A couple of rather modern European red wines over last couple days. Wednesday it was just David and me, I threw some (pre-cooked) Niman Ranch porkribs on the grill, along with corn. A green bean/mushroom sauté and some poblano peppers completed the meal. Lucy the Basset Hound managed to get up on outside table and snag some food - imagine her surprise when AFTER gulping down half a pepper she learned that these were rather spicy (much more so than most poblanos, maybe I'm wrong re variety). A puzzled looking dog sat in the grass pawing at her face as I tried two wines with dinner:
2000 Domaine de Montpezat "Les Enclos" Merlot Prestige (Vin de Pays d'Oc) OK, you think with a non-historic variety for the Languedoc and a term like Prestige I'm going to say this is internationalized swill. Well, it's pretty international, but I wouldn't call it swill. I had opened night before and had a glass as I came home from a meeting. A pleasant surprise- yes , there's some vanilla/toasty oak, but over a base of structured black plum fruit that is ripe but not overripe. Medium ripe tannins, a sweet edge to the fruit. A wine that I find drinkable and which would be popular with the ripe Shiraz crowd, might be worth getting more for a big party. The downside is that after being open about 20 hours (in fridge), it was pretty badly tired/oxidized. B-
So I opened a 1999 Allegrini Palazzo della Torre. Tannins and oak have both integrated nicely, the oak overlaying rich powerful black fruit with a mocha edge. Some rose petal notes along with some forest floor. Very tasty for a $13 wine. Compared to the Languedoc it shows very well, pairing nicely with some burgers Thursday. Seems a little more straightforward than on first night, but not tired or oxidized. B++
Also tried, as an accompaniment while watching a rough cut of a documentary (interview with me in it, damn the camera does add 10 pounds!), a half-bottle of the 2004 Huet "le Haut Lieu" Vouvray Sec. I approach this with some trepidation after comments about how Chenin Blanc fared in the rains of 2004. But initial impression is pretty good
- there's nice spiced apple-pie fruit, with little nuances of pear and apricot. Seems almost off-dry, this isn't bone-dry like a Savennieres, more sec-tendre, but there's enough snappy acidity to compensate for any sugar (NB: I almost always buy demi-sec Vouvray, so I don't know what I'm talking about or if this is normal for Huet secs). I don't know enough to pinpoint any signs of dilution , except the finish seems far shorter/thinner than I expect from Huet. Still, a pretty decent effort if this is a tough vintage. B
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.