Monday evening at Betsy's sister's, a little family party for her dad. We
arrived to find olives, cheese, and caprese canapes; first wine up was the 2001
Françoise and Denis Clair "Les Murgers des Dents de Chien" St.-Aubin 1er Cru. I
know, I know, I've posted way too many notes on this one. But it really is
good. Floral nutty nose, clear white fruit with a hint of pineapple and citrus.
Light oak. The ripe sweet fruit almost makes one think this is a fat wine, but
there's a nice acidic backbone underneath. Best $22 white Burgundy I've had in
a while. A-

Main course is a puttanesca pasta, with kale on the side. Cal serves his
"go-to" wine, the 1998 Clavel La Copa Santa. Yep, a pretty international oaky
wine. But quite good. The oak and tannins have integrated quite well, nice dark
fruit, a little chocolatey note. Long finish. Pretty darn good. B+/A-

Cal's a violinist, recently in Budapest, where he brought back a bottle of 1993
Kururz Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos. Ultra-ripe apricots, some boytrytis flavors,
nice acidic balance. This too would be in the A range, except a slight hint of
oxidation, and a finish that lingers only from the sweetness. B/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.
Dale

Dale Williams
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