WTN: 2 Burg losers, one dog winner

I love this season- dogwoods and crabapples blooming in front yard, flowers returning, crisp sunny days, and best of all warm enough to eat dinner outside (if you wear a sweatshirt). Friday Betsy made chicken en papillote (with asparagus, snap peas, and red pepper), I had the 2004 Christian Moreau Chablis. This was a real winner in 2002, but I don't think this is a buy again for this vintage. All the elements of good regional level Chablis are there- good acidity, clean apple and lemon fruit with no sign of oak, clear minerality. But it seems a tad diluted - more concentration would help. In the perspective of the fine 2004 Chablis vintage this is a disappointment. B-

Saturday we went to Long Island for a benefit for Tristate Basset Rescure, the organization where we got Lucy. 60-70 Bassets (and a few other dogs being Bassets For A Day). We were shocked when Lucy got first prize for obedience (of course, with stubborn Bassets, only 3 dogs entered that contest, compared to ones like Loudest Howl, Best Kisser, etc). We took her blue ribbon, I made a stop at Post in Syosset while Betsy went to Fairway, and headed home for a dinner of pork chops and broccoli. With Betsy not imbibing I opened a 375 ml, the 2002 Faiveley Cote de Beaune-Villages. This was a wine I had bought as a big QPR winner, but this bottle didn't actually shine as well as previous ones. Tart and slightly simple cherry fruit, doesn't seem to have either depth or concentration. Gets a little better with air, and picks up some mushroomy earth notes. But I don't like this as much as previous bottles, and wonder if it's an awkward period or -just possibly - a case of TCA-taint barely beyond my detection threshold. In any case this bottle gets a B- also.

[img]http://groups.msn.com/BordeauxWineEnthusiasts/lucy.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=2226[/img]

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. 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.
 

Dale - we sure did switch places on Saturday night. While Betsy was shopping at "my" Fairway, I was driving to dinner at Blue Hill at Stone Barns.

[Jenise]

Congratulations to Lucy, great story. One of only three contestants!

Diane,
Betsy loved your Fairway! Like the uptown one, but less crowded. It's great that its 7-8 minutes from Post- I dropped her, went to Syosset, picked up some wine and chatted with Alan, and then when she called she was ready to check out, I dashed back. I think we'll do that every time we're on LI.

Jenise,
Basset champion in obedience would probably be class dunce at a Golden Retriever event, but mostly she'll loveable!

I don't have much experience with Faiveley, but all I've tried have seemed very tough and austere when young. Besides, the 2002s are closing up (or down - which direction(s) do things close in English???) now, so your bottle (and I know this sounds like a cliché for all bottles not showing well ) sounds shut down.

Dale,
I had the opportunity to taste a wide range of the 2004 Christian Moreau Chablis. The AOC Chablis was completely unexciting and I agree somewhat dilute, but the rest of the range was a huge step up, including both Premier Crus and Grand Crus. So, if you see them don't ignore them based on their more lowly sibling.
Charles

Otto,
Indeed a lot of bigger '02s are shut down now (funnily, either closed down or closed up seem correct to me) , but I'm really surprised at a CdBV being shut down- really a wine for earlier drinking. But you're correct that Faiveley tends to make wines in a more austere longterm mode.

Charles, thanks for that tip. I liked Moreau's range in '02, but indeed might have skipped the 1ers based on the Chablis AC if you hadn't said that. I'll be open-minded!

Diane,
I forgot to ask how you liked Blue Hill @ Stone Barns?

Dale -I've wanted to go to Blue Hill since shortly after it opened. Reservations for a Saturday night were tough to get, but my friend succeeded in obtaining reservations for her birthday, this past Saturday. I appreciated the big picture....working farm, beautiful scenery, etc., but I thought it fell short on execution. The menu is very restricting with just 2 choices for each course on either the 3 or 4 course menu. Since Joel wanted steak, he was stuck with the 3 course while the rest of us had the 4 course. I felt they should have at least served him a salad when we were on one of the courses where he had nothing in front of him. The flavors were very subtle, the Berkshire pig was bland, and I can't even remember what one of my four courses was. They do have an impressive wine list, but I brought a 2000 Kistler Pinot Noir and hoped to order a white off the list, but the birthday girl was more interested in starting with a celebratory cocktail. I was disappointed with the experience, but my friend and her husband loved it.

Wow- sounds like a huge change. Last times I was there (last year) one could choose three or four course menu, you could choose any dish for each from four menu sections, each of which had 3-5 choices (so you could choose all four choices of the "From Our Fields" , or one choice from each section). And you could choose any order.

My issue there has been service- very enthusiastic, but not totally efficient.

Wine list is good, last time I was there some good Austrians and white Burgs in my price range ($50-80).

Sorry your Westchester dining experience was subpar, one day we'll get you up to BetsysDuck@SmallYard.