Festive Drinking 2021

[winesecretary]

Yesterday

Pataille Aligote Pepe 2019 - nice salinity but the broader notes on the mid palate while interesting are not to my taste on their own. Great with tuna steak with salsa verde though.
Rombauer Le Meilleur du Chai 2002 - a 'hot mess' as the WB crowd would put it. Straight in the freezer for ragu.
PJA Crozes Thalabert 2017 - a welcome coolness after the Rombauer.

Today
l'Etrange Maison Belle Lies 2016 - a touch of VA, but lovely when it warmed up
Florent Garaudet Aligote 2017 - same salinity as Pataille, narrower and more herbaceous on palate, more to my taste as an aperitif.
Ridge Geyserville 2018 - utterly delicious with chipotle chicken
TV91 incoming. Hurrah.

[MigSU]

Season's greetings to everyone!

My liquid meal for tonight:

- Anselmo Mendes Parcela Única 2013
- Quinta da Leda 2011
- Quinta das Tecedeiras VP 2003

[nac]

Tonight, Dominus 2005, and started a Cockburn 1970.

[rich_n]

Today has been an enjoyable selection:

- NV Tattinger Reserve
- 1985 Dow
- 1981 Kopke Colheita

Merry Christmas!

[winesecretary]

Today also v. fine.

Henri Boillot 1976 Volnay - dubious due to slipping cork - DOA
Robert Mondavi 1975 Pinot Noir - absolutely singing, with blood and iron and new world character but mature and with structure and frankly the most interesting thing I've drunk all week.
More of the lovely violet-scented TV91 opened yesterday.
Alain Gras 2018 Saint Romain Rouge - a solaire vintage but for Saint Romain rouge that's a good thing, it's rich, ripe and fruity.
Felettig Echezeaux 2012 in the decanter for the pheasant.


Merry Christmas indeed!

[jdaw1]

Felettig Echezeaux 2012 in the decanter for the pheasant.

Despite this seemingly so good, I don’t think the pheasant will much enjoy it.

[winesecretary]

Your point taken. Pheasant (conventionally deceased, from Ginger Pig) not partaking of said wine. Wine was splendid, almost justifying the 105 quid a bottle I paid for it in 2014 just as burgundy prices were ascending into the stratosphere.

Two of the cats (Benjy the cheerful orange idiot, and T3 (the Tubby Tabby Terror)) are REALLY enjoying some bits of leftover pheasant though.

[nac]

Christmas Day
Perrier Jouet, Belle Époque, Blanc de Blancs 2002
Domaine Vincent Girardin, Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet 2007
Cloudy Bay, Sauvignon Blanc 2018
Quinta Vale D. Maria, Douro 2015
Remains of Cockburn 1970

Boxing Day
Gusbourne, Blanc de Blancs 2016
Remains of whites from previous day
Ridge, Lytton Springs 2010
Remains of Cockburn 1970

[Christopher]

Niepoort Robustus 2005
Dow 1966
Very old brandy bottled I think in the 40’s in a bottle much older I would say late 1800’s - bubbly glass- from a mixed lot.

[MigSU]

Christmas Day
Perrier Jouet, Belle Époque, Blanc de Blancs 2002
Domaine Vincent Girardin, Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet 2007
Cloudy Bay, Sauvignon Blanc 2018
Quinta Vale D. Maria, Douro 2015
Remains of Cockburn 1970

Boxing Day
Gusbourne, Blanc de Blancs 2016
Remains of whites from previous day
Ridge, Lytton Springs 2010
Remains of Cockburn 1970

That Vale D. Maria, was that the Douro DOC or the VP?


Oh, never mind, you wrote "Douro", so I'm assuming the Douro DOC. Excellent wine.

[hadge]

it has been an interesting Christmas at my in-laws with me having to supply the wine for the group, i will finish with the highlight comments on some of the wines,

Christmas eve
Pol Roger 2012 Rose
Domaine Coche-Bizouard, Meursault "Les Chevalieres" 2018
Domaine des Lambrays Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Cru Les Loups 2004
Quinta do Noval 1963

Christmas Day
Krug (latest release)
Domaine de Montille, Meursault "Saint Christophe" 2017
Chateau Latour 'Les Forts de Latour' 1978
Taylor's 1977

Boxing Day
Pol Roger 2013
Domaine de Montille, Meursault "Saint Christophe" 2017
Chateau Leoville Poyferre 1989
Balance of Taylor's 1977

A few highlights of the comments made,

My wife, Novel 63, one sip this tastes like calpol (wondered if we could have this added to The Book JDAW?)
Granny in-law, Meursault is just Meursault, with a further comment of I love all Meursalt as it is the same
Granpa In-law, The champagne is like lemonade!

Father in-law to other daughter, Noval 63, this is the finest port you will ever drink in your life time.

A tough crowd!

[winesecretary]

That's some serious wine, Harry!

The F-I-L to O.D. comment sounds like a challenge. Next year, a '55 perhaps?

[jdaw1]

The F-I-L to O.D. comment sounds like a challenge. Next year, a '55 perhaps?

He did not seem like the tough crowd. Perhaps he could be treated to one of the nine N31s.

[winesecretary]

Today:

Aloxe-Corton 2017 Maison en Belle Lies en aperitif.
Chateau Ausone 1990 decanted to go with the boned rolled sirloin which I've just put in to roast.
Fonseca 1977 to go with the cheese.

[winesecretary]

Neil, how was the Girardin BBM07?

[nac]

Neil, how was the Girardin BBM07?

Excellent. Ready, not falling off a cliff. Equally good on second day. A small glass remains for tomorrow.
3rd bottle of 6.

[winesecretary]

Fonseca 1977 didn't work with the cheese.

Musar 2002 substituted.

[JacobH]

Some very enviable selections of wine being drunk on this thread!

Have managed to have quite a selection of fortified wines this year.

Staying in a pub on 23rd, we found they had the Graham’s Six Grapes, 10-Year-Old Tawny, and White on their pudding menu with 10cl servings in branded glasses. I haven’t see that before. I had the Six Grapes since I haven’t drunk that for years. I presume the glass I had was the end of the bottle since it included some sediment but it was still quite fresh. I wonder if Fells are trying to sort out their Port-in-pubs offering? Good news if they are.

On Christmas day we had a Gilbert 1985 which I bought recently. Quite a light Port it is in a very good place for maturity at the moment. I really enjoyed it. Then a bottle of the Churchill’s 20 Year Old Tawny which was excellent.

Also some Moscatel do Douro from Quinta do Portal called “Mural de Favaios”. Just their basic one, I think, but very enjoyable: not fearsomely or sickly sweet but quite floral an enjoyable. Would have this again.

Then some bits an pieces including a very good supermarket Oloroso and a glass of Pineau des Charentes which was curiously hiding in the desert wine section of a restaurant but made an excellent aperitif.

[nac]

Today:

Aloxe-Corton 2017 Maison en Belle Lies en aperitif.
Chateau Ausone 1990 decanted to go with the boned rolled sirloin which I've just put in to roast.
Fonseca 1977 to go with the cheese.

Did the Ausone perform suitably?

[winesecretary]

@ nac - It did. WOTD. Went splendidly with the beef and on its own afterwards. Proper old school structured claret. Still needs a three hour decant. Was 1990 the last great vintage for such wines? To discuss. Possibly the 1996s but they have mostly never really spoken to me. Some would take it as late as 1998 on the left bank, but not for me a great vintage.

[winesecretary]

27th -

Bourgogne HCDB 2016 Chapuis & Chapuis. Corked. Again. Use DIAM, chaps, FFS.
Bourgogne Cote Chalonnaise, Les Champs de Themis 2017. Delicious pre-prandial, like Bourgogne Blanc used to be.
Ronan by Clinet 2012 - demi opened for cooking purposes - saucisse au lentilles. But tastes pretty good.
Periquita 1966, Jose Maria de Fonseca - to be opened shortly. I have high hopes.
The rest of the F77, later.

[uncle tom]

Churchill '82 - what a tease this wine is! Once my textbook example of a vintage port that was best before the age of 40 - but now firing on all cylinders to spite me!

Graham '83 - good colour, light-ish on the palate, but really very well composed - a good quaff..

Niepoort '85 - after a run of VA racked bottles that led me to put the wine on 'drink up' status, the second good bottle in a row. Is it a tease, could it possibly be growing out of it? I'm not convinced that the issue has a simple irreversible source, but more research needed..

Next up for the New Year, Taylor '55 - I didn't pay that much for this stash, eleven years ago, but a look at wine-searcher is just insane..

[MigSU]

Periquita 1966, Jose Maria de Fonseca - to be opened shortly. I have high hopes.

Huh. Really? I really wouldn't think that wine would be any good today, but may I'm totally mistaken! Do let us know how it turns out, I'm now quite curious.

[nac]

Dining at a wine-loving friend's this evening and anticipating some vinous delights. I'm taking a magnum of 1999 Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill and the remains of the Cockburn 1970.

[Alex Bridgeman]

Niepoort Redoma 2005

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My one decent (half) bottle of red wine this Christmas is this one. Not really sure what to expect.

But it does remind me that I hate with a passion those damned irradiated corks Amorim were experimenting with in the noughties.

Hateful exploding corks

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