Sunday we were in the city for a memorial service for a friend/employee, when we got back Betsy made a fast dish of chicken, soba, broccoli rabe, and pepper. I opened the 2007 Hirsch Gruner Veltliner #1. Nice enough, plum fruit with a hint of pea (because I was looking for pea or white pepper!), light to medium bodied, just a hint of sweetness. Fine, though not looking for especially looking to reload. B/B-
We're hosting Betsy's niece and nephew for a couple days while their parents are away, so Monday I stayed for part of Little League game before heading home to throw some Copper River sockeye (very good for $11 at Costco) along with some squash on the grill, to be accompanied by baby bok choy, daikon pickles, and rice with furikake. Wine was the 2007 Christian Ducroux Regnie. New producer to me, and I have little sense of Regnie compared to the more famous crus, but I bought it just because CSW carried it. I'm actually pretty disappointed at first, I didn't expect a fruit bomb, but this is pretty close to fruitless at first - some soil and chalkiness, with just a little cranky raspberry fruit. By the time the salmon is off grill, some deeper berry fruit shows up. Not a wine I'd call fruity, but no longer fruitless. Really gets some character with air, damp earth and a Loire-like gunflint note. C+ on opening, but B+ after a while (but not the wine to convert a fan of California PN to the wonders of Gamay!).
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.
