Monday we had close friends over, with Betsy making the Zuni cafe chicken with bread salad, and our friend Rachel supplying a cauliflower/broccolli puree and some carrots. Couple of wines:
1998 Fontenil (Fronsac) Sure, this is pretty modern. But it's pretty as well as modern, with lovely black plum and berry fruit, a touch of lead pencil, and some mineral earthiness. It may be modern, but it's not to be mistaken for California. Some lushness without a hint of flabbiness. B+2002 Five Vintners Syrah (Napa) Our friends brought this. Apparently a cooperation between various members of the Beringer and Raymond families. For a Napa, it makes a fairly decent Barossa shiraz. Well-made, but a bit heavy for my tastes, and what enjoyment I could glean came after the food was gone, when I pretended it was a dessert wine. Probably a better wine than score indicates, just not my style. B-/C+
Tuesday was some oven-roasted spareribs with baked potatoes. Wine was the 2004 Ch. d'Oupia Minervois. Medium-bodied, nice dark berry fruit with some strong (pleasant) herbal notes. Good acidity, apparent but light tannins, nice finish for an under-$10 wine. B/B+, solid A for value.
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.