Sunday was a lovely day, I took train to city and met Betsy after performance. We walked around Upper West Side and Central Park, then headed to a friend's apartment for dinner. There are plusses and minusses for rent stabilization, but tonight it was a plus for us- a beautiful penthouse terrace with glorious views and great plantings would be out of the reach of an orchestral musician at market rents! Great afternoon twilighted into lovely evening, we enjoyed a Turkish meal (lamb chops, rice, vegetables, hummus, etc), and a couple of Bordeaux:
2001 Ch. Giscours (Margaux)
This had been opened though not decanted for quite a while before opening. Blackcurrants and black berries, some flowers and a hint of vanilla on the nose. Not big on the palate, but not thin either - a nice super-middleweight. Fleshy black fruit, a little tobacco, a bit of graphite. B+
2003 Smith Haut Lafite (Pessac-Leognan)
As expected, more modern. Unsure I could pick this out as Bordeaux blind. Very low acid, thick red fruit, a bit jammy. Big tannins, big whack of lumber on the nose. Now that I've got the dissing out of the way, I'll confess as it got some air I liked better. Oak integrated at least partially, tannins eased, and the fruit held up- very fat, but a step above flabby. Not my favorite, but I think fans of the style would like much more. B-
Fun night in a lovely setting, and I enjoyed the conversation (though as the only non-musician I was occasionally lost).
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