Thursday we invited friends over. They brought appetizers (home smoked salm on, hummus, etc)
1997 Giacosa Extra Brut Broad, dry, baked bread and apples. Still quite petillant, medium-bodied mo usse, starts off citrusy but turns more nutty. Falls off a little at the en d, probably drunk 5-8 years too late but overall quite interesting and I'm glad to have tried it. B-
We grilled some king salmon along with some leftover soba salad, and wines
1995 Edmunds St John "Durrell" Syrah This was a bit of a strange showing for an old favorite. Initially a little lifted and even pruney, I wondered re storage (this was a recent addition) . Fairly muted, I was disappointed, then the last glass showed what I had b een expecting all along- dark fruit, meat, coffee, full and even a little o pulent. C+ suddenly became B+/A-
2013 Clos de La Roilette Fleurie Really drinking well without the tightness of the tardive, sweet black cher ry fruit accented with spice, herb, and mocha. Good length, very tasty. B++
2013 Olga Raffault Chinon rose Strawberries, herb, a little earth. Good acids, straightforward and easy ro se, B
Friday Betsy roasted a chicken on the grill, along with corn and some slaw
2014 Schloss Gobelsburg " Cistercien" rose Light and lovely, strawberries and lemon zest, good acids, get more. B+
2003 Ch. D'Aiguilhe (375) Roasted heading towards pruney, hot edge, tannic, not fun. C
Got some "Harry Corvair" beans (hey, that's what they said) and duck breast at farmer's market, Betsy made an old fave of duckgreen bean salad. Wine w as the 2013 Lapierre Morgon (S) Raspberries and cherries, a little herb, a little smoke. Bright, clean, tau t. B+/A-
Sunday invited some friends over. As we toasted their expected first grandc hld, we had the NV Diebolt-Vallois Blanc de Blancs Champagne. Dry, crisp, but a little bitt er on finish, I've usually liked this more. B-
First course was grilled baby octopus over mesclun
2011 Matrot Meursault-Blagny Medium bodied, ripe fruit, good acids, sturdy. B
Then swordfish with a salad of corn and cape gooseberries
2005 Mayacamas Chardonnay Crisp and appley, a little oak, great acids for CalChard, but a little hot on finish. B
2014 Bedrock Ode to Lulu rose Fuller style, good acids, red fruited, long finish. B+
Monday we invited over a friend who was baching it, Betsy made tostada chil aquiles (tortillas, black beans, corn, queso fresco, salsa verde, etc) and a purslane salad with sauteed grapes, he brought along a spicy eggplant dis h.
2014 Chidaine Sauvignon Blanc (Touraine) Light, clean, not a lot of oomph there but refreshing clean white with just a hint of grass. B-/B
2002 Bachelet Bourgogne Mature but not tired, lovely. Black cherry, spice, earth with just a hint o f merde, just a hint of tannin, good acids. 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 objectiv ity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.