For Valentines Day,. I did sea scallops and Brussels sprouts in a line/maple/muistard glaze, with rice, salad, and the 2015 Thomas Morey "Les Dents de Chien" Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Ripe pearl a little hazelnut, floral notes, with enough acids to keep lively. Ready to go, from a ripe vintage. B+
Tuesday I tool the train in and met a nice crew at Marta. . We shared pancetta (with sauteed radicchio and chicory, sunchokes), crocchette with olive aioli, 3 pizzas (stracciatella, ?butcher?, and Brussels sprouts/ham)\ then split a pork chop and a steak Florentine.
2001 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc I always struggle with aeration on these wines (and know white Bdx premoxes at similar rates to Burgundy). I chose to open this at table. Fresh citrus and tropical nose, though on the palate there?s a woody note with some oxidative flavors. Revisited later, it seemed fresher, honied but bright, wax, pear, and melon. B+ at end. Should have decanted.2001 Ch Pavie Ripe, really ripe, but only moderately woody, reminds me more of the ?98 than the ?00 or 03. Black plum cocoa, mocha. Some others liked more. B-/B
2001 Ch. Trotanoy This was more subdued than a bottle in the fall, some tannic structure, red plum fruit with a touch of mocha, moderate acids. Seemed a bit in a shell, but stylistically more my style than the Pavie. Give it time. B+ (w/more potential)2001 Ch. Pichon Baron Leather and cedar. Powerful and brawny B+/A-
2001 Ch. Pichon Lalande Young, elegant, and long. Cassis accented with green herbs and anise, mellow tannins, lively For drinking now (though with long future) my WOTN. A-2001 La Mission Haut Brion Corked. The pain, the pain.
2001 Ch. Haut Brion This was a little angry and sullen at being awakened. More tannic than I expected, but beautiful bones underneath. Eventually it begins to show more- black currant and black cherry, campfire, earth. B+/B this night, A potential.2001 Ch. Smith Haut-Lafitte Quite ripe, quite modern, but still Bordeaux. Cassis, chocolate, but with a Graves-y rock undertone. B+/B
Really fun night, all wines really seemed on young side, such a shame about the La Mish (which was my WOTN last time we did 2001s)
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 party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.