Sunday afternoon the boys and I finally picked up my wife from the airport. after what seemed to be a month.  She had only been gone since early Tuesday morning for a conference in Denver.  Left all alone with our two boys, I needed to break up 47 fights, mediate 68 arguments, conduct 13 vegetable eating negotiations, enforce 5 evenings of bedtimes, engineer 8 school preparations, supervise 3 nights worth of homework and, most painfully, dictate science project progress.  So not a lot of time for blog writing activities.  Here is my attempt to get back into it.

Despite all of this (or perhaps because of all of this) I tasted the following wine while my lovely wife was away:

2003 Matrot-Wittersheim Meursault  Tasted 3/6/2012.  Retail ~$30.  I paid  $20.  This was our first dinner without the family matriarch, and quite predictably, the younger son (3.5 year old) requested fish tacos when given the chance to decide what to have for dinner (he asks if we can have fish tacos every night regardless of the situation).  I went downstairs, expecting to find three bottles of this Meursault, but of course there were only two (I really need to do a full inventory of the ‘cellar’–the problem is I only ever ‘discover’ that I am missing several bottles [I never ‘find’ extras] which means that not only am I a drunk, but also terribly disorganized).  After a brief stint in the freezer, I popped and poured.  Color starting to get a bit dark but no other signs of oxidation. Bright Meursault nose, some lemon peel and vanilla. On the palate, tart and bright–acidity, well balanced with a hint of the lemon coming through the minerality. Very nice, but clearly getting a bit old.  88 points.

1998 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford (filet mignon) Tasted 3/7/2012.  Retail ~$22.  I paid $5.21.  Another in the huge purchase we made a few years ago.  I did not have high hopes for this vintage since 1998 was an El Nino year and it rained like hell.  Generally speaking, when it rains like hell, grapes either get soggy (bad) or rot (worse).  Thus, 1998 was not a great year for California cabernets (not as bad as 2000, but I digress).  This turned out to be one of the best of the lot of all those wines we bought about a year ago for me, however.  Popped and poured and paired with a filet mignon.  Nice round, mature red fruit (raspberry and even stewed cherries).  Very good balance with a hint of tannin even still, which was really surprising.  Overall very good.  88 points.

2002 Louis Latour Aloxe-Corton 1er Cru Les Chaillots  Tasted 3/8/2012  Retail ~$20.  I paid  $10.  It was a gorgeous day today and I was able to sneak out for a rather nice ride.  I decided to reward myself with some leftover lamb stew and a half bottle of wine.  I need to work on the ‘reward’ concept a bit.  From 375 (half bottle). Popped and poured. Doing rather well. Translucent with just a hint of browning at the edges. Nice Burgundian nose of earth and a hint of barnyard (a good thing actually for a Burgundy). Solid on the palate with tannins present, but balanced and integrated. Still has some time to go. I have a few of these left, no rush to finish them.  Very good.  89 points.

After just a few days of my wife being gone, I decided on Friday night that we all needed a bit of a break from ‘the routine.’ (Alright, I know what your thinking: “Three days in no way constitutes a routine.”  And you would be right.  Further, we really did not have anything that could objectively be referred to as a ‘routine’ since utter chaos, by definition, lacks any and all sense of ‘routine’.  So maybe I should have said ‘In a feeble attempt to introduce some order…)  We decided that we would walk down to the BYOB on the corner, Hickory Lane.  The boys were excited, as was I–I had two wines in my trusty wine tote (some have called it a man purse and when they do, I punch them).  Don’t worry, I had no intention of draining them both.  In fact, the white was a half bottle and I was sure that the owner of the place would help me with the red.

2004 Domaine Vincent Girardin Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Vieilles Vignes Tasted at Hickory Lane 3/9/2012.  Retail ~$25.  I paid  $15.  Another 375 (half bottle).  I had barely taken off my coat and I was cracking this puppy open (I always take my own corkscrew to restaurants–I hate waiting for a server to be able to get my drink on). This is certainly a reason to love white Burgundies. A classic Chassagne nose of pineapple and dried apricot with a touch of vanilla and a hint of oak. Rich, buttery, unctuous mouthfeel with wonderful balance. Add some lemon meringue to the pineapple. On the palate still considerable acidity but nicely balanced with a bit of oak. This is really good. Glad the wife’s not here… I find Chassagnes to be a bit more rich and earthy than Meursault which tend to be a bit more mineraly (is that a word? and don’t minerals come from the ground, i.e., ‘earth’?  Oh shut up).  Outstanding. 90 points.

2006 Novy Family Wines Syrah Page Nord  Tasted at Hickory Lane 3/9/2012.  Retail ~$29.  I paid  $23 at the winery.  This is the second label of Siduri by Adam and Dianna Lee.  They use the Siduri name for all their pinots and Novy (Dianna’s maiden name) covers everything else.  Is you are ever in Santa Rosa, be sure to get an appointment and visit.  Paired with a big sirloin steak.  Popped and poured.  Some really big fruit remains here: blackberry and plum, mostly. On the palate, well balanced and clean, while trying to restrain its ‘bigness’ in that familiar Adam Lee way. Well done and outstanding. 92 points.

2003 Hubert Lamy Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly  Tasted 3/8/2012  Retail ~$30.  I paid  ~$14.  I think I have had more bottles of this singular wine come into my house than any other.  The 2003 Lamy En Remilly has been very good to us–I have bought 3 cases (36 bottles) in total.  More than any other single wine I guess.  I could try and figure it out, but, hey, I am trying to get this post published, so just take my word for it.  It has been very interesting to see this wine evolve over the last five years–I even think it went through a dumb phase since this bottle was a bit better than previous ones.  I actually drank this with spaghetti and it was not bad (but not great).  Nice St. Aubin nose, more Chassagne (since it is just over the hill from Chassagne) than Meursault.  For me, St. Aubin is just a tad bit coarser than its more esteemed neighbor, but that’s fine with me (it’s also cheaper!).  Floral nose with some tropical fruit. On the palate creamy with a hint of oak and very good balance. Medium-long finish.  Very Good.  89 points.