or Hermitage with green-egged beef loin roast tonight, spinach, and potato galette. Probably a Chidaine NV sparkler to open.
Bob Parsons Alberta
Bob Parsons
Merry Xmas to all from cold snowy Alberta where it is -24 Celsius. 8am here so tad early for indulging!
Eden Mylunsch
Eden Mylunsch
You know me, I'll celebrate just about any occasion that comes along. Started yesterday afternoon with 1996 Fleurie Brut that seems to be about as evolved as it could be without going over to the other side. 2004 Brégeon Muscadet was beautiful accompanying too many kumomoto oysters (well, maybe there were "enough" and not "too many"). I've been loving all of the 2004 Muscadets I've tasted recently -should have bought more I guess. This was a recent release of a special cuvée (allegedly) from KLWM that I picked up for about $28 from K&L. Not a bad price given the quality.
Opened a 2004 Torbreck Woodcutter's Semillon with the bottarga and the pairing was maybe the best of the evening. The old vine Semillon is in a good place right now and has evolved quite nicely despite (or because of?) being bottled under Stelvin. I like the way this variety accompanies food in general - there's a textural creaminess and an overall sense of neutrality to its flavor that kind of defines "subtlety" for me.
Cracked crab got washed down with a 1999 Raveneau Chapelot that was either more advanced than it should have been or possibly just a little bit corked. It seemed oxidized and just "off" from what it shoulda been. Nice underlying Chablis character to it but it seemed a little muted and not as thrilling as I'd hoped it'd be. Sensing a general lack of appropriate eno-awe from the crowd (but we drained the bottle anyway, because wtf, it's Raveneau!!), a 2004 Zind Humbrecht Rangen Riesling was opened. It was as flamboyant as the Raveneau was reserved, having more opulent Gewurztraminer fruit to it than Riesling. It wasn't exactly sweet but it was pretty rich and oily, the sort of wine where you could proclaim about it "hedonistic fruit bomb" and "over the top" and the assembled would nod their heads in agreement while they tried to decide if it was okay to like this style.
-Eden (we gave up on wine after the ZH and moved to Scotch)
Opened a 2004 Torbreck Woodcutter's Semillon with the bottarga and the pairing was maybe the best of the evening. The old vine Semillon is in a good place right now and has evolved quite nicely despite (or because of?) being bottled under Stelvin. I like the way this variety accompanies food in general - there's a textural creaminess and an overall sense of neutrality to its flavor that kind of defines "subtlety" for me.
Cracked crab got washed down with a 1999 Raveneau Chapelot that was either more advanced than it should have been or possibly just a little bit corked. It seemed oxidized and just "off" from what it shoulda been. Nice underlying Chablis character to it but it seemed a little muted and not as thrilling as I'd hoped it'd be. Sensing a general lack of appropriate eno-awe from the crowd (but we drained the bottle anyway, because wtf, it's Raveneau!!), a 2004 Zind Humbrecht Rangen Riesling was opened. It was as flamboyant as the Raveneau was reserved, having more opulent Gewurztraminer fruit to it than Riesling. It wasn't exactly sweet but it was pretty rich and oily, the sort of wine where you could proclaim about it "hedonistic fruit bomb" and "over the top" and the assembled would nod their heads in agreement while they tried to decide if it was okay to like this style.
-Eden (we gave up on wine after the ZH and moved to Scotch)
Ian Fitzsimmons
Ian Fitzsimmons
Thanks; been tempted to open another of these soon, but will sit tight for a bit, instead.
White Xmas eve here.
We went up to Mt Baker for some skiing during the day, and tried some local brews with lunch. Boundry Bay Scotch ale is pretty robust, caramel malty, balanced hops and the Kulshan Porter was dry, just a bit of roasted malt. Two NW beers that don't suffer from being over hopped. Baker has a 173 inch base, it is like March conditions already. There were folks from all over, skiing. A family from Paris who are staying in Vancouver for the holidays, a van load of Texans, even met a couple from New Jersey. I guess the snow is a big draw.
Dinner was a seafood stew with the 1999 L'd'Or. Pale yellow, and young appearing in the glass. Lowish acidity for the neighborhood, slightly evolved nose. Really delicious wine. Great with the seafood.
With apple slices, aged Gruyere and some pecans we drank the '08 Cavarodes Savagnin Presse. I know this is supposed to be topped up Savagnin, but it has noticeable Jura voile flavor, even if it is dialed down. Very nice wine, but pretty young structurally.
We went up to Mt Baker for some skiing during the day, and tried some local brews with lunch. Boundry Bay Scotch ale is pretty robust, caramel malty, balanced hops and the Kulshan Porter was dry, just a bit of roasted malt. Two NW beers that don't suffer from being over hopped. Baker has a 173 inch base, it is like March conditions already. There were folks from all over, skiing. A family from Paris who are staying in Vancouver for the holidays, a van load of Texans, even met a couple from New Jersey. I guess the snow is a big draw.
Dinner was a seafood stew with the 1999 L'd'Or. Pale yellow, and young appearing in the glass. Lowish acidity for the neighborhood, slightly evolved nose. Really delicious wine. Great with the seafood.
With apple slices, aged Gruyere and some pecans we drank the '08 Cavarodes Savagnin Presse. I know this is supposed to be topped up Savagnin, but it has noticeable Jura voile flavor, even if it is dialed down. Very nice wine, but pretty young structurally.
Ken Schramm
Ken Schramm
Beat me to it, and my thanks, too.
The crowd was only sprinkled with wine aficionados, and none too disorderly. I figured a traditional Bordeaux would please the assembled. We had an '03 Montrose with an indirect grilled tenderloin, steamed asparagus and roasted potatoes. Decanted for an hour. It was big, as expected, and that typical Montrose brett element was right on cue. The fruit is not as sloppy as I had anticipated. The tannins are gritty, but the acidity does not seem in the range to age in harmony with the rest of the elements, and I can see this potentially getting more disjointed with lengthy aging. OTOH, more classically Bordeaux in profile than early 2000's spoof, and surprisingly enjoyable with the fare.
Saina Nieminen
Saina Nieminen
Merry 370th Newton-mas! I wrote a letter to Santa hoping for a good German Riesling but I got a bottle sulphur instead. I guess because of slight dyslexia I accidentally sent it to Satan.
Saina Nieminen
Saina Nieminen
Well, there is a bit of gravitas to such celebrations.
kirk wallace
kirk wallace
1993 Daniel Rion V-R Les Chaumes was really lovely. I don't know much about the producer, but this bottle was great: not marred by oak, delightful V-R fruit but much more about the aromatics, structure and the minerality. A surprise glass of '09 Ganevat Grusse en Billat was lovely with Monterey Bay red abalone.
A fine xmas eve set of drinks. Not sure what tonight will bring, but '10 Cos Frappetto with an excellent burger sure made lunch feel like a holiday.
Christian Miller (CMM)
Christian Miller
Same to all of you, and wishing you a happy and well-fed 2013. Our Christmas eve feast with our local cousins featured:
Smoked Trout with lemon cream on Romaine leaves plus 1999 Selbach-Oster Gracher Domprost Riesling (beginning to shift into mellow older age, still a fine light balance of pine-lime-mineral Moselness)
Seared Scallops on Pea-Lovage sauce with Maitake Mushrooms plus Mantlerhof Reisenthal Roter Veltliner 2007 (maturing, tastes like a rather eccentric full-blown cross between Alsatian Pinot Gris, Old Vine Gruner and Viognier, a bit alcoholic but really good with the dish)
Winter Salad of Shredded Broccoli and Carrots with Raisins and Almonds (more of that Roter Veltliner)
Roast Duck with Leek-Potato puree and Kabocha stuffed with seared herbed peppers, onions, fennel and lotus root plus my last bottle of 1991 Sebastiani Cherryblock (outstanding - isn't it always the way with your last bottle - very long graceful fine-grained dusty tannins with cigarbox and mellow old Cab flavor)
Chesnut Mousse Cake and Vanilla Cream with rustic but fun chestnut liqueur from Sarlat
Smoked Trout with lemon cream on Romaine leaves plus 1999 Selbach-Oster Gracher Domprost Riesling (beginning to shift into mellow older age, still a fine light balance of pine-lime-mineral Moselness)
Seared Scallops on Pea-Lovage sauce with Maitake Mushrooms plus Mantlerhof Reisenthal Roter Veltliner 2007 (maturing, tastes like a rather eccentric full-blown cross between Alsatian Pinot Gris, Old Vine Gruner and Viognier, a bit alcoholic but really good with the dish)
Winter Salad of Shredded Broccoli and Carrots with Raisins and Almonds (more of that Roter Veltliner)
Roast Duck with Leek-Potato puree and Kabocha stuffed with seared herbed peppers, onions, fennel and lotus root plus my last bottle of 1991 Sebastiani Cherryblock (outstanding - isn't it always the way with your last bottle - very long graceful fine-grained dusty tannins with cigarbox and mellow old Cab flavor)
Chesnut Mousse Cake and Vanilla Cream with rustic but fun chestnut liqueur from Sarlat
Bill Lundstrom
Bill Lundstrom
With pork tenderloin, pearl onions, broccoli rabe, and scallops potatoes, 2010 Domaine Pergaud Serine. What a great wine. Made the meal and the Holiday memorable. Merci Eric!
1995 Chauvenet Vaucrains.
1996 Lignier Morey 1er VV
1996 Rocca Barbaresco Loreto
All good, none brilliant. Details irrelevant.
Lignier has the most potential. Chauvenet was the most interesting by the last glass. Rocca was actual Barbaresco, not really spoofed.
Cheers to the best place on the intertubes to talk in circles about wine.
1996 Lignier Morey 1er VV
1996 Rocca Barbaresco Loreto
All good, none brilliant. Details irrelevant.
Lignier has the most potential. Chauvenet was the most interesting by the last glass. Rocca was actual Barbaresco, not really spoofed.
Cheers to the best place on the intertubes to talk in circles about wine.
Steve Edmunds
Steve Edmunds
Because we have 6 kids, mostly with partners, (and 8 grandkids) and none of them are all that interested in knowing much about wine, but most of whom like to drink it, we drink a lot of Edmunds St. John wines at Christmas, and this year, for lots of reasons, everyone wanted Bone-Jolly. For some of those reasons, we're completely sold out of the 2011, which I happen to think is the best we've ever put into bottle, and is a blast to drink. If that's spam... so be it. But damn, don't miss it. You'll be sorry.
kirk wallace
kirk wallace
Amen, Steve. I am on the hunt.
Tonight's dinner was crab and wild boar loin. The resto comped me on a glass of Ente Bourgogne blanc- i'd drink more non-Jurasic (and non-BdeB) chard if they tasted like this. '01 Meo Clos Vougeot with the boar. Shows a bit tight at first, but with the signature cherry fruit, the slightly hard edge of '01 provides a nice frame; after 30 minutes, i thought maybe the oak was a bit too prononced; after 60 minutes all was forgiven and it is just pretty and deep. Befitting a holiday. ('05 Donnhoff Hermansholle Spatlese left over from yesterday's lunch is glorious. Too many layers for me to count at the moment; lemon curd and some light touch of nutmeg or some such thing; just tastes golden. Revisit in 5+ years or drink whenever you get the chance.)
For Christmas Eve, I served the 01 ESJ CA Syrah with the main course and thought it was absolutely lovely. In the perfect stage of gushing pleasure.
I served it to a German couple who don't know much about American wine and so I thought I would teach them the right way. However, they were more into socializing and didn't really pay attention. I have one bottle left and need to save it for someone who will appreciate it!