Betsy's away for concerts in NH, time to rid the freezer of the venison sausage. I brown then braise in tomatoes, garlic, etc, open a 375 of the 2005 Domaine du Vieux Lazeret Chateauneuf du Pape. No apparent oak, lighter styled CdP (blind I'd probably guess Cotes du Rhone), red fruit, a bit of lilac and herb. Quite pleasant, though not especially deep or long. B
Over to Roger's for the local wine group's monthly meeting. Roger greets us with the 2005 Von Hovel Oberemmeler Hutte Riesling Spatlese Limeade, baby. Sweet citrus, rich and long. There's a little hint of honied apricot, citrus and peach fruit. Really a child of the vintage, this drinks like a big Auslese. Really tasty, and actually my wine of the night by a good margin. A-
On to the blind wines, the theme was Africa.
#1 (Rob's offering) Soft and low-acid, big in mouth, fairly plush texture though with some grainy tannins. Cassis and blackberries, I'm guessing Cab or Bdx blend, it's the 2004 Uva Mira Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon. B/B+
When unveiled it turns out to be the same wine Roger bought, he points out. Too bad he said something, always fun to see if we notice it's the same wine. We did try his bottle later unblind, showed similarly.
#2 (Fred) Whoa, is Big Daddy Don Garlits in the house? Burnt rubber dominates, with a hint of VA and some black plum fruit struggling to make itself heard. Both Fred and I say Pinotage within seconds of first sniff. It's the 2006 Bon Cap Pinotage. C
#3 (Alex) So Alex arrives late, wants to serve his white. It's too cold, but comes across as very very floral (with some vanilla). I say it doesn't remind me of Steen/Chenin, Sauvignon Blanc, or Chardonnay, the only South African whites I've encountered. Alex looks very confused. Apparently he never read a flurry of emails while he was in Paris where theme was changed, he thought we were doing Australia. Fred guesses Viognier, he's close. It's the 2006 d'Arenberg Hermit Crab Viogner/Marsanne. Slightly oily texture, a bit more oak than I'd like, but not bad. B
#4 (Dave) Lighter styled, red fruits, high acids, with just enough rubber notes to have table declare Pinotage quickly. I thought maybe it was a Cape blend as the Pinotage was more subdued, but it's a single cepage, the 2005 Golden Kaan Pinotage. B-/C+
#5 (My wine, so no guessing). Fred pretty quickly says Bordeaux blend. Nice balance of acids and light tannins, this is quite ready. Black and red currants, some cedar and a hint of mocha, not especially long, but my favorite red of the night. It's the 2000 Meerlust Rubicon. B+/B
Fun night with the guys. It was well past midnight when we all walked home.
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.