Usually we have oysters Sat or Sun night, but Betsy was leaving Sat AM so Friday was oyster night.
2011 M. Redde “”La Moynerie” Pouilly-Fume
Quite fresh, fuller style of SB, some grass and gunflint, but a bit short. B-
Dinner was chicken (thigh, gizzard, heart) yakitori, broccolini, kale, and rice with nori and furikake.
2019 Baudry Chinon Rose
Making room for the 2020, this is still lively and balanced. Watermelon, cherry, and herb. B/B+
Met a group of friends at Ibiza in Chappaqua (celebrating one couple’s son’s graduation from law school). Delightful night to sit outside, we had tapas omakase, and everything was great. A partial list would be Iberico ham, chicken/ham croquettes, boquerones on avocado toast, peppers filled with bomba/walnuts/shrimp, garlic shrimp, halibut, short rib, portobello carpaccio with pinenuts, sea scallops, and more.
NV Roederer Champagne
Full, toasty, balanced. B+/B
1993 Pavillon Blanc de Chateau Margaux
Plenty of life left. Pear, citrus, and nutty, balanced and long. B+/A-
1996 Larrivet Haut Brion
Ripe but balanced, good fruit but with nice tertiary notes of cigarbox and earth. Drinking well, so drink up! B
Mark served a blind wine, I was way off initially guessing Northern Rhone.
1994 Mouton-Rothschild.Oops
Dark fruits, undergrowth, some leather and exotic spices. B+/A-
With a friend, the 2016 Rings “Kallstadt” Spatburgunder Trocken. I know German PN is a big thing, but this didn’t excite. Bright almost sharp acids, raspberry/framboise with a lot of herb, tangy finish, B-
Shad roe, skate, broccolini, & kale.
2016 Heymann-Lowenstein Winninger Uhlen R Grosses Gewachs Riesling (AP01)
Big, powerful, but with grace. Pear and white peach, violets, fennel seed. Lovely acids, long finish. A-/B+
For our Zoom call I had some lamb and bread salad from freezer, the 2000 Ch. Gloria. “82 Gloria was my gateway wine, so I have a soft spot. But that didn’t make me love this. Some soft cassis fruit, autumn leaves, seems both mature and flat. One other declared their bottle dead, others were unimpressed. All from one reputable source, but makes you wonder about original transport. I have a few bottles from my release purchase, will pop one to check tomorrow. This bottle,. B-/C+
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.