On a no-Betsy week
Sausage ravioli in a mushroom ragu, leeks vinaigrette, fave beans, salad
2005 Meo-Camuzet Bourgogne rouge
This was lively and fresh, but I don’t think I would have guessed Pinot Noir or Burgundy. Tart, tangy, still some tannin hanging on. Cranberry, raspberry, with a bright herbal note, blind I might have guessed something like Mencia. But I liked. B

Crab cakes, couscous, broccoli,
2012 Gouges La Perriere Nuits St George Blanc
So fun to taste. Rich but with good acids, pear accented with citrus blossom and beeswax. Really nice length, nicely balanced. A-/B+

Liver and onions
2005 Edmunds St. John Wylie- Fenaughty Syrah (El Dorado)
Yowsa. In a great place, rich raspberry fruit, leather, peppery spice, a touch of orange peel. Deeeelicious. A-.

Absolutely frigid weekend, but invited some friends over (actually they invited me over then realized setting up for distance was easier at my place)
Foie gras crostini, watermelon radish with mango chutney
2009 Godme Champagne Grand Cru Brut
Tasty, green apple and citrus zest, elegant mousse, B+

Oysters (lemon, ramp mignonette, hot sauce)
2020 Picq Chablis
Lemon and pear, lime leaf, plenty of rich fruit with a taut underlying acidity. Chalk and wax on finish, very good for level B+/B

They had brought the main, orecchiette with chorizo, served with salad
2008 Lopez de Heredia “Cubillo” Rioja
Somewhat weird nutty nose, but fresh juicy red fruits and spice on the palate. B

2016 Hirsch Kammerner Lamm Gruner Veltliner
While this was a good match with the chorizo pasta, I really didn’t like this on it’s own. Heavy, oily,strange quinine note., seems hot though it says 13.7, C+

Despite soloing Sunday I decided to make choucroute (brats, knockwurst, baby back, smoked neck bones), delivered some to 2 sets of friends. Returned to the 2018 Trimbach Riesling Reserve (recipe called for bottle of Riesling, but used half of the Trimbach, with some Chablis and GV making up difference). I don’t see the Reserve often. Crisp Granny Smith and lime, a hint of ginger on the nose, dry and zippy. Not the depth or complexity of a CFE, but satisfying for low $20s. B/B+

Our Zoom group was BYO Bordeaux last night, I opened the 2001 Ch. La Grave a Pomerol (and later had with Impossible Burger). Nice ready to go Pomerol, black plum and coffee, plush texture without being glossy or oaky. 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.

On 1/18/22 3:24 PM, dalewilli...@gmail.com wrote:

> Liver and onions
> 2005 Edmunds St. John Wylie- Fenaughty Syrah (El Dorado)
> Yowsa. In a great place, rich raspberry fruit, leather, peppery spice, a touch of orange peel. Deeeelicious. A-.

Good to hear. I still have a couple of these. The first was consumed a
few years ago after spending 17 days in Europe in a lost suitcase. Not
really a fair representative.

Mark Lipton

On Tuesday, January 18, 2022 at 9:53:51 PM UTC-5, Mark Lipton wrote:
> On 1/18/22 3:24 PM, dalewilli...@gmail.com wrote:
>
> > Liver and onions
> > 2005 Edmunds St. John Wylie- Fenaughty Syrah (El Dorado)
> > Yowsa. In a great place, rich raspberry fruit, leather, peppery spice, a touch of orange peel. Deeeelicious. A-.
> Good to hear. I still have a couple of these. The first was consumed a
> few years ago after spending 17 days in Europe in a lost suitcase. Not
> really a fair representative.
>
> Mark Lipton
So you carried to share with someone and then airline misplaced? Ouch

On 1/19/22 11:18 AM, dalewilli...@gmail.com wrote:

> So you carried to share with someone and then airline misplaced? Ouch

Yup, was going to meet up with Mike Tommasi and Nils Lindgren while in
Europe for a week speaking in various venues. The plans went awry when
my suitcase failed to show up in Barcelona, where I was attending a
conference. I consequently had to spend a week without any of my
clothes or toiletries. Nils and Christina were good enough to assist me
with clothes shopping in Nice over the weekend (I'd previously purchased
some clothes and toiletries in Spain). My suitcase finally arrived back
in the US nearly a week after I had returned home. The ESJ was the
bottle that survived; the bottle of Ridge Geyserville didn't, and as a
consequence I lost a beloved raw silk jacket that was also in the
suitcase. Thanks, British Airways!

#firstworldproblems
Mark Lipton