TN: Patio wines- Italy, Rhine, Kremstal, Champagne, US

Jul 29, 2019 Last reply: 6 years ago 8 Replies

With halibut, squash, salad, the 2015 Withers ?Peters Vineyard? Chardonnay. Pear fruit wth a nutty edge, good acids, nice length. B/B+



Friday was ribeye and margherita pizza all on the grill, with the salad and the 2015 Felsina Chianti Classico. Black cherry with surprisingly abundant herbal notes, good length, nice. B+/B



Saturday we had over friends for a vaguely Asian fusion dinner.



Oysters on half shell with ?Asian mignonette? (shallot with ponzu and fish sauce) and shiso



2006 Bereche ?Montagne? Champagne. I generally like Bereche but I found this to be somewhat dull and heavy, despite decent acids. Vanilla and brioche, not my style, others loved. B-/C+

I had done 5 spice chicken on grill, Betsy made sesame noodles and Chinese spinach with sesame , friends brought green salad


2018 Withers Rose- super corked!


2018 Keller Riesling Trocken Brisk, green apple and citrus, just a hint of sugar, nice length for level. B+


2015 Nigl Freiheit Gruner Veltliner Touch of fizz, pit fruit with lemon, hint of peas. Good acids and good food wine. B
2012 Maravalle Francisioni ?1897 Tenuta Vitalonga? Some kind of super-Umbria blend. Blackberry jam, mocha, plush. Says 14% but seems higher. Not really my style. Heaviest still 750 bottle I?ve ever seen- 2 lbs 12 ounces empty. C+/B-

Last night she made a great dish of clams with corn, leek, and fennel, with the 2017 Collestefano Verdicchio di Matelica Salinity and minerality over dry peach and apple fruit, some floral notes, fun with clams. B+/B


Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. 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.


We had this 3 weeks ago and I find the B-/C generous. We also had the

2008 which was great and was anything but dull and heavy.

I have never had a corked Rose.

I'm curious...... country of origin? ( I'm not in the USA but some foreign, crime ridden, rat infested hell hole :-) )

Nothing to apologise for Dale. There is local ( to me ) winery with a "wither' in the name and I thought it be an export version of theirs. Not that I buy industrial swill brands from the supermarket!

Do you consider Wither Hills to be an industrial swill brand? In the past, I've had a number of very creditable wines from them.

Mark Lipton

Yeah, sort of. I don't drink much white wine and there are hundreds of options for chardonnay, sav blanc and pinot gris ( the most popular varieties) that I stick to the premium brands. Wither Hills sits on supermarket middle shelf ~$20-$25 so one notch up from swill? :-) Drink quality not quantity.

With pan fried scotch fillet, pan fried potato, broccoli and a couple of 'shrooms swimming in butter

1996 Leoville Barton medium red, tending to black, not bricked. Lovely aroma filling the room on opening and decant. Smooth on palate balanced acidity and strong finish. The 12.5% alc welcome and refreshing when most wines these days tend to be 14+

12.5 is so civilized. :) '96 is such a strong year in Medoc.Thanks for note. (I had to look up Scotch filet, ribeye to US readers)

Thanks for the response. That '96 LB sounds marvelous indeed.

Mark Lipton

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