Loving Those Dinners with Dave
15 Aug 2018- Details
- Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy
(December 21, 2016) ... My friend Dave pulled out bottles for our annual festive dinner ... And I always appreciate what he pulls out, finishing with his patented Dav-itage (a mixed glass of wines opened that night). It was here that I also learned about the game Cards Against Humanity
Tenshan 2015 White - California ... It's Roussanne, Viognier, Chardonnay, Grenache Blanc blend that brings pineapple, apple, vanilla, melon rind, rich, lanolin, vanilla, star fruit, and candied papaya to the table - 
really neat and a great starter.
Judd's Hill 2013 Old Vine Zinfandel - California ... This plastic cork weilding zin is 15.5% alcohol and would run you about $43 USD ... its pretty standard fare: sweet cherry, plum, vanilla, subtle spice but far from exciting - there is a burnt cherry mid palate and it is a touch over extracted; and with time in glass it just seems to go all sweet fruit-ish on the finish ... By the end of our tasting we both thought it unbalance. That $43 feels like a rip off and way too expensive for a lackluster zin under plastic cork, so I certainly wouldn't age it either.
Precedent 2014 Zinfandel, Evangelho Vineyard - California ... On the other hand, this Precedent is simply too gorgeous for words: fruit forward with sweet red cherry and raspberry, it's supple, smooth and silky showing notes of vanilla, cinnamon and black raspberry on the finish ... And there is 14.5% alcohol which is not apparent so look out - but man it was hard not to have a third glass.
Venge Vineyards 2013 Scout's Honor - California ... Sticking with the Zin theme Dave pulled out this Zinfandel (71%) with Petit Sirah (15%), Charbono (10%) and good old regular Syrah (4%) ... Another beauty: chocolate, black cherry and spice lead things off ... with layer upon layer of enjoyment to follow. Vanilla, plum, sweetness without being over the top and too extracted. This is what the Judd was hoping to be but never made it.
Mithas 1997 Amarone Della Valpolicella (Corte Sant'Alda) - Italy ... Needed time, but once it got what it needed (air) it developed a spiced-raspberry-prune note with a soft leathery suppleness and smoothness.
