David went back to Scotland Friday, leaving behind some leftovers from his Japanese grandmother. Not being one to waste, I had Friday night. With a chicken/noodles/mushroom dish, the 2001 Ch. La Louviere blanc (Pessac-Leognan). Good citrus and tropical fruit, some toasty oak, mineral finish. Usually if I like a white Bordeaux it's either a $300 HBB or a $8 no oak SB. But this is a classic yet reasonably priced Graves. Maybe to quibble the oak is a bit more apparent than my ideal, but it really blends in well. One funny thing contrary to conventional wisdom is that the oak is more pleasing with the food than without. In any case, the strength of 2001 in sweet Bdx whites (great ripeness yet good acidity) carries over to a dry white here. I really like this, and it holds well overnight. Great value. A-/B+
Tasty as the Graves was, I felt like a glass of red. The 2006 Vissoux (Chermette) "Les Trois Roches" Moulin-a-Vent was lovely from the start, sweet black cherries and raspberries over a solid earthy base. More Cote d'Or than Beaujolais, structured but accessible. Holds well overnight, a glass tonight is lovely. B+
Tonight I made some loin lamb chops on grill (lovely day once clouds passed), along with some braised arugula in la Louviere. Really the Beaujolais would have been fine, but I felt like I needed to reward myself (I worked a majority of Saturday, have a big meeting on Sunday, after a hard week). So went with my lamb fallback, Bordeaux. The 2001 Roc de Cambes (Cotes du Bourg) is a blast of modern styled Merlot. Lush, long, luscious. Black plum and berries, mocha and cassis. No one will mistake this for classic Bordeaux, but a very good example of the modern style. Plenty of oak, but lots of fruit and body. Ideally I prefer more traditional Bordeaux, but I confess to being drawn in by this hussy. :) 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.