2014 Mas de Gourgonnier Rose ( Baux-de-Provence)
I’ve liked this a lot, but thought this bottle a bit flat when sipping at first. Yet eating with the tuna seemed to bring it to life. Strawberry and raspberry, tingly acids, invigorating. B+/B
2014 la Louvetrie Muscadet
Light, leesy, with chalk and seashell notes. Very good QPR. B
Friday I was in charge of dinner again, steamed a couple lobsters, with a barley/rice medley and broccolini. Wine was the 2000 Ramey “Hyde” Chardonnay. Big ripe and tropical at first, but mellows and gets some more apple fruit with a hazelnut accent. Big but balanced, good length. Wood is integrated, just a little toast note and that hazelnut accent. I quite enjoy and it holds up well overnight. B+
Satiurday we walked over to some neighbors’ home, they greeted up with assorted dips and cheeses, and the 2013 Domaine d’Elise Petit Chablis. Fresh, bright, light with lemon and apple flavors. B
Main course was steak grilled directly on hardwood, with roasted vegetables and green salad with figs and goat cheese, I had brought over the 2002 Roy “Le Val” Auxey-Duresses 1er. Ripe and open, red plum fruit, a little earth, pleasant but not compelling. B-
Sunday we had some friends and family over. Started with smoked salmon, venison pate, and the 2012 Raventos i Blanc del Nit Cava Rosado, Big, nice bitter cherry fruit, a hint of earth, but less deep than a couple of earlier vintages. Nice though. B/B-
Ron had brought back littlenecks from a RI trip, so first sitdown course was clams I grilled with fried garlic
2014 Collestefano Verdichio di Matellica
Crisp, citrusy, minerally, great value. B++
2014 Pepiere (Ollivier) Muscadet (Sevre & Maine Sur Lie)
Worthy companion to the Collestefano, as always one of the great values in white wine. Seashell/saline minerality, snappy, great cut, refreshing. B++
Betsy was happy to be home and free to cook, and made a lot for main course- shrimp/scallop skewers, tomato/mushroom/squash skewers, a slaw with a tahini dressing, a rift on Caprese, and a pasta salad with peas and pesto. It was so much food we realized during dessert (a berry cobbler) that we had never put out the tomato/mushroom/squash which was first thing on grill.
2014 Terre Nere Etna Rosato
I’ve liked this before, but this seems clunky to me this night. B-/C+
2005 Pascal Cotat “Les Monts Damnes” Sancerre
Quite ripe, comes across as a little hot at first taste (in dim light on patio I didn’t try to see abv) but air seems to bring balance. Citrus, quince, and tropical fruits, big but with good acids and plays well with food. By end of evening it was powerful but pleasing. I will say that tasting remnants on Tuesday they were shot. B
Monday I dined in city at Racines, but was back home on a sweltering Tuesday. Too hot to eat outside, but I did grill some chicken, which we had with leftover vegetables and the 2014 Tinhof Blaufrankisch Rose. Light and slurpable, but no real complexity, good on a hot night. B-
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. 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.
I agree it's not Chablis but it's balanced.