Wednesday came home from looooong day (reminder to self- never under any circumstances agree to speak on Staten Island midday again) to find Betsy making puttanesca sauce. Not a wine flatterer, that's a signal to me for the least expensive red with good acidity in the house (though actually white is just as.....uh....good a match). The 2004 Masciarelli Montepulciano d'Abruzzo was quite a pleasant little wine, bright with red cherry fruit and just a hint of spice. Not much in the way of tannins, a nice bistro quaffer. Not exciting, but well-priced and I wouldn't mind picking up another bottle for the next puttanesca (or pizza, or the eggplant Parm recipe that the NYT recently suggested for MdA). B/B-
Tonight's dinner was a stirfry of beef, with baby bok choy, mushrooms (anyone know what the big mushrooms in Asian markets are that look a bit like huge matsutakes, though these are quite cheap? taste is definitely not matsutake), and ginger; plus soba in a veggie broth. I opened a 375 of the 2002 Jadot " Chouacheux " Beaune 1er. Tight, but some
raspberries and black cherries show through, some earth, some tannic grip.Not bad. I only had about 3 ounces, as I was driving to take a group from Hunter on a trip around city. Just returned, poured a glass. Very very different. Fruit has opened up and softened, a much more expansive nose, with a little cocoa, some smokey notes, and a minerally zing to finish. I don't think it shows the class and length of a top Beaune premier cru like a good vintage of Ursules (or Baby Jesus or Lafarge Greves, etc). But a very satisfying and classic Burg that cost a pittance on release. 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.