WTN: Tuscany,St. Jul, Loire, Iberia, Burg, Beaujolais

Another week of social distancing. Working (alone) and taking things to city (with no real contact), it’s a weird world (especially NYC at night). We are managing to eat well.

With 1950s style beef stroganoff (Campbells beef consomme and tomato soup), the 2018 Lapalu Beaujolais-Villages Vieilles Vignes. Fresh and natty tasting, sweet ripe red fruit with lots of herbs. Fun and easy, glou glou. B/B+

Another virtual dinner on Zoom, this time with Betsy’s sister and BIL. Their food called for red, so I decanted a bottle of 1995 Ch. Beychevelle and dropped half of their porch, along with a bottle of white. The Beychevelle is young but charming, elegant middleweight with cassis and coffee, a little cigarbox appearing with time. Fun. B+/A-

We had the white with our shrimp and orzo, with kale on the side.

2018 Vino Alantico Nortico Alvarinho
Pata put out a mixed case where some part went to restaurant workers relief fun. Why not try.
A little pit fruit, some citrus, hint of saline minerality on finish. Not bad for $10. B-/B

Friday Betsy made lamb shoulder and white bean stew, what the hell let’s open the 1998 Montevertine “Pergole Torte”” Toscano. Man this is in a nice place. Black cherry and leather accented with a bit of anise and incense, balanced acids, resolved tannins. Won’t buy anymore but lovely. A-

Saturday at market I got a single piece of lemon sole that weighed 1.5 lbs! Grilled on a mat, with grilled leeks with caper/mustard/herb sauce, barley, and Chinese spinach
2017 JJ Vincent Bourgogne Blanc
Ripe sweet white fruit, a little short on finish, clean but unexciting. B-/C+

Sunday we started with a scallop crudo and the 2010 Thomas-Labaille “Les Monts Damnes” Sancerre. Lovely wine, ready and delicious. Citrus and Granny Smith, flowers and herbs, long balanced finish. Pretty much textbook fine Sancerre for me. A-

Main was pork ribs (pressure cooker then finished under broiler), potato salad, and broccoli salad. Went rose, with 2018 Vino Alantico Zestos Rosado (also from Pata relief case). Garnacha from outside Madrid, surprisingly bright. Red fruit, good acids for grenache, tangy if short finish. B-


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.

I used a bottle of the Vincent when looking for a reasonably priced white Burgundy for coq-au-vin blanc. Might have been a 2016, but thought it halfway decent (B+ range). Certainly didn't affect the finished product!

[Jenise]

1.5 pound lemon sole? I am SO jealous.

Betsy liked the Vincent more than I did.

So we have a great fish vendor at our farmers market. Big line with social distancing. I come up, order some scallops, smoked bluefish, and 1.25 lbs of the lemon sole (sold out of grey). He comes back and says only pieces left at 1.5 lbs. I said "no, I ordered lemon sole" thinking he had mistaken my order. Yup, they were big this week. Nice day so just grilled with lemon s & p.

[David M. Bueker]

Beychevelle sounds delicious.

[Jenise]

The lemon sole was a size that possibly would have, in pre-Covid times, been reserved for restaurant customers but now that restaurants are closed they filter down to you. I hear Costco's been having swordfish because of that. I'd kill for sole too, but only see Petrale around here (which I love) very occasionally.

Have things calmed down in Westchester at all? I watch Cuomo's reports live on CNN every morning, and my heart just breaks for your state.

Quiet here - no one on streets of our village. . NYC took over Westchester as leading NY area. Pretty grim though. Know 2 people on ventilators, Betsy had a chamber music colleague die. Several other friends sick but not hospitalized. Tons of people out of work. I am working alone, though we are paying everyone (reduced wages). My groups can't really go out, but we have small teams going out with just food/socks/underwear/toiletries to spots in NYC where homeless sleep (believe me, no one suddenly wants to be in a crowded shelter). Went last night, people very grateful for just a lunch bag, toiletries, socks (and homemade masks). Eerie being in midtown/Times Sq and no one out. We'll get through this, but hardest times I've seen. At least with 9/11 we could all be together. Thanks for asking.

[Jenise]

Quiet here - no one on streets of our village. . NYC took over Westchester as leading NY area. Pretty grim though. Know 2 people on ventilators, Betsy had a chamber music colleague die. Several other friends sick but not hospitalized. Tons of people out of work. I am working alone, though we are paying everyone (reduced wages). My groups can't really go out, but we have small teams going out with just food/socks/underwear/toiletries to spots in NYC where homeless sleep (believe me, no one suddenly wants to be in a crowded shelter). Went last night, people very grateful for just a lunch bag, toiletries, socks (and homemade masks). Eerie being in midtown/Times Sq and no one out. We'll get through this, but hardest times I've seen. At least with 9/11 we could all be together. Thanks for asking.

Oh so SAD, Dale, but I was afraid it would be like that. With the # of infections in your area, it's probably close to impossible that anyone in the NY metro area doesn't know first-hand someone who's been sick, or worse. No one in our close circle of friends and acquaintances has been sick, though a friend in Portland had a rough go of it (and is now recovering). 20 in our town small town have died, many many more are sick. Nothing like what you've been through and NY in general is still going through. Hugs to you and Betsy.

[David M. Bueker]

Dale,

Hugs and well wishes to you and Betsy. I have two friends who are sick with it, but so far nobody seriously affected.

I can't believe that only a month ago, I was sure the entire world was over-reacting.

Stay healthy, all.

[Jenise]

Chaim, I never thought anyone was over-reacting. In fact, I remember saying to someone there was no such thing. But all the same I realize in hindsight that though I thought I was being smart, I under-reacted. (See my post Escape from L.A. in the Kitchen department.)

And now, the Apocalypse is here. Our local urban park is overrun with coyotes. I'd post it on Instagram and Facebook, only I didn't take the pictures myself, a local runner sent it to someone in my running group.

[Jenise]

Are coyotes on every continent? Seem to be.

I've managed to come up with a few silver linings:

1. I don't need to constantly fight with my team about the on call rosters and who called dibs on summer and holidays vacations.

2. Wineries and importers are offering attractive discounts, cf my scoring the Rostaing La Landonne at an accidental 70% discount.

3. My reading lists since I was a 12 year old geek have ensured I've spent all my life mentally preparing for the Apocalypse.