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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