For the 4th we had a variety of friends over. We made some marinated London broil, grilled veggies (sweet potatoes, squash, etc), mango salsa, and a few other things. Friends brought a variety of salads and desserts. We had a Frankfurter Challenge (see below if interested), where the Hebrew National edged a local weiner from a farmer's market (they were well-ahead of other contenders). The petanque game never started, though the badminton progressed well.
We didn't have red, white and blue wines, but we did manage red, white,and pink:
Red:
2004 Andre Iché "Les Hérétiques" (VdP de l'Hérault) My first try of the 2004. Juicy, sweet fruit with some lavender and Italian herb notes. Easy to drink and fun, quite the deal at about $7.B/B+
2003 Clos Roche Blanche Cabernet (Touraine) Dark plum fruit, some light herb notes. Reasonable and ready to go, but no need to search for. B
2001 Havens Bourriquot (Napa) Fittingly on July 4th an American wine is my favorite of the day. Big young wine that needs time for the ripe tannins and spicy/toasty oak to integrate. But lovely balance and purity of flavors, long finish, great potential. A/A-
2001 Jadot Beaujolais-Villages I find this much better than I expected. Good acidity, clean cherry fruit, somewhat light but so what. Decent finish. B/B+
2002 Clos del Mas (Priorat) Oakchippy and with some green tannins, very soft and round. Seems somewhat extracted, yet has short finish and is just not for me. C
2002 Escudo Rojo (Chile) This also is a bit oaky, but the fruit is better balanced and the finish clean. Decent. B
1999 La Fleur du Bouard (Lalande de Pomerol) Deep rich lush fruit, some graphite and flowers over the bed of deep black fruits. The oak is still a bit unintegrated, this could use another 1-2 years IMHO but is pretty good now. Ripe tannins, long finish. A-
2001 Domaine des Relagnes Côtes du Rhône Vieilles Vignes Pleasant straightforward CdR, some ripe red fruit and Provencal herbs. There's some light but gritty tannins in the back that bother me a little, I might try holding my remaining bottle(s) a couple years and hope the fruit holds out. B
White:
2004 Domaine de la Pepiere Muscadet Is there anything left to say about this? My favorite under$10 wine of the summer to date. A- (solid A+ for value)
2003 Hawk's Crest Chardonnay (second label of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars) Light-bodied Chardonnay, a touch of butter on some modest pear fruit. A bit soft and maybe a touch-offdry, but ok. B/B-
Pink:
2004 Domaine de Chevalier Rosé Another rosé from a prestigious Bordeaux estate. This is simple fruit juice, like the Monbousquet it leaves me cold. C+
2002 Reserve de Vignerons Cabernet de Saumur Pleasant enough co-op rosé, light strawberry fruit over some floral accents. A little short on the finish, and maybe a bit tired. B-
2004 Robert Sinskey Vin de Gris de Pinot Noir (Napa) Strawberries, peaches, and honeysuckle on the nose, nicely crisp yet plenty of fruit. Best rosé of the day (I had a bottle of Il Mimo out, but it eventually traveled to the house where we watched fireworks and I never tasted). B+/A-
Afterwards we went to watch fireworks over the Hudson. Nice Independence 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