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.*
*

On Jan 17, 7:24*am, DaleW > wrote:
> 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.*
> *

Had the Vendemia at our local wine store tasting Saturday. Not bad for
10 dollars but did not buy. Crazy Heart was filmed here in Santa Fe
and environs and the song writer of the Weary Kind, Jeff Bingham
played locally last night with Joe Ely and Terry Allen at the Lensic
theater so all a small world.