On Dec 27, 11:24*am, "Bi!!" > wrote:
> On Dec 26, 4:54*pm, DaleW > wrote:
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> > Christmas Eve we had a subdued Feast of the One Fish. David and
> > Betsy's parents joined us for lemon sole, bok choy, and rice. I was
> > driving a van into city after a late church service, so only had one
> > glass. Wine was the 2007 Domaine and Selection "Les Blanchots" Chablis
> > GC. Lemony, crisp, medium bodied, a nice Chardonnay, enough chalky/
> > flinty notes to be a nice Chablis, maybe lacking in Grand Cru
> > distinction, but since it was priced like a village wine, I'm not
> > upset it doesn't scream Blanchots. B
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> > Only a couple hours sleep, then off to office to set up things for
> > Christmas Eve, then home to prepare for a small crowd - Betsy's
> > parents, Dave's paternal grandparents, some other local friends, and a
> > retired colleague of Betsy's from city. Only one person other than
> > myself really interested in wine, but I took the opportunity to just
> > open whatever I thought was interesting, no trophy wines, things that
> > might or might not be good.
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> > Betsy made some really tasty sardine/anchovy/whitebean toasts, Nancy
> > had brought along some artisanal salume, and we started with 2
> > bubblies
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> > NV Chidaine Montlouis Brut
> > Very appley, light bodied, some earth, fully petillant. B
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> > NV Gosset "Excellence" Champagne Brut
> > Totally different style, very full, apple and creamsicle wirh a bit of
> > yeast, good acdity, nice length. B+
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> > Main course was a huge (24 rib) crown pork roast, with an apple/pecan
> > stuffing (we did a separate casserole for the vegetarian, the one with
> > the meat juices killed it in competition), with a wild mushroom
> > lasagna for those not having meat (and a side for those that were).
> > Plus roasted kale, golden beets and celeriac with goat butter,
> > assorted breads, etc.
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> > 1988 Bricco del Drago (Vino de Tavola, Piedmont)
> > Dave always enjoys birthyear wines, so I decided to give this Dolcetto/
> > Nebbiolo blend a shot. Good cork, good color. Cherry fruit, a little
> > barnyard, still a little hint of tannin. *I'd have bet 3:1 this was
> > dead, but it's got plenty of fruit. It's low acid and a little
> > plodding. It's certainly survived (and couple people quite liked), but
> > for me it's a surprisingly youthful version of a wine that I don't
> > especially like. C+/B-
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> > 1976 Jadot Gevrey Chambertin
> > Saturated cork, but came out cleanly with AhSo. Another wine that
> > should be dead, when I opened seemed well on the way, with more forest
> > floor, leather, and ashtray than fruit. But each time I retried I
> > liked better, and by time cheese was out it was showing quite nicely
> > indeed. The forest floor, mushroom, smoke was still there, but the
> > ashtray had faded, and some solid black cherry fruit was providing
> > underpinning. Tangy acids, fairly light, but a satisfying fully mature
> > village wine that by all rights should have been dead. B+
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> > 1979 Ch. du Tertre (Margaux)
> > ok, somehow I thought I had set up a '79 DDC (labels look nothing
> > alike). I got ready to decant and realized mistake, but decided to go
> > with bottle that had been upright for couple days. Showing a bit more
> > advanced than some bottles, but drinking nicely. Cassis and dark
> > berries, resolved tannins, cedar, and leather. Classic mature Margaux.
> > B+
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> > 2005 Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Riesling Kabinett
> > I thought Riesling was a more classic match with pork/apple, but since
> > most folks were red drinkers, this was only one I opened (had an
> > Austrian and CFE ready, but decided not to go trocken as one person
> > always prefers some sugar), Young, plenty sweet, but with really zippy
> > acidity. Electric, white fruits with a little lime and cherry, long
> > finish. Quite nice, B+/A-
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> > Finished with cheeses (Ossau Iraty, a Chalet du Jura), two
> > Linzertortes (who'd have guessed), and a tarte tatin. Food was great,
> > wines were good, but main thing as always was spending time with good
> > folks.
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> > 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. Furthermore, I offer no
> > promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.*
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> Wines sound interesting especially the 1976 Burg. *Goat butter??

Betsy got at Whole Foods.
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/r...th-goat-butter