On Nov 15, 10:37�am, DaleW > wrote:
> Betsy's away for concerts in NH, time to rid the freezer of the
> venison sausage. I brown then braise in tomatoes, garlic, etc, open a
> 375 of the 2005 Domaine du Vieux Lazeret Chateauneuf du Pape. No
> apparent oak, lighter styled CdP (blind I'd probably guess Cotes du
> Rhone), red fruit, a bit of lilac and herb. Quite pleasant, though not
> especially deep or long. B
>
> Over to Roger's for the local wine group's monthly meeting. Roger
> greets us with the 2005 Von Hovel Oberemmeler Hutte Riesling Spatlese,
> Limeade, baby. Sweet citrus, rich and long. There's a little hint of
> honied apricot, citrus and peach fruit. Really a child of the vintage,
> this drinks like a big Auslese. Really tasty, and actually my wine of
> the night by �a good margin. A-
>
> On to the blind wines, the theme was Africa.
>
> #1 (Rob's offering) Soft and low-acid, big in mouth, fairly plush
> texture though with some grainy tannins. Cassis and blackberries, I'm
> guessing Cab or Bdx blend, it's the 2004 Uva Mira Merlot/Cabernet
> Sauvignon. B/B+
> When unveiled it turns out to be the same wine Roger bought, he points
> out. Too bad he said something, always fun to see if we notice it's
> the same wine. We did try his bottle later unblind, showed similarly.
>
> #2 (Fred) Whoa, is Big Daddy Don Garlits in the house? Burnt rubber
> dominates, with a hint of VA and some black plum fruit struggling to
> make itself heard. Both Fred and I say Pinotage within seconds of
> first sniff. It's the 2006 Bon Cap Pinotage. C
>
> #3 (Alex) So Alex arrives late, wants to serve his white. It's too
> cold, but comes across as very very floral (with some vanilla). �I say
> it doesn't remind me of Steen/Chenin, Sauvignon Blanc, or Chardonnay,
> the only South African whites I've encountered. Alex looks very
> confused. Apparently he never read a flurry of emails while he was in
> Paris where theme was changed, he thought we were doing Australia.
> Fred guesses Viognier, he's close. It's the 2006 d'Arenberg Hermit
> Crab Viogner/Marsanne. Slightly oily texture, a bit more oak than I'd
> like, but not bad. B
>
> #4 �(Dave) Lighter styled, red fruits, high acids, with just enough
> rubber notes to have table declare Pinotage quickly. I thought maybe
> it was a Cape blend as the Pinotage was more subdued, but it's a
> single cepage, the 2005 Golden Kan Pinotage. B-/C+
>
> #5 (My wine, so no guessing). Fred pretty quickly says Bordeaux blend.
> Nice balance of acids and light tannins, this is quite ready. Black
> and red currants, some cedar and a hint of mocha, not especially long,
> but my favorite red of the night. It's the 2000 Meerlust Rubicon. B+/B
>
> Fun night with the guys. It was well past midnight when we all walked
> home.
>
> Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
> wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't
> drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no
> promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.
> �

typo, the '05 Pinotage was Golden Kaan