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.