Friday we had the first of our “New Kitchen Thank You” dinn er- 3 couple who had us over during construction (and helped Betsy pack up before demo). Cooking wine for the duck sauce was the
2015 Mannucci Droandi Chianti Colli Aretini. A little tannin, medium acids, black cherry and a little forest floor. BWe started on patio with: Pasthourma and fileto Smoked lard/pickle canapes Ron’s home smoked salmon
NV Jose Dhondt “Mes Vieilles Vignes” Grand Cru Blanc de Bla nc Champagne Hugely popular. Green apple and citrus, just baked brioche, chalky finish. A-/B+
2017 Bart Marsannay Rose Red cherries, citrus zest, a little herbs. This is nice! B+First sitdown was Mexican lobster (well, I steamed/picked 2 lobsters, tosse d with chipotle mayo and pico de gallo Betsy had made for our fish tacos We d)
2007 Sauzet Chassagne-Montrachet Pear and hazelnut, a little lemon, good finish. Nice wine, a pointe, but ma ybe not best match. B+2004 Trimbach “Cuvee Frederic Emile” Riesling I had thought I’d brought up the ‘01, only realized mistake after opening. Better than the white Burg with lobster, but not my favorit e CFE, seems to lack a little zip. B/B-
Main was duck breast with a red wine sauce, on duck fat polenta with a sala d with green goddess dressing
1993 Drouhin Volnay-Chevret 1er Doesn’t actually say 1er on label, but I think when hyphenated with type same size as vintage understood. Light (12% on label), bright acids , raspberry and cranberry with lots of earth and fallen leaves. Great with duck, nice long finish. A-/B+2005 Dominique Laurent Cote de Nuits Villages Vieilles Vignes Cheap from PC back in the day. Full red fruits, some tannin, not especially oaky but kind of generic PN. Others liked more B-
2007 Bize “Aux Guettes” Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Another ‘07 drinking nicely. Black cherry, coffee, a little smoke, long and nicely balanced. B+/A-2000 Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Auslese (375) Good acid for a 2000, white cherry and green tea, moderate sweetness, surpr ising length. Overachiever for the vintage. B+
Saturday I was home alone, with leftover duck and greens and the 2013 Ziere isen Schulen Spatburgunder. Cranberry and red cherry, lots of green herbs, fresh and fun. B
Sunday was a scorcher, but humidity was low, so in the shade not too bad. G ood thing because I was at a garden party (HS grad). Charcuterie, antipasto , corn salad, cuke salad, skirt steak, and clams. Also some ribs but I mana ged to miss both trays coming out.
2017 Saint Roch (Loire) Very light, with a tiny funky note that made me wonder if Grolleau, but Fre d says 100% Gamay. Best think is it’s cold on a hot day. B-2017 Juliette rose (not sure if that is brand or producer) I think this was CdProvence, but unsure. Soft, red fruits, dull rose. C+
2013 Perrin Cotes du Rhone Reserve I was pleasantly surprised, pretty decent GSM (I assume). Red fruits, herbs , a little plump. B-/BWhen I got home and walked dog, wanted another glass. Wanted something cold , so opened the 2016 Sainte Barbe "la Perriere" Vire-Clesse. Full with good acids, pear fruit and wet rocks. Just a little vanilla/toast, good length. Great deal on closeout under $20. 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.