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Christmas Wine

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Obviously I had to look up xinomavro, I thought it was one of Zaphod’s exclamations. Turns out the only thing harder than growing it is pronouncing it correctly...

Coincidentally French friends from France will be here (in France) next weekend, and I brought my last bottle of this Barolo, which I think is excellent, back over with me for the occasion. I think I’ll make it an international shoot out - maybe put a Pigeoulet on the table and a Bouza too, as I have been asked to prepare the Marchbanks signature BBQ bavette that apparently I served up on the same occasion last year. Now I just have to remember the random sequence of events that led to it being a success.
 
I'm sure we'll get the pronunciation right by the end of the bottle...
Not a Barolo I've heard of.
International shoot-outs are usually fun but you'll have to hide the bottles if you want any honest comments. It would be a bit (like a couple of years !) early to add one of those 389s but at €21 it might be a case of "what the heck" to add some Aussie flavour to the barbie.
It's not random it's like making tea: 1 bottle per person plus 1.
 
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wacko said:
My English friend from France is visiting his mother in hospital but tomorrow comes for dinner. Knows more about wine than anybody I know so I'll ambush him with a decanted Greek (but very good) wine and see what he guesses. If he says "Barolo" that would be impressive. If he says "Xinomavro" he is MW level.
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We will be expecting pictures of the perplexity and epiphany, of course.
 
Marchbanks said:
Obviously I had to look up xinomavro, I thought it was one of Zaphod’s exclamations. Turns out the only thing harder than growing it is pronouncing it correctly...

Coincidentally French friends from France will be here (in France) next weekend, and I brought my last bottle of this Barolo, which I think is excellent, back over with me for the occasion....
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Me too.

Jesus, €7,99!
 
I posted this over on the photoroom, a 'product shot' (doesn't that expression just make you want to curl up and die) for our business. I quite enjoy doing these. I thought this gave a suitably attractive 'pinot noir' vibe.

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Well he started with "Italian" then "Barolo" so very good but then ended up in France with "Hermitage/Cote Rotie" so it was a good bottle but needs another couple of years or a longer decant.
He brought a very nice Chevalier and a Musar.
He did catch his flight but I don't know how.
 
Marchbanks said:
Have faith in your Uncle Marchbanks, he won’t let you down.

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And he keeps his promises... yours for 21€!

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All gone now, in case any of you were going to rush to Calais. I did give you a heads up last month...!
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I have a number of 389s from the early 2000s which i paid about £12 for. And a few cases of 28s which i bought a long time ago at about £5 bottle from Tesco along with three bottles of Grange 1998 at £70 per bottle. Might just have too try them soon.
 
eternumviti said:
I posted this over on the photoroom, a 'product shot' (doesn't that expression just make you want to curl up and die) for our business. I quite enjoy doing these. I thought this gave a suitably attractive 'pinot noir' vibe.

o918Zz.jpg
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Very pretty. When I was a lad there were always three small bubbles in a row on the edge of wine/spirits in glasses in adverts. I wonder why it doesn’t happen now? Perhaps the going rate for bubble wranglers spiralled and made it uneconomic.

Côtes d’Auxerre seems to be something of a secret. As I’m a bit of of a Burgundy sceptic it is about as far into the region as I’m prepared to go. And as a PN sceptic I usually stick to the white. I find Domaine Felix to be very reliable - I especially like his Saint Bris, which of course ticks even fewer Burgundy boxes.
 
Marchbanks said:
Which bit? The xinomavro or the Barolo?
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Xinomavro. I'm relatively familiar with Barolo, first seen prospecting there in October (I think) 1989, most recently in a buying trip to the Langhe last November. I have seen a good few changes across those 30 years.

Despite a more recent love for Grenache and all things southern (French), I'm probably rarely happier than with a really good glass of Burgundian PN, which also explains (counterintuitively to many, but wrongly so) a love of Barolo/Barbaresco.

The Cote d'Or is largely lost to mere mortals, sadly, but the Chalonnaise to the south has long been championed by yours truly as a source of increasingly serious wines in both colours/varieties. The Auxerre, way up in the north, has always seemed a bit marginal for PN, and the wines often a little lean and too rustic, but the one depicted is a masterclass in purity and balance.

I visited a vineyard producing some pretty convincing still Pinot Noir in both red and white from two different Geisenheim (Spatburgunder) clones last week. Two years ago they planted out a plot of Dijon clone PN, and I'm looking forward to seeing the early results next year. The vineyard is in the Crouch Valley in sunny Essex!
 
Don't remember everything from that evening but I do remember that the Musar was about as good as the Chevalier at half the price. So I've bought some. 2003s.
And took one of them to our favourite byo this evening. Even my other half loved it. Drank Musar years ago and so good to appreciate it again.
 
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eternumviti said:
I posted this over on the photoroom, a 'product shot' (doesn't that expression just make you want to curl up and die) for our business. I quite enjoy doing these. I thought this gave a suitably attractive 'pinot noir' vibe.

o918Zz.jpg
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I tried to get a picture with three bubbles for you, but this was the best I could do. It’s obviously harder than it looks - maybe that’s why ad men don’t bother any more.

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wacko said:
Don't remember everything from that evening but I do remember that the Musar was about as good as the Chevalier at half the price. So I've bought some. 2003s.
And took one of them to our favourite byo this evening. Even my other half loved it. Drank Musar years ago and so good to appreciate it again.
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I'm a huge fan of Musar. Proposed to my wife over a 20 year old bottle of Musar in the early noughties (a much appreciated sommelier's upgrade) and usually keep a few bottles around the place. I have some 2006 that I'd like to get around to drinking sometime...
 
BTC3 said:
I'm a huge fan of Musar. Proposed to my wife over a 20 year old bottle of Musar in the early noughties (a much appreciated sommelier's upgrade) and usually keep a few bottles around the place. I have some 2006 that I'd like to get around to drinking sometime...
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I was first introduced to it by a work colleague in the very late 70s. I remember celebrating a promotion with a bottle or two in a Lebanese restaurant when I was working in Colchester in 1989. Maybe it’s the thinking man’s champagne? I may get a couple of bottles myself the next time those Majestic discount vouchers come round.
 
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Marchbanks said:
...I have been asked to prepare the Marchbanks signature BBQ bavette that apparently I served up on the same occasion last year. Now I just have to remember the random sequence of events that led to it being a success.
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I’ve had a few practice runs now, and I think it’s pretty good. The big test comes on Saturday, but I’ve decided to share the recipe here where it will only be seen by about five people, none of whom tend to get very arsey. I’m too frightened to show it to a wider audience.

First fill a BBQ chimney starter about 60% full (up to the top level of holes on a Weber model) and ignite it. Take your bavette/skirt/onglet steak (posher ones don’t respond well to this treatment, I currently recommend Morrisons Bavette Steak, two packs of two for £7) and season and oil it.

After twenty minutes or so, when then coals have coated in ash and the flames have died down, put a grille on top of the chimney and put the steak on top. You should easily get two side by side - if you need to feed more I’m afraid you will have to buy a second chimney.

Here is the approximation - cook for two minutes either side if the bavette is of average thickness. I reckon this gives a medium result. I would say 1’40” for rare and up to 2’30” for well done (which in my book means still ever so slightly pink inside if you look hard enough.) I really like the result, slightly charred on the outside but still juicy inside (even well done.)

This week I have mostly been eating it with Bouza Sin Barrica Tannat. For musical accompaniment the Miles Davis Quintet 65-68 box is good.
 
Ah, I think I see, though the pictures seem to indicate that once the coals or in perfect order you tip them into the bbq and cook, whereas you actually cook on the chimneys.

I use a firepit and oak logs, will it still work? Grills terrific steaks, striploins or ribeyes. Never tried a bavette on it.
 
eternumviti said:
Ah, I think I see, though the pictures seem to indicate that once the coals or in perfect order you tip them into the bbq and cook, whereas you actually cook on the chimneys.

I use a firepit and oak logs, will it still work? Grills terrific steaks, striploins or ribeyes. Never tried a bavette on it.
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Yes, used in the accepted way you tip the coals out of the chimney when they are glowing. When it comes to firepits I claim complete ignorance, as on virtually all subjects. But whereas BBQ’d steaks usually seem anaemic, tough and underwhelming to me this seems to work - I repeat, with this type of steak. I love the element of charred crunch on the outside. I imagine the temperature on top of the chimney is way higher than over the BBQ coals. Something to do with the air flow, bunsen burners, mumble mumble (waves arms around in an explanatory fashion.) Tonight I’m using the Weber in the proper slow fashion with a four-hour shoulder of pork.

I think it was Alan Parker who said there always had to be three bubbles on any drink in an advert to satisfy the agency bods.

Thanks for the heads-up on the quality of the 2017 Pigeoulet. I bought 14 botts in Calais on my way over for under 10€ each (plus 7€ on my loyalty card - why not buy some more next time, sucker?) and it is terrific, as you say. Only the box of 12 will live to see the ancestral cellars.
 
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