Saturday was a bit hectic with work and social issues, but lots of fun. We scrambled through the day, made a quick appearance at a friend's 50th, and then home for my non-O year birthday party, with 3 couples joining us (5 old friends, and 1 new beau of an old friend).
We greet folks with the NV Pinon Touraine Brut Rose. Strawberry delight,.hint of bitter herbs and chalk, nice. B+
The fried shrimp wontons were matched by the 2007 Huet "Le Mont" Vouvray Sec. Decanted about an hour before serving, showing nicely. Full and fruity, wax and wooly. A-
First sitdown course was a pumpkin gratin, with I matched with the 2008 Fourrier Bourgogne Blanc. Lovely clean Chardonnay, apples,.citrus and chalk. B+
Main course was braised short ribs, potatoes, and roasted kale. I had chosen a few wines, didn't open a couple as one guest brought a Cab "for the table." Not usually my preferred method,but friendship is more important than wine geekery.
2009 Joel Gott "815" Cabernet Sauvignon
Lush, fruity, low acid. Not my style but others liked. C+/B-
1978 Domaine de Chevalier (Graves)
Always a solid performer, cassis and red plum overlaid with tobacco and damp earth. A-
2007 Foillard "Cuvee 3.14" Morgon
Marc had missed our gamay-fest night before, so I brought this out for him,. Structured, elegant, lively. A-
1979 Drouhin Gevrey-Chambertin
A clear longshot. Thin, funky, and a trifle nasty when opened. Sat in bottle for about 3 hours, got better, though with the sweet/candied over dead leaves thing one gets in too old PN. Some acids, no tannins, falls apart after 10 -15 minutes in glass. D on opening, B-/C+ with time and a gentle pour.
Annabelle had brought an assortment of sweets and fruit, plus I had some "live" cheeses (tributes to Gruyere and Tomme de Savoie, plus a bloomy rind). We revisited wines, plus the 2002 JJ Christoffel Urzigner Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese **. Orange blossoms, apricot, with some citrus fruit underneath. Sweetness balanced by good acidity, nice length. B+
Fun night with friends.
Sunday Betsy made sea scallops over brussels sprout leaves and some cinnamon sugar pumpkin, I opened a 375 of the 2007 Hugel "Gentil" Gewurztraminer. Fairly classic version of dry Gewurz, lychee, herbs, and ginger. 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.