We gave an alfresco lunch to encourage a well liked groom from Germaine’s riding club before her starting some heavy medical treatment the next day. I went out to find suitable wines to accompany chicken and fish salads as well as a salade niçoise and some cheese.
With the help of the owner of the excellent Maison des Vins in Brussels, I got a very good selection. The one fly in the ointment was the weather; a heavy shower just as the first guests were arriving drove us indoors.
Costières de Nîmes rosé 2009 – Château de Nages – (€6) – TN already posted in the rosé thread. This was decent but turned out to be the least popular of the wines; rightly IMO.
Rueda Verdejo 2008 – Bodegas Prado Rey – Alc. 13% - (approx €8) was full of juicy green fruit and tangy lively acidity; perhaps too close to boiled sweets in perfume for my ideal but it was very popular; 15.5/20++ QPR!.
Touraine Val de Loire Sauvignon blanc 2009 – François Chidaine – Alc.13.5% - (€6,50). Remembering wonderfully crisp and mineral bottles from previous vintages, e.g. 02 and 08, I bought this for those who preferred this style. However in the event it proved richer and less crisp than those vintages and, though better focussed and less perfumed than the Verdejo, less of a contrast than I had hoped. Good wine, though; 15.5/20 QPR!.
Côtes du Rhône Les Chèvrefeuilles 2008 – Domaine La Réméjeanne, Rémi Klein – Alc. 14% - (€7,50), made from a cocktail of Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Carignan, etc. This was a model young CDR showing delicious red and dark fruit, tangy wet leather, spice, lively acidity and grip on a medium/full body with a caressing mouth-feel and decent length; needs to be drunk young but 16/20++ now QPR!!!. This was the most popular wine; again rightly IMO.
A bonus on these occasions can be bottles brought by guests and the following two opened the next two days were excellent surprises in very different ways.
DO Catalunya “Viña Sol” 2009 (W) – Familia Torres – Alc. 11.5% - (c€6), made from the Parellada grape. I shy off buying well known brands from wine multinationals like Torres fearing soulless technical wines but I would be wrong with this bottle. It showed real personality with flavours of exotic fruit (including pineapple), a generous dab of spice and lively moreish acidity. Thanks, Valérie, for opening my eyes with this gift; 15.5/20 QPR!.
Graves sec “Les Clayes” 1993 – raised and bottled by Delhaize S.A. Brussels – Alc. 12% - (€3,99 for 2009), made from Muscadelle, Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc. This is an entry level generic Graves (own brand?) sold by our local supermarket for early drinking; Paul must have forgotten these bottles in his cellar. The remarkable thing is how well this bottle was showing after 17 years. Colour remained a quite fresh yellow but the wine had acquired a certain roundness and nutty complexity whilst keeping quite lively acidity, minerals and grip on the finish; 15.5/20+ QPR!!. (I had a Château Fieuzal 1993 a couple of years ago which was oxidised.)