Tuesday Betsy made duck braised in pinot noir, with green olives added to the
sauce.. The olives made me hesitate, but Burg seemed the way to go. We had a
375 of the 1999 Jean-Noel Gagnard "Morgeot" Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge 1er Cru
.. Nose of flowers, cherries, and spice gives way to a palate of rich earthy
red fruit. Well-balanced acidity and very nice finish. Nice wine, the best
Chassagne rouge I've had (admittedly not a highly competitve category, kind of
like "my favorite Republican senator") . This wine never shut down, highly
drinkable from day 1. I think I'm down to 1 750 and 1 375, wish I had bought
more. A-/B+

With a new braised lamb shank recipe from Food & Wine (not favorite mag, but a
good use of airline miles I was never going to use), mashed potatoes, and leeks
w/bacon, we had the 1999 La Licenziana Barbaresco
Light-bodied for Barbaresco, more like a generic Nebbiolo, yet a little tannic.
Violets and red fruit, pleasant enough wine of no distinction. B

Betsy was sick Thursday, but still managed to come up with a nice dinner- roast
chicken, peas with leeks, and potato and leeks soup (that's more leeks in 2
days than a normal week). I opened the 2000 Tayac "Rubis" Côtes de Bourg. OK
Merlot fruit, rounded and soft. Red plum fruit, light earthy aromas. There's a
little tannic bite, you probably could store for a year or two, but I wouldn't
bother. 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.
Dale

Dale Williams
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