Friday Betsy and I had dinner at a bistro/bakery in Tarrytown known as Chiboust. Pretty good food- I had a charcuterie plate and a steak, Betsy mussels and duck/cassoulet. With Betsy's mussels we ordered a glass of the 2002 St Urbans-Hof Qba. Pleasant enough off-dry floral Riesling, grapefruit and a little hint of mineral, but I still don't like as much as the 2001 version. B
I think the owner of this bistro is French, but I noticed a funny pricing quirk. Most of the New World wines were 2X-2.5X retail, but the Old World (inc. the most expensive wines, all French) which were 3X retail. I went with a modest 2002 Cloudy Bay Marlborough Pinot Noir ($45 on list). Pleasant enough cherry fruit, some spice and oak. Not bad, but there seems to be a limit to the depth of the fruit- not diluted so much as one-dimensional. OK, not great. B/B+
Betsy got an apricot tart for dessert, I asked about the 1999 St Urbans-Hof Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Eiswein. I was told they were about to open new bottle, so went for that. Apricot fruit with a distinct citrus peel edge. Extremely good flavors, though a bit lacking in the acidity department (not low-acid by any means, just not with that really bracing acidity that I expect in an eiswein). B+
The following night Betsy was subbing at a Met parks performance of "Nabucco", I thought it a good opportunity to have a 375 to myself, the
2002 Jean-Noel Gagnard "Morgeot" Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru rouge. Ah, this is more like it. Nose of strawberries, earth, and spice. On the palate there's deep red (cherry and raspberry) fruit, a long lingering finish. Wine is continually improving over couple hours, the last sip is best in bottle. Lots of earth, mineral, spice. Should have gotten a full bottle. At $16 a half-bottle this has jumped about $3 since previous vintages, but I still like enough to think I'll grab a couple of 750s. A-/B+I spent the rest of the evening reading a bad mystery (Elizabeth George) and listening to good music (Jeff Buckley, Cowboy Junkies, and Ella). Decided I could use one more glass, opened the 2003 Txomin Etxaniz. This $12 Basque bargain shown- a light spritziness, yeasty/lees notes, good acidity, flinty finish. Yum. B+
Sunday night we cruised over to some friends, to have a nice Mexican-oriented meal on a big veranda overlooking the lawn where we had our wedding reception. They were pouring the 2002 Rancho Zabaco Pinot Gris (Sonoma Coast). Pear fruit, light oak accents, a tiny hint of RS, a little dull if better than the 2001. B
As the seviche was served, the 2002 Dönnhoff Riesling Qba (Nahe). Bright white fruit with a citrusy edge, lots of body, yet the acidity makes it feel light, dancing over the tongue. Nice bargain at $14. B+/A-
With the chicken mole, corn pudding, and salad, a couple of reds:
2000 Domaine Ferrer Ribière “Empreinte du Temps” Carignan (Vin de Pays Catalan) - 123 year old vine according to label. Extremely ripe red fruit, this comes across almost as a Southern Rhone done in an Oz style. Too grapey-primary, there IS a lot of concentration there, just not of anything I'd want concentrated. B-2001 Dashe Big River Vineyard Zinfandel ($23)- my limited experience with Dashe had me thinking they made somewhat restrained Zins. Oops, I was wrong. Big massive tannic Zin, a bit hot, lots of dark berry fruit. Long (but hot) spice and pepper finish. Not the best food match, but an impressive wine. Some time MIGHT take off the roughest edges. But if I had more I'd just pair as is with a big rare steak. B+/A-.
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. Dale
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