by Dale Williams » Mon Mar 12, 2018 9:38 pm
Wednesday’s nor’easter had a quiet start compared to previous Fri, but winds and heavy snow were pretty fierce by end of day. I lost large hunks of 2 trees (to go with lost fence from Fri), but miraculously didn’t lose power either time. So we celebrated with duck confit over greens along with cauliflower, salad, and the 2011 Jadot “Clos des Couchereaux” Beaune 1er. Nice balance of tannin, fruit, and acid. Black cherry and herb, some light oak notes. This does have a distinct green note, more piney than anything. Some folks have claimed that 2011 is similar to 2004 as far as pyrazines or ladybug taint, but this didn’t remind me of ‘04. B+/B
With a sous vide adaption of an Ottolenghi chicken recipe with fennel and tangerine, we had couscous, summer squash with za’atar, mushrooms, and 2015 Falkenstein Herrenberg Spatlese Feinherb (AP 03 16). Citrus and pit fruits, floral, zippy acids and good finish. Young but exciting. A-/B+
Betsy’s quartet joined with the pianist Doris Stevenson to perform the Dvorak Piano Quintet as well as the world premier of a quintet by Zachary Wadsworth at Bargemusic Saturday. Afterwards we stayed in Brooklyn and a nice small group had dinner at Paulette’s Bistro in Fort Greene. Nice salads (I shared a kale “caesar” with white anchovies with Muneko), most of us had the special of striped bass with a beet risotto, Betsy had the moules. She had a glass of the 2015 F.Thienpont Entre-Deux-Mers. Crisp, grassy, good example of straightforward inexpensive white Bordeaux. B-
I liked it a bit better than a bottle of the 2014 Domaine Chene Macon-Village that didn’t have a cut I expect from ‘14, a rather round though clean Chardonnay. B-/C+
Sunday I got out sous vide device again to make salmon with citrus zest and herbs, plus we had lentils with a walnut oil dressing, roasted brussels sprouts salad.
2013 Ziereisen “Rhini” Spatburgunder
Clean sappy fruit, black raspberry and cherry, tangy, mineral, could be a ringer in a lineup of village Moreys. A good deal at $30, then Posner had offered it Saturday for $25, but sold out by time I tasted and ordered. A-/B+
2016 Artuke Rioja
Fresh, bouncy, crunchy red fruit, fun. Great deal in inexpensive Rioja. 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.