Saturday was some supposed Alaska king salmon on the grill. I was a
little sceptical of $7 king, but it actually was delicious. Sides were
corn, eggplant, and salad. Wine was the 2001 Domaine Drouhin Pinot
Noir. Lovely example of Oregon Pinot, ripe red and black fruit with
some tannins that need a little time to integrate. As it aerates, the
black cherry fruit develops secondary aromas of earth and a little
coffee. Good stuff with bright balanced acidity, my guess is will get
better. Day 2 the tannins were still there, the acidity less apparent,
the fruit even riper. B+/A-

Sunday Betsy did duck legs. The Pinot was ok with it (usually PN/Burg
is my go-to duck), but better was a 2001 Ogier "La Rosine" VdP des
Collines Rhodaniennes (the ducks had mustard under the panko; the
Syrah seemed to deal with the spiciness better). Nice fruity Syrah with
a firm acidic backbone and light tannins, the dark (blackberry and
black raspberry) fruit had a meaty note than could have almost passed
for a C-R. Not THAT serious a wine, but a swell bottle for the
midteens. B+

Tonight we had a quiet Labor Day, Betsy made a veal ragu from a Biba
Caggiano recipe. I went to the cellar for a Tuscan Sangiovese, yet
emerged with a 2004 Pepiere Cuvee Granit (Vin de Pays du Jardin de
France). This wine (I'm pretty sure I remember from earlier vintages
it's Cab Franc and Gamay, from the Muscadet area) had good acidity and
prickly fruit. The tannins seemed surprisingly noticable for a CF/Gamay
blend, but not harsh. Bitter cherry fruit, with a funny earthy note I
can't pin down. Some kind of gardening smell- potting soil or some lawn
treatment. I ask Betsy (the gardener) , she guesses "Roundup." Hmm,
she's joking, but I think she doesn't like this. I like it ok, give it
a B, we'll see what it's like day 2.

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. 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

Ok, so I unexpectedly had to spend last night driving in the city, so
didn't have any wine with dinner (too bad, lobster salad that calls out
for Chardonnay). But at 1:30 when I got home I had a glass of the
Pepiere to unwind. Meantime I learned that I was wrong about the
cepage, it is apparently Cab Franc, Cab Sauvignon, and maybe some Cot
(Malbec). The funny thing is now that I've been told there's no Gamay,
it was now tasting more Gamay-like. A little more grapey/sweet cherry
rather than bitter cherry, and much less tannic than day 2. There's
still that earthy/potting soil note, but less prominent than last
night. A slight improvement over Day 1's dinner. Decent QPR, but not
the screaming deal of the Pepiere regular Muscadet, or the Briords.