Once we got to Gabe's, we got to taste some open bottles:
2007 Remoissenet Bourgogne: Rovani's new baby. Sweet fruit, slate-y minerals, and a nice metallic edge. Very good.
2007 Scott Paul 'Le Paulee': pretty warm red color, complex and tasty.
2008 Lamadrid Bonarda, Argentina: Grippy and substantial, quite likable. If you have to drink Bonarda.
2008 Lamadrid Malbec: floral nose, good on the palate, modern but not gooey, and no toasted oak, which makes it one of the better cheapy Argentinian malbecs I've had.
2007 Roger Lassarat Macon-Vergisson Cuvee Unique: what we love about Macons. Bright, citrussy, sweet fruit, mild oak.
2008 Jean-Luc Dubois Chorey-les-Beaune 'Clos Margot': lite and bright, slight Bazooka nose, sour cherry on the palate. Refreshing, if a tad simple.
And now onto the Languedocs:
A) Soy sauce, chocolate covered coffee beans, very little fruit. Aging in a bad way is my take, though others weren't as sure: 2005 Le Roc Des Anges '1903' Carignan. D.
B) Smith Brothers cherry cough drop, some caramel notes, nose delivers more than the palate which is soft and simple. Eh. It's one of mine: 2006 Donjon Minervois. C-.
C) Bright, grippy, chocolate covered orange peel, kirsch, "Nestle's all the way". 2006 Domaine L'Oustal Blanc "Naick 6", Minervois. C-.
D) Juniper, cat pee, pomegranate, musky, odd but interesting. There's something familiar here that I don't connect with until the wine is revealed to be a St. Chinian, because another that I have (and has gotten some love here on WLDG) has that same quality. It's the 2007 Le Chante de Marjolaine. I like it better than most at the table. C+.
E) Best so far. "Least artificial", was Bryan's astute observation. It's certainly the most complete (and would remain so, by unanimous vote) with earthy fruit, violets, a tiny bit of mint, mild sweetness, and good balance. 2006 Domaine Leon Barral, Faugeres. Everybody's WOTN. B.
F-1) Syrah nose. Then: coconut-flavored suntan oil, American oakiness, raspy tannins, a little hot. Unfortunately this joke turns out to be my second bottle, a 2006 Guiot from the Costieres du Nimes. D. (In typing this, I'm suddenly getting flashbacks about having a Guiot, perhaps not this bottling and definitely not this vintage, heavily reccomended to me several years ago because it got huge love from Parker--which at the time was not a bad thing--which I bought and hated for reasons I don't now recall.)
F-2) Very toasted oak, asphalt, gamey, bacon, no sweetness, acts more like a CdP, orange rind, tea, seems to have some age. Nobody's fessed up to a ringer but if there is one, this could a CdP. We all agreed the oak was an issue, but even this had such good everything else that this was pretty much everybody's #2. 2004 Chateau du Prieur from I didn't get which province. B-.
G-1) Nice balance, more modern but not sweet or toasty so we're not going to be too hard on it. C/C+. 2006 Chateau La Roque, Pic St. Loup.
G-2) Brett, asphalt, more complex on the nose than palate, bees wax, faintly musky like the St. Chinian. Not loving it. C-. 2005 Mas des Dames--again, didn't note province.
And finally two dessert wines:
H) 1986 Paulilieres Banyuls (750 ml): this is the first aged Banyuls I've had, and it's delightful beyond my expectations. (Too, something of a redeemer since my other two wines were such duds.
). Lavishly soft flavors of dried figs, plums, orange juice and rind, tea, a hint of papaya, and old paper. A.I) 2006 Mas Blanc Banyuls (375 ml): Bright, grapey and young, hard for me to evaluate but offhand there's no reason this wine won't become the '86 someday.
Anyway, interesting exercise but unfortunately, it failed to win The Land of Yes any new fans.