Hadn’t been for a while. Three half-glasses were just the right amount for an early dinner with one tapa… potatos and chorizo, with enough parsley to qualify as a vegetable along with something that might have been a drizzle of yoghurt sauce and some lime. A new dish for me here and it was outstanding.
2017 Elena Walch Pinot Grigio - Pleasant aromas feature ripe bartlett pear and a nice streak of green herbs (basil?). The palate is ripe, dry, rather soft but with plenty of body and enough spice to the flavors to complement the chorizo. In this case, the food lifted the wine. Rated 86.5. Drink now.
2015 Capezzana Barco Reale Carmignano - Bright jazzy aromas feature good intense small red fruit, call it currants backed by wild strawberry. The palate is light to medium in body, zingy with pleasant, unaggressive acidity and a hint of black pepper. This tastes younger than expected, with almost a sunburst of freshness. Fine and distinctive, rated 90.5, really should be drunk soon as the best quality is freshness and it can’t last.
2017 Four Graces Pinot Gris - This was a great match with the dish. The aromas feature ripe pear, peach and melon. The palate is a doppelganger for Alsace Pinot Gris, up to and including the residual sugar, which I estimate at 6 - 8 grams (0.6 - 0.8%). This has the true rich, ripe, oily character of fine Alsace, the acidity is fairly low, the sugar is fairly high, but the intensity is just right, with almost Gewurz spiciness and strong minerality offsetting the sugar and softness. Excellent balance. Rated 91.5, don’t try this at home with a hamburger!
Dan Kravitz