Before I went to Tuscan tasting Friday (separate notes), I had dinner at home- leftover "chicken bouillabaisse" (a fricassee with fennel and pernod, with aioli and toast on side). I opened the 2005 Vincent Mothe Chablis AC. Had bought this on rec of a good friend who works at a good store. He had said more Cote d'Or than Chablis. He's right. Big ripe pear fruit, a bit of earth, some light vanilla. Next night it was still young, fresh, and fruit driven. This is a big fruit forward Chardonnay, pretty decent in that light, but not what I want in Chablis. If I didn't already have a bunch of Pernot/Matrot Bourgogne blancs I might think about getting some, but I pass on more. B
Saturday I took an experimental walk with Lucy (she had minor surgery Th, can't wear collar, so used her harness) across town to retrieve my car. Then took her to Newark airport to greet David as he arrived home for spring break (Basset hounds are very popular at airports). Betsy was working double, I braised a small chuck roast in wine and lamb stock. Wine was the 2005 Christian Moueix Pomerol. Plummy fruit, some currant, just a little graphite. Mild tannins, decent length. Does taste like Pomerol. Good for negoce Pomerol. B
David has said that he doesn't get much good Asian food in Scotland. So tonight Betsy (with Dave's help) made jantaboon (stir fried beef with fresh rice noodles) and kanah namman hoi (Chinese broccoli with mushrooms, Betsy used white beech mushrooms). I opened the 2006 Catherine & Pierre Breton "Trinch!" Bourgueil. Whoo hoo. Probably my favorite version of this to date. Black cherries and berrries, a little woodbark, some tobacco and spice. This is ripe but with good acidity. Good length, food-friendly, juicy and slurpable. Great for what it is, this is definitely a buy more. B++
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.