Nothing says oysters like Sylvaner. Ok, so that’s not true, but I was shucking a dozen and had a bottle of the 2012 Kofererhof Sylvaner that I wanted to try. Full, dry, nice white fruits with floral accents, a deep mineral streak. Mountain wines and raw bar, whoodathunk. B+

Dinner was grilled teriyaki salmon, kohlrabi and carrots (from a pressure cooker with sauce from the chicken/figs recipe of previous night), and grilled caprese salad. The 2011 Terre Nere Etna (rosso) was just what I needed- bright red fruit, good acids, nice herby notes. Nice finish, I generally like this entry wine more than some of their more expensive reds. B+/B

Saturday was pork chops, corn, squash with za’atar, and a mizuna salad with radish and avocado. Pork chops were in a white wine marinade, using the 2011 Zauzo Gaston Rioja. Hard plastic cork, and lots of reduction at opening. Tasted later, cleaner, a simple fruity wine, but who’s complaining at $7. C+/B-

Dinner wine was the 2012 Dauny “Pynoz” Sancerre rose. Cherry and strawberry, straightforward, new producer to me that I had hoped to be a bit more excited by. B-

Yesterday afternoon Betsy and 2 friends went to a ziker in the city, by job was to have dinner ready when they returned: grilled chicken wings, in a pair of sauces- a garam masala butter sauce, and a miso sauce. There was also salad, rice with furikake and nori, and green beans sauteed in duck fat. Rose with the miso wings was decent match, with the garam masala wings I preferred the 2008 Nigl “Privat” Riesling. Very full-bodied, ripe apples, lemon, ginger, minerals. Steely acids backbone, long. Wish this wasn’t my only bottle. A-

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 in
:

>
> Saturday was pork chops, corn, squash with za'atar, and a mizuna salad
> with radish and avocado. Pork chops were in a white wine marinade,
> using the 2011 Zauzo Gaston Rioja. Hard plastic cork, and lots of
> reduction at opening. Tasted later, cleaner, a simple fruity wine, but
> who's complaining at $7. C+/B-
>

Zuazo Gastón, probably. That's a run of the mill wine that incidentally, is
available by the glass in the wine bar around the (my) corner. You get a
glass of this for 2 euro, so my guess is that the bottle costs 2 euro at a
cash & carry discount store for professionals. My point is that this is not
the greatest wine they produce in Rioja.

Quite the contrary, I had a glass of Herencia Remondo "La Montesa" 2010
which is on top of the game for a Rioja Crianza coming from Rioja Baja
(that means, mostly grenache). That's a 10 euro /bottle full retail here,
and a wine worth looking for.

The 2009 version was also very good (fruitier and bolder), but this 2010
oozes class. That's also the case with its bigger brother "Propiedad
Herencia Remondo 2010". With the comeback of Alvaro Palacios to the family
winery, the Grenache is starting to sing.

s.

On Tuesday, September 10, 2013 11:22:49 AM UTC-4, santiago wrote:
> DaleW <> wrote in
>
>
> Zuazo Gastón, probably. That's a run of the mill wine that incidentally, is
> > available by the glass in the wine bar around the (my) corner. You get a
> > glass of this for 2 euro, so my guess is that the bottle costs 2 euro at a
> > cash & carry discount store for professionals. My point is that this is not
> > the greatest wine they produce in Rioja.
>
Thanks for correction. No, I'm pretty sure I never considered that this might be the greatest wine produced in Rioja.
I actually thought the Zuazo Gaston red was a pretty decent wine a couple years ago. It was about $8, and there are few reds I find drinkable at that price- it joined a small club of things like La Vieille Ferme, Iche Les Heretiques, etc. Not compelling, but certainly drinkable.

>
>
> Quite the contrary, I had a glass of Herencia Remondo "La Montesa" 2010
> > which is on top of the game for a Rioja Crianza coming from Rioja Baja
> > (that means, mostly grenache). That's a 10 euro /bottle full retail here,
> > and a wine worth looking for.
> > The 2009 version was also very good (fruitier and bolder), but this 2010
> > oozes class.

Doesn't look the the 2010 is available in US, I see the 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 at about $15. Will try a '07 or '09 if I have an order to one of those stores.

DaleW > wrote in
:
>
> Doesn't look the the 2010 is available in US, I see the 2007, 2008,
> 2009, 2011 at about $15. Will try a '07 or '09 if I have an order to
> one of those stores.


2009 is a very good vintage for Montesa also. That's what I would order
(actually, I drank several bottles of this wine and have a few more for the
next few year).

2009 has more "meat" than 2010, which is more floral instead. Both very
good wines IMHO.

s.