Last night we celebrated my 48th. Betsy had invited some friends, when
one couple said he would be traveling, she invited another couple.
Then travel plans changed, she said ok to everyone. With 10 people our
table with leaves is big enough,but dining room is very snug. So we
moved table into living room, and had a feast. Betsy had gotten two
legs of lamb from Dines Farm, so we did the big one rare and the
smaller medium rare to medium.

As people arrived, Betsy served marinated fresh salmon roe on shiso (a
seasonal thing she found at a local Japanese restaurant, they sold her
some), along with some husk tomatoes/ground cherries. Most of us had
sparkling wine:

(probably grading a little harder than normal, I SAID I'm not
consistent)

NV Foreau Vouvray Brut (lot 2041)
Bright, lively, granny smith and lemon with a little hint of Parker
House Roll yeastiness. B+

One person doesn't like bubbles, so we also had:
2006 Sylvain Dussort "Cuvee des Ormes" Bourgogne Blanc
Sweet fruit balanced by zippy acidity, not much oak. clean and nice
Bourgogne. New producer to me. B/B+
*
First sitdown course was were individual "pumpkin gratins" (an
adaptation of a Jacques Pepin recipe, somewhere in the netherland
between gratin and souffle). Hoke Harden had raved over a match
between a Chardonnay and pumpkin soup, so I went with Chard (went very
very well, would definitely repeat combo)

2000 Carillon "Les Combettes" Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
With any '96-'03 white Burg I am tense as I open, but relief spread
over me as it was apparent this had slipped by the PremOx monster. I
really like Carillon, and would buy more except I seldom see. This
shows the vintage, a bit fat, but not flabby. Citrus and pear, rather
floral, fruity but with a long dry finish. Some real Puligny stones on
the finish. B+

1993 Marquis de Laguiche (Drouhin) Chassagne-Montrachet
I've found this to be a great village level wine, but it's really
beginning to show its age. Honied pears, ripe, nutty. Others found it
younger than I did, probably because they hadn't had before. I found
finish a bit tired. B-
*
Next up was supposed to be the red Burgs, but the lamb started coming
out (along with cauliflower with pimenton and baby bok choy) ; I had
planned on Bordeaux with the meat so went ahead:

1998 Bourgneuf-Vayron (Pomerol)
Nice medium bodied Pomerol, black plum and currant fruit, a little
cedar note, easy tannins. B/B+

1989 Meyney (St Estephe)
This has always vied with the '86 as my favorite Meyney, and I felt
this bottle showed beautifully. The most complete of the three Bdx I
served with the lamb. Mature but not fading. Mostly resolved tannins.
The cassis fruit may have lost a tad of its youthful verve, but it can
still stand up to the lamb. The notes of pencil shavings, tar, and
leather are nicely integrated. What more could you ask in a (once)
cheap claret? A-

1970 Clos Rene (Pomerol)
This is still alive and even fairly vigorous, probably has as much
fruit as the Meyney. Rather thick texture, red plummy fruit, a bit of
chocolate and earth. My non-geek friend Nancy is surprised she finds
it the oldest but not as complex, I think she's right. Still, a
perfectly acceptable wine, and it was fun to open as one of the
guests (Annabelle) is a '70. B

As the platters came around with seconds and thirds, I passed the two
Burgs that had been opened earlier but not poured:

1980 H. Boillot "Les Rugiens" Pommard
Beguiling nose, a bit light on the palate. Fred found it his wine of
the night. I really like this wine, the nose is amazing. Cherries,
woodsmoke, truffles, and earth. Just a hint of barnyard. The palate
is ok, high acids, red fruits - it just doesn't measure up to the
nose. Still, I love a great nose. B+

2000 Domaine Parent "Les Chaponnieres" Pommard 1er Cru
There's nothing truly wrong with this, a perfectly acceptable but
anonymous Burg. Black fruits, a little earthy note, not a lot on the
finish. I am a fan of Rugiens and Epenots/Epenaux, but other Pommard
1ers tend not to excite me. B-
*
We had moved on the the cheese course (a local cheese called Drumm,
Stilton, Muenster, "Camembert" (Hudson Valley), and 4 yr old Gouda. I
thought about a Port for the Stilton, but instead went with an Alsace
for the Munster and another Bdx for the Gouda:

1989 Loberger Gewurztraminer Vendanges Tardives
Auslese level sweetness, nose of roses and ripe fruit. Lychees and
pineapple/mango tropical notes on palate, with a little hint of that
Gewurz oiliness. Pretty decent acidity for the grape, but not the
longest or most complex. B

1979 Domaine de Chevalier (Graves)
Best bottle I've had of this yet. Nice balance of fruit and acidity,
mostly resolved tannins. Red plums and currant, cocoa and cigarbox.
Rich but not heavy claret, this is really singing. A-

Nancy had brought a lemony dessert, knowing that I don't eat dessert
Annabelle showed up with a small "cake" for me (a napolean of granny
smith, cream cheese, chives, and salmon). Good night for wines. I'd
happily have my 2 least favorite (Drouhin and Parent) on my dinner
table. Really a fun night, I felt blessed to have such good friends,
such good luck with the wines, and such a talented cook for a wife.


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.

On Oct 2, 9:54�am, DaleW > wrote:
> Last night we celebrated my 48th. Betsy had invited some friends, when
> one couple said he would be traveling, she invited another couple.
> Then travel plans changed, she said ok to everyone. With 10 people our
> table with leaves is big enough,but dining room is very snug. So we
> moved table into living room, and had a feast. Betsy had gotten two
> legs of lamb from Dines Farm, so we did the big one rare and the
> smaller medium rare to medium.
>
> As people arrived, Betsy served marinated fresh salmon roe on shiso (a
> seasonal thing she found at a local Japanese restaurant, they sold her
> some), along with some husk tomatoes/ground cherries. Most of us had
> sparkling wine:
>
> (probably grading a little harder than normal, I SAID I'm not
> consistent)
>
> NV Foreau Vouvray Brut (lot 2041)
> Bright, lively, granny smith and lemon with a little hint of Parker
> House Roll yeastiness. B+
>
> One person doesn't like bubbles, so we also had:
> 2006 Sylvain Dussort "Cuvee des Ormes" Bourgogne Blanc
> Sweet fruit balanced by zippy acidity, not much oak. clean and nice
> Bourgogne. New producer to me. B/B+
> �
> First sitdown course was were individual "pumpkin gratins" (an
> adaptation of a Jacques Pepin recipe, somewhere in the netherland
> between gratin and souffle). Hoke Harden had raved over a match
> between a Chardonnay and pumpkin soup, so I went with Chard (went very
> very well, would definitely repeat combo)
>
> 2000 Carillon "Les Combettes" Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
> With any '96-'03 white Burg I am tense as I open, but relief spread
> over me as it was apparent this had slipped by the PremOx monster. I
> really like Carillon, and would buy more except I seldom see. This
> shows the vintage, a bit fat, but not flabby. Citrus and pear, rather
> floral, fruity but with a long dry finish. Some real Puligny stones on
> the finish. B+
>
> 1993 Marquis de Laguiche (Drouhin) Chassagne-Montrachet
> I've found this to be a great village level wine, but it's really
> beginning to show its age. Honied pears, ripe, nutty. Others found it
> younger than I did, probably because they hadn't had before. I found
> finish a bit tired. B-
> �
> Next up was supposed to be the red Burgs, but the lamb started coming
> out (along with cauliflower with pimenton and baby bok choy) ; I had
> planned on Bordeaux with the meat so went ahead:
>
> 1998 Bourgneuf-Vayron (Pomerol)
> Nice medium bodied Pomerol, black plum and currant fruit, a little
> cedar note, easy tannins. B/B+
>
> 1989 Meyney (St Estephe)
> This has always vied with the '86 as my favorite Meyney, and I felt
> this bottle showed beautifully. The most complete of the three Bdx I
> served with the lamb. Mature but not fading. Mostly resolved tannins.
> The cassis fruit may have lost a tad of its youthful verve, but it can
> still stand up to the lamb. The notes of pencil shavings, tar, and
> leather are nicely integrated. What more could you ask in a (once)
> cheap claret? A-
>
> 1970 Clos Rene (Pomerol)
> This is still alive and even fairly vigorous, probably has as much
> fruit as the Meyney. Rather thick texture, red plummy fruit, a bit of
> chocolate and earth. My non-geek friend Nancy is surprised she finds
> it the oldest but not as complex, I think she's right. Still, a
> perfectly acceptable wine, and it was �fun to open as one of the
> guests (Annabelle) is a '70. B
>
> As the platters came around with seconds and thirds, I passed the two
> Burgs that had been opened earlier but not poured:
>
> 1980 H. Boillot "Les Rugiens" Pommard
> Beguiling nose, a bit light on the palate. Fred found it his wine of
> the night. I really like this wine, the nose is amazing. Cherries,
> woodsmoke, truffles, and earth. �Just a hint of barnyard. The palate
> is ok, high acids, red fruits - it just doesn't measure up to the
> nose. Still, I love a great nose. B+
>
> 2000 Domaine �Parent "Les Chaponnieres" Pommard 1er Cru
> There's nothing truly wrong with this, a perfectly acceptable but
> anonymous Burg. Black fruits, a little earthy note, not a lot on the
> finish. I am a fan of Rugiens and Epenots/Epenaux, but other Pommard
> 1ers tend not to excite me. B-
> �
> We had moved on the the cheese course (a local cheese called Drumm,
> Stilton, Muenster, "Camembert" (Hudson Valley), and 4 yr old Gouda. I
> thought about a Port for the Stilton, but instead went with an Alsace
> for the Munster and another Bdx for the Gouda:
>
> 1989 �Loberger Gewurztraminer Vendanges Tardives
> Auslese level sweetness, nose of roses and ripe fruit. Lychees and
> pineapple/mango tropical notes on palate, with a little hint of that
> Gewurz oiliness. Pretty decent acidity for the grape, but not the
> longest or most complex. B
>
> 1979 Domaine de Chevalier (Graves)
> Best bottle I've had of this yet. Nice balance of fruit and acidity,
> mostly resolved tannins. Red plums and currant, cocoa and cigarbox.
> Rich but not heavy claret, this is really singing. A-
>
> Nancy had brought a lemony dessert, knowing that I don't eat dessert
> Annabelle showed up with a small "cake" for me (a napolean of granny
> smith, cream cheese, chives, and salmon). Good night for wines. I'd
> happily have my 2 least favorite (Drouhin and Parent) on my dinner
> table. Really a fun night, I felt blessed to have such good friends,
> such good luck with the wines, and such a talented cook for a wife.
>
> 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.

Happy Birthday. Nice lineup of wines...!

DaleW wrote:
> Last night we celebrated my 48th. Betsy had invited some friends, when
[]

Sounds like a great night. Congratulations! As a '61 I can now
officially call you "old man" until next year.

-E

Emery Davis wrote:
> DaleW wrote:
>> Last night we celebrated my 48th. Betsy had invited some friends, when
> []

And as a '59, I can refer to both of you as kids in perpetuity. Nice
wines, Dale, and Happy Birthday!

Mark Lipton

--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

On Oct 2, 2:47�pm, Mark Lipton > wrote:
> Emery Davis wrote:
> > DaleW wrote:
> >> Last night we celebrated my 48th. Betsy had invited some friends, when
> > []
>
> And as a '59, I can refer to both of you as kids in perpetuity. Nice
> wines, Dale, and Happy Birthday!
>
> Mark Lipton
>
> --
> alt.food.wine FAQ: �http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

The three of us should get together sometime, and bring Bdx from our
respective birthyears!

I AM a cheap SOB.

On Oct 2, 4:07�pm, DaleW > wrote:
> On Oct 2, 2:47 pm, Mark Lipton > wrote:
>
> > Emery Davis wrote:
> > > DaleW wrote:
> > >> Last night we celebrated my 48th. Betsy had invited some friends, when
> > > []
>
> > And as a '59, I can refer to both of you as kids in perpetuity. Nice
> > wines, Dale, and Happy Birthday!
>
> > Mark Lipton
>
> > --
> > alt.food.wine FAQ:http://winefaq.cwdjr.net
>
> The three of us should get together sometime, and bring Bdx from our
> respective birthyears!
>
> I AM a cheap SOB.

As a '51 I feel old and abandoned....I act more like an "82 though.

Dale,

great wines and seems like a great party. What are you going to to when you
turn 50!!!

Best,

s.

Bi!! wrote:
> On Oct 2, 4:07�pm, DaleW > wrote:
>> On Oct 2, 2:47 pm, Mark Lipton > wrote:
>>
>>> Emery Davis wrote:
>>>> DaleW wrote:
>>>>> Last night we celebrated my 48th. Betsy had invited some friends, when
>>>> []
>>> And as a '59, I can refer to both of you as kids in perpetuity. Nice
>>> wines, Dale, and Happy Birthday!
>>> Mark Lipton
>>> --
>>> alt.food.wine FAQ:http://winefaq.cwdjr.net
>> The three of us should get together sometime, and bring Bdx from our
>> respective birthyears!
>>
>> I AM a cheap SOB.
>
> As a '51 I feel old and abandoned....I act more like an "82 though.

For your punishment you get to bring a '51 and an '82.

Dale's got the real problem, he's got to find a '60 that wont get him
sent away from the table in shame! Not so easy.

-E

On Oct 3, 3:30�pm, Emery Davis > wrote:
> Bi!! wrote:
> > On Oct 2, 4:07 pm, DaleW > wrote:
> >> On Oct 2, 2:47 pm, Mark Lipton > wrote:
>
> >>> Emery Davis wrote:
> >>>> DaleW wrote:
> >>>>> Last night we celebrated my 48th. Betsy had invited some friends, when
> >>>> []
> >>> And as a '59, I can refer to both of you as kids in perpetuity. Nice
> >>> wines, Dale, and Happy Birthday!
> >>> Mark Lipton
> >>> --
> >>> alt.food.wine FAQ:http://winefaq.cwdjr.net
> >> The three of us should get together sometime, and bring Bdx from our
> >> respective birthyears!
>
> >> I AM a cheap SOB.
>
> > As a '51 I feel old and abandoned....I act more like an "82 though.
>
> For your punishment you get to bring a '51 and an '82.
>
> Dale's got the real problem, he's got to find a '60 that wont get him
> sent away from the table in shame! �Not so easy.
>
> -E- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Except I have no shame. No problem for me to brng dreck, and enjoy the
fruits of your labors (er, wallets),

On Oct 3, 1:07�pm, santiago > wrote:
> Dale,
>
> great wines and seems like a great party. What are you going to to when you
> turn 50!!!
>
> Best,
>
> s.

I do have a '60 BV GdlT and a 60 Fonseca, but will probably bring out
some heavier hitters (this bday the wines were good, but none were
expensive)

DaleW > wrote in
:
>
> I do have a '60 BV GdlT and a 60 Fonseca, but will probably bring out
> some heavier hitters (this bday the wines were good, but none were
> expensive)

Dale,

particularly, I think it is a plus to drink great wines that were not so
expensive. You only need money to drink expensive wines, but you need some
taste to drink good wines!!!

Best from Spain,

s.

A Taylor's 1960 port will do nicely
Anders

"DaleW" > skrev i melding
...
On Oct 3, 3:30?pm, Emery Davis > wrote:
> Bi!! wrote:
> > On Oct 2, 4:07 pm, DaleW > wrote:
> >> On Oct 2, 2:47 pm, Mark Lipton > wrote:
>
> >>> Emery Davis wrote:
> >>>> DaleW wrote:
> >>>>> Last night we celebrated my 48th. Betsy had invited some friends,
> >>>>> when
> >>>> []
> >>> And as a '59, I can refer to both of you as kids in perpetuity. Nice
> >>> wines, Dale, and Happy Birthday!
> >>> Mark Lipton
> >>> --
> >>> alt.food.wine FAQ:http://winefaq.cwdjr.net
> >> The three of us should get together sometime, and bring Bdx from our
> >> respective birthyears!
>
> >> I AM a cheap SOB.
>
> > As a '51 I feel old and abandoned....I act more like an "82 though.
>
> For your punishment you get to bring a '51 and an '82.
>
> Dale's got the real problem, he's got to find a '60 that wont get him
> sent away from the table in shame! ?Not so easy.
>
> -E- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Except I have no shame. No problem for me to brng dreck, and enjoy the
fruits of your labors (er, wallets),