Wednesday walked a few blocks to SIL’s where a few couples were gathering to celebrate a spate of late Sept/early Oct birthdays.I shucked oysters, Cal had a nice spread of banchan. Then a Asian-ish meal on patio Celery and cilantro salad Eggplant with garlic, ginger and scallion Mapo Ragu (kind of a Korean American take on mapo tofu) Stirfried green beans
2021 Baudry Chinon Rose Herby, red fruits, good acids. B+/B 2012 Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Spatlese #3 Rich peach fruit with cherry notes, lime blossoms, full with with nearby underlying acids. Impeccably balanced, very long. A- 2011 Strub Niersteiner Paterberg Riesling Spatlese I like 2011 more than many, and generally find Strub a good value, but this is pretty flat and round. A Riesling without zip is a day without sunshine. C+ Thursday we grabbed Indian takeout (chicken banjara tikka, navrattan korma, shrimp saagwalla, vegetable Biryani). Some leftover Riesling and the 2021 La Bastide Blanche Bandol rose. Red fruits, herbs, mineral, balanced. B++ Hot honey chicken thighs over baby collards, Blue hubbard squash, salad 1993 Huet Le Mont Demi-Sec Unsure where this came from, but glad to have it. Honeycomb, wool, lemon and quince. Impeccable balance, with a little nuttiness to suggest maturity but plenty of life.A- Lemon sole, broccoli rabe, rice, and salad. 2018 Zarate Balado Albarino Lovely acidity, fullbodied with saline notes and light hay. B+/A- A friend had a concert trip cancelled, as he was unexpectedly in town we had he and his spouse to dinner. Oysters to start, followed by Ron’s Rhode Island clam chowder, then steamed lobster, corn, kale salad. 2010 Marguet Grand Cru Brut Champagne (Ambonnay) Rich, layered, citrus and hazelnut, long,. A- 2012 Piuze Terroir de Courgis No premox, classic Chablis, good acids, chalky finish, not super long but it is 10 year old AC. B+/B 2007 Bruno Colin En Remilly Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Rich, sweet pear fruit, good finish. Light almond/hazelnut notes, but only what is appropriate in 15 year old white Burg, fun. 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.