We regretfully discovered that these days the reliable old vine Zinfandel Bota Box isn’t to be found on the shelves.
Oh man, I haven’t looked for that in a bit! I will have to check next time I am out at the local package store. The Pinot is reasonably reliable - fruity, with occasional notes of wet dog.
my 2018 home-winemaker project: Merlot!
Fruit picked at Houston Vineyards in the Fairview Distr. of Hayward, CA.
As this is a Bay-facing slope in the East Bay Hills, this merlot is somewhat leaner and more structured than many of the warm-climate cousins one might find w/in California. Aged w/ French oak cubes for 8 months, and bottled 15 months after harvest.
4 Likes
I always wondered about that lyric. It could mean ice in the pink champagne, or a bottle of pink champagne sitting on ice ready to be opened.
Happy New Year everyone! We toasted the end of 2022 with a wish for peace, with an Iron Horse Russian Cuvée. Somewhat ironic in retrospect.
Honeyfly 2020 Sauvignon Blanc
I discovered this wine recently, and am really enjoying it. I lack the language of a wine expert to describe it, but I like the taste and that it is very smooth. The price is around CAD $36.
Of late I’ve found that I favor the Pinot Noir grape over all the others, the best of which to me is Gevrey Chambertin, but I can’t afford to drink it on a regular basis. This Pinot hits the spot nicely.
5 Likes
Today is Sangiovese
The food:
- Steamed smaller legs with Chinese rice wine, chicken fat and julienne scallions and ginger on a bed of rice vermicelli
- Steamed middle legs with fried minced garlic and julienne scallions, finished off with sizzling oil
- Fried large upper legs with salted duck egg yolk coating
- Sauteed Crab body and onions with house secret top soy/maggi sauce
- Steamed egg custard 'charamushi ’ with crab meat and brains
- Fried rice with Chinese preserved meat and sausages and crab tamale.
- Sauteed Chinese Kale ( Gai-Lan ) with sun dried tiled fish
The wine:
- 1995 Stag’s Leap-Cask 23 ( bold, full bodied, silky and seductive Cab Sauv & Merlot )
- 1996 Chateau St. Jean, Cinq Cepages ( First Wine Spectator ‘Wine-of-the-year’ from Sonoma. Smooth and classy, this vintage easily rises to grand, prestigious status)
- 2019 BWT Scharzhofberger Kabinett ( Best German vintage in 40 years! Amazingly fruity and floral with a small hint of petrol, butterscotch and tropical fruits. Sweeter than the usual Kabinett. Great with the steamed crab dishes! )
6 Likes
A field blend from Early Mountain in Virginia. Reasonably dry, bright, and aromatic. Great summer wine.
2 Likes
We just returned from Burgundy where we were introduced to some wonderful and affordable Mercurey’s. There’s affordable Pinot out there, but it is a challenge to find it!
1 Like
Which Pinot Noir, if you don’t mind sharing?
1 Like
I too had an interesting and delicious Pinot Noir yesterday but in the form of a Rose
Cremant D’Alsace!!
4 Likes
3 Likes
California Pinot has come a looong way!!
1 Like
Well played, Rhys makes great Pinots. Eric Asimov touted Rhys years ago in the Times and my wallet has suffered since.
1 Like
Yeah, I was an early fan but don’t really have the budget these days as their prices have gone up.
