Friday we went to a great show by the Bill Mays Quintet at Jazz Forum Arts in Tarrytown. Wine list is all Italian, and just lists by type- no vintage or producer (Barbera, Gavi, Barolo, etc). We split meatballs, stuffed artichokes, and salmon on whites beans (the show, meatballs, and beans were all good). I took the path of least resistance and had a glass of Chianti, which was better than I feared and worse than I hoped. Slightly jammy, cherry cough syrup, leather, short. I know doesn’t help since we don’t know producer, but gives me impetus to order something else if I return soon. C+
Saturday did duck breast au poivre and mashed potatoes,I was in charge of green beens in a mustard cream sauce and garlicky spinach. Opened the 2002 Tortochot “ Lavaux St. Jacques” Gevrey-Chambertin 1er. Not a producer I know, someone must have recommended. Midbodied, black cherry with some spicy oak notes and a little citrus zest. Not super long, but decent balance. Drink up. B/B+
Yesterday met some old friends (and one new) at Aberdeen in White Plains for dim sum.
Pork shu mai, shrimp shu mai, spare ribs, eggplant stuffed with shrimp, jalapeno shrimp, pork chops.green beans with pork, clams in black bean sauce, and more.
2007 Pierre Peters Cuvee Speciale Les Chetillons Blanc De Blancs
Quite toasty, delicate beads, green apple and lemon, good acids. B+
2013 Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Auslese (375 ml)
Shy at first, opens in glass. Rich and honied, pineapple and ripe nectarine, racy acids. I don’t have much of a sense of 2013 in Nahe (or Germany at all), but this is very impressive. A-
2021 Schafer-Frohlich Felseneck Grosses Gewachs
Too warm at first, but once chilled a lovely wine. Taut and focused, lots of dry extract, citrus, herbs, and flint. A-/B+
2012 Nikolaihof Steiner Hund Riesling Reserve
Dry, full, ginger root meets wet rocks, rich with nervy acids and a long mineral finish. B+/A-
Oysters, grilled halibut with herb butter, umeboshi onigiri, Swiss chard with bacon
2011 H. Lamy Les Frionnes St. Aubin 1er (375 ml)
This was a bit muted. Moderate acids, hint of oak, but flat flavors. I wondered if it might be corked under my threshold (or just really shut down). I didn’t get cardboard but fruit seemed stripped. Have liked much more before B-/C+ this bottle
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.