Tuesday Betsy made a couple of dishes featured in the NYT a couple
months ago, recipes by Suzanne Goin from the book "Sunday Suppers at
Lucques." The deviled chicken thighs with braised leeks were very
good, but the real winner was the kabocha salad with greens, bacon,
pecorino, and pecans. Deliciously nutty squash, delightful dish.

Betsy needed a little wine for cooking, and I opened the 2004
Ch.Haut-Rian (Bordeaux AC). We had a glass as an apertif - light
grassiness, clean melon and citrus fruit, good acidity. Betsy says "get
more of this" when I tell her it's under $10. Very good QPR. B/B+

The devil part of the chicken recipes were chiles in the marinade, as
well as a mustard coating (post-browning, pre-baking). I wasn't sure
dry white Bdx was way to go with that, so opened the 2004 Meulenhof
Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese (screwcapped, yeah!). A little hint of
sulphur on the nose initially, which quickly blew off. A real
Spatlese, not an Auslese in disguise, with sweet lime and nectarine
fruit, good acidity, and a nice minerally note to the finish. 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.

DaleW wrote:

> Betsy needed a little wine for cooking, and I opened the 2004
> Ch.Haut-Rian (Bordeaux AC). We had a glass as an apertif - light
> grassiness, clean melon and citrus fruit, good acidity. Betsy says "get
> more of this" when I tell her it's under $10. Very good QPR. B/B+

Excellent! Good bargain White Bdx is always welcome in our household.
It's the separating the wheat from the chaff that's the trick. ;-)

>
> The devil part of the chicken recipes were chiles in the marinade, as
> well as a mustard coating (post-browning, pre-baking). I wasn't sure
> dry white Bdx was way to go with that, so opened the 2004 Meulenhof
> Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese (screwcapped, yeah!). A little hint of
> sulphur on the nose initially, which quickly blew off. A real
> Spatlese, not an Auslese in disguise, with sweet lime and nectarine
> fruit, good acidity, and a nice minerally note to the finish. B+

As mentioned here before, one of the few points of divergence in the
tastes of Jean and myself is aged white wines and Rieslings, both of
which she's found problematic (the aged white dislike is far more
visceral though). While traveling through S'pore we briefly met up with
"Yi Xin" from WT, who opened a '98 Robert Weil Riesling Trocken for us,
and lo! Jean loved it. I've been given the green light (at last) to
stock some Riesling in the cellar. I'm now taking notes on the '04s.

Mark Lipton

> ... I'm now taking notes on the '04s.

Did you read the notes from the Decanter tasting of German 2003s?

Cheers

Nils Gustaf