An impromptu dinner at Christine's with Suzanne, Kate and Jay.

Christine was free for dinner and eager to cook, though was under an intense pollen attack and dared not leave the confines of her apartment. Having never suffered from hay fever, I volunteered to source ingredients and headed out to Chinatown and bought some incredibly lively, first of the season soft shell crabs, fresh killed chickens and pea shoots. Christine got busy with one of her best caramelized onion tarts to date, which included bacon and carrots that had been braised in duck stock and an olive oil and lemon ring cake. Suzanne Camhi, her daughter, Kate and Jay Miller arrived and a fun time was had by all.

• 2002 Domaine Huet Vouvray Pétillant Brut

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray Pétillant

  Showing more open than previous bottles and drinking very nicely. The usual quince and mineral with a fine bead. Crisp and lively with good length. Always a nice way to kick things off. B+/A-.

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• 2009 Foreau Domaine du Clos Naudin Vouvray Demi-Sec

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray

  Showing a bit rounder and more accessible than when tried at the domaine in 4/10. This bottle got a little too chilled in the freezer, but not enough ice had formed to hurt the acidity, thankfully. It's certainly more plump than the vivid '08, but this is a beautiful wine and is not at all deficient in acidity. It was a little clumsy at first, but it really came into focus nicely with extended airing. Right now it's showing all yellow, quince, flowers, sweet citrus. Just lovely. A-.

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• 2009 A. et P. de Villaine Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise La Digoine

  France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise

  Shows an absolutely beautiful nose. Just so fragrant and perfumey, though in a primary way as there's of course no secondary development at this young age. Cherry and spice aromas that would be quite a lure if dabbed on a lady's neck. On the palate it has youthful sweet cherry fruit, nice spice and earth notes. The structure pretty upfront at this stage. Good material here for further development and improvement. Solid B+.

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• 2008 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Ruchottes-Chambertin Clos des Ruchottes

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru

  A darker, richer and meatier wine than the Digoine in every aspect. There's a good core of dark cherry fruit here with some extract. Taut structure. Needs time, but this is good stuff. A-.

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• 2006 Domaine d'Eugénie Vosne-Romanée

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée

  Muted on the nose. There's a bit more wood on the palate than I'd like with light red fruits. It's a bit lightweight and diffuse on the palate. Nothing to get excited over. B.

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• 2005 Alain Verset Cornas

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  Apparently, this wine was purchased by a store thinking it was Noël, not his nephew. The nephew has some learning to do. The wine does have a wonderful nose, full of raspberry, flowers, licorice and a hint of meat, but, unfortunately, it doesn't follow through on the palate, where the fruit is much less in abundance and the acidity is a bit out of whack. Still, while a bit clunky and truncated, it does offer up some nice Cornas characteristics. B/B+.

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• 2006 Navarro Vineyards Gewürztraminer Cluster Select Late Harvest

  USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

  A pleasant end to the evening. Intensely sweet and honeyed with Gewurzy flavors leaning more towards apricot and citrus rather than lychee. Nice gingery note to it with just enough acidity to prevent it from being relegated to pancakes. Not particularly complex, but still quite enjoyable. A-/B+.

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