Betsy was leaving for more NC concerts today, so instead of my usual Memorial Day cookout I had some folks over Saturday. Good thing- Saturday was an absolutely gorgeous day, with bright sunshine and 70°F temps. Nice crowd gathered for good conversation, badminton, and petanque/boule. Oh, yeah, and some food and wine (red, white and pink, no blue wine available).
The food: I was busy at the grill, and overcooked my butterflied leg of lamb with a yogurt/mint/cumin marinade a bit. Still tasty. I also grilled salmon in a Sauternes/teriyaki marinade, squash, portabellas, and steak. I had made a mango salsa, and Betsy had made deviled eggs along with a variety of dipping sauces for the meat and fish: kumquat-pineapple chutney, rhubarb catsup, and a garlic/soy/butter sauce. Guests brought delicious salads and cookies, along with some stuff for the grill - a delicious pork tenderloin in a chocolate/spice dry rub, and Hebrew National salami dogs (sounded weird, but good with the rhubarb catsup). The wines:
The pink:
2003 Cantalupo "Il Mimo " (Colline Novaresi). Another good showing from the Mimo. Floral nose, deep red fruit, a nice hint of bitterness contrasting with the ripe fruit. B+
The whites:
2002 Castelvero Cortese (Piemonte) -good wine for the outdoors, simple but light and refreshing. Balanced acidity and good finish. B
2002 Casa de la Ermita (Jumilla): Very floral, strange lychee fruit meets apricot flavors, with an almost medicinal finish. I'm confused, guess some kind of Muscat/Gewurtztraminer blend. or some Spanish variety I've never encountered? Nope, Dolores says it's Viognier. Condrieu has nothing to worry about. C+/B-
2002 Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Qba : bright and easy, perfect outdoor quaffer (this wine is designed to be sipped during marathon grilling), a light touch of red fruit mixing with the citrus. B+
2003 Joseph Leitz Rüdesheimer Klosterlay Riesling Kabinett (Rheingau). Light bodied but full-flavored, minerally and long. Apples, nectarines with a spritz of lime. B+ These Schaefer and Leitz are 9% & 8% alcohol by volume each. Nice for absent-minded sipping by the grill.
The reds:
2001 Rex Goliath Giant 47 Pound Rooster Pinot Noir - ripe cherry fruit, light oak, innocuous, but who's complaining re a $5.xx pinot that tastes like pinot? B/B-
2001 Domaine de la Renjarde Côtes du Rhône Villages - soft easy CdR, no real tannins, red Grenache-y fruit, ok. B
1998 Ch. La Rose Bellevue(Premières Côtes de Blaye)- not as light-bodied as you might expect from a Blaye, actually quite tannic at first. Some air brought some tannin relief, and some cigarbox and earth notes. But the fruit (not that great to start with) seemed to fade too. Drink up. B-
2002 Andre Iché "Les Hérétiques" (VdP de l'Hérault). Nose of damp earth and flowers, nice blackberry fruit backbone. Balanced acidity. Many non-geekish people liked the label. Excellent value at $6. B+
2001 Kanonkop Estate Pinotage (Stellenbosch )- pretty good dose of tannins, with moderate acidity and some deep black fruit. Not especially pleasing at moment, but think with a little age this could be quite nice. B+?
Very nice day- good friends, good food, good (mostly) wine? What more could one ask?
Sunday was another nice day, and we attended a picnic on a glorious lawn overlooking the Hudson. We ate some hot dogs, and so didn't have dinner till quite late. Betsy made sandwiches of leftover steak and portabellos, and we opened the (screwcapped- hurrah!)
2002 Argyle Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley). Moderate oak and rather lush red fruit. Lots of raspberry and cherry fruit, with a note of grenadine. Big enough to stand up to the steak, though I would have preferred something with an earthier note for the mushrooms.
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. Dale
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