Wednesday dinner was all on grill -pork chops with tomato and feta, squash, and sweet potatoes and scallion salad. In celebration of spring I went with the 2013 La Kiuva Rose de Vallee. Bright color, full, a touch of tannin, sweet strawberries. Stands up well to the meat, good but not enticing. B
Thursday we had meatballs in tomato sauce on spaghetti, with the 2012 Defino Frappato. A hint of spritz, light, bright berries, fun little wine for $12. B/B+
Friday was a thunderstormy evening, and at last minute Betsy’s sister called to say they were in Queens and were stopping for takeout at Little Pepper- how could we say no? They got noodles, lamb with cumin, spicy shrimp with peanuts, cucumber with garlic, eggplant, beans, & fish in chili oil. Betsy had already picked up a flounder at HMart when they called, so we prepared it with ginger, scallions, and hot oil as a Cantonese counterpart to the Sichuan. I carried along the 1989 Josef Longen “Thonicher Ritsch” Riesling Spatlese. Good news is this is quite youthful at 25. But I can’t say it was especially complex. Straightforward Mosel green apples, vibrant acids, clean. B
Saturday was a beautiful day, and we enjoined puttering in yard, watching a HS baseball game, and walking the dog. Betsy’s students had an afternoon recital, so I did dinner. Lamb chops and squash on the grill, a wheatberry/feta salad Betsy was making for an event today, and a microgreen salad (because we thinned our lettuce). Wine was the 1998 Ch. Bourgneuf-Vayron (for those keeping score at home, there’s no difference between Bourgneuf-Vayron and Bourgneuf, different labels for different markets). Soft attractive black plum and berry fruit, with a little cocoa and pencil shavings. Medium weight, mostly resolved tannins, nice acidic balance, drinking quite well. No reason to hold these though I expect it’ll do just fine for a while. About all one could ask for in $35 Pomerol. A-/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.
