Wednesday was a very warm day, but we blasted AC as Betsy fried chicken, then headed to river with warm chicken, room temperature cheeses and broccoli, and cold wines and seltzer. A nice picnic in the park watching a bluegrass band.
The leftover '02 Deletang Montlouis was showing nicely, ripe open fruit with plenty of minerals. We also had the 2006 Larmes du Paradis Rose (Vallee d`Aoste) 85% nebbiolo/ 15% freisa. Light and frisky, some gravelly minerals over the light yet not thin strawberry fruit. Perfect for a picnic wine. B+
I was also offered a taste of a Marchesi di Barolo Gavi (vintage unknown), which had a nice base of fruit, but seemed a bit flabby. B- I was also gifted a taste of the 2000 Jaffurs Roussanne. This was not a geeky situation, and the donor was well-meaning, so I bravely swallowed, though I did want to spit. Round, fat , with flavors of overripe melons and musky tropical fruit. Hot. A little tired, just hints of oxidation. Not what I want on a warm day by river. C/C+
Thursday we went to dinner at the home of some good friends, who were enjoying childless life as the kids were in France at their grandparents.It was a very hot day, but their backyard is shaded and green enough that once sun was down we could enjoy dining outside. We started with snacks (good feta, olives, walnut hummus) and then went to table for gazpacho, followed by shrimp kebabs (great marinade that included....pickled ginger!) and bulgur tabouli. Couple of whites:
2005 Prevote Touraine Sauvignon Not a wine that offers much in the way of complexity, but nice acidity to balance ripe tropical and citrus fruit, a whiff of catpee, certainly pleasant and refreshing when really cold. B/B+2002 Bouchard "Le Clous" Meursault. Richer, fuller, and more complex, but I didn't neccessarily like better. Ripe pear fruit, a bit of butterscotch and hazelnut. Textbook Meursault, but not as refreshing on a warm night as the crisper SB. B
1997 Les Tourelles de Longueville (Pauillac)second wine from a so-so year, where even most of the classified wines are fully mature. Hopes weren't high,but it was better than I expected. Ripe cassis fruit, a little smoke and cedar. Finish is on short side, and I do think this would have been better and more vigorous a couple years ago, but still a nice little Bordeaux. 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