Last night was the last of my friend Alex's charity dinners at a local church for the season, and he chose a Spanish theme. Paella for 50 is ambitious, and for the first time I was a bit disappointed with dinner
- the seafood (shrimp, lobster, clam, and mussels) was delicious, but the rice was haunted by a smoky/burnt odor. Still, pretty good, with great starters (an aioli-like dip and a good gazpacho).
The other disappointment was my wine1993 López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Rosado. An idiosyncratic wine, but there was no explanation for that stench except for extensive TCA. I tried the baggie trick, but to no avail (only gave it couple hours- I'm leaving today on a trip so no use trying longer). Too bad, underneath the wet cardboard there was some intriguing orange spice (like "Russian tea").
So I did the "alms for the poor" bit, getting a taste of many friends' bottles. My personal favorite was the 2004 Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet. After the fun and juicy (but not so deep ) 2003 it was a thrill to see this back on form. Lemon and apple fruit, oystershell and chalky minerals, nice finish. I had just bought a bottle, will go back for more. B+/A-
A bottle of 1996 Dofi (Priorat) was muscular and forward. Lots of tannins, but a strong backbone of dark fruit. Some Rhône-like herbal notes. B+/B
Marques De Tomares Crianza 2001 Light to medium bodied, sweet red fruit with obvious but integrated vanilla oak. Best match with the food among the reds. B
2002 Berberana Vina Alarde Tempranillo (Rioja) Sweet, easy, simple. B/B-
2002 Abadia Retuerta Rivola Former QPR favorite many vintages ago hasn't knocked me out in a while. This one is sweet and concentrated, some obvious oak, with some nice spice. But finish is ungainly and surprisingly tannic. B-
There was a an Albarino, too, but I neglected to note name. Pleasant evening (with a flamenco performance to end). Thanks to generous folks who made sure my glass never got empty.
Off to Japan today, sayonara!
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