WineLovers Discussion Group

2001 Catherine et Claude Maréchal Bourgogne Cuvée Gravel - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne (5/31/2006)
Stylish bourgogne that was drinking very well tonight. Leafy, earthy notes and precise red and black fruit with plenty of acidity. Great with grilled king salmon with a dijon tarragon sauce and asparagus risotto. Well worth the $19.

2004 Isenhower Cellars Snapdragon Roussane/Viognier - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley (5/30/2006)
This was deep yellow in color, very perfumey aromatics, ripe peach and orange flavors, full bodied with lots of glycerin, but was lacking zip and seemed a little on the flabby side. The 14.3% abv was noticeable as the wine warmed to room temperature. No noticeable wood flavors. I enjoyed this more when it was first released, as the freshness of the fruit made up for the low acidity. It was a decent match for a grilled chicken and pasta dish in a white garlic sauce.

Marc,

Did you get the Gravel locally? Dale W's recent description caught my attention, and now yours.

The Haggens which was formerly the Red Apple has the 02 in stock for $22 I believe. The 02 is very nice also, ? slightly riper but this may be splitting hairs. It is as fine an under $20 burg as I have tried in my limited experience. Well, thinking about this a little, my favorite in the category is the 02 Lafarge Bourgogne in that it seemed like a mini Volnay and had another layer of flavor, but it is harder to find and now probably north of $20.

Fairhaven? Thanks, I'll check there for it. I may not mind the ripeness of the 02--the 90 vintage was my first exposure to Burgundy and the vintage that turned me from pinot-hater into pinot-slave, and so that kind of ripeness tastes correct to me.