Saturday with some mushroom-stuffed baked quail and some kale, the
2004 Drouhin Cote de Beaune Villages. I found this a little simpler
than a previous bottle. Somewhat foursquare Burg with good red fruit
and a little earth, but not especially deep. Still, lively cherry/
raspberry fruit in a nicely balanced package, decent QPR. B

Today Betsy was preparing a Beef Bourguignon for our mini-x-country
ski trip this week, she used up the Drouhin and most of a bottle of
the 2004 Iche "Les Heretiques" Vin de Pays d'Herault. One of the best
$7 bottlings of the last few years, not complex but not intended to
be, a good ringer for a CdR lineup. Nice warm soft fruit with a bit of
underbrush and herb, B but at the price a real value.

Tonight's actual dinner was a ragu made with a lone lamb shank, Betsy
said it was a Tuscan recipe so I opened a 375 of the 2001 Felsina
Chianti Classico. Once again, I really like this wine. Lots of body
for a straight CC, big black cherry fruit with little hints of leather
and damp earth. B+/A-

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.

Correction, Betsy said recipe was actually from Abruzzi, not Tuscany.
>From Florence Fabricant,
as someone elsewhere asked for recipe, here it is (thank goodness for
the Times archives, no typing for me):

PASTA WITH BRAISED LAMB SHANK RAG?
Time: 2 1/2 hours

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 ounces diced pancetta
2 lamb shanks, about 2 1/4 pounds
2 medium onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 branches fresh rosemary
1/2 cup dry white wine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped
Red pepper flakes to taste
1 pound spaghetti alla chitarra or penne
Freshly grated pecorino cheese.

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in 4-quart ovenproof casserole.
Add pancetta, lightly brown and remove. Add lamb shanks, brown on all
sides and remove. Lower heat; add onions, garlic and rosemary. Saut?
until soft. Add white wine. Scrape pan, return pancetta and lamb to
casserole, season with salt and pepper, then cover and bake 90
minutes, turning lamb once.
2. Remove lamb from casserole. Cut meat from bones, trimming off fat
and gristle. Finely dice meat and add to casserole. Add tomatoes and
red pepper. Simmer on top of stove one hour. Check seasoning.
3. Boil pasta until al dente, drain, toss with sauce, and serve with
pecorino for dusting.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings.