Jean and I took advantage of the long Labor Day weekend to brave the out-of-doors with soon-to-be-3-year-old in tow. A glorious weekend for camping was had at a state park in central Indiana and Andrew once again proved to be a congenial camper, even sleeping soundly on an air mattress in the tent. On the first night, we grilled ribeyes over a fire and Jean opened:
1997 Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon color: dark garnet with no bricking at the edges nose: dark berry fruit, spices, a hint of pencil lead palate: smooth entry, resolved tannins, deeply fruited with only a hint of secondary development, long finish
Very lovely even if not drunk out of our finest Riedel glasses (Sierra Club tin cups may not do justice to the nose of the wine). I'd guess that this wine will only get better over the next 5 years or so, but it's pretty fine now, especially with red meat.
On the second night, with a simple dinner of spaghetti in a tomato/basil sauce, Jean opened:
2002 J. Drouhin "Vero" Bourgogne (red) color: pale ruby red with noticeable brick at the edge nose: good varietal fruit, a bit of smoke and earthiness palate: medium body, good balance, good fruit, plenty of acidity
Jean had picked this up a while ago locally and wanted to see if it was worth getting more for the attractive (~$15) price. Clearly a big step up from the "La Fôret" bottling, this wine was recognizably Burgundian and close to what I expect from a generic Bourgogne from a quality producer. Excellent QPR. The wine wasn't particularly well suited for the meal, but hey! when you're out under the stars finishing the last of the wine around a campfire, it all seems pretty good.
Mark Lipton