July 4th was cloudy, but the rain held off, and 30 or so vaccinated folks gathered in our yard. Betsy made potato salad and guacamole , we grilled hot dogs, sausages, steak, poat dot (corn) clams, salmon, etc. I incinerated some zucchini when greeting guests. Others brought farro salad, quinoa salad, green salad, Down East beans, deviled eggs, apple crumble, brownies, cookies.
Lots of wines (there was a Calsac Champagne that I enjoyed, forgot to note details, will check recycling tonight)
2020 Baudry Chinon Rose A perennial favorite, maybe a tad riper this year, raspberry and watermelon, tobacco leaf. B2010 Boulay Comtesse Sancerre I?ve had some variation but this is a good one. Fresh with grapefruit and lemon over a chalky base. A-/B+
1996 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel Cork slid in, totally oxidized NR2002 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese ** Replacement. Honied, botrytis, good acids. B+/B
1995 Nigl Privat Riesling (mag). I?m surprised that this is actually in a Bdx bottle! My WOTD, thanks Jay. Dry stone fruits, wet rocks, precise and long. A-/A1982 Ch. Montelena Chardonnay Cork crumbled so decanted through filter. Fairly dark gold, but fresher on palate than expected. Apple, a hint of cider, somewhat nutty, on the downslide but still fun. B-
1992 Les Plantiers du Haut Brion Blanc I served this blind, it wasn?t as fresh as my previous bottle, but still good. First guess was Chenin, then Mark guessed Semillon (this bottle tasted more Semillon than previous, which was fairly SBish). Tropical fruits,honey, wax. Expressive nose, a bit short on palate, B2015 Pavillon de Chavannes ?Cuvee des Ambassades? Cote de Brouilly Red cherry, apple blossoms, citrus. Juicy, ripeness of vintage not overwhelming. B
2019 Souhaut Clos des Cessieux St. Joseph I haven?t had a Souhaut in years. Tastes both ?Natural? and St Joseph. Blackberries, lifted, bright. Quite fun. B+2018 Goodfellow ?Lewman? Pinot Noir Really good (actually great with salmon). Red berries, polished yet honest, structured with good tannin and acid to age, but really fun now. B+/A-
1996 Leoville Poyferre I love ?96 Medoc, and liked this, but not as much as a bottle last month, lacked the freshness and charm. Storage, bottle variation, or serving temp? This bottle B-/B1992 Swanson Syrah (Napa) Stewed fruit, volatile (brought as a joke between friends). D
1970 Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Served blind, Mark immediately said ?I think Cali, not Bdx?. This bottle was a bit tired (Winebid sticker, barely HS fill), but still lovely, with red fruit, tobacco, cigar smoke, leaves. B+2010 Glantenay Santenots Volnay 1er Bright, raspberry and cranberry, elegant and perfumed. B+/A-
1995 Edmunds St John Durrell Syrah Last bottle of an old fave. Served blind, initial guesses Rhone, then as soon as Cali they got ESJ, though guesses were in this century. Rich dark fruit, meat on the grill, some olive and herb. Balanced and long. A-Great day with great friends.
Monday Betsy made an Indonesian stirfry, I opened a bottle brought by friends, the NV Santa Margherita Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Brut. I don?t like Santa M Pinot Grigio, so no high expectations. This was better than I expected- on sweet side of Brut, but with some verve, acceptable. B-
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.