Textbook Barolo. Violets and a tiny bit of acetone/VA notes on the nose. Grippy tannins and a silky mouthfeel with notes of asphalt and flowers on the palette. I like my barolos on the younger side.
Paired with paneer tikka and chicken biryani. Picked up on auction for $45. Not bad for a weeknight wine.
Classic Sonoma coast Pinot. Notes of violets, blackberries and barnyard. Decent amount of acid, but still had a fruity luscious mouthfeel. Not bad for a 12 year old Pinot.
Paired with seared tuna, quinoa, broccoli, sweet potato and kimchi
Picked 3 up on auction. The infamous 2020 smoke taint. I knew it might be a hit or miss before going in.
Right out of the wine fridge, on the pallet I got a lot of spice notes .. like clove, mace and hints of black fruit. No smoke. On the palette however, there was definitely the smokey finish. Very little fruit, which was surprising. As it warmed up in the glass, the smokiness grew on the nose and after the first glass, I was just done. Is it the worst wine ? No .. but it’s just ok. I probably won’t finish the second half of the bottle.
Paired with rice, chappati and chole
After a long week, I was craving a cab/ cab blends . Pulled out cellar tracker and found the ones that were ‘drink now’
I enthusiastically pulled the Larkmead out. I had high expectations. We have visited the winery couple of times. But this one was just past its prime. No fruit left. Had the funk of wet sock. I bought it in an auction few years ago. I gave it an hour to see if it would come alive, but sadly it didn’t.
I was still craving something good. So I pulled the Realm out. Sadly. It was also getting close to its peak. A little bit of fruit is hanging in there, but it was very flat.
(These have been stored at 54f in my wine fridge for years)
It’s just one of those weeks I guess.