In article >,
Mark Lipton > wrote:

> Having just recently returned from our CA excursion, extended notes on
> the wineries will have to wait. In the mean time, here are notes on a
> few of the wines we had with meals.
>
> With last night's dinner of pork loin in an apple reduction, I opened:
>
> 2005 Breton Bourgueil "Franc de Pied"
>
> color: inky, dark purple
> nose: dark berries, a touch of pencil lead, a hint of leaves/herbs
> palate: slightly tannic on entry, deeply fruity, good acidity, dark,
> berryish fruit, getting more herbal with time
>
> This wine is made from ungrafted Cab Franc vines, hence the name. It's
> also one of those rare wines that produced wildly divergent responses in
> Jean and myself: she found this wine undrinkable because of a very
> offputting medicinal/Band-Aid note in the nose (Brett?) that I didn't
> get at all. For myself, the wine was a very good match with the pork
> and got better the longer it sat open, opening up quite a bit.
>
> With a dinner at Jardiniere in SF:
>
> NV Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé
> c: pale salmon (no pun intended)
> n: subtle strawberries, very light toast
> p: fine mousse, very restrained strawberry fruit, fine acidity
>
> (with duck liver mousse)
>
> Our first encounter with this wine and it did not disappoint. A
> marvelous match with our food and a great treat. Not exactly cheap at
> $140 on the excellent wine list.
>
> 2004 Ghislaine Barthod Chambolle-Musigny
> n: initially closed, floral and slightly earthy over tart raspberry
> p: good acidity, medium body, tightly structured with some tannins left,
> slightly earthy, deep raspberry fruit, getting more open with time
>
> (with a mushroom risotto and duck breast in a ginger consomme)
>
> My one complaint about their otherwise excellent wine list is that their
> Burgundy selection was way too young, with the oldest bottle being a '99
> GC and heavy in '02s that I suspect are mostly closed down now. We had
> them open and decant this '04 30 minutes before consuming it, but it
> still needed much more time to fully open. Even so, it was a lovely (if
> young) Pinot Noir and was magic with the food.
>
> More to follow...
>
> Mark Lipton

Billecart-Salmon is a much better buy for home drinking. It still is my
absolute favorite champagne.