Yesterday was rather frigid, so Betsy went to our version of comfort food, duck legs slow-cooked with a mustard-panko crust. Served over greens, with roasted yellow beets and brown rice. The tanginess of the mustard dissipates as the fat cooks out of the duck, and I pretty much always pair this with an earthy Burgundy. But tonight we're going to a Volnay offline, so instead I opened a 375 of the 2001 Ch.Carignan (Premières Côtes de Bordeaux). I was slightly worried by a seepage stain up one side of the cork, but the wine was intact and sound. Nice medium-bodied wine, black and red plum fruit with a nice underlying scent of damp earth. Just a hint of cedary oak, rather soft tannic structure. Very pleasant claret, score one for Alex's lesser known appelations. 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.