We had invited two couples for dinner Saturday night. One couple had to say no- a previous commitment. So we called another friend, and they were happy to join us if they could bring a friend visiting from Paris. Of course! So Betsy spent most of the day cooking, with occasional help from me - mostly I was dealing with the impending blizzard (my group always tries to make it out despite weather- on this occasion 3 out of
6 teams made it). Mid-afternoon the previously committed couple on our initial list called to say their event had been canceled- could they crash? Of course! So a really jovial group convened on our house for a really fun meal.NV Margaine Brut Pleasant light-bodied Champagne, it's okay, but I paid $35 for this? B
Our party-crashers had brought a great appetizer of tuna tartare with a sundried tomato tapenade-ish garnish on rice crackers, a nice Champagne match, would like to try with something more distinctive like Egly-O or Pierre Peters.
One guest doesn't like bubbly, he got a little leftover Sauzet Bourgogne and then I joined him in a glass of the 2004 Clos Roche Blanche Sauvignon. Clean pretty SB, great QPR, like NZ Sauvignon made by a top Sancerre winemaker. B/B+
We moved to the table for one of Betsy's standbys, the maderia-morel soup from the Silver Palate New Basics. I know soup doesn't really need a wine, but it's my house and I can do what I want. So I serve a red and a white Burgundy.
2000 Pierre Matrot Meursault Medium-bodied, some honey and butterscotch over the pear fruit. Nice enough, but not appreciably better than the excellent and inexpensive 2000 Matrot Bourgogne. B1999 Guy Castagnier Clos St. Denis Well priced for a Grand Cru burg from a good vintage, this was slightly tight when opened (2-3 hours before dinner) but blossomed nicely. Rich black cherry and red plum fruit, some damp earth and moss. Revisited a while later during cheese course, it developed a silky texture and a pleasing light sandalwood aromas. B+/A-
Main course is a pair of pot roasts (luckily Betsy had decided one might not be enough for 7 people, with 2 we had plenty for 9), served with glazed carrots, braised leeks, and mashed potatoes.
1988 Haut-Bages-Liberal (Pauillac) Double-decanted a few hours before dinner, but there was a still a rough edge to the tannins here. Decent dark fruit, a nice hint of tobacco, but with those tannins and a little bit of a stewed note (storage?), others liked it better than I. B-2003 Ch. Gloria (St. Julien) Very popular at table. Really reflective of the vintage- fat, soft, a bit thick, with rich fruit flavors. But really nice flavors, blackcurrant and black plum, a little herb and spice in the back. Good finish. Not for long-term, but a nice drink early Bordeaux. B+
Next up a pair of Napa reds, a couple of vintages of Havens' hommage to Cheval Blanc:
1999 Havens Bourriquot Fleshy red fruit, a bit of spice and oak, earth and mushroom notes develop with time. Smooth, easy, yet with a nice core of fruit and ample structure. B+2001 Havens Bourriquot A big bigger than the 1999, oak a little more prominent, but a nice rich lush mouthfeel, with boysenberry and cassis fruit, some chocolate and leather, and a long finish. A-
Both Bourriquots were uniformly popular around the table. No one found dirty.
One guest had bought a bedraggled looking bottle of 1970 Dow Vintage Port. She said she had no clue if it was good - the label was falling off, and the cork crumbled on opening. But after a little while in the decanter this wine was singing. I don't drink a lot of VP, and maybe my standards are low, but this did it for me. Not especially big, but harmonius and full with resolved tannins and good length. A raisined note hung over sweet red plum fruit, glimpses of vanilla, spiced nuts, and marzipan danced around the edges. A-/A
Really fun night with a great group- entertaining and erudite conversation, tasty food, nice wines, with the bonus I don't need to go anywhere at the end of the night (but I did spend two hours loading dishwasher and washing stems). Glad Joe and Rachel felt confident enough to crash, hope Laure didn't get too lost by the fast-talking Americans. 1 AM to bed, then get a call from a breakfast group canceling at 6 AM. Arrggh, might as well get up. More than a foot of snow by then, looks like 20"+ now.
After some work and shoveling today, we had leftovers for dinner. The
2003 Gloria was still showing strong. We also had a small glass of the 2004 Borsao (Campo de Borja) that Betsy had used 2/3s of for the pot roasts last night. Medium-bodied, fruit forward, but with some acidic structure and light tannins, one hell of a $6 wine. BGrade 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.