Summer sup...

An evening of some light summer fare and fun wines (w/ friend Gregory C).

Menu: Soba noodles with asparagus spears, crispy prosciutto and topped with egg and marinated shrimp.  Side of roasted candy-stripe beets tossed with walnuts and crumbled goat cheese.  

Wines: Started the eve with a simple French sparkling wine, a Crémant de Limoux from J. Laurens.  In the past, not one of my favorite appellations for Crémant.  To me there are other over-achieving producers and regions (such as Crémant d'Alsace).  This one had none of the off-flavors or rustic notes I associate with Limoux (and the use of too much of the Mauzac grape).  Most likely Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc, the wine was a perfect summer apéritif.
'92 Chassagne-Montrachet, Pillot.  Crazy how fresh this wine still was.  Vibrant acidity marked nicely with notes of toasted brioche.  It kept getting better in the glass even though it had also been decanted for two hours.  Terrific with the buckwheat noodles and the touch of saltiness in the dish from the prosciutto.
'06 Morgon, Marcel Lapierre.  This is one of those wines that excites and confounds me.  A serious wine from a serious producer in Beaujolais; quite well know as a proponent of bio-dynamic farming and wine-making I believe.  It was lovely with the earthiness of the noodles and the protein from the egg.  The wine is taut: this exciting tension of black and red fruits fruits; stoney black plums and brambly raspberries and blackberries strung in a masculine way along a backbone of irrepressive minerality.  That the world has such a different impression of Beaujolais than the great ones that come from there, pisses me off!

 Ended with Gregory's apricot tarte with honey sweetened yogurt topping.