Saturday early dinner with Betsy before she headed to city for opening night. With osso buco, escarole, and a green salad, the 2000 Mauro Molino "Vigna Gancia" Barolo. Modern styled with some apparent oak, but not as heavily extracted as some de Grazia wines. Red berries, leather, a bit of vanilla. Medium bodied, moderately tannic. Over the evening it held pretty steady, but a glass next night was pruney and surprisingly seemed more tannic. On night 1, B.
Sunday she played a matinee while I planned dinner. With a salt cod stew over polenta (nice recipe from Shel T from the forum Kitchen), with sides of carrots and cauliflower with pimenton, the 2006 Girardin "Les Perrieres" Meursault 1er, Big, very sweet, plenty of oak. Betsy peeks at label and says "this is white Burgundy? Tastes like California Chardonnay." Quite primary, maybe this will show more Perrieres character in time. Probably would have been better with something like lobster, needed more acidity for this dish. With time some hazelnut and mineral battles through the candied fruit and vanilla to give a hint. Big wine that would impress many, but not my style. B-/C+
(I had a note that said this is 30% new oak, but tastes like more to me)
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.
) to on the whole. Perhaps not the wines I'd choose for myself (but I wouldn't turn down the opportunity to buy by the glass in an Enoteca), but the brains of the operation was impressed. Also a positive experience as a visit, with their charming daughter running the tasting and I'm sure we spoke to the son at some point.