Friday was grilled salmon, tomatoes & eggplant, along with salad and the 20
05 Drouhin Cote de Beaune. Lovely showing. Black cherry fruit, earth, and s moke, still some grip, good length, lively acid. Drinking well and punching way above its weight. B++Saturday was swordfish with brown rice and salad, wine was the 2013 Leo Ste en Chenin Blanc (Dry Creek Valley). Is this really a US producer named Stee n who makes Chenin? :) Pretty good, nice acids, green apple. Not sure I'd guess CB but maybe I am just looking for Loire terroir and mistaking it for CB.. Something to ponde r. B
Sunday we had a nice group for dinner, with conversation about Asian art, b owmaking, and Chinese history. The other wine guy there (Betsy's bowmaker) has always been generous, so I wanted to please him, gave him some choices- he was clear he'd rather try something new that me try to match his tastes /cellar. A good sport!
On the patio with smoked duck and smoked trout
2002 Pol Roger Brut Champagne Midbodied, fine mousse, brioche and ginger apple on the palate, nice finish B+2001 Leitz Rudesheimer Kirchenpfad Riesling Spatlese Fairly sweet, moderate acids, tasty but I think a bit simple. I'm a huge 20
01 German fan, but seem to find less excitement in Rhine and Pfalz than Nah e or Mosel. B-Lobster/corn/tomato salad
2009 F. Cotat Culs de Beaujeau Sancerre A bit big for the dish (I actually thought I had grabbed the tauter 2008, o ops) full melon and citrus fruit, powerful, long. BNext was lamb rib chops, potato salad,and a green salad
1989 Ch. Gazin Decanted an hour before dinner, but still a bit withdrawn, some tannin, fru it in background, best during dishwashing. By then plums, smoke, and leathe r. During dinner B-, after dinner B+2000 Ch. Cantemerle Nice balanced claret, coming into its own, midbodied with cassis, cigarbox, and earth. B+/A-
Betsy had made a peach tart and we had cheese as well
1988 Anselmi Recioto dei Capiltelli (Recioto di Soave) Dense, honied, orange marmalade, good acids. But a little clipped on finish , and gets a little metallic. Interesting to try. B-/C+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 p arty where it was only choice.Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivi ty, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.