As an apertif wine, the 2008 Brocard "Vieilles Vignes de Ste. Clair" Chablis from half bottle. Really nice showing for a village level wine, medium to fullbodied and filled with citrus fruit , with accents of chalk and green plum. Nice length, nice balance, nice wine. B+
With spahgetti and meatballs accompanied by dinosaur kale, the
2009 Karim Vionnet Beaujolais-Villages (I'm pretty sure I'm correct on vintage, though I don't see date on bottle, and threw away cork and capsule). Bright, a hint of spritz, refreshing, cherry goodness, straightforward. B+/BWith bbq chicken 2008 Firriato Etna Rosso. I'm a big Etna Rosso fan, for me it's the most elegant Sicilian (or even Southern Italian) appellation,. but this is not exciting for me. It's got the acidity, red fruit, and floral notes, but it seems glossy and characterless compared to Biondi or the basic Terre Nere. B-/C+
The 2009 Kofererhof Muller Thurgau (Alto Adige) has more size and personality than one would expect of the grape, but it's not something I'm running to buy more of. Peaches, concentrated floral aromas, just a hint of sweetness. Hard to pinpoint what leaves me a bit cold, this strikes me as a recent Deiss wine did, just not my style. Still, one of the better M-Ts I've had (not a big list). B-
With Long Island skate in a brown butter/wine saice, the 2004 Pierre Matrot "Les Chalumeaux" Puligny-Montrachet 1er. These days it's always with a bit of trepidation one opens white Burgs (and Matrot seems a prime offender), but even poured in a decanter this is fine. Pears, hazelnut and a little lemon peel, full bodied, balanced acids, good length. Still young, but aging these would take a huge leap of faith. B+/A-
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.