Tuesday Betsy made cod en papillote, with fennel, squash, & tomatoes. I opened a 2001 Anglada-Deleger "Blanchots Dessus" Chassagne Montrachet
1er and immediately put half in a 375 for another day. But when I sat down for dinner I discovered the Chassagne was oxidized, with a sherryish nose. I drank about half a glass, dumped rest (and the 375 I had saved). I have another, checked with the reputable merchant where I had gotten it. He said he had sold tons without a problem, offered me a credit, so I'll try the other soon.Wednesday Betsy made balsamic grilled chicken, I opened the 2004 Diochon Moulin-a-Vent. Seemed both light (simple-fruity) and hard (tannic) at first, but with some air the fruit developed a more serious black cherry profile. Next night with some "Sicilian-style" tuna steaks the tannins had integrated better and there was some earth with the red fruit. Not bad but there are better Beaujolais out there. I liked some late 90s Diochons but think I'm taking off buy list. B-
Pretty unexciting week of wine, but I'm not sure how moved I would have been by even a '89 LMHB or '78 Rousseau Chambertin - ok, well, those might have moved me. But in general I think my notes (not the oxidized wine) the last week might be reflecting my drinking alone. Betsy doesn't usually drink more than a glass, and she's not geeky, but I like talking to her about the wines and our perceptions. For the first
10 days of her (unneeded imho) diet, she isn't having wine. It's just not as much fun. When I reflect back on great wines I have had, it's always partly a memory of who I was sharing them with (and vice versa- so Ian is linked forever with a '91 Mascarello Barolo, Mark L. is a Pichler Riesling, Jim Jones is a '93 Lafarge Chenes, etc). I'm planning on opening something fairly special Sunday to celebrate her return to the fold!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 party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.