Monday Betsy made a pasta with shrimp dish, and a sausage and brocolli
rabe side, both from a Lidia Bastianich cookbook Dave gave her for
Mothers Day. The cooking wine doubled as dinner wine, the 2005 Lilla
Trebbiano d'Abruzzo. Light, crisp, grapefruit backed by a nice chalky
minerality. OK length. Best Trebbiano d' Abruzzo I've had- but
competition is awful weak. Still, nothing profound, but at $7-8 a
pretty decent deal. Not going looking for it, but if I see next time
I'm at Astor will probably grab a bottle. B/B-

After dinner I tried a glass of the 2005 Gunderloch Trocken QbA
(Rheinhessen). Seemed quite muted, a little sulphur and some peach
fruit, but fairly inexpressive. Tuesday I was taking a group into
city, so no wine with dinner (Betsy left for concerts in Maine). But
on return in the early morning hours I tried a glass, much more open.
Ripe peach and tropical fruit, some petrol, good length. On Wednesday
another glass showed the same, tonight no change. Big fairly dry
Riesling, maybe a step behind the 2004 and could match up well with
some grand cru Alsaces. B+/B

Wednesday I had leftovers, along with the 2005 Catherine et Pierre
Breton "Trinch!" Bourgueil. Ripe blackcurrant and black cherry fruit,
some earth, tobacco leaf, and herbs. There's a bit of this aroma I
think of as "potted plant", though I'm so flora-challenged I have
trouble isolating it. Pleasant and very distinctive, maybe I need to
sniff through Betsy's garden (I tend to get from mostly Loire reds,
though not always CF- sometimes gamay). Some haven't liked this
vintage of Trinch!- the $%^# with them.
I'll be getting more. B+

tonight after a board meeting, the Gunderloch and a glass of the '06
Il Mimo. Report tomorrow, prognosis very good.

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

DaleW wrote:

> Wednesday I had leftovers, along with the 2005 Catherine et Pierre
> Breton "Trinch!" Bourgueil. Ripe blackcurrant and black cherry fruit,
> some earth, tobacco leaf, and herbs. There's a bit of this aroma I
> think of as "potted plant", though I'm so flora-challenged I have
> trouble isolating it. Pleasant and very distinctive, maybe I need to
> sniff through Betsy's garden (I tend to get from mostly Loire reds,
> though not always CF- sometimes gamay). Some haven't liked this
> vintage of Trinch!- the $%^# with them.
> I'll be getting more. B+

Thanks for the notes, Dale. I last had the Trinch! at Xmas, and thought
that it was quite lovely, striking a good balance between the herbal and
fruity side of CF. However, I haven't had many previous vintages, so
perhaps I just don't understand how good it was in '02 or something.

Mark Lipton
--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.hostexcellence.com

On May 24, 11:38�pm, Mark Lipton > wrote:
> DaleW wrote:
> > Wednesday I had leftovers, along with the 2005 Catherine et Pierre
> > Breton "Trinch!" Bourgueil. *Ripe blackcurrant and black cherry fruit,
> > some earth, tobacco leaf, and herbs. There's a bit of this aroma I
> > think of as "potted plant", though I'm so *flora-challenged I have
> > trouble isolating it. Pleasant and very distinctive, maybe I need to
> > sniff through Betsy's garden *(I tend to get from mostly Loire reds,
> > though not always CF- sometimes gamay). Some haven't liked this
> > vintage of Trinch!- the $%^# with them.
> > I'll be getting more. B+
>
> Thanks for the notes, Dale. *I last had the Trinch! at Xmas, and thought
> that it was quite lovely, striking a good balance between the herbal and
> fruity side of CF. *However, I haven't had many previous vintages, so
> perhaps I just don't understand how good it was in '02 or something.
>
> Mark Lipton
> --
> alt.food.wine FAQ: *http://winefaq.hostexcellence.com

I can't find the posts criticizing it. I'm guessing they found it
bigger/riper than previous vintages (I did too,but liked that)