WTN: Lots of wine on a cold Memorial Day

So Memorial Day it was raining in AM, but forecast said 0% chance after 1 PM. So we decided to go ahead with our party. It did mist a few times, but mostly held off, though it was gloomy and cool. I’ve never had a Memorial Day party (or any outdoor party) where people were wearing coats, down vests, and sweater (I was defiantly in shorts). People (and dogs) had a good time though.

Betsy and I made clams with fried garlic, ribs, bulgogi-ish steak, charred leeks with anchovy/caper vinaigrette, poat dot (Cambodian style corn) mango salsa, tortilla chips, as well as a few purchased things such as hot dogs, sausages, chips, and pate
Others brought a great assortment, including Kobe ribeye (so marbled it looked white), more sausages & pate(I liked a rustic one from Brooklyn with pistachios), deviled eggs, a great Russian beet/potato salad, couple of grain salads, green salads, and much I have forgotten (or missed). Load of desserts (a purple yam one got people excited).

Couple of geeks there, and I blinded a few wines:

1984 Sonoma Cutrer “Founders Reserve” Chardonnay (3L)
Put about 750ml in a decanter. At first nutty and a bit advanced on nose, but cleans up, quite floral. Some clean pear fruit, a little hazelnut, modest finish. Mark gets CA Chard right away. Some liked more than I did (said their wine of the day), but I did enjoy, though after the level went down in big bottle to expose a big surface it started to oxidize. B

1982 Burgess Zinfandel
Some thought this too volatile (initial guesses were Piedmont) but I enjoyed- brambly fruit, minty, some earth. B+

1966 Produttori di Barbaresco Barbaresco
A good showing for an poorly regarded vintage. Mark’s first guess was ‘68 Piedmont. The caramelly note shows its age, but I still thought it quite interesting, with light black cherry fruit and lots of tar. B

1988 Trimbach “Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre” Gewurztraminer
Mark got Gewurz immediately, though first guess was pre-Olivier ZH (good guess!). Dry, intense, ginger and lychee, with great acidity for Gewurz. A-/B+

Other wines
1995 Kalin “LD” Chardonnay
DOA. Too bad.

2001 Michel Colin-Deleger “ Les Corbins” Meursault
I was told this was DOA as well (no surprise, Colin-Deleger is near top of PremOx offenders), but I tried towards end of night and found quite alive. Pear, honeysuckle, a little vanilla, but lower acid than I like my white Burg. B/B-

2001 Trimbach Cuvee Frederic Emile Riesling
I had told Craig I’d open as all of his 01 CFE were oxidized, and none of mine were , and broke my streak. Tired. C+

2015 Schwedhelm Schwarzer Herrgott Riesling
Crisp, rocky, tart. Great tensile/nervy spine. B++

1981 JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett
Lovely mature Riesling, apple and lemon with light petrol and smoke notes. A-

2015 Merkelbach “Urgluck” Auslese
Limeade! Fresh, snappy, good length. B+/A-

2016 Edmunds St John Bone Jolly Rose
Cranberry and mineral, a little smoky, fun B+

1979 Ducru-Beaucaillou
Dark fruit, little tannin, plenty of acid, a little metallic note on finish, but I like (more than others) B/B+

2014 Olivier Cousin “La Franc”
Bing cherry and barnyard , bright acids. B

1986 Monticello "Corley Reserve" Cabernet Sauvignon
Minty, red fruits, smoke, a little drying on finish but I like. B/B+

2013 Flor do Crasto
Red fruits, a touch jammy, simple. B-/C+

1998 Coudoulet de Beaucastel Cotes du Rhone
Showing it’s age, red Grenachy fruit with some earth, ok but drink up. B/B-

2014 Meinklang (Burgenland)
Easy, juicy, bright. B

2014 Chevillon Nuits St George VV
Mark and Craig didn’t like, but though I found it surprisingly ripe, I thought well balanced. Ripe black cherry, a little mocha, earthy finish. B+

1982 Rocche dei Manzoni “Vigna De La Roul” Barolo Riserva
Just entering maturity, ripe but not overripe, rose petals, tar, and orange zest. B+

2014 Hollis Cabernet Sauvignon
Big fruit forward style, blueberries and mocha, some loved. B-

Fun day, despite the weather (at least I was warm by the grill).

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.

Edited to add designation to Monticello

You hit every one of six decades! Great mix.

Out of curiousity, you say you're an pretty easy grader but I can't recall the last solid A you gave! Do *you* remember how long ago it was, or what the wine was? (This is on my mind because I get a stack of papers to grade next week.... )

well, if confronted I always say I'm an easy B guy, as I look for something to like in every wine, but that I am a hard A. I give a lot of A-s and a fair number of A-/A, but A would imply to me no room for improvement, which is hard for me to imagine. But I think I've given solid As to a few wines- 1971 Montebello, 1996 Roumier Bonnes Mares, 1971 Gaja, 1959 Mouton, etc.
So if I were a professor the slackers would love me, the 4.0 types not so much.

Funny, I'm that way when I grade papers, too! Though I'm getting easier in my middle age -- at a certain point, "no room for improvement" became "I could register small complaints but they pale in comparison to the accomplishment."

Wow, exactly my sort of tasting would love to have been there. Excellent reminder that some modest wines can still be interesting even in their relative old age.