Wednesday was MJ's birthday and we went out to lunch to celebrate. Down the hill from us is a small hotel on the bay that has a good restaurant and a pretty interesting selection of wines by the glass. Nice views of the water and Lummi Island across the bay too.
MJ had a dish that was something like cioppino, loaded with salmon, halibut, clams, mussels, and prawns in a spicy tomato saffron broth. She had a glass of the 2004 Vietti Roero Arneis, which had a nice nose of baked apple, jasmine and something a little herbal. It was medium bodied and had pretty good acidity and length. It was a little overwhelmed by the spices in the cioppino.
I picked a glass of the 2003 Joseph Drouhin Chorey les Beaune to go with duck confit with tiny green lentils. The duck leg was cooked perfectly, crispy outside but still moist and flavorful. The wine had nice pinot aromas of cherry red fruit and a little spice, but was lacking some freshness. Some tannins on the finish that added structure. I think this was a pretty good effort for 2003, and it wasn't as candied or overripe as some other 03 Burgs I've tried. Very enjoyable with the food.
Last night MJ made ravioli with mushrooms, and we drank the 2001 Elio Grasso Barolo Ginestra Casa Vigna Mate , which was a great match. It was decanted 2 hours and could have used more time. It opened up very slowly, with high toned menthol notes and dried flowers underneath. With time the nose became more complex with some red currants and hints of balsamic and other things. It was really fun watching this change and evolve over the evening. The palate had dense, rich, red fruit that seemed a touch sweet and even compacted. There was so much material that the big tannins were almost hidden. I think this is a great candidate to cellar, but it was enjoyable young also.