Notes from last month's Wine and Food Society BYOB lunch at Champetre.
Champagne Paillard Rose NV - Very pale salmon. Light and fresh; strawberry and sour cherry. Good fruit. Lemon peel finish.
Dame de Montrose 2000 - Very dry. Good fruit but a bit of a rusty note on the nose. Still some tannins but very close to peak - maybe another year just to round it out. Strong coffee, leather, forest litter and some mint. Toffee. Quite complex and very good.
Chateau Haut Bailly 2000 - Big and fleshy. Cumin.
Chateau Leoville Poyferre 1999 - Classic cedary Bordeaux. Very firm, with prominent acidity. Seems a bit light.
Tinto Pesquera Reserva 1997 - Lovely fruit. Light and elegant. Excellent and at peak.
St. Cosme Chateauneuf du Pape 2007 - Very plummy nose. Dried herbs. Young and spicy. Very good but needs time to shed the baby fat.
Domaine de Bablut Coteaux de l'Aubance 1995 - Light copper color. Brown sugar, apricots and candied orange peel. Maybe just a little over the hill.