No wine Tuesday (chicken with onion, mushroom, and sherry vinegar)
Wednesday was spicy hanger steak, quinoa salad, & asparagus; wine was the 2015 Johann Michel Cornas New producer to me. Dark fruits, pepper, grilled meat. Young, firm, needs time but I like B+
Thursday we decided to empty fridge of a variety of leftovers
2011 Rhys Bearwallow Pinot Noir Red fruit, cola, a bit disjointed. I don?t usually get that cherry Coke thing in Rhys. Not my fave, but unfortunately I seem to have several more. B-/C+ 2016 Goodfellow Whistling Ridge White Mostly Riesling, with some PN. PB, and Gewurztraminer. Green apples and peach, with a little lichee note that says I?m here from the Gewurz (though under 10% of blend). Round, just a hint of RS.with enough acidity to make food friendly.BFriday grilled salmon, chard with raisins, brown rice
2019 Goodfellow Whistling Ridge Chardonnay Citrus blossoms, lemon and Honeycrisp, good acids and grip.B++Saturday we traveled to NJ for a nice dinner under a gazebo in Paul and Sandy?s lovely yard. ? Homemade pork liver pate, smoked duck breast, cheese
2012 Pol Roger Brut I?ve been drinking a fair amount of no/low dosage wines, so this initially strikes me as sweet, but in reality it?s nicely balanced.White pit fruits, pear, with smoke, spice, and brioche. Really quite nice. B+/A-Asparagus, sous vide egg, bacon, shaved parmesan, and a light vinaigrette.
2013 Dominique Lafon Les Champs-Gain Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Lemon, peach and melon, some oak, racy acids, minerally finish. A-/B+2012 Faiveley Corton-Charlemagne This had a fairly dark golden color, but no oxidation. Full and firm, rich and delicious, interesting as a contrast to the Puligny. I liked equally, but very different. A-/B+
Grilled (perfectly) hanger steaks (Flannery and a local prime purveyor), baked mashed potatoes and roasted carrots with pistachios and honey.
2016 Peter Michael Ma Danseuse Pinot Noir This is PN? Kirsch, plum brandy, mocaccino, this is truly not a style I enjoy, but interesting to try. C+/B-1983 Jaboulet La Chapelle Hermitage Decanted before travel (a good thing, there were like 2 tablespoons of sludge sediment, thank goodness for cradle). Mature but not tired, not a powerhouse but rather elegant instead, integrated black fruit, smoked meats, light herbal notes. A-
Blind Red #1 I thought Medoc.Cassis, leather, some definite green notes. At first I was thinking Sociando, then decided Pauillac. Oops, wrong continent.1995 Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (mag) A-
Blind Red #2 While I didn?t feel bad about first blind wine, I really whiffed on #2. Paul and I both said Bordeaux at first,then convinced ourselves it wasn?t. I thought it was either a more restrained CA syrah, or a more modern Rhone. Ripe blackberry fruit, cocoa,.some moderate oak. Nowhere close., 2004 Pichon Baron B/B+
2016 Peter Michael Au Paradis Cassis and blackberry liqueur, pipe tobacco, firm tannins, this is bigger than my preferred style but well done. B2 cakes (chocolate and passionfruit)
1955 Albala PX Coffee, toffee, caramel. I never drink these but certainly interesting (in 1 ounce pour). B/B+, but those who really like sweet will rate much higher.Very fun afternoon/evening
Sunday we had oysters, weakfish, crab pansotti, salad
2019 Abbazia di Novacella Kerner Very floral, peach and green apple, moderate acids, very friendly. B+/BGrade 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.