Saturday we went to dinner at a friend's home in Chappaqua. Cecile ran a children's store next to my office for the 15 years I've been there, till she closed at start of this year. We became friends over the years, but only started socializing outside her store or my office when she decided to close. She and her husband Lou are into food, and served a delicious dinner- salad with beets, then shrimp in olive oil with garlic, chiles, and ginger over toast, followed by a delicious pasta sauce with tomatoes and bacon as the main course.
The white starter was the 2003 Maso Poli Pinot Grigio (Trentino). I'm not a big PG drinker, and am cautious re European 03 whites. But this isn't bad, if a bit atypical. Sweet Bartlett pear fruit, hints of mango, bigger and riper than most Pinot Grigios. Better as apertif than with the shrimp. B
They aren't really wine people, so generously served a bottle they had gotten as a gift that they felt I'd appreciate- the 1999 Del Dotto Giovanni Tuscan Reserve (Napa). OK, I don't find a lot of Tuscany here- this tastes like big Napa Cab to me. Lots of vanilla oak aromas, lots of tannin, big dark fruit, a little Napa mint. Ripe, round, and very California. I'm assuming with name this is Sangiovese, but doesn't really seem like it (Super-modern Brunello, maybe). Not actually a bad wine for the style, but not my style, and a bit overpowering for the pasta. B
Today Betsy was playing, and her dad was attending the performance. I said I'd take care of dinner, and eventually settled on leg of lamb. Marinated with an anchovy/rosemary/garlic sauce, and served with baby pattypan squash and some haricots verts. Seemed Rhonish to me, but rather than actually go with a Rhone, I tried a recent purchase, the
2002 Cep Syrah (Sonoma Coast). Pretty nice wine- rich Syrah blackberry fruit, lots of secondary stuff going on for a young wine- some pepper, some game/meat, some leather. Good concentration with being overwhelming. Reminds me of a bigger Crozes. Worth going back for more ($21). B+/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 party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency
Dale