TN: lots of wine, mostly French, ion patio
 

A nice evening on the porch Thursday, with lemon sole and a 375 ml of the 2008 Billaud-Simon "Vaillons" Chablis 1er. Lemon sole and lemony Chablis, yum. Great acids, nervy, fresh. B+/A-

Friday we were having friends over, the weather held so we were able to stay mostly outside (actually Annabelle needed to borrow a sweater). We started with stuffed figs wrapped in bacon, and the 2004 Aubry "Le Nombre d'Or" Champagne Brut. This is notable for using all of the grapes in Champagne (the normal 3 plus Arbanne and other heirloom/grandfather varieties). Quite tasty, complex, but I wouldn't hold this for long. Mark said better than a bottle he had tried in last couple weeks, while I thought a step behind a bottle I tried couple months ago. B/B+

First course was from this week's NYT, the pairing they suggested for the article on Alsace Riesling, pasta with oven-roasted cherry tomatoes and lump crabmeat. I quite liked the dish (but Betsy was upset she forgot the bread crumbs when plating).

2000 Boxler "Brand " Riesling (L32)
Just a hint of sweetness, petrol, a bit too broad, but OK (I didn't know I had this, was looking for an '01 Sommerberg, very strange). B

2001 Trimbach "Cuvee Frederic Emile 375ere Anniversaire" Riesling
Big, broad, surprisingly open. White fruits and spices, long with long future. Tied with DDC as my WOTN. A-

Main course was a cold veal shoulder roast stuffed with herbs and olive, with lemony rainbow chard . To me this sounds like a dish for a big white, but recipe suggested rose, and one guest is known to say "the first duty of a wine is to be red." So I had one of each (plus backups) ready, then Mark showed up with a bottle of red Burgundy to add to the mix:

2006 Pernot "Clos de la Garenne" Puligny-Montrachet
A bit broad (as befits vintage), some mineral, white fruit. Tasty if not especially long. Why wait? B

2010 Baudry Chinon Rose
Actually, this WAS the best match with veal. Vibrant, fresh, pretty red fruit with plenty of depth. B+/A-

1978 Domaine de Chevalier (Graves)
Just classic mature Graves, solid dark fruits, lots of tobacco and cigarbox, earthy without being fruit-deficient. A-

1998 Claude Dugat Gevrey-Chambertin
Mark mentioned while the GCs were too oaky, he generally liked the village. This does have apparent oak, but not overwhelming- just a touch of vanilla and oak spice over the fruit. Fills out, oak mostly integrates, but while it is identifiably PN, not sure I'd get Burgundy. A bit sweet/kirschy and extracted, more CA ish. Still, nice richness. B

We finished cheeses (tomme de savoie, and a Great Hill blue that seemed to be a bit past peak), and a cake Annabelle had brought- chocolate with apricot, almond, and ginger. Too many wines opened, didn't stop me from opening one mo

2003 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Schlossberg Auslese **
Still a tad sulphury at first, but blows off quickly. I say no botrytis but later think a hint, medium sweetness, good acidity for vintage. Long,. nice, a lot left. B/B+

Fun night. Nice people who tolerated a tight table and a loud Basset.

Most of the wines were leftover. Some notes on night 2:

2004 Aubry "Le Nombre d'Or" Brut.
lost most of petillance, but interesting as an almost still wine

2000 Boxler "Brand " Riesling (L32)
OK, seems drier, petrolly, I might like a tad more.

2001 Trimbach "Cuvee Frederic Emile 375 Anniversaire" Riesling
Clear champ in overnight sweepstakes, even better on night 2- vibrant, invigorating

2006 Pernot "Clos de la Garenne" Puligny-Montrachet
Doesn't too well- not oxidized, but seems very clipped and maybe a tad hot

2010 Baudry Chinon Rose
Fuller, less zippy but still lively, good with leftover veal and kale with a fried egg.

1998 Claude Dugat Gevrey-Chambertin
Some clear oxidative notes, but this wasn't refrigerated like others

2003 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Schlossberg Auslese **
Sweet, easy, less minerally

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.