I left Westchester Th afternoon, headed to Maine not knowing I was escaping the blackout. First reports were worrying, then at least as I crossed the NH border they confirmed it was system failure, not something darker. Still bad, but not as scary. I stopped at the NH state store where they have 1998 Trimbach CFE at $25 for some celebratory bottles (though I'll wait a while for the celebration). Got to Maine, attended nice concert at Portland Music Festival (highlight was Sanford Sylvan's Ravel songs, Betsy was in a Mozart trio was nice too, though cello part is a little dull). Afterwards we wandered around downtown Portland trying to find a place that (a)was still serving food, (b) wasn't smoky, and (c) wasn't filled with screaming 20 year olds. Finally found a little Italian cafe that reluctantly agreed to serve, had an assortment of appetizers. I had a glass of the 2002 Argiolas Costemolina Vermentino. Nice crisp wine, citrus flavors and a little herb on the nose. Maybe not quite up to the level of the delightful 2001, but a good QPR white. B/B+ Betsy ordered a glass of 2001 Marchesi di Barolo "Maraia" Barbera. Served in a glass fresh from dishwasher, noticably warm, decided it was too hard to wave down the waitress who seemed to be trying to finish her night. So I did the only thing I could think of, put an ice cube in for a minute. That cooled it enough that it wasn't totally flabby. Cherry fruit and a big dose of new oak. Not much of a wine to my tastes, but I won't grade as it was not a fair test (with heat and ice).
The next night she had off, and we opted for Hugo's over Fore Street. Very nice place (apparently new owner/chef over last year or so), far quieter than Fore Street. Nice prix-fixe where you get 2 starters and one main dish. Started with a complimentary Vichyssoise with porcini oil and crème fraîche. Then I ordered the "Brûlées" of foie gras - foie gras stacked on brioche with glazed peached and Sabayon made w/100 yr old Sherry Vinegar, followed by Fluke 2 ways (Tartar w/Avocado, plus Sashimi with a kind of ponzu/spicy sesame oil combo, with fresh figs). Betsy got the Duck sampler (breast, pâté, and some papaya) and Lobster Ravioli with peeky-toe crab in a citrusy sauce, with goat cheese and green apple (the apple and cheese in the warm sauce was almost like a savory version of apple pie with ice cream). All very good.
I was surprised to see a 375 of the 1999 Trimbach Cuvée Frédéric Emile Riesling on the list (as 1998 wasn't released that long ago). Decent acidity, though soft for CFE. Nice concentrated citrus and peach fruit, a little smoke and flowers. Good for 1999, if not most impressive CFE. B+
For main courses I had the Poached Beef Tenderloin with a demi-glace, stuffed cherry peppers; Betsy the Panko-crusted Skate with celery hearts salad. Betsy was still nursing her CFE, I ordered 375 of 1996 Ch. Meyney (St. Estephe) . Closed at first, then some cedar and earth, good cassis fruit. B/B+
She ordered Berries with Champagne Saboyon, I got a nice cheese plate - Shelbourne Farms cloth aged Cheddar (with apple chutney),. Timson Vt. Shepherds (tomato chutney), Vermont's Shepherds (champagne grapes), and Westfield Farms Blue Bonnet with fig. Enjoyed with last sips of CFE and Meyney, along with a glass of 1986 Niepoort Colheita. Some heat overwhelmed the fruit, but one could pull out some notes of strawberries, red plums, and caramel. A bit of exotic spice too. Overall not too exciting, a B- and not a good value at $10/glass.
Saturday's concert was fantastic, Betsy shining in a new oboe quartet by Fred Lerdahl and an extraordinary Mendelssohn Piano Trio. Most of the musicians (and a couple of us hanger-ons) went back for a little post-concert party. I had brought a bottle of 2000 Ch. Gloria (St-Julien). Pretty approachable from the start. Some cigarbox and leather on the nose, deep blackcurrant and blackberry fruit. Long finish. Medium tannins and fairly low-acidity lead me to think this is more a 10 year Bdx than a 20, but good drinking. B+/A-
One interesting thing I noticed in Maine was the similarity of wine lists and the stocks in stores. I asked the guy at a store called the Clown (combination antiques, art,and wine store, with some interesting stock compared to others). He said there's 6 distributors in whole state.
Back in NY, Sunday dinner was pork chops with peaches in a molasses/butter glaze. I had the 2001 Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Estate Riesling Qba (MSR) in the fridge. Good QPR at under $8, sweet with apple and citrus fruit. Not the bracing acidity of the best 2001 Qbas, but good value. B
My usual disclaimer: I'm a pretty easy grader, basically A is a very good wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Dale
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