Friday we had a friend and her two boys over for dinner, while the dad
is in Paris for a month (poor Alex). Betsy made a couple of pizza/
flatbreads, a ****aladiere and a tarte flambee. I opened a wine for
each. For the ****aladiere, no Provencal rose on hand, so went a bit
northeast of Nice, to the Vallee d'Aoste.* The 2007 Larmes du Paradis
Rosé was* a pleasant light red, with fresh strawberry fruit and good
acidity. Not a lot there, but what is there is tasty. B

For the tarte flambee/flammekueche, the 2001 Trimbach "Cuvee Frederic
Emile" Riesling.* Wow, this is young but yummy. Clean crisp pears with
a dollop of ripe peaches, totally dry but with a impression of
sweetness to the fruit. Wet stones, earth, a whiff of petrol. Medium-
bodied but with a sense of strength. Good acidity, excellent length.
A-/B+ with potential to be a truly great CFE.

Saturday Betsy made duck legs with turnips, along with braised
escarole with a little sausage. Recipe called for a cup of red wine
for recipe and a rustic unpretentious red as an accompaniment; it was
easier to open bottle on counter than to go to cellar. The 2005 Vinum
"Pets" Petit Sirah (Clarksburg) actually belonged to my dog, it was a
gift at her birthday party. But Lucy doesn't drink so we consumed. For
a PS this isn't very tannic. Fruit forward, with blackberries and
black plums with just a hint of peppery spice. A bit on simple side,
but enjoyable, and Betsy liked. B/B-

Sunday I was working running a meeting all day. Betsy used up rest of
her duck legs in a ragu (with cloves, cayenne, and sweet wine) from a
Batali recipe. When I came home I opened the 2004 Sandro Fay Rosso di
Valtellina. Lighter end of Nebbiolo, spicy red fruit with good
acidity, a bit of earth and tar. Gets more interesting with some air.
Not heavy, but quite decent length for a $14 wine. B

Recipe had called for vin santo, which I didn't have, so had I had
given Betsy a bottle of Sauternes I had somehow acquired, the 2000
Saint-Amand "Grands Vignes" Sauternes. Half a bottle left, I had a
small glass with some blue cheese after dinner. Sweetness approaches
cloying, this needs more acidity. Canned apricots, not much for
complexity. C+

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.
*

New to the site. Like the way you think. Nice eats, nice wines, and especially nice job of not going with the easy and ordinary. Hope all posts are of this caliber.

Hotrienol

On Oct 27, 11:42 pm, DaleW > wrote:
> Friday we had a friend and her two boys over for dinner, while the dad
> is in Paris for a month (poor Alex). Betsy made a couple of pizza/
> flatbreads, a ****aladiere and a tarte flambee. I opened a wine for
> each. For the ****aladiere, no Provencal rose on hand, so went a bit
> northeast of Nice, to the Vallee d'Aoste. The 2007 Larmes du Paradis
> Rosé was a pleasant light red, with fresh strawberry fruit and good
> acidity. Not a lot there, but what is there is tasty. B
>
> For the tarte flambee/flammekueche, the 2001 Trimbach "Cuvee Frederic
> Emile" Riesling. Wow, this is young but yummy. Clean crisp pears with
> a dollop of ripe peaches, totally dry but with a impression of
> sweetness to the fruit. Wet stones, earth, a whiff of petrol. Medium-
> bodied but with a sense of strength. Good acidity, excellent length.
> A-/B+ with potential to be a truly great CFE.
>
> Saturday Betsy made duck legs with turnips, along with braised
> escarole with a little sausage. Recipe called for a cup of red wine
> for recipe and a rustic unpretentious red as an accompaniment; it was
> easier to open bottle on counter than to go to cellar. The 2005 Vinum
> "Pets" Petit Sirah (Clarksburg) actually belonged to my dog, it was a
> gift at her birthday party. But Lucy doesn't drink so we consumed. For
> a PS this isn't very tannic. Fruit forward, with blackberries and
> black plums with just a hint of peppery spice. A bit on simple side,
> but enjoyable, and Betsy liked. B/B-
>
> Sunday I was working running a meeting all day. Betsy used up rest of
> her duck legs in a ragu (with cloves, cayenne, and sweet wine) from a
> Batali recipe. When I came home I opened the 2004 Sandro Fay Rosso di
> Valtellina. Lighter end of Nebbiolo, spicy red fruit with good
> acidity, a bit of earth and tar. Gets more interesting with some air.
> Not heavy, but quite decent length for a $14 wine. B
>
> Recipe had called for vin santo, which I didn't have, so had I had
> given Betsy a bottle of Sauternes I had somehow acquired, the 2000
> Saint-Amand "Grands Vignes" Sauternes. Half a bottle left, I had a
> small glass with some blue cheese after dinner. Sweetness approaches
> cloying, this needs more acidity. Canned apricots, not much for
> complexity. C+
>
> 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.
>

Very nice, Dale. That Trimbach sounds excellent - I've never tasted
it, but several friends with excellent palates who have all seemed to
concur that it's got the potential to be a truly magnificent wine in a
decade or so.

I had the 05 Fay Valtellina from Chambers recently - I'm starting to
quite like those wines for their elegance, acidity and brightness. My
experience is pretty much along the lines of your note (even if the
vintage differed) - just a really nice wine with complexity and no
sense of heaviness, and IMO very good value at the price.

Cheers,

Salil