With various meals recently:

2011 Navarro Rosé 'Mendocino' (13.5% ABV)
nose: minerals, fresh strawberry
palate: crisp acidity, light body, lightly fruity

This wine was a pale salmon color and probably the finest rosé from CA
that I've tasted (sorry, Steve E!). It's not a profound wine by any
stretch but it's delicious now and hides its (for me) high ABV well.
Any wine that makes me think of Baudry's Chinon Rosé is all right in my
book. No idea what grapes go into this, but it's a winner and decent
QPR ($15 from the winery).

1998 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Estate
nose: pencil lead, brambly dark berry fruit
palate: chalky tannins, medium body, balanced acidity

With grilled ribeye steaks, this was a fine example of a restrained
CalCab. Much less fruit-driven than the norm from the region and also
less fruity than other years, it was a fine example of a savory CalCab.

2008 Dom. de Terres Dorées (J.P. Brun) Côte de Brouilly
nose: tart red fruits, juicy
palate: bright acidity, light body, slightly hot finish

Without food, this was strikingly tart, but with roast chicken it
rounded out beautifully and seemed much richer. We probably drank this
too young, but Jean wanted gamay and the rest of our Beaujolais are from
'05, '09 and '10.

Mark Lipton

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