With a baby octopus salad as well as cauliflower steaks with cauliflower p uree, the
2016 Karine Lauverjat Sancerre. Crisp and snappy, gooseberry and straw, typ ical and good. B/B+ With sous vide dry aged ribeye, steak sweet potatoes, and mushrooms (cremi ni, maitake, pioppini), the 1986 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvigno n. Not a vintage of Cali I have much experience with, but what a great show ing. Black cherry and black currant, cedar, smoke, and hint of cocoa. Tanni ns are resolved, acids are balance, finish is long. Not usually a buyer of Beringer but at least in this era I should be. A-2015 Pinon Silex Noir Vouvray On the sweeter side of sec-tendre, tropical and lemon fruit with orchard bl ossoms, just a hint of wax, chalky mineral finish. Young and tasty. B+/A-
Went to Betsy’s quartet’s concert (Borodin Beethoven and W agner - actually a new piece, it’s Melinda Wagner) so had slow cook er going. Recipe for a Basque chicken and rice dish, though I tinkered (lam b merguez instead of ham) a bit, plus berbere glazed carrots, and pea/sunf lower shoot/avocado salad
2015 Finca Genoveva (Vinos Atlanticos) This was 3 different wines, and I liked them all! 100% Caino from Ría s Baixas. At first it’s snappy and raspberry flavored,with a floral nose, I’m thinking “Caino is like Gamay.” Then by dinner it has rounded out, gotten more black cherry, and I’m think ing “Caino is like Pinot.” By the end it had filled out as well, quite full bodied, and I’m thinking “Caino is Caino, and I like it.” Herby, floral, long, minerally. A-2005 Gunderloch Nackenheim Rothenberg Spatlese Softer acids than I like in my Riesling, but killer rich peach and tropical fruit. Love the flavors, but sits heavy. Auslese weight. 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.