It’s hard to beat pan searing then just putting the same pan in the oven. I’ll be cooking some of my order tomorrow, and serving it with Kobayashi Syrah.
In Annecy for lunch today and I had a bottle of Mondeuse from Savoie that pretty much sucked.
I cooked turkey in peanut sauce tonight and opened two enjoyable wines:
2020 Clos Salomon Montagny Le Clou Blanc
Similar to my last CT note but the fruit is all peaches now. Great acidity, deft use of oak. Great QPR.
2016 Château Tronquoy-Lalande
Similar to last CT note but it sang from the get-go (PnP). Also nice fruit concentration. No hollow point on the mid-palate as the previous one. Dark-fruited, earthy and mineral. Fine tannins, medium minus acidity and good length on the finish.
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Quite the metamorphosis! Really digging the wine tonight. A very classic, cool climate profile. Leafy ground cover. Minty top note. Leanish, crisp fruits more on the dark tones. (92 pts.)
2021 Vincent Chardonnay (Willamette Valley).
Nose of cream soda, lemongrass, and white tea. Palate of lemon meringue, cream soda dum dum, caramel popcorn, and white pepper. Nice acidity, good minerality, and a medium finish. Insanely quaffable - was lucky to get any notes down at all before it was gone.
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This is lovely in an understated cooler year way. Lovely delicate nose and a fine balanced palate with yummy fruits and a touch of dried herbs. Very good indeed and drinking very well
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Lamb and Syrah is a great pairing! You are in for a real treat with the lamb.
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This may just be the ultimate QPR bottle in my entire cellar. It’s that good. Give this bottle 2-3 hours of air and you’re met with the most perfect, pure, complex chardonnay experience that makes me question why I’d spend 4X as much on white burgundy that can only match this level of pleasure. Serve this one closer to 60 degrees F for maximum enjoyment.
@Will_Hamilton when are the 22s being announced?
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So beautiful. The hue, the fruit, the energy and acidity dancing on the tongue. 2019 Kelley Fox Maresh Pinot Noir. I’m hooked.
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Another fantastic photograph! You gotta tell us how you do it.
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I’m no artist or photographer. Just an orthopod with an iPhone, using Stage Light on Portrait mode. I then edit the light, exposure, black point and depth.
Warren’s excellent photos inspired me to take a more artistic shot today.
Beautiful summer’s evening and an enchanting HN
The 2011 HN Les Suchots is kind of a pale red, delicate floral nose and then lots of crunchy cranberry / sour cherry type fruits, very silky and smooth in the mouth, acidity is noticeable on the finish. This is an excellent result for a 2011 and does show the cooler vintage but in a really nice way. At peak I reckon
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How much air did you give, if any?
This sounds pretty good! I need more red wine like I need another hole in my head, but I’m not sure I could not give this a try for less than eight bucks! You should post in the Costco thread.
Also: I had no idea you drank wine other than Champagne! 
I’ve historically been a bit underwhelmed by Clerc Milon, as well. I wonder if I simply have never given it enough air or age. And — you know — I had a bottle of 2020 d’Armailhac behave similarly last week — closed and ungiving the first two days, before suddenly blossoming on Day 3. I’m starting to wonder if wines made by this team are just straight-up throwbacks, and they need significant time/air to show well. (?)
Coravined into the glass, no decant. I had coravined another glass over a month ago, then sealed the cork with wax. It seemed to have worked. I was surprised how well this drank young.
My enthusiasm for still wines was put in a temporary state of abeyance while I fed a new obsession. I am quite enjoying my baby steps towards more balanced drinking.
From another thread:
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Glad you are enjoying the Chard Benjamin. I think 21s have a lot of strength and we are happy to see where they are at 1 year in bottle.
We are actually releasing our '23 Rose of Pinot noir First Man Vineyard tomorrow to the mailing list. This is basically a barrel fermented blanc de noir that we finish with the previous vintage wine–more of a gift to our customers. Been doing it on Valentine’s for a number of years now. Only 890 vines, this year about 60 cases to the world.
The Chards from '22 will be released in Spring and Fall. Sojeau Rouge and Blanc in Spring. We made less Chard in the vintage as Black Walnut will no longer be a vineyard designate selection, so our WV will be 75% Eola Hills between Sojeau and Witness Tree, with the balance coming from the Dundee Hills site. Super pretty wines we think, a bit less weight than '21 but more open knit, sleek textures.
Writing this while enjoying an end of day Heater Allen Abzug Vienna Style Lager. Great stuff!
Bottling the remainder of vintage # 10 on Tuesday: Temperance Hill Vineyard Pinot, Witness Tree Vineyard Pinot, X-Omni Pinot, and the Polk County Cuvée.
Cheers!
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