Saturday I was dining alone with Betsy away (I tried to round up a couple folks last minute, but failed, sigh) and marinated some ahi in a Vouvray/soy mixture and steamed broccolini. I pondered the leftover
2004 J. Christopher Pinot Noir, but decided I'd follow my own recent suggestion and try Merlot. I grabbed a bottle of the 2001 Ch. Haut-Corbin (St. Emilion). Slightly dull blackberry fruit, a whiff of oak, average finish. The tannins seem hard for a medium-bodied wine. I tried a glass Sunday and it seemed a little more fruit-forward and less tannic, but this reminds me of some '96 Right Bankers that never really blossomed. Too bad, as I had liked the 1990 of this and generally like Right Bank '01s I was happy to have this cheapie ($15) in the queue. Glad I just got one, most of this bottle to the vinegar crock. B-/C+ (the J. Christopher was actually better with the tuna in this case than the Merlot, with the oak and tannins integrated, though it seemed a tad hot on day 2)Sunday I spent the entire day running a quarterly membership meeting, and couldn't even think about cooking. I ate a couple leftovers, and then looked in the collection of frozen food we keep on hand for the teenager. I grabbed a pizza with goat cheese and kalamatas, and decided on Sauvignon Blanc. Surprised myself by being out of NZs, took the 2002 Plantiers du Haut-Brion Blanc instead. This actually seemed less SB-driven than previous vintages, seemed more Semillon, with that slightly honied note (even though dry wine). Round ripe apple and apricot fruit, some toast. Not a great match, but an ok wine, though I'm not a huge Bordeaux blanc fan. B , we'll see what it's like on day
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.