Here's a summary of various bottles consumed with dinners this week:

2005 Drylands Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($15)
nose: complex, herbal, grassy, grapefruit
palate: crisp, decently complex, with an herbaceous finish

Quite nice with a paella dinner

2004 Dom de la Terres Dorées (J-P Brun) Fleurie ($15)
n: bright red berry fruit, slight mineral note
p: light, bright, fruity, lovely

A beautiful wine, and even better with the paella (which was a bit
meat-heavy) than the SB.

2004 Dr. Loosen "Dr. L" Riesling QbA ($14)
n: petrol, lemons, slightly floral
p: crisp entry, light body, lemons and petrol, clean finish

While I really liked this QPR winner, Jean found it too "Riesling-like"
to appeal to her newfound appreciation for the grape. Oh, well.

2005 Babich Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($11)
n: grapefruit, grapefruit and more grapefruit
p: guess what? crisp and clean

After the Drylands, this came across as a bit simple, but then it sold
for substantially less, too.

2005 Banfi "Rosa Regale" Brachetto D'Acqui
n: simple, confected cherry, little Muscat character
p: cloying, soft, sweet

A gift from an appreciative former student to Jean. Bleechh!

1999 Dom. de la Tourade Vacqueyras
n: meat, black cherries, tar
p: acidic entry, slightly tannic, black cherries beneath a gamey, meaty
flavor, short finish

Opened as a backup to the Brachetto, this wine was nice, if a bit
fruit-shy. It went very well with BBQ pork ribs, though.

Mark Lipton

Mark Lipton wrote:
> Here's a summary of various bottles consumed with dinners this week:

Oh, yeah, I forgot one other:

2002 Trimbach Gewürztraminer
n: restrained, spicy, lychees
p: full bodied, off-dry, lychees and a bit more

Not as impressive as this bottling has been in some other years, but
still a good example of Gewürztraminer

Mark Lipton

On Tue, 15 Aug 2006 23:17:33 -0400, Mark Lipton >
wrote:

>Here's a summary of various bottles consumed with dinners this week:
>
>2005 Drylands Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($15)
>
>Quite nice with a paella dinner

Not even a Paella Valenciana, heavy with shellfish, would call for
SB--your Spanish credentials are in jeopardy!
>
>2004 Dom de la Terres Dorées (J-P Brun) Fleurie ($15)
>A beautiful wine, and even better with the paella (which was a bit
>meat-heavy) than the SB.

Better choice. Light reds like a cru Beaujolais (or even B-Villages)
always work, particularly in the summer when chilled. Sangria, of
course, is always workable.
>
>2005 Banfi "Rosa Regale" Brachetto D'Acqui
>n: simple, confected cherry, little Muscat character
>p: cloying, soft, sweet
>
>A gift from an appreciative former student to Jean. Bleechh!

I hope the paella was long gone from the table by this time!
>
>1999 Dom. de la Tourade Vacqueyras
>n: meat, black cherries, tar
>p: acidic entry, slightly tannic, black cherries beneath a gamey, meaty
>flavor, short finish
>
>Opened as a backup to the Brachetto, this wine was nice, if a bit
>fruit-shy. It went very well with BBQ pork ribs, though.

Now we're talking!! Vacqueyras would stand up to the BBQ pork (dry or
wet style??) Certainly not the Brachetto.
>
>Mark Lipton

At least there was a lot of variety.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
www.thunderchief.org
www.thundertales.blogspot.com

That Fleurie is such a pretty wine. Why didn't I get more before CSW
sold out?

As to the Brachetto, I think it can actually be a good simple wine in
right situation (as dessert on a hot day on porch- some think it great
with chocolate). But it's overpriced- I'd pay $10, not $20

Ed Rasimus wrote:

> Not even a Paella Valenciana, heavy with shellfish, would call for
> SB--your Spanish credentials are in jeopardy!

It wasn't my choice, Ed. SHMBO earned her title that night.

>> 2004 Dom de la Terres Dorées (J-P Brun) Fleurie ($15)
>> A beautiful wine, and even better with the paella (which was a bit
>> meat-heavy) than the SB.
>
> Better choice. Light reds like a cru Beaujolais (or even B-Villages)
> always work, particularly in the summer when chilled. Sangria, of
> course, is always workable.

Those are my choices, too, as was the Fleurie.

> I hope the paella was long gone from the table by this time!

Different meal, but equally bad match.


> Now we're talking!! Vacqueyras would stand up to the BBQ pork (dry or
> wet style??) Certainly not the Brachetto.

This was a dry-rubbed prep. I'm a big fan of Memphis-style BBQ, though
I won't turn up my nose at KC, Carolina or Texas-style BBQ, either.

> At least there was a lot of variety.

There always is in our household. Life is too short to always drink the
same wine.

Mark Lipton

DaleW wrote:
> That Fleurie is such a pretty wine. Why didn't I get more before CSW
> sold out?

You and me both, Dale. That was my only bottle, opened on FL Jim's
enthusiastic recommendation. If you find more, drop me a line but I
expect that we'll both have to wait for the '05 version to arrive.

>
> As to the Brachetto, I think it can actually be a good simple wine in
> right situation (as dessert on a hot day on porch- some think it great
> with chocolate). But it's overpriced- I'd pay $10, not $20

I doubt that the Banfi was a particularly inspired example, though you
may feel differently. I was a bit disappointed with the lack of
discernable Muscat character on either the nose or palate. I'll stick to
Prosecco, I think (though Jean dislikes it, so maybe not)

Mark Lipton

On Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:06:23 -0400, Mark Lipton >
wrote:

>Ed Rasimus wrote:
>
>> Now we're talking!! Vacqueyras would stand up to the BBQ pork (dry or
>> wet style??) Certainly not the Brachetto.
>
>This was a dry-rubbed prep. I'm a big fan of Memphis-style BBQ, though
>I won't turn up my nose at KC, Carolina or Texas-style BBQ, either.

Since we introduced Spain with the Paella and now BBQ, I hope I can be
forgiven for a bit of thread wandering here.

You triggered a flock of great memories from my years in Madrid. There
was a wonderful place on the Alcala de Henares highway into Madrid
from Torrejon, right about at the Barajas airport cut-off that had
wonderful dry rubbed ribs.

Being a Chicago boy from the N. side of town, I'd not had much
exposure to various BBQ styles in my gray-meat and tan vegetables
white-bread upbringing. I'd had the drenched in reddish syruppy style
which was definitely a take-it-or-leave it experience.

The Madrid place was popular with both Spanish and military folks from
the air base. A big plate of the dry ribs with just a small saucer of
vinegar-based dipping sauce and a crisp, cold ensalada mixta with a
pitcher of icy sangria was as close to heaven as you could get. That
was also the first time I tasted Punche Caballero, AKA "The Silver
Bullet"--a Spanish liqueur that I don't think is exported.

A few years after I left Spain, the place was targeted by ETA and
AFAIK, destroyed by a bomb.

(Which reminds me that it was only a couple of weeks after I left
USAF/Europe Headquarters that the Red Army Faction blew up a bomb in
the entryway that I used daily...suppose this indicates someone was
out to get me???)


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
www.thunderchief.org
www.thundertales.blogspot.com

In article >,
Ed Rasimus > wrote:

> On Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:06:23 -0400, Mark Lipton >
> wrote:
>
> >Ed Rasimus wrote:
> >
> >> Now we're talking!! Vacqueyras would stand up to the BBQ pork (dry or
> >> wet style??) Certainly not the Brachetto.
> >
> >This was a dry-rubbed prep. I'm a big fan of Memphis-style BBQ, though
> >I won't turn up my nose at KC, Carolina or Texas-style BBQ, either.
>
> Since we introduced Spain with the Paella and now BBQ, I hope I can be
> forgiven for a bit of thread wandering here.
>
> You triggered a flock of great memories from my years in Madrid. There
> was a wonderful place on the Alcala de Henares highway into Madrid
> from Torrejon, right about at the Barajas airport cut-off that had
> wonderful dry rubbed ribs.
>
> Being a Chicago boy from the N. side of town, I'd not had much
> exposure to various BBQ styles in my gray-meat and tan vegetables
> white-bread upbringing. I'd had the drenched in reddish syruppy style
> which was definitely a take-it-or-leave it experience.
>
> The Madrid place was popular with both Spanish and military folks from
> the air base. A big plate of the dry ribs with just a small saucer of
> vinegar-based dipping sauce and a crisp, cold ensalada mixta with a
> pitcher of icy sangria was as close to heaven as you could get. That
> was also the first time I tasted Punche Caballero, AKA "The Silver
> Bullet"--a Spanish liqueur that I don't think is exported.
>
> A few years after I left Spain, the place was targeted by ETA and
> AFAIK, destroyed by a bomb.
>
> (Which reminds me that it was only a couple of weeks after I left
> USAF/Europe Headquarters that the Red Army Faction blew up a bomb in
> the entryway that I used daily...suppose this indicates someone was
> out to get me???)
>
>
> Ed Rasimus
> Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
> "When Thunder Rolled"
> www.thunderchief.org
> www.thundertales.blogspot.com

With Carolina/Virginia Barbecue that tends toward the vinegar end Pinot
Noir actually goes well though I've run the gamut from Syrahs to Zinds
and Beujolais.