Valentine weekend wines

[Nicklasss]

Thursday with pizza, the 2018 Corte Sant'Alda Ca' Fiui Valpolicella was quite simple, and very ordinary. Very dry, very light fruit, drinkable, but that was all. Tn: 78.

Friday, with filet mignon aux olives, i opened a bottle of the 2016 Côte Rôtie les Terrasses from Jean-Luc Jamet. This was excellent, a mixture of crushed rasberries, minerals, smoke, concentrated red berries, and some sweet bbq jerky. Mouth was complex, just the right intensity, very nice flavors of soil and syrah, with a core of sweet spices. I would just say that the wine was a bit short on the finish, but a very nice concentration wine. Overall, the texture is the kind of you would drink a bottle alone. Tn: 92.

Saturday, with chops of lamb, i opened a bottle of the 2017 Chateau la Tour de Pez, Saint- Estèphe. A Cru Bourgeois, quite affordable in that vintage. It is very 2017, as i was expecting. Good cabernet vegetal complexity, with the slight seducing concentrated darkberries from the merlot. There was quite a hemp herbous green pepper and taste, but mixed with licorice, oak and darkberries. Not very concentrated, or long, but well made for the affordable price. TN: 88. For 10$ more, the 2017 Chateau Haut-Vigneau Pessac is a good step up.

Don't know yet for tonight. Let update later.

[DavidG]

Nice, Nic. Yesterday was our 33rd anniversary. Opened an 88 Lynch Bages that went great with a reverse-sear ribeye.

[SF Ed]

Lisa and I had meals that started with crab and ended with red meat on Saturday and Sunday, so we opened two bottles to share over the weekend.

Pierre Peters NV continues to be a favorite Champagne. Just the right balance of size and zip, with ripe chardonnay flavors that I can get Lisa to drink because it has bubbles.

2000 Lynch Bages is just a legend. I think it is a lot like 1990, which I like even more than 1989. Ripe but not over-ripe, tannic but not over the top, perfect balance that drank well very young, drinks well now, and will keep drinking well for a very long time. A particularly perfect match with short ribs in a black truffle sauce.

I have a 3L of 2000 Lynch Bages that has BWE written all over it. Whenever BD deems it time, we will open it together. That time could be anytime now - its ready.

SF Ed

[jckba]

Had the 2000 Lynch Bages a couple of months back and fully agree; it was an archetypical Pauillac in perfect balance.

2000 Lynch Bages

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[stefan]

We drank 2008 Veuve Cliquot La Grande Dame with seared scallops for our Valentine's Day dinner. I bought one on a flyer; it was so good that I grabbed four more. It is the first VC that I have liked in the last 20 years.

Here it is 10F and there are rolling blackouts to prevent very serious problems. Likely we will have a large repair bill for swimming pool problems, but at least we are safe. This area is just not prepared to deal with such cold. Essentially everything is cancelled. However, it is bright and sunny, so we may go for a walk using our new boots that come with chains. Our daughter and family gave them to us to use in Shasta when their house is built on the mountain, but we have already used them in College Station.

[Claret]

NV Laherte Ultradition Champagne, disgorged 2011. In a good place, 60% Pinot Meunier.

2011 Rhys Bearwallow PN, secondary development with some lingering fruit. Really good, glad to have aged this one.

[jal]

We drank 2008 Veuve Cliquot La Grande Dame with seared scallops for our Valentine's Day dinner. I bought one on a flyer; it was so good that I grabbed four more. It is the first VC that I have liked in the last 20 years.

Grande Dame is Jill's favorite Champagne and I agree, the 2008 is particularly good.

Stay safe Stefan and Lucie.

[AKR]

We drank 2008 Veuve Cliquot La Grande Dame with seared scallops for our Valentine's Day dinner. I bought one on a flyer; it was so good that I grabbed four more. It is the first VC that I have liked in the last 20 years.

Here it is 10F and there are rolling blackouts to prevent very serious problems. Likely we will have a large repair bill for swimming pool problems, but at least we are safe. This area is just not prepared to deal with such cold. Essentially everything is cancelled. However, it is bright and sunny, so we may go for a walk using our new boots that come with chains. Our daughter and family gave them to us to use in Shasta when their house is built on the mountain, but we have already used them in College Station.

I saw some of the pictures of the horrific wrecks in the DFW area. I guess that's what separates a 'polar vortex' from a 'cold snap'

[Nicklasss]

Jim shared with me a bottle of 2000 Lynch Bages around 2014-2015 in a Old Orchard Beach campground and i thought it was a great wine, better than 1995-1996 or 2003 for sure.

A pour at BWE 2020 in DC was at the same level.

The 2000 Lynch is a great Lynch.

[Nicklasss]

Last night, we finally had a morrocan harari meal soup so I opened a 2016 Chateau Veyran Causse de l'Olivelle, Saint-Chinian. I bought it on recommendation of the wine consellor that knows me well. Mostly made of syrah, with a splash of grenache, with only 13.5 % alcohol, i really liked that wine.

Saint-Chinian aoc producers seem to be producing riper heavier wines lately, but not that one. Very balanced, on the spetrum of fresh violet flowers, light rasberries, light spices, some light roasted oak, and ripe cherries, the wine is fresh and has medium body and medium light tannic structure. Everything's under control, drinks very well. Tn: 87-88. For the price, i will buy back 1 or 2 bottles, as can go with many type of meal.

Nic

[Ianjaig]

For our 20 year wedding anniversary yesterday, we had a 2001 Château Bourgneuf. Surprisingly this took 5 hours to really open up and start to sing.

We also had a 2007 Perrier-Jouët Champagne Belle Epoque which was tainted unfortunately.

[Winona Chief]

Our Valentine weekend wines were 2013 Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett and 2017 Vajra Barbera d’Alba Superiore. The Schaefer Kabinett was very nice and Vajra Barbera was rich and fruity. The Vajra Barbera was part of a wonderful Valentines weekend package from Calvert-Woodley in DC that included several truly fabulous Italian cheeses and chocolate truffles. Glad I took that offer.

Chris Bublitz