Friday Betsy made fried chicken, broccolli, and biscuits. I usually think rose with fried chicken, but felt like opening the 2005 Huet "Le Haut Lieu" Vouvray Sec. Baked apples and a faint hint of cinnamon, this is more a sec-tendre style and all the better for it in my opinion. Excellent acidity, nice touch of minerality on finish (the long finish I should say). Usually I concentrate on the demi-sec Huets but I want more of this. A-
Monkfish in a kind of Provencal sauce (olives, tomatoes, garlic, etc) . Recipe used a little wine, I probably should have gone and tried to find something white Rhonish, but used what was upstairs, the 2004 Paul Pernot Bourgogne Blanc, and then had with dinner. White pears, a little hazelnut, a pleasant white Burg but that didn't quite thrill me as much as previous bottles- maybe the difficult match? B
Sunday my group had our annual meeting, I was out all day while Betsy did a grand job preparing for friends to come for dinner. I usually do at least the appetizers, but she did it all- I just chose wines the night before and picked up cheese. One couple missed a time change, and showed up a half-hour early, but Betsy was on top of her game and we went with the flow, enjoying the extra time for conversation, her gaucamole,and the 2005 Burgans Albarino (Rias Biaxas). Good citrus and tropical fruit, fresh acidity, not especially deep but a pleasant fun wine for $9. B
We went to table, where the first course was a cream of watercress garnished with caviar.
2002 Donabaum Spitzer Point Grüner Veltliner Smaragd
I had ordered this from a winemonger.com sale- they ran out, but sent my bottles from one of the owners' (Emily's) private stash- service above and beyond, typical of winemonger.com. This GV seems pretty reticent at the moment - there's a typical white pepper note over some white fruit, but more seems to be lurking, Judgement reserved, will report after revisiting tonight.
2003 Feudi di San Gregorio Rubrato Aglianico
Forward modern style of Aglianico, I opened this because of one attendee's preference for ripe young red wines. Blackberry and plum fruit, a little anise and herb, very soft. Modern styled Aglianico, ok. B/B-
With the bone-in rack pork roast, a green bean/sundried tomato/olive side, and roasted potatoes:
1993 Bouchard Père et Fils "Clos St. Marc" Nuits St. Georges1er
Very funky at first, but an hour of slow aeration (no decanting) led to a cleaner nose. High acidity, still some tannins, but with rather elegant black cherry fruit and a stony finish. Very nice with the pork, and better than Bouchard's rep from the era. B/B+
1979 Pichon Baron (Pauillac)
After decanting, I wasn't at all happy with this. The fruit had a tired pruney note to it, and there was a strange almost metallic accent. But 20 minutes did it a world of good, and a lighter yet tasty mature claret emerged- black plum and cassis, fully resolved tannins, some leather and loamy forest floor. But by cheese course it was tasting tired again, and by cleanup time it was straight to the vinegar crock. For a few moments it was in B+ land, but overall I'm generous to give it B-
There was a salad intermezzo of green apples and celeriac, then the cheese course (Tallegio, Cheshire, and Cowgirl Creamery Pierce Point)
and a dessert of macerated fruit with vanilla ice cream. Someone joked about syrup for the ice cream, a perfect time to open the NV Alvear Solera 1927 Pedro Ximenez. Several did indeed try it on their ice cream, it was certainly thick enough. Caramel, raisins, figs, spiced nuts. I enjoy the first miniscule sip, even the second, but beyond that it's too cloying for me. I think it's pretty popular around the table, though- a B-/C+ for me, but others like far better.
Fun night.
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. 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.
