2004 Lungarotti Rubesco and a 2007 Allan Scott Marlborough Pinot Noir. The former was a fairly simple but tasty S Rhone wine of medium proportion, and the latter was a varietally correct, if somewhat simple, PN. The Rubesco was the standout of the litter, even if still painfully young, but bearing the signs of being a wine capable of aging another 10-15 years and developing more complexity than it now possesses. Right now, it is deeply fruited, with some tobacco and leather already present.
The end of trip took us to Santa Fe for two nights of comfort at La Fonda on the Plaza. Our final dinner was at a new place, Galisteo Bistro, which has received good press on the Web. As luck had it, we were present for their first anniversary and had a truly first-rate meal. The menu is divided between a few specials, "Tapas Internacionales" and bistro-themed entrees. Jean got a beet carpaccio salad and roast duck in a tart cherry sauce, while I started with a special soup of Majorcan Gazpacho (clam-infused cold gazpacho) and then had two of their tapas, Shrimp Chipotle and a pan-seared risotto cakes with tomato-basil concasse and mushroom demi-glace. The food was sensational, with vibrant flavors and very fresh, locally sourced (for the most part) ingredients. To go with this we got a bottle of the 2006 Feudi di San Gregorio "Ros'Aura", a rosé of Aglianico that was delicious, dry, herbal and substantial with plenty of fruit. Even Jean, normally not a fan of rosés, loved this wine.
Mark Lipton