Saturday we went to Betsy’s sister’s for dinner with family and friends. Cal cooked with a Spanish theme- tapas including fried cheese balls, fried squid, toast with salsa, olives, and more, followed by a deli cious seafood and sausage paella (on the grill till there was a nice crust)
2016 Adegas Gran Vinum “ Nessa” Albarino (Rias Baixas). Cri sp, snappy, citrus and mineral, a Muscadet-ish Albarino. B2014 Lolo Albarino (Rias Baixas) Peaches, lime, flowers, light and fresh. Simple but good. A rounder style. B-
2013 Raul Perez Ultreia St Jacques (Bierzo) Ripe black plum and cherry, midbodied., snappy finish, some roasted meat no tes. BI had to leave for a minor emergency at office, walked there, walked home, and opened the 2008 Scherrer “Platt Vineyard” Pinot Noir. S weet black cherry fruit, spice, vanillin oak. I really like Scherrer? ?s restrained Zins, this is a big sweeter and broader than my PN ideal, b ut still a good wine in a riper bigger style. B
Sunday Betsy’s quartet played a benefit concert (Beethoven Op 135 a nd Borodin’s String 4’et #2. Afterwards we took first violinist and her family to Harper’s for a Mothers Day meal. I had smoked trout rillettes and Betsy chicken liver cr ostini as starters. Then I had flat iron steak with sweet peas, ramps, and a horseradish masdhed, she had braised lamb shank w/preserved lemon & cumin yogurt.
I had dropped off wines that AM (restaurant is near my office) so that we h ad years that Betsy and Muneko had become moms. Restaurant did a great job of handling (it’s fun when wine director is excited re the wines)
2000 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Rose Wow, drinking beautifully. Refined and elegant. Citrus and cherry, spice, b rioche. Stunning wine. A/A-1988 Ch. Trotanoy (Pomerol) Still a bit of ‘88 tannin, but nice black plum fruit, smoke, leathe r. Gets some earthy/mushroomy notes at end, holding well, fun wine. A-/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.