Chicken thighs with chickpeas and spinach
2008 Simon Bize “Aux Vergelesses” Savigny-les-Beaune 1er
This was pretty tight at first , but after an hour or so of air it really showed well. Red and black raspberries, citrus zest, and a touch of coffee. Supple tannins, juicy acids, and a long minerally finish. Young, fresh, zesty and delicious. A-

Tuna steaks with a tomato/olive/caper sauce, quinoa/rice, broccoli rabe
1998 Paolo Bea Montefalco Rosso
More floral than fruity, somewhat lifted nose, resolved tannin, some oxidative notes. Not dead but maybe passing its due date. B-

No wine Friday with Asian grilled pork tenderloin, brown rice with furikake, bok choy

Roasted branzino with ladolemono sauce, broccoli with mustard and vinegar, quinoa
2018 Hatzidakis Skitali Assyrtiko (Santorini) has citrus, green apple, and the slightest hint of new mown hay. Crisp, saline meet oystershell finish. B+/A-

Sunday had some friends over, along with one’s sister who was visiting from France and Cape Verde. We had a grand old time.

Crudite (basil and chipotle/bean dips)
NV Suenen C+C Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne (2017 base, 6/20 disgorgement).
Snappy, fresh and bright, with crisp pear fruit , herbs, and warm bread. Long chalky finish. B+

Oysters with mignonette or lemon
2021 Piuze Terroir de Fye Chablis
Good with oysters, riper more forward styled, apples and white flowers, chalk on finish. B

Pawpaw/rum ham (from Smoking goose), asparagus, and melon on bed of arugula (Hilary has a pawpaw tree and is a big advocate, so I felt I needed to serve to her)
2008 Trimbach Cuvee Frederic Emile Riesling
Was unsure how this would be drinking, but blossomed with air, lovely in a bone dry wet rock kind of style. Crisp minerality, some petrol topnotes, not fruit driven but there’s some lemon and dry peach. Fun. A-/B+

Flannery ribeyes, turnip/parsley root gratin, Swiss Chard
1986 Sociando-Mallet
Some of that ‘86 burliness, cassis and smoked meats, cigarbox/cedar.. Loads of life left. B+

We finished with cheese- Isle of Mull, Stilton, and a perfectly ripe Reblochon Wanda had brought from France, and a chocolate cake. Fun fun night.

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 3/27/23 3:25 PM, dalewilli...@gmail.com wrote:
> Chicken thighs with chickpeas and spinach
> 2008 Simon Bize “Aux Vergelesses” Savigny-les-Beaune 1er
> This was pretty tight at first , but after an hour or so of air it really showed well. Red and black raspberries, citrus zest, and a touch of coffee. Supple tannins, juicy acids, and a long minerally finish. Young, fresh, zesty and delicious. A-

Nice! What's your experience been with '08s? I still have a few but
people including Sasha have reported very mixed results with the
vintage. FWIW, I just recently opened a '10 Pavelot SlB village wine
that was positively singing.

>
> Oysters with mignonette or lemon
> 2021 Piuze Terroir de Fye Chablis
> Good with oysters, riper more forward styled, apples and white flowers, chalk on finish. B

I wonder how many more "classic" vintages we'll see out of Chablis.
Unlike e.g. Muscadet, they don't get the cooling maritime climate of the
Atlantic.

> Pawpaw/rum ham (from Smoking goose), asparagus, and melon on bed of arugula (Hilary has a pawpaw tree and is a big advocate, so I felt I needed to serve to her)
> 2008 Trimbach Cuvee Frederic Emile Riesling
> Was unsure how this would be drinking, but blossomed with air, lovely in a bone dry wet rock kind of style. Crisp minerality, some petrol topnotes, not fruit driven but there’s some lemon and dry peach. Fun. A-/B+

LOL! Jean and I have tried a few pawpaw fruits since they grow wild
around here. Jean was distinctly not a fan, mostly because of the
texture, though the flavors of overripe banana were only so appealing, too.

As always, thanks for the interesting notes,
Mark Lipton

On Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 9:42:04 AM UTC-4, Mark Lipton wrote:
> On 3/27/23 3:25 PM, dalewilli@gmail.com wrote:
>
> Nice! What's your experience been with '08s? I still have a few but
> people including Sasha have reported very mixed results with the
> vintage. FWIW, I just recently opened a '10 Pavelot SlB village wine
> that was positively singing.
I haven't had a lot of closed 08s, but most of the (few) I've opened were village wines.
> >
> >
> > 2021 Piuze Terroir de Fye Chablis
> > Good with oysters, riper more forward styled, apples and white flowers, chalk on finish. B
> I wonder how many more "classic" vintages we'll see out of Chablis.
> Unlike e.g. Muscadet, they don't get the cooling maritime climate of the
> Atlantic.

I don't think 2021 (or 2021) was super warm by historical standards (unlike say 2018). But crops small both vintages.
But in general I agree (of course that applies to most of Europe, I mean most of N. Hemisphere, no I mean.....

> > Pawpaw/rum ham (from Smoking goose),
> LOL! Jean and I have tried a few pawpaw fruits since they grow wild
> around here. Jean was distinctly not a fan, mostly because of the
> texture, though the flavors of overripe banana were only so appealing, too.
>
I think my friend primarily makes ice cream! She has given us a few, I find more like mango with a hint of banana (of course, apparently different cultivars are different).
But the ham was good! Do you know Smoking Goose? Indianapolis isn't THAT far from you correct?

On 3/28/23 3:13 PM, dalewilli...@gmail.com wrote:

> I think my friend primarily makes ice cream! She has given us a few, I find more like mango with a hint of banana (of course, apparently different cultivars are different).
> But the ham was good! Do you know Smoking Goose? Indianapolis isn't THAT far from you correct?

Yup, correct. I've seen a few things from Smoking Goose, but haven't
made a search for them. Their ham is good, I take it? We mostly get
hams from VA, funny enough. Maple Leaf farms is North of us and is a
good source of ducks, and Capriole is S of Indy and makes some very
appealing goat cheeses, my favorite of which is the O'Banon, a Banon
knockoff using a chestnut leaf from one of the last remaining American
Chestnut trees, which coincidentally grows on their property (punnily,
Frank O'Bannon was a beloved former governor of IN).

Mark Lipton

On Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 3:36:06 PM UTC-4, Mark Lipton wrote:
> On 3/28/23 3:13 PM, dalewilli...@gmail.com wrote:
>
> > I think my friend primarily makes ice cream! She has given us a few, I find more like mango with a hint of banana (of course, apparently different cultivars are different).
> > But the ham was good! Do you know Smoking Goose? Indianapolis isn't THAT far from you correct?
> Yup, correct. I've seen a few things from Smoking Goose, but haven't
> made a search for them. Their ham is good, I take it? We mostly get
> hams from VA, funny enough. Maple Leaf farms is North of us and is a
> good source of ducks, and Capriole is S of Indy and makes some very
> appealing goat cheeses, my favorite of which is the O'Banon, a Banon
> knockoff using a chestnut leaf from one of the last remaining American
> Chestnut trees, which coincidentally grows on their property (punnily,
> Frank O'Bannon was a beloved former governor of IN).
>
I believe I've had Capriole cheeses.
This wasn't a whole ham, but a fun experiment (part of a sampler). What I really love from Smoking Goose is the salumi/charcuterie- especially Gentle Giant, bresaola, and saucisson rouge.