TN: Bday dinner (Burgs, Bdx, Paso Robles, Champagne, MSR, Vouvray,etc)

Tuesday we carried dinner (roast chicken, pasta with spinach pesto,
salad) over to Roger and Rosie's home, Roger broke his leg playing
soccer and Rosie is a bit overworked. I had carried a bottle of
Trinch!, but Roger had an open bottle of 2006 Monte Antico. A bit too
open, apparently about 3 days, showing a lot of oxidation, but
sometimes the polite thing is to not say anything.

Last night was eve of my birthday, but as Betsy had an early morning
flight today we celebrated then. A half dozen friends joined us (plus
a bonus Dachshund). Betsy made a king crab salad with mozzarella,
brisket pot roast, glazed carrots and parsnips, braised leeks, and
mashed potatoes.

The cooking wines:
2005 Viticcio Chianti Classico
Medium acids, soft finish, cherries and berries. Decent QPR at normal
price of $10-12. B-

2008 Urban Uco Torrontes
Bright lemony acids, a floral edge to nose, quite light but a cheerful
little wine.. Good value at $9. B-/B

The greeting wines:
NV Pierre Peters Blanc de Blanc "Le Mesnil Grand Cru" Brut Champagne
I thought I'd had this bottle for several years, but it's lot L012007.
I assume that's a Jan 07 disgorgement, so 2 years I'd guess. Dry,
fairly brawny, apples and chalk. Not a very yeasty style. Mousse a tad
coarse, not a Champagne that screams elegant,but very nice. B+/A-

2007 Selbach-Oster "Zeltinger Sonnenuhr" Kabinett*
Classic Mosel Riesling, apples and slate, good though not tart
acidity, light and refreshing. B+

With the king crab salad
2005 Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc
Creamy, a little oily, modest acidity, mango and peach fruit, somewhat
floral. B/B-

2005 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet
Lovely young Burgundy, pears laced with lemon juice and light vanillin
oak notes, a sense of earthy minerality. Good to start with and even
better revisited an hour later. A-/B+

With the pot roast
2000 Ch. Talbot (St Julien)
I decanted about 2 hours in advance, but I was surprised that it
seemed fairly open at opening. By time the meat was served it was
strutting, cassis and red fruits with spice, leather,and a little oak.
Still some tannins, but plenty of fruit to balance, drinking well now
but should hold quite well. Maybe my fave Talbot since '86. A-

1990 Pavie Decesse (St Emilion)
Nice midbodied old style St Emilion, black plums, saddle leather,
cigarbox. Fully mature, and not the most concentrated or long wine,
but a tasty wine in its prime. B+/B


Somewhere along here I also opened a Burg at Alex's request:
2002 JJ Confuron Chambolle-Musigny
Not sure why I have couple of these, not a producer I usually buy.
Nice PN fruit, black cherries and raspberries, with an overlay of oaky
tones. Besides the oak, it seems more like a someone muscular NSG or
Gevrey than a Chambolle. Not really what I look for in a Chambolle,
and others liked more than I. Still, not bad. B/B-

Rachel brought a nice assortment of cheeses, Dave a pear tart, and we
opened a dessert wine:
1989 Brisebarre "Grande Reserve" Vouvray Moelleux
This is on the dry side of Moelleux (or the sweet side of demi-sec!),
Apples, peach skin, honey. Good acidity, a little waxiness. For an '89
Vouvray not a lot of verve. B-

Not a bad night of wines, and a great night of friends. Knowing I was
getting up at 4:15, I didn't do much "post dinner tasting" as I did
dishes. But noticed there was about 2 oz of the Leflaive, and poured
into my white wine glass. Wow, that's different though kind of tasty-
that's when I realized my last use of that glass (and the .5 oz or so
that had been in it) was the Vouvray, not the Puligny. Oops!

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.*