Monday Betsy made a pasta with shrimp dish, and a sausage and brocolli rabe side, both from a Lidia Bastianich cookbook Dave gave her for Mothers Day. The cooking wine doubled as dinner wine, the 2005 Lilla Trebbiano d'Abruzzo. Light, crisp, grapefruit backed by a nice chalky minerality. OK length. Best Trebbiano d' Abruzzo I've had- but competition is awful weak. Still, nothing profound, but at $7-8 a pretty decent deal. Not going looking for it, but if I see next time I'm at Astor will probably grab a bottle. B/B-
After dinner I tried a glass of the 2005 Gunderloch Trocken QbA (Rheinhessen). Seemed quite muted, a little sulphur and some peach fruit, but fairly inexpressive. Tuesday I was taking a group into city, so no wine with dinner (Betsy left for concerts in Maine). But on return in the early morning hours I tried a glass, much more open. Ripe peach and tropical fruit, some petrol, good length. On Wednesday another glass showed the same, tonight no change. Big fairly dry Riesling, maybe a step behind the 2004 and could match up well with some grand cru Alsaces. B+/B
Wednesday I had leftovers, along with the 2005 Catherine et Pierre Breton "Trinch!" Bourgueil. Ripe blackcurrant and black cherry fruit, some earth, tobacco leaf, and herbs. There's a bit of this aroma I think of as "potted plant", though I'm so flora-challenged I have trouble isolating it. Pleasant and very distinctive, maybe I need to sniff through Betsy's garden (I tend to get from mostly Loire reds, though not always CF- sometimes gamay). Some haven't liked this vintage of Trinch!- the $%^# with them. :) I'll be getting more. B+
tonight after a board meeting, the Gunderloch and a glass of the '06 Il Mimo. Report tomorrow, prognosis very good.
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. 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