After a very long day (evening board meeting) I came home and felt
like a glass of white. There was a "party orphan" bottle of 2005 R.H.
Phillips "Night Harvest" Chardonnay, I said what the hell (as I was
not likely to want to open it for dinner wine). Sweet and buttery, a
bit dilute, dull but mostly unoffensive. Dominated by sweetness. Well,
mostly unoffensive on day 1. Retasted (well, at least resmelled) on
day 2, this had morphed into a foul cheesy beast. I like stinky
cheese, I don't like Chardonnay that smells like old stinky cheese
with vanilla and rancid popcorn "butter" poured on it. . Yuck. Day 1,
C+/C, day 2 D-

Friday was the big day- we dropped David at Newark airport to head off
to college in Scotland, and then I drove Betsy to Lincoln Center for
work (she held together seeing her baby off pretty well). I drove home
(Betsy had a ride for after work), with a stop at PJs uptown to pick
up some old Rioja. Then home for some takeout futomaki. The Chardonnay
was gross, but couple glasses of the 2005 Schloss Saarstein
"Saarstein" Riesling QbA were rather lovely. Very focused and bright
for an '05, fine acids over a base of lime fruit and mineral. There's
a spicy note that I can't place at first, a really old memory hovering
there- wait, I've got it. The canned spiced peaches my grandmothers
(Alabama and Georgia) used to make. Never was really wild about them
as a kid, but the aroma is a nice accent to the Riesling. Good value
at $10. B+/B.

I also had a glass of the 2005 Peuy Saincrit (Bordeaux Superieur).
Nice for the level, restrained, just a hint of oak, nice black cherry
and plum fruit, a soft-Merlotish style but with some ripe tannin and
sufficient acidity to keep it lively. Not a lot of complexity or
length, but certainly pretty good for $9 Bdx., and it holds up well
overnight. I'll probably buy again. B

Most of the Bdx Superieur went into a sauce for my lamb on Saturday
night. I decided to try another bottle I didn't have high expectations
of- a Bordeaux second wine from 1997! I actually got a pleasant
surprise. The 1997 Forts de Latour (Pauillac) didn't remind me of
Latour, or Pauillac. I think if I had been trying blind I would have
guessed midlevel Margaux or even Right Bank from a fairly ripe
vintage. But a good one! Ripe and round, with almost lush black plum
and blackberry fruit, low acid, resolved tannins. A little earth and
lead pencil, good length, quite smooth. A pointe. I'm surprised
enough by this to check Winesearcher. An auction has it for $45 plus
vig, retail starts at $60. No interest at that point. But this is a
fine wine for a second wine from a vintage I don't especially favor. 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. Furthermore, I offer no
promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.