Saturday was a quiet family dinner of mostly leftovers- goose, risotto, spanakopita, and salad. White was the 2008 Vina Godeval Godello ( Valdeorras). Pit fruits, nutty, light honied notes, showing age but interesting. B-
Red was the 1995 Ch. Beychevelle. Firm, young, more open than some 1995s, good cassis fruit, midbodied, lots of tobacco coming in. Think this will improve. B+
Sunday Betsy’s mom took both daughters’ families out for lunch at MP Taverna. Great great great octopus starter, then I sampled crab cakes, lamb souvlaki, dumplings with sausage and sundried tomatoes,etc. A glass of the 2013 Boutari Moschofilero was pleasant, light, and floral. B-
Sunday night was flounder, Brussels sprouts, rice, and salad, with the 2005 Heritiers du Comte Lafon Macon-Milly-Lamartine. Big for Macon (this wine speaks more of Lafon than Macon to me), big white fruit, a touch of honey, no obvious oak, moderate acids, a little clumsy on the finish. B-
Monday Betsy did the Le Cirque pasta primavera recipe (one can’t ALWAYS eat seasonally). Normally I do white with this, but she requested red, and I went with the 2011 Billards Saint-Amour. What a nice wine- pure red Gamay fruit sparked with smoke and spice. Fresh, long, pretty. Big firm finish for St. Amour, this can age, but I doubt in my cellar it will! B+/A-
Last night we went to friends for a dinner party. 4 couples - old friends, old acquaintances, one couple we had never met. I was in charge of appetizers- smoked salmon, prosciutto and melon or mango (some fig balsamic to cover the poor melon), boquerones with olive relish, and duck foie gras medallions.
2013 Clovis Point Chardonnay (North Fork)
No noticable oak, but there’s a sweetness to this I don’t care for, and a musky quality than doesn’t seem very Charonnayesque. Pass. C+
2013 Lauduc Bordeaux rose
Some nice strawberry flavors, but needs a bit more acid lift. C+/B
Main course was a great coq au vin, with a variety of wines
1998 M. Ecard ”Aux Cloux” Savigny-les-Beaune 1er
I’m an Ecard fan, but not familiar with this vineyard. Prettier side of Savigny, red fruits and flower, some Asian spice (5 spice) notes. B+
2006 Vieux Telegraph “Telegramme” Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Midbodied, olives, anise, and herbs over sweet red fruit, not very long but tasty. B
2009 Ch. de Flaugergues (Languedoc)
Some tannin, dark berry fruit with lots of herbs, good length, fun. B+/B
2005 St Cosme “Le Deux Albion” Cotes du Rhone
Big fruit attack, getting a bit pruney on bad end, drink up. B-/C+
Fun night, fun people
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. 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.