Betsy accompanied me to Peter Pratt's Inn for the 5th annual Lugeresque luncheon today, a fun time was had by all (actually, I can't speak for all, but I had a fun time). We were at the Italian table, a last minute combine of the Barolo and Mostly-Tuscan tables,
12 folks meant we needed to be careful about pours, but it worked out.Due to volume, even less precise notes than my sloppy norm :)
As we met our table, a couple of bubbllies
2007 Murgo Brut Rose (Sicily) I quite liked this, rather coarse mousse, but sweet ripe cherry fruit and clean chalky finish B/B+2000 Huet Petillant Brut I brought this because of recent reports it was fully mature, and was surprised to find they were right! However, for drinking now this is a fun bowl of apples and nuts, with a little gingerbread. Nutty and mature, nice wine. B/B+
(appetizers circulating included lamb chops, basil pizza, duck quesadillas, spring rolls)
(from Jay M) 1982 Lanson Brut (mag) Some didn't care for it, but I quite liked, toast and creme brulee over solid apple fruit, yum. B+
2006 Vietti Arneis Soft, sweet, low acid for Arneis. Clean, but I'm not loving this, then someone tells me "it has held up pretty well for its age ." I point out it's an '06, he nods. Different strokes, ..... B-2005 Richard Leroy "Clos des Rouliers" Anjou A somewhat controversial wine. Owner worries it's not correct, based on my 1 or 2 experiences with R. Leroy I opine it's correct, just idiosyncratic. Lemony, with some nutty oxidative notes, but counter- intuitively it gets fresher with oxygen, and as a complement to the tomato salad it goes well. First sip B-, last B/B+
(tomato salad, Ceasar salad)
1993 Pernot Bienvenues Batard Montrachet A bit more mature than I anticipated, but rich and zesty. Good acids, decent length, I expected a tad more. B2005 Lombrone Sangiovese Riserva ( I believe Montecucco) Fresh Sangiovese fruit, leather, good length. B+
2004 Luigi Pira "Vigna Rionda" Barolo Red cherry fruit, light oak, coffee, not bad at all in a modernist style. B2004 Scavino "Bric del Fiasc" Barolo I think many people (most?) will find this good wine, but hard to claim it Barolo. Very dark, extracted, with some oak notes. Helluva a CalCab, but if I'm looking for Barolo, C+
(porterhouse, fries, creamed spinach)
1978 Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (from 6L bottle) This was a generous donation, and was offered to those of us who had paid a small extra fee to go toMark brought me over 2 blind wines. I know he's at Burgundy table, so make that assumption. #1 is earthy, good acids, black fruits, leather. B #2 seems deeper to me, but similar overall- lots of earth, good acids, =pretty black plum fruit, a hint of funk. B/B+ Bob thinks Pommard or Gevrey, I vote Chambolle or possibly Volnay, and either 1998, 1999, or 2001. I write down 1999 village Chambolle and Amoureuses respectively, Mark tells me I'm not close. Bummer. Later he reveals them as 1999 Girardin Bonne Mares, for Euro and US markets. Hey, for me that's very close!
2001 Sandrone Le Vigne Barolo Big, bulky, oaky, not my style. C+1999 G. Mascarello Monprivato Barolo Way too young, but lovely. Elegant, powerful, structured. This will be great. A-
1988 San Giusto a Rentennano Percarlo One of mine. I felt this showed quite well, sweet cherry and dried cherry fruit, earth and cigarbox, nice length. B+/A-1999 Salvioni Brunello di Montalcino New producer to me, but really impressive. Young, ripe fruit balanced with solid tannins and medium acids, long finish. Will look for these. A-/B+
1995 Montevertine Il Sodaccio (from magnum) I had really liked this out of 750, but brought nervously, having heard stories of many corked magnums. Whew, this seems clean (as far as TCA). Black cherries, damp earth, a little animal note. Good length, holds up well for a while. B+1996 Fonterutoli Siepi Diane asked if this was corked, I didn't think so, but nose was a tad raisined. Some coffee, red cherries, seemed a little tired. B-
A short intermezzo for wines from other tables
1996 Ducru Beaucaillou I've loved this wine in the past, only "quite liked" it tonight. Cassis and coffee, good length, not compelling. B+1990 Montrose Here's a wine with a rep for variable showings, and tonight I really liked. Strong dark fruit, only a hint of poop, saddle leather. B+/A-
1990 Groth Reserve This had lots of earth, fairly low acids, resolved tannins. Solid dark fruits with a little leathery edge. B+Back to our table
1980 Monsanto "Il Poggio" Chianti Classico Riserva Still a little tannin, more earth than fruit, black and red cherries, I liked more than some others. B+/B1978 Pio Cesare Barolo Riserva Showing its age (some thought over the hill), I found some value despite it's slight tiredness. Tar, caramel, leather, and a little fruit. B
1999 Chiarlo "Cerequio" Barolo More modern Barolo, but this bothers me less. Ripe, firm tannins, some tar with the attractive fruit, some oak but not overwhelming. B1998 Allegrini Amarone Rich fruit, lots of exotic spice notes, classic. Thanks Diane! B+/A-
dessert wines
2001 Brigaldara Recioto della Valpolicella Classico Wasn't sure our tables had any wines for cheese course, so last minute addition as I packed. Medium bodied, moderate sweetness, brown sugar over macerated cherries. B/B+(not sure if NV or vintage, if the latter no clue) Vajra Moscato Sweet, appley, pretty tasty. B
1998 Muller Catoir Riesling Auslese Vineyard not noted. Good length, ripe tropical fruit, light mineral notes. Thanks Jay. A-/B+Quite the afternoon, and thank God for Betsy driving! Food and wine were good, company was even better. Maybe in years past I've had more A wines, but don't think I had a better time. Thanks especially to Mark Franks for organizing.
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.