With flounder, bok choy and rice the 2007 Pascal Cotat ? Monts Damnes? Sancerre in a perfect place, grapefruit/lime and strong mineral notes, some herb with air. Quite full but with acid backbone. A-/B+
Grilled small mackerel, barley, and salad
2010 Drouhin/Marquis de Laguiche ?Morgeot?Chassagne-Montrachet 1er No pox here! Drinking quite well, pear and hazelnut with a sweet vanilla edge, ripe but balanced and long. B+/A-2012 L?ecu ?granite? Muscadet Great bottle of Muscadet, just in the right place, citrus but mostly saline/seashell notes. Delicious. A-/B+
With Betsy out of town I was looking forward to a Sunday event that was cancelled due to family illness. So I rounded up a ragtag bunch- one couple, and 3 friends whose husbands were out of town. A fun meal ensued- charcuterie , then scallop/daikon crudo, followed by mixed grill (assorted sausages, ranch steak, lamb kidneys) , grilled salmon, grilled squash and radicchio, lentils, and carrots.
NV Brimoncourt Rose Champagne On sweet side, candied cherry, slightly coarse mousse, not a lot of depth. B-/C+
2007 Francois Cotat :?Culs de Beaujeu? Sancerre A tad rounder than the Pascal MD but still pretty bright, ?07 is a strong year for the Cotats. Citrus, flowers, rocks. B+/A-2005 Pavelot ?Les Peuillets? Savigny-les-Beaune 1er A little worried this could be tight, but this is usually earliest of Pavelot 1ers and with some air it was just fine. Red cherry and plums, mushrooms, cocoa. Fleshy but not fat, good finish, not much tannin. B+
2013 Bolmida ?Bussia? Barolo Not much joy to be found here. Tannin, quiet black cherry fruit, tight. For drinking now C+/B-, hope it just needs time.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 party where it was only choice.Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.