It is Monday - that must mean... midweekers 23rd to 26th August

We should stop meeting like this.

3 days off last week meant that today's 8am meeting was quite a hard one.

To take the edge off, a lovely Rossi di Montalcino Quercecchio 2018 - super light weight - fragrant with lots of that lovely tea-leaf and cherry notes coming through. The grip on the finish is just wonderfully raspy - like being licked by cat!!!. Do love this wines - good value and deliver every single time.
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We should stop meeting like this.

3 days off last week meant that today's 8am meeting was quite a hard one.

To take the edge off, a lovely Rossi di Montalcino Quercecchio 2018 - super light weight - fragrant with lots of that lovely tea-leaf and cherry notes coming through. The grip on the finish is just wonderfully raspy - like being licked by cat!!!. Do love this wines - good value and deliver every single time.
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Was this drunk prior to the 8am meeting? Just to take the edge off :p
 
I wish I had Gareth - it was as brutal a meeting as I can remember in a long time in my career. It would appear the excuse "I wasn't actually in that meeting nor did I make that decision because I was on holiday" doesn't hold water anymore.
 
My first post-Covid wine; Chateau Latour-Martillac Pessac-Leognan blanc 2014. A reliably good wine (at least in this vintage) with plenty of savoury characteristics. Neither the sauvignon nor the semillon dominates here - it's a good marriage of the two. There is good length and quite intense flavours on the mid-palate. Very much a food wine. I've had some disappointment with the 2015 vintage which suddenly fell over with premox about six months ago, but the 2014 is a solid wine. The 2014 will accompany tarragon chicken in about half an hour. Clear *** here.
 
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Enjoyed with spaghetti bolognaise, assortment of records from the record shop and arguing with the children over the appropriate amount of your dinner you need to eat in order to get pudding. The 2011 was lovely - clearly a lot of life ahead of it but enjoyable now. The rando Italian from friend of friends home town in Italy is a tad boozy but pleasant - couldn’t drink more than a couple of glasses
 
2010 Flaccianello -

Bit of a tannic brute when first opened on saturday, barely budged with 3 hours in the decanter. Poured half into a stoppered half-bottle and it has emerged tonight a much more pleasant experience. Bordeaux-like but with a distinctive Tuscan dustiness, I was a bit worried the 15% alcohol would be pokey but it was cooler than i expected - probably helped to be served cold straight from the fridge. Enjoyed but will leave the others alone for quite a while.

The real highlight was the final steaks portioned off from an 'on the pass' dry aged fillet. Really some of the best beef I've ever had and certainly the best I've cooked with.
 
Tonight at a friend’s for dinner. Lamb racks cooked on this beast of a bbq

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To drink we started with Le Coste, Litrozzo Bianco. It has a bit of skin contact to give it some texture, bite and a lovely citric, almost gose beer acidity. A gluggable aperitif.

With the lamb we had a 2014 Lafarge Volnay. The 2nd from a case and both have been deliciously open, fragrant and pretty. Didn’t last long.

There were 6 of us so the lamb needed a second bottle to see us through. Arpepe Rocce Rosse 2009 was on top form. Ready now but years in the tank. Lovely spiced cherries, cinnamon and earth. Better than the 09 Buon consiglio I had a few weeks ago…
 
Getting my fix from whisky sodas atm. NAS Glenlivet over a glass full of ice then adding the very Scottish sparkling mineral water known as Loch San Pellegrino. Seems to do the trick and at last a use for the otherwise rather acerbic Glenlivet which let's face it, is quite rough to drink straight. I never knew I would be a Highballer! Actually very refreshing and recommended to those who like sparkling mineral water over ice.
 
Since we’re obviously feeling a bit boozy, here’s my Monday night aperitif. A prize for the first person who can name the drink and venue*:

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*prize may constitute specific or general honour and approbation
 
Tonight at a friend’s for dinner. Lamb racks cooked on this beast of a bbq

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To drink we started with Le Coste, Litrozzo Bianco. It has a bit of skin contact to give it some texture, bite and a lovely citric, almost gose beer acidity. A gluggable aperitif.

With the lamb we had a 2014 Lafarge Volnay. The 2nd from a case and both have been deliciously open, fragrant and pretty. Didn’t last long.

There were 6 of us so the lamb needed a second bottle to see us through. Arpepe Rocce Rosse 2009 was on top form. Ready now but years in the tank. Lovely spiced cherries, cinnamon and earth. Better than the 09 Buon consiglio I had a few weeks ago…
Superb south american style grill with separate basket for producing embers so heat can be controlled. May I ask where you got that as woud love one myself.
 
692BA26B-95DF-497C-B784-3D1492CEBFDC.jpegF3F3A5C1-9903-4EA7-9131-5CE1E9CE4658.jpegMeursault Les Vireuils 2014 Vincent Prunier.
A very nice wine.
At first rich sweetish pineapple fruit with a tangy sour lemon acid finish which is chewy and still shows a bit of oak and lingers on with cream and oatmeal.
Later it’s all autolysis and lemon stone with the richness building on the finish in an about face. A bit if Fichet- like darkness too.
Still possibly a bit young but some real interest here - not possibly the weight and power of a greater wine but still very good.
Another confirmation of the excellence of the 2014 vintage.
 

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