My brother was in NYC last Tuesday and took the train up for dinner that evening (mostly to see Ruby the Basset Hound). I grilled some tuna and squash, made kale and a green salad. He?s mostly a CalCab guy, so I opened the 1994 Beaulieu VineyardCGeorges de Latour Private Reserve. When I first got into wine (early 90s) I drank a fair amount of Tapestry, and purchased a few GDLT as special wines. I haven?t bought much last couple decades, and my experiences with 70s and 80s GDLT haven?t been as good as its peers. So tempered expectations.I was a little worried on opening , a bit pruney.. But seemed to flesh out fairly quickly, pretty solid cassis and black plum fruit. Some cedar, a little minty herbal note. Mostly resolved tannin, good length. A very nice mature Cal Cab, but nothing to really remind one that in the 50s/60s GdLt was considered one of the 1st growths of CA. B+/B
With scallops, pesto pasta, and tomato salad 2015 Mayacamas Chardonnay (Mt. Veeder-Napa) Big framed, but strong acids and not a lot of obvious oak. Pear, lemon, citrus zest and blossoms. Fun. B+
Over to some friends Thursday. I carried garlic scape bean dip with radish anbd kohlrabi, they made crusted swordfish, salad with beet and blue cheese
2018 Ch, Couronneau Bordeaux Blanc floral, musky, good acids but a bit thin. B-2015 Mommessin St. Amour Ripe and heady, doesn?t strike me of Beaujolais or St. Amour. C+
2018 Olga Raffault Chinon Rose Good acids , fresh and light, fun. BWith sous vide heritage pork chop, the 2016 Guion Cuvee Prestige Bourgueil. Red fruits, herb, coffee. Good acidic balance with some fine tannin. B+
Betsy was back in town, we had some oysters (with leftover Mayacamas), then mackerel with lime and shiso, pasta, salad, caprese. The 2016 Brundlmayer Ried Steinmassel Riesling is delineated/precise with bone dry pear and citrus fruit, ginger, and saline minerality. Really fun and great QPR at $15. B++
Up to Mohonk Sunday. We dined in the more formal dining room that night. I started with a delicious tomato/coconut curry, while Betsy had a chicory salad -tasty, though slightly bizarre presentation (huge plate, salad in one corner, lettuce hiding Asian pear, bacon, etc). Then excellent duck ravioli in deep-flavored broth and fermented barley risotto with mushrooms. Her main was waygu bavette with polenta and asparagus, I got chicken with carrots and broccolini. We got a glass of Jadot Pouilly-Fuisse (good) and the 2014 Mont-Redon Chateauneuf-du-Pape (375 ml). The CdP was pushing my ripeness limits at a discernible 14.5, but has good ripe raspberry fruit, smoke, and some peppery notes. I?d prefer the 13% CdP of old, but this was tasty. B
The next night I didn?t have wine with dinner, but after Betsy?s concert some folks gathered in the bar, where I had a sip of Mionetto Prosecco (mostly inoffensive) and a glass of Kim Crawford SB which was a gooseberry grass bomb. But I enjoyed Mohonk.
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. 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.