Betsy made Taiwanese fried chicken, with bok choy on the side. With Korean fried chicken (the real KFC) I like Champagne, but an online site suggested red with this dish. I tried the red, went back to Champagne with meal, but enjoyed red on it?s own.
NV Roederer Premier Brut Champagne Full, rich, broad style, apple and pear with brioche. B/B+
2008 Drouhin Beaune 1er Not sure I?ve ever had this bottling before. Elegant for Beaune, vibrant and light with red cherry, mushroom, and earth. A bit of tannin, good length. Wish I had more.B++Dana is here for a week, we know she likes oysters and thought she?d like the fish ssam we made recently (this time a combination of fluke and halibut cheeks, served with lettuce, chili crisp, rice, etc).
2019 Patrick Piuze Coteau de Fontenay Chablis Full, apples,. dry honeycomb, a little tropical, waxy, I like though it doesn't scream Chablis to me. B2019 Alzinger Loibenberg Smaragd Gruner Veltliner Sweet pea, mango, lemon. Very full, a little less acidic backbone and minerality than I expected. B-
Sunday I made duck legs on top of braised vegetables (turnips, carrots, radish, celery), sauteed spinach, salad waiting for Betsy to return from a recording session
2007 Mugnier Clos de la Marechal Nuits-St. George Red fruits, herby, some sandalwood and earth. Resolved tannins, balanced acids, ready to go. B+Monday Dana and Betsy made dinner together- chicken with apricots (and sumac and olives- a bit of an homage to a tagine), Brussels sprouts, couscous. Wine was the 2016 Pavillon de Chavannes ?Cuvee des Ambassades? Cote de Brouilly Floral, elegant, lovely. Red fruit, citrus zest, aforementioned floral notes, long finish. Excellent QPR. B++
I realize sometime lately I?m a flood of B scores. With pandemic, pretty much solely drinking out of my own cellar/purchases. Without friends to share, I don?t open my most prized bottles. And I don?t purchase things I don?t expect to like (usually based on past vintages of the same). So not surprising that I like most wines I try these days. So my score range is fairly narrow.
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,