Washington spring rituals and some wines in between
April 1, 2010One of the most time-honored spring rituals in the Washington DC area is the blooming of the cherry blossoms down by the Tidal Basin and elsewhere. Even though the Negress’ allergies have increased exponentially thanks to her new regimen of biologic injections, she has been out training for the Team Challenge (click if you can help) and catching up with old friends. At DC Coast, she helped her pals Stephanie and Cheryl celebrate their 20th anniversary with some bubbly followed by Viognier, Domaine Triennes, Sainte Fleur, Cotes de Provence, France, 2007. This was a more steely version of Viognier that went well with crab, pork chops and everything else we ate. Buoyed by seeing my friends and shedding some troublesome people, I took some 2008 Yalumba Eden Valley Viognier out of the cellar and tried that. It was much oakier and sweeter than the Triennes, but had a nice presence. It also paired well with some spicy stuff I ate and drank agreeably without food.
I’ve since moved on to some of the Petit Sirahs I brought back from Napa. I found all of them fruity and charming, and suspect they could use a little more time in the cellar. I’ve quaffed the 2005 Pretense from Solano Valley, which is a value at around $13 from Ferry Plaza Wine Merchants. The 2007 Frog’s Leap Rutherford AVA is about twice the price as the Pretense, and it’s a little more composed, like a lady who took time to comb her hair after an unexpected tryst. The Pretense is still looking for its underwear so to speak. A little more majestic is the 2006 C. Beck Petit Sirah from Napa Valley writ large. This a bold, friendly wine with enough structure that you
Some of the beauty of Washington in spring
imagined a boned corset is keeping this woman in line. These have been great fun to drink and I am going to share the other bottles with some other Petit Sirah lovers I know in New York. Why I am sharing wine with people who live in a state where direct shipping is legal is beyond me, but it’s the season of Easter and Passover (with Mohammed’s birthday not far behind), so I am performing a mitzvah I guess.
Anyway, the cherry blossoms in Kenwood are gorgeous so I am adding pic here so you can see. There are 1,000 of the trees in this Bethesda neighborhood, and it’s less crowded than down by the Tidal Basin. It’s also off one of my favorite rail trails so it’s easy to get to on foot or by bike.
