Friends invited us for dinner last night. On the menu: barbecued lamb chops ('barbecued' being a detail I wasn't notified of in advance so didn't take into consideration but, knowing this couple, 100% should have expected), a lentil/rice blend, baked squash, Greek salad. I took the Godello and du Tertre below. I included notes on two other wines worth mentioning.
2015 Array Cellars Chardonnay Celilo Vineyard Columbia Gorge
Pale yellow. Impressively youthful look and reticence for a six year old domestic chardonnay. Modestly complex with decent intensity--I love Gorge chardonnays.
2020 Raul Pérez Godello Bierzo Ultreia
Another CT reviewer described this perfectly: "Captures the richness and the heft of the grape...Mouthwatering acidity, ripe pear and grapefruit peel, with abundant seaspray and granitic minerality...would be inclined to guess Semillon blind. Finish is waxy and a touch short, with some light oak that needs a year or two to fully integrate but there’s lots to like here." One of the best Godellos I've ever had.
2001 Château du Tertre Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend
In its prime drinking window. Rich garnet color with classic mature Bordeaux notes of soft fruits and leather with silky tannins. Slightly wasted on the grilled flavors of the meat, but lovely.
2012 Devil's Bells Bordeaux Blend, Columbia Valley
Astonishingly, this is a blend of all six Bordeaux grapes. Yeah, including carmenere. First I've ever had that I can recall. Sweet, somewhat sappy black and blue fruit which could be a matter of inherent winery style or the low-acid richness of the '12 vintage 10 years out. I suspect both. I had to blend my pour with a Kirkland CdP to make it more palatable. In fact, my blend was better than either wine alone.