So, as we continue our travels in FL, we now arrive at New Year's Eve. Celebration began with a dinner we prepared for my inlaws of steamed shrimp and clams, duck egg rolls, aged Manchego with crackers and a beef pie (imagine beef and kidney pie sans kidneys). With this dinner, we had:
2004 Borsao Campo de Borja n: cherries, slightly reductive, turning a bit meatier later p: initiallly, a bit bright and cherryish, with some telltale Garnacha character, turning deeper and more gamey as time went onNo surprises here: a perennial QPR choice once again proves its mettle.
NV Sokol Blosser "Evolution No. 9" (10th Edition) n: stone fruit with a hint of minerals p: soft, fruity, decent acidity, slightly off-dry
With a bottle of the '04 Pepiere in the fridge, we decided to go for something a bit different. Light, simple and refreshing.
By 10:30 pm, it was clear that only Andrew and I were going to make it to midnight, so we broke open the bubbly:
NV Jacquesson Cuvee No. 729 Brut Champagne n: toasty, leesy, some apple fruit p: crisp entry, fine mousse, toast, balance
(I told you we were drinking the same wines, Dale!)
Again, no surprises. Dale's sparkling wine of the year comes through with flying colors. The inlaws, most of whom are Veuve Clicquot drinkers, were uniformly impressed with this wine. (They resist being labeled wine geeks, even though Muscadet is now their favorite white)
Happy New Year to afw! May '07 bring even better wines! Mark Lipton