Last night the basset hound had her first sleepover guest. Some friends are going to China in spring, and for part of the time we agreed to host their English setter. We decided to have an experimental sleepover (so we would find out if there was a problem with dogs getting along in advance). Courtney's owners joined us and our houseguest for dinner. Betsy made ricotta-spinach ravioli (involved, but worth it) in a sage butter, eggplant boats (filled with a somewhat ratatouille-ish mixture, though the recipe is Russian),and a chopped salad.
We had one white-only guest, and one red-only, so served some of each:
2005 Ch. Haut-Rian (Bordeaux Blanc)
Very pleasant, more rounded and less grassy than it was a few months ago. Light lemony fruit with a slice of green apple, good acidity, a nice "food wine." B
2001 Felsina "Berardenga" Chianti Classico
This is a perennial favorite for me, but the '01 is maybe the best loved of the bunch, and this is a pointe for my tastes. The solid black cherry fruit is still vibrant, but it's beginning to get nice secondary earth and saddle leather notes. Tannins are well-integrated, this could certainly age quite a while, but this is just how I like my Chianti. A-/B+
2004 Clos de la Roilette (Coudert) "Cuvee Tardive" Fleurie
This was a mistake. I thought I was grabbing the '04 regular cuvee, it was open before I saw the CT designation. I had planned on saving this one. I'm a big Coudert fan, but this one was a little disappointing - I like the regular more. Fruit is fat and sweet, lower acidity than the standard cuvee, with more tannins. Maybe this will blossom into something more exciting, but for now I find a somewhat anonymous wine. B-
Fun evening with friends, with interesting discussions and lots of laughter. The dogs each got a marrow bone and were content; the people were content even without bones. Jim won the slip of the night award by referring to the seltzer siphon as the Spitzer.
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.
