Wineless Monday (kinchee rice and bbq tofu), Tuesday was grilled tuna steak, sauteed arugula, rice, and mizuna salad, with the 2015 Dauny Sancerre rose. Red cherries, a little pit fruit note, on bigger side, could use more acid - this is heavier style of rose. I’ll pass on more of these. B-/C+
With skirt steak, pappardelle with a squash blossom sauce, and caprese, the 2013 Poggio Scalette Chianti Classico. Plump, round red fruits, a hint of leather, needs some zing. B-
With pork chops, greens (mustard and kohlrabi), rice, and salad, the 2013 Nikolaihof “Im Weingebirge” Gruner Veltliner. Federspiel . Stood up to the food well, apple and nectarine accented with white pepper and lemon zest. Good acids, fresh, I like. B+/B
Grilled branzino with a lemongrass/coconutmilk/mint sauce, kale salad, and brown rice
The 2008 R. Haart Piesporter Grafenberg Kabinett was lean, nervy, and long . I had actually thought I had opened the Goldtropchen and thought vintage had trumped vineyard with the lack of tropical notes, but after I wrote my notes realized I had wrong wine. Green apple, lime, a little petrol. B+/A-
Saturday we picked up Muneko and John in the city and headed down to Le Coq Rico. The bistro of birds lived up to its hype- we enjoyed the offal platter (hearts on skewers with apple, curry croquettes, liver crostini, etc), asparagus with a crusted egg, Brune Landais chicken, squasb, foie gras, and more. They were nice and professional re wine (corkage was $37, a strange figure, meant to look and see if that was possibly lowest priced bottle on their list)
1990 Trimbach “Cuvee Frederic Emile” Riesling VT
I debated bringing the ‘89 or the ‘90, went with the latter. This shows a little sweeter than the ‘89 does, though still more a halbtrccken style. Rich tropical fruit, orange blossom, just a little petrol. Stony mineral finish. Very good, A-
1998 Domaine des Perdrix Echezeaux
Red fruits, oak, smoke. Everyone else loved, I was bothered by the oak. Towards end it gets a little more integrated, with oak taking on a little exotic sandalwood character. But I though a tad disappointing for 18 year old Grand Cru. B-
(I did have fun telling everyone it came from Gregory Peck’s cellar)
While others had the raspberry millefeuille, I had a glass of the 2014 Bergerie Coteaux du Layon (well, part of glass, as a kind of little coupe glass filled to rim, I managed to spill down my shirt and pants). Honied, lush, could use a bit more acid. B/B-
Last night we walked over the hill (hound in tow) to spend the evening on some friends’ deck, welcoming their niece returning from a year teaching in Italy.
2015 Essenciel de Paradis Rose
Clean fresh light Provencal rose. B
I made grilled shrimp with the leftover lemongrass/cilantro.mint/chile sauce from Friday, intended wine was the 2011 JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett, but neglected to open till shrimp were almost gone. Slight CO2 spritz, a little reduced at first, cleans up. Green apple and yellow plum, some herby notes. Young but good. B+
Dinner was grilled swordfish, a great slaw, and a grain/bean salad.
2011 Abbatucci Il Cavaliere Diplomate d'Empire
Herb, pine, and white fruits. Full-textured, with a kind of Rhonish oily edge. Big exotic white with good acids. B+
2009 Burgaud Morgon
Bigger, riper, denser kind of Beaujolais, lots of juicy fruit, I think blind I might have guessed Cali PN! But reasonably tasty. B/B-
2012 CVNE Cune Rioja
Clean, red fruit and vanilla, easy enough. B-
Fun night
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.