(apologies if this is a double, thought I posted yesterday, but not showingon my reader)
A slow week for wine consumption - between a board meeting, escorting a NC group on a mission trip to the city, and attending a dress rehearsal, I only managed to pop two corks:
I opened a NV (2005) Gazela Vinho Verde for Betsy to use cooking. I did manage to try a glass on successive nights. Light petillance on night one, a very light wine but with attractive chalky/seashell notes over slightly shrill green fruit. Not deep, but certainly worth its $5.xx price tag. B/B-
The wine we served with dinner than night was a half-bottle of 2001 Domaine Daniel Rion " Le Vaucrain" Cote de Nuits-Villages. I'm always on the lookout for reasonable Burgs in 375s, but the search pace needn't slacken. There's just nothing distinctive here. Modest red plum and cherry fruit, a light hint of earth. It's not that this is stylistically not my style- I'd say it's identifiably Burgundian. But the is nose anonymous red fruit, the palate lacks depth, the the finish is rather short. Pass, B-/C+
And now a semi-wine-related note re "Most Happy Fella" at the State Theater at Lincoln Center (disclaimer - my wife is a cellist at City Opera, but full house or empty makes no difference to her paycheck). In both the fall and spring season, NYCO usually puts on one non-opera - lately mostly Sondheim or Gilbert & Sullivan (I always enjoy, but sadly,imo, these are usually better attended than the more challenging stuff). This season it's Frank Loesser's "Most Happy Fella." The reason it's semi-wine-related is that Tony, the male lead, is a Napa Vineyard owner. Lots of grape vines on the set, and a billboard featuring wine labels like Stony Hill Chardonnay, Mayacamas (Chardonnay also, I think), Beringer (some proprietary name I didn't recognize, started with an "E"), Louis Martini Merlot, Charles Krug Cabernet Sauvignon. Fair amount of wine drinking too. Some of the details don't make sense (the scene where some workers are picking grapes, others sorting, and some bottling wine), but it was fun to watch the dress and notice the wine details. Paul Sorvino as Tony has some vocal struggles but excellent stage presence, the Rosabella has great operatic voice, a bit of stage issues. But some of the supporting players are really great, and overall it was a most enjoyable performance. The plot is kind of Cyrano-ish, with slightly adult themes for 50s (more Carousel than Singing in the Rain, but not as dark). Really nice score (Standing on the Corner Watching All the Girls was only song I recognized). My original plan was to do a Beacon or AOC Bedford Sunday offline after a matinee performance with some wine friends from orchestra, but I couldn't make my schedule mesh with Betsys. But anyway I'd suggest it as a fun way to maybe indulge wine interest while getting brownie points from a spouse who likes musical theater.
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. 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.