I picked up Betsy from airport late Thursday, so our Valentine’s Day dinner was a day late. We started with oysters , octopus, and the NV Jose Michel Rose Champagne. Red berries, citrus, pleasant but not compelling. B-
Betsy made a new version of beef stroganoff (https://slate.com/culture/2019/02/beef- ... tions.html)
Good but doesn’t hold a candle to her usual.
1999 Edmunds St. John Wylie-Fenaughty Syrah
Takes a little while to open up, but really nice when it does. Black cherry, smoky/gamey notes, some leather on finish as it airs. A bit sturdy for the food, but lovely on its own. B+/A-
Over to some friends for a dinner party. Started with coppa and pastourma, and the 2014 Raventos i Blanc “Nit” (Conca del Riu Anoia). Strawberries and raspberries, peach, but more floral than fruity. B/B+
I had made an appetizer of octopus/scallop/radishX4 crudo (well, not technically as octopus was cooked)
2017 Pepiere “Clos des Briords” Muscadet
Classic Briords, seashell and citrus, deep and long. Worlds best year to year qpr for me. B+/A-
2015 Sin Palabras Albarino (Rías Baixas)
Good acids, but a bit sweeter than my platonic ideal Albarino. B-
Ron had made a great pozole, served with Betsy’s salad
1999 Boasso Serralunga Barolo
A de Grazia wine but the oak seems in check, some tannic structure, black plum and cherry fruit with some rose petal and tar. Rounder/fruit driven style of Nebbiolo but good. B/B+
2014 Rotie Cellars Grenache
I’d had blends but first 100% Grenache I’ve had from Rotie. Soft cherry and raspberry, not too ripe, herbal finish, B
2014 il Conventino Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
Clunky/heavy style of Sangiovese, not for me. C+
A French friend who had lived in NYC in late 90s let me know she was coming to NYC with her husband and older (11 ) daughter. I put together a dinner party of folks she knew back when. Too many people for our dinner table even with both leaves, so set up in dining room. As folks arrived we had:
Charcuterie (smoke duck breast, pastourma, pate), hummus, dolmades, tapenade
NV Henriot Brut Champagne (mag)
Round smoky style, nice mousse, but a little boring. B/B-
Then to table for scallop/radishX4 crudo (I’m in a rut)
2000 Ramey Hyde Chardonnay
Oak apparent but pretty well integrated, ripe pear and a little butterscotch/nut note, quite lively, fave wine of night for Donna the Meursault lover. B+
Didn’t want to do French, avoided pasta as couple gluten-free folks, so kind of did vague Middle Eastern thing. Betsy made Persian lamb (with dried lime and sour plums) accompanied by an herb plate and lavash, Kurdish golden rice, plus the Moroccan carrot salad and beans/broccoli in a tahini sauce from Ottolenghi cookbook.
2008 Pavelot “aux Guettes” Savigny-les-Beaune 1er
Romy’s birthyear.I was a little worried this might be closed, but actually drinking beautifully, and I may open my other bottle soon. Black cherry, mocha, smoke. Nicely balanced with noticeable but well-integrated acids and tannins. Good length, fine. B+/A-
1974 Oddero Barolo
Birthyear for Florence and Fabrice. Decanted at 11, back to bottle about 1, served about 6:30. Got better through night. Red fruits, orange zest, gamebirds, flowers. Delicate yet with a core. A couple of people didn’t like but rest of us certainly did. I think 74s are aging faster than 71s and 78s, but this is really good., A-
1998 Ch. de Fieuzal (Pessac-Leognan)
Red and black fruits, soft, easy, some loved but I thought simple compared to others. B-/B
We all had a great time, though Romy was a little jet-lagged plus doesn't speak English. But she enjoyed cuddling with our 2 year old basset hound Ruby while adults talked, drank, and ate.
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.