TN: slew of Burlotto, great Saves and Beaucastel, other nice wines

Tuesday grilled tuna, grilled tofu, rice, and spinach salad with the 2009 Joguet “Cuvee de la Cure” Chinon. Takes a bit to come out of shell, but nice when it does. Dark juicy fruit, menthol and herb, good acids, crunchy finish. Could use a bit of time but nice. B+/B

Wednesday roast chicken but no wine, as I was taking a group from Sarah Law rence into city. Thursday I came home from work, decanted a Barolo, and hea ded to Pound Ridge. John Gilman is writing an article on Burlotto and Dan h osted a tasting. I was first to arrive, Dan greeted with 2 delicious but ve ry different Champagnes.

Camille Saves (I believe this was the Cuvee de Reserve) This got better and better through the night. Elegant, with a fine mousse, but with some power. Lovely Champagne (I have quite liked the Saves rose fo r a while, but can’t remember a white bubbly before) - I initially prefer red the Beaufort, but this really grew on me. . A-

Andre Beaufort Bouzy Grand Cru Reserve Very sweet fruit (high dosage?), candied orange peel dominates, with passio n fruit and ginger. Exotic and different. B+

I wasn’t taking notes (and was mostly listening to John talk about the hi story of both the Burlotto family and of winemaking in Barolo, as well as t he changes in what vineyards are considered prestigious over a century plus ) as we went through the core of the tasting: 2008 and 2009 bottles of the Burlotto Acclivi, Cannubi, and Monvigliero Barolos. . Very interesting wine s, with the 2009s being much more accessible at moment. As expected,I think the 2008s will be the long distance runners. The Acclivi was quite aromati c/spicy in both vintages, I think the Monvigliero was my favorite in both. There was some concern over whether the 2008 Cannubi was a sound bottle, it was my least favorite of the evening, and the only one I wouldn’t buy ha ppily. I’m looking forward to the View from the Cellar article.

I had brought along a bottle of the 2012 Burlotto “Elatis” - as previou sly reported, a full and flavorful rose, as John said perfect for grilled m eat on a hot summer day. B+/B

Now, I had quickly double-decanted the 1996 Burlotto “Neirane” Barolo ( John said this vineyard is now the base for the Acclivi) before I left home . But when I poured at Dan’s I was disappointed- some volatility, stink, smells off. John however was serene and said “I think it’s fine, it jus t needs more air.” Yeah, right. Well yes, he was right! 15 minutes saw no ticeable improvement, and about ½ hour after it was poured it had turned into a lovely example of Nebbiolo. Medium-bodied, rose and tar over red fru it, nice length. Not a powerhouse, but classic old school Barolo (more matu re than some big name ‘96s). B+/A-

We had been having cheese and bread, Dan put out a nice dinner of pork, pot atoes, and mushrooms with 2 blind wines

Wine #1 : Sweet, elegant, red fruited. Someone guessed Burgundy, no, but th e I correctly guessed Rhone (of course I was thinking Northern maybe CR, bu t still I was right). Once Rhone was established John got Beaucastel and vi ntage right away. Beautiful, long, One of the best CdPs I’ve ever had. 19

Wine #2: Floral, pretty, delicate. Not especially long, but I might have sh ortchanged this one in my fascination with the Beaucastel. Cathleen got Rio ja quickly 1982 CVNE Vina Real (think GR) B/B+

I was solo Friday, and had leftovers- Betsy had made a white bean and lamb dish for dinner Thursday. I opened the 2006 Feudo Montoni “Vrucara” Ner o d’Avola. Medium bodied, seemingly a bit riper than ‘05 or ‘04 of th is, cherry/red fruits, sandalwood. B+/B

Saturday a friend came by and I opened the just arrived 2012 Cowan Cellars Rose. Very happy with this- crunchy red fruit, pale with a mineral streak, nice acidity. B++

I spatckcocked a cornish hen and grilled, had with some caprese (Dave went to Arthur Ave), green salad, and Madonia olive bread. Wine was the 2010 Ro ilette/Coudert Fleurie. Yum! Pure sappy red fruit, showing well, light tann in, good acids. A-

Sunday Betsy drove back from Philadelpia while I prepared dinner for our an niversary. She eventually survived the traffic, and I welcomed her with a g lass of the NV Jacquemart “Marie Weiss” Brut Champagne. Easygoing light er style of bubbly, crisp apple fruit. B

So I made pasta with lobster/tomato/arugula/lemon/basil, with miso glazed d elicata squash and salad. Wine was the 2012 Bruna “Maje” Pigato. Clean, lemony, fresh, with a little saline streak. Nice uncomplicated wine, and a n excellent match with the main dish, B/B+

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 pa rty where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivi ty, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.