Monday I opened a 375 of white as an apertif. I have generally liked the Gilbert Picq wines, but the 2005 Picq Chablis wasn't thrilling. Plenty of ripe fruit, but not a lot of minerality, and seemed a tad fat. Tasted on following night it seemed even rounder, without a bit of zip to give it more liveliness. B-
Dinner was a simple roast chicken from Keller's Bouchon cookbook, along with macaroni & cheese and brussels sprouts. I opened the 2005 Sylvain Pataille Bourgogne. You know how people are always buying the "wrong" Roumier, Dauvissat, or Lignier? This is first time I ever bought based on wrong first name- I realized after buying it I was thinking about Sylvain Cathiard. Never heard of this producer, might as well try. A little oak on the nose, but not vanillay- mostly the nose is a pretty rush of crushed raspberries. The palate is a little less exciting- nice enough ripe red plum and black cherry fruit, but without the exoticism of the nose. Still, a nice balanced Bourgogne with enough acidity to make it food friendly. I've made worse mistakes A little sip on night 2 seems unevolved- will try again tonight. B/B+
Tuesday's dinner was an Italian recipe of prawns (well, jumbo shrimp) in a tomato/pancetta sauce, with broccoli rabe. Needed a half-bottle of white for recipe, so I chose an inexpensive Italian, the 2005 Dario D'Angelo Trebbiano d' Abruzzo. We served with dinner, and I actually found it a pleasant surprise (my expectations for $6 Trebbiano are limited). Good crispness, light pear fruit, a hint of nuttiness. I hestitate to say that Italian whites (certainly a vast array) share any common characteristics, but it does seem I get that almond meets cashew nut aroma on the finish of IT whites ranging from Greco di Tufo and Fiano to Arneis. Anyway, there's nothing complex here- Pepe and Valentini have nothing to fear- but at $6 before mixed case discount quite a bargain. Unfortunately, looks like sold out. :) 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.