An old friend who now lives in Asheville NC is doing a houseswap with someone in NYC, Betsy and I and another friend met him at Nice Matin. I love sweetbreads, saw they had as an appetizer ( with potato puree, maitakes, and favas), so brought a wine I thought would go well- and it did!
1989 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc. Citrus, beeswax, and light notes of vanilla, full and long.Lively acidity, fine match, fine wine. A-
I thought about ordering a glass of red with my burger, but decided to skip as I was driving.
Met some friends at the park concert.
Grilled vegs(peppers, eggplant, squash, radicchio) w/neonata (anchovy/salami/olive/peppers)
Soba with shrimp and cucumber
Sardine salad on toast
1990 Bernard Morey Le Charmois Saint-Aubin 1er (blanc)
No real oxidized notes, pear and floral notes, sweet fruit that is a bit soft. B-
2021 Bonneliere Rive Gauche Chinon Rose.
Red fruits, green pepper cab franc notes, pine. Easy to like. B
2019 Bize Les Champlains Bourgogne Blanc
Pear, apple,a hint of butterscotch. Very round Chardonnay flavors, not the obvious minerality I usually find in their other Bourgogne, the Perrieres. Pleasant though. B
Lamb chops with fennel seed, kale, couscous
2003 Ch. de Pez
If you told me this was 10 year old CA Merlot I wouldn’t have blinked. To its credit it doesn’t have the ‘03 roasted thing going on (I find northern Medoc esp St Estephe to be best bet in ‘03), but the anonymous soft black plum fruit doesn’t have a lot of Medoc character. Still a touch of tannin. B-
Betsy has a concert in NC this week, the violinist flew up for a couple day’s rehearsal. Wwe had to dinner Fri, along with Betsy’s sister who attended quartet camp with him 42 years ago.
We started with canapes- smoked salmon/taramasalat, soppressata with pickled radicchio, eggplant dip
NV Lombard 1er Cru Extra Brut Champagne
Peach, apple, baking bread, a little short/clipped. B-
Main was lobster with corn and tomatoes with a side of broccoli and a green salad
2007 Bruno Colin en Remilly Chassagne Montrachet 1er
Pear, honeysuckle, a hint of almond, good acids, drinking well. B+
2021 Bastide Blanche Bandol Rose
Year in year out one of my faves, and no reason to rethink this year. Melon, strawberries, and rose petal. Pale and classic, a citrus zest meets mineral finish. B++
Saturday oyster, whole grilled sea bass, potatoes, salad
2020 Pelle La Croix au Garde Sancerre
Grass and lemon, but the lemon has a slightly weird cooked/confit note to it, and there is a metallic edge to somewhat clipped finish. Is this a correct bottle? B-/C+
Yogurt marinade grilled chicken, beet greens,
2011 Coudert Cuvee Tardive Fleurie
Young but drinking well.Black cherry, flowers, a little mocha. Long, crunchy, fresh. B+/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.