2023 Schloss Lieser Riesling Schiefer trocken
Granny smith, grapefruit, minty herbs, good acids. Bright nice wine but finish is a little short, the promise of the palate isn’t totally fulfilled. B/B-
Friends came up on a snowy Saturday, we had a lovely quiet meal.
Oysters, with pickled ramp mignonette
2010 Fevre Valmur Chablis GC
This is tight and a touch reduced at first. Later in the evening it begins to blossom, with citrus and pear, flint and seashell notes, long finish. It’s actually even better on Sunday, complex and complete. B+ with air on Saturday, A- on Sunday
Lobster salad with tarragon, avocado, arugula and a citrus vinaigrette
2016 Valentini Trebbiano d’Abruzzo
Citrus, apple, and fennel, some saline notes, big but balanced. B+
Lamb with fennel and leek (thanks Jeff G), potatoes roasted with lemon and lamb broth, salad
1970 Barbi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
I was a little alarmed when I started decanting this, very light color through the neck. And it seemed a bit thin at first, lovely delicate red fruit and leather aromas but not a lot of oomph behind it. But it really improved in decanter - red and black cherries, bonfire, cigarbox. Definitely lighter, more on the elegant side than a bottle a year or two ago, but in the end I really loved this. A-
1999 Felsina Fontalloro
This was good, but seemed more mature than recent bottles. Black cherry and plum, tobacco, leather, resolved tannins, but seems to drop off a touch at the finish. B+/B
Sunday was a tiring day - up early dealing with logistics of my groups in snow, switching a scheduled meeting to Zoom, and shoveling. But a nice quiet dinner with Betsy- she made hake with a curry crust, hakurei turnips and greens, sesame spinach and rice with furikake. For wine I just sampled leftovers from earlier- as noted Fevre was great (better!), Valentini held up well, and the Schloss Lieser and Fontalloro were a bit tired. The Barbi didn’t survive till Sunday.
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 the only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.