With scallops in little casseroles with a chanterelle cream sauce, the 2010 Karine Lauverjat Sancerre. Crisp, with apple, citrus and a little pepper, good length, nice wine. B+/B
Saturday night was our friends Hilary and Alex?s combination 25th anniver sary and 97th birthday (their birthdays are a couple days apart, I think 46 and 51). About 60-70 people in their house, three bands (2 teen, 1 adult) played - not simultaneously. Food was Mexican- assorted tortillas with beef , carnitas, chicken as well as numerous toppings, plus vegetarian and meat burritos, etc. Lots of beer and margaritas, but wine kept popping up too. I didn?t take notes at time, this was from memory next AM
Reds
2009 Clos du Bois de Menge Gigondas Jammier red fruit, fairly big, tannic, others liked more than I did. B-/C+2000 Sant?Elena Merlot Murky, pruney, overripe flavors, tired. C
2005 Moueix ?Encore? (Bordeaux AC) Dependable, straightforward Merlot, good value. B-2009 Benton Lane PN Fresh red fruits, hint of vanilla, pleasant and easy going Pinot. B
2007 Besson Dupree Vacqueyras Others loved,l thought pushing limits of ripeness/jamminess for me, turn it downa notch. B-/C+2008 Pasquale Pelissero Dolcetto d'Alba Medium bodied, good fruit, round, not too compelling.B-
1987 Ch. St. Jean Cabernet Sauvignon (Alexander) Good fruit, fresher than I remember, black fruits with cedar and menthol. N ot incredibly complex, but lovely mature CS. B+1987 Kenwood ?Jack London? Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma) Full, leathery, a little pruney note to the fruit, but not bad (some found more complex than the CSJean). B/B-
There was also a bottle of Bulls Blood that was rustic but drinkable. Whites
2009 White Rock Chardonnay Not too oaky, ok acids, but really no there there. Boring. C+2011 Soellner Gruner Veltliner Peas, white pepper, peaches. Round, pretty decent. B/B-
There was a still Xarello I think was from Gelida that was actually pretty good.
Bubbles
Mumm ?Cordon Rouge? Brut Champagne Sweet edge to this -high dosage? Dull, yeasty, a bit short. I?m not a fa n, but some liked. Possibly a storage issue. B-/C+
Mumm Napa- I actually liked this more than the Champagne, but that might ha ve been expectations. Crisp, light, a little nutty. B-
There was a forgettable Prosecco that I?ve forgotten, and a Gelida Cava t hat I thought pretty good.
I recently ordered a bunch of mushrooms and corn smut from Oregon, so for m eatless Sunday Betsy made a fantastic black trumpet and matsutake risotto. Wine was the 2007 Gabriel Billard ?Epenotes? Beaune 1er. Not bad at all , but the risotto deserved a great wine.The Beaune showed red fruit, a litt le spice, moderate acids- quite pleasant PN though it didn?t shout Beaune to me. A gift from folks who I had loaned my generator to post-Sandy. B
Monday we were invited to a party to celebrate some visiting friends who mo ved to NC last year (and to toast Betsy?s birthday Tuesday). I was in cha rge of appetizers - made lobster salad (tarragon, mustard, ponzu, grapefrui t zest and lemon dressing) that I put in endive leaves, plus some soppresa ta for the no-seafood contingent. Main course was a chicken shepherd?s pi e- wait, maybe that?s a poultryman?s pie- anyway a chicken pot pie with potato topping. Plus asparagus, salad, and wine:
NV Cima de Conegliano Prosecco pretty good stuff actually, touch of sweetness, light to medium, pears and apple, some yeast. B
2010 St Supery Sauvignon Blanc I thought I had done my last mowing of the year on Sat, but lots of grass h ere. Grapefruit, too. This is like overcropped NZ SB. Others like much more . C+2010 J. Lohr Cabernet Sauvignon Not bad in a kind of anonymous red wine style. B-
2000 Edmunds St. John ?The Shadow? Syrah Dark berries, smoke, a little coffee, this is really in a nice place- tanni ns resolved, enough acids to make it bright and lively, develops some earth and mushroom aromas with time. B+/A-Tuesday flounder in panko, leftover risotto, and broccoli. 2009 Pepiere ? Ch. Thebaud? Muscadet. Full, long, and lovely, sure this will age well, b ut really nice to drink young! A-
Wednesday I had a couple of speeches, had a late dinner of assorted solo w hile Betsy played in Brooklyn. The 2010 Guimaro (Ribera Sacra) was a fun wi ne- bright and lively, a real peppery note over raspberry fruit, very good lighter styled red. B+
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 pa rty where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivi ty, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.