Into my third week of baching it (wife in Mexico) and a wine drinking friend came over with wine in tow and we cooked up some salmon. I stopped by my favorite wine store and bought a couple of advertised specials just to see if there was a good $10 wine around. Figured we would only drink one glass, yeah right, and I would get a second opinion.
’07 Macon-Village VV, Dom Perraud ($12.99) – The ’05 was our house wine and we easily slipped into the ’06 buying a combined two cases. Great price but won’t be buying any this year. Enjoyed the lack of oak which was one of the reasons it was our house wine but the ’07 was just a fat chard with little complexity and a soft mouth feel. It lacked the grip and acidity of the previous two years. Lots of more interesting whites out there for the price.
’06 Ali, Sangiovese di Toscana IGT ($8.99) – Liked this wine and for the price hard to beat with a pasta and red sauce. Not a terribly complex wine but had the acidity and cherry flavors that make Chiantis a house favorite. I used a cup to make a wine sauce for the salmon, which did not work, but not the wine’s fault. I should have picked the fat bugger that follows for the sauce.
’03 OJAI Vineyard Pinot Noir – Huge wine, spicey, alcoholic (14.5%) and represents everything I don’t like about hot weather wines. It had the finesse of a gorilla. Would probably get an RP 90+.
’01 Le Clos du Caillou CDR – Now we’re talking. Decanted the wine and it really sang. Dark fruit, some forest floor, wonderful long finish. I have 4 more bottles of this wine and there is no hurry to consume. This is a definite 10 – 15 year wine. Easy to imagine with grilled meat.
’97 Pierre Bise L’Anclaie – You know you have had too much wine when you wonder down to the cellar looking for a sweet wine to finish the evening. Regardless, this ended up being the wine of the night. Beautiful deep golden color. Complex layered honey and melon, did not lay on the palate like a lot of sweet wines and had bright, gripping freshness. I have only 4 bottles left and will be guarding them for special occasions. My guess is that this wine will never go over-the-hill, at least not in my lifetime or my children’s.