Monday evening at Betsy's sister's, a little family party for her dad. We arrived to find olives, cheese, and caprese canapes; first wine up was the 2001 Françoise and Denis Clair "Les Murgers des Dents de Chien" St.-Aubin 1er Cru. I know, I know, I've posted way too many notes on this one. But it really is good. Floral nutty nose, clear white fruit with a hint of pineapple and citrus. Light oak. The ripe sweet fruit almost makes one think this is a fat wine, but there's a nice acidic backbone underneath. Best $22 white Burgundy I've had in a while. A-
Main course is a puttanesca pasta, with kale on the side. Cal serves his "go-to" wine, the 1998 Clavel La Copa Santa. Yep, a pretty international oaky wine. But quite good. The oak and tannins have integrated quite well, nice dark fruit, a little chocolatey note. Long finish. Pretty darn good. B+/A-
Cal's a violinist, recently in Budapest, where he brought back a bottle of 1993 Kururz Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos. Ultra-ripe apricots, some boytrytis flavors, nice acidic balance. This too would be in the A range, except a slight hint of oxidation, and a finish that lingers only from the sweetness. 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 party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency. Dale
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