Wines on a warm week
Cold poached salmon with a dill mustard sauce, fennel/celery with a lemon dressing, and soba noodles with radishes, cucumber and a miso dressing
2023 Olga Raffault Chinon Rose
I used to think this was an afterthought in the Raffault lineup but have enjoyed the last several vintage. Bright snappy raspberry fruit with a pomegranate edge, light touch of herbs and a seashell finish. B+
Grilled HMart chicken, king trumpet mushrooms, kale salad
2011 Amiot Les Ruchots Morey St. Denis 1er
Ready already, black cherry and plum, hint of cocoa, moderate acids, easy tannins. B
Grilled tuna nicoise (sister in law was over, luckily there was enough after hound managed to snarf down about 4-5 oz of expensive tuna)
2023 Bastide Blanche Bandol rose
Cherrry, strawberry, and lemon zest, touch of herby underbrush, long tangy mineral finish. B+
Grilled shrimp, angel hair pasta salad with lots of vegetables,
2017 Lacroix Martillac Blanc (Pessac-Leognan)
Green apple and pineapple, good acids, not very long, ok for what it is (unsure if 2nd or 3rd wine). B-
Rack of lamb , squash, corn, salad
1996 Andrea Oberto Vigneto Rocche Barolo
Dark color for Barolo but light flavors. Resolved tannin, light cherry and dried cherry, hint of road tar. OK, but not much vim or verve for a Barolo from an excellent year. B-
We had shared an AirBnB in Lisbon with friends, then they took a bike trip on the Camino from Porto to Santiago while we went to Catalonia. We went over to their house (spectacular views of Hudson and Palisades) to catch up (some other friends too).;
NV Jaume Serra Cristalino
A bit sweet, apple and yeast, short. C+
Morcilla, grilled giant prawns, smoked bay scallops
2021 Manuel Quintano Rioja Blanco
Soft and sweet, pit fruits and honeydew, east. B-/C+
Main was a chicken/chorizo/fish paella
1987 La Rioja Alta 890 Rioja Gran Reserva
Cherries and raspberry, saddle leather, a reserved touch of American oak coconut. Pretty classic. B+/A-
2021 Descendientes de J. Palacios Pètalos (Mencia)
Black raspberry and cherry, plenty of grip, espresso notes. Zesty and long. Very impressive, I will look for this. B++
Grilled oysters, grilled pork chops (marinated in pickle brine) with pickle/chive butter, potatoes, and spinach.
2020 Carbonnieux Blanc (Pessac-Leognan)(375 ml)
Grapefruit and mandarin orange, whiff of just mowed grass, a little waxy. Good acids, lush mouthfeel, long tangy finish. B+/A-
2019 Perroud La Pente Brouilly
clean and open, ripe but not overripe despite a slight kirschy note. Cherries, spice, sandalwood. B/B+
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.