With teriyaki-ish salmon, cauliflower with tomato and pimenton, the 2019 Olga Raffault Chinon Rose. Light, bright, wildflowers and strawberry fruit. Good acids, light finish, glug glug. B
Waygu burgers, coleslaw, and leftover cauliflower, with the 2015 Jean Jacques Girard Savigny-les-Beaune. Black cherry, light tannins, moderate acids, a bit short. B-/C+
Saturday is was cooler, didn’t rain, and we had our first socially distanced all winegeek dinner. 2 couples, in each case I have known one partner about 20 years.
Charcuterie (pate, sopressata, saucisson sec, smoked duck) with a good baguette
2009 Marguet Sapience
Absolutely lovely Champagne. Pear, pit fruits, smoke, and bread. Floral nose, very long finish. Beautiful, balanced, stunning. A/A-
1969 Perrier-Laurent Rare Champagne
Hey, this has bubbles! Light effervescence, ripe and toasty, caramel and orange peel. Pales next to the Marguet, but fun to have a 50+ year Chamapagne. B/B-
2004 Fritz Haag Brauneberger-Juffer-Sonnenuhr Auslese (375) (Arnold only drinks low-alcohol Riesling)
I only tried this when it was too warm at end of night
Oysters, scallop crudo
2002 Luneau-Papin L d'Or
Lovely, young and fresh. Citrus fruit, seashell, nice length. B+
Cold lobster with basil and curry mayonnaises
2011 Bouchard Chevalier-Montrachet
I’m not one to seek out Bouchard, but maybe I should be. Gorgeous wine, nose of citrus, spice, and vanilla. On palate full and long, with pear, baking bread, and citrus. Just a great finish, A-/A
2010 Drouhin Marquis de Laguiche “Morgeot” Chassange-Montrachet 1er
Lovely rich and balanced, pear with a hint of vanilla and citrus, good length. A-/B+
Chewy strip steak (a bit overdone, damn) with coleslaw
1995 Drouhin "Les Amoureuses" Chambolle-Musigny 1er
Starts well and gets better, perfumed herby nose over pretty red fruit, a hint of sandalwood, nice length. A-/B+
2002 Jadot Bonnes-Mares
I think there's a pretty nice wine lurking here, but mostly lurking! Rather broad-bodied, good acids and tannins, I think a bit shut down. B/B- for now
1960 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Ygay Reserva (Jay and I share a birthyear, missed his Bday)
Low expectations, quite exceeded. Red plums, loads of coffee, a bit lower acid than I expected, but good length. B
Peach pie, Hudson Valley cheese plate with really crappy baguette
1996 Müller-Catoir Haardter Bürgergarten Rieslaner Auslese (375)
Ripe peach, candied grapefruit, brown sugar. Sweet but with good underlying acidic balance. B+
Other than the Bonnes Mares all met or exceeded my expectations. Really fun night, with old friends, the world felt right for a while.
The Chassagne didn’t too well overnight, - a little oxidation, but the oak seemed to un-integrate. The Muscadet was great (and best match with salt-baked sea bass), and the 69 Champagne still had some interest (!!!). The Bonnes Mares showed more fruit and spice on day 2. The Amoureuses was pretty tired, but the Rioja shockingly still had life.
Monday was our Zoom group., this time featuring the 2008 Ch. Magdelaine. Pretty open on decanting, 2 hours later very giving. Black cherries, a little raspberry, herbs, hint of cigarbox. This is bright and balanced, lovely St. Emilon in a classic and slightly lean style. A-
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.