Friday night I had the rest of a bottle of Passetoutgrains with dinner, then felt like another glass of wine later that night. Popped the cork on a 2002 d'Angerville Bourgogne. Pretty clean red Pinot fruit, cherry-blossom nose, nice clean finish. The next evening I had more with dinner (pork chops)- the wine had filled out: ripe sweet cherry fruit, some mineral notes, long finish. A bit less body than Lafarge's basic '02 Bourgogne but just as attractive. Great QPR at $18. A-/B+
I had a work meeting that took up most of the day Sunday, Betsy spent the day gardening and preparing dinner. Friends were coming over to see us (well, to be honest, to see Lucy the hound- we were just a bonus). Betsy had an appetizer of a walnut/red pepper/cumin dip served with naan. I served the 2003 Sabathi "Klassic" Sauvignon Blanc (Styria). Nice lighter-styled SB, there's some citrus and honeydew flavors along with a pleasant grassy/herby note. Just the thing sitting in the backyard on a warm spring night. B/B+ (note: first bottle I've tried from my first winemonger.com order- nice wine, Emily)
Dinner was lamb (butterflied and marinated in garlic and rosemary). I finished grilling and as the lamb rested went to the reds:
2000 Ch. Mazeyres (Pomerol) - surprisingly open from the git-go. Classic Pomerol lushness, deep red fruit. Low-acid, easy to like. Some ripe tannins way in the background. Some spice and leather emerge with time. Very good for an under-$20 Pomerol (I didn't know there WAS such a thing). B+2002 Leasingham Magnus Shiraz/Cabernet (Clare Valley) This came across sweet and soft. I generally have been a fan of Leasingham's reds (at least the Classic Clare and the Bin 61), but this is forgettable wine. A little coffee over dark fruit, nice flavors but lacking a bit of spine. 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