Ever have one of those nights where you think "it's not my night"? This was that night. I started by putting a bottle of 2004 Pelee Island Late Autumn Riesling in the fridge - a few hours later, before I started making dinner, I popped the cork on this wine and ... that smell was unmistakable, cork. 'Too bad,' I thought to myself, 'it happens, I know I have a back up bottle in here somewhere just for such an occasion. So into the fridge I go and ... Ah yes, a bottle of Calamus 2006 White. It's under screwcap so I should have no problems with the wine being corked. I twist the cap and the signature crack-of-the-cap is nowhere to be heard. I pour the wine into my glass and, yup, Houston, we have a problem, oxidized. I inspect the bottle a little more carefully and see that indeed it was a full bottle and not one I had previously opened and forgot about. Thank goodness for chicken and risotto, they take some time to prepare and cook, so I ran down into the basement and grabbed a bottle of Huff 2006 Riesling Reserve - Wismer Vineyard (I was determined to go Ontario tonight, even if it kills me), plus two other bottles (just in case). Two bottles went into the fridge, the Huff saw the freezer for twenty minutes. Success, this wine hit the spot (and was not faulted in any way). Dry and delicious - some apple notes but mostly lime with the merest hint of petrol starting to slide in, there was also some very good acidity.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Twin Pines Orchard Hammer Bent Hard Cider (Ontario)
I'm at it again - another hot day in Michigan and it's time for another taste of home ... I have a bottle of Hard Cider from the folks at Twin Pines and man does it ever hit the spot. A blend of four apples: Ida Red, Jona Gold, Russett and another that escapes my brain at this time. Crisp, clean and oh so refreshing. A little later I'll be opening up a Riesling with dinner.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Twin Pines Orchard Hammer Bent Perry (Ontario)
86 degrees in Michigan (that's 28 Celsius) and it was time for something to drink. We decided on a Perry from Twin Pines Orchard. Perry is a cider made from pears and this one is one of the best I have ever tried, small batch from a small Ontario cidery. No surprise as to what it tasted like (fizzy pears) - bottom line it was delicious and really hit the spot.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Mission Hill 2002 Five Vineyards Pinot Noir (British Columbia)
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Lailey Vineyard 2008 Riesling (Ontario)
Opps … the problem with moving is that you have open cases of wine everywhere, and when you are looking for a bottle instead of finding the “one you were looking for” you end up pulling out what’s handy. I thought I was picking one wine and when it was poured and on the boxes (we have no table yet) it was another. I recently reviewed this wine in Newsletter #135 … I enjoyed it a few weeks ago and enjoyed it tonight. But if I have to tell you the truth I was looking for another Riesling.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Franck & Jacques Rigal 2008 The Original Malbec (Argentina)
This is a juicy fruit forward Malbec ... I hate to say that there is little else to say about this wine - juicy and fruit forward. That is it, that is all.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Riesling – Pinot Noir – Cabernet Sauvignon - & a ’59 Monbazillac (Germany / Ontario / France)
Sunday night dinner … Invited over by some friends for an exquisite dinner that included osso bucco and a lemon pie that was, well, out of the ordinary and yet oh so tasty. Also got my first taste of steamed whole artichokes – that was quite the treat. The evening started with a bottle of Weingut Dr. Nagler 2002 Rudesheim Auslese from the Rheingau region of Germany. The initial feeling was that maybe it was a little too sweet to start the evening, but true eonophiles prevailed here: the chance to try any old wine beats out what is proper everytime. The wine was stunningly delicious with a slight petrol note along with honeyed apples on the nose. The palate was very sippable, to the point of being dangerously so, honeyed apricots and mac apple – the bottle was gone long before the last of the appetizers.
Next course was a hot pear soup, or at least that’s what I think we were having; as always I am more focused on the wine and this time it was something more recent, a Tawse 2007 Pinot Noir, Niagara Peninsula, from Ontario. Sour cherry, cranberry with a slight spice and good mouth cleansing acidity. Both the soup and the wine were delicious.
I had brought along a bottle of Southbrook 2001 Triomphe Cabernet Sauvignon, which I told my host to do what he wished with. He decided to forego one of his chosen bottles for serving the Southbrook with the main course. He decanted it for about an hour and a half before giving me the honour of pouring it. The nose had that telltale green pepper note but there was also dark raspberry, spiced cedar and I found the tannins to still be quite robust … very nice. But this was not the oldest wine poured. Not to be outdone my host (the one in charge of the wine anyway) had one more surprise up his sleeve.
Out came a bottle of brownish liquid, my host said it was the last of a case he bought in 1961. The wine was a G. Cros 1959 Clos Fontindoule Monbazillac … the wine had a rather sherried nose but there was still a little life left in the glass and you could get it if you aerated the wine in your mouth. Peach sherry came to mind. This wine was a mere shadow of its former self, but the experience was well worth it and the wine was still quite drinkable … it paired well with the lemon pie giving the lemon flavour something to play off of and made it pop in the mouth.
Next course was a hot pear soup, or at least that’s what I think we were having; as always I am more focused on the wine and this time it was something more recent, a Tawse 2007 Pinot Noir, Niagara Peninsula, from Ontario. Sour cherry, cranberry with a slight spice and good mouth cleansing acidity. Both the soup and the wine were delicious.
I had brought along a bottle of Southbrook 2001 Triomphe Cabernet Sauvignon, which I told my host to do what he wished with. He decided to forego one of his chosen bottles for serving the Southbrook with the main course. He decanted it for about an hour and a half before giving me the honour of pouring it. The nose had that telltale green pepper note but there was also dark raspberry, spiced cedar and I found the tannins to still be quite robust … very nice. But this was not the oldest wine poured. Not to be outdone my host (the one in charge of the wine anyway) had one more surprise up his sleeve.
Out came a bottle of brownish liquid, my host said it was the last of a case he bought in 1961. The wine was a G. Cros 1959 Clos Fontindoule Monbazillac … the wine had a rather sherried nose but there was still a little life left in the glass and you could get it if you aerated the wine in your mouth. Peach sherry came to mind. This wine was a mere shadow of its former self, but the experience was well worth it and the wine was still quite drinkable … it paired well with the lemon pie giving the lemon flavour something to play off of and made it pop in the mouth.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)