TN: Sicily, Loire, Baden, Rheingau, Burg, Bdx, Napa
 

Wednesday we met some friends for dinner at Harpers. I started with chicken liver pate crostini while Betsy had excellent mushroom toast with an egg. I had a Portuguese-ish stew with mussels, monkfish, and sausage; Betsy duck confit. We had brought some wines

2009 F. Cotat €œCuls de Beaujeau€� Sancerre
Big, rich, verging on over the top, but pulled up by a nice mineral vein. I could deal with a little less alcoholic ripeness, but pretty tasty for a 2009. B+

2002 Girardin €œSantenots€� Volnay 1er
Nice black cherry fruit, earth, good acid/tannin/fruit balance, but overlaid with too much oak and gloss. B-/B

2003 Puy Guilhem (Fronsac)
Really ripe and jammy, blueberry and cassis, sorry I might have some of these. C+/C

Friday I made €œSicilian €œ tuna steaks (in a puttanesca-esque sauce) and broccoli rabe.
Cooking wine was a 375 of the 2015 Bersan St Bris. Yellow fruits, a little grass, some rocky notes, not complex but $6/half whos complaining? B-

2015 Defino Frappato
Fresh, peppery, fresh raspberry and cranberry, floral. Fun and good QPR. B

Saturday was roast chicken and veggies (carrot, turnip,beet) and a mesclun/radish salad (Betsy was happy I found watermelon radishes at farmers market).

2003 Mayacamas Merlot (Mt Veeder, Napa)
If more Cali Merlot was like this, Id drink more Cali Merlot! Ripe black plum and black cherry fruit, mocha, mushrooms. Smooth and easy, plush without being soft. B+/A-

With Korean marinated pork, €œAsian€� slaw, brown rice, Changs kimchi Brussels Sprouts

2015 Enderle and Moll Muller-Thurgau
Good acids, but the fruit is like canned fruit cocktail. Sweet fruit, slushy tropical fruit, short finish. C

2015 Eva Fricke Kiedrich Riesling
Nice and snappy, very mineral, dry but not austere. B+/B

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.