I’m not really a big Rhone white guy, but I actually quite enjoyed the inexpensive 2011 Barou Marsanne. Lemon curd, sweet pear fruit, good acidity with a rich full slightly oily wine. Good length. B

With salad and leftover ramp risotto, 2012 Stift Göttweig "Messwein" rose.. Rainer cherry fruit and a bit of citrus peel, fresh, stony. B/B+

With grilled salmon, grilled kohlrabi, and a borage salad, the 2011 Thivin Cote de Brouilly. This is a perfectly fine well balanced Gamay, but for some reason I never seem to get excited by Thivin. Pretty much all of the folks who I respect put Thivin near top of list in Beaujolais, but for me I never seem to be as happy as I am with Vissoux, Chermette, and other favorites.. Still, a perfectly palatable wine. B

Thursday I went to the Grapes The Wine Company annual portfolio tasting (originally scheduled for fall, postponed due to Sandy) at Willet House in Portchester. First of all, a disclaimer- the non-profit I run was the supported charity, and we have received substantial donations, so feel free to doubt my objectivity. But I thought it was a fine event. About 24 tables of wine, probably 150 wines altogether. The passed food was pretty amazing- lots of canapes, stations of cheese and fruit, plus lamb chop lollipops, crab cakes, shrimp, and much more. After the 3 hour tasting there was a steak dinner with all the sides, and plenty of wine.

I was only taking minimal notes, but then it turned out I needed to turn in my sheet with my order. So below is totally from memory, 4 days later, and only a fraction of the wine I tasted. I concentrated mostly on wines I might actually buy, so missed most of the more expensive CalCabs, Brunellos, Piedmonts, etc.

Whites- The Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey St. Aubin was one of my favorites of the night- some thought too woody but I think it will integrate well. A Bonhomme Vire Clesse was tasty, as was a Copain Chardonnay. Pine Ridge Chenin reminded me of the old days- a former value fave. I had a Loire Pinot Gris- never heard of PG in Loire, and after this taste I hope never to encounter again. The JM Boillot Montagny 1er Cru was pretty good. I liked the Neumayer GV a lot for the price.

Reds- I really liked the G. Conterno Barbera, but the Vajra Barbera was a better buy. Others like the Karl Lawrence “Herb Lamb” more than I, while the 2005 Heitz Marthas was a stunning young cab. My favorite Burgundy was the Grivot NSG 1er , but there were a couple good Bourgognes. I really liked the 1999 Musar (liked the current release Hochar as well). A Washington state wine called Jaja was a pretty impressive GSM, though a tad riper than my platonic ideal. Austrians- didn’t care for a Saint-Laurent, but there was a nice Zweigelt that I ordered, and I really liked the Moric Blaufrankisch. Note to self- Aglianico made in an Amarone style is not something to seek. I really liked a cheap Dao, bought it, but can’t recall name- will post when I take delivery. I found a taste of Quinault L’Enclos to be truly depressing, while others were telling me how it would age. Apparently in the PN seminar with Josh Raynalds a Martinelli Home Ranch PN was the overall winner, but I tried at dinner and found it too oaky, a bit volatile, a bit hot. I was informed it will integrate. Uh huh. I thought the ‘10 Coudoulet de Beaucastel was a winner. A Pesquera was pretty nice- modern/international for sure, but very well done. A bottle of the Isole e Olena Cepparello was nice in a modern-Tuscan kind of way (at least there was acid).

Roses- I didn’t like the 2012 Triennes as much as previous vintage, but the Schloss Gobelsberg was very good.

There were tons more, but those are ones that spring to mind. After the tasting there was a very good steak dinner at Willet House with tons of bottles floating around, but as the designated driver I wasn’t really drinking. Great event and a big thank you to Daniel Posner of Grapes for his generosity.

With grilled game hen and ramps, the 2010 Clemens Busch “Vom Roten” Riesling. Vivid pit fruits, dry but not austere, serious acids. Great food wine. Clemens Busch is moving up fast in my German producer hierarchy. B+/A-

Some jazz musician friends were welcoming a Parisian bass player and his family, and I was invited for local color. Ron and Nancy did some charcuterie for starters then went all American- pork ribs, cole slaw, cornbread, etc.

Sciarpa Prosecco- a bit sweet, a bit flat. C+

2011 Arnot Roberts Chardonnay (Santa Cruz Mountains) - citrusy, mineral, very good, full, and very long. A bit pricey at 30-something, but worth it. A-/B+

2011 Avanthia Godello - bigger style, some oak, but good acids and chalky finish, good in a white Burgundy mode. B/B+

2011 Laloue Sancerre -fresh, clean, good. B

1990 Freemark Abbey “Bosche” Cabernet Sauvignon- double-decanted. Still plenty of cassis fruit, some herbs, but a bit plodding/thick on palate. Drink up. B/B-

2008 Pallieres Gigondas -handled the rib spice the best, full, ripe, good. B+

2005 Mondavi Oakville- black plums, modest finish, light tannins. B-/B

Last night we started with some oysters, as I shucked we sipped on the 2011 Pepiere Muscadet. Clean, lean, crisp, minerally, citrusy. Very good for level. B+

With tuna steaks, couscous, and watercress salad, the 2011 Vissoux/Chermette “Poncie” Fleurie. Quite tight at first, but opens nicely over the evening, with black raspberry, coffee, and mineral notes. Sappy fruit, good length, I like a lot. A-/B+

Based on David B’s post re premOx, I opened a half-bottle of the 2002 Huet “Le Haut Lieu” Vouvray Demisec. Color is dark gold, there are some distinct oxidative notes on the nose. It actually improves a bit with air, but there are still some caramelly oxidative notes, mixed with the honey and quince. Good length, though. I enjoyed this by pretending it was 30 years old rather than 11.

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.

Got my invoice, stirred memories of a few I forgot or incompletely noted. The Copain was the 2010 Tous Ensemble, the Colin Morey was the 2010 Chateniere, the Bonhomme was 09, the Jaja was the 2010 from Maison Bleue, the good Zweigelt was 2011 Umathum. I also liked enough to buy the inexpensive 2010 Henri Darnet Bourgogne Blanc, a 2011 Lapalu CdBrouilly, the 2010 Ferret "sous Vous Vergisson" Pouilly Fume. I also didn't initially note a 07 Ca d Rabaja "Rabaja" from magnum at the dinner that I thought dull. That still leaves about 30 wines I tasted un-noted (and another 70-80 I didn't taste!).