An early evening run into city Th, then late dinner of leftover lamb chops and pappardelle with radicchio with the 2009 LC Desvignes Javernieres” Morgon. I’ve read some notes on ‘09s not aging well, but this is in a nice spot. Good acids, crunchy red fruits, a spicy/sandalwood notes. It’s ripe but not OTT. B+
Friday bluefish, eggplant, peppers and the 2015 Lauer “Senior Fass 6” Riesling
Dry, crisp, big with citrus and ginger. Good length, drinking well. B+
Saturday swordfish, corn, salad with the 2019 Gassier Rose (Cotes de Provence). Strawberry and melon, hint of grass, moderate acids, a bit thin. OK but I’d rather spend a bit more and get quite a bit more. B-/C+
A few friends for a distanced dinner Sunday
Canapes- smoked scallop with seaweed, smoked duck with truffle mustard
Lobster salad with dill-lemon mayo
Minestrone
steak, patatas riojanas, burrata caprese
Cherry cobbler
NV Barbichon “Reserve 4 Cépages” Brut Champagne
Super crisp (tastes almost like zero dosage, actually 4 g/l), Granny Smith nuts, floral, chalk. Deep and full, bright. I really like. B+/A-
2011 Ch. Montelena Chardonnay (Napa)
Great acids for Cali, good white fruit, but oak sticking out a bit. I’ll let rest. B-/B today
2001 Pecina Rioja Reserva
Fragrant red fruits, spice and coconut. Drinking great and a great value. B++
So Monday had a Labor Day party- nothing like my usual, but 10 friends with carefully measured distances between the couples’ chairs. One person brought Individual shrimp cocktails, 2 others desserts. Everything else I grilled - bluefin, steak, bulgogi, teriyaki salmon, delicata, fennel, eggplant, corn. Each couple/individual had tongs for contactless retrieval.
2012 Abbatucci BR
Barbarosso from Corsica. Wild nose of wax, herbs, and pine, full and balanced on palate with white pit and citrus. Fun and different. B+
2014 Chidaine“Clos de Breuil” Montlouis
Apple cider and sherry, totally premoxed. C-
2019 Baudry Chinon Rose
More stones and flower petals than fruit, pale, refreshing, bright. B+
2002 Ecard “Narbantons” Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er
Red fruit, earth, a little licorice-herb note, good acids, tannins all gone, ready but not faded. B+/B
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1967 Ch. Pichon Lalande
Not expecting a lot, expectations totally exceeded. A bit light and I thought faded at first, but the fruit seems to build and beguile with air. Best at 3-4 hour mark. Black cherry, soil, with lots of tobacco and cigarbox. Elegant and long. A-
2012 Terre Nere Prephylloxera Don Peppino (Etna)
I was really looking forward to this, but while lots of interesting notes on nose (smoke, macerated fruit) it tended toward overripe and showed some heat (label says 14.5, I’m sceptical). LOts of tannin and acid to age, but I’m not sure anything good is going to come out of this roasted profile. B-
Great to have friends (safely) in my yard again
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.