.... "we" being Xina and self. Hello.

Week-end starts as soon as you start planning it. Hence, last week-end
started Tuesday with me calling 'Il Grappolo Blu' in Copenhagen to reserve a
table (in my best evening class Italian), and visiting their web site, which
copntains the wine list.
We also decided to go to the movies on Friday, meaning, we´d get home late
so, an easily made, and light supper.
Said supper turned out to be smoked salmon w spinach, asparagus, and
champignon sallad with chives in a very light dressing.
Xina had put a bottle of Dirler´s 2000 entry-level Riesling in the fridge -
very mineral, fresh acidity, mouth-filling and satisfactory, not the
slughtest hint of residual sugar. Alcohol by volume 12 %, which is equal to
the NZ Stoneleigh Rieslung we tasted Saturday before last. Pity we couldn´t
compare them, this was the last of the Dirler bottles, the rest are GC to
sleep in our cellar for a few years.
Self, whose second name would be immoderate if it wasn´t Gustaf, wanted a
glass of red, and found in the cellar, two bottles of Savigny-le-Beaune 1998
from Lucien Jacob, in Echevronne. We bought these in 2000, drank a few of
them in 2001, then forgot about them. I opened one of the bottles - cork in
good shape, color a bit brick, nose of mature bourgogne, raw tobacco, cow´s
stable (sorry, but that is what it comes across to me as), tannins
fine-limbed abd waning, autiumn leaves ... would never have expected this
bright-eyed, rosy-red quaffer of 3-4 years ago, brimming with raspberries
and new leather, evolve in this fashion. And I have one bottle left
Saturday we went to Copenhagen, visited Kjaer, and took paert in their very
impromptu First Saturday of the Month tasting. Mostly very entry level and
budget wines, Ch Moussar of 1997 which we didn´t understand and didn´t
particularly like (most likely we´re barbarians), and Rabiega Blanc, 100%
rolle, very Southern France white, honey tablets, laid back acidity, at 60
DKK not bad.
Well. Arrived at the restaurant, we started with an indifferent spumante
which did its, namely, to clean the palate and wet the appetite.
Supper started with ten little antipasti, delightful, inventive even. We had
a white Piemontese from Gemma, Verdiana 2002, made from a variety called
rossese - never heard of before.
[C] Honey yellow, light gold
[N] Intensely floral, oak, yellow roses (not Old English, rather
Lichtkönigin Lucia). Clean, fresh, discrete wiff of oxidation?
[P] Fresh acidity, vanilla, very dry, fruity, good length.
Reminiscent of a Loirde Chenin blanc, we thought.

With the main course we then had a Barolo, also from Gemma, La Marenca 1997
(single vineyard).
[C] Slightly brick tainted edge
[N] Toast, dark berries, chocolate, leather, coffe, tobacco, burnt sugar,
creamy
[P]Rich in extraktion, little fruity residual sugar, very tannic, dark
chocolate, violets? dark fruits, acidity, intensity, overpowering intensity
even. Very good length.
We dare claim that it had good typicity - we comapre it to the Barolos we
tasted with the Tstevins Society last winter.
Price DKK 740! But good Barolos are costly. I also dare say that this could
have stayed in the cellar for a long time and evolved over the years, but,
this particular bottle lost the chance to do so
The main course didn´t really go very well with the wine - too light, a
guinea fowl, but we sat for a long time over the wine, contempalting the
consolations of philosophy.

The host chose a third iemontese to go with the dessert, a passito
Caluso passito 1997
Made from another, to me completely unknown grape, erbaluce.
[C] dark, almost brown, amber
[N] butter, esters, cognac, we were also urged to find notes of honey,
almonds, and abricots in the nose - I cannot say I did.
[P] Small acidity, honey sweetness, vanilla, a little bitterness, toast.

The railway station was a comfortable staggering distance from the
restaurant, and we came home in good shape.
However, late afternoon Sunday, our good neighbour the Garage Wine Importer
came over with a plastic bag and a big smile - Nils, he said, here´s
soemthing I´d like you to do. Pull out two red wine glasses (I did, and from
the palstic bag he magiced two bottles of wine, the labels of which he hid,
and poured from each into the glasses) Now, he said. ONe of these wines
costs double the price of the other one (more or less).Can you pick the
expensive one?
Both wines were young, purplish, and, as far as I could tell, Sangiovese. In
aspect the one much like the other. Unfortunately, the y were both a bit on
the cold side.
The one had a much more mature nose than the other, which, however, had a
more aggressive attack of red fruits and herbs - the first one more of raw
tobacco - a bit like my old Burgogne, as a matter of fact.
On the palate, they both had muscular, astringent tanines, and still the
first one appeared more mature, more accessible, also with a strange note of
citrus oil, or lemon grass, which developed as the temperature rose. The
second was very rich in extrection, tannines making it close to unenjoyable
(the bottles had, apparently, been open for more than 24 hours!). Still, I
was fairly certain that the second was the ricier, and, lo and behold, I was
right. It was a Rosso di MOntalcino Poggio di Sotto 2002, price at the
vineyard SEK 400 +, while the other, (i e the first one) was Pian d´Orino´s
RdM 2001, at the slightly mor ehumane cost of SEK 230. I guess we have taken
part in infanticide here - these wines, particularly the Poggio di Sotto,
should rest peacefully for many years yet.

All in all, young Italians have flexed their muscles around us this
week-end - flexed them to the point where they were about to break the
fabric of their Armani silk suits.

Oh, and special thanks to Svend the Garage Wine Importer. Everybody should
have a neighbour like him.

Cheers!

Nils Gustaf
--
Respond to nils dot lindgren at drchips dot se

You swedes sure have a lot of fun.

Nice report Nils. Say hi to Xina for us. See you down south sometime
this fall.

Mike

On Tue, 07 Sep 2004 19:54:27 GMT, "Nils Gustaf Lindgren"
> wrote:

>... "we" being Xina and self. Hello.
>
>Week-end starts as soon as you start planning it. Hence, last week-end
>started Tuesday with me calling 'Il Grappolo Blu' in Copenhagen to reserve a
>table (in my best evening class Italian), and visiting their web site, which
>copntains the wine list.
>We also decided to go to the movies on Friday, meaning, we´d get home late
>so, an easily made, and light supper.
>Said supper turned out to be smoked salmon w spinach, asparagus, and
>champignon sallad with chives in a very light dressing.
>Xina had put a bottle of Dirler´s 2000 entry-level Riesling in the fridge -
>very mineral, fresh acidity, mouth-filling and satisfactory, not the
>slughtest hint of residual sugar. Alcohol by volume 12 %, which is equal to
>the NZ Stoneleigh Rieslung we tasted Saturday before last. Pity we couldn´t
>compare them, this was the last of the Dirler bottles, the rest are GC to
>sleep in our cellar for a few years.
>Self, whose second name would be immoderate if it wasn´t Gustaf, wanted a
>glass of red, and found in the cellar, two bottles of Savigny-le-Beaune 1998
>from Lucien Jacob, in Echevronne. We bought these in 2000, drank a few of
>them in 2001, then forgot about them. I opened one of the bottles - cork in
>good shape, color a bit brick, nose of mature bourgogne, raw tobacco, cow´s
>stable (sorry, but that is what it comes across to me as), tannins
>fine-limbed abd waning, autiumn leaves ... would never have expected this
>bright-eyed, rosy-red quaffer of 3-4 years ago, brimming with raspberries
>and new leather, evolve in this fashion. And I have one bottle left
>Saturday we went to Copenhagen, visited Kjaer, and took paert in their very
>impromptu First Saturday of the Month tasting. Mostly very entry level and
>budget wines, Ch Moussar of 1997 which we didn´t understand and didn´t
>particularly like (most likely we´re barbarians), and Rabiega Blanc, 100%
>rolle, very Southern France white, honey tablets, laid back acidity, at 60
>DKK not bad.
>Well. Arrived at the restaurant, we started with an indifferent spumante
>which did its, namely, to clean the palate and wet the appetite.
>Supper started with ten little antipasti, delightful, inventive even. We had
>a white Piemontese from Gemma, Verdiana 2002, made from a variety called
>rossese - never heard of before.
>[C] Honey yellow, light gold
>[N] Intensely floral, oak, yellow roses (not Old English, rather
>Lichtkönigin Lucia). Clean, fresh, discrete wiff of oxidation?
>[P] Fresh acidity, vanilla, very dry, fruity, good length.
>Reminiscent of a Loirde Chenin blanc, we thought.
>
>With the main course we then had a Barolo, also from Gemma, La Marenca 1997
>(single vineyard).
>[C] Slightly brick tainted edge
>[N] Toast, dark berries, chocolate, leather, coffe, tobacco, burnt sugar,
>creamy
>[P]Rich in extraktion, little fruity residual sugar, very tannic, dark
>chocolate, violets? dark fruits, acidity, intensity, overpowering intensity
>even. Very good length.
>We dare claim that it had good typicity - we comapre it to the Barolos we
>tasted with the Tstevins Society last winter.
>Price DKK 740! But good Barolos are costly. I also dare say that this could
>have stayed in the cellar for a long time and evolved over the years, but,
>this particular bottle lost the chance to do so
>The main course didn´t really go very well with the wine - too light, a
>guinea fowl, but we sat for a long time over the wine, contempalting the
>consolations of philosophy.
>
>The host chose a third iemontese to go with the dessert, a passito
>Caluso passito 1997
>Made from another, to me completely unknown grape, erbaluce.
>[C] dark, almost brown, amber
>[N] butter, esters, cognac, we were also urged to find notes of honey,
>almonds, and abricots in the nose - I cannot say I did.
>[P] Small acidity, honey sweetness, vanilla, a little bitterness, toast.
>
>The railway station was a comfortable staggering distance from the
>restaurant, and we came home in good shape.
>However, late afternoon Sunday, our good neighbour the Garage Wine Importer
>came over with a plastic bag and a big smile - Nils, he said, here´s
>soemthing I´d like you to do. Pull out two red wine glasses (I did, and from
>the palstic bag he magiced two bottles of wine, the labels of which he hid,
>and poured from each into the glasses) Now, he said. ONe of these wines
>costs double the price of the other one (more or less).Can you pick the
>expensive one?
>Both wines were young, purplish, and, as far as I could tell, Sangiovese. In
>aspect the one much like the other. Unfortunately, the y were both a bit on
>the cold side.
>The one had a much more mature nose than the other, which, however, had a
>more aggressive attack of red fruits and herbs - the first one more of raw
>tobacco - a bit like my old Burgogne, as a matter of fact.
>On the palate, they both had muscular, astringent tanines, and still the
>first one appeared more mature, more accessible, also with a strange note of
>citrus oil, or lemon grass, which developed as the temperature rose. The
>second was very rich in extrection, tannines making it close to unenjoyable
>(the bottles had, apparently, been open for more than 24 hours!). Still, I
>was fairly certain that the second was the ricier, and, lo and behold, I was
>right. It was a Rosso di MOntalcino Poggio di Sotto 2002, price at the
>vineyard SEK 400 +, while the other, (i e the first one) was Pian d´Orino´s
>RdM 2001, at the slightly mor ehumane cost of SEK 230. I guess we have taken
>part in infanticide here - these wines, particularly the Poggio di Sotto,
>should rest peacefully for many years yet.
>
>All in all, young Italians have flexed their muscles around us this
>week-end - flexed them to the point where they were about to break the
>fabric of their Armani silk suits.
>
>Oh, and special thanks to Svend the Garage Wine Importer. Everybody should
>have a neighbour like him.
>
>Cheers!
>
>Nils Gustaf


Mike Tommasi, Six Fours, France
email link http://www.tommasi.org/mymail

You swedes sure have a lot of fun.

Nice report Nils. Say hi to Xina for us. See you down south sometime
this fall.

Mike

On Tue, 07 Sep 2004 19:54:27 GMT, "Nils Gustaf Lindgren"
> wrote:

>... "we" being Xina and self. Hello.
>
>Week-end starts as soon as you start planning it. Hence, last week-end
>started Tuesday with me calling 'Il Grappolo Blu' in Copenhagen to reserve a
>table (in my best evening class Italian), and visiting their web site, which
>copntains the wine list.
>We also decided to go to the movies on Friday, meaning, we´d get home late
>so, an easily made, and light supper.
>Said supper turned out to be smoked salmon w spinach, asparagus, and
>champignon sallad with chives in a very light dressing.
>Xina had put a bottle of Dirler´s 2000 entry-level Riesling in the fridge -
>very mineral, fresh acidity, mouth-filling and satisfactory, not the
>slughtest hint of residual sugar. Alcohol by volume 12 %, which is equal to
>the NZ Stoneleigh Rieslung we tasted Saturday before last. Pity we couldn´t
>compare them, this was the last of the Dirler bottles, the rest are GC to
>sleep in our cellar for a few years.
>Self, whose second name would be immoderate if it wasn´t Gustaf, wanted a
>glass of red, and found in the cellar, two bottles of Savigny-le-Beaune 1998
>from Lucien Jacob, in Echevronne. We bought these in 2000, drank a few of
>them in 2001, then forgot about them. I opened one of the bottles - cork in
>good shape, color a bit brick, nose of mature bourgogne, raw tobacco, cow´s
>stable (sorry, but that is what it comes across to me as), tannins
>fine-limbed abd waning, autiumn leaves ... would never have expected this
>bright-eyed, rosy-red quaffer of 3-4 years ago, brimming with raspberries
>and new leather, evolve in this fashion. And I have one bottle left
>Saturday we went to Copenhagen, visited Kjaer, and took paert in their very
>impromptu First Saturday of the Month tasting. Mostly very entry level and
>budget wines, Ch Moussar of 1997 which we didn´t understand and didn´t
>particularly like (most likely we´re barbarians), and Rabiega Blanc, 100%
>rolle, very Southern France white, honey tablets, laid back acidity, at 60
>DKK not bad.
>Well. Arrived at the restaurant, we started with an indifferent spumante
>which did its, namely, to clean the palate and wet the appetite.
>Supper started with ten little antipasti, delightful, inventive even. We had
>a white Piemontese from Gemma, Verdiana 2002, made from a variety called
>rossese - never heard of before.
>[C] Honey yellow, light gold
>[N] Intensely floral, oak, yellow roses (not Old English, rather
>Lichtkönigin Lucia). Clean, fresh, discrete wiff of oxidation?
>[P] Fresh acidity, vanilla, very dry, fruity, good length.
>Reminiscent of a Loirde Chenin blanc, we thought.
>
>With the main course we then had a Barolo, also from Gemma, La Marenca 1997
>(single vineyard).
>[C] Slightly brick tainted edge
>[N] Toast, dark berries, chocolate, leather, coffe, tobacco, burnt sugar,
>creamy
>[P]Rich in extraktion, little fruity residual sugar, very tannic, dark
>chocolate, violets? dark fruits, acidity, intensity, overpowering intensity
>even. Very good length.
>We dare claim that it had good typicity - we comapre it to the Barolos we
>tasted with the Tstevins Society last winter.
>Price DKK 740! But good Barolos are costly. I also dare say that this could
>have stayed in the cellar for a long time and evolved over the years, but,
>this particular bottle lost the chance to do so
>The main course didn´t really go very well with the wine - too light, a
>guinea fowl, but we sat for a long time over the wine, contempalting the
>consolations of philosophy.
>
>The host chose a third iemontese to go with the dessert, a passito
>Caluso passito 1997
>Made from another, to me completely unknown grape, erbaluce.
>[C] dark, almost brown, amber
>[N] butter, esters, cognac, we were also urged to find notes of honey,
>almonds, and abricots in the nose - I cannot say I did.
>[P] Small acidity, honey sweetness, vanilla, a little bitterness, toast.
>
>The railway station was a comfortable staggering distance from the
>restaurant, and we came home in good shape.
>However, late afternoon Sunday, our good neighbour the Garage Wine Importer
>came over with a plastic bag and a big smile - Nils, he said, here´s
>soemthing I´d like you to do. Pull out two red wine glasses (I did, and from
>the palstic bag he magiced two bottles of wine, the labels of which he hid,
>and poured from each into the glasses) Now, he said. ONe of these wines
>costs double the price of the other one (more or less).Can you pick the
>expensive one?
>Both wines were young, purplish, and, as far as I could tell, Sangiovese. In
>aspect the one much like the other. Unfortunately, the y were both a bit on
>the cold side.
>The one had a much more mature nose than the other, which, however, had a
>more aggressive attack of red fruits and herbs - the first one more of raw
>tobacco - a bit like my old Burgogne, as a matter of fact.
>On the palate, they both had muscular, astringent tanines, and still the
>first one appeared more mature, more accessible, also with a strange note of
>citrus oil, or lemon grass, which developed as the temperature rose. The
>second was very rich in extrection, tannines making it close to unenjoyable
>(the bottles had, apparently, been open for more than 24 hours!). Still, I
>was fairly certain that the second was the ricier, and, lo and behold, I was
>right. It was a Rosso di MOntalcino Poggio di Sotto 2002, price at the
>vineyard SEK 400 +, while the other, (i e the first one) was Pian d´Orino´s
>RdM 2001, at the slightly mor ehumane cost of SEK 230. I guess we have taken
>part in infanticide here - these wines, particularly the Poggio di Sotto,
>should rest peacefully for many years yet.
>
>All in all, young Italians have flexed their muscles around us this
>week-end - flexed them to the point where they were about to break the
>fabric of their Armani silk suits.
>
>Oh, and special thanks to Svend the Garage Wine Importer. Everybody should
>have a neighbour like him.
>
>Cheers!
>
>Nils Gustaf


Mike Tommasi, Six Fours, France
email link http://www.tommasi.org/mymail

"Mike Tommasi" > skrev i meddelandet
...
> You swedes sure have a lot of fun.
>
> Nice report Nils. Say hi to Xina for us. See you down south sometime
> this fall.


We certainly will. And, Mike, you would be the right person to tell me about
those to grape varieties, rossese and erbaluce. These are of course
well-known to you?

Cheers!

Nils GUstaf


--
Respond to nils dot lindgren at drchips dot se

"Mike Tommasi" > skrev i meddelandet
...
> You swedes sure have a lot of fun.
>
> Nice report Nils. Say hi to Xina for us. See you down south sometime
> this fall.


We certainly will. And, Mike, you would be the right person to tell me about
those to grape varieties, rossese and erbaluce. These are of course
well-known to you?

Cheers!

Nils GUstaf


--
Respond to nils dot lindgren at drchips dot se

On Wed, 08 Sep 2004 05:59:04 GMT, "Nils Gustaf Lindgren"
> wrote:

>"Mike Tommasi" > skrev i meddelandet
.. .
>> You swedes sure have a lot of fun.
>>
>> Nice report Nils. Say hi to Xina for us. See you down south sometime
>> this fall.
>
>
>We certainly will. And, Mike, you would be the right person to tell me about
>those to grape varieties, rossese and erbaluce. These are of course
>well-known to you?

Bah, I have tasted both, they are easily found in that Piemonte -
Liguria corridor that I seem to find myself in so often...

Rossese is best from Dolceacqua, a very pretty village just inland
from Ventimiglia-Bordighera. Lupi makes a good one, he laso makes
some of the best Vermentino or Pigato.

Erbaluce di Caluso is a pleasant if often boring wine, better in
passito form. Cannot remember any names.

Mike

Mike Tommasi, Six Fours, France
email link http://www.tommasi.org/mymail

On Wed, 08 Sep 2004 05:59:04 GMT, "Nils Gustaf Lindgren"
> wrote:

>"Mike Tommasi" > skrev i meddelandet
.. .
>> You swedes sure have a lot of fun.
>>
>> Nice report Nils. Say hi to Xina for us. See you down south sometime
>> this fall.
>
>
>We certainly will. And, Mike, you would be the right person to tell me about
>those to grape varieties, rossese and erbaluce. These are of course
>well-known to you?

Bah, I have tasted both, they are easily found in that Piemonte -
Liguria corridor that I seem to find myself in so often...

Rossese is best from Dolceacqua, a very pretty village just inland
from Ventimiglia-Bordighera. Lupi makes a good one, he laso makes
some of the best Vermentino or Pigato.

Erbaluce di Caluso is a pleasant if often boring wine, better in
passito form. Cannot remember any names.

Mike

Mike Tommasi, Six Fours, France
email link http://www.tommasi.org/mymail