Wednesday was roast chicken with fennel and mushrooms, and the 2011 Porter Creek Old Vine Chardonnay. First bottle corked. Second bottle advanced. I?ve liked PC reds, and this had good reviews from those I trust, but this was both advanced and too woody/buttery for me. Pear, cider, buttered toast. C+ (could be storage, recent purchase)
Friday chicken schnitzel on herb salad, and the 2018 Guion ?Prestige? Bourgueil. OK, I thought this rather ripe and uninteresting, with a flat edge. But when I revisited later in night (and even more on night 2), air had transformed it. Yes, ripe black fruit aromas and flavors, but a better mouthfeel and a mineral streak to the finish. C+ for first hour, with air B+/B
Saturday some friends arranged for dim sum for 5 households. Pork shu mai, shrimp shu mai, pork dumplings, eggplant stuffed with shrimp, green beans with spicy pork, chicken with garlic, spring rolls, beef chow fun, bok choy (reprise of a snow-interrupted plan). I had gotten a bottle of Auslese to each household. We had a rollcking fun Zoom call.
2001 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Auslese * Mark thought soft, John thought just maturing. Dry by modern Auslese standards (especially with a star!), light and elegant, green apple and pineapple, floral honeysuckle aromas. Nice length. Even though drier than most Auslese, I thought a bit sweet for the food, except fo the Sichaun beans/pork, where it was great. B++2019 Emrich-Schönleber ?Mineral? Riesling Trocken Opened this for a drier experience. I really love this, rocky and rocking. Great nervosity, lively, tangy. B+/A-
Came away from farmers market with oysters, grouper, and a big bag of sorrel, so Sunday dinner had sorrel two ways- in grouper en papillote, and as a salad. Wine was the 2018 Dominique Lafon Bourgogne Blanc (this is his own label, not Comtes Lafon). Fleshy but not flabby, clean pear fruit with just a touch of hazelnut, good length for the appellation. B/B+
Cathleen had ordered a mystery Champagne for our Zoom group, and delivered them nicely wrapped (we knew 2008 GC). . I didn?t want to peek, so Betsy opened the Champagne (my job!) for Monday dinner (pork tenderloin). .Ok, very bubbly, apple and citrus, fairly obvious dosage but balancing acids. Quite leesy, I guessed BdB, but that?s where my guesses ended. I think everyone was pleased. Turned out to a producer that none of us were familiar with, though it?s a large co-op.
2008 Union Champagne de Saint Gall Orpale Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Champagne, B+/A-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.