Tuesday Dinner at Pepato.

Dinner was at Pepato this past Tuesday, 3rd November 2009, with my wife, Doc and Mrs. Doc. Though I brought a couple of wines along (a 2008 Itsas Mendi Nº7 Txakoli and 1995 La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 890), I suspected Doc really intended to open his bottles that night since he told me he had "a couple of bottles I want to try out". Sure enough, when we arrived from the office, Doc already had a red open and a white in an ice bucket.

With appetizers of...

Tempura Squash Flowers...

Roasted Bone Marrow...

...and Scrambled Eggs with Truffles (of which I forgot to take a photo), we enjoyed...

2008 Bodegas del Palacio de Fefiñanes Albariño de Fefiñanes - The basic bottling albariño from what I understand to be the oldest producer of albariño. The wine is extremely minerally, with clear notes of oyster shells. Very pure, focused, linear, edgy and nervy, it called to mind the steely Chablis style of Laurent Tribut (but sans the chardonnay flavors, naturally). Acidity is high, but not at all sharp or bothersome. I'd have to say that it could use just a touch or two more fruit as it seems, to me, a bit lacking in this regard.

I am aware that '08 Rías Baixas weather was cooler than usual and that the yield of albariño was significantly higher than '07. These factors could possibly be reasons for the seeming lack of fruit. It's still a good wine though - my wife certainly thought so - that would undoubtedly be great with fresh oysters, diwal (a.k.a., angel wing clams) and other fresh, simply prepared shellfish (as albariños are traditionally paired with). It didn't have enough body, fruit or drive for the appetizers at hand - but that can't be taken against the wine.

With 2 orders of Pepato's signature Steak alla Fiorentina "di Lusso" (one rare for my wife and I, and one medium-rare for the spouses Doc)...

...sides of Potato Hay, Potato Wedges, etc....

...we had the Doc's next bottle:

2001 Vieux Château Certan - A Pomerol from a producer I have always liked, though, for some reason, I've not been buying their wines (or much from Pomerol, for that matter) for the past few years. Vieux Château Certan's vineyards are virtually surrounded by those of equally famous châteaux, such as, L'Evangile and La Conseillante (south), Le Pin (northwest, owned by another of the Thienpont family), Certan de May, Hosanna and Pétrus (northward). Even their '94, a so-called off-vintage, I have greatly enjoyed.

This wine displayed kirsch, plum, leather, violets, sweetish wood, very slight toast and a nuance of "tar" underneath. Firm structure, full-bodied, tannins apparent but soft/smooth enough. Good wine, not quite mature, this needs to come together a bit more which I'm quite sure it will with, say, 3-5 more years. That said, I very much enjoyed this wine and would not hesitate to drink it again now and in the near future.

Doc liked it well enough, but didn't seem overly enamored with it. Well, it was readily apparent that I enjoyed it more than he anyway. Thanks. Doc.