On Dec 27, 10:51*am, DaleW > wrote:
> Usually on Christmas Eve I lead a team on a “party on the streets” in the city, but this year had a lot of experienced volunteers so I decided to stay home. If not going out, why not a dinner, so we invited a fun crew over for the Feast of the Seven Fishes (no one’s Italian, but what the heck). Mark brought the first two dishes, a great lemony shrimp dish we’d had before and his first (and quite successful!) gravlax. We started with bubbly:
>
> 1999 Andre Beaufort Champagne Brut
> Quite nice, in a fairly full bodied style. Citrus and apple, a little gingerbread, I enjoyed this a lot. B+
>
> NV Pierre Peters Cuvee de Reserve
> Dry and crisp, sprightly, I thought this cut through the fat of the salmon better than the lovely but restrained Beaufort. B+
>
> My first course was brandade, then a Batali recipe for eels Livornese (tomato/red wine/capers/olives)- I loved the flavors, but the backbones of the eels made hard to eat. Then Betsy fried some Asian accented calamari (Sichuan peppercorns), followed by my Amalfi-style *zuppa di pesce *(with lobster,mussels, monkfish, and scallops), the last fish dish was spaghetti with clams. Dave did creme brulee to close. So 7 fish dishes (with 10 different fishes- or 11 if you count the anchovy in the broccoli)- lots of fun, but lots of work.
>
> Several wines made it around table, both red and white
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> 2011 Chidaine “Clos du Breuil” Montlouis
> Mark brought this, I really enjoyed, all orange marmalade and beeswax, pretty dry, thought 2011 was supposed to be rough in Loire but I really liked.. B+
>
> 2011 Kofererhof Sylvaner
> I think at 7 Fishes dinner I was only fan of this, but who cares- flinty, ginger and citrus peel, a hint of petrol, a bit like a dry Alsace Riesling.. At following night’s dinner it had held up well and got lots of praise. B+/B
>
> 2010 Terre Nere “Vigne Niche” Etna Bianco
> 100% Carricante. Sturdy and stern, more structure than fruit at dinner. Following night much more giving, full-bodied with lemony fruit, delicious. B-/C+ first night, B+/A- night two.
>
> 1998 Paolo Bea Montefalco Rosso
> I should have decanted this (tons of sediment) but I was cooking more than I was sommeliering. Showed quite well, black cherry and leather over some earthy notes. Quite popular, and only bottle finished. B+
>
> 1988 Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve
> Seemed soft and quiet at first, a bit muted picked up steam at end of night and held well overnight (a rarity for Sangiovese for me). Blackcherries, smoke, orange zest and flower notes. Balanced acids, excellent length. A-
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> 1982 Burgess Cabernet Sauvignon
> Herby, a real menthol meets pot thing, sweet reddish fruit, more acids than one would likely find in CalCab today, B+/B
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> The cooking wines were a 2005 Moueix Encore Merlot (classic basic RB, what a deal at closeout) and an Piedmont Chardonnay that worked fine as cooking wine.
>
> Christmas Day came too early (after doing dishes till wee hours), but I struggled out of bed, went to work for a half hour, then returned home for biscuits, country ham, and present opening. Whoops, time to get to work on dinner, another crew of guests arriving at 4 PM. Betsy and David cooked frantically, while I did tablesetting and wine prep, then took the tenderloin to SiL’s to quickly cook it as I did cat care. Back just in time, guests arrived on time (including a canine guest for Lucy).
>
> Appetizers were smoked trout, gravlax, and pate (I had some smoked salmon, but decided to use Mark’s leftover gravlax instead). Another bubby was opened, the NV Ployez- Jacquemart “Marie Weiss” Champagne Brut. Fuller, some tropical fruit, but enough acid to keep lively. Good for a bargain priced Champagne. B
>
> Then to table for beef tenderloin with basil oil, capon with gravy, arugula/pear/walnut salad, Brussels sprouts, roasted root vegetables, biscuits, *and more. Some leftover wines from night before were sampled, plus
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> 2007 Fevre “Bougros” Chablis Grand Cru
> Long and classic, oystershell with lemon and green apple, flint. A-/B+
>
> 1997 Beringers “Knight’s Valley” Cabernet Sauvignon
> Soft and plush, lots of black plum and currant fruit, a touch of herb, easygoing, some people's favorite of night. B/B+
>
> 1996 Bouchard “Vigne de L’Enfant Jesus” Beaune-Greves 1erBaby Jesus seemed appropriate for Christmas, but this was my least favorite bottle of the holidays. Stern and woody, oak and dark fruits with a little raw celery. Tannic, not at all charming, reminds me more of a tough vintage Bordeaux than Burgundy.Tasted next day it was pure prune juice. *C
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> 1983 Ch. Leoville Poyferre (St. Julien)
> Lovely classic Poyferre, midbodied, vibrant fruit with tobacco and cigarbox, good lenght. A-
>
> Dessert was a cranberry bread with caramel sauce, plus a cheese plate with *cheddar, Stilton, Cowgirl Mt. Tam, and Ossau Iraty. Fred brought the 1978 Cazes Vieux Rivesaltes- quite a good match with the cheeses, reminded me more of a old tawny than a VP - nutty, raisiny, ripe red fruits, quite good. B+
>
> After dinner Betsy and Andrea led those who wished in caroling (half of guests were Jewish, but chimed right in- choir of Beth Shalom is pretty open-minded). Fun to spend holidays with such good groups of people, if a lot of dishes to clean! Hope everyone else had a fun, safe, and blessed holiday season.
>
> 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.

I've always enjoyed Flaccianello and find it a fairly BIG wine. Same
feelings towards the 1996 Bouchard L'Enfant...I still have a few
bottles left but dread opening them.