Friends came over for a casual picnic dinner last night, and we poured these two wines.
2003 Chappellet Dry Chenin Blanc
Napa Valley
A most unusual nose of vitamin B and bananas. In taste, a sweet lemon chiffon pie entry with flinty rocks turned dry on the slightly bitter, quinine finish. It was better than it sounds, quite interesting really, but it does show the ripeness of the vintage in rather unusual ways.
1997 Jaboulet "Thalabert" Crozes Hermitage
Northern Rhone
Very drinkable, but wherever this wine is going it's not quite there yet. Dark cherry and olives with a cactus-like pickled flavor to it and showing some leathery signs of age, but it still tastes like it has a secret. Another year or three should pry that loose.