Wine with Ribs notes:
Our host for this event, held at my place, had a very nice rib recipe, dry smoked for hours over charcoal at low heat. The sauce, which many of us had been anticipating with some trepidation, as that determines the suitability of various types of wine, was optional, served on the side, and was a Hoissin based sauce with very little sweetness to it. I tried it with and without and the sauce didn't affect the wines all that much.
We opted to start without a white starter wine and get right down to business.
2000 Vieux Mas des Papes - this was the second wine of Vieux Telegraphe, made from 100% Grenache from young vines considered too young to include in the grand vin. It had a very nice, slightly warm nose of anise and some cherry, with some lead pencil coming out after a bit. We found the nose to be quite atypical for a CNduP. Supple in the mouth, with a hit of harder tannins right at the end. I'd like to see this one with some age on it. Much better value than Vieux Telegraphe, which I stopped buying here several vintages ago.1996 Ridge Jimsomare Santa Cruz Zinfandel - this ATP wine, available in limited amounts. I have tasted this wine 3 times in the last 2 years. The first time, it had a big blackberry jam nose, very ripe, and was smooth in the mouth, well balanced, but with a fair bit of acidity coupled with only soft tannins. Next time around, there was less blackberry and more eucalyptus in the nose, with less discernible Zinfandel typicity. This time, it had an even bigger mint/eucalyptus nose, sweet in the mouth, the tannins perhaps even softer, and the terminal acidity just as noticeable. Of all the wines, this was voted best rib wine.
1995 Bannister Dry Creek Bradford Mountain Vineyard Zinfandel - after waffling about what wine to open myself, this was what I pulled from the cellar. Also fairly dark, with a bit of tar, rubber, and hot ripe blackberry in the nose, it was smooth, sweet and complex in the mouth, with good length. It drinks much better now than it did a few years ago. I'd say it was a toss-up between this and the Ridge for Rib wine of the night.1996 Dom. Remizierres Crozes Hermitage Cuvee Christophe - I have some of this in my cellar and intend to haul some out (once I find it), as this bottle showed a bit weakly, we thought. Dark, medium body, clean and a tad simple, it was pleasant but seemed slightly unripe and not up to our expectations based on tastings when we purchased the wines.
1987 Villa Mount Eden Napa Zinfandel - I LIKE old zins, the ones that don't turn up their fruit driven toes and croak once they hit about 4 years of age. They become less zin-like and more claret in style. This wine, with 14.4% alcohol, had an understandably warm nose of black cherry, dill and tar. Smooth, balanced and still bright, it had a long finish with a touch of bitter cherry at the end. I thought that both younger Zins were preferable with the ribs, but this one also worked well and helped to fuel the theory that the quintessential rib wine has to be Zin.1994 Baron de Ley Vina Imas Rioja Grand Reserva - great vintage for Rioja, and this wine was dark, but with bricky edges (probably those years in oak) with a sweet nose of plums and cherries, with less of the oak that I usually expect from these wines. Supple in the middle, but drying and tannic at the end, which we found a bit troubling. This producer is rather new, but usually does a good job in a newer style of Rioja. This one was enjoyable, and offered another alternative for rib wine.
The finishing wine, with cheese was:
1987 Taylors Quinta do Vargellas - this Port had more heat in the nose than I can recall in any Vargellas except for the notably hot 1967, and certainly more than you see in the excellent 1991. There was a burnt jammy sense to the nose that carried over into a hotness in the mouth, not too sweet, and a medium body that gave an almost elegant note to the wine. Nice way to end.This tasting has prompted a challenge - there will be a 'rib-off' in my garden next summer, where 4 people who fancy themselves as rib chefs will be given racks from the same source several days ahead, and will present their best ribs for comparison by a panel of objective judges including myself, and we can investigate even more wine combinations (it might be time for me to unlimber a magnum of Turley for the great battle).