Ah, New Year's Day. What a great day to do virtually nothing - just walk the dog, minor household chores, traditional black eyed peas and greens for lunch, etc. Probably the one day a year I do no work (though dog and I visited office). Then over to friends for a nice dinner party.
Starter was Betsy's shrimp in a red pepper/fennel seed/garlic marinade, with a couple of sparklers
NV Sciarpa Prosecco
Light, crisp, though there's not a lot there. B-
NV Domaine de Montbourgeau Brut (Cremant d Jura)
This is a buy again. Fresh Chardonnay fruit, pear and green apple, some light yeasty notes, good acidity, just a hint of the dosage. B+
We sat for a salad and the 2004 Balbiano "il Barbarossa" Freisa di Chieri Superiore. This was a bottle Ron brought back from a concert tour in Italy. My prior experiences with Freisa were mostly the lightly frothy style, though I've also had the Vajra Kye. This is a still wine, midbodied, some noticable but well integrated oak, rich red fruits, good acidity, some supple tannins. I enjoy, and fun to try something out of the norm. B+/B
Main course was prime rib roast, with gravy, potato/celeriac gratin, and green beans with almonds
2004 Muga Rioja Reserva
Lots of cherry and raspberry fruit, oak sticks out a bit. Not bad with the meat, but by itself All Oak, All the Time. B-
1986 Ch. Meyney (St Estephe)
An old favorite pull through. Had been standing up for couple weeks, I dropped it by day before, then decanted when we arrived. Solid blackcurrant and black plum fruit, leather and a little animal funk, some remaining tannins, good length. I've argued for '89 as greatest Meyney ever, but this may be the contender. A-
2006 Vega Sindoa Cabernet-Tempranillo (Navarra)
Sweet, anonymous, oak and caramel. I remember liking the Vega Sindoa wines as good values in the late 90s, not sure if the difference is mostly in me or in the wines. C+
2007 Delas "St-Esprit" Cotes du Rhone,
Solid, stolid. Ripe red fruit, typical, a tad low acid, perfectly acceptable CdR but hard to get excited by. B-
Loved the food, loved some of the wines, loved the conversation more than both.
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.