Back to NY and my cellar.
Thursday Betsy made seafood (scallop, shrimp, cod) hot pot with noodles & N apa cabbage. WIne was the 2012 Vollenweider “Wolfer Goldgrube”Kabinett. Lots of sugar, but balanced with nervy acids. Green apple and a little citr us, herbs and mineral. B+
Friday I did roast cornish hens with potatoes, carrots, and an arugula sala d; wine was the 2005 Vissoux/Chermette “Cuvee Traditionnelle? ? Beaujolais Vieilles Vignes. Who says you can’t age $13 non-cru Beaujolais for a decade? I was a little worried at first as fruit seemed mu ted and there was a little odd funk, but that blew off and the fruit plumpe d up. Delicious. Black cherry, earth, herbs. I’d have probably gues sed PN if blind. B+/A-
Saturday we were invited to a party, but decided to stay home and invited o ver Betsy's sister and family. I shucked oysters and made potato/creme frai che/salmon roe appetizers, Betsy (with nephew helping fold) did shrimp wont ons. For main I did char siu pork while Betsy made the rice and Chinese bro ccoli. We knew we wouldn't make it to midnight, but toasted as 2017 arrived in London (GMT), Rio, etc
2002 Delamotte Blanc de Blancs Champagne Elegant, bright, some yeasty notes over clean apple fruit. B+NV Laherte “Ultradition” Champagne Green apple, citrus, easy. B
2011 Fevre Montee de Tonnere Chablis 1er Somewhat closed down, a little reductive. Doesn’t give much at all. Not much pleasure this night, but when revisited on day 2 much more expres sive- wet rocks, pear and citrus, a seashell note. B-/C+ on NYE, B+ next da y2015 Richter “Wehlener Sonnenuhr” Riesling Kabinett More “real” Kab than the Vollenweider, light sweetness, bri ght electric acids, herb, chalky edge. B+
2014 Artner Riesling Austrian Riesling I’ve not seen before. Snappy, citrus with ginger, bone dry. Not especially deep or complex, but nice in a Trimbach yellow la bel kind of way. B2005 de Villaine “Les Mondots” Mercurey Round red fruit, a little spicy note, plump, not very long. I know this is Cote Chalonnaise not Cote d’Or, but it drinks like a 3 year old $10 Cali PN. C+
New Years I did my blackeyed peas & greens for lunch, for dinner I did panr oasted salmon with a yogurt/curry/cuke sauce. Revisited a few wines, as not ed the Fevre had opened up, the Mercurey was still boring but now a bit oxi dized. 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.