Family Lunar New Year party:
Whole steamed red snapper with cilantro, ginger and hot oil
Longevity noodles with shiitakes
Shanghai bok choy with oyster sauce and sesame oil.
Charles Phan's shaking beef.
2004 Huet Clos du Bourg Vouvray Sec
Every time I open one of these I think “see that color, the end has finally come” and every time I end up enjoying the mature but not tired bottle. Lemon, quince, and a touch of honey. Supple acids, waxy note on finish. B+/B
2018 Capensis Chardonnay (Western Cape)
Big but with a refreshing girdle of acidity, pear and honeysuckle with a touch of vanillin oak. Powerful without any buttery notes, wouldn’t be a bad Corton ringer, too bad this came in too late for our Southern hemisphere tasting. B+
2013 Goodfellow Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
Strawberry and dried cherry, a cinnamon note, brisk acids, some mushroomy notes on finish. A little lighter than I expected but a fun wine with no sign of tiring. B
Quick dinner of grilled marinated chicken, king trumpet mushrooms, broccoli, and leftover noodles
2023 Petroni Corse Rose
I like rose in winter, but this is pretty thin. Peaches, apple skin, a hint of pine needle, a bit dilute. 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.