TN: Chablis, Meursault and Zin in the Garden

Some bocce wines enjoyed yesterday in the garden:

2004 Le Chablisienne Mont de Mileu Chablis – initial hint of sulphur blew away and then there was a fairly sweet fruit nose, although the same rip fruit was absent from palate, where the wine showed nicely dry and clean. Very decent.

2003 Matrot Wittersheim Meursault Charmes – the difference here was a less sweet nose with the addition of vanilla and citrus. Very enjoyable.

2005 Beran Pinot Noir Dijon Clone (Willamette Valley) – new producer for me. Bright fruit, sweet in the nose and a tad smple still but very pleasant.

1995 Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel – warm whiskey oak sort of nose, sweet and long.

1995 Bannister Bradford Mountain Zinfandel – older, and a bit browner on the edges, with a more elegance and good length. Both were well into the second phase of Zin life when they present more like cabs, having lost the blackberry fruit and baby fat.

2007 Mordoree CduRhone – dark fruit sweet nose, soft wine with good length, what’s not to like?

While Coop and I handily won the first game of bocce, the opposition plied us with wine to weaken our resolve and we let them have their way with us thereafter. I shall draw a veil over the unpleasant details!

[Jenise]

While Coop and I handily won the first game of bocce, the opposition plied us with wine to weaken our resolve and we let them have their way with us thereafter.

FAIL!

I have just two words for you: shut out. Even after your and Coop's lowly and desperate attempts to cripple me, we took the second game and prevented you from scoring nary a point in the third. There--now the world knows what you dared not tell.

But the food and wines were great! Loved your tarts--one was tomato, the other mushroom and asparagus--and the zin pairing was most rewarding. I almost brought you a 2007 Ridge East Bench to try, made me wish I had. I found the Ridge more cablike than the Bannister, which had some of those orange and tea flavors you get in older Southern Rhones. They did not present as the same grape at all, but both were very enjoyable. Trust you to have an old zin in your cellar that nobody ever heard of, by the way--and I say that with admiration.

Re the pinot, that was Beran with an 'a'--I fixed your post for you--but I'm surprised you called it simple. Now it wasn't Grand Cru burgundy, and I don't think it's one to age past now, but what I loved about it was the combination of Asian spice and mushroomy flavors it had. For an Oregonian, not simple at all to my palate.

Loved Coop's Mordoree--it's my first 07--my first guess was New World Syrah. It was so big and sweet at first and the syrah so evident, but I loved how it unfolded over the next hour to show so much power, finesse and layering. A lot there for just a CdR.

Great afternoon, and what a perfect day to be in your garden!

Thanks for correcting my typo on the Beran. I liked it quite a bit, and was just indicating it had none of the complexity that develps only with age. Simple can be a good thing!

And we are just trying to make you over confident with the bocce. The bet comes neext time!

[Jenise]

Thanks for correcting my typo on the Beran. I liked it quite a bit, and was just indicating it had none of the complexity that develps only with age. Simple can be a good thing!

And we are just trying to make you over confident with the bocce. The bet comes neext time!

Okay, we're on the same page--on both issues!

Now, to get that court built on the beach....

When is the next outstanding pate/terrine do?!!

[Jenise]

When is the next outstanding pate/terrine do?!!

In two weeks, August 1st. I'm nervous!

When is the next outstanding pate/terrine do?!!

T-6 takes place on August 1. TV rights are still available.

One of our members will be absent and his place will be taken by my bocce partner.

I have scheduled the last half of next week for cooking (many terrines get better after a few days as the flavours meld). I have an entire goose foie gras awaiting my ministrations, as well as the decisions as to what wines to match it with.

Jenise is doing hers without a safety net (i.e. only half a kitchen). Last I heard she was talking about lime jello in a ring mould.....

While Coop and I handily won the first game of bocce, the opposition plied us with wine to weaken our resolve and we let them have their way with us thereafter. I shall draw a veil over the unpleasant details!

What the hell is this new found interest in bocce. The club here has torn out a couple of our many tennis courts and built three bocce courts. My wife volunteered us into a newly formed bocce league and we're playing twice this week. We usually keep one hand occupied with a glass of wine as we play. This is what I attribute my lack of ability to in this game.

Cana's Feast in Carlton has a bocce court.

One of the restaurant/bars I am involved with has a 2 lane indoor court.

Here is one in New York...>

http://www.unionhallny.com/home.php

[Jenise]

What the hell is this new found interest in bocce. The club here has torn out a couple of our many tennis courts and built three bocce courts. My wife volunteered us into a newly formed bocce league and we're playing twice this week. We usually keep one hand occupied with a glass of wine as we play. This is what I attribute my lack of ability to in this game.

Always knew of an Italian game some referred to as "lawn bowling", but never saw it played until I moved up here and got introduced to it by my Canadian friends. Bill's court is especially fun to play on being that the ground slopes downward from left to right in the direction you play in and is so uneven the ball can, in some spots, even roll back uphill toward the jack. A most civilized sport, isn't it, that can be played with a glass of wine in hand?

For inspiration on bocce, you might want to view/buy "A Year in Provence". the British series written by Peter Mayle, starring John Thaw (Inspector Morse).

The French game of petanque uses smaller steel balls but is basically the same game as bocce.

Bill's court is especially fun to play on being that the ground slopes downward from left to right in the direction you play in and is so uneven the ball can, in some spots, even roll back uphill toward the jack.

But woe betide the player whose errant shot harms a rhodie or sports car. Careful with that ball, Eugene!

Mark Lipton

The cars are located at a safe remove from the feild of battle, but local rules require the positioning of a protective log at the end of the pitch to avoid any players commiting rhodocide (there is a particularly rare bunch of big leaf species located right behind).

The penalty for rhodocide is the same as that for parricide in the Roman empire (although hopefully I won't have to resort to that as I have little confidence I could come up with a monkey on short order - the sack and the cock would be fairly easy - and the swimming pool would have to stand in for the Tiber, and the pool guy would probably revolt at having to clean up after all that....