Saturday Gary and Tito picked up Frank and me and we headed to NJ for Baconfest.
A great group, perfect weather, nice setting.
The food:
Chicken wings
Gazpacho (using radish, peppers, and baby corn as garnishes),
BLTs (the Van de Rose and the North Country Smokehouse bacons tied in voting)
Pesto Couscous Salad
Potato Salad
Bean and Corn Salad
Asian Slaw
Fruit Salad
Desserts including Golden Syrup Cookies
The wine:
Bubbles
1998 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne mag
Nice, but maybe tiring a bit, ripe apple with lemon creme and honeysuckle. Not quite the verve of the other 2 Champagnes, but I’d happily drink, B/B+
1988 Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill mag
I had my fingers crossed but this was everything I hoped. Rich, honied fruit tones but fresh, apple and brioche. Long, complex, refined. A-
2008 Philipponnat 1522 mag
Dry, crisp, pear accented with citrus and baking bread. Full, balanced, elegant mousse. A-
Whites
2010 Rollin Sous Fretille Pernand-Vergelesses 1er mag
Big but deftly balanced, pear with pit fruit and accented with nuts and a touch of vanillin oak. A-
Alfonse Mellot Generation Dix Neuf Sancerre mag
Didn’t get vintage. Richer style of Sancerre, not super memorable, but nice. B
2005 Chidaine Tuffeaux Montlouis
Sec tendre to demi-sec, lots of wool, yellow fruits, good length. B+
1995 Huet Clos du Bourg Vouvray Demi-sec
On drier side of DS, wax, wool, chalk and green apple. Great length. Young but drinking well. B+/A-
Rose
Skipped 2021 Baudry (because I have) & a Whispering Angel product
2020 Nervi Conterno "Il Rosato"
Raspberries, rose petals, bigger style. I assume this is Nebbiolo, reminds me a bit of the Il Mimo. B/B+
2021 Red Tail Ridge Cab Franc Rose
Strawberries, herbs, lighter styled, one of the better matches with BLTs. B
Reds
1995 Phelps Insignia 3L
Hugely popular with group, but this is pushing the limits of ripeness for me, even more than a recent 750. Cassis, mocha, smooth tannin, but the octane is up there. B/B-
1978 Mondavi Reserve mag
A great showing by an old fave. Black cherry and currant, mint, mushrooms. Fully mature without being at all tired. A-
2010 Jadot Clos des Ursules Beaune 1er mag
This has great bones underneath, but pretty shrill and shut down right now. B- for drinking now at least from mag, but A- potential;.
2011 Produttori di Barbaresco Montestefano.Barbaresco Riserva mag
This is a bit stolid and tight right now. Tannic and acidic structure, red fruit and truffle,let this sleep. B now, A- later?
2004 Produttori di Barbaresco Montestefano.Barbaresco Riserva
I usually like Nebbiolo at 25 plus, but this is drinking nicely now. Bright acids without being sharp, suave tannins, red fruit accented with herbs and tar. B+/A-
2011 Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon
Probably my surprise of the night. Nicely balanced, ready to go, black plum with underbrush and cedar. B+
2016 Levet Maestria Cote-Rotie
Young, tannic, good dark berry fruit accented with bacon (or is that the Van de Rose?) and underbrush. B for now, plenty of potential.
Skipped 2006 Vieux Telegraphe and others, apparently missed a 2012 Keenan.
Really fun evening, and a really good group.
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.
