Last night we had a thank you for those who helped the most with Betsy's CD release party (the hostess, the planner, the tamboura player ) and their spouses.
For appetizers I made shrimp cocktail and some bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with goat cheese. For chevre reasons I choose as our starter the 2005 Gerard Boulay Chavignol Sancerre. Very pretty Sancerre, with ripe green apple, gooseberry, and grapefruit fruit. Fruit-forward enough to please the fruithounds, yet with a real backbone of acidity and minerality. I like, I like. B+/A-
We also sampled the 2005 Haut-Rian (Bordeaux blanc). Betsy had used most of this bottle cooking, but I passed around as a contrast to the Sancerre. Like the Boulay it has clean SB fruit, though without the depth of the Sancerre. More grassy than minerally, but a nice value white. B
Main course was a Daniel Boulud recipe for braised lamb shoulder. The recipe was spiced with cumin, fenugreek, sumac, etc and contains grapes and currants soaked in dessert wine. A matching challenge, I pulled out a Rhone and a Nebbiolo to experiment with:
2003 Bois de Boursan Chateauneuf-du-Pape Very sweet fruit, but thankfully with more acidity than most 2003 CdPs I've run across. Medium-bodied, some earth, herbs, and leather. Not over the top, but not really exciting either. B2004 Cantalupo "Agamium" Colline Novaresi Lighter side of Nebbiolo. A bit tight at first, some tar and violets emerge. Fruit is on light side, all raspberry and strawberry. High acidity, not for those looking for lushness. I enjoy, and think a good buy for about $11. B/B+
Matching note- the spices were more subtle than I feared, and the sweetness of the fruit didn't dominate, so both went well. Dish is delicious, it was served with a brown rice mix and roasted Brussels sprouts. I asked Marc who is Belgian if they're called Brussels sprouts in Brussels, he said yes. Another mystery solved.
As we headed towards the cheese course (Humboldt Fog, a Sardinian cheese called Fiore Sardo, Grafton 5 star, and St Nectaire) and dessert (fruit pie and a chocolate cake with marzipan)I brought out two more wines:
1970 Ch. Gloria (St Julien) In honor of Annabelle, a '70 vintage herself. Good color, good fruit, good body. Actually, while I've had this years ago and really liked, I'm shocked how young this seems. Fully mature tannins, big redcurrant fruit with notes of leather, fireplace, and cedar. This has no right to be this good at 36. Some forest floor/mushroom notes with time, but the fruit doesn't slacken at all. This is more a midweight than a heavyweight champ, but damn fine for its age, and would stomp many classified growths. A- (on the scale of mature Bdx the grade might be pushing it, but it was such surprisingly lovely I'll be guilty of leniency).2002 Feiler-Artinger Traminer Beerenauslese (Burgenland) (from 375 ml)
over a deep core of mango and apricot fruit. Good length. A little candied ginger note. Very nice. A-/B+
Another good night with good people!
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.