As people arrived, Betsy served marinated fresh salmon roe on shiso (a seasonal thing she found at a local Japanese restaurant, they sold her some), along with some husk tomatoes/ground cherries. Most of us had sparkling wine:
(probably grading a little harder than normal, I SAID I'm not consistent)
NV Foreau Vouvray Brut (lot 2041)
Bright, lively, granny smith and lemon with a little hint of Parker House Roll yeastiness. B+
One person doesn't like bubbles, so we also had:
2006 Sylvain Dussort "Cuvee des Ormes" Bourgogne Blanc
Sweet fruit balanced by zippy acidity, not much oak. clean and nice Bourgogne. New producer to me. B/B+
First sitdown course was were individual "pumpkin gratins" (an adaptation of a Jacques Pepin recipe, somewhere in the netherland between gratin and souffle). Hoke Harden had raved over a match between a Chardonnay and pumpkin soup, so I went with Chard (went very very well, would definitely repeat combo)
2000 Carillon "Les Combettes" Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
With any '96-'03 white Burg I am tense as I open, but relief spread over me as it was apparent this had slipped by the PremOx monster. I really like Carillon, and would buy more except I seldom see. This shows the vintage, a bit fat, but not flabby. Citrus and pear, rather floral, fruity but with a long dry finish. Some real Puligny stones on the finish. B+
1993 Marquis de Laguiche (Drouhin) Chassagne-Montrachet
I've found this to be a great village level wine, but it's really beginning to show its age. Honied pears, ripe, nutty. Others found it younger than I did, probably because they hadn't had before. I found finish a bit tired. B-
Next up was supposed to be the red Burgs, but the lamb started coming out (along with cauliflower with pimenton and baby bok choy) ; I had planned on Bordeaux with the meat so went ahead:
1998 Bourgneuf-Vayron (Pomerol)
Nice medium bodied Pomerol, black plum and currant fruit, a little cedar note, easy tannins. B/B+
1989 Meyney (St Estephe)
This has always vied with the '86 as my favorite Meyney, and I felt this bottle showed beautifully. The most complete of the three Bdx I served with the lamb. Mature but not fading. Mostly resolved tannins. The cassis fruit may have lost a tad of its youthful verve, but it can still stand up to the lamb. The notes of pencil shavings, tar, and leather are nicely integrated. What more could you ask in a (once) cheap claret? A-
1970 Clos Rene (Pomerol)
This is still alive and even fairly vigorous, probably has as much fruit as the Meyney. Rather thick texture, red plummy fruit, a bit of chocolate and earth. My non-geek friend Nancy is surprised she finds it the oldest but not as complex, I think she's right. Still, a perfectly acceptable wine, and it was fun to open as one of the guests (Annabelle) is a '70. B
As the platters came around with seconds and thirds, I passed the two Burgs that had been opened earlier but not poured:
1980 H. Boillot "Les Rugiens" Pommard 1er
Beguiling nose, a bit light on the palate. Fred found it his wine of the night. I really like this wine, the nose is amazing. Cherries, woodsmoke, truffles, and earth. Just a hint of barnyard. The palate is ok, high acids, red fruits - it just doesn't measure up to the nose. Still, I love a great nose. B+
2000 Domaine Parent "Les Chaponnieres" Pommard 1er
There's nothing truly wrong with this, a perfectly acceptable but anonymous Burg. Black fruits, a little earthy note, not a lot on the finish. I am a fan of Rugiens and Epenots/Epenaux, but other Pommard 1ers tend not to excite me. B-
We had moved on the the cheese course (a local cheese called Drumm, Stilton, Muenster, "Camembert" (Hudson Valley), and 4 yr old Gouda. I thought about a Port for the Stilton, but instead went with an Alsace for the Munster and another Bdx for the Gouda:
1989 Loberger Gewurztraminer Vendanges Tardives
Auslese level sweetness, nose of roses and ripe fruit. Lychees and pineapple/mango tropical notes on palate, with a little hint of that Gewurz oiliness. Pretty decent acidity for the grape, but not the longest or most complex. B
1979 Domaine de Chevalier (Graves)
Best bottle I've had of this yet. Nice balance of fruit and acidity, mostly resolved tannins. Red plums and currant, cocoa and cigarbox. Rich but not heavy claret, this is really singing. A-
Nancy had brought a lemony dessert, knowing that I don't eat dessert Annabelle showed up with a small "cake" for me (a napolean of granny smith, cream cheese, chives, and salmon). Good night for wines. I'd happily have my 2 least favorite (Drouhin and Parent) on my dinner table. Really a fun night, I felt blessed to have such good friends, such good luck with the wines, and such a talented cook for a wife.
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. 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.
