Catching up a Little Bit

Life is really beautiful, I have to tell you. I know it's corny, but having my little daughter has put me in this all-forgiving, in love with the world frame of mind. I'm polite and helpful towards everyone now, even those folks you deal with in the city who are not always so friendly themselves. Why? Because they were small like BrooklynBabyGirl once, and maybe they even have a child of their own. We are all miracles.

Okay, wipe your mouth, because you still have a bit of vomit on your lower lip - I know, that was disgustingly sentimental. But real for me. So now, some catching up with other things...

If you are superstitious, you might want to take note of what we were drinking, eating, and listening to as we went into labor, because they all clearly brought us great luck. We ate leftover roast lamb for dinner with butternut squash puree, and I opened a bottle of 2002 Domaine Serene Pinot Noir Yamhill Cuvee. 2002 was a great year for Willamette Valley Pinots, and Domaine Serene is considered to be a top Oregon producer. I tasted this particular wine, their "entry level" wine, a little over a year ago and found it to be too aggressive, too spicy, to herky-jerky for my taste. What a difference a year makes!

2002 Domaine Serene Pinot Noir Yamhill Cuvee, $35.
Pretty ruby color, even prettier aromas of rich red fruit, flowers, and clay earth. Very Burgundian nose. The palate doesn't quite live up to the nose, but it is delicious nonetheless. Well balanced with red cherries, herbal notes, and some earthiness, with good underlying acidity. I must say, I wish I had more of this wine in the cellar.

We enjoyed this wine (and yes - BrooklynLady had a few sips - you're allowed) with our lamb, and we were listening to the blind musicians from Mali, Miriam and Amadou, the album "Dimanche en Bamako" (Sunday in Bamako). This is definitely a good luck album people, and worth the investment.

Other recent wines worth mentioning include the NV Perrier-Jouet Champagne Grand Brut that we enjoyed when we returned from the hospital. Sure, it's not a vintage Champagne from a trendy small producer or anything, but it's classic for a reason - it's just good. Nice floral aromas with some orange blossom, and a pleasant chalkiness on the finish. And this is the Champs that BrooklynLady and I drank on our 1st anniversary vacation in Miami last June, right before we learned that she was pregnant.

Last night I made dinner for the first time sine Pia arrived (made, as in cooked, not plated from Tupperware). We had roast rack of lamb rubbed with coarse mustard and Herbs de Provence, sweet potato puree, and salad. Rack of lamb is a great dish for people who want something yummy but have little time to spend in the kitchen. I took 10 minutes to make and rub the marinade, and then 25 minutes to roast the lamb at 450.

We opened a special bottle of wine with our dinner last night, not because it was so expensive or rare, but because it was one of three bottles we brought back from our trip to Burgundy in November. And I cannot believe that it took until last night to notice the name of the vineyard, "Les Belles Filles," meaning "The Beautiful Daughters." Appropriate, I would say.

2003 Pierre Maray et Fils Pernand-Vergelesses "Les Belles Filles."
Light ruby color, high toned nose of cranberries, some herbs, some underbrush. Light bodied wine, with pronounced cranberry flavors, and some of what I have been calling "yogurt," but recently read described as "aspartame." I think that reflects a particular soil composition, but I am not sure. After about a half hour open, the wine revealed very lovely rose petal aromas, and the palate deepened to include some juicy cherry flavors.

We loved this wine, the Beautiful Daughters (notre Belle Fille, a gauche), with our dinner, and I cannot really overstate how happy BrooklynLady is to be able to drink a glass of wine at dinner (yeah, yeah, yeah, she does so only after a feeding, and with 3 hours before the next feeding, so just relax).

Enjoy those who are special in your life - it's too easy to forget sometimes how important they are, how miraculous even. Cheers from Brooklyn!