Archive for the ‘food’ Category

Dehlinger Pinot Noirs

Thursday, April 24th, 2008
  • 1995 Dehlinger “Estate”, Russian River Valley (14.5%) – group score: 63
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    1995 Dehlinger “Octagon Vineyard”, Russian River Valley (14.5%) – group score: 63
  • 1997 Dehlinger “Goldridge Vineyard”, Russian River Valley (14.3%) – group score: 74
  • 1997 Dehlinger “Reserve”, Russian River Valley (14.3%) – group score: 52
  • 1999 Dehlinger “Goldridge Vineyard”, Russian River Valley (14.3%) – group score: 64
  • 1999 Dehlinger “Octagon Vineyard”, Russian River Valley (14.5%) – group score: 81
  • 2001 Dehlinger “Goldridge Vineyard”, Russian River Valley (14.3%) – group score: 59
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  • 2001 Dehlinger “High Plains”, Russian River Valley (14.3%) – group score: 48

1978 and 1980 Ridge Zinfandels

Monday, April 14th, 2008

Note that some of these wines fall short of 75% Zinfandel, and couldn’t be sold as such today.

  • 1978 Langtry Road (60% Zin, 30% Petite Sirah, 10% Carignane; 14.6%) – Showing a floral-herbal bouquet, with jammy fruit and some lingering acidity. Group rank: 44.
  • 1978 York Creek (100% Zin; 13.9%) – Typical Zinfandel nose, “boiled sweets” or candied cherries. Still lively and drinkable, this was my third-favorite of the flight. Group rank: 50.
  • 1978 Shennandoah “Eschen Vineyard” (95% Zin, 5% Petite Sirah; 15.9%) – Sadly, this wine was corked. Group rank: 86.
  • 1978 Paso Robles (95% Zin, 5% Petite Sirah; 14.6%) – Some oxidation, phenolic notes, and some mustiness in the nose. Group rank: 50.
  • 1980 Ridge “Shennandoah – Esola Vineyard” (95% Zin, 5% Petite Sirah; 13.9%) – Dry, cedar-like nose, with a soft mouth-feel and a lingering finish. Still good, but should be drunk up quickly. Group rank: 50.
  • 1980 Ridge “Langtry Road” (57% Zin, 33% Petite Sirah, 10% Carignane; 13.4%) – My favorite of the tasting, with a cedar-vanillin nose, balanced mouth-feel, and typical Zinfandel fruit. Group rank: 36.
  • 1980 Ridge “Geyserville -Trentadue Ranch” (100% Zin; 14.6%) – My second-favorite, with raisiny Zinfandel fruit and a surprising amount of acidity. As the wine opened up, these elements came into balance nicely. Group rank: 40.
  • 1980 Ridge “York Creek – Spring Mountain” (90% Zin, 10% Petite Sirah; 13.9%) – Brambles and vegetation, with a pleasant finish, but not to my taste. Group rank: 49.

Bamberg

Saturday, March 15th, 2008

“Oh, you like beer and you’ve been to Germany? Did you visit Bamberg?” Fine – it’s only an hour from Würzburg; I’ll go.

It was worth the trip.

RIP PoW

Friday, January 19th, 2007

The Prince of Wales will close on 2007-01-21. So long, Jack – and thanks for all the fish.

Prince of Wales

The last batch of chili (#971) was excellent, too.
chili recipe 971

The Smoke, Part II

Tuesday, December 19th, 2006

I’m not going to complain much about the exchange rate. It’s true that restaurant meals were expensive, but beer wasn’t such a bad deal. In London, less than $6 gets you 20-oz of cask-conditioned ale. In Manhattan or San Francisco, $4-$5 gets you 16-oz of questionable keg beer, and the barman expects a tip. I also find the English attitude toward alcohol quite refreshing.
Stopping right now, sir!

Their attitude toward conservation, however, sometimes appalls me.

There's a preservation order on the exterior, eh?

There isn’t a lot to say about my last couple of days in London. I went to some very nice pubs, but all the LondonLand pubs get plenty of business without my advertising.
Brooke's Market Leadenhall Market Seven Stars

I did get to the new British Library, near St Pancras station. The architecture is nice, and the exhibit on London maps was stunning.

St Pancras, from the British Library plaza