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DaleW DaleW is offline
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Default TN: fresh Rioja, not so fresh St Estephe

Last night was shoulder lamb chops braised in tomatoes and white
beans, with roasted cauliflower and a Boston lettuce salad. There's
been a bottle of 1971 Tronquoy-Lalande (St Estephe) sitting around
irritating Betsy since holidays. A longshot bottle, was in assortment
I brought up for big parties, never opened. Left it upstairs as it was
upright, but never wanted a longshot Bordeaux for dinner. So finally
opened. Good fill, nice condition of cork, great color when decanted.
However.....still a bit of cassis fruit, but flat, still a bit of
tannin, rather clipped finish. Not totally dead, but no reason to
drink when I have plenty of other wine. Win some, lose some. I figure
on old cheap Bordeaux I go 10% really nice wine that I'm excited
about, 35% good mature claret, 20% decent claret than cracks up fast,
20% like this - not totally dead, but not interesting, 10% abysmally
flawed. As long as I'm not paying much, worth trying. This bottle, C

So actual dinner wine was the 2008 Zuazo Gaston "Vendemia
Seleccionada" Rioja. Medium bodied, fresh red fruits, a little herby
edge. Fresh and food friendly. Revisited 2.5 hours later (after
watching "Crazy Heart", excellent film) it exhibited more of a spicy
edge. Not much oak, clean and fresh. Good value at under $10. B

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.*
*