Dinner at home last night with 3 guests from afar and some interesting wines:

1989 Lasalle Blanc de Blancs Brut €“ I like a Champagne with some age €“
especially with a blanc de blancs if offers some additional complexity in the
nose €“ some nice apple notes in this one, good mousse and clean with Stilton
on toasted baguette slices.

2001 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc €“ this vintage seems to be ever so slightly
weak, which doesnt mean that it is less pleasurable, just that it never
seemed to have the searing levels of acidity when released that this wine often
does. It was correspondingly smooth and balanced and went well with scallops in
fish fumé.

Delaforce White Port €“ I was trying to match a garlic and fennel cream soup
and this fairly dry wine, well chilled did a good job. Better with food than
the sweeter Taylors White Port Id had earlier in the week.

1979 Shenandoah Amador Special Reserve Zinfandel €“ this was a shot at
matching the chanterelles in whipping cream with sage and sherry. I had a nice
Burg pulled, but Ian my guest said that he wanted to experience new and
American wines, particularly zinfandels. It had amazingly good colour at the
age of 25 years, and the nose still showed good fruit, though not identifiably
of a Zin sort. It had an amazing amount of fairly weighty tannin, though very
soft now. It went passably well wit the food. This was a modest wine that cost
probably $10, and I do not believe that they still make wines in this style any
more, nor that the wines produced today would last nearly as long.

1994 Renwood Grandmere Zinfandel €“ I picked another Amador zin to match with
spice rubbed steaks. Warm ripe nose, with some heat (>15% alcohol) good fruit
and not too heavy on palate, the ample tannins quite ripe and a good match to
the food. (I figured that the Grandpere would have been bigger and more
overwhelming at this point).

1970 Burmester Port €“ my friend from Toronto is a Port hound and Id
promised him a decent bottle. He probably wondered when I pulled out this
relatively minor producer, but I have found that Burmester has made very good
wines in specific vintages (1963 and 1970 particularly, and the excellent 1955
Burmester Colheita) punctuated by great periods of rather indifferent
production. This wine showed at peak €“ colour good and consistent to the rim,
is now mature with excellent length and a lingering nutty finish.

On 24 Oct 2004 17:21:08 GMT, ojunk (Bill Spohn) wrote:

>Dinner at home last night with 3 guests from afar and some interesting wines:
>
>1979 Shenandoah Amador Special Reserve Zinfandel – this was a shot at
>matching the chanterelles in whipping cream with sage and sherry. I had a nice
>Burg pulled, but Ian my guest said that he wanted to experience new and
>American wines, particularly zinfandels. It had amazingly good colour at the
>age of 25 years, and the nose still showed good fruit, though not identifiably
>of a Zin sort. It had an amazing amount of fairly weighty tannin, though very
>soft now. It went passably well wit the food. This was a modest wine that cost
>probably $10, and I do not believe that they still make wines in this style any
>more, nor that the wines produced today would last nearly as long.
>
>1994 Renwood Grandmere Zinfandel – I picked another Amador zin to match with
>spice rubbed steaks. Warm ripe nose, with some heat (>15% alcohol) good fruit
>and not too heavy on palate, the ample tannins quite ripe and a good match to
>the food. (I figured that the Grandpere would have been bigger and more
>overwhelming at this point).

Great stuff to show Ian. I've become a recent fan of Amador county
Zins and will admit to surprise that they were making them 25 years
ago and that some would still be showing well.

I like your choice of the Renwood with steak. I had the most recent
release of Grandpere and Grandmere (2001??) about six weeks ago. The
Grandmere is quite drinkable now, but certainly has the body to last
for quite a while. The Grandpere is tannic-brutality right now--but
what a great wine it is going to be after several years to calm down.
(Gotta say that these sorts of in-your-face,
what-do-you-think-of-the-colonies-now wines might give a European
pause for considerable comment--not necessarily positive.)



Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
www.thunderchief.org

On 24 Oct 2004 17:21:08 GMT, ojunk (Bill Spohn) wrote:

>Dinner at home last night with 3 guests from afar and some interesting wines:
>
>1979 Shenandoah Amador Special Reserve Zinfandel – this was a shot at
>matching the chanterelles in whipping cream with sage and sherry. I had a nice
>Burg pulled, but Ian my guest said that he wanted to experience new and
>American wines, particularly zinfandels. It had amazingly good colour at the
>age of 25 years, and the nose still showed good fruit, though not identifiably
>of a Zin sort. It had an amazing amount of fairly weighty tannin, though very
>soft now. It went passably well wit the food. This was a modest wine that cost
>probably $10, and I do not believe that they still make wines in this style any
>more, nor that the wines produced today would last nearly as long.
>
>1994 Renwood Grandmere Zinfandel – I picked another Amador zin to match with
>spice rubbed steaks. Warm ripe nose, with some heat (>15% alcohol) good fruit
>and not too heavy on palate, the ample tannins quite ripe and a good match to
>the food. (I figured that the Grandpere would have been bigger and more
>overwhelming at this point).

Great stuff to show Ian. I've become a recent fan of Amador county
Zins and will admit to surprise that they were making them 25 years
ago and that some would still be showing well.

I like your choice of the Renwood with steak. I had the most recent
release of Grandpere and Grandmere (2001??) about six weeks ago. The
Grandmere is quite drinkable now, but certainly has the body to last
for quite a while. The Grandpere is tannic-brutality right now--but
what a great wine it is going to be after several years to calm down.
(Gotta say that these sorts of in-your-face,
what-do-you-think-of-the-colonies-now wines might give a European
pause for considerable comment--not necessarily positive.)



Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
www.thunderchief.org

>Gotta say that these sorts of in-your-face,
>what-do-you-think-of-the-colonies-now wines might give a European
>pause for considerable comment--not necessarily positive.

Not that Ian needs excuse for comment, but he IS carrying a lap-top and should
be able to hook up once in awhile to post some notes, perhaps from someone
else's e-mail address.

I also opened, but did not note a 1974 Taylor's LBV that was still kicking, a
1987 Mirassou Late Picked Riesling, and a NV c. 1980 Beaulieu Muscat de
Frontignan from my racing days in California.

Oh yes, and a 1994 Leflaive Meursault to wash down a small dinner after
Friday's large lunch.

Your racing days...were you a jokey? :-)




"Bill Spohn" > wrote in message
...
> >Gotta say that these sorts of in-your-face,
>>what-do-you-think-of-the-colonies-now wines might give a European
>>pause for considerable comment--not necessarily positive.
>
> Not that Ian needs excuse for comment, but he IS carrying a lap-top and
> should
> be able to hook up once in awhile to post some notes, perhaps from someone
> else's e-mail address.
>
> I also opened, but did not note a 1974 Taylor's LBV that was still
> kicking, a
> 1987 Mirassou Late Picked Riesling, and a NV c. 1980 Beaulieu Muscat de
> Frontignan from my racing days in California.
>
> Oh yes, and a 1994 Leflaive Meursault to wash down a small dinner after
> Friday's large lunch.

>Your racing days...were you a jokey? :-)

Now Dick - yopu may have noticed that the notes I post are not accompanied by a
diet fir for any jockey (though 'jokey' probably comes close).

I was (and still do) race old sports cars - in that case (Laguna Seca) a 1963
TVR and a 1958 MGA Twincam.

>Your racing days...were you a jokey? :-)

Now Dick - yopu may have noticed that the notes I post are not accompanied by a
diet fir for any jockey (though 'jokey' probably comes close).

I was (and still do) race old sports cars - in that case (Laguna Seca) a 1963
TVR and a 1958 MGA Twincam.

Well, I thought you might have ate a horse once in your life...like after he
lost a race.

Sorry, my confusion. :-)

Enjoy trip with Ian...ask him if he received mail I sent to the Ct. Address.


"Bill Spohn" > wrote in message
...
> >Your racing days...were you a jokey? :-)
>
> Now Dick - yopu may have noticed that the notes I post are not accompanied
> by a
> diet fir for any jockey (though 'jokey' probably comes close).
>
> I was (and still do) race old sports cars - in that case (Laguna Seca) a
> 1963
> TVR and a 1958 MGA Twincam.

Well, I thought you might have ate a horse once in your life...like after he
lost a race.

Sorry, my confusion. :-)

Enjoy trip with Ian...ask him if he received mail I sent to the Ct. Address.


"Bill Spohn" > wrote in message
...
> >Your racing days...were you a jokey? :-)
>
> Now Dick - yopu may have noticed that the notes I post are not accompanied
> by a
> diet fir for any jockey (though 'jokey' probably comes close).
>
> I was (and still do) race old sports cars - in that case (Laguna Seca) a
> 1963
> TVR and a 1958 MGA Twincam.