Even though I had never met David Bueker before, he kindly offered to
pick up some wine I wanted from a retailer he frequents. Then he
offered to deliver both that wine and a few other bottles the wine
underground had for me (thanks Bill B and Joe P!). David and Laura
stopped by today, and we finally got a chance to meet. Betsy prepared
a Roman egg drop soup, and a tarragon chicken salad (Danny Kaye via
Jacques Pepin). The wines:

2002 Donnhoff Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spatlese
I'm a big Donnhoff fan, and rather a 2002 fan, but I felt this was a
little disappointing. Medium sweetness, round, peach and cherry fruit
with a little slate. Certainly nothing wrong here, but not my usual
"Donnhoff is German for GOOD!" experience. B

2001 Didier Dagueneau "Pur Sang" Pouilly-Fume
Tropical and citrus fruit, oak is mostly integrated, leaving a sweet
edge but no overt woodiness. A bit subdued, but a good match, it opens
a bit tonight when served with a shrimp/octupus orzo dish (takeout
after a speech). Much more overtly grapefruity tonight. Good wine,
though I don't find good value. B+/B

2001 Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny.
A bit primary, red cherry and raspberry fruit, a little floral
topnote. Not a delicate Chambolle, but a young middleweight. Tonight
with takeout souvlaki it's quite a bit more expressive, damp soil and
some spice. Still developing, this is good now and should get better.
A-/B+

Really nice to meet David and Laura, and to get another reminder what
fun it is to actually meet wine folks one has had electronic dialogues
with.


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