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Yep, Tom Hill, Larry and Laura, and Howard and Rhoda stopped
overnight in SB on their way to Hospice du Rhone. After an "off the beaten
path wine tasting" at my house yesterday afternoon (to be written up),
we headed over to Downey's for dinner. Downey's is, to my knowledge, the
only SB restaurant with a DiRoNa award. The food was better than I remember
if from past occasions, perhaps because John was in the kitchen instead
of home tending to his young offspring.Theme was venerable wines. Here
they are:
76 Vina Tondonia Rioja Blanca--Slightly oxidative nose, flat
palate without much fruit. Kind of off-putting until the wine warmed in
the glass, and only then was it drinkable. I do not know if this is an
unusual example of this wine, but it would have been better with tapas.
Fair at best.
95 Z-H Riesling Clos ST. Urbain (Rangen)--Delightful, dry, minerally,
and on the young side. Needs 6-8 years and will last another 20. Exceptional.82
Grange--Started with weird medicinal bouquet. It took an hour for it to
blow off and the wine came around by the entree course to be my WOTN. Best
match to the venison. Outstanding.
90 Pichon Baron--Young and chunky. Big fruit, unresolved tannins.
Needs 10 years. Very good + in time.82 Haut Brion--Began as the best red,
but did not evolve. Smooth, refined, but needs more secondary development.
Give it 10-15 years. Excellent +.82
Pichon-Lalande--Bigger than the HB. Classic P-L flavor profile.
More fruit and tannin than HB and overtook it toward the middle of the
meal before the Grange went ahead. Outstanding.73 MonteBello Cab-- Tom
Hill though the theme was vulnerable "wines", so he took a specimen from
his own cellar. Still alive, soft fruit, very drinkable, but short lived
once exposed to air. Very Good for what it is still.The dessert wines strayed
from the theme.
99 Cuilleron Botrytised Condrieu Aygets--A step down from previous
vintages of this wine. Lacking a bit of the R.S. and bracing acidity that
I prefer. Very good +.01 Jaffurs LH Viognier--Pretty poor example. Too
alcoholic, not enough sugar, and chemically acidified. Tom Hill posted
favorably on this, likening it to a passito style wine. It is unbalanced
and harsh. Poor.Food note: Downey's is featuring fresh mulberries during
the short season. 2 varieties grown in Ojai are available now, with the
Persian (best) variety due in soon. Mulberry fans in SoCal should be on
the lookout for mulberries at Farmer Markets and fine restaurants for the
next few weeks. I've seen the berries at the SB market for the past 2-3
weeks.
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