In my Christmas notes I forgot a couple of cooking wines NV Broadbent Rainwater Madeira offers good quality for the price, lots of dried fruit and nut flavors, and I thought it worked better in a favorite mushroom soup recipe than the sweeter Buals and Malmseys I had been using. B
2017 La Graviere (Entre Deux Mers) was light - apparently overcropped SB, but for $7 cooking wine ok, it was clean. C+Quiet night at home with roast chicken, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and the 2015 Jane & Sylvain Bourgogne. Fresh red fruits, earthy, nice balanced and a good value. B/B+
Betsy, the pup, and I traveled over the hill for a dinner with friends. I made oysters with ikura and a cobia crudo (with fennel and watermelon radish). They had arugula/citrus salad and a chicken/spinach curry. Several wines were sampled
2014 Setzer Gruner Veltliner Very light, hint of white pepper might clue one in to it being GV, but pretty anonymous. C+2015 Ravines Dry Riesling Hey, a Finger Lakes dry Riesling that?s pretty dry. Apple, petrol, flowers. B
2013 Porter Creek Timbervine Syrah (Russian River Valley) Good acids for California syrah, dark fruit with earth and herbs. Not flamboyant at all, fun. B+/B2017 Pepiere Clos des Briords Muscadet Lovely Briords, plenty of lemon and oystershell. Taut, balanced, saline. A-
2015 Van Volxem Rotschiefer Kabinett Light, sweet apple and pit fruits, Good acids. B/B-Sunday we had lobsters, bok choy, & green beans with gremolata
2001 Kongsgaard Wines Chardonnay Napa Valley) Deep, honied, but past its prime. My fault for holding too long, just got lost in bottom of a box. C+2017 David Trousselle ?La Couleuvraire ? Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Beaune New producer to me. Clean Chardonnay fruit, balanced acids, good length. B
Had some friends over for New Year?s Eve dinner.
Started with some stuff from local butcher (bresaola, foie gras mousse) and the
2002 Delamotte Blanc de Blancs Champagne - nice crispness, elegant, apple and pear with orange zest and bread dough. B+The Food & Wine recipe for Shorbat jarjir (Palestinian arugula-spinach-cilantro soup) suggested dry Riesling. OK!
1998 Nigl Riesling Senftenberger Piri Privat, Citrus and pit fruits, intensely dry with a delicious stony finish. Pretty much everything I want in dry Riesling. A-/AFriends brought fresh pasta with clam sauce
2017 Collestefano Verdicchio di Matelica This is like a good Italian take on Muscadet- good fruit, saline/seashell , balanced. B+I did the sous vide rack of lamb with tarragon, Betsy the duckfat smashed potatoes, another couple spinach.
1985 Rausan Segla Classic Margaux, beautiful berry fruit laced with pencil shavings and leather. Balanced, aromatic, elegant. A-1994 Lindeman?s Limestone Ridge Shiraz/Cabernet (Coonawarra) Ripe fruit, some cocoa, holding on but simple compared to Rausan Segla (one person preferred). B
2002 Rieussec (375) Tropical fruit and orange marmalade, not much intensity, needs more acid too. B-/C+New Year?s Day- Pork chops, blackeyed peas, collard greens
2015 Guignier ?Bio-Vitis? Morgon . This seems to have shut down a bit since last visit, not a lot happening, but can sense the good fruit & structure underneath. B- for drinking nowGrade 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 only choice.Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.