Betsy had an evening rehearsal, and no time to cook. so I grabbed a pizza on way home to have a chance for a quick early dinner with her. Wine was the 2007 Cascina Del Frate Grignolino d'Asti. Comes across as light, though there are some apparent tannins (unusual for Grignolino in my limited experience). Raspberries and strawberries, some spicy notes. Good acidity, fresh, floral. Not for those searching for lush fruit bombs, but I enjoyed with the pizza. B
With sausages, salad, and steamed vegetables, the 1997 Williams-Selyem Pinot Noir (Sonoma County). I had been eyeing some 2002/2003 WSs that I recently acquired, but they are in the "rest" pile. So I went with this one. Personally, I was a little worried that this might be pushing it for a base level bottling. This is actually quite nice, ripe raspberries and cherries, some gingersnap spices, modest acidity. Juicy and ready, some earth and tea notes on finish. I'm quite pleased. As night rolls on it begins to crack up a bit- the acidity seems to spike and become a bit disjointed, the fruit gets a bit maderized/pruney with time. Fading fast, but for first 2 hours B+/A-
Over 4 nights, the 2007 Darting Dürkheimer Michelsberg Riesling Kabinett (Pfalz). OK, on night one I found this pretty disappointing. Tropical and lush, seems lacking in acidic spine. But day 2 seemed much more lively- some candied orange slices, citric acidity, longer finish. Day 3 seemed much the same, by 4 it was fading. I don't buy as much Darting as I used to - my tastes have gravitated more towards the Mosel/Saar end of the spectrum- but this is pretty decent value for the money. B
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.