tuesday evening

isole and olena chianti classico 2003 (again ... std stuff at the pharmacy)

ruby; didn't get any strawb this time (altho one with more acute olfactory organs still detected it plus cream soda???), cherry and smoke, ok maybe something like dried strawbs; plum, cherry (broader than the last time, mineral/powdery feel, parts getting nicely intergrated; very fine tannins; light/medium bodied; longish with a very pleasant astringent, cleansing and acidic tail plus a slightly bitter finish.nice. BANG! (as before, only just because of the usual restaurant markup). stock standard chianti it may be but there's no disputing the fun it provides.

works with spaghetti pesto with prawns!?, butter and sage buccatinni, grilled lamb rack.

the incredible bulk

supposedly the spearhead for the portmen ... big, strong but am not sure he's thaaat fast ... bit like good old cyril regis. methinks nothing that cannot be handled ... think he still sucks his thumb ...

just shoot billy gallas full of steroids and amphetamines and: "don't worry about a thing,'cause every little thing gonna be all right. don't worry about a thing,'cause every little thing gonna be all right!" thanx bob.

hey, we could roll out the upgraded nu kit now ...

the penny dropped ...

wengker has just realised that his team is vertically challenged ...!!!

commenting on our defensive weakness, he apparently said: “our centre backs are not very tall. I don’t know what we can do. it’s not only our centre backs who defend. as a team we are a bit short.”

whale oil beef hooked, would'nt have realised that fact if he had'nt mentioned it! (ok, an earlier post referred to hobbits... )

he's paid the big bucks and spews gems like this ... don't know whether to laugh or cry.

like stale vindaloo ...

now wengker says he's sick ... here , here and here. he should remember that too much port can also do that to you.

wee drop for lunch

had some more of this: la rioja alta, vina arana, rioja reserva 1995 (see below)
seems like it's started goin downhill ... there's an overt fruity acidity in this one which kinda overwhelms everything else. vinegar?. odd bottle maybe but i suppose at this age, stuff like this is always marginal. POP!(-)

1925-2008

hulled

gooners 1 (even then, an og by paul mcshane!!!): tigers 2


geovanni's equaliser was a cracker though ... no one could have stopped that.

and wengker's take? "too much room ..." here.

le gaff also said: "we had the chances to win the game. the commitment was on the high side but we weren't completely switched on to the level you need to be to win the game." ... errr, what does this mean?

personally think that the boys probably tawt they taw a puddytat. deja vu .....................

went home happy

drouhin domaine de vaudon chablis 2006 (their next to base model)

bandaid...oops, blew away completely in a short while...phew; greenish straw; lemon, apple, peach on the nose; lemon/citrus fruit, pear, mineral/chalk (very little); interplay of juicy fruit and acid; not bone dry on entry; slightly broader and less minerally than you might expect a chablis to be but not plump like a burg; linear and very balanced; long; medium bodied; can develop but why wait?; 12.5%. BANG! very very nice.
bruno giacosa barbaresco 2001 ("casa vinicola" label/basic/bought-in grapes)

decanted 45 mins; light ruby (you'd think this drink was thin and tasteless); nice broad nose of plum, dried flowers/violets, mushroom, dusty cedar, all beginning to meld, a bit of tar; plum/dark fruits, cinnamon (very little), hint of coco?; flavours broadened midpalate; fine tannins and balanced acidity; long; medium bodied; probably even nicer in a coupla years; 14%. BANG! a joy.

bruschetta, mussels (tomato/garlic/chilli), pork sausages, roast pork, barbequed ribs...and friends.

riesling redux

lagar de cervera albarino 2006 (rias baixas)

straw; nectarine, lime rind, granny smith; peach, nectarine, lime rind, minerally, round, a little savoury; off dry and gentle entry; balanced acidity; longish with a slight pineapple-like flavour at the back; nice smooth drop; 12.5%; no kero of course but seemed like an aussie riesling with the volume turned down a coupla notches ... like stuff from nz? POP!(+) too expensive here...when comparable antipodean rhieslings cost about 30% less.

tagliatelle alio olio with oyster mushrooms, pork sausages and chilli flakes ... for free.

$$$...sometime it's not a rich man's world

brighton and hove albion 2: adug town 2 [reg time] ...5:3 [pen] carling cup

nice init?

hope jumpin jack's not just a flash ...

until recently, it was the boy-man... now it's this young fella's turn to be lionised by the british press...

neil ashton wrote: "with comparisons already being made to liam brady, little jack wilshere suddenly has the world at his feet."

well lets hope it's not on his shoulders...

there's no doubt that he has great potential but for f*ck's sake, he's only 16 and one goonerling doesn't make a summer...at least not for english football.

by the way, liam brady's irish ...

kids in the candystore

goonerlings 6: blades 0 (carling cup)

i'd hoped that the wee ones would blunt the blades ... but ... speechless.

hobbits in the team?...just a thought.

gooners to upgrade nu kit midseason!

BREAKING NEWS!

well placed sources revealed that the gooner board have approved the use of an upgraded version of the kit issued this season, apparently at the behest of gooner gaffer, a. wengker, who has been seeking more onfield protection for the boy-man-wimp (as well as the other brittle boned wusses in the team).

when asked to comment at the post match interview after the trotter mauling, wengker refused to confirm or deny the report and merely smirked and mumbled something along the lines of " ...if the fa won't do anything, we'll take care of our own...spare funds... 30million...kill...".

said sources also revealed that the upgrade kit is scheduled to be rolled out at the home game against manure in november.

a recent amateur photograph, purportedly of walcott in training at the emirates.
our artist's impression of the upgraded home kit.
disassociated news

top...for 20 mins?

gooners 3: trotters 1

not a bad game given our obvious defensive frailties which were exposed. nuther (and luckily...only a) bruising day though...

it's funny that over-celebrating a goal and attempting to reprise the eduardo/taylor waltz deserve the same penalty.

anyway, would be nice if manure take down ch*lski......we'd be top for a week...

next stop, blunting some blades...with kids.

update: can't complain about the draw

ribs again

la fleur de bouard (lalande de pomerol) 1998
[80%merlot and the rest cab franc and sav]

ruby, some bricking; initially cassis, then plum, creamy wood, cedar, maybe a little mushroom (all melding together nicely), bit of greenish steminess; all follow onto palate, fruit, wood and acid integrating; ripe and furry tannin...nice in this case; medium bodied; linear and smooth; longish with savoury finish;13%. nice. BANG!
chateau patache d'aux (medoc) 2000
[60% cab sav: 30% merlot: 7% cab franc: 3% petit verdot ... so they say]

ruby, some bricking; initial whiff of lassi {the yoghurt drink not the collie}, blackberry, plum, cherry, sandalwood/musk?, someone said toffee?, clean; unripe plum, mineral/stone, citrus rind, that someone said capsicum; lots of fine tannins; still lots of acid (but not unpleasent); medium bodied and length; a little lean midpalate; 13%. also nice. maybe a coupla years more for things to intergrate better and fill out. needs food now. BANG! but only just, on account of it being a bit expensive and the said leaness.

and hell freezes over

manure away

pain in the ukraine

gooners 1: dynamo kyiv 1

didn't have a great game though the back wasn't too bad. we would normally flow. but if the other side does not oblige, we have to deal with it .........

lots of man to man and clumsy tackles.

had chances but we were blunt, blunt, blunt...

wengker has also started to winge ... "penalty was harsh", they "tried to destroy" the boy-man, ... pro soccer is harsh and he needs to grow up and shrug off all the thugs who will be targeting him for the rest of his playing life. if he really needs to be mommied (or wengked?), he should be playing chess...jeeez.

remember this? ouch! the pic a split second later is x-rated. "the beautiful game"? ... indeed.
anyway, to the over-the-hill bill ... good one ... would have been a real pain in the arsenal if we had gone down.

supper on wednesday

would be nice wouldn't it? crappy strike rate against them chooks though...

don't break out the bubbly just yet

gooners 4: blackburn 0

a heartening display but it must be seen in context. we played well (and took "most of" our chances) against a weak team. this is what must be done to lesser teams every single week with no exceptions before we can even hope to run with the big boys.

in any event, was a good game to blood the newborns...did not look particularly overawed...nice.

rvp and boy-man were not bad, eh? and the togolese vicillater might just redeem himself with the fans ... hmmm, hows about 30 more epl goals and leaving out the celebratory wriggling for some forgiveness?

and given the shareholdings at the club, could it be said that wednesday's game is at "home"? gives me the shivers...

all told, not a bad weekend... no points dropped plus the refreshing mancunian maulings elsewhere.

chateauneuf du puppy

cr*ppy mobile pic ... sorry

domaine roger sabon chateauneuf du pape "les olivets" 2006 [80%g:10%s:10%cinsault]
(their basic model but apparently still from 50 y.o. vines)

young...so, decanted; bright and clear ruby; gentle but complex nose, cherry, plum, raisins, pencil shavings, chinese herbs, some licorice, later a whiff of jasmine and cedar develops; said cherry (ripe), plum, raisins (rum and raisin?) and herbs follow through, pepper, mineral/stone, later some soy, guinness? and saltiness?; fine tannins forming a firm backbone; just enough acid; smooth and linear; not very long and almost lean (but lenghtened and broadened with air and food); a bit alcoholic; medium bodied; 14.5%.

not for those who prefer fat, oaky and ultra fruity stuff; air it out for about 1 hour if you must have it now, and why not, but it'll probably be very nice in a couple of years. BANG! [only just, as the price is a little high]. the 2004 reserve below was fleshier midpalate but i really liked this particular drop. is this what trad cdp's are about?

roast pork and barbequed ribs...

cesc si bon

a. wengker has supposedly blasted hairychestered city’s new owners and said that our spanish savant was not for sale, even for £135million...

i wonder how the board would react if the money was really waved in their faces? see judas strain below.

and then there's the wonder boy-man...

baby on fire

boy-man 3: shrek 1: croatia 1

brit papers going gaga ... here, here and here ... poor things, have not had much to rave about since mr. posh shaved his head.

now, if only that form (the boy's not the bristles) can be carried over into our epl matches...consistently ... we'll have wait and see.

next stop, blackburn.

judas strain

pete hill-slopes purportedly said recently that the gunners would consider selling up if a “financially irresistible” offer was made for the club after the abu dhabi united group’s £210m takeover of city.

“if someone made a bid, which our advisers said was financially irresistible, we’d have to put it to the shareholders..." sez e.

here comes gunnerovski fc...er...uzbekistunners?

it came from down south

vina bisquertt casa la joya reserve chardonnay 2006 [colchagua valley]

dark straw; juicy nectarine/peach, whiff of caramel, oak; follows almost exactly onto the palate plus some toast, alcoholic; balanced and juicy acidity; light/medium bodied, nicely lean; medium length, slight bitter end; 14%, ouch; much better with food where it broadened and picked up fruit juiciness. POP!

wantirna estate amelia cabernet sauvignon/merlot 2005 [supposedly also with bits of cab franc and petit verdot] {just about the closest vineyard to the melbourne city centre}

bit of a funky smell as it was uncorked...decanted and it went away; surprisingly, said cork was of the reconstituted kind(!); dark ruby; musky(like from mouverdre ...)/floral/violets, plum, blackberry, bit of vanilla, bit stalky; plum,and later pronounced cherry and vanilla flavours, no blackcurrent/cassis flavours to speak of; firm fine tannins and nice balanced acidity; flavoursome but a little lean overall; medium length and bodied; 14.2%; needs some fatty meat to go with it.

had free food for dinner again ... risotto (proscuitto and feta) and some chocolate semifreddo for dessert. the chilean went with the rice quite nicely. POP!

the "pros" and the conned

the wine speculum gave their award for excellance to a non-existant restaurant...way to go boys. here

if this can happen, wonder whether they actually go through the thousands of bottles every year before bestowing their ratings...? hmmmm...and even if they did, what about human foibles (aka $$$) entering the equation...?

got to look up "hubris" on the wiki.

and they have their say...

Kerin O'Keefe

Brunello producer Banfi has strongly disputed reports that grapes other than Sangiovese have been found in their wine.

In Italian national newspaper La Nazione yesterday a report said results from laboratory tests proved that grapes other than Sangiovese had been found in samples of confiscated wine.

The tests were ordered by the prosecutor in the ongoing Brunello grape blending scandal, which has seen the 2003 Brunello vintage confiscated from half a dozen major producers.

The article, which uses unnamed sources, said that the results were for Brunello impounded at Banfi during the course of the investigation.

Cristina Mariani-May, owner of Banfi, a family company and one of Italy's most renowned producers, told decanter.com she set little store by the reports, and that they had had no official communication about the tests.

'The Siena prosecutor's office has not yet divulged to us the results of a series of chemical analysis tests, initiated by the prosecutor's consultants over three months ago.

'We are waiting to receive the final and official documentation in order to evaluate the results in comparison with the prosecutor's threshold for proof.'

She added that the reliability of results from analysis of an aged wine like Brunello was still a matter of intense professional debate.

'Official parameters for determining if a wine is made from 100% Sangiovese have not been set. Nor has a databank of results been established.

'This is in part because there are many factors that can influence what was once considered the traditional profile of Sangiovese, including fermentation methods, soil types, barrique aging and clonal selection of Sangiovese.'

Banfi and other producers have asked the judiciary panel to appoint an independent expert to who would oversee a separate investigation.

Mariani-May said that despite 'misleading statements by established news sources, the possibility of leaks and indiscretions, and the clearly biased opinions from supposedly neutral sources that exacerbate and already difficult situation,' she remained hopeful 'for due process and truth to clarify the situation and bring the case to its rightful conclusion'.

do you reckon this girl's a lawyer...sure sounds like one.

two IGTs then

castello banfi's brunello di montalcino 2003 and brunello di montalcino poggio alle mura 2003... just stick a fancy "supertuscan" label on each and everything will be alright...ha ha ha.

oops...

"In a report published today by La Nazione, tests conducted by Italian treasury officials have revealed that the 2003 Brunello di Montalcino by Banfi contains grapes other than Sangiovese (appellation regulations require that Brunello be made using 100% Sangiovese grapes). According to author Cecilia Marzotti, Italian authorities have not revealed which varieties were used but tests conducted by the Enosis laboratory in Asti (Piedmont) have revealed the presence of at least one prohibited variety. More test results, from wines seized at other Brunello producers, are expected in a few weeks, according to the report."

well, i never........ :-)

window shopping, were we?

BREAKING NEWS

undated file pic of nada in the mighty bactrian's away kit

at the 11th hour, the gooners buy the legendary zip o. nada, regarded by many as the best holding midfielder/centre forward of our times.

outbidding and outfoxing both toteringhamhocks and fergurliscious united minutes before the transfer window slammed shut, wily gooner gaffer, a. wengker managed to secure the services of nada, 36 and the honorary life captain of reigning world cup champions, the christmas islands, for an epl and world record 37p plus half a pint of stale strongbows. it is thought that nada will be paid 120,000 pounds of mutton per week.

at an unofficial press conference not 20 minutes ago, nada, who until yesterday, played club football with the mighty bactrians in the impl (that's the inner mongolian premier league) said through a translator, that he looked forward to being part of the gooners, exchanging stuffed furry animals with team-mates, being in an epl winning team in 2017, the warm english weather and kicking joey barton's ass (but not necessarily in that order).

when requested by the press to say something in english, nada smiled and grunted "can i have a range rover please?"

neither wengker nor club officials were available for comments.

disassociated press

monday mouthful

shaw & smith m3 chardonnay 2005 [adelaide hills]

light gold; peach, citrus, ripe pear, whiff of vanilla and caramel; peach, pear, citrus rind, hint of caramel and oak; a little stony/flinty; not overoaked nor a fruitbomb; neither a lean nor overly plump mouthfeel, but there's malo; balanced by nice juicy acidity; off dry entry but finishes dry, felt that it broadened midpalate before fading slowly; longish finish; medium bodied; seamless?; 13%; a very nice drop at a decent price.

chased down a quite ordinary grilled teriyaki chicken burger at dinner... BANG!

sunday dropout

at friends' for dinner...

chateau la vielle cure 2000 (fronsac) [approx. 75% merlot + 22% cab franc + 3% cab sav]

allegedly a good one from a great vintage in bordeaux; alas, there was a minor brett attack but still enough to mess up my day; decanted and soldiered on...

purple/blood; thrown a crust; musk, bandaid, thank god there was no fur, cherry, prune; could not get much fruit on the palate at all (plum maybe?), the bretty stuff...urgh; firm but fine and ripe tannins (nice actually), balanced acidity; medium bodied; not very long; 13.5%; pity, believe that it could/should have been lovely...FIZZLE!

the others did not find too many problems with this bottle, most just did not think very much of it, eg.,
a) plum,wet t-shirt!, whiff of fabric softener!; prune; very firm tannins initially but softened nicely about 30 mins. in the glass; bit one dimentional;
b)sleek; very balanced, fruit, tannins and acid in harmony; delicious;
c)uurgh...sour...who brought this bottle? er,i did............well, pass the koonunga hill then ... [and who said brutal honesty was dead?].

flashback: if my memory pills serve me correctly, remember having the...er...1999 with the suspects late last year ... lean but as brett did not come calling, was an altogether more enjoyable experience...i think...