No wine Friday -after work I drove to Portland ME (5 hr drive took 7 -damn the Bueker state!), parked and moved my stuff to Betsys car, then continued on to Brunswick, 4 hours at a motel, then up predawn to Rockland to get in line for the 7 AM ferry. A nice ride to Vinalhaven, then a day settling in and hiking. Saturday was our "date night€�, and we drove to north end of Vinalhaven. Waited on dock, and a skiff took us across to North Haven Up the hill to the lovely Nebo Lodge.
We had fried green tomatoes with a chive remoulade, baby lettuce salad with feta, kale chips, deviled eggs, bouillabaisse, and halibut. Very nice locavore restaurant.

The first bottle of 2013 Henri Bourgeois €œVigne Blanche€� Sancerre was corked- when I questioned waitress took to bartender who confirmed. Second bottle was clearly clean of TCA. Midbodied, citrus and apple with a little touch of grass. Moderate acids, nice flinty note on finish, not exciting but I was happy at $50 on a restaurant menu on an island. B

As Betsy was going to drive (after skiff back to Vinalhaven) I had as glass of Ferreira Tawny Port while she had lemon thyme sorbet. Woody notes, raisin, vanilla, a little fumey/volatile. B-

Sunday evening I was in charge of two grills to feed 20+ (musicians, composer fellows, significant others) - teriyaki salmon and chicken. Lovely view of Penobscot Bay from grilling terrace. Betsy made a huge salad, Laura roasted peppers and cauliflower, Muneko two types of rice. Lots of charcuterie, cheeses, berries etc as well.

2015 Dominique & Janine Crochet Sancerre
New Crochet to me. Grapefruit, herb, good crispness but not very long. B/B-

2013 Sonoma- Cutrer RR Ranches Chardonnay
Good to see nothing has changed here - still overoaked. I thought I had heard they had backed off a bit, but while not as buttery/fat as years past the wood hangs heavy on this wine. Pear and vanilla with just a whiff of butter. But more acid than I expected. B-

2014 Chartron La Fleur Bordeaux Blanc
Dont think much Semillon here, grassy/catpee SB with modest finish.. B-

2013 Jaeger-Defaix €œLes Clous€� Rully 1er
Rich pear fruit framed with vanilla and hazelnut. Good finish, good acids, some herbal/floral notes with time. I think I liked a bit more thsn previous bottle as following the Sonoma Cutrer the oak didnt seem as intrusive. B+/B

2001 Finca Museum €œMuseum Real Reserva€� (Cigales)
Red and black cherry, vanilla, cocoa. Somewhat international but tannin resolved and drinking well. B

2013 Les Dauphins Cotes Du Rhone Reserve
Blackberry jam flavors, yet a bit diluted. Slightly rubbery, short. C

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. 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.

On 7/18/16 4:39 PM, DaleW wrote:
> No wine Friday -after work I drove to Portland ME (5 hr drive took 7
> -damn the Bueker state!), parked and moved my stuff to Betsys car,
> then continued on to Brunswick, 4 hours at a motel, then up predawn
> to Rockland to get in line for the 7 AM ferry. A nice ride to
> Vinalhaven, then a day settling in and hiking. Saturday was our "date
> night€�, and we drove to north end of Vinalhaven. Waited on dock, and
> a skiff took us across to North Haven Up the hill to the lovely Nebo
> Lodge. We had fried green tomatoes with a chive remoulade, baby
> lettuce salad with feta, kale chips, deviled eggs, bouillabaisse, and
> halibut. Very nice locavore restaurant.
>

Wow, Dale, I had to Google Map that one. I hope that the location is
worth the trip!


> 2013 Sonoma- Cutrer RR Ranches Chardonnay Good to see nothing has
> changed here - still overoaked. I thought I had heard they had backed
> off a bit, but while not as buttery/fat as years past the wood hangs
> heavy on this wine. Pear and vanilla with just a whiff of butter. But
> more acid than I expected. B-

In times past, you could have blamed Hoke for that, rightly or wrongly,
but now Brown-Forman are on their own and shoulder all the blame
themselves

All in all, not bad drinking for island living. Have fun!

Mark Lipton


--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

On 7/19/16 11:26 AM, Mark Lipton wrote:
> On 7/18/16 4:39 PM, DaleW wrote:
>> No wine Friday -after work I drove to Portland ME (5 hr drive took 7
>> -damn the Bueker state!), parked and moved my stuff to Betsys car,
>> then continued on to Brunswick, 4 hours at a motel, then up predawn
>> to Rockland to get in line for the 7 AM ferry. A nice ride to
>> Vinalhaven, then a day settling in and hiking. Saturday was our "date
>> night€�, and we drove to north end of Vinalhaven. Waited on dock, and
>> a skiff took us across to North Haven Up the hill to the lovely Nebo
>> Lodge. We had fried green tomatoes with a chive remoulade, baby
>> lettuce salad with feta, kale chips, deviled eggs, bouillabaisse, and
>> halibut. Very nice locavore restaurant.
>>
>
We always used to joke that Vinalhaven was where the naugas hide.