Back to NY and my cellar.
Thursday Betsy made seafood (scallop, shrimp, cod) hot pot with noodles & Napa cabbage.
WIne was the 2012 Vollenweider “Wolfer Goldgrube”Kabinett. Lots of sugar, but balanced with nervy acids. Green apple and a little citrus, herbs and mineral. B+
Friday I did roast cornish hens with potatoes, carrots, and an arugula salad; wine was the 2005 Vissoux/Chermette “Cuvee Traditionnelle” Beaujolais Vieilles Vignes. Who says you can’t age $13 non-cru Beaujolais for a decade? I was a little worried at first as fruit seemed muted and there was a little odd funk, but that blew off and the fruit plumped up. Delicious. Black cherry, earth, herbs. I’d have probably guessed PN if blind. B+/A-
Saturday we were invited to a party, but decided to stay home and invited over Betsy's sister and family. I shucked oysters and made potato/creme fraiche/salmon roe appetizers, Betsy (with nephew helping fold) did shrimp wontons. For main I did char siu pork while Betsy made the rice and Chinese broccoli. We knew we wouldn't make it to midnight, but toasted as 2017 arrived in London (GMT), Rio, etc
2002 Delamotte Blanc de Blancs Champagne
Elegant, bright, some yeasty notes over clean apple fruit. B+
NV Laherte “Ultradition” Champagne
Green apple, citrus, easy. B
2011 Fevre Montee de Tonnere Chablis 1er
Somewhat closed down, a little reductive. Doesn’t give much at all. Not much pleasure this night, but when revisited on day 2 much more expressive- wet rocks, pear and citrus, a seashell note. B-/C+ on NYE, B+ next day
2015 Richter “Wehlener Sonnenuhr” Riesling Kabinett
More “real” Kab than the Vollenweider, light sweetness, bright electric acids, herb, chalky edge. B+
2014 Artner Riesling
Austrian Riesling I’ve not seen before. Snappy, citrus with ginger, bone dry. Not especially deep or complex, but nice in a Trimbach yellow label kind of way. B
2005 de Villaine “Les Mondots” Mercurey
Round red fruit, a little spicy note, plump, not very long. I know this is Cote Chalonnaise not Cote d’Or, but it drinks like a 3 year old $10 Cali PN. C+
New Years I did my blackeyed peas & greens for lunch, for dinner I did panroasted salmon with a yogurt/curry/cuke sauce. Revisited a few wines, as noted the Fevre had opened up, the Mercurey was still boring but now a bit oxidized.
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.