With flounder, couscous, & spinach, the 2005 Pernot Bourgogne Blanc. Funny, having had quite a few PremOxed village and 1er wine from mid-2000s to have a Bourgogne with life to it. Pear, lemon, and a little hazelnut, good ripeness and good acids. It’s maybe fading on the finish, but could pass for a mature Puligny. B+
2002 Huet "Le Haut Lieu" Demi-sec Vouvray (375 ml), Oxidized. Damn. NR
With lamb leg, barley, & salad, the 2004 Groffier Bourgogne rouge. Only a hint of the greenie meanies, but kirschy and a little tired. C+/B-
2013 Knoll Ried Pfaffenberg Steiner Riesling Kabinett
Stony, citrus and apple, a little severe at first, opens with air and I enjoy. B+/B
With roast chicken, green beans, mushrooms, couscous, the 2002 de Montille Bourgogne rouge. Last de Montille I bought for a while due to 9/11 comments. Cherries, raspberries, a little smoke. Nice balance. Drink up, and enjoy. B+
Some friends invited me to dinner, their dog was confused as I arrived houndless. I had brought crab salad canapes, they made Tuscan swordfish, bok choy, & salad.
2013 Domaine de l’Harmas Cotes du Rhone
Raspberry, strawberry, clean and straightforward. B/B-
2014 Pepiere “Clisson” Muscadet
Classic full leesy Clisson style, zippy enough for the crab but with enough body for the swordfish - wet stones, citrus, a little herb. B+/A-
1993 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne
I've had three bottles from same lot. One was what I look for in mature white Burg, lovely and complex -if maybe a bit ripe (B+). Another at a steakhouse was oxidized and advanced. This didn't show oxidation but didn't feel as lively as the first bottle- white fruit, a little nutty, a bit stolid on palate. B-
2006 Havens Black and Blue
Sturdy, still some slightly rough tannin, big dark fruit, cassis and black plum, fairly low acid. B-
Saturday I met friends at Aberdeen for a Chinese New Year dinner:
Pork shu mai, Shrimp dumplings, Eggplant stuffed with shrimp, Jalapeno stuffed with shrimp,
seafood/tofu soup, squid with scallions, ginger/scallion lobster, soft shell crab with black bean sauce, ginger/garlic chicken, rice with shrimp and vegetables.
Mostly Champagne
1999 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Rose
I was very happy with way this showed. Strawberry and cherry, brioche, and orange zest. Full, a great foil for the food, some chalk and flowers on nose as it gets air. A-/A
1995 Bruno Paillard “Nec Plus Ultra” Champagne
I thought this oxidative and tired at first, but liked better on second go round. Heavy nutty note, green apple, bread. I liked better with air but agreed with Cathleen it didn’t deserve its hefty pricetag. B
1998 Gosset “Celebris” Champagne
I had trouble getting a handle on this. There was something weirdly cheesey on nose at first, then it cleaned up, then it started tasting oxidized. Never loved, at its best a B. Not sure a correct bottle.
1995 Ch. Loudenne (Medoc)
Some sturdy tannin, but soft ripe plummy fruit, a very pleasant claret. B/B+
Sunday I picked up Betsy and violinist at LaGuardia, went home, and then headed to her sister’s for a SuperBowl party. Chili with fixings, calamari with chipotle mayo, gauc, salad, cheeses, etc.
2015 Van Volxem Alte Reben Riesling
Minerally, tart, smoke, white peach. B+
2013 Losen-Bockstanz Riesling Kabinett
sweet , peachy, simple. B-
2005 Edmunds St John Bassetti Syrah
Betsy’s first night back since we lost the hound, so I opened one of Lucy’s traditional birthday wines (the other is Mulderbosch Faithful Hound) for a toast to departed friends. Lovely showing- rich dark berry fruit, smoke, a little coffee, and just a hint of an animal note. Young but so tasty. A-
No wines scheduled this week as we try to deal with a few extra holiday pounds.
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.
edited to add level to Huet