Betsy was out of town, I invited a friend who had slept through Father’s Day dinner (!!!) over for Monday dinner. Steak, Swiss chard, mushrooms, and the 2015 Ch. La Tour de Mons(Margaux)
Opens with time in decanter, forward and fruit driven, mid-modern, a little glossier than my preferences but decent length B-
No wine Tues (marinated tofu, harukei turnips in miso butter, bok choy)
Grilled salmon, pasta with garlic scape pesto, dandelion greens, salad
2020 Edmunds St John Bone Jolly Rose
I’m a little surprised at first- this seems rounder/fuller/clunkier than the ESJ rose I am used to. But with air I enjoy more, there’s still some good acids, a nice peppery edge to the ripe red fruit,
THis isn’t as crisp as I’m used to, but still quite good. B/B+
BBQ chicken, leftover pasta, grilled squash with basil and garlic scape, kohlrabi/apple salad, green salad. The 2019 JJ Prum Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett was delicious but poor food choice (leftover ESJ was better).But wine was great, even by Prum standards. Nectarine and peach, apple blossoms, flinty minerals. Light, bright, and graceful on palate. Too young but it goes down easy. A-
Friday was Korean hamburgers , watermelon salad, and the 2009 Drouhin Morgon. Ripeness of the vintage shows, but it’s well balanced, and the juicy fruit is delicious. There’s some earth and dead leaves, but really this is all about the ripe cranberry and raspberry fruit, Not complicated but very very nice. B++
Saturday Betsy was at a recording , so I went to HS grad party for some friends’ son. Delicious empanadas and tamales, I mostly had San Pellegrino but sampled the wines
2003 du Tertre
I had carried a couple of birthyear wines, told them to drink the Gloria later, some of us tried this.
OK for 2003 this isn’t unbalanced, plenty of big ripe fruit but some acids and scads of tannin. Not really my style but I’ll hold as I think this might improve if the tannin integrates. B- for now
2020 Lulumi Rose
This was rather plodding, light red fruits, modest acids, not really for me. C+
(vintage?)Salvard Cheverny
Snappy grassy SB, good for level. B-/B
When Betsy was on way home I headed home too, had a little cold buffet waiting for her. Oysters, poached cod with basil mayonnaise, lentil salad, plus leftover kohlrabi and watermelon salads
2017 Duplessis Chablis
People I respect go gaga over Duplessis, only one I’ve ever tried was an excellent ‘12 Les Clos. So I was eager to try this. Certainly a good wine- lots of lemon, a little seashell. But maybe a function of my high expectations that I was a little disappointed. Seemed to not have a lot of verve, though tasty. B
Sunday more oysters, then a grilled/sousvide pork tenderloin, grilled squash, lentils, and kale/beetgreens. Wine was the 2009 Jadot Beaune 1er (this is the anniversary bottling with every Beaune 1er they produce included - listed on CT as Celebration, what back label says is Le Millesime 2009 celebre les 150 ans de La Maison Louis Jadot). This was pretty tight and took a while to open. Red and black cherries, some tannic structure, not a lot of acid. Perfectly sound, not that celebratory. B/B-
I think I was a bit the victim of my own expectations, most of the wines were good
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.
