WTN: Riesling, Pecorino, Sangiovese, Chard, PN

Chicken in a miso/mustard sauce with broccoli and kimchi rice
2005 Meo-Camuzet Frere and Soeurs Bourgogne
Rather burly styled for Bourgogne, black plum and cherry, cocoa, nice herby finish. Plenty left in tank. B+/B

I made spaghetti Bolognese (not as good as Betsy’s), served with a salad and the 2017 Querciabella Chianti Classico. Dried cherry, red plum, cigarbox, nice bright finish. B+

2020 Tiberio Pecorino
Deep pit fruit aromas, hint of herbs/grass, moderate acids. B

Saturday oysters, grey sole meuniere, potatoes, bok choy
2020 Fichet Bourgogne Blanc VV
Rich and full, with solid acidic backbone, the VV really drinks like a baby Meursault. B+

Last minute gathers of friends for Chinese New Year. I made 2 versions of longevity noodles (mein and then glass noodles for the gluten free), sauteed pea shoots, black sea bass in black bean sauce. Lenore brought Concubine’s Chicken, Jonathan brought Nappa cabbage with sesame oil.

NV Diebolt Vallois Blanc de Blancs Champagne
Crisp citrus and Granny Smith,hint of pastry dough, light and lively, B/B+

2016 Battenfeld-Spanier Riesling Molsheim Trocken (Rheinhessen)
Cinnamon, ginger, bright white fruits, not so long. B

1994 Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Auslese (Nahe)
Dark gold, fresh acids, apricot and tea, seems a bit more botrytis driven than I expected, a little heavy and plodding on finish. B-/B

2000 Torciano Baldassarre (Tuscan IGT)
Unsure of storage of this, and not sure designed to go 20+. There’s still some fruit, but with a pruney edge, and the cigarbox aromas quickly deepen into ashtray. C+/C

Good friends, good way to start lunar new year!

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.

[David M. Bueker]

There was a lot of botrytis in the later harvested Nahe wines in 1994.

[Jenise]

Pecorino is a grape that has eluded me thus far, and I'm on the hunt.

Are there any producers you'd particularly recommend, if not this one?

Thanks David. I didn't really get into German Riesling (as opposed to Alsace) till the 2001 vintage, and don't have clear views of the older vintages. I've backfilled and drunk a lot of older Germans from friends' cellars, but mostly MSR. This didn't resemble a '94 Saar kabinett.

Actually Jenise Tiberio is considered a top producer I think. I've liked a couple more than this one, and this might have been pairing (and I actually did like). The Pepe is supposed to be very good, but of course 3-4X as expensive. I've never had.

[Jenise]

Thanks, Dale. I'll check my sources next time I'm shopping out-of-area.