Tuesday I found prime ribeyes at Costco, we cooked a couple (stovetop as it was raining) with baked potatoes and kale over toast and parmesan. Wine was the 1979 Ch. Gruaud Larose (St Julien). Resolved tannins, more red fruit than black, fairly high acidity, more elegant than the typical Gruaud brawn. With time some mushroom and tobacco over the red cherry fruit. Pretty nice wine, though maybe lacking the verve and long finish of my favorite '79s. But the acidity and red fruits seem to me typical of the vintage, and this is good if not great. I like the vintage though it's maybe more inconsistent than many (at least in Northern Medoc and Right Bank - Graves and Margaux are more solid IMHO). B+/B
Wednesday we joined friends at the park for concert. Betsy made a shrimp & orzo salad, a five veg slaw, and we brought cheese, salami, and watermelon. Unfortunately I was doing a run to city later, so limited myself to maybe 6 oz total, but still tried 4 pretty good wines:
2008 Ch. d'Oupia Minervois rose
Medium bodied, raspberries and a little strawberry, a nice bitter/herbal edge to finish. Actually seems to have some light tannins on finish! B/B+
2008 Vissoux / Chermette "Les Griottes"Beaujolais rose
Light color, light body, but refreshing and crisp, quite dry, rainer cherries and strawberries. I'd buy again. B+/B
2008 Commanderie de la Bargemone rose (Provence though I didn't know appellation)
Sweet, a little less zippy than other pinks this evening. Perfectly acceptable B-
2008 Clos Roche Blanche Touraine Gamay
Bigger, riper than previous vintage. Just a little of that potted plant/geranium thing I get from some Loire gamay, but not overwhelming. I'd like to try more. B
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.
