Sunday we were having a couple over for dinner (a thank you for some graphics design Cris did for Betsy), invited a pair of mutual friends to fill out the table. That AM Betsy mentioned her brother-in-law had left for Sarajevo, and with kids in camp her sister was alone. I said why not invite, 7 is no big deal , and she did (a simple "do you want to come to dinner?") . Kath responded "let me check with Cal" (what??) and then "yes." Turns out Bets got the day wrong. 8 is no big deal, but now we had 2 pesce- vegetarians, and one actually eats a fair amount. So we increased the amount of pasta with green puttanesca and of the warm mushroom salad, and added a Thai squid marinade to our Thai beef marinade.
NV Foreau Vouvray Brut this is the 2004/2005 vintage bottling, full, ripe, and rich, moderate mousse, good length, I quite like. B++
2009 Terlan Pinot Bianco (Alto Adige) Citrus and pear, good acidity, about as good a Pinot Blanc as I've had. B
2006 Moueix Pomerol This is the negoce bottling. Perfectly acceptable Merlot, round black fruit, light tannins, some cocoa and plum. B-
1995 Remizieres "Cuvee Emile" Hermitage Fruit still has some freshness, wine is fairly low acid, tannins resolved, dark berry and a little earth. Pleasant enough old Syrah, but if I cellar a Hermitage for dozen+ years I want more than that- I want power and elegance, this has neither. Deserves a B- on my easy scale, but I'll downgrade a notch to C+ for the disappointment. Why did I buy this?
For the 4th we had a mostly lazy day, then gathered up wine, sausages, and cole slaw and headed to village to watch fireworks. We have friends with a great wide porch overlooking Hudson and park where fireworks are, and the display was spectacular (for a small village) this year- 25 minutes of the good stuff. Aidell's sausages, hot dogs, pesto, great marinated chicken breast, salads, cobbler, and more. I carried an American wine, plus a French to toast Lafayette and companions.
2010 Edmunds St John Bone Jolly Gamay Rose Quite tasty, red berries, dusty earth, hint of spice. Good acidity, fresh. B+
2009 Peybonhomme (Bordeaux Blanc) I like the Peybonhomme red, and wanted to like this, but comes across as a bit heavy and dull. Apples, peaches, hint of spice and honey. Nice flavors, but a bit ponderous. B-/C+
I missed a couple of reds (and avoided Beringer White Zin), thought a Lambrusco I neglected to note was so-so.
Last night Betsy's sister joined us (she really was alone this time) for vegetarian tacos and fruit salad. A couple of wines
NV Godme Rose Brut (375 ml) Toasty, slightly oxidative, full, good., B
2009 Schloss Leiser Riesling QbA This is quite good, crisp and what I'd consider halbtrocken, minerally, white fruit accented with herb and ginger. Very good, and great value. 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 party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.