It's about lots of things...

It's Sunday evening and it's been an eventful few days in the booze related life of YHB. Firstly I should update on the three Tesco wines bought last week.

Tesco Vina Major Ribera Del Duero 2005 - €10-09

Had this first of the three. Initially I wasn't overly impressed with this, there was a lot of fruit but not much else. However in the last third of the bottle it all came together with some fine structure and balance and I was reminded of my other cheap Spanish fave Protocolo, which is high praise indeed.

Bellicia Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2007 - €8-19

Not great. Lots of acidity but not much else. Even at this price I wouldn't bother.

Tesco Vacqueyras 2007 - €7-99

I loved this the last time. Alas, we drank this last night and I daresay my heart wasn't in it , coming as it did at the end of The Hangover (tm) - see below, I will have to try this again to do it justice, as at this price, it should be a steal.

The Hangover

I suppose I should accept it an as occupational hazard, if you are going to drink and blog about it, occasionally you will come a cropper. I can't blame Allpay, who provided me with some of the fuel for the flames of my misfortune. He generously showed up at my humble abode for one of our irregular poker games with a bottle of the whiskey at left, which was delicious btw, and kudos to him for spending 20 minutes in Heathrow duty free getting expert advice on what to buy.

This was not the big mistake I made, which was to buy Tyskie Polish beer at 5.6% to drink during the cards. Normally I buy regular Vitamin H at 4.3% in a vain effort to stay moderately sober and not lose my drunken ass (BigNose - Vodka & Lucozade anyone?).

Anyway - yesterday (Saturday) was a long painful experience which, counter intuitively, got worse as the day progressed, until a couple of hours restorative kip was the only way to soothe my pounding head and queasy stomach. After this and a hot Thai take away (Kanum on Mespil road- very good btw), my taste buds were shot so this may account for my lack of appreciation for the Tesco Vacqueyras.

Finally, I know it been a long haul, but we are just finishing up another bottle of the Domaine la Brunely Vacqueyras, from the Superquinn French wine sale. Damn - it's still really tasty. I think there's a couple of days left in the sale, if you are in the neighbourhood, please buy some.

Tesco - More wines

Well, one of the advantages of living in our city pad is the proximity of both Oddbins and Tesco. As I noted last time, Tesco Baggot St sometimes has a great selection of wines. Tonight was no different, there were many wines I would like to have bought, but I settled on three...

Tesco Vacqueyras 2007 - €7-99

Last time I sought this I loved it and it cost €12. I has decided to buy only wines I hadn't tried before but this went by the board when I saw this for €7-99. A huge and spicy bargain at this price.

Tesco Vina Major Ribera Del Duero 2005 - €10-09

Have just started this and will review anon, worth a punt to get a decent Ribera at this odd price.

Bellicia Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2007 - €8-19

Another punt here but at this price its definitely worth a shot.

Dax all folks...

It was the occasion of NOB's hem-hem birthday and we were being brought out by BigEars, us being YHB, Herself, June and BigNose; to his chagrin BigHead was away on his hols but he sweetly ordered us a bottle of bubbly for when we arrived.

I was given the enviable task of choosing the Vino, Dax has a very extensive and expensive list so I was caught in the usual dilemma of keeping cost down while trying to choose something decent. On perusing the list I figured a Rhone or a Languedoc would best fit the bill and June concurred. To that end I chose the above wine a L'Amourier 2006 Minervois from Luc Lapeyre. If I do say so myself I think it was spot on. Fruity, minerally, acidic, this had a good balance of components and was accessible and quite French. Although I liked it and it was as I expected, I hope everyone else liked it, it may not have been to everyone else's taste but I tried not to choose anything too esoteric.

Anyhoo - the food was lovely, I had a Ross O'Caroll Kelly special; a rabbit, bacon and cabbage tart or "tourte" as it appeared on the menu and it was focking delicious, followed by a tender piece of veal (I know) and a divine shin of veal. I didn't go the whole cruelty to animals hog by having the fois gras starter but I was tempted...

The night ended later with more bubbly and the horrible caterwauling that is us playing with Singstar - thanks again BigEars for the fine evening and Go Leinster!

Liveblog - Cristia Cotes Du Ventoux 2007

So its come to this - another liveblog.

Firstly I need to quickly comment on wine number three (of four) from the Superquinn French wine sale - Chateau Le Mayne Bordeaux Superieur 2005 (at left). While this was not unpleasant, it didn't taste like a Bordeaux, more like a middle-of-the-road undistinguished French red. I don't know what I expected for €8, I suppose. This again confirms my rule of never buying cheap Bordeaux or Burgundy, there just isn't any good stuff around below about €20. If you know of some please let me know.

So - the liveblog, this has tended to happen of a Friday evening while watching a movie with Herself and tonight is no exception. Last time I did it the wine ended up mirroring the movie. We are now watching The Boat That Rocked, so we'll see. The wine is number four (of four) from Superquinn, a Domaine de Christia Cotes du Ventoux 2007, reduced to €8 from €14-99.

21-30 The wine has been decanting for an hour now and we have just had a first sip and very nice it is too, quite "Rhoney", a little spicy and a little fruity. Herself reckons its chocolaty and smooth but that may be wish fulfillment on her part.

22-00 I'm still liking this, it developed a little more fruit and a tadge more complexity in the last 30 minutes, not unlike the movie which has just taken a dramatic turn. The wine now has a decent finish, lets hope the movie follows suit (Woo-hoo! - film/wine comparisons are go!)

22-40 The movie is heading for its close as is the bottle, so I'll wrap things up. I like this wine, at €8 I'd buy it again, at €14-99, not so much. The movie got a lot of hate in the reviews (spoilers ahead) I've read, apart from Mark Kermode, and I'm not sure why. It's not a masterpiece but its moderately amusing, it has a great cast (some underused), it does go a bit Titanic at the end but hey, pobody's nerfect.

Next - We're off to Dax for NOB's birthday, congrats a deux, and I'll report back on the grub/vino.

Superquinn - Two out of Four Ain't Bad

Right, its Monday night and YHB is feeling festively plump after a couple of heavy weekends, methinks I will have to moderate my food and booze intake or I'll be fat as fool when middle-age rests her blue-veined hand on my shoulder.

Anyhoo - over the weekend we sampled the first two of four Superquinn wines from the French Wine Sale, starting with the elaborately monikered Combe D'Aline Du Domaine des Escaravailles Cairanne Cotes Du Rhone Villages 2007.

Name: Combe D'Aline Cairanne Cotes Du Rhone Villages

Year: 2007
Price: €9 (Reduced from €12-99)
Notes: As I mentioned in my last post this smelt very "Rhoney" on opening. However it didn't taste quite so much so after a short while decanting. The blurb said "warm cherry fruits" and I'll go along with that, it was a little more modern and upfront in style that a lot of Cotes Du Rhone but quite nice with it, well balanced, moderately fruity, smooth and very good value at €9.

Next up the relatively expensive Vacqueyras.

Name: Domaine la Brunely Vacqueyras

Year: 2005
Price: €13 (Reduced from €17-99)
Notes: Some confusion here as the wine Parker gave 90/100 to is called Domaine de la Brunely , which is what is says on the label on the back of the bottle so whether this is the prize pig or not is anyone's guess. Long story short, not much nose off this but a delicious complex lingering flavour. The blurb says this is a bargain Chateauneuf-du-Pape but this was a lot rounder and smoother than that. Not sure if it's worth €17-99 but at €13 I'd buy this again, no questions.

Superquinn French Wine Sale Autumn 2009 - Purchases

Finally made it down to Superquinn Blackrock to nab a few samples from the latest French wine sale as initially posted on here. I think I did the selection of wines a disservice as the actual selection is a lot more extensive than is obvious from the flyer. Although the corollary of this is that, as before, the entire range of wines did not appear to be present, there is supposed to be a Corbieres for €7 which I could not locate.

Anyhoo, I bought four reds and as usual I decided to sample mostly from the budget end of the range. The wines are as follows (L-R)...

**Update - added "Reduced from" prices, although I am sometimes dubious about the veracity of these.

Chateau Le Mayne Bordeaux Superieur 2005 - €8 (reduced from €10-65)

The Book says - "deliciously ripe, rich red"

I say - €8 for a 2005 Bordeaux is definitely worth a punt.

Combe D'Aline Cairanne Cotes Du Rhone Villages 2007 - €9 (reduced from €12-99)

The Book says "Cairanne is consistently good...warm cherry fruits"

I say - I have just decanted this and it smells nice, very "Rhoney"

Domaine la Brunely Vacqueyras 2005 - €13 (reduced from €17-99)

The Book says - "organic and biodynamic - made in accordance with the phases of the moon"

I say "What - the moon?", the most expensive wine I bought today but I've had good fortune with Vacqueyras before so worth a try. Have just Googled this vintage and apparently Robert Parker gave it 90/100! Not sure if this is the same wine though...

Domaine de Christia Cotes du Ventoux 2007 - €8 (reduced from €14-99)

The Book says - "a soft, medium bodied wine".

I say - I liked the Grenache in the last sale so I took a chance on this.

I'll report back tomorrow on the Cairanne.

Whiskey Shopping list

After doing a whiskey audit recently,it occurred to me to compile my whiskey shopping list of drams that I'd like to purchase in the next year or so...

We'll start with the Islay (pronounced eye-lah) malts.

Laphroaig 10yo, 15yo, 18yo - I don't think they are making the 15yo anymore which is a pity as it is more subtle expression than the bull in a china shop that is the 10yo. I've heard the 18yo is fab but its also about a ninety notes, the 10yo for me so...

Caol Ila 12yo, 18yo - Got a bottle of the 18yo from Granny G a while back and loved it, not a big peaty malt but delicious and salty. Alas, I have not seen it or the 12yo since.

Bruichladdich 12yo, 17yo - had both of these at the same time some years ago. The 12yo was nice while the 17yo was very very tasty, a little peaty but smooth with it.

Next - Other Scotches

Oban 14yo - I only ever drink this in restaurants, but its always good if a little pricey at about 60 bills.

Cragganmore 12yo - the only one of Diageo's Classic Malts I've not tried.

Macallan 12yo fine oak - Love this one, recently accidentally inveigled a fellow wedding guest to buy 2 shots of the 18yo at about 16 quid a shot - sorry Andrew!

Glenmorangie Classic 10yo / Lasanta 12 yo - recently fell back in like with this distillery, the classic is very fine and the Lasanta is a sherry finish that is also very pleasing - see here.

Dalwhinnie 15yo - Drank this at a couple of card games courtesy of Mr J. Liked it a lot.

Irish Single Malts - I have been recommended both below as a good, inexpensive starting point for my Irish Whiskey odyssey.

Connemara peated single malt.

Tyrconnell single malt.

Molloys Belles Roches Fitou 2007

This is the second of two new wines I got in Molloys last week. After the disappointment that was the Jerome Quiot Carianne (although there was a Vacqueyras by the same crowd I may try) it was with trepidation that I opened this Fitou, although I've had a few different wines from this region and they have mostly been decent so...

Name: Belles Roches Fitou

Year: 2007
Price: €9-25
Notes: I liked this, again I wasn't overwhelmed by any particular flavours, it was well balanced, a little fruity and all round very pleasant indeed. At this price it's good value and is worth a look if you are in Molloys.

Next: Dying with a cold I "somehow" caught from Herself on the weekend, we'll see.

Much fun in Powerscourt.

After six wonderful years, or something, myself and Herself decided to splash out and go to Gordon Ramsay in the Ritz Carlton in Powerscourt and also spend the night there. Normally such an undertaking would be prohibitively expensive but with a little help from an elder brother (Cheers Ro!), we were able to get a very good deal. Note: this post is quite a "foodie" post so if that offends you - leave now.

Our wine adventures started earlier than expected when, after a little snafu with our room, we were presented with a complementary bottle of red and some chocolates (see above). The red was a Beaune Premier Cru - Les Bressandes 2006 from Domaine Pavelot. As I mentioned here I haven't a huge amount of experience with Pinot Noirs and Burgundies in particular.

However the moment we opened this we knew it was something special, it was an order of magnitude nicer than the NZ Pinot Noir. It was fruitier than I expected, and it had more body than expected, lots of complexity and a big finish. After savouring most of this bottle we made our way to Gordon Ramsay where we opted for the Prestige menu as described here.

I'm going to document it here as that link may change.

• pre Amuse bouche nibbles - Yum.
• Amuse bouche - (Mackerel) - Also Yum
• Pressed foie gras with Waldorf salad and spiced bread * - Hmmm
• East coast lobster and salmon ravioli with lemongrass sauce ** - Divine
• Sea bream with confît leeks and cauliflower velouté - Yes
• Roast Connemara Hill lamb, ‘boulangère’ potatoes, rosemary jus *** - Double Yes OR
• Assiette of Hereford beef with green asparagus,girolles and hollandaise sauce - More please
• Pre dessert (Triple layer fruit thing in a glass) - Lovely
• Pear Williams baba - Very Full at this stage but Yes
• Petit Fours & Coffee - No Room left at all now.
• Two slices of special Happy Anniversary cake courtesy of our hosts - lucky I'm not petite.

We also opted for the Prestige wine package where the Sommelier choses wines for each course (as denoted by stars).

* Gewuerztraminer, Meyer-Fonné, Alsace, France. A moderately sweet wine (not as sweet as a Sauternes) but delicious with this course.

** Chablis Vincent Sauvestre, Burgundy, France. We had this with the Ravioli and the Bream. An understated wine, minerally, refined and delicious.

*** Dievole Broccato 2006 (?) Italy. My first real Super Tuscan. A big inky, oaky wine with some lively fruit that went really well with the lamb(Herself) and especially well with the beef (me). I suspect this has a lot of aging in it and would be dynamite in 4/5 years.

At this point we got chatting to our lovely Somellier Nicole, she happened to have a couple of other bottles from this producer open and she generously gave us a tasting of the Vendemmia, a Chianto Classico and the Novecento, a Chianti Classico Riserva. The first of these was lovely but the Riserva was a corker. Alas, these are not currently available in the 26 counties.

All in all - a cracking experience with a level of service that I have not seen in a long time. Friendly, efficient, knowledgeable and helpful without being intrusive plus a food/wine experience second to none. My (very limited) experience of Michelin Star level food says that you should go for the tasting menu if you can afford it, you get lots of different foods in managable portions, and usually what the kitchen does best.

**Update - Just realised I never reviewed the Carianne below after drinking it on Friday. The micro review is - NO. Drinkable, but very average, not worth a tenner. Drinking the Fitou now - review to follow.

Molloys Again...

For various time and phlegm related reasons (long dull story) my proposed trip to Lidl to buy some of their lovely Montepulciano (€4-89) went for a burton and I ended up in Molloys again. This is not a major hardship, while Molloys seems to mostly cater for the young and fruity end of the wine market there is the odd gem to be found there.

So, I obviously bought another Trapiche Malbec as well as the two wines at left. At left is a Belles Roches from Fitou in the Languedoc, made Old vine Carignan, Grenache and Syrah. Sounds interesting and potentially good value at €9-25.

At right is a Jerome Quiot Carianne, Cotes Du Rhone Villages, also made from Old vine Carignan, Grenache and Syrah as well as a touch of Mourvedre. Molloys have a range of wines from this mob so hopefully this Cotes Du Rhone Villages will be decent, and an intro into their range.

Superquinn Autumn French Wine Sale

Hmmmmmm. Just looking at the flyer for the above and am not terribly enthused. Looks like mostly a bunch of cheap generic plonk sold by the varietal, which is often a bad sign for French wine, IMHO. The French producers are aping the New World by aiming for the young wine drinking crowd and obviating the reason I drink French wine, the sense of the unknown, the terrior, the French arrogance.

I'll probably buy a couple anyways and I'll let ye know how I get on.

Click here for my thoughts on the last Superquinn French wine sale.

BTW - I made the rookie mistake tonight of not having any "drinking" wine in the house, so I had to dip into my stash and crack open a Chateau Guillou as mentioned here. Damn this is good. I've said it before and I'll say it again, this could have been the wedding wine...

The Last Day of Summer

I suspect the above title is probably true so it's just well we spent last Sunday sitting in the sun drinking wine. Herself, the in-laws, June & I sat out for the afternoon happily tippling, well, all except June and Granny G who were driving, boo.

June had brought the Rosé, at left, from a wine shop in Lucan (June - which one?) and it was very pleasant. I can't go into that much more detail as, while I remember it being delicious, I couldn't tell you what exactly I liked about it. That probably says more about my lack of wine experience with Rosé than about the wine itself. I only ever drink Rosé on hols, typically during the day and that's the best (and probably only) time to drink it.

After a little of this (very little left!), which we had with a BBQ'd butterflied leg of lamb from The Market*, we finally got around to opening the last of the three wines I bought in Molloys last week.

Name: Oyster Bay Pinot Noir

Year: 2007
Price: €16-49
Notes: This is one of the more expensive wines I've bought of late. As I explained I've left Burgundies/Pinot Noirs largely untouched. The style isn't really my bag but I decided to take a punt on this as I'd tasted it before and remembered liking it. This was a lot fruitier than I remembered and I suspect is equivalent to the New World Shiraz vs Old World Syrah in that the NZ style is fruitier and more upfront that the Burgundy equivalent. I liked this, but I didn't love it and it's not cheap. Give it a go if you like this style, its well made and moderately complex for a New World wine.

*The Market is a posh-ish shop just opened in Belarmine, they have a cracking butcher (Lawlors) and I'm gonna go back and try a few of their wines.