Sunday Betsy's quartet had a concert in Rye. A sizable crowd enjoyed the pr ogram- Dvorak's "American" Quartet and the a cool jazzy quartet by Peter Sc hikele (I knew he's respected, but this is actually first non -PDQB piece I 've heard, and I thought great). Then Kazuhide Isomura (violist of the To kyo String Quartet) joined them for a wonderful performance of a Brahms vio la quintet. There was a reception afterwards- couple of reds, a ruby port, a sherry, and a dry white. I tried the latter, the 2013 Sciarpa Pinot Grig io. Very light, modest acids, probably refreshing on a warm day, not much length. C+
Afterwards I took her to Saint George in Hastings. She had an assortment of oysters, then a salad with radishes, blue cheese, pears, & assorted green s) , then duck breast on cabbage (with bacon, it was a bit like duck choucr oute though not pickled). I had pumpkin soup with pear followed by steak fr ites with a bordelaise sauce.
With her oysters, we got a glass of the 2013 Clement & Florian Berthier San cerre. Medium bodied, fairly grassy, rounded but with enough acid to match well with the raw bar. B
I had carried the 1998 Vieux Chateau Chauvin (St Emilion). Smaller framed f or a 98 RB, but there's enough grip to keep it interesting. Dark berries, f erric notes, some leather and mocha. Could use a bit more length, but a nic e wine for dinner. No need to hold this, drinking well now, B
Monday no wine for me with our falafel, as I was heading to city to take a group on a relief trip. Tonight we roasted a chicken with assorted vegetabl es (squash, mushrooms, fennel) along with a toasted quinoa pilaf and the 20
13 Paul Buisse Sauvignon Blanc (Touraine). Quite dominated by gooseberry at first, some more pit & tropical fruit as it gets air. Light to mid bodied, enjoyable enough. 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 p arty where it was only choice.Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivi ty, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.