Wednesday made some kohlrabi/apple slaw , gathered some smoked mackerel and cheese, and headed to meet friends at outdoor jazz concert.
2014 Collestefano Verdicchio di Matelica I've done several notes on this, this is no different. As close to a "house wine" as I'll get. Bright acids, minerals and flowers. Crisp, steely. Grea t value. B++2014 Durnberg Zweigelt rose Red cherries and berries, citrus zest, medium bodied. B
Thursday I grilled pork chops & squash while Betsy made kale,wine was the 2
013 Edmunds St John Bone-Jolly Gamay Noir. I told Betsy about the passing o f long time online wine "friend" (a big fan of ESJ) and we raised a glass to him. And a nice glass it was- a prickly hint of spritz, black cherries a nd raspberries. herbs, good acids, fresh but with more weight than I expect ed. Get more. B++Friday Betsy made mussels and clams with zucchini and pasta:
2012 Ca'Rugate "Monte Fiorentine" Soave . The cooking wine, soft, nutty, easy. B-2012 Rotie Cellars Northern White
100% Marsanne also opening in honor of BobH. . Sweet fruit (dry wine), citr us, melon, flowers. Big without being heavy, nice length. Bob would have li ked! B+Saturday July 4th looked iffy, but it eventually held, and a couple dozen p eople ended up in our backyard. We made mango salsa and guacamole then went to grill mode with ribs, clams with fried garlic, teriyaki salmon, hot dog s, and poat dot (Cambodian style corn). Others brought sausages, lamb chops , canapes, salads, and more
2014 Haut Bourg Grolleau rose Light, dry, with a strange note on the nose that a friend calls "yeasty" bu t to me is more like hops. Don't really get that on palate, but there's rea lly not a lot on the palate. C+2014 Vissoux "Griottes" Beaujolais rose Pale, crisp, minerally with snappy finish. B+
2014 Montaud (Cotes de Provence) Lighter styled, red fruits, quiet and easy. B1964 Bertelleti Spanna A friend recently celebrated his 50th, after SIL's 50th I had no remaining '65s, but figured we could celebrate with a conception wine. Really brown a nd stanky when poured, both color and nose cleaned up quite a bit, best pro bably at about 5 hour mark, but there was definitely madeirazation. Ripe pl um, brown sugar, tar, with overlay of oxidative notes (some others liked mo re). C+/B-
1998 Ch. de Fieuzal (Pesac-Leognan) Middleweight, dark fruits with cedar and cocoa, moderate finish. B1974 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon This was the regular Napa bottling, fill I'd call high shoulder, Red fruits , cedar, a bit of earth and herb. Mature but not tired, fun. B+
2013 Lapierre Morgon Fun, fresh, and slurpable. Spicy red fruits. Went fast. B+1989 Mabilliere Vouvray Demi-Sec Honied apple, spice and wool, pretty good length, holds up well overnight. B+/B
2013 Pepiere "Briords" Muscadet Fine, saline, fun, these could age but I'm drinking so I keep my hands off the 2012s. B+/A-Sunday friends asked us to pick up their CSA share when we got hours, as th ey were coming by to pick up we decided to ask them to dinner. A great nigh t on patio with friends we don't spend enough time with.
With olives, chicken liver canapes, and a nice shrimp dish they brought:
Jacquesson "Cuvee 736" Champagne. Very bright, very dry, fine mousse, full-bodied, with white fruits, citrus, and toast. A-/B+
Dinner was flank steak (garlic and sichuan pepper), penne with a shiso/garl ic scape pesto, and salad
2004 Marcarini "La Serra" Barolo Decanted about 2 hours before dinner. Some apparent tannins, but they're mo re supple than gritty. Red and black cherries, lots of floral/rose notes, a little tar, a little olive. Good length, needs time but pretty good with s teak now. B+/A-2013 Trecciano Chianti Colli Senesi Soft and quite grapey, moderate acids, seems a touch sweet and short. 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 p arty where it was only choice.Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivi ty, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.