Labor day dinner

Friends at the farm for the weekend: assorted snacks, duck rillets, pheasa nt terrine, and chesses with:

NV Champagne Agrapart "Terroirs" - Nose of almonds and citrus. Nice mousse, intitial sweetness, buttered toast a nice fruity style that drinks well on a hot day. B

NV Rene Geoffroy Rose de Saignee- Deep sweet cherry and berry flavors with a hint of melon. Totally delicious. B++

With summer vegetable chowder:

2004 Louis Latour Criots Batard Montrachet-soft and lemony on the nose with a bit of butterscotch. Rich and soft almost buttery showing no age. Lack ing any noticable acid it seemed a bit ripe and almost Napa-ish except for a distinct minerality. B

With Grilled Quail over wild mushroom ragout and creamy white cheddar polen ta:

2004 Perrot Minot Mazoyeres Chambertin-Wow.Not what I expected. While the flavors were quite saturated they wre not dense. Black cherry, a bit of As ian spice,well integreted tannins with very little evidence of oak. Well ba lanced a delicious. WOTN for some. a solid "A"

With Kobe #4 Filets totamto tarts and grilled corn:

1990 Ch. Lynch Bages-Dark purple no signs of age ave for a bit of lightenin g at the rim. A bit of cigarbox and barnyard on the nose to start but it b lew off quickly. Nose of creme de cassis and a bit of brett which seems to be a part of LB. Rich and ripe on the palate with black fruits and vanilla . The fruit on thishas a very sweet attack with a very long finish. A perf ectly aged Bordeaux in it's prime. "A"

2000 Ch. Pichon Longueville Baron-Almost black in the glass. Big bold cass is and blackberry flavors with dark chocolate, espresso and anise. This is a big wine that can use more time but it's dense dark and tasty now. Tann ins a firm but fine. "A-"

Pine Nut and Honey tart with sweet basil, honey and pinenut praline ice cre am:

1988 Chateau Climens Sauternes-Brilliant. Still a gorgeous golden yellow. Fresh and vibrant on the nose. Honey and lemon, marzipan and orange zest on the palate. Amazing elegance and a sweetness without even a hint of clo ying sugar. My WOTN "A+"