Have a Happy New Year

Duck and Champagne

We have created a tradition of Duck and Champagne for New Year's Eve. Tonight the menu is Peking Duck from the Peking Duck House in NYC http://www.pekingduckhousenyc.com/?page_id=86, dumplings, and bitter greens. For dessert, Italian pastries from Ferraras http://www.ferraracafe.com/home.php, chocolates, and maybe a hot passionfruit souffle.

The Champagne will be Delamotte Blanc de Blanc 2002. Will report on how it tastes; I have never had a Delamotte Champagne. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/21/dining/reviews/blanc-de-blancs-champagnes-review.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

I am trying to put together a list of my great wine and food experiences in 2014.

Have a Happy New Year.

BAM, Nutcracker, Christmas

Nutcracker at BAM

We saw the American Ballet Theater's rendition of the Nutcracker at the Brooklyn Academy of Music(BAM). This was the first time that we had been to BAM. BAM includes several buildings and a number of theaters. We were in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House. The building also houses movie theaters.http://www.bam.org/   The ballet was great. Alexei Ratmansky is the choreographer of this version which debuted in 2010. Ratmansky is the new, young choreographer of the moment. This is somewhat different than other versions but was very well done.  Gillian Murphy was the star ballerina and she was sublime. The second act has the serious dancing and we thoroughly enjoyed. The kids were great especially  Clara, the Nutcracker and the mouse. The music is by Tchaikovsky uplifting and it was a great night.

We went out to dinner after the ballet. We are trying to explore Brooklyn. The theater is in the Fort Greene and Boerum Hill sections of Brooklyn. We walked about 5 blocks and ate at Bacchus http://www.bacchusbistro.com/ The food was OK. I had hanger steak $19 with salad and fries and my wife had mussels with fries $16. We had glasses of French wine for $8  and $10. Prices are reasonable. You can actually drink wine in Brooklyn for a reasonable price. Compared to Manhattan the prices in Brooklyn are cheap. The restaurant had a good vibe although the music was loud.

Wines for Christmas

Lettie Teague at the WSJ wrote an article this weekend about wine gifts. http://www.wsj.com/articles/holiday-gift-wines-guaranteed-to-bring-good-cheer-1419008168 Interesting article that could have been titled "anything but Veuve Cliquot". For Christmas gifts of wine I like to buy wines that the intended recipients like. To me it is not a time to introduce people to a new grape or wine region. For example if  a person likes Chardonnay, buy a Chardonnay that is well regarded in your price range.

From my prospective I have bought a number of California Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons this year since the people I know like the wine. I am not a fan but I am not buying the wine for me.
Some wines to consider are the Caymus 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon $54. I had a taste and wasn't overwhelmed but Parker gave it a 96 and Caymus is a media favorite year in and year out. The price is not bad considering.
Another wine to consider is Oberon 2012 from Michael Mondavi. It is a California Napa County Cabernet Sauvignon and a very good value at $20. I have not tasted it yet but the pedigree is there. Michael Mondavi lost control of the Mondavi Wines to his brother so he opened up a new winery. Oberon is their entry level wine.

Another Cabernet is consider is the 2012 Columbia Crest H3 Cabernet Sauvignon for $12. The WS gave it a 92 rating and the price is amazing. The wine is has great aroma and initially tasted great. However I became tired of it after a glass. I find many cabernets to have no complexity. Tell me what you think if you try it.

BTW 2012 is supposed to be a great vintage in California especially for Cabernet Sauvignon. The prices reflect this as well. I recently saw the Hall Cabernet 2011 for $37 and the 2012 for $120. No difference except the vintage and the ratings.

Vintage is important in wine especially for top wines. However as a caveat, good wineries make good wine in bad years it is just not as good as the better vintages. This fact can lead to some buying opportunities. I just bought a bottle of Domaine De Chevalier 2011. 2011 was not a good year in Bordeaux but Domaine De Chevalier has received some top reviews. At $54 it is not cheap but the wine is a classic Bordeaux estate and in good vintages, it is very expensive.

The experts including Lettie Teague all suggest Champagne as a gift. I love Champagne but my experience shows that it is not a good gift unless you are getting it for me. Most people that I know do not like Champagne that much. You would be better off getting a bottle of Cava for a third of the price. Your friend will be happier as well.

For the wine nerd a 2010 Barolo or a 2010 Bordeaux would be great. However  I would give the Barolo to a young friend as the wine might be ready to drink in 20 years. As I have written previously the 2009 and 2010 Bordeaux wines are great and reasonably priced. I am still seeing a number of very good wines under $25 coming to stores.

Some reasonably priced wines that I like are Monsanto Chianti Classico Reserva $20, Termes from Bodega Numanthia in Spain $22, Melville Pinot Noir $30, Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir $40, Chateau Retout  2009 or 2010, $18, Chateau De la Chaize 2012 $17 from Beaujolais or try other Cru Beaujolais wines from 2011 or 2012.

Not sure what we are drinking for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

Happy Holidays to all.

Atlantic City Pho, Thanksgiving, Wine Bottle Variation

Atlantic City and Sydney Pho

We went to Atlantic City again and checked out some pho at Pho Sydney. Apparently Atlantic City has a large Vietnamese population. http://www.yelp.com/biz/pho-sydney-atlantic-city    Pho is Vietnamese soup. The pho was very fragrant from lemongrass and cilantro. It was good but not my favorite. The broth was richly flavored and not very salty. I had rare thing slices of beef in the soup with the noodles.Sydney Pho is very reasonable as our 2 dishes cost about $16. We also had noodles with barbecued pork. The pork was delicious. Grilled flavor with some sweetness.

We stayed at the Borgata again. (they like us) We ate at Bobby Flays and sat at the bar. Paul the bartender is great and he served us the last time we were there. You can order from the entire menu at the bar. We had spice rubbed hanger steak and chopped salad with shrimp. The steak was cooked perfectly and was great. It  was also a bargain at the restaurant at $33. Also ordered a bottle of Maison L'Envoye  Two Messengers 2012, an Oregon Pinot Noir for $66. The WS gave it a 92 and we enjoyed the bottle. 2012 is a great year for Willamette Valley wines. At the bar we were talking to everyone. Someone we were talking to bought us glasses of Fonseca Tawny port and another person sitting next to me let us try his Stags Leap Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon, which was better than I expected. For dessert we had a 10 layer chocolate cake with espresso cream between layers. The cake was light and we really enjoyed it.

 
Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. We had the entire family and I made the usual menu of turkey, chestnut stuffing, spinach souffle, cranberry relish, sweet and baked potatoes, pecan pie and apple tart. This year I added string beans and stuffed mushrooms. The wine was a magnum of Chalone 2006 Estate Pinot Noir, one of my favorites. the wine is fruity but has good acid and tannins and drinks beautifully. We also had Italian pastries from Ferrara's in Little Italy in Manhattan. http://www.ferraracafe.com/home.php including my favorite rainbow cookies.

Bottle variation in wine

I have been discussing bottle variation in wine for a while. Recently James Laube wrote a column on it in the WS. Interesting article. http://www.winespectator.com/blogs/show/id/50917?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=most_popular  I find that many wines taste very differently from bottle to bottle. It could be that our tastes are different at different times but sometimes the taste is so different that it must be  the wine. Have you ever experienced this?

Coming soon some Christmas wine selections  and ideas.

Enjoy.

New Orleans, Arlo Guthrie, Wine Alert

Last tomatoes were picked from my garden this week. November tomatoes in NJ, wow.

New Orleans
I was in New Orleans last week and had a chance to check out some of the newer restaurants and 2 old standbys. I had not been to New Orleans in over 30 years. Not sure how much has changed downtown.I went to Peche http://www.pecherestaurant.com/ for dinner. It is in the trendy Warehouse district.I did not have a reservation but sat at the bar.The place was packed and it was Wednesday night. I ordered mussels with curry sauce $11 and smothered catfish $16. I had a glass of  Sauvignon Blanc, Sancerre “La Baronnes”
Henri Bourgeois ‘13 Loire for $9. The mussels were okay. The flavoring was good but the mussels were not very plump. The catfish was not to my liking. All in all a pretty place and it could be in any city USA. Food was so-so. Prices were reasonable and  the wines by the glass were reasonable and good. The charge on the basis of 5 glasses to the bottle, which makes the price of a glass cheaper. Of course it all depends on how much they pour into a glass.
  Curried Mussels

 View from the bar

 smothered catfish

OK so I felt like I was missing the real New Orleans. So I walked to the French quarter and found Cafe du Monde. http://www.cafedumonde.com/beignets Real ambiance, kind of a dump but the beignets were really good. You get 3 fried pieces of dough  for about $2.65 with tax. They sell beignets and coffee and other drinks. I took out the beignets and the gave me them in a paper bag while they were very hot. Amazingly they were not greasy. The bag showed no signs of grease. I ate 2 of them they were great, lots of powdered sugar.

The next day I figured I was on a roll so I discovered that K-Pauls Kitchen https://www.chefpaul.com/kpaul is open for a deli-styled lunch on Thursdays and Fridays and Saturdays. So off I went with a few friends. You sit at the regular tables of the restaurant but you go up to a counter to order. They bring the food to you. We shared a shrimp po- boy $13, a jambalaya po- boy $13 and some sauce with green tomatoes. I had cole slaw with the po-boy and it was great. It had apple in it and was not creamy. Every thing was really good. The flavor of  the Jambolaya was complex and spicy but overpoweringly hot. I had bread pudding $4 with hard sauce for dessert.The hard sauce was light and tasted of some sort of alcohol, but just enough without being overpowering.

 Green tomatoes with sauce and sweet potato fries.

 Bread pudding

 As I really in a groove now, I needed to find a good dinner spot. I had checked out Cochon http://www.cochonrestaurant.com/and it sibling Butcher http://www.cochonbutcher.com/  the night before and they looked good. Cochon is a regular restaurant but Butcher is a butcher and restaurant where you order at a counter and they bring the food to you. Noticing a pattern here. They cook and season their own meats. I ordered the all-American meal, cold roast beef sandwich, potato salad and apple pie for dessert. Washed it down with a local beer. You can take fresh meat and cooked duck, roast beef , salamis, sausages. Everything looked great and what I had tasted great. Reasonably priced as well.

I had a chance to walk down Bourbon Street. Lots of music and bars.New Orleans did not overly impress me. Not sure what one would do their for more than a couple of days. There is a big casino that was OK. They have an outlet mall on the river. It does have a branch of Cafe du Monde without the ambiance. There is another fancy mall and I guess they have the Superdome. The French Quarter was interesting to walk through but I did not find any cafes or pastry shops to hang-out a bit. Lots of bars.

Arlo Guthrie

We saw Arlo Guthrie in concert at a small venue last wee. He was very good. He is a link to the folk song past, having known Leadbelly, Peter Seeger and obviously, his father growing up. He is a  great story teller and he made 2.5 hours go by magically. Next year he will be doing the 50th anniversary Alice's Restaurant tour. Listening to Alice's Restaurant is a Thanksgiving tradition. If you are not familiar with the song, it around 25 minutes, check it out. A classic song. 

Wine Alert

Chateau Fleur la Mothe 2010. I recently purchased it a the Wine Library for $12.55. It is a Bordeaux from a great vintage. A 90 rating from the WA and the WS. It is 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 60 Merlot. I have had 2 bottles of it and it is very good. If you can find it, stock up. It should develop for 5 to 10 years. 

Recent Wines

 2012 Kirkland Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Red Mountain    

10/28/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points 

Nice cabernet. Not complex but good fruit with some tannin. A bit tart. Light to medium bodied. Enjoyed the wine with a steak. Might try again. Not a bad value.

 2011 Domaine Daniel Rion et Fils Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts Pinot Noir   

10/28/2014 - I like this wine: 90 points 

Tasted at the WL. Great bouquet but the taste was not up to the Les Chaumes. OK fruit and nice balance. Not overly tannic. A good wine but at $65 probably not worth it. Would not buy.

 2011 Domaine Daniel Rion et Fils Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Chaumes Pinot Noir   

10/28/2014 - I like this wine: 91 points   

Tasted at the WL. Nice bouquet. medium bodied. good fruit and balance. Flavor was very nice. Finally at Burgundy that I could appreciate but the price around $64 is steep. Not sure that I would buy a bottle at that price. I might stick with Oregon.  

 2011 Domaine Daniel Rion et Fils Côte de Nuits Villages Le Vaucrain Pinot Noir   

10/28/2014 - I don't like this wine: 84 points 

No fruit; tasted at the WL. Lots of terroir but meh. Would not buy. 

  

 2012 Domaine Daniel Rion et Fils Bourgogne Pinot Noir   

10/28/2014 - I like this wine: 87 points (Edit)  

Good fruit but not complex. Tasted at the WL. One of the better reasonably priced Burgundies that I have tasted. Might buy a bottle at around $24.  

 2013 Domaine des Valanges Mâcon-Davaye Chardonnay   

10/29/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points 

Not bad. Medium bodied with some nice fruit and good acid. Finish is weak but an enjoyable wine. Drank with salmon. Would drink again.  

 2009 Viña Herminia Rioja Excelsus Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo   

10/24/2014 - I wrote: 87 points

Interesting wine. Tasted balanced with nice fruit but it took a little time to get used to it. It is like 2 wines put together; the syrah and tempranillo. The tasted good but no characteristic that stood out. The wine is boring. Not sure about it being a WS top 100. WA much better description. Not sure I would drink again.  

 2011 Xavier et Nicolas Barbet Moulin-à-Vent Cuvée Vieilles Vignes Gamay   

10/26/2014 - I like this wine: 90 points 

Delicate complex wine. Terroir, nice fruit. Drank with ribs. A good value; an enjoyable wine. Will drink again. 12.5 alcohol. 

  

 2012 Domaine Cornu-Camus Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Pinot Noir   

10/26/2014 - I wrote: 84 points 

Good mouthfeel in this medium weight wine but little else. Cheap Burgundy is an oxymoron. Drink a top of the line Cru Beaujolais instead and enjoy.

  

 2013 Domaine De Robert Morgon Côte du Py Gamay  

10/22/2014 - I like this wine: 87 points 

terroir and acid predominate. Some fruit; it began to open up after a while; not up to the 2011's; I have another bottle to try. Drank with roast chicken. 

  

 2013 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Cellar Selection Marlborough    

10/20/2014 - I like this wine: 87 points (Edit)  

Typcial NZ sauvignon blanc. Nice bouquet, fruity but with good acid.  

 2012 Poggiobello Colli Orientali del Friuli Sauvignon   

10/22/2014 - I wrote: 85 points 

Interesting wine; decent fruit and acid with a different taste; not sure of the grape; would probably not drink again.  

 2001 Reignac Bordeaux Supérieur  Red Bordeaux Blend   

10/18/2014 - I like this wine: 94 points A great bottle. Great color, bouquet and tasted balanced with rich flavor. Amazing it was 13 years old and only 13% alcohol. Gee, and I thought you needed 15% to get flavor. The wine was great to the last drop in the bottle. Drank with steak and baked oysters. Would drink again if I can find it. Reignac is an interesting wine as they make another wine called Chateau de Reignac which gets confused in ratings by most wine publications.  

 2010 Grgich Hills Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley   

10/18/2014 - I wrote: 88 points  

Tasted at the WL. Very tannic, very young, it may evolve but not in my lifetime. Decent fruit but tart and probably should try it again.  

 2010 Faust Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley    

10/18/2014 - I wrote: 86 points

Tasted a the WL.Very young but tasted unripe. Some fruit peeking through. Not my taste. Maybe I needed a bigger taste.  

 2010 Domaine Testut Chablis Rive Droite Chardonnay  

10/12/2014 - I like this wine: 90 points 

Good basic Chablis. Enjoyed with flounder. A little age has enhanced the wine. Dry but enough fruit to make it interesting. 

 2013 Tiburzi Montefalco Colle Scancellato Sangiovese Blend, Sangiovese   

9/19/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points 

Solid, fresh with decent tannin; medium bodied, drinks like a big wine but does not have the alcohol; enjoyed; will drink again.  

 2011 Gérard Bertrand Syrah / Grenache Languedoc Roussillon  Syrah Blend, Syrah   

10/16/2014 - I like this wine: 87 points 

Nice red. Started out grapey but quickly opened up. Very smooth, low tannin. Not that high in alcohol, which is good. Good value, under $10 at Costco. Not a wine for cellaring. Drink now.  

 2013 Corte Gardoni Bianco di Custoza White Blend   

10/15/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points Fruity but with good acid. Enjoyed wine with salmon. Medium bodied would drink again. Not sure of the grape.  

 2013 Les Vignes de l'Aire Côtes du Roussillon Effet Pappilion Red Blend   

10/9/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points 

Nice light to medium bodied wine with good fruit and acid. Enjoyed with a steak. Good value. Would drink again.  

 2012 Pio Cesare Barbera d'Alba 

10/10/2014 - I like this wine: 89 points 

A nice fruity wine with some tannin. Not as light as one might expect. Drank with Italian appetizers at a restaurant in PHX for $40. Not a bad price. Group enjoyed the wine. Would drink again.  

 2007 Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona Sant' Antimo Fabius Syrah   

10/10/2014 - I like this wine: 90 points 

Drank at a restaurant in PHX for $60. Always good to try a wine with a little age on it. A big wine but just enough fruit. Some spiciness from the Syrah. I understand that this is a top producer and that this wine comes from a Brunello region. Drank with pork chop and Italian appetizers. Group enjoyed the bottle. Would drink again.  

 2010 Agricola San Felice Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Il Gregio Chianti Classico DOCG  Sangiovese Blend, Sangiovese   

10/7/2014 - I like this wine: 91 points 

Drank at a restaurant in PHX for $65, not a bad price. Complex wine that developed as we drank it. Good fruit and tannin with balance. Drank with grilled pork chop. Would drink again 

 2013 Domaine De Robert Morgon Côte du Py Gamay   

10/2/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points 

Nice bouquet; initial taste of lots of fruit with lots of flavors however the finish is a short and abrupt. Enjoyed the wine with a roast chicken; my first 2013 Cru Beaujolais. will drink again, decent value at $16.  

 2013 Henry Brochard Sauvignon Blanc Val de Loire  

9/29/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points   

Nice bouquet with lots of fruit; taste is medium bodied, dry with a short finish; enjoyed the wine with flounder; good wine and a nice value; would drink again. 

 2012 Joseph Drouhin Côte de Beaune Villages Pinot Noir   

9/28/2014 - I wrote: 85 points  

Keep hoping to taste a Burgundy with flavor; light, tannic with some fruit peeking out; food helped a little, we drank it with duck breast; not what I had hoped for, no excuses, oh well.  

 2009 Guido Porro Barolo Vigna Lazzairasco Nebbiolo   

9/27/2014 - I like this wine: 90 points 

Tasted at the WL; nice medium bodied with some fruit and complexity; should develop nicely; may buy a bottle as I have the 04 and 05, which are very good.  

 2009 Giovanni Sordo Barolo Rocche di Castiglione Nebbiolo   

9/27/2014 - I don't like this wine: 84 points  

Not sure what was going on in the wine but disjointed and maybe needs lots of time. Tated at the WL.  

 2010 Giacomo Grimaldi Barolo Nebbiolo   

9/27/2014 - I wrote: OK somewhat fruity Barolo. 87 points   

Thanksgiving is coming up and it is one of my favorite holidays and I love the meal. Turkey, chedstnut stuffing, spinach souffle, potatoes and cranberry relish. Pecan pie, apple tart, Italian pastries and maybe something new this year.Wines -drink whatever you like. Beaujolais works great. Nouveau Beaujolais is out for Thanksgiving but it is a gimmick wine. Check out a bottle or 2. Search out Cru Beaujolais for the real stuff. If you would like any recipes, let me know.

Enjoy.

Scottsdale/Phoenix; New wines and new wine critics; Raves for "On the Town"

On the Town on Broadway

The reviews are in and both Ben Brantley http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/17/theater/in-on-the-town-the-city-is-candy-colored-heaven.html?hpw&rref=theater&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpHedThumbWell&module=well-region&region=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-w in the NY Times and Terry Teachout in the WSJ gave unqualified raves to On The Town on Broadway.. You heard it here first a few weeks ago. If you don't have tix yet, get them.Go see it!

Interestingly, Ben Brantley and Terry Teachout disagree quite often so their raves about On The Town are special.

Scottsdale/Phoenix

I recently had a chance to eat at Sassi  http://www.sassi.biz/ in Scottsdale, Arizona. I have been there before. The place is beautiful. We had a great table that partly covered and partly outside. It was a beautiful evening. The service was very good and the food was better than  average.

The wine list is large, well chosen and not crazy expensive. We had a 2012 Pio Cesare Barbera D'Alba $40, 2007 Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona Sant' Antimo Fabius $60, and a  2010 Agricola San Felice Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Il $65. The Barbera was fruity and light and very good. The Ciacci was a Syrah from Italy. It was spicy and fruity and it opened up very nicely. The San Felice was complex with good fruit and tannins. It can still develop.

Also ate at Lamp Pizza http://www.lamppizza.com/ The pizzas were baked in a wood burning oven and were quite good. Prices were reasonable. The big surprise was the desserts. They had a ricotta cheesecake that was refined and tasty. It is hard to find ricotta cheesecakes. I make a great one from a Pollio recipe from a long time ago. It is simple and delicious. If you would like the recipe, let me know.

The restaurant also had gelato which came with cookies. The cookies were pignoli cookies without the nuts. Basically almond paste cookies. The had great texture and were not too sweet which can be a problem with these cookies. All in all a pleasant dessert surprise in the desert.

Went to a Costco with wine last week. They had some interesting stuff. Bought a  2012 Bordeaux for 6.99 that was light with delicate fruit. Also bought a Pio Cesare 2010 Barolo for $53 that I have not tasted yet. The WA gave it a 95 but the reviewer was Monica Larner. I have not had any experience with her reviews but I really like Pio Cesare wines..

Wine publications want us to follow all of their scores for wines but I tend to follow the reviews of particular writers at those publications. The Wine Advocate has had a great deal of turnover in their writers over the last few years so read it with care. Antonio Galloni is banking on his reputation at the WA to help him start his own wine publication Vinous.http://vinousmedia.com/ He is charging a decent amount for a subscription which I have not yet paid so I don't know much about his new website.

I find the Wine Spectator reviews of Oregon wines to be useless. They are done by one writer so I try to remember to discount any reviews he makes. My reviews are strictly personal, although I think I have good taste. I do not follow a rigorous tasting ritual although I can be easily influenced by my wife. Bottom line for me is that any critic is not a substitute for your own taste. I use reviews to narrow down the field. I could not possibly see all movies or all plays that come out. However there are several critics whose reviews track my tastes. I will then use their reviews to help me pick my selections.

I also find it impossible to taste lots of wines at one time. That is why I do not go to any of the big wine tastings that are staged frequently. I find that it takes a more than a sip for me to determine if a wine is worth drinking again. These things tend to be personnel so just go with whatever works for you. One other point, don't buy wine by price. Try to understand wine labels and your own tastes. When you go to a wine shop, look things over and try to find a wine on your own. You can also do some preparation before you shop and review what some wine writers are saying. See if you can find some writers that recommend wines that you like and use their recommendations on other wines.

If you go into a wine shop and ask the wine guy for a wine in the $20 range not sure what you can expect. When someone brings me wine, I am impressed by the wine not the cost. Have the courage to go with your tastes.

The weather is still holding in NJ so I am still getting tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and lettuce from my garden.

 Looking for good apple cake recipes. Let me know.

Enjoy the fall.

Theater alert -- On The Town, NYC; URBO Restaurant

On The Town

We saw a revival of On The Town in NYC http://www.onthetownbroadway.com/?gclid=CJKlpcSvhMECFZDm7AodtTAAkA. This is a Broadway production, the theater is on 42nd street. It still in previews and reasonably priced tix are still available. We paid $79 for row F in the orchestra.
The production sizzles; acting and singing are great, The show is hilarious. Leonard Bernstein, Comden and Green and Jerome Robbins-- WOW. Megan Fairchild from the NYC Ballet, stars and her dancing is magic. If you love music, dance and fun go see it.  BTW the orchestra's sound was really good, maybe it was the score. You can see where West Side Story came from.


URBO
Found a new restaurant located, if you can believe it, on the SE corner of 8th avenue and 42nd Street. Place is called URBO. http://urbonyc.com/  It is a 2 story giant space with a bar and restaurant on the 1st floor and a huge bar and restaurant on the 2nd floor. The 2nd floor restaurant is not open yet. The space is dramatic and things have been open  for about 7 weeks. The downstairs restaurant is very reasonably priced. The service is very good. We had a salad with chicken that sounds boring but was nicely prepared with fresh ingredients and $18. Also had a flatbread with lamb sausage and feta cheese and yogurt sauce. The sausage was light and flavorful with a slight kick. The chef gets carried away with salt but the sausage was fine. I could watch him in the open kitchen salting everything with sea salt, vigorously Wines are reasonably priced; we had a 2011 Bordeaux for $9 and it was a decent pour. A really good pre-theater place that is not hectic at the moment. Check it out.

Enjoy. Lots more wine and food shortly.

Newport Beach;AC/Jersey Shore From Sea to Shining Sea and DC too

Newport Beach California

I had a chance to eat at the Cannery in Newport Beach, California.http://www.cannerynewport.com/ Nice restaurant and great wine list deal. Tuesday evenings and everyday for lunch 50% off 50 wines and the wines are great. $57 for a Bollinger Champagne and $32 for Failla Pinot Noir 2012. Both wines were great and prices were retail.  The Bollinger is a big wine, yeasty with loads of flavor.

The food was good as well. The restaurant is on a canal and is quite pretty.

Checked out Laguna Beach as well. It still has that tacky charm.

Washington, DC

Also recently visited Washington DC and Falls Church Virginia. Great hotel tip - Fairview Park Marriott Hotel in Falls Church is one of the nicest Marriotts that I have stayed at and the kicker is that weekend rates are around $70. I was also able to use a Marriott certificate as the hotel is rated a category 3 Marriott. Indoor/ Outdoor pool and gorgeous surroundings. They also have a shuttle to the Metro or it is a 20 minute drive to the city on weekends.

We had a chance to go to a Washington Nationals game. Great new stadium and a good team this year. Fun time and easy to get to the stadium by Metro.

In DC we visited the National Portrait Gallery.http://www.npg.si.edu/ Probably my favorite Smithsonian museum (don't tell the Freer). They have a great exhibits and a wonderful atrium to hangout.

Also went to the National Gallery. http://www.nga.gov/The new East building is closed for renovations. But the old West Building has a Degas/Cassatt exhibit which was not thrilling. However the permanent collection is superb. Rembrandt's galore and a room of Van Gogh's.

We ate a Zaytinya again and it was very good  //www.zaytinya.com/ Try the fried mussels, awesome.

Where is food heading? Farm to table. Joke or a movement. Better fast food oxymoron or real progress. Does anyone like Chipotle - not me. Less carbs and more saturated fats. Science or latest fad.

Atlantic City

We also returned to the Borgata in Atlantic City. Okay we like the place. Ate at Bobby Flay's restaurant. Ate at the bar and watched tennis. Had a 1/2 bottle of a 2011 Hugel Pinot Blanc for $26. Ate a chopped salad, steamed mussels and clams and skewers of lobster and filet mignon. Can't complain. Service was friendly and the food yummy.

Had a chance to swim at Brigantine Beach. Warm water and great sand. Wow was that really the Jersey shore.

My garden.

Summer is coming to an end. It was a great summer weather wise in NJ. The farmers markets are still going strong. Eggplant has been very good this year and my cucumbers have been growing like crazy.

Some of my recent dishes: Recipes on request.

Pesto pasta and baked oysters with spinach and prosciutto and a salad of buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes and lettuce.

Ribs with warm potato salad.

 Sea bass from the Jersey waters grilled on the bone.

 The NY Times Plum Torte.http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/21/dining/216frex.html?_r=0

 My hot passion fruit souffle.

Pesto pasta with fresh picked pole beans.

Eggplant Parmesan with baked clams.

Recent wines.

We still are drinking low alcohol wines that go with the summer. WTSO Wine til Sold Out) has had Champagnes for very reasonable prices this summer, like $23. Phillippe Prie rose and regular bottling. Can never go wrong with Champagne.

Enjoy!

NYC, Chicago, Summer Wines

NYC

We went to Manhattan over the weekend to see a play, explore and eat. We saw And I and Silence by Naomi Wallace at the Signature Theater on 42nd street. Tickets are $25. The Signature theater is an amazing place. They have a new theater designed by Frank Gehry and they have several playwrights in residence each year. Ticket prices are subsidized by contributions. This year they are A R. Gurney and Naomi Wallace. I had never heard of her but she is has an interesting background and is also a poet. The play was absorbing and we enjoyed it.

We ate at Pearl & Ash on the lower east side on Bowery. http://www.pearlandash.com/ The restaurant is sleek and modern and serve small plates and has a fabulous wine list. The wines are mostly French and their are actually reasonably priced wines. We had a Burgundy from Irancy, a small appellation. We had a glass of wine from Irancy in Paris last fall and it was reasonable and very good. Lettie Teague recently mentioned it in an article recently in the WSJ. http://www.samachar.com/a-surprising-source-of-great-inexpensive-summer-reds-oh0dMIjajbe.html Just found this interesting article on Burgundy. http://rockssandfruit.blogspot.com/2014/03/an-offer-that-counters-wall-street.html
The wine we had was a 2011 Benoit Cantin from Irancy. The wine is 100% Pinot Noir and was $55. It was served too cold but we warmed it up and they decanted it which helped the process. The was balanced and subtle with complex flavors and decent fruit.

For dinner we shared a number of small plates. Bread with a mixture of butter, chicken fat and maple syrup. It  was really good. We had trout with snap peas, peas shoots, brown butter and dill. We had flat iron steak with broccolini and chickpea tahini. It worked beautifully. We also had cod, coconut, thai basil and lemon grass. Also potatoes, porcini mayo and chorizo. The chunks of potatoes were crisp and delicious although we did not notice the chorizo.
For dessert we had strawberry sorbet with pistachios and graham crackers with a light cheese cake mousse. It was great.We also had pineapple, caramel and pansies. This was the only dish that did not work.We had a glass of a Tokaji, a Hungarian dessert wine.
The staff at the restaurant were great. Friendly and accommodating which was really appreciated in  a trendy NYC restaurant. When we told them that it was our 28th anniversary, they wrote it on the dessert. The meal was beautifully paced by the kitchen. The dishes are very small and the recommend 4 dishes per person but we were full with what we ate. We are not big eaters. Try Pearl & Ash for yourself.

Recently had a chance to go to Chicago. We ate at Howells and Hood. http://www.howellsandhood.com/ The food was really good. They also have lots of beer (114) on tap. I had porchetta (boneless pork shoulder) with pulled pork over wild rice, parsnip veggies with some fruit. The dish was fabulous and $24. Wow.

My garden is doing great. We have  had broccoli, eggplant , string beans, potatoes, tomatoes and peppers.The eggplant has been great.

Wines

We have been drinking summer friendly wines aka low alcohol, lots of flavor.

  Sparkling  NV Emmanuel Brochet Champagne Le Mont Benoit Extra BrutChampagne Blend 

8/8/2014 - I like this wine: 95 points 

Let's face it, this is a very good Champagne and it tastes likes grapes. A big wine with lots of flavor, well balanced, oak and vanilla and a long finish. Complex with lots going on. Bought it in Lyon last year. would drink again. Drank with pork chops. Interesting blend of grapes.

  Red  2011 Cave de Roquebrun Coteaux du Languedoc Terrasses du FrigouletRed Bordeaux Blend more MIght be a case of bottle consistency but this bottle was just OK. Had this wine before and it was better. Grapey with some off taste on the finish.

  Red  2011 Benoit Cantin IrancyPinot Noir 

8/10/2014 - I like this wine: 90 points (Edit) 

Drank at Pearl & Ash in NYC. $55. Started slowly as wine was too cold when presented. It was decanted and opened up slowly. I nice blend of terroir and some fruit; nicely balanced; drank with many small dishes and it was very good. Would drink again but Irancy wines can be hard to find.

  White  2013 Valley Vineyards Chenin Blanc The RoyalSwartland 

8/5/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points (Edit) 

Great value. Good balanced white. Fruity not overly so. Will drink again.

  White  2013 Ameztoi Getariako TxakolinaHondarrabi Zuri 

 8/3/2014 - I like this wine: 89 points (Edit) 

Enjoyed this wine. The light fizz is a bonus. Bone dry with clean flavor, light in body and alcohol. Drank with oysters and striped bass from NJ waters. Would drink again.

  White  2011 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling KabinettMosel Saar Ruwer 

8/3/2014 - I wrote: 85 points (Edit) 

Agree with previous comment. Nothin special. Decent Riesling at a not so decent price. Good for a glass and then it got old. Lacking that pizzazz. Probably would not drink again.

  White  2012 Cave de Lugny Mâcon-Lugny Les CharmesChardonnay  

 7/29/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points (Edit) 

Good solid white Burgundy. It has not developed like NM has written. Good value. Goes well with fish. Would drink again.

Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir 2011

7/31/2014 - I like this wine: 91 points 

Good wine;subtle but good flavor; medium bodied; drank easily; the bottle disappeared; drank with loin lamb chops; love PN with lamb;complex and just an excellent wine in an OK vintage in the Willamette Valley.Will drink again.

  Red  2005 Guido Porro Barolo Vigna LazzairascoNebbiolo 

8/1/2014 - I like this wine: 89 points (Edit) 

The wine was not singing tonight. Drank with fresh raviolis. It took a while to open up but still the alcohol predominated. Lots of sediment; probably would help to decanter; OK fruit but not completely balanced; I think that the wine is at its end; I would drink up!

  Red  2012 Campogrande Cinque Terre RossoRed Blend 

7/27/2014 - I like this wine: 89 points (Edit) 

Good fruit but lots of tannin, enjoyed with pizza; low alcohol 12.5%; drank easily on a summer's eve; will drink again. The type of wine we like but that is not that easy to find.

  Rosé - Sparkling  NV Philippe Prié Champagne Brut RoséChampagne Blend 

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7/11/2014 - I like this wine: 92 points (Edit) 

VG flavor, big wine for a rose Champagne, good structure, nice balance, will drink again.

  White - Sparkling  NV Scharffenberger Brut ExcellenceMendocino County Champagne Blend 

 7/25/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points

Decent sparkling wine with good flavor, nice fruit and acid, medium body. Some complexity but missing something. Would drink again.

  Red  2011 Château Grange Cochard Morgon Côte du PyGamay 

7/18/2014 - I like this wine: 92 point

VG good bottle; balanced and complex with great finish; fruit and terroir work well together; medium bodied with nice mouthfeel; enjoyed with raviolis and vegetables; will drink again; great flavor with relativley low alcohol!

  Rosé  2013 Zenato Bardolino ChiarettoCorvina Blend, Corvina 

7/21/2014 - I like this wine: 90 points 

Medium bodied rose with good balance and nice fruit. Alcohol of 12.5% which is great. Packs lots of flavor. Paid $29 at Fornaletto at the Borgata AC. Cheapest wine on the big list. Drank with pasta with seafood in red sauce. Would drink again.

  Red  2009 Ambra Carmignano Santa Cristina in PilliSangiovese Blend, Sangiovese

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7/7/2014 - I like this wine: 90 points (Edit) 

Good Sangiovese; fruit and acid, good balance, medium bodied., would drink again. Drank with pizza at Arturos.

  Red  2011 Stephane Aviron Côte de Brouilly Vieilles VignesGamay 

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7/13/2014 - I like this wine: 89 points (Edit) 

Very nice Beaujolais; fruity and light, balance with nice finish; drank with scallops and risotto; would drink again;

  Red  2012 Montinore Estate Pinot Noir Willamette Valley

7/12/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points (Edit) 

Best 2012 inexpensive Ore PN that I have tasted so far. Interesting fruit, tannins are balanced, medium bodied representative of the 2012 vintage, my only quibble is the finish; slightly sour and not the taste that you want to remember; will try again; the price is compelling.

  White  2013 Valley Vineyards Chenin Blanc The RoyalSwartland 

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7/9/2014 - I like this wine: 90 points (Edit) 

Great value. Good fruit and balanced acidity.

  Rosé  2012 Château Montaud Côtes de Provence RoséRosé Blend 

7/6/2014 - I wrote: 84 points (Edit) 

Decent French rose, nothing special, clean taste, dry, low alcohol, Drank at the Borgata'a Italian restaurant for $28, cheapest on a good wine list. We enjoyed the bottle but their arer much better rose's out there.

  White  2013 Ameztoi Getariako TxakolinaHondarrabi Zuri  

7/7/2014 - I like this wine: 91 points (Edit) 

Light, refreshing and some fizz; just enough fruit; a really good white wine; drank with grilled shrimp and paprika potatoes. Will drink again although not a cheap wine.

  Red  2009 Barbet Saint-Amour Domaine des Billards Cuvée RéserveGamay 

7/3/2014 - I like this wine: 92 points (Edit) 

Medium bodied, still quite tannic but it opened up as we drank it; complex and subtle; an excellent Beaujolais, a serious wine, drank with grilled chicken; will drink again.

  White - Sparkling  NV Gruet Winery BrutNew Mexico Champagne Blend 

 7/5/2014 - I don't like this wine: 82 points (Edit) 

Sweet finish, not much going on. I always wonder how to keep track of NV sparklers, when is there a new batch. Have had this wine before and this bottle was not very good.

  Red  2012 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot NoirWillamette Valley 

 6/29/2014 - I like this wine: 93 points (Edit) 

Excellent wine; medium bodied with 14% alcohol but drinks easily; good fruit, complexity; an Oregon wine with a bit more fruit and body than usual; while 2012 vintage in Oregon has been highly touted, I have not been impressed with the inexpensive wines from that vintage; this wine while pricey is just a really good pinot noir that should develop over time. Drank with swordfish and scallops. Will drink again.

  White - Sparkling  NV Cave de L'aurance Crémant de BourgogneChampagne Blend 

6/29/2014 - I like this wine: 90 points 

Full bodied sparkling wine from France. Enjoyed the bottle as an apertif with some snacks. Fruity but real structure. Good value.

These wines are really good. See if you can find them locally. Cellartracker can help find them for you. WTSO is a really good site for Champagne. For some reason Champagne has gotten very expensive these days. Actually all wine prices are going up. It is tough to find a good bottle under $10 these days. I am spending $10 to $20 for most bottles these days. Anyway WTSO has very good prices when they list a Champagne. I bought the Philippe Prie Rose Champagne for $29 per bottle and their regular bottling for $23 per bottle.

 For a real treat the   NV Emmanuel Brochet Champagne Le Mont Benoit Extra Brut Champagne was fabulous. I bought it in Lyon last fall but it is available in NYC for about $60.

Enjoy!

What is real food, wine and beer???

Real Food and Wine???

You can't miss articles about real food. The farm to table movement, organic food, natural food etc. Same things goes for wine and beer. I have written about ingredients in wine and how there are no rules or laws regarding putting ingredients on labels. See my 9/21/2013 post.
For years I thought that nitrates were bad for you so I bought bacon without nitrates. Now it turns out that nitrates are not so bad and bacon without nitrates actually has nitrates. It confusing but bottom line, eat bacon in moderation if you like it. In fact take some whole wheat toast, bacon, lettuce, a little mayo and some NJ tomatoes and make yourself a BLT. Simple and yummy.

Beer

Have you noticed lately that beers are beginning to be made in place other than where they started. Check out Beck's beer. A German beer, right? However I guess it was bought by the company that owns Anheiser Busch. Look at a Beck's bottle closely and you will see it is made in St Louis. The bottle says in big letters "originated in Bremen, Germany" and in small letters "product of the USA" "St Louis,  Mo.". Check out this article. http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-10-25/the-plot-to-destroy-americas-beer

How about Bass Ale. Look at the bottle. Brewed by William Bass and Co's, Baldwinsville, NY. A good English ale! If you look at the boxes they come in it is almost impossible to tell where they are made.

If I told you that Chateau Lafite Rothchild is now made with grapes grown in NJ would it still be Lafite Rothchild. I always thought that the water is what gives a beer a special flavor. Newark always had lots of breweries since it had good water.

Beer made in places other where it originated just doesn't cut it with me. I'm sure there are many other examples of these types of foods. Italian cheeses made in Wisconsin. Can't the folks in Wisconsin give the cheeses a new original name. Brie comes from France, not Wisconsin. Champagne has gone to great lengths to protect their name. Champagne is sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France. Can you believe that there are still several very cheaply made American sparkling stuff that have been grandfathered and can still use the name Champagne in their cheap stuff. I think Andre is one.

I am not sure where to draw the line with food and drink. I was in Whole Foods the other day looking for ricotta cheese. As I mentioned last time, I have noticed lately that most ricotta cheeses have all types of additives like guar gum and other stuff. Polly-o is a big offender. In Whole Foods  they have their 365 brand that says it is made from milk that does not have Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone with a note that says ' The FDA has said that no significant difference has been shown and no test can now distinguish between milk from RBGH treated and untreated cows." Yet the Whole Foods ricotta has all kinds of additives not necessary for ricotta. Ricotta only needs milk, vinegar and salt. So which is better for you a cheese with no RBGH or one with no additives. Of course we would like to have both but???

Wine

This summer I have been checking out low alcohol wines and coming up with some winners.

2012 Montinore Estate Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
7/12/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points
Best 2012 inexpensive Ore PN that I have tasted so far. Interesting fruit, tannins are balanced, medium bodied representative of the 2012 vintage, my only quibble is the finish; slightly sour and not the taste that you want to remember; will try again; the price is compelling.
  White  2013 Valley Vineyards Chenin Blanc The RoyalSwartland 
7/9/2014 - I like this wine: 90 points
Great value. Good fruit and balanced acidity.
  Rosé  2012 Château Montaud Côtes de Provence Rosé
7/6/2014 - I wrote: 84 points
Decent French rose, nothing special, clean taste, dry, low alcohol, Drank at the Borgata'a Italian restaurant for $28, cheapest on a good wine list. We enjoyed the bottle but their arer much better rose's out there.
  White  2013 Ameztoi Getariako TxakolinaHondarrabi Zuri 
7/7/2014 - I like this wine: 91 points
Light, refreshing and some fizz; just enough fruit; a really good white wine; drank with grilled shrimp and paprika potatoes. Wiil drink again although not a cheap wine.
  Red  2009 Barbet Saint-Amour Domaine des Billards Cuvée RéserveGamay 
7/3/2014 - I like this wine: 92 points
Medium bodied, still quite tannic but it opened up as we drank it; complex and subtle; an excellent Beaujolais, a serious wine, drank with grilled chicken; will drink again.

All of these wines are low in alcohol but big in flavor.

I made my first cherry tart last week and mys second tonight. Almond paste lattice with traditional pie crust and fresh sour cherries pitted by my wife.

Friends came over recently. Grilled swordfish, scallop[s., eggplant and asparagus over risotto. All NJ except for the rice.

We visited Atlantic City again last week. The Borgata was great as always. They had a sand sculpture contest on the beach and the results are fascinating.

Enjoy.

Summer Eating

Summer is here and fresh, local food choices abound. I am lucky to have 2  excellent farmer's markets close by. Saturdays its Montclair, NJ and Sundays its Summit, NJ. This time of year in this area there are interesting food choices. Strawberries, cherries, blueberries., lettuces, kale, kohlrobi, tatsoi, aspargus and broccoli are just some of the local produce that I have bought recently. The Summit market now has a mushroom guy with all types of mushrooms that he grows.
The Montclair market also has a stand for the Montclair Bread http://montclairbread.com/. Thier ancient grains bread is awesome; my son can't stop eating it. Their store is on Walnut  Street, down the block from the market.
I am awaiting the arrival of sour cherries. Their short season make my cherry tarts special.

My garden is also starting to produce veggies. No tomatoes yet.

What to do with all of this food?
I made broccoli and ricotta raviolis and shitake mushroom and ricotta raviolis. Interesting note, read the ingredients in ricotta cheese. Many brands including Polly-o have all kinds of additives. I currently use Biazzo, http://www.biazzo.com/index.htm  which has only milk, vinegar and salt.
While on the topic of ingredients, we are on the lookout for high fructose corn syrup. Apparently it is not healthy and not necessary. The fact that so many products have it as an ingredient is surprising. Even hamburger buns can have it. Try buying foods without it.
We love ice cream. Turkey Hill makes a line of all natural ice creams. They are very good and guess what, they have cream. milk, sugar and flavoring. You would hard pressed to find any other ice cream  that is make so simply and is reasonably priced. Watch it actually melt. Many ice creams don't melt because of all of the additives. Also ice cream is sold by liquid volume. So a serving of one ice cream is totally different from another brand. It makes comparison tough. For example, Haagen Daz ice cream is denser than many other brands and so has twice the weight per serving than other brands.Thus it does not much more cholesterol and fat than other ice creams, it just weighs more. BTW look at the labels of some ice cream flavors of the major brands. The are called dairy desserts not ice creams. They have whey and apparently under FDA rules are not ice cream.
This week the NY Times came out with their ultimate ice cream recipe. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/02/dining/the-only-ice-cream-recipe-youll-ever-need.html?hpw&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpHedThumbWell&module=well-region&region=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well&_r=0  They use egg yolks as the basis for their ice cream. I have not yet tried their method. Egg yolks do add lots of cholesterol to the ice cream.
But we digress. The raviolis were great and I made a light tomato sauce of garlic and San Marzano tomatoes and some mushrooms. If you want to make ravioli and other fresh pasta, a pasta machine is helpful. The machines are not expensive, around $50 and they are hand operated. Making fresh pasta is really quite easy. The basic recipe is eggs and flour.
I found dry sprouted lentils at Costco. They cook in 6 minutes and stay firm, which we like. I sauteed onions and mushrooms in olive oil and then added the cooked lentils. I then sauteed some kale and grilled asparagus with olive oil and salt. I then pan seared NJ  scallops and placed them over the lentils and veggies. Yum!
Blueberries are in season. I make a blueberry coffee cake which is easy and delicious. If you want the recipe, let me know.
I also recently made a vanilla cake with strawberries and chocolate. I sliced 2 vanilla cake layers into 4 layers. I then put chocolate mousse between the layers with sliced fresh strawberries. I then  frosted the cake with a dark chocolate ganache. Topped with some whole strawberries.A yummy but elegant cake. If you would like any of the recipes, let me know.

Wines
Summer calls for lighter wines, not necessarily fruitier. Cavas, Beaujolais', Barberas, Sancerres, Verdelhos, are just a few of the white and red wines that are great in the summer.

  2009 Piatelli Vineyards Trinità Grand ReserveLujan de Cuyo Malbec Blend, Malbec
6/6/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points
Interesting blend of Malbec, cabernet sauvignon andd merlot. A bit disjointed but lots of fruit with some tannin,. Could use more structure. Drank in a Scottsdale restaurant with wahoo.(others had steak). $60 on wine list. Probably would not drink again. There are better Argentinian Malbec blends.

  White  2011 Concha y Toro Sauvignon Blanc Terrunyo Los Boldos Vineyard Block 5Casablanca Valley
6/4/2014 - I like this wine: 90 points (Edit)
Nice grassy sauvignon blanc. Nice fruit, light bodied. Drank with wahoo. Drank in Scottsdale restaurant $45 on wine list. Would drink again.

  White  2010 Chalone Vineyard Chardonnay
6/6/2014 - I wrote: 86 points (Edit)
I agree with a prior comment. This wine has consistency problems. I had to return some bottles to the winery due to lots of sediment in the bottles. I asked if their were problems with this vintage and they did not admit to any.
This bottle was good but not up to other Chalone vintages. Oak and fruit not fully integrated yet. Drank with salmon and lentils.

  White  2011 Jermann Vinnaioli Pinot Grigio Venezia Giulia IGT

6/1/2014 - I like this wine: 91 points (Edit)
Excellent white wine. A pinot grigio with flavor; good fruit and acid; drank with flounder and clams; would drink again; not an inexpensive wine but it drinks nicely;


  Red  2011 Cave de Roquebrun Coteaux du Languedoc Terrasses du FrigouletRed Bordeaux Blend 5/31/2014 - I like this wine: 90 points (Edit)
Funky but good funky, fruit and complexity, surprised us, not sure of the grape; great value, lots of flavor; would drink again.

  2005 Ridge GeyservilleSonoma County Zinfandel Blend, Zinfandel  

5/31/2014 - I like this wine: 92 points (Edit)
VG Zin blend with some age to it. Surprised with some complexity and excellent balance. Fruit, terroir and just a good drinking wine. Not sure it has much development left. Drank with london broil. Would drink again.



  White - Sparkling  2010 Michel Olivier Crémant de Limoux Blanc de Blancs BrutChardonnay
5/30/2014 - I wrote: 85 points (Edit)
Drank at a restaurant at the Borgata in AC. $31 on the wine list. It was clean tasting with OK fruit but on the sweet side. I would not drink again.

  Red  2005 Château BernadotteHaut-Médoc Red Bordeaux Blend
5/23/2014 - I like this wine: 90 points (Edit)
Balanced; drinking great; good fruit and nice finish; nice complexity; low alcohol; bought more at WL sale; will drink again.


  White  2010 Gilbert Picq Chablis Vieilles VignesChardonnay

5/21/2014 - I like this wine: 91 points (Edit)
This wine has come around. Drinking great , balanced with that extra one gets from an aged chardonnay. Not a classic Chablis but a very good wine. If I had more, I'd drink more.

  White - Sparkling  2007 Domaine Carneros BrutChampagne Blend

5/23/2014 - I like this wine: 90 points (Edit)
Nice sparkling wine; big flavor with nice medium body; dry finish; drank with lobster; would drink again.



  White - Sweet/Dessert  2007 Maculan TorcolatoBreganze White Blend 

5/22/2014 - I like this wine: 93 points (Edit)
Great dessert wine; enjoyed at restaurant in Baltimore; complex; nice acid and fruit; ate with semifreddo. Would drink again.

  Red  2009 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir LaurèneDundee Hills

5/22/2014 - I wrote: 87 points (Edit)
I tend to love DD wines. This one did nothing for me; thin and tasted like alcohol. Drank in restaurant in Baltimore. I am having issues with the alcohol in wine.

  Red  2007 Col SolareColumbia Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
5/22/2014 - I wrote: 87 points (Edit)
Drank at a restaurant in Baltimore; Wine did nothing for me; cannot expalin the rave reviews; high alcohol and some fruit;


  Red  2009 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Le PetitPessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend

5/16/2014 - I like this wine: 91 points (Edit)
I like this wine; good complexity; it opened slowly; tasted with some big wines and this showed well; enjoyed; would drink again.


  Red  2011 Domaine Hubert Lapierre Chénas Vieilles VignesGamay
5/21/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points (Edit)
Good cru beaujolais; a little disjointed but nice bouquet and good fruit; good medium bodied wine; love those old vines. would drink again.

  Red  2011 Château Grange Cochard Morgon Côte du PyGamay
5/14/2014 - I like this wine: 88 points (Edit)
This bottle tasted tart; good body and nice bouquet; will drink alot more of this.


  Red  2009 Château Les Grands MaréchauxBlaye Côtes de Bordeaux Red Bordeaux Blend 

5/22/2014 - I wrote: 86 points (Edit)
Alcohol dominates; some fruit; I seem to have different impression of this wine each time I taste it; I admit I have become very sensitive to high alcohol wine; this is 14.5%. Good mouthfeel and nice body, not mcuh bouquet.

  Red  2012 Château Pesquié Côtes du Ventoux TerrassesRed Rhone Blend

5/15/2014 - I wrote: flawed (Edit)
Not awful but wine tasted disjointed and had a bad finish.
  Red  2006 Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon Premiere Napa ValleyStags Leap District

5/16/2014 - I wrote: 85 points (Edit)
Nice bouquet but I could not get over the alcohol; found it very hot and no real complexity; maybe an off -night for my palate but at 15.2 alcohol, I think not; wine needs more body since in tastes thin; would not drink again although I would be curious to taste other CL wines; Drank at a tasting in Baltimore.

  White - Sparkling  NV Vins El Cep Cava Kila BrutWhite Blend

5/13/2014 - I like this wine: 87 points (Edit)
Excellent cava; fruity; crisp. Great value for under $8. Way to go Jorge Ordonez.

  Red  2006 Château La Grâce Dieu Les MenutsSt. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend 

5/12/2014 - I don't like this wine: 78 points (Edit)
Not a good wine. Disjointed.

  White  2012 Cave de Lugny Mâcon-Lugny Les CharmesChardonnay

5/11/2014 - I like this wine: 89 points (Edit)
Medium weight with acid but could use a bit more fruit. Still a vg bargain and good white Burgundy. Drank with flounder and clams. Will drink again.

Enjoy.