On Jul 2, 2:38�pm, DaleW > wrote:
> Last night I met two of my favorite NYC winegeeks (and one lovely
> wife'o'geek) at the midtown Peking Duck House for dinner. A good
> dinner, good to great wines, and great company.
>
> We started with the �2001 Muller-Catoir Haardter Herrenletten Riesling
> Spatlese, and continued with it through the salt and pepper shrimp.
> Nose of citrus and flowers, broad on the palate but with that racy
> 2001 acidity. I know this was supposed to be the beginning on an off-
> period for M-C, but you can't tell it from this bottle. Red fruits,
> lime, and peaches, �a kind of chalky minerality, this has a long way
> to go but is tasty now. A-/B+
>
> Good as it was, not even close to Riesling of the Night. With Grand
> Marnier shrimp, the 2001 Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling
> Goldkapsel Auslese. OMFG. Infanticide, but this is great wine, and
> fantastic now. A stunning combination of citrus (grapefruit and orange
> zest), Ranier cherries, and intense minerally notes. Changes and
> develops throughout evening. A brilliant match with the Grand Marnier
> (kudos to Matt for suggesting) with the orange zest notes magnified
> and complementing. Apricot notes, lots of slate, endless finish.
> Powerful but as light on its feet as a ballerina, a Gene Kelly of a
> wne. Even so young this is a total wow wine. A
>
> Hard act to follow. We switched to reds with the Peking duck.
>
> 1993 Michel Lafarge "Vendanges Selectionnees" Volnay
> I brought this because I thought a village wine would be totally open
> by now, but this needs more time. Nose of red berries and earth, but
> initially a bit flat on palate. Opens through evening, best is a glass
> on train on way home (I carried leftovers). Still a bit of tannin,
> plenty of bright acids. We'll see if it helld overnight when I get
> home tonight, but that last glass was a B+
>
> 1996 Contino "Vina del Olivo" �Rioja �Reserva
> I've heard rumblings that a lot of modern '96 Riojas were dying an
> early death, but this seems to be holding ok to me. Vanilla, spice,
> cherry and raspberry. There is oak but not overwhelming, maybe a
> little tobacco. The one thing that dampens my enthusiasm is a kind of
> dual herb blend- some dill and some oregano-ish green combine in a not
> so attractive way. Decent, but my least favorite of evening. B-
>
> Last dish was a beef with black bean, with 2 more reds:
> 1983 Ducru-Beaucaillou (St Julien)
> Before we got to this Arv asked if I preferred the '83 Gruaud or the
> '83 Ducru, I've always liked the Gruaud better. But I'm not sure that
> my previous bottle of the Ducru have been pristine. This one showed
> quite well. Soft, friendly. approachable. Nice midweight with black
> fruit and a little graphite and cedar. Very nice wine. B+/A-
>
> 1997 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon
> Dark �fruit (blackberries), ripe without being overly sweet. Framed by
> ripe/silky tannins, big wine with good texture. A little more
> brightness would help, this was better by itself than with food. Some
> smoke, not quite as long as I would have expected based on attack. B
>
> Good night with good people.
>
> 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.
> �

re Lafarge: Tasted on night two (just left on counter) it was showing
some oxidative notes, but behind that the fruit had gotten richer/
fuller. Nice wine