Wednesday I took to Saint-George in Hastings on Hudson for her actual birthday. We (mostly Betsy) started with oysters -Kunamoto, Barnstable, St Simons (PEI), and Cops Island. I had a crab "tartinette" (good crab salad on thick grilled toast), Betsy a frisee salad with a panko-crusted egg. Mains were both good- I had chicken in a mushroom/cognac/cream sauce and Betsy had skate with spinach and potatoes. She had a chocolate mousse dessert, but it was so rich she had 2 bites then asked for it to be wrapped. Nice new addition to local dining scene, and we’ll be back.
List has some nice reasonably priced stuff, but I went with corkage. Wine was the 2006 Matrot “Les Perrieres” Meursault 1er. Full-bodied, somewhat tropical fruit, there's a definite oxidative note here. Pears, guava, butterscotch, the oxidization is not enough to deter me from enjoyments, but even in a ripe vintage like 2006 oxidation at 7 is a real disappointment. The pox strikes again, glad I drank when I did. B for drinking now, C for potential (this bottle).
Thursday was a small birthday dinner party with close friends. She was banished from kitchen, as we all did a “this is your life- in food” theme (I did my best “announcer voice” and then from kitchen the presenter of each course would do a little spiel about their relationship to Betsy and why that dish was chosen). We had smoked salmon, olive/cheese canapes, angel hair pasta with shrimp and radicchio, green salad, miso-glazed salmon, and grilled flank steak. Wine, too!
NV Tribaut- Schloesser “Tradition” Champagne . Some people liked a lot, I thought nice but slightly plodding, and a touch more sweetness on finish than my preference. B-
NV Tissot “Indigene” Cremant de Jura
I liked this more than the Champagne. Fresh, yeasty, bright with apple popover and mineral notes. Good length. B+
2010 Schiopetto Friulano (Collio)
Medium-full, quite floral, balanced acids, some citrus fruit. B
1998 B. Giacosa Barbaresco
This is just the generic Barbaresco, but it shows very well- still some tannin, young fruit but showing developed complexity- tar, smoke, leather. Midbodied, rather elegant, this is much better than I would have expected. B+/A-
2010 Barou St. Joseph
Pretty classic showing, dark fruit with pepper and spice. Midbodied, modest length, this isn’t Chave, Gonon, or Faurie, but it’s not priced that way either. B+/B
1996 Georges Lignier Chambolle-Musigny
Well, isn’t this a nice surprise from the “wrong” Lignier. A pointe, red fruit and sandalwood, not a lot of weight here but it’s village Chambolle so I’m happy with elegance. A- (probably really deserves a B+, but points for overachieving).
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.