Friday we headed up to Beacon , enjoying the foliage as we drove. We got to our friends and were greeted with canapes and bubbles, the NV Caposaldo Prosecco. Crisp, easy, appley, nice tartness. B
Dinner was beef bourguignon, smashed potatoes, and a spinach salad Betsy had made
2011 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco
Young, unsurprisingly a bit tannic, good acids. Some nice nebbiolo tar and floral notes. Black cherry fruit. Tasty, could use some time. B/B+
2013 Folie a Deux Menage a Trois Red
Ripe, sweet, a touch of jamminess. Easy/slutty style B-/C+
Saturday was LI scallops and leeks in a cream sauce with spinach and joi choi and
brown rice. Cooking wine was the 2014 La Vieille Ferme blanc. Floral, enough acids to liven, touch of citrus. Quite light, but good value. B/B-
Dinner wine was the 2012 Vincent and Sophie Morey Bourgogne Blanc. Not an estate I have experience with, but decent rep. Not bad, but a little disappointed- sweet pears, tiniest hint of oak, but no real backbone, minerality, or interest.Pleasant Chardonnay that could be from anywhere,. B-
Sunday we had a friend and her dog over for dinner. She brought herbed mozzarella, I opened the 2013 Jousset “BuBulle” Montlouis, a pet nat. Dry, herby, fresh, but a bit clipped. B-
Dinner was pork braised in Gamay with carrots and leeks.
2009 Vissoux/Chermette “Garants” Fleurie
Ripe black cherry, mocha and mineral, rich with a long finish. Fleurie as Pomerol (in a good way). It doesn’t taste like Pomerol, but more texturally in line. And I love the texture of a good Pom. Delicious. A-
2013 Grange Cochard Morgon VV.
Big, a little stolid after the Fleurie, but loosens up, nice finish. B
Sunday afternoon I had made the core of Monday dinner- acorn squash/white bean soup (NYT called it squash minestrone), last night I just added salad, rice, and chard/turnip green saute. Wine was the 1990 Clos des Papes Chateauneuf-du-Pape. I thought this was too old when first opened but air perked it up. Redder fruit, cigarbox, fleshy but no heat (14.5 abv by label), Nice finish, not a particularly complex wine, but nice length, B+
Tonight I used pressure cooker to make a quick dinner of chicken thighs in red wine, tarragon, and garlic. A little leftover CdP and then opened a bottle of 1997 Behrens and Hitchcock Syrah. This was never a great wine, but the plastic cork failed in its simple task this time. Oxidized, game for the vinegar crock. C- for this bottle
I quickly opened the 2012 Texier Chat Fou Cotes du Rhone. What a fun little wine! Fresh berry fruit, good acids, light but with a punch. I’ll get more of this. 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.