The 2003 Montevetrano is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 10% Aglianico. (I have no idea what else has had Aglianico in it.) It's a deep, dark red, very opaque. It's nose is very earthy, plenty of graphite, burnt toast, dark fruits, cassis, blackberry jam. The mouthfeel is elegant, but with good structure, it's not a thick wine. The fruit is there, juicy, but not the most prominent feature. There's a bit of acidity, not a lot. The tannins are prominent on the finish, and somewhat bitter. The finish lasts a while. I like the wine, though I've become more a fan of spicy, unctuous, full body, juicy wines. The elegance comes across as a little thin to me at first, but it's very good. I've had it cellared for over a year, and it was about $90 as I recall, not sure I'd buy it again in the future. I opened it to honor the 10th anniversary of Open That Bottle Night. Thanks to the former WSJ wine editors, my wife and I enjoyed it while relaxing on an otherwise run-of-the-mill Saturday night.
February 2010 Archives
The Cenit is a deep, dark purple. It has a lot of fruit on the nose, a mix of red cherry, black cherry, and other black fruits, with some vanilla creme, (though that might have been influenced by the chocolate truffle a few minutes earlier), and a bit of wood pencil. It's a bit bitter on the tongue, but has fruit, balanced with tannins, some structure, a bit high in alcohol at first, and a reasonable mouth-watering finish length. As it opens the tannins seemed a little more pronounced. This is a wine I liked more a year ago, it seems simpler now than then. Prices varied from about $45 almost two years ago to a better deal at under $30 when a distributor blew it out. I cellared a few bottles to see what it did, but I think the reason it was blown out was that it was peaking. Drink it now if you're holding it I think.
The 2008 Abbot's Table is an interesting blend, I can't think of any other that has this mix: 24% Zinfandel, 22% Sangiovese, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Syrah, 10% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6% Blaufrankish, 4% Malbec. Or even those grapes, let alone that specific mix. Blaufrankish is an odd choice in itself, but in a blend from Washington? It's a dark, deep red/purple. The nose is a little hard to discern tonight (roaring fire, all I smell is the fire!) but I think there are dark fruits most prominent. It's mid-weight, not heavy, but not an elegant, light bodied wine either. The taste is very fruit forward, fairly soft, pretty rounded, and with some red berries, cherries, and blackberries. There's not much alcohol or spice or acid. It's a bit simple, but it's priced relatively inexpensively. Perhaps there will be some evolution. About $22.
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Last night I had great Hanger Steak-Frites at Jack's Oyster House in Albany. Jack's has a terrific seafood menu, as well as steaks, veal, chops, and more. A friend had the Clams Casino, and while I'm not a fan of clams usually, this was good! The rack of lamb looked delicious, as did the filet. For dessert the cheesecake was beautiful, and the creme brulee was pretty good.
Service was impeccable, with our waitress very attentive. She also took a special order from one of our party, and took it in stride. I'd recommend the place, good food, good atmosphere, pretty traditional power-broker steak house. And the pricing was reasonable, with the hanger steak just $25.
Service was impeccable, with our waitress very attentive. She also took a special order from one of our party, and took it in stride. I'd recommend the place, good food, good atmosphere, pretty traditional power-broker steak house. And the pricing was reasonable, with the hanger steak just $25.
