Last night supper after a nice short tasting at Susan’s - a nice Greco di Tufo for the slopes of Mt; Vesuvius, a simple, low-acid Provençal Rosé, a nice Provençal red blend, and a good Rasteau; we came home to a Progresso chicken soup, with carrots and pearll pasta with additional white and dark meat chicken and a cup of rich chicken stock, with granulated garlic, tarragon and Herbes de provence. Wine was an enjoyable 1999 Elyse l’Aventure Red Blend - cork barely colored, fill a quarter inch beloe the capsule; a blend of nine Provençal grapes with adequate acidity and resolved tannins. with a medium long red fruit finish. It was quite enjoyable with the rich soup.
Then for dessert we had layered Gloucester & Stilton and 2-year aged Manchego cheeses with two fruit pastes - a morello cherry and a Mirabelle plum; with a tannic 1997 Austrian red blend from Mittelburgenland an Arachon Evolution TfxT - fill a quarter inch down from the capsule, cork barely colored; quite tannic dark fruit, with barely adequate acidity; with a medium fruity. tannic finish. The tannins were not much reduced with cheeses and fruit pastes