WTN: Burgs, Bordeaux, Barolo, Muscadet and more

A couple of friends, her mother, and one of their dogs came to dinner Friday. We started with smoked salmon and cheese straws, and the 2005 Andre Beaufort Brut Millesime Grand Cru Champagne. Yeasty, apple and ginger, servicable without being exciting. B-

Main was halibut with an herb mayo, pappardelle with radicchio, & salad.

2016 Gadais Muscadet
New producer to me, great value, snappy acids, wet stones, granny smith and orange zest. B+

2009 Luneau-Papin Terre de Pierre de la Butte de la Roche Muscadet
Heavy bottle, round full style, apple and citrus with a touch of seashell. B

2000 Ch Coufran
(I wished I had served Pepiere Muscadet to do a Coufran and Olli….vier joke title)
Plush, ready, black plum and mocha, round, tasty. B


Saturday just us, some double rib pork chops (cumin and mustard), red cabbage, potato salad.
2017 Justin Dutraive “Les Bulands” Beaujolais
Strawberries, raspberries, some green leaf notes. Fun. B/B+

Saturday had friends for dinner, started with shrimp timbales and salad
2004 Chandon de Briailles “aux Vergelesses” Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Blanc
White fruits, herbs, almond. Fresh acids, no premox, lovely mature white Burg. B++

Then 5 spice duck breast, rice with furikake and umeboshi, and Chinese spinach

1971 Fontanafredda Barolo
Decanted 2 hours before dinner, best at end of night. Red cherry and hard candy, touch of roses and tar, a bit raisiny at first but actually freshens. Not super complex but quite alive. B

2016 Pavelot “la Dominode”- Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er
Way too young, but still quite tasty. Black cherry, minty herbs, coffee. Good acids, firm tannins, long minerally finish. B+ for drinking now, but I think will be better in 10 years or so.

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.

[David M. Bueker]

I haven’t opened any 2016 Burgs yet. Maybe I’ll do a test drive soon.

I haven’t opened any 2016 Burgs yet. Maybe I’ll do a test drive soon.

I hear some people are enjoying them, but maybe I have the wrong ones. Recently opened 2016 Stéphane Magnien MSD Grains Fins and MSD VV, and Voillot Volnay VV. All delicious and tasty for a few glasses, succulent fruit that is not as brooding as 2015. But, at least now, not compelling enough to keep my interest past those few glasses and in my view in need of a bit of age to come together. (At least for these wines)

For me drinking young Burg (other than a few Bourgogne) is usually just a matter of test driving to see if I want more (of course then it becomes issue of finding....)