Couple of dinners in El Grenada.
Appetizers of pepper smoked salmon and steamed artichokes with a curry aioli
2024 Hiedler Loess Gruner Veltliner
Crisp apple, honeydew, and a hint of white pepper. Fresh and easy, if not especially complex. B+/B
Chicken thighs, tagliatelle with spinach, salad
2022 Roche de Bellene Bourgogne Cuvee Reserve
Cherry and sour raspberry, a little mustard seed, some earth. Medium acids, medium tannin, medium length. I wouldn’t search out, but pretty good for an under $30 Burg in an expensive seaside town. B
Saturday night we had rockfish (can’t get on East Coast), romanesco cauliflower, and leftover pasta. Just a glass of aforementioned wines (6 AM flight from SFO Sunday AM, with rental car return) , showed similarly.
Back home Sunday night (to a house with no hound!). Grilled ribeye, garlicky broccoli salad, potato salad.
2002 Ch Giscours (Margaux)
This is not the lovely classic Giscours of 1970-1981.
This is not the thin ugly underachieving Giscours of most of the 80s and 90s.
This is not the overoaked Giscours of the late aughts.
This IS a pretty decent if unexciting Marguax. Dark berries,a hint of anise and bell pepper, just a little cigarbox. Fairly easy tannins, medium acids. Not super long but good with steak.Worth the $22 I paid in 2005. 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 the only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.