Monday I had takeout tofu with mixed vegetable sans wine before a meeting, but when I got home had some 2012 Txomin Etxaniz Txakoli rosado. Clean, red berry fruit, light, simple but ok. B- On a hot Tuesday Betsy made pappardelle with radicchio and watercress salad , and I opened the 2011 Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc. A bit of RS, floral, trop ical fruits, nice served cold on a hot day. B/B-
It has cooled enough Wednesday to be back on patio, with grilled lamb chops , potato salad, and kale salad, and the 2010 Baudry Chinon. This is the dom aine/estate bottling, drinking pretty well. Some tannin, fresh acids, sweet black raspberry fruit, green herbs (but no green pepper). Good value. B+
On a rainy Thursday I made flounder in a miso glaze, corn, roasted Brussel s sprouts, rice with furikake, and salad. I had gone to Stews thinking lob ster with white Burgundy, then decided on a cool rainy day I’d rather go fin (thinking meuniere). But when I switched and did an Asian accented meal I probably should have switched to Riesling, but stuck with the
2011 Chavy-Chouet “ Les Enseigneres” Puligny-Montrachet. First bottle c orked, quick chill of a second. Rich, to me more Meursault-ish than Puligny , though with a bit of minerality. Balanced acids, rounder fruits, good le ngth. B/B+With spaghetti and meatballs, asparagus, and salad with sauteed king trumpe ts, the 2006 A. Occhipinti “Grotte Alte” Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Wow, wh at a pretty and compelling wine. Crushed red berries, tobacco and fresh her bs, full but plenty of lift, earth/soil notes. Quite long. My WOTW! A-
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.