Jamming with JimJim

JimJim is the loveliest man.  His stories can be hairy, ‘cos he’s a hairy sort of guy.  There’s a solid exterior, but inside, there’s a sensitive new age guy who has deep thoughts, a whole lot of modesty and definitely a sense of humour.  JimJim was in town, had finished his work and was at a loose end.  I reckon he was a bit shy in making contact with us to catch up, but he gathered up his courage to give us a call.  We were delighted to get together, as he’s a lot of fun to be in company with, and it doesn’t take long to discuss any matter, very much as in a musical jam session, each of us having input and heading wherever we go.  After the mandatory pre-dinner drinks of comparing a half dozen Sauvignon Blancs and the same number of Pinot Noirs, off we headed to our local Asian eatery to enjoy some food.

The first wine a style regular that appears regularly on our table, this being a 2007 S.A. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese.  Lots of sulphur on the nose, and decidedly sugary on the palate, but it has that magical combination of sugar, alcohol and acidity that always seems to work regardless.  Being technical we pooh-poohed it but still drank it, especially SWMBO who has a fascination for Mosel Riesling.

Then it was JimJim’s offering, a 2007 Barham Mendelsohn Russian River Pinot Noir.  Dark and concentrated with linear, savoury, black-red fruitiness.  Sleek tannins with all the trimmings, all held together to make it a serious Burgundy-styled drink.  But somehow, on the night, it lacked all the detailed extras of nuance.  We missed the florals.  The finesse and ethereals were not there.  You could sense the makers were trying.  Sure there are big and firm, fully structured Richebourg look-alikes, but even they have that magical spark that hints at the ‘Holy Grail.’  This wine just missed the mark in that department.  The next night much better with evolved secondary mushroom notes.

And finally a 2006 Foradori ‘Granato’ Dolomiti Rosso, made from that recognised quality Teroldego variety of north eastern Italy.  Black berry fruits with a touch of graphite and minerals, and very fine, classy tannins.  Proportional acidity and a style to make it a classic, and a contender for noble red variety if one was looking to add to the list.  Our bottle had a bit of a horsey touch, which I enquired about later.  Some people see it as part of the varietal character, but I have my doubts.  Anyway, SWMBO left it.  I played with it.  JimJim drank it.

We dropped JimJim off at his digs.  We look forward to another jamming session with him.   

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