after dinner sneeze

t says: So it’s been three solid weeks. We’ve done some damage. Once again – not sure how many will count towards our 20&20, as some of these are more like “everyday” wines for us.

From left to right:
Dr. Loosen “Dr. L” Riesling, Germany (2018)
Massican x3, Cali (2018)
Left Coast White Pinot Noir, OR (?2018?)
Close Solene Rose, Paso Robles (2019)
Leah Jorgenson Cabernet Franc, OR (?2017?)
Chateau Laforge, Bordeaux (2005)
Chateau D’Aiguilhe, Bordeaux (2009)

A few thoughts:

1. Dr. L tastes like alcoholic Sprite without the bubbles. Now I’m going off of memory of what Sprite tastes like (I haven’t had soda in 20 years!), but that was the first thing I thought of. And you can drink it just as fast as Sprite, so there’s that! A quaffable off-dry white that just flies by!
2. Dan Petroski at Massican can just do no wrong. If you’re like us, you like your whites with plenty of “zip” (mouth-watering acidity) and citrus notes, with a healthy dose of chalky minerality. We actually just got done ordering next year’s allotment. Quickly! If you want in, just email Dan Petroski through the Massican website and he will hook you up! (No one at this website makes any commission off of Massican sales!)
3. Clos Solene Rose is some fancy-@$$ rose. Coming in at $40 a bottle, it is not for the faint of heart and not a porch guzzler (or at least, not for us!). And by golly it drinks like a $40 bottle of wine every time we have it. A beautiful pale pink, it goes from a burst of watermelon jolly rancher to a ballet of floral and stone fruits that lasts nearly a full minute on the finish. This is the only rose that I’d willing pay that much for. Do you have doubts? Come find me, and I’ll crack open another bottle (we have one left!).
4. While the ’05 Bordeaux was “ok”, that ’09 was wonderful. At 80% Merlot and 20% Cab Franc, it really had a nice balance of fruit and savory flavors, with a smidge of age (definitely drinking younger than 10 years old, but it’s ready!). Smooth tannins, reasonable alcohol. Drink ’em if you got ’em!

Undoubtedly, as we sequester for longer, more wines will be opened. I need to stock up on some cellar defenders for sure! We’ll see you next time!