A COUPLE FROM LAST WEEK - Home and Au Petit Paris (2/4/2006-2/11/2006)

A couple of wines from the last week.

1. With a couple of dinners -- mild tacos one night and slow braised
pork the next

*2001 A. Rafanelli Zinfandel - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry
Creek Valley (2/4/2006)*

Original zinny purple is fading to a deep red, though it is still
pretty intense at the edge. Nose leads with dust and a sense of
blackberry bushes - briars, the hot sun reflecting off of the leaves
and, most of all, the ripe fruit. Palate is similar, with good density
and a relatively full mid-palate, but with enough structure to keep the
ripe fruit in line. This won't be the staple of an acid-head's diet,
but there is enough of a core of slightly acidic cherry to keep the
blackberry fresh. On the finish, a bit of brambly and spicy zin
character comes out with the mild tannin. This is now showing why Dry
Creek-grown zin rules above all other zins (at least for this
old-world, terroirist, curmudgeonly, acid-driven non-zin drinker). Ripe
berry fruit combined with enough dust and a hint of claret-like
elegance makes it work. As Jay Miller says, "Ripe fruit isn't
necessarily a flaw." In this package, it is no flaw at all. Not
terrifically dense or complex, but a lot of fun. Much, much better than
a year ago, this could last but I see no great reason to wait. Drank
similarly over two nights with little development or degradation.

2. Having lunch while making arrangements for this Friday's TTG#5 event

*2004 Domaine de la Louvetrie (Pierre Landron & Fils) Muscadet de
Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie - France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet
de Sèvre-et-Maine (2/11/2006)*

Clear and light. Very clean and bright with pea gravel, apple,
seashell, and bitter herb on nose. No visible spritz, but the tiniest
hint on the tip of the tongue. Crisp, light, overwhelmingly and
delightfully fresh. Palate of lemon and limestone and light sweet hay
is not particularly complex but is reasonably concentrated and
persistent. Exactly the right light lift to match a small dish of
pan-broiled oysters over fennel and cabbage with a wispy sauce
highlighted by saffron and anise. I wish every restaurant had this by
the glass. Hell, I wish I had some at home! A wine that is perfectly
happy to be what it is. And that's a real pleasure to find.

Posted from CellarTracker

Enjoy,

Jim