Monday I made goat shanks with cabbage, wheatberries, and turnips, wine was the 2010 Antano Montefalco. Midbodied, a little tannic, showing a bit of a lcohol (I think it said 14.3, but that's from memory), sufficient. B-/C+
Tuesday a 1979 Bordeaux dinner at La Mangeoire. Lovely night for a walk fro m Grand Central, arrived to find Suzanne with a white at ready. The 2005 R& V Dauvissat "Les Clos" Chablis GC was big, ripe, and mature, not any overt oxidization, but feeling pretty ready. B
The 2011 Tribut Cote de Lechet Chablis 1er was crisp, a bit herbal, rocky. I preferred to the Le Clos B+
Suzanne suggested a blend of the two, and the 2008 Dauvissat/Tribut Clos de Lechet was a sucess. :)
We split a several charcuterie plates (smoked magret, pate, mousse, a dry s ausage), most had cassoulet but in honor of the weather I stuck with the ch icken. The truffle fairy appeared and upgraded the fries.
On to the red wines. All of these notes are from memory, I've misplaced my notes, so possibly even less accurate than normal
1979 Ch. du Tertre -I'm not very TCA sensitive, maybe a 3 or 4 on scale of 10, and on opening this had thought it showed a classic 79 du Tertre nose ( one of my favorites years from this estate), but at table it was clearly co rked1979 Ch. Giscours- mature, floral, berry fruit, some thought getting a bit tired, but I really liked. B+
1979 Ch. Margaux- pleasant old claret, but I thought a bit clunky next to t he Palmer, and not really something you'd call a first. B-1979 Ch. Palmer- nice showing, elegant, cigarbox, redder fruit. A-/B+
1979 Ch. Pichon Lalande- pretty, elegant, hightoned, good fruit, a complex truffly nose. A-1979 Ch. Lynch Bages - roasted fruits, VA, clipped finish, not sure if the wine or cooked. C- for this bottle
1979 Ch. Pape Clement -corked!1979 Ch. Haut Brion- midbodied, pretty, tobacco. B+
1979 Ch. L'Evangile- corked!1979 Ch. Cheval Blanc- crisp acids, red fruit, spicy, as someone says "a Bo rdeaux for Burg fans" A-
1979 Ch. Ausone -Mark felt this was an off bottle, leathery, a bit drying. B/B-My votes went to Cheval Blanc, Pichon Lalande, and Palmer in that order. I think the totals were Cheval Blanc in first, Palmer and Haut Brion close fo r second, with a few votes for Pichon Lalande and Giscours with a show, but could be off. Fun night, and if it hadn't been for corked wines we'd have a great batting average.
Betsy made duck legs with braised vegetables, wine was the 1993 Darviot-Per rin "La Gigotte" Volnay 1er. At first the sour cherry notes were a bit much, but the fruit sweetened and filled out, a higher acid midbodied Volnay. Good fruit, some earth, not su per complex, but went well with food and Betsy liked, so I'm happy. B/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 p arty where it was only choice.Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivi ty, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.