We've had great weather this week, warm but not hot, low humdity, plenty of sun. Last night there was a very good turnout for jazz at the river. The quartet was quite good, and my little group ended up being about 20 people. I had brought bulgogi, cheeses, and salad; I also sampled chicken skewers, tabouli, pasta with pesto, hummus, etc. And of course I sampled as many wines as possible:
The Pink
2008 Cantalupo "Il Mimo" rosado Really nice version this year, sweet giving red fruit but with a solid acidic backbone. Very popular all around, will get more. B+/A-
2008 La Galantin Bandol rose Very pale, a bit austere, light but with good finish. B
2008 Pigmentum Malbec rose Seemed heavy/ungainly after other 2, slightly dull red cherry fruit, some green pepper. C+/B-
The White
2005 JM Boillot Montagny 1er Big, ripe chardonnay, yet some refreshing acidity, some light oak/ hazelnut aromas, wish I had gotten more at $15. B+
2008 Leitz Dragonstone Just a brief sip, but really nice. My passing impression is best Dragonstone in years. Sweet but with truly racy acidity, good length, impressive. B+
The Red
2007 Terra Malbec (bubbly) Hey, I like Lambrusco- no objections to dry red bubbly here. But this is like someone added carbonation to a low end Malbec, there's some tannins, some black plum fruit, short finish. Others liked more than I. C
2005 Ch. Ste Colombe (Cotes de Castillon) This was $9/bottle by the case, and a very good deal at that point. Nice light to midweight claret, red plum and dark berries, just a whiff of vanilla, light tannins, nice length for level. B
2005 Ch. La Vieille Cure (Fronsac) Decanted for couple hours before going back into bottle for trip to river. Big, somewhat lush/voluptuous, quite tannic. Macerated black cherries, some cassis, a little cocoa/mocha. This needs time for those tannins, but impressive for level if you don't mind modern styling, could hold it's own with many Pomerols. Will put away remainder for
4-10 years. A-/B+
There was also a somwhat weedy wine (Cab?) from Casillero del Diablo, but I didn't get details.
Great night by river!
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.