On Feb 20, 12:41*am, Mark Lipton > wrote:
> Some recently consumed wines, purchased locally and opened with meals:
>
> 2007 Gruet Pinot Noir "Cuvée Gilbert Gruet" *($20)
> nose: cherryish fruit, veering slightly to Vicks' cough drops, varietal
> character, later turning smoky
> palate: rich fruit, medium-full body, balanced acidity, slightly alcoholic
>
> This is our second encounter with the still Pinot Noir made by Gruet in
> New Mexico (the first, logically enough, was at their tasting room in
> Albuquerque). *It's fairly big and clearly New World but isn't overdone
> in any way and is quite nicely balanced. *Very much in the vein of Au
> Bon Climat's lower end bottlings and nicely priced as a not-very-complex
> but tasty Pinot Noir.
>
> 2008 Domaine de la Garrigue Côtes du Rhône "Cuvée Romaine" ($16)
> nose: slightly meaty, kirsch-like Grenache fruit, garrigue
> palate: firm acidity and supple tannins, lots of fruit, earth
>
> A classic CdR profile of cherry liqueur and meat with some herbs and
> earth thrown in for the '08 version of this wine. *Having had the '06
> and perhaps the '05, I can say that this year's version is a bit leaner
> and very food friendly. *It'll probably improve with 1-2 years in the
> bottle. *An Eric Solomon import.
>
> Mark Lipton
>
> --
> alt.food.wine FAQ: *http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

thanks for notes, I've only had bubbly Gruet. CdR sounds good/.