sinnabor, Derrick, and Dennis. Derrick graciously took over the kitchen and whipped up some tasty pork with a white wine reduction; Dennis showed up a bit later with an amazing mushroom tart as well as a phenomenal loganberry pie. We also ate some more of the Stilton my parents gave us as a wedding present... it's amazing how long that stuff keeps, and it just gets tastier every time.Here's the wine list:
1994 Tyrrell's Vat 1 Hunter Valley sémillon, $40. I spotted this in a Portland wine shop last month and of course had to buy it. Scared that it might be going over the hill, I chilled it down and we shared it. This was a lovely bottle of wine: a beautiful faded brown color, smooth as you could want, with good flavor still left. Delightful.
1999 Cloudy Bay sauvignon blanc, probably about $30. This was the science experiment of the evening. Cloudy Bay isn't supposed to be something you'd age, but I figured it'd be fun to try it out. So, I did. And how was it? Pretty damned good. I think it was better as a 5-year-old than it was when it was young: less acidic, more pleasant. Due to a misunderstanding, however, this mostly got used as pork sauce. Ooops.
2002 Erbaluce di Caluso, imported by Bonny Doon, $18. Everyone seemed really, really impressed by this wine, which was fine by me. It's not my favorite, but it's very Italian and far more interesting than a generic Soave. Sold out now, but it was fun while it lasted.
1999 Andrew Rich Mésalliance, $24. I didn't care for this at all, but both Dennis and Derrick really liked it, so... cool! This is a wine mostly from Oregon, cabernet based, and very definitely in the French style [read: higher acid levels, better with food]. It smells really nice, but the acidity gets to me. I wouldn't buy it again, but it was fun to try.
2001 Columbia Crest reserve syrah, $25. Everyone pretty much went AAAAACK when they got a load of this wine. It's very Rhône-y, not even remotely American in style. It's not quite as outré as the Clonakilla shiraz viognier, but it's getting there... it took a few minutes to open up enough for everyone to begin to appreciate it a little, but it's a true oddball, with some viognier hiding in there as well. I'd say it's just too damn young right now; give it five or ten years.
Finally, we finished off the last of the Yalumba Clocktower port and called it a night.
I need aspirin.
