2010-02-14

yummy things

  • tostadas de carne apache (basically beef ceviche)
  • chicken with yogurt almond mint sauce, rotis
  • thai mango tofu, jasmine rice, laab
  • slow-cooked baby potatoes in yogurt-fennel sauce (kashmiri dum aloo)
  • panissa vercellese (piedmontese rice and beans)

2010-02-06

Chianti & Pizza

  • (0) Poggio al Chiuso 2007
  • (1) Ruffino 2008
  • (2) Casa alle Vacche Chianti Colli Senesi 2006
  • (3) Fèlsina Berardenga Chianti Classico 2006
  • (4) A Quo Toscana IGT 2008
  • (5) Castella di Farnetella Chianti Colli Senesi 2006
  • (6) Gabbiano 2008
  • (7) Gini 2007
  • (8) Tiziano 2007
  • (9) Monsanto Riserva 2006
  • (A) Ruffino Riserva Ducale 2006
  • (B) Piccini 2008

Impressions: 2 was universally hated, but the other Colli Senesi was well received. Fèlsina (3) owns Farnetella (5); both stood out as fuller-bodied than the others, with 3 probably the most complex and elegant in the lineup, and 5 the most concentrated and intense. 4 was aggressively oaky, and stood out as the most CA-styled. 8 and A were both overly tannic, improved with exposure to the air, but were not well liked overall. 0 was thought bland and uninteresting. Most people were “indifferent” toward one group, either the (oak aged) Riservas or the unoaked ones. My own preferences tended a little toward the unoaked ones. In the future, when I want to pick up something to go with a Tuscan meal, I will choose 3, 6, 7, or 9.