On Wednesday, December 26, 2012 9:36:49 AM UTC-5, santiago wrote:
> jcoulter > wrote in news:kbeub7$g29$1@dont-
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> email.me:
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> > Christmas eve...
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> We drank our only bottle of Wind Gap Pinot Noir Woodruff Vineyard 2008 on
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> Christmas Eve, to go with a veal roll (stuffed with dried apricots, plums,
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> etc). Very, very good, and totally opposed to my idea of a California Pinot
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> Noir, because it was bone dry, only 12,3% alc, with a very low colour and
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> really spicy on the nose. An excellent and very interesting wine that I was
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> very happy to put on the table on such a night. Only 440 bottles produced
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> > Christmas day...
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> For us, it was La Rioja Alta 904 Gran Reserva 1978 which I double decanted
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> at home before going to my in-laws. Very bright colour, with a lot of old
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> church notes, incense and excellent balance in the mouth. No fruit, and I
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> think I would rather drink such a wine 10 years earlier.
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> >
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> > And speaking of Spanish. my best Christmas present (we don't really do
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> > givts so much anymore) was a bottle of Cardenal Mendoza Brandy de Jerez
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> > Solers Gran Reserva from Romate. this brandy is smooth but the really
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> > nice thing is that the underlying wine is evident - in the finish you
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> > can taste the Sherry and it is velvety smooth to boot. . .
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> Brandy de Jerez should be about the aging in old Sherry casks (typically
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> Oloroso). Some people love it, some people hate it.
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> I am glad you are drinking to help the Spanish Balance of Payments!!!
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> s.

Wind Gap sounds lovely.
Thanks to both of you for notes