(apologies if this is a double, thought I posted yesterday, but not
showingon my reader)

A slow week for wine consumption - between a board meeting, escorting a
NC group on a mission trip to the city, and attending a dress
rehearsal, I only managed to pop two corks:

I opened a NV (2005) Gazela Vinho Verde for Betsy to use cooking. I
did manage to try a glass on successive nights. Light petillance on
night one, a very light wine but with attractive chalky/seashell notes
over slightly shrill green fruit. Not deep, but certainly worth its
$5.xx price tag. B/B-

The wine we served with dinner than night was a half-bottle of 2001
Domaine Daniel Rion " Le Vaucrain" Cote de Nuits-Villages. I'm always
on the lookout for reasonable Burgs in 375s, but the search pace
needn't slacken. There's just nothing distinctive here. Modest red plum
and cherry fruit, a light hint of earth. It's not that this is
stylistically not my style- I'd say it's identifiably Burgundian. But
the is nose anonymous red fruit, the palate lacks depth, the the finish
is rather short. Pass, B-/C+

And now a semi-wine-related note re "Most Happy Fella" at the State
Theater at Lincoln Center (disclaimer - my wife is a cellist at City
Opera, but full house or empty makes no difference to her paycheck). In
both the fall and spring season, NYCO usually puts on one non-opera -
lately mostly Sondheim or Gilbert & Sullivan (I always enjoy, but
sadly,imo, these are usually better attended than the more challenging
stuff). This season it's Frank Loesser's "Most Happy Fella." The
reason it's semi-wine-related is that Tony, the male lead, is a Napa
Vineyard owner. Lots of grape vines on the set, and a billboard
featuring wine labels like Stony Hill Chardonnay, Mayacamas (Chardonnay
also, I think), Beringer (some proprietary name I didn't recognize,
started with an "E"), Louis Martini Merlot, Charles Krug Cabernet
Sauvignon. Fair amount of wine drinking too. Some of the details don't
make sense (the scene where some workers are picking grapes, others
sorting, and some bottling wine), but it was fun to watch the dress and
notice the wine details. Paul Sorvino as Tony has some vocal struggles
but excellent stage presence, the Rosabella has great operatic voice, a
bit of stage issues. But some of the supporting players are really
great, and overall it was a most enjoyable performance. The plot is
kind of Cyrano-ish, with slightly adult themes for 50s (more Carousel
than Singing in the Rain, but not as dark). Really nice score
(Standing on the Corner Watching All the Girls was only song I
recognized). My original plan was to do a Beacon or AOC Bedford Sunday
offline after a matinee performance with some wine friends from
orchestra, but I couldn't make my schedule mesh with Betsys. But anyway
I'd suggest it as a fun way to maybe indulge wine interest while
getting brownie points from a spouse who likes musical theater.


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.