Happy New Years!

January 18, 2011

First of all, I would like to apologize for the long absense of blog posts and would ask that all of my loyal readers to please forgive the lack of entries. My excuse is that unfortunately, as what so often happens, life gets in the way. Now that we are beyond that, let’s get to the reason that we are here, La Dolce Vita. I hope that I am not too rusty…


After missing so many great occassions, I would very much like to share a recent evening at my house of good wine, good friends, and delicious food. This gathering took place for the simple motivation of getting together with friends and opening up a bottle of wine that each of us were excited to share. In an unusual twist, the event was at my house, but I was quite late. Oops! So, it felt almost as though I was attending a dinner at my own house, rather than hosting it. Special thanks to my good friend Brian for stepping in and making it happen.

A well received and slightly different twist to this night was the fact that we each made a contribution to the meal with a creation of our own. There was a homemade shrimp cocktail dressed with fresh herbs, spicy sausage stuffed mushrooms, Fettucine alla Bolognese with a sause of lamb, beef, and bison, and finishing along side the port with a cheese course of Blue, aged white Cheddar, and Yamonamo. Everything was delicious and I am very thankful for everyone’s efforts and culinary contibutions.

In our celebration, we gave each other the opportunity to open one of those bottles that sit in your cellar waiting to the “right occasion”. Well, THIS was that occasion!

The Wines:

Qupe Roussanne Alban Vineyard 2000**
Showing well at 11 years of age. Golden in color, with ripe apricots and a waxy feeling on the palate.

Stolpman L’Avion 2006** (90% Roussanne and 10% Viognier)
Nice wine offering stone fruits and a sweet florality.

Booker White 2008** (60% Roussanne and 40% Viognier)
A little ripe for my tastes, but an enjoyable wine all the same.

Foxen Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir 2005***
Elegant and light in comparison to the Kosta Browne. I have a feeling that this wine would have shown much better without the KB sitting the glass next to it. Bright red fruit, dusty tannins, and a sweet core of candied cherries.

Kosta Browne 4-Barrel Pinot Noir 2004****
The nose had deep and dark notes of black and blue fruit with savory tones of soy to add to the complexity and nuance of the wine. The palate was rich and layered. After being open for 2 hours it went from being tightly wound to luscious and expansive in the mouth with notes of kirsch and subtleties of minerality. What a wine!

Saxum Broken Stones 2007**** (Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah)
Very nice bottle of wine. I was struck almost immediately by it’s purity of fruit and balance. Dark berries dominated with a level of minerality looming beneath. I would love to see where this wine is in a couple years.

Linne Calado Slacker 2007** (Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah)
In a similar position of disadvantage to that of the Julia’s Pinot, this wine would probably have shown better if it weren’t next to the Saxum. It seemed much more simple and straight forward provided ripe fruit and was pleasant.

Palmina Savoia 2004*** (Nebbiolo, Syrah, Barbera)
With wonderful acidity this wine was able to not only stand up to the multitude of wines that came first, but was also a great pairing with the pasta that was being served. Bright and rich all at the same time.

Grahams 20 Year Tawny Port**
A nice conclusion to the night with the various cheeses being served. Classic port profiles.

A very fun night with good friends, lively conversation, boisterious laughter, and oh yeah, great wines.

I hope that you all enjoyed and I promise to write.

Cheers!


0 Stars - No rating

1 Star (*) - Not of significant quality or interest
2 Stars (**) - A notable wine of legitimate interest
3 Stars (***) - Great wine that should be searched out
4 Stars (****) - Fantastic wine that should not be missed
5 Stars (*****) - An absolutely mind-bending wine - beg, borrow, or steal to get your hands on some of this amazing juice!

Disclaimer: This rating is based on my palate and at the given time when tasted and may differ from yours. Also, I may catch a bottle in a dumb phase or it just may not speak to me at that particular time.