Sunday, July 12, 2009

Tasting Notes: A brief stop at Eno

Last night, Hubby and I were planning to join up with some friends at his for flamenco dancing at Ibiza (watching, not participating). We had a prior engagement for a supper club kickoff, so as we were leaving, Hubby texted the guy who had put it all together and had sent out a Facebook invite to let him know we were on our way. The reply came back: "Didn't go. Golfed for 5 hours & worn out. LOL."

Srsly?

So there we were, literally all dressed up and our plans pulled out from under us.

"Let's go to Midtown!" Hubby suggested, no doubt thinking we could have a repeat of our bar-hopping in Athens experience.

Here's a hint: Midtown is really quiet before about 11. We ended up at Eno Restaurant and Wine Bar, where we had eaten before and where we know there's a good wine list. We sat at one of tables that's on the sidewalk on the Peachtree side and people-watched while we did a flight tasting, whites for Hubby, reds for me. The theme of both was "Mediterranean." I told him to take notes for the blog. He upstaged me and tweeted his, so here they are, in 140 characters or less (mine to follow):

2007 Hugues Picpoul. A little mineraly. And in true Midtown fashion, a little fruity, too.

2007 J. Vidal "Fleury" Vionger. Nose was a little Muscatish. Finish... Didn't. The lights were on, but nobody was home.

2007 Scarbolo Pinot Grigio. Just enough acid that I know I'm not drinking water, but not much else. No nose at all.

2008 Las Colinas Garnacha Blanc. Nose was some sort of grape/tomato/mint mess. Finish was again nonexistent. That makes three out of four.

Here are my notes on the reds:

2005 Monpertuis "Cuvee Counoise," Languedoc: 100% Cunoise
Deep, rich fruit nose, almost to passionfruit; dark berry and green tea

2007 Luna Beberide, Bierzo, Spain: 100% Mencia
Not much of a nose, light-bodied and more fruity with mild tannins

2006 Dom de Fontsainte, Corbieres, France: Grenache-Syrah-Carignan blend
Rich fruit + cedar caramel nose (like port, Hubby said); dark fruit with a hint of chocolate, but smooth and not too heavy. I like this one as a summer red

2006 Argiolas "Perdera," Sicily: "Monica Blend" (Monica is a grape varietal, not a person)
Uncomplicated fruit nose; well-balanced between fruit and acidity, but still smooth; currant + other berries, but slightly bitter finish

My favorite was (surprise) the Grenache-Syrah-Carignan blend. Hubby wasn't bowled over by any of his.

We did eventually find the hustle & bustle, at around 11:30 on Crescent. By that point, I was exhausted, and since I'm on call this weekend anyway, we decided to just come home. So, the excursion to Midtown was not altogether successful, but I am glad I got to try some wines made from grapes that don't think I've had before, even if I did like the familiar red blend.

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