Monday we went to Irvington for dinner. Kate and Thom had out cheese and sa lami, followed by vichyssoise, beet salad, a swiss chard tart, and tomato s alad
2016 Karine Lauverjat Sancerre Betsy’s niece is a Sancerre fan, brought this as consolation since her last night in Boston there was a car breakin and she lost laptop and pa ssport. Happily she loved it. Crisp green apple with lemon and a little gra ss, snappy mineral finish. B+/B2016 Artner Rose (Niederosterreich) Cherry and strawberry, a little soft, a little thin. B-/C+
Tuesday we had lobster, corn, and salad. The 2014 Pepiere Clisson is so you ng, but still gives pleasure. Rich pit and citrus fruit, nice nervous tensi on, long stony finish. B+/A-
Wednesday the 4th was steamy, but a good crowd gathered in our backyard for a party (and then we headed toward’s river to watch fireworks from Lenore’s porch). We grilled ribs, sausages (boar, rabbit/pork/ging er), hot dogs, clams with fried garlic, lamb,& Cambodian style corn? ? we also made guacamole, mango salsa, salad with snow peas, Others broug ht more sausages , pork belly bulgogi, a huge assortment of salads (rice pa sta, larb, quinoa, green, beet, fruit and many more). There were burgers an d more at Dave and Lenore’s but I was too full.
Roses
2017 Domaine de la Tour du Bon Bandol Rose Delicate but with good finish, raspberry and strawberry with lots of floral notes. B++2017 Ch. La Chapelle Gordonne Rose (Cotes du Provence) Red berries, nectarine, moderate acids. B
2017 Underground Project ”And why am I Mr. Pink” LIght, a little dilute, but clean flavors Dry strawberry fruit, modest acid s, very light bodied. B-2017 Meinklang 'Prosa' I didn’t realize this was a bubbly till I tasted. Light and easy, s weet red fruit. B
Whites
2016 Pepiere Clos des Briords Not a great vintage of Briords, but satisfying in a snappy acid kind of way , citrus and seashell. B+/B2014 Grgich Hills Fume Blanc Modest acids, melon fruit, a little vanillin oak but not overwhelming, a ta d dull. B-/C+
2010 Thomas Labaillle “Les Monts Damnes” Sancerre A recent winebid bottle, a bit more advanced than I wanted/expected, good a cids, grapefruit and nectarine., but a touch of cider and not as long as I ’d expect, bet mediocre storage. B2016 Hofer Gruner Veltliner Touch of spritz, light and zingy. B-
2016 Santa Rita “120” Sauvignon Blanc Dilute, grassy, a little chemical edge, nasty stuff C-Despite the heat in afternoon there was clamoring for a red, so I decanted the 1982 MastroJanni Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. Black plums, leather, a little barnyard. Definitely a little brett, but not overwhelming. Nice ma ture Sangiovese. B+/B
Nice way to spend the 4th. No great wines, but great people
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.