Vacation, Part 3 After Paso Robles, we had mediocre sushi south of Santa Barbara, hustled through post -rush hour LA, and ended up in Laguna. Thursday evening Betsy made lemon roast chicken (with potatoes and salad) at her grandmother's, and we had the 2002 Gaetano d'Aquino Pinot Grigio (delle Venezie). Light apple fruit, almond/nutty aftertaste, maybe a hint of RS. Inoffensive, but I'm glad Betsy says she's going to make risotto one night, I know it'll be good use for rest of bottle. B-/C+
Friday night Betsy is going to temple with her grandmother, so we have an early dinner. She makes tacos, and I open a 375 of the 2000 Esprit de Beaucastel (Paso Robles). This shows a little simpler than bottle at winery (was that one decanted?), but still a pleasant CdP ringer with warm spicy fruit and noticable leather/earthy notes.B+ I wander into town, the local wine bar has a tasting, but wines seem a tad pedestrian, and I walk on beach instead.
Saturday night was the afore-mentioned dinner at French 75, with the surprise $65 special and the Beaucastel that isn't really Beaucastel. The 2001 Comte LaFond Sancerre was a bit simple, but offered rather intense and clear grapefruit aromas and flavors. Decent acidity. B/B+ The 1999 Ch. Coutet (St. Émilion) was a simple Bordeaux, clearly a lot of Merlot in the mix. Sweet red plum and strawberry fruit, light to medium-bodied, a bit lacking in acidity. B-
Sunday Betsy made mushroom risotto, along with squash and some excellent heirloom tomatoes from Saturday's farmers' market. After market Saturday I had gone to Wine Exchange in Orange to pick up some bottles of 2001 Mongeard-Mugneret Echezeaux I had ordered last month (a guy whose tastes I respect, but seems to drink LOTS of DRC, Roumier Bonne Mares, etc, had raved over it- when this guy recommends a GC Burg for $40, my ears perk up!), I had also ended up with the 2001 Mongeard-Mugneret"Narbantons" Savigny-Les-Beaune
1er Cru ($14). Seemed a good candidate for mushroom matching. Ripe Pinot fruit with a bit of oak, open and accessible with a clean finish. Finished the rest on our last night in Laguna, with Betsy's pot roast with prunes and apricots. Second night the black cherry fruit had faded a bit, but been replaced by a nice meaty/smoky aroma. Good wine for the price. 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. Dale
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