Trying to catchup with some recent wines. Here goes...
With ham, spinich salad, pasta w/tomatoes, Dom. Guy Mousset '05 CdR Rose. This was spot on and perfect with everything. I hope this an indication of the vaunted '05 vintage. Performed well.
With chicken and pasta, pushing the envelope a little with the '02 Faury St. Joseph, but again on target. Just a little less intense than the '01, but I really like this producer, with lots of white pepper this really speaks "Rhone".
With steamed mussles we had a Muscadet, S&M Sur Lie, '01 Cht de Chasseloir Comte Leloup de Chasseloir. Amazing wine, not showing any age at all, and crisp and delicious with the mussels. Must say my wife did an excellant job with the shellfish, but the wine held up it's part of the bargin. Also tasted the Kris '05 Pinot Grigio. This was medium duty PG with no negatives. Should be about $9-$10 and a good example of why Italian PG is #1 import into the US.
With Andalusian Gazpacho, '01 Cht. La Louviere white Bdx. This was textbook high end Bordeaux, with nice toasty oak over ample fruit. Reminds me of a campfire, which I find interesting, and the gazpacho was pretty good too!!
Finished with grilled chicken, potatoes, and haricot vert with the evolving G. DuBoeuf '03 Dom des Rosiers Moulin-A-Vent. Pretty amazing stuff, and like several other Beaujolais from this vintage, is drinking like a village Burgundy. This wine exudes richness with layers of red berries and dark fruit. Seems richer than 6 months age, but took about 30 minutes to completely open up.
Note on my recent SWE conference in Eugene, OR to follow soon.