On Dec 21, 10:23*pm, Mark Lipton > wrote:
> Over the past few nights we've had quite a few different wines, starting
> with our annual party for our graduate students. *Although this event is
> quite frenzied and wine is hardly the focus, we did start out with a
> pair of nice Champagnes:
>
> NV Duval-Leroy Brut
> nose: light, mildly fruity
> palate: somewhat soft, rich, lightly toasty
>
> NV Piper-Hiedsieck Brut
> nose: vibrant, toast, green apples
> palate: crisp acidity, toast
>
> Of the two, the Piper-Hiedsieck was the clear favorite for its more
> defined flavors and better structure.
>
> We had a few wines leftover from the party, so last night with some
> black bean-buffalo chili we had:
>
> 2009 Perrin C tes du Rh ne-Villages
> nose: dark cherries, stones
> palate: rich fruit, chalky tannins, balanced acidity
>
> This is probably the most appealing CdR I've had from Perrin, which says
> good things about the vintage, I'm sure.
>
> Tonight, with some venison steaks from a doe freshly killed by my friend
> Jerry, I opened:
>
> 1995 Domaine de la Terre Rouge Syrah Amador
> nose: initially, very minty with deep underlying fruit; as time passed,
> more blueberry fruit and baking spices
> palate: rich fruit, decent acidity, full body, briary tannins
>
> I met Bill Easton back in the days when he was a retailer in Berkeley
> and I've bought his wines since he relocated to Amador County in 1990.
> This wine was a monster in its youth, and is still very youthful. *The
> tannins have softened and the wine is now approachable. To me, Syrah and
> venison is one of life's great combinations and this was no exception.
>
> Mark Lipton

Thanks for the notes Mark. I agree about the Syrah and venison
combo. I'm fortunate to have a farm with plenty of deer so I always
have high quality farm country venison available. I've been working
on a dish using round steak rolled, tied and braised in Syrah. I'll
let you know how it works out.