I don't often get time to spend with my brother in law, as we live in different cities and both have crazy schedules. So when we have a chance to spend a weekend together cooking and drinking, we seem to have a lot of catching up to do, in all departments. That may explain why this morning found five empty wine bottles finished off by the three of us (my wife was there too). I posted notes on two of them yesterday. Here is another one:
2004 Nocciano Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Pan Bosco Nestore
Opaque, dark inky garnet. Balsam fir, acetone, black cherries on the nose, well balanced and full in the mouth, although there are some tannins that need to be tamed, closing down the full flavor before it can develop. I would wait another year or two at least before opening another bottle. Very good.
The other two bottles, .....well, ahem,....... lets say taking notes stopped being a priority.
This evening's meal was a little more subdued, needless to say, although we still managed to go through two reds and half bottle of Rivesaltes (see previous note).
2004 Domaine San Marti, Côtes du Roussillon, Cuvée Augustine Coronat, Coronat Bernard et fils
Deep garnet color, reasonably complex nose smelling of prunes, dark fruit, slight smokiness, the garigue, with vanilla undertones. Quite lively at first giving way to a deeper mouthful. The tannins are still present suggesting another year or two of waiting would not hurt. This wine is biologically certified and grown on 32 hectares of land using the typical grapes of the region, namely Carignan, Syrah and Grenache.
2001 Château Bel Orme Tronquoy de Lalande
Purple/garnet colour. Slightly funky nose, with field berries, mushrooms and a vanilla background. The flavor was limited to the front of the mouth never developing a fullness or bass tone. While this was a typical old style Bordeaux type of wine, I don't think I will be buying any more.