With rare tuna steaks with lemon-caper butter and grilled squash, we had the
1999 Felsina Chianti Classico Berandenga. Excellent Chianti, with nose of wild flowers and red fruit, a palate of pure sweet black cherry fruit, and nice acidity. Good finish. After a while a little leathery nose. A-Some friends came by for dinner last night. Betsy switched plans (from a duck ragu) to beef filets in a vinegar cream sauce, garden tomato and feta salad, and fingerling potatoes. I thought that this would be a good time to have my last bottle of the 1994 Paul Jaboulet Aine "Les Jalets" Crozes Hermitage (usually a weak bottling, but for some reason that year seemed better than most, I had bought quite a few). Before dinner we had an apertif of the 2002 Staete Landt Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. New producer to me. Lush tropical fruit aromas, pretty full-bodied. There's decent acidity, and this seems to be well-made. But the style is a little more Bordeaux-blanc than NZ to me, my friends loved it, but I'm not rushing back for more. B While we're sipping the SB, I glance at the Jaboulet. That's when I realize I had opened my last bottle of the 1994 Paul Jaboulet Aine "Domaine de Thalabert" Crozes Hermitage rather than the Jalets. Oops. The more expensive bottling seems perfectly mature, though (I had planned on saving it for a little mini-vertical dinner, but probably good I opened now). Earthy nose with some spice and flowers. Medium concentration of red fruit, earth and grilled meat mix with the berry fruit on the palate. Pretty nice for a '94 Crozes. B+
With the cheese and dessert courses, my lone bottle of 1989 Prince Poniatowsky/Clos Baudoin "Aigle Blanc" Vouvray. Open without any clear idea of what to expect - there's no indication of sweetness on the label. And......it's sweet but not dessert sweet, probably would qualify as demi-sec. Mature chenin fruit with apple pie and pear notes, mellow acidity. Probably worth the $15 I paid. B/B+
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre at best. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Dale
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