Thursday I thought I had a speech at a college in Bronx, but turns out I didn’t - great, cause now I can have wine with dinner (Hudson valley pork chops, collards, butternut squash, salad). The 2014 Camus-Bruchon Bourgogne rouge is an elegant/pretty bottle of Pinot. Red and black cherries, good acids without noticeable tannin, a little herb and dirt. B/B+
Friday some friends picked me up and we went to Riverdale to celebrate visit of some old friends who had moved to Asheville NC. Started with smoked salmon with creme fraiche and radish, the NV LaMarca Prosecco. Sweet, simple, sucky. (others liked) C+
Dinner was kinda Moroccan spiced leg of lamb with potatoes and asparagus gremolata
1988 Ch. Canon
Double decanted about 5:30, served probably 7:45. Best showing yet. Nicely balanced, tannin in check, cassis and black plum with cedar and graphite. Midbodied, nice length. B+/A-
2001 Ch. Pontifical Chateauneuf-du-Pape
So there’s plenty of fruit left, moderately jammy, a little herb. Totally alive, but not sure why I held 13-14 years, didn’t gain any complexity. B-
2015 Pine Ridge Chenin-Viognier
A little sweetness, peachy, easy and popular. B-
Saturday lobster fried rice and sauteed spinach and mushrooms
2015 Peter Lauer “Kupp- Fass 18th” Riesling Grosse Gewachs
Tangy, dry, sprightly. Light and tensile yet with a sense of power. Grapefruit, green apple, flowers. A-
2000 BV Coastal Chardonnay
Part of a mixed lot of Chardonnay where I bid only on value to the Stony Hill SHV (and a little for a 3L of 84 Sonoma-Cutrer). Intended to be drunk about 2002-2003. No capsule, I thought artificial cork but it was actually just a wax top. So the shocker is that this doesn’t taste old/oxidized. The bad news is it still tastes like BV Coastal- sweet, simple, oak-chip meets movie butter. C
Some good friends we hadn’t seen much of lately came to dinner on a rainy Sunday.
We started with lonza, beef terrine, smoked salmon, radishes (watermelon and breakfast) with grass fed butter
1983 Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs
Part of a lot where I was bidding on the other wines. Not mentioned in description, but when I picked up had a big back label staying “special bottling in honor of the 1988 LA Dodgers World Series Championship.” So with the Dodgers in series again decided to open (not that anyone cared), with a bottle of Champagne in reserve. Pleasant pop when opened, some mature nut and honey notes but not oxidized. Certainly not full fizz, but enough to give a mousse. Apple butter, hint of cherry, a little vanilla. A pleasant surprise. B-
With Betsy’s carrot and ginger soup (Riesling would have been a better match)
2016 Raimbault Sancerre Grapefruit and lemon peel, a little grass, decent finish. B-/B
Main was roasted poussin (recent D’Artagnan sale), celeriac/turnip mash, arugula/avocado salad
1999 Guy Castagnier Clos de la Roche
Pretty classic Morey at peak. Red and black cherry, floral notes, a little spice and sandalwood. Not a blockbuster, but lovely balance, elegant with good finish. Great showing from a producer that used to be quite cheap. A-/B+
2012 Ch. Beaumont (Haut Medoc)
Midbodied, CS character, cassis and some green herb, some oak. Decent finish, good luncheon claret. 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.