Last night we had an early dinner before Betsy headed to work. She
made "salmon provencal" (salmon with olive, tomatoes, etc in an herb-
garlic vinaigrette) with brown rice, salad, etc. Certainly not
traditional (I don't think there are salmon in the Mediterranean?),
but there are lots of recipes on web, some which include wine
suggestions (whte CdP). I said what the hell, decided to follow that
path, but on a budget. A Roussanne based white, the 2005 Eric Texier
Cotes du Rhone-Brezeme Blanc was brought up. I had liked this at a
store tasting. Here not so much. Apricot and yellow plum fruit, lower
acidity, heavy and a little oily in the mouth. I tend to like Texier's
wines, but on the other hand I seldom like Rhone whites. This is a C+/
B- for me, but if you like Roussanne in general I'm not the person to
look to for notes. I think at store being tasted straight from an ice
bucket made it seem crisper.

Decided to open another wine while I read an Ian Rankin novel. A
little reductive at first, but the funk blows off quickly leaving a
lovely wine. The 2005 Leitz Rudesheimer Magdalenenkreuz Spatlese is
maybe my favorite '05 Germans to date. Sure, its got a bit of 2005
heft, but the sweetness is not out of Spatlesen territory, and the
acidity keeps the whole package jumping. Peach/nectarine fruit with a
generous squirt of lime on top, plenty of minerals, a little floral
note. With time the fruit gets a candied orange edge. Rather creamy
texture, but not in the least heavy. First 2005 that reminds me of a
great 2001. Will revisit tonight. A-

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