A lovely Labor Day in NY, and a lot of friends showed up in our backyard. Betsy made an astounding eggplant/squash/tomato tart (last week's Cooks Illustrated mailing) and a cold Georgian chicken dish. I made mango salsa; I also grilled sausages, salmon in a teriyaki-ish marinade, corn, beef in a red wine/garlic marinade, etc. Others brought a lot of nice sides and a few desserts. In a stunning moment of idiocy on my part, Mark handed me a bag of marinaded shrimp- I threw on the grill, not realizing they were basically ceviche shrimp- we discovered they are great warmed, too. I actually forgot I had dozens of hot dogs, luckily Betsy remembered when a bunch of people came late.
Not a geeky party, but Mark from my SOBER group was there along with most of my local tasting group. Lots of wines were poured, I tried to sample each, some brief thoughts often based on one quick taste:
Bubbly:
2005 Domaine du Petit Coteau Vouvray Brut
Yeasty, baked apples, pleasant, but I think I'm spoiled by recent bottles from Huet and Foreau. Good not great.B
Pink:
2007 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosato
Cherries and strawberries, onionskins and earth. I like this a lot, will get more. B++
2007 Clos Roche Blanche Pineau d'Aunis Rose
Strawberries, pine needles, interesting but needs a bit more zip/backbone. B-
White:
2007 Loosen "Dr. L" Riesling
Again, I think this is best vintage of this widely available cheapie in years. Bright, linear, clean. Don't come looking for profundity, but enjoyable. B/B+
2007 Leitz Rudesheimer Klosterlay Kabinett Riesling
Usual showing, bigger thant the L, but sprightly for Rheingau. B
2006 Brocard/Domaine Ste Claire Petit Chablis
Clean Chardonnay fruit accented with citrus zest, enough chalky minerality to make you think you're in Chablis proper,fun and clean. B/B+
2006 Clos Roche Blanche "No. 5" Sauvignon Blanc (Touraine)
Big, ripe, tropical fruit. Not especially SB-ish, but nice wine. B
2007 Anselmi San Vincenzo
Very floral nose - peach blossoms, roses. Peaches, apples,and citrus fruit; a hint of almond. Good value, B+/B
2006 Fetzer "Valley Oaks" Riesling
I've liked some Fetzer wines,but this wouldn't be one of them. Grape juice and the syrup from a can of pears, flabby, short, with a little offputting herb note. C-
Red:
2004 Biondi "Outis" Etna Rosso
Beautiful berry fruit married with some oregano/basil herbiness. Nicely balanced acidity, light tannins, I like a lot (maybe more than others). B+
2006 McManis Family Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
Very very sweet, this is CS with a little blackberry and blueberry jam stirred in, should be served over the rocks at a bar. C
1971 Anforio Barolo Riserva Speciale
Ron said he had loved Barolos in Italy, but felt too expensive here. Decided to open one. A new producer to me, I bought because (a)cheap, (b) great vintage, and (c) a store that I respect (CSW). This is not bad, but I'm bothered at first by a slightly pruney/candied edge to the red fruit. Despite it's age I think it improves a bit in decanter, Mark remarks on the "iron filings." When he points out, I find what I usually refer to a ferric minerality in some Bordeaux. Mark says that can be typical of older Barolos, I've never encountered, but he drinks 20X as many old Piedmonts as I do. The second pour (decanter is pretty quickly emptied) has fresher fruit and good length. In the end. B/B+
2006 Monte Degli Angeli Pinot Noir (Monferrato)
Monferrato is in Piedmont. Maybe not prime Nebbiolo territory,but I've enjoyed some Grignolino and Ruche. I don't, however, like this PN. Short, a little vanilla with canned cherries, there's not much here. I don't think I've liked a Pinot Nero save one di Ama that the real Jay Miller served at an offline (and that was good not great). A waste of vineyard space. C/C+
2005 Moulin Rouge (Haut Medoc)
Solid -make that stolid- Bordeaux, it's there, but not showing much- dark fruit, a little oak, is this closed or just dull? C+/B-
2006 Terres Doress (JP Brun ) Cote de Brouilly
Sweet fruit, clean, upfront, but without a lot of oomph- I think I prefer the L'Ancien. B
2004 Domaine de l'Amandine Cotes du Rhone
Straightforward, a bit simple, but clean red fruits and decent acidic balance. B-
Fun day/evening with a fun group.
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.
EDITED for a missing "e"