TN: Recent Ones Muscadet and Rafanelli Zin

A COUPLE FROM LAST WEEK - Home and Au Pebreast Paris (2-4-2006-2-11-2006)

A couple of wines from the last week.

1=2E With a couple of dinners -- mild tacos one night and slow braised pork the next

*2001 A. Rafanelli Zinfandel - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley (2-4-2006)*

Original zinny purple is fading to a deep red, though it is still pretty intense at the edge. Nose leads with dust and a sense of blackberry bushes - briars, the hot sun reflecting off of the leaves and, most of all, the ripe fruit. Palate is similar, with good density and a relatively full mid-palate, but with enough structure to keep the ripe fruit in line. This won't be the staple of an acid-head's diet, but there is enough of a core of slightly acidic cherry to keep the blackberry fresh. On the finish, a bit of brambly and spicy zin character comes out with the mild tannin. This is now showing why Dry Creek-grown zin rules above all other zins (at least for this old-world, terroirist, curmudgeonly, acid-driven non-zin drinker). Ripe berry fruit combined with enough dust and a hint of claret-like elegance makes it work. As Jay Miller says, "Ripe fruit isn't necessarily a flaw." In this package, it is no flaw at all. Not terrifically dense or complex, but a lot of fun. Much, much better than a year ago, this could last but I see no great reason to wait. Drank similarly over two nights with little development or degradation.

2=2E Having lunch while making arrangements for this Friday's TTG#5 event

*2004 Domaine de la Louvetrie (Pierre Landron & Fils) Muscadet de S=E8vre-et-Maine Sur Lie - France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de S=E8vre-et-Maine (2-11-2006)*

Clear and light. Very clean and bright with pea gravel, apple, seashell, and bitter herb on nose. No visible spritz, but the tiniest hint on the tip of the tongue. Crisp, light, overwhelmingly and delightfully fresh. Palate of lemon and limestone and light sweet hay is not particularly complex but is reasonably concentrated and persistent. Exactly the right light lift to match a small dish of pan-broiled oysters over fennel and cabbage with a wispy sauce highlighted by saffron and anise. I wish every restaurant had this by the glbutt. Hell, I wish I had some at home! A wine that is perfectly happy to be what it is. And that's a real pleasure to find.

Posted from CellarTracker=20

Enjoy,

Jim