Christmas Eve we went to dinner at friends?. Afterwards Betsy and I were going to join a group on city streets for a party for the homeless, so I could only take a small taste of wines. Starters were crudite with green goddess dressing, bacon wrapped potatoes with chili sause, Rhode Island snail salad
NV Mouzon-Leroux ? L'Atavique Tradition? Extra Brut Champagne (DG Oct 2014) Tangy, crisp, with citrus and saline notes. Elegant, fun. B+
Next course was my scallop/radish crudo, as well as Caesar salad
2015 Cuvaison Chardonnay Some toasty oak but not overwhelming, and no movie popcorn butter, decent acids, apple and pear. B-Main was a perfect pork crown roast with sausage stuffing, and green beans There was a CdP in a decanter that I took a tiny taste of , seemed hot, and I forgot to check what it was. I contented myself with a 2-3 oz pour of the 2016 Pignard Morgon. Crunchy black cherry fruit, floral notes, good tangy earthy finish. B+
Nancy made a lovely bouche de noel (Betsy was especially impressed with the meringue mushrooms), then we headed out, and had a great time in the city.
We got in at 3 AM, so had a quiet Christmas- just us, roast duck with root vegetables, green beans, and salad. We started with some duck liver crostini and the 2013 Donnhoff Pinot Noir Brut. Apple and citrus, quite dry/tangy, maybe a little clipped, mousse a tad coarse. I?m a big Donnhoff fan and this was fun to try, but not looking to restock. B/B- Red was the 2017 Clos de La Chapelle ?Clos de La Chapelle? Volnay 1er. Infanticide for sure, but this is pretty tasty though structured. Clean cherry and raspberry fruit, cocoa, smoke. Long slatey finish. Nice balance of tannins and acids, lots of potential. B+ for now
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.