Last night's dinner was cheese ravioli with our own tomato sauce and pesto. To go with it, I opened another bottle from a recent "sampler case" purchase from Crush in NYC.
2008 Causse Marines Marcillac ($19) nose: initially, bright red fruit; later turning leafy and herbal palate: initially, tart, crisp acidity, later getting smoky, herbal and leafy
What a fun wine! To start with, it came across as a Cru Beaujolais lookalike, but with time started to morph into a Loire Cab Franc relative. The acidity was refreshing and the fruit ever-present. If it were $15, it would be a QPR winner, but even at $20 it is a quality wine for a fair price.
Marcillac is a neighbor of Cahors in SW France. Normally the grape used is the local Far Servedou, but Causse Marines champions more obscure (!!) local varieties, so this might have some Duras in it.
Mark Lipton