Betsy was in cooking mode Sunday, decided to combine an old favorite
with a recent discovery. The new dish was an attempt to recreate a
salad she had at Allard in Paris, and it turned out great- green beans
in a mild mustard vinaigrette with smoked duck breast. The old
favorite was thick veal chops sauteed with sage leaves, accompanied by
a barley-mushroom combination. Now, I think this veal dish is great
with Gruner Veltliner, but I have all these GVs I want to give some
bottle age (Nigl Privats). Then remembered one '94 Brundlmayer. Maybe
dead, so I also chilled a lesser white Burgundy (which also goes
well). . Got ready to open Brundlmayer, then it occurred to me it was
Riesling- total brain fart. So opened instead the 2004 Chteau de Cary
Potet "les Bassets" Montagny 1er . I'm generally a fan of 2004 white
Burgundies, and this had a nice profile- yellow stone fruit with a
dash of citrus, a little woodsmoke and white pepper. OK acidity,
though rounder than I would have expected from the vintage. Main
problem is the rather short finish, wine comes off as a little
dilute. Still, acceptable at under $20. B