Thursday was Betsy's birthday, and I took her to Xavier's in Piermont (a little
town across the Hudson from us). One of the best dining experiences I've had in
a long time- I can't find a thing to complain about: service, food, and
atmosphere were all quite nice. We started with an amuse of a tiny bowl of
Thai-ish chicken soup with a salad featuring some delicate mushrooms
(hanjajimi or something like that?) that I didn't know before. Browsed the
fairly extensive wine list. Lots of stuff above my wallet (a full page of DRC
offerings), but some good values in there. I ordered a bottle of red then a
glass of white to start (had a decent selection of a half-dozen by the glass
wines), the waiter asked if instead I'd like to try a Pouilly-Vinzelles that
wasn't on list. The 2001 la Soufrandiere Pouilly Vinzelles was a nice wine, a
little oak and fat bouncing off good rich apple fruit. B

Xavier's is a 4 course meal, with lots of choices for each. For first course I
got the osetra caviar in crème fraîche wrapped in potato.Betsy choose the
Hudson Valley foie gras -very nice portion, with went well with a glass of 1999
La Dauphin de Guiraud. Not especially complex, as you might expect from asecond
wine, but a nicely balanced little Sauternes with good pineapple and apricot
fruit. B

For second course I had red snapper with salsify and fava beans, while Betsy
had the
wild mushroom ragout with truffled caviar. Tasting her mushrooms made me wish
for a Pinot Noir (they had some nice Oregon choices, as well as lots of Burgs,
including well-priced Groffier Bourgogne). But I made do with the cheap
Bordeaux I had ordered, the 1998 Chateau de la Dauphine (Fronsac). Initally a
bit closed, by the time we got to the third course ( for me flavorful vension
in a red wine sauce with a sweet potato purée, baked apples, and chestnuts; for
Betsy rack of lamb, served with asparagus in a hollandaise and tiny potatoes)
it had opened up. Fleshy, lush, with good dark berry fruit, hints of leather
and spice, and a good finish. 1998 Right Bank satellites continue to impress
me (I'm easily impressed). In this case, a smooth easy drinking wine that
managed to have real Bordeaux character. B/B+

The end of the meal was up the the standards of the preceding courses. Betsy
got a lemon-themed dessert plate- lemon cake, lemon panna cotta, and a lemon
pudding-y thingy. I got a cheese plate, with healthy servings of Manchego, a
runny Vacherin, Brie, Gorgonzola Dolce (drizzled with honey), a chevre, and a
Reblochon. With the coffee came the petits fours, and some warm beignets
arrived with the bill. The only drawback of the whole evening was they don't
take credit cards- no miles!

Friday the snow came, and with it a lot of work headaches. But eventually made
it home, and starting working on appetizers. Betsy had decided to cook dinner
for some friends as a belated part of her birthday celebration. I hastily put
the leaves in the table, assembled assorted canapes from smoked salmon,
proscuitto, and other tidbits,and got out the wine. As the guests all arrived
(luckily, all 3 families were in walking distance), we started with a couple of
whites. The 2002 Jean-Paul Mollet Pouilly-Fume was a crisp non-oaky Sauvignon
Blanc, with a flinty finish. The fruit was (a little surprisingly to me) more
on the tropical/melon end of the spectrum. Pleasant wine. B The 1999 Pierre
Matrot Puligny-Montrachet "Les Combettes" had a floral nose, rich white fruit,
tons of minerality, and a very long nutty finish. I thought '99 white Burgs
were supposed to be early-drinkers, but this seemed to have a long life ahead
of it. A-

Betsy had wanted to do something simple, so the main course was a Beef
Stroganoff- kind of a hybrid between a recipe from a '50s cookbook and Pierre
Franey. Delicious comfort food on a stormy night. The 1999 Robert Chevillon
Bourgogne Passetoutgrains had ripe red fruit, a floral nose, and good acidity
to handle the cream. B/B+. A bottle of the 1993 Frescobaldi "Mormoreto " had
fully-resolved tannins, decent cassis fruit, some cigarbox aromas, but a bit of
a short finish. B The 1998 Aurore Gauthier Chateauneuf du Pape is a flavorful,
not-too-big Cdp- good red fruit, earth and spice, seemingly at anice drinking
plateau. B+

A friend had brought a pumpkin pie and another a birthday cake, but I limited
myself to cheese. With the blues, the 1987 Martinez Vintage Port. A little hot
and primary, but deep plum fruit and a cocoa note. Might need a little more
time. B/B+

Earlier in the week, we had killed the last of the Thanksgiving leftovers.
Sacrificed alongside was a bottle that never got opened on TurkeyDay itself,
the 2001 Ravenswood Lodi Zinfandel. Big lush zin, sweet fruit, but with a
hollowness in the middle that cut deeply into it's appeal. I've usually liked
this wine before B-/C+

Also opened was a bottle of 2000 Haut-Gravet (St. Emilion). I think I was
affected by a shelf-talker proclaiming this wine's "ripe fruit and pain grille
qualities" Damned if I didn't taste lots of ripe red berry fruit and very
apparent toast notes. Not the most serious 2000 Bordeaux I've tasted, but a
nice $20 Right Banker in a more modern style. B/B+
Dale

Dale Williams
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Dale

I've had Joseph Matrot. Canyou compare Joseph and Peter? These Burgundian
families are confusing.

Thanks

Tom Schellberg

>I've had Joseph Matrot. Canyou compare Joseph and Peter? These Burgundian
>families are confusing.

I've seen Matrots that were Thierry, Joseph, and Pierre. I'm unclear on the
relationship,. or whether they are all separate estates. I think Thierry is the
son or grandson of Joseph, and that is same estate, but could be wrong.

With all the division of estates through inheritances, and the succesion issues
(sometimes the children keep the name, sometimes they immediately put on their
own), it can be very confusing. For instance, Jean Garaudet is now Paul
Garaudet (son). Sometimes there can be 6 or 7 growers with same surname - the
Boillots include at least Henri, Jean-Marc, Jean, Lucien & Pierre. And the
multitudes of folks named Gagnard, Gros, Morey, etc. is bewildering.
Dale

Dale Williams
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