Friday we went over to some friends to celebrate their son’s marriage (to a nice girl he met in basic training). Just a small dinner, but lots of fun
With garlicky shrimp bruschetta, spiced pear with bacon skewers
NV Veuve Clicquot Brut Champagne
Medium to full bodied, tastes like fairly high dosage, but nice elegant mousse and pleasant apple and toast flavors. Not very long. Not my fave big house NV, but better than 10-15 year ago versions (though I have good memories of VC 25+ years ago). B-
Lamb chops, asparagus, winter squash, and salad (Betsy had brought, an Ottolenghi recipe, spinach with dates, almonds, & pita, spiced with chili and sumac)
2001 Ch. Gloria
Red plum, tobacco, leather. Only light tannins remaining. Pleasant claret that’s ready to go. B+/B
2005 Muga Unfiltered Rioja Reserva
Sweet, ripe kirschy fruit and a bit of oak. Most people’s fave. B-/C+
Saturday we hosted a pair of couples. Started with pumpernickel with sable butter, pork rillettes, chicken liver mousse, and the NV Laherte Ultradition. Marked Brut Nature on front, Brut on back. I’d guess the latter. Elegant mousse, pear and apples, a floral note. B+
First course was creamed mushrooms and caramelized onion bruschetta.
2011 Bize “Aux Vergelesses”Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Blanc
Full, zesty with snappy acids, pear fruit with hazelnut and a touch of new oak. Pretty young white Burg. A-/B+
Main course was cider braised pork shoulder, with broccoli rabe and parsnip/celeriac mash
1978 Lucien Geoffroy “Clos Prieur” Gevrey-Chambertin
Never hear of this negoce, but this was alright. Pretty stinky at first, black cherry with merde. Cleans up on nose a bit, black cherry with a little burnt sugar on palate, mushrooms, pasture. B
2004 Pavelot “Aux Guettes” Savigny-les-Beaune 1er
Opened to investigate if Greenie Meanies were resolving, but this had some definite pine needle meets oregano notes. Focusing on that takes away lots of enjoyment from what is otherwise a good wine- bright red fruits, nice structure with both moderate acids and smooth tannins, good finish. On next day it showed much less green. Day 1 B-, Day 2 B+
1971 Canon (St Emilion)
Tangy and reserved at first, some time in decanter helped a lot. Red plums, cocoa, leather. Plusher mouthfeel, more Pomerol-ish than StE. Mature but not fading. B+/A-
Sunday I had an all day meeting, came home and Betsy had made a recent NYT riff on chicken tetrazinni (Chicken, mushrooms and spaghetti, but with guajillo and poblano chiles and Cheddar). I chose the 2014 Vie di Romans Dessimis Pinot Grigio ,which wasn’t a great match, the spice/heat could have used a little RS. Wine itself is nice in a ripe/round way (but with some acidic backbone) but I don’t like as much as Vie Di Romans SB, but probably not worth the slight price premium over other Friulian PGs for me. B
No wine tonight (Soba and chard in a dashi broth, kohlrabi/pear/arugula salad)
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.