With various meals recently:
2011 Navarro Rosé 'Mendocino' (13.5% ABV) nose: minerals, fresh strawberry palate: crisp acidity, light body, lightly fruity
This wine was a pale salmon color and probably the finest rosé from CA that I've tasted (sorry, Steve E!). It's not a profound wine by any stretch but it's delicious now and hides its (for me) high ABV well. Any wine that makes me think of Baudry's Chinon Rosé is all right in my book. No idea what grapes go into this, but it's a winner and decent QPR ($15 from the winery).
1998 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Estate nose: pencil lead, brambly dark berry fruit palate: chalky tannins, medium body, balanced acidity
With grilled ribeye steaks, this was a fine example of a restrained CalCab. Much less fruit-driven than the norm from the region and also less fruity than other years, it was a fine example of a savory CalCab.
2008 Dom. de Terres Dorées (J.P. Brun) Côte de Brouilly nose: tart red fruits, juicy palate: bright acidity, light body, slightly hot finish
Without food, this was strikingly tart, but with roast chicken it rounded out beautifully and seemed much richer. We probably drank this too young, but Jean wanted gamay and the rest of our Beaujolais are from '05, '09 and '10.
Mark Lipton