Used mostly for cooking
2022 Mary Taylor (Delaunay) Muscadet
Clean, easy, some oyster shell , a good value at $12 but for a few dollars more I can upgrade to Gadais or Pepiere. B
Chickpea and kale stew
2020 JJ Prum Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Kabinett
Snappy, green apple and pear, a bit of honeysuckle, nice wine. B++
Marinated chicken, rice, gai lan
2013 Burguet Mes Favorites Gevrey-Chambertin
Young but approachable, cherry and red currant, brambly, nice ferric tang on finish. B+
So Christmas Eve we hosted a Feast of 7 Fishes (well, 7 fish courses, 10 fishes). Mostly local people, but I did have one winegeek friend from city.
Paddlefish caviar and ikura on kettle-chips with crème fraiche
NV Bruno Paillard Premiere Cuvee Extra Brut Champagne (Dec 2017 dg)
Elegant, balanced, with pear, biscuit, and almond flavors. Bright acids, good finish, fine mousse. B+/A-
First sitdown course was my Lobster Tarragon salad, as we served I realized I had left off the tarragon! While I remedied Betsy distracted guests with her roasted garlic and olive sourdough and some beurre de Bavatte
2001 Selbach Oster Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese
Label has had a hard time, but wine is sound if more advanced than some other recent 2001s. Old school Auslese, not super sweet, tangy acids, pineapple and pear, minty herbs. Ready to go. B+
Baccalau Croquettas with curry mayo, and Anne’s slaw (with dill and green apple)
2023 Forjas del Salnes Leirana Genoveva Albarino
Citrus and saline, some seashell, bigger style of Albarino but classic. I thought great with salt cod. Craig liked less than I did. B++
Crab Cakes with a miso-yuzu aioli
I blinded Craig on this, a bit of a trick wine, I thought Alsace was a credible guess(Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gouges are pretty close!). Ripe, easygoing, citrus and mango, clean finish. 2012 Gouges La Perriere Nuits St George Blanc B/B+
Ron made Rhode Island clam sauce and pasta
2016 Valentini Trebbiano d’Abruzzo
Meyer lemon, grapefruit zest, saline, long and complex, a little almond and seabreeze with time. A-
Fritto Misto (smelts, shrimp, squid)
NV Pierre Peters Cuvee de Reserve Brut Champagne
This was a bottle from a huge but disorganized cellar, no clue how old but back label has zero info, and Peters has been having informative back labels for a long time. Plus a different label, with Cuvee de Reserve only on foil and Mesnil larger on front. This is sadly past it, some bubbles remaining but no real life. Actually liked more on night 2 (as a wine, not a Champagne). C (but think not the wine’s fault)
NV Gosset Excellence Brut Champagne
This is more like it, apple and pear with bread dough and spring flowers. Good persistence, fine bead. B+/B
Roasted red snapper (3+ lbs) with limone and herbs, broccoli rabe
1989 Louis Latour Corton Charlemagne
Craig thought soft but I thought balanced, if not bright. Pear, butterscotch, hazelnut, nice length. B+/A-
1999 H. Lignier Morey-St. Denis
From same cellar as the Peters and Selbach, could only see partial vintage on mutilated label but we lucked out- cork stamped 1999. Red and black cherries, a little mushroom and forest floor, spice. Nice balance and length, in a very good spot. A-
Dessert was Nancy’s Panna Cotta
OK, one more Champagne;
Jacquesson 740 Extra Brut Champagne
Snappy green apple, vibrant, with lemon, bread, and a chalky mineral finish. So lively. A-
Betsy had made membrillo and we were going to have with Manchego, but everyone was too stuffed.
A quiet Christmas Day, then over to Betsy’s sisters for Christmas dinner. Cal had made a great bo ssam (with scallion ginger sauce, ssam sauce, rice, and kimchi) which was preceded by banchan(marinated perilla leaves, tilefish, seaweed) plus scallion pancakes and more paddlefish roe.
NV Seleque Solessence Rose Champagne
2018 base, Dec 2020 dg. Complex and complete, ripe strawberry and peach, orange zest, pumpernickel toast. Delicate mousse, good finish, a winner. A-/B+
2009 Bouchard (P&F) Les Lavieres Savigny-les-Beaune 1er
Ripe cherry (almost cherry cola) flavors, round, and a bit empty. Disappointing, B-/C+
Good holiday, overall a good vinous batting average.
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 as only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.