Another gorgeous cool summer night, and Betsy had me grill a mess of
clams and mussels. While I was setting them on grill I sipped a bit of
remaining '96 Baumard Savennieres, which showed richer than previous
night, though with some light oxidation.

As the shellfish came off the grill we carefully placed in a big bowl,
Betsy then drizzled with a garlic/parsley/sesame butter. Served
alongside some green beans and Crenshaw melon, with lots of bread to
sop the juice/sauce. I thought that maybe the leftover '04 Oncone
Falanghina would be a good choice considering the sauce, but a little
bit of oxidation and the inherent Falanghina nutty/bitter note seemed
to clash. A much better match was the 2004 Luneau-Papin "Domaine Pierre
de La Grange" Vieilles Vignes Muscadet. Lighter-styled Muscadet, with
a fresh seabreeze nose and a pleasantly crisp citrus bite. I enjoy this
more than a previous bottle - it's different than the Pepiere I love,
but close to equal in quality. There's a seashell/calcium quality to
the finish, very nice with the food (I thought the butter/garlic might
be too much, but fine actually). B++

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.