We had invited two couples for dinner Saturday night. One couple had to
say no- a previous commitment. So we called another friend, and they
were happy to join us if they could bring a friend visiting from Paris.
Of course! So Betsy spent most of the day cooking, with occasional help
from me - mostly I was dealing with the impending blizzard (my group
always tries to make it out despite weather- on this occasion 3 out of
6 teams made it). Mid-afternoon the previously committed couple on our
initial list called to say their event had been canceled- could they
crash? Of course! So a really jovial group convened on our house for a
really fun meal.

NV Margaine Brut
Pleasant light-bodied Champagne, it's okay, but I paid $35 for this? B

Our party-crashers had brought a great appetizer of tuna tartare with a
sundried tomato tapenade-ish garnish on rice crackers, a nice Champagne
match, would like to try with something more distinctive like Egly-O
or Pierre Peters.

One guest doesn't like bubbly, he got a little leftover Sauzet
Bourgogne and then I joined him in a glass of the 2004 Clos Roche
Blanche Sauvignon. Clean pretty SB, great QPR, like NZ Sauvignon made
by a top Sancerre winemaker. B/B+

We moved to the table for one of Betsy's standbys, the maderia-morel
soup from the Silver Palate New Basics. I know soup doesn't really need
a wine, but it's my house and I can do what I want. So I serve a red
and a white Burgundy.

2000 Pierre Matrot Meursault
Medium-bodied, some honey and butterscotch over the pear fruit. Nice
enough, but not appreciably better than the excellent and inexpensive
2000 Matrot Bourgogne. B

1999 Guy Castagnier Clos St. Denis
Well priced for a Grand Cru burg from a good vintage, this was slightly
tight when opened (2-3 hours before dinner) but blossomed nicely. Rich
black cherry and red plum fruit, some damp earth and moss. Revisited a
while later during cheese course, it developed a silky texture and a
pleasing light sandalwood aromas. B+/A-

Main course is a pair of pot roasts (luckily Betsy had decided one
might not be enough for 7 people, with 2 we had plenty for 9), served
with glazed carrots, braised leeks, and mashed potatoes.

1988 Haut-Bages-Liberal (Pauillac)
Double-decanted a few hours before dinner, but there was a still a
rough edge to the tannins here. Decent dark fruit, a nice hint of
tobacco, but with those tannins and a little bit of a stewed note
(storage?), others liked it better than I. B-

2003 Ch. Gloria (St. Julien)
Very popular at table. Really reflective of the vintage- fat, soft, a
bit thick, with rich fruit flavors. But really nice flavors,
blackcurrant and black plum, a little herb and spice in the back. Good
finish. Not for long-term, but a nice drink early Bordeaux. B+

Next up a pair of Napa reds, a couple of vintages of Havens' hommage to
Cheval Blanc:

1999 Havens Bourriquot
Fleshy red fruit, a bit of spice and oak, earth and mushroom notes
develop with time. Smooth, easy, yet with a nice core of fruit and
ample structure. B+

2001 Havens Bourriquot
A big bigger than the 1999, oak a little more prominent, but a nice
rich lush mouthfeel, with boysenberry and cassis fruit, some chocolate
and leather, and a long finish. A-

Both Bourriquots were uniformly popular around the table. No one found
dirty.

One guest had bought a bedraggled looking bottle of 1970 Dow Vintage
Port. She said she had no clue if it was good - the label was falling
off, and the cork crumbled on opening. But after a little while in the
decanter this wine was singing. I don't drink a lot of VP, and maybe my
standards are low, but this did it for me. Not especially big, but
harmonius and full with resolved tannins and good length. A raisined
note hung over sweet red plum fruit, glimpses of vanilla, spiced nuts,
and marzipan danced around the edges. A-/A

Really fun night with a great group- entertaining and erudite
conversation, tasty food, nice wines, with the bonus I don't need to go
anywhere at the end of the night (but I did spend two hours loading
dishwasher and washing stems). Glad Joe and Rachel felt confident
enough to crash, hope Laure didn't get too lost by the fast-talking
Americans. 1 AM to bed, then get a call from a breakfast group
canceling at 6 AM. Arrggh, might as well get up. More than a foot of
snow by then, looks like 20"+ now.

After some work and shoveling today, we had leftovers for dinner. The
2003 Gloria was still showing strong. We also had a small glass of the
2004 Borsao (Campo de Borja) that Betsy had used 2/3s of for the pot
roasts last night. Medium-bodied, fruit forward, but with some acidic
structure and light tannins, one hell of a $6 wine. B

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.