So Sunday I was pooped after the big party and some snow shoveling,
Betsy had a late afternoon meeting in city. Luckily, so many people
brought food to the party (unexpectedly) I had never pulled out the
leg of lamb I roasted Sat AM. So I warmed, made a red wine sauce from
drippings, sliced, and served with leftover veggies when she got home.
Wine was the 2005 Les Grands Marechaux (1er Cotes de Blaye). OK, if
this is a hint of what low end 2005 Bordeaux can be I think I'm going
to be happy. Mocha and kirsch on the nose, the fruit on the palate has
a darker tone, cassis and black plum. The coffee and chocolate notes
intensify with time. Tannins are present but ripe and easy, despite
the ripeness and richness of the fruit there is some refreshing
acidity. The oak is pretty obvious, if you are really oakaphobic don't
bother with this one. Very nice wine for the appelation, in a quite
"modern" style. Holds up well for 2 more nights. B++

Monday made a Batali recipe of parsnips and pancetta with pasta, I
opened a 375 of the 2005 Felsina Chianti Classico. A nice refreshing
Sangiovese, maybe a step behind the '04. Red and black cherry fruit,
ripe, a little softer than some vintages. Good length for the level,
but maybe could use a little zip. Still, quite good. Remaining glass
does not do well overnight. B/B+

Tuesday Betsy made "Chinese Chicken" (shredded chicken is topped with
a scallion, ginger,shoyu sauce and then drizzled with hot peanut oil).
I saw a bottle from party that I had no clue about. I knew if the 2004
"Vignes Retrouvees" (Cotes de Saint Mont) went to cellar, I'd NEVER
bring it back up (never having had a Cotes de Saint Mont, I'd never
think of it as a match). So what the hell, give it a try, no (or
extraordinarily low) expectations.
Hey, not so bad. Rather floral, kind of Gewurztraminer meets
Roussanne. Pear fruit with an almost Italian bitter almond note, a
little on the fat side but not flabby. Some lemon and wet slate notes
with time. Not zippy enough for me to search for more, but far more
interesting than I expected. I guessed south near the Rhone, turns out
it's closer to Madiran, and the grapes are probably Arrufiac, Petit
Courbu, Petit Manseng, and Gros Manseng (I confess to never having
heard of first two). Went surprisingly well with the chicken. 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

On Dec 19, 4:34�pm, DaleW > wrote:
> So Sunday I was pooped after the big party and some snow shoveling,
> Betsy had a late afternoon meeting in city. Luckily, so many people
> brought food to the party (unexpectedly) I had never pulled out the
> leg of lamb I roasted Sat AM. So I warmed, made a red wine sauce from
> drippings, sliced, and served with leftover veggies when she got home.
> Wine was the 2005 Les Grands Marechaux (1er Cotes de Blaye). OK, if
> this is a hint of what low end 2005 Bordeaux can be I think I'm going
> to be happy. Mocha and kirsch on the nose, the fruit on the palate has
> a darker tone, cassis and black plum. The coffee and chocolate notes
> intensify with time. Tannins are present but ripe and easy, despite
> the ripeness and richness of the fruit there is some refreshing
> acidity. The oak is pretty obvious, if you are really oakaphobic don't
> bother with this one. Very nice wine for the appelation, in a quite
> "modern" style. Holds up well for 2 more nights. B++
>
> Monday made a Batali recipe of parsnips and pancetta with pasta, I
> opened a 375 of the 2005 Felsina Chianti Classico. A nice refreshing
> Sangiovese, maybe a step behind the '04. Red and black cherry fruit,
> ripe, a little softer than some vintages. Good length for the level,
> but maybe could use a little zip. Still, quite good. Remaining glass
> does not do well overnight. B/B+
>
> Tuesday Betsy made "Chinese Chicken" (shredded chicken is topped with
> a scallion, ginger,shoyu sauce and then drizzled with hot peanut oil).
> I saw a bottle from party that I had no clue about. I knew if the 2004
> "Vignes Retrouvees" (Cotes de Saint Mont) went to cellar, I'd NEVER
> bring it back up (never having had a Cotes de Saint Mont, I'd never
> think of it as a match). So what the hell, give it a try, no (or
> extraordinarily low) expectations.
> Hey, not so bad. Rather floral, kind of Gewurztraminer meets
> Roussanne. �Pear fruit with an almost Italian bitter almond note, a
> little on the fat side but not flabby. �Some lemon and wet slate notes
> with time. Not zippy enough for me to search for more, but far more
> interesting than I expected. I guessed south near the Rhone, turns out
> it's closer to Madiran, and the grapes are probably Arrufiac, Petit
> Courbu, Petit Manseng, and Gros Manseng (I confess to never having
> heard of first two). Went surprisingly well with the chicken. 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

I'll note that the Cotes de Saint Mont held up well overnight, and
further that closer examination showed that it was made by Producteurs
Plaimont. So I believe this is a co-op wine, very good considering!

Hi DaleW,

When I first read your TN I wondered if it wasn't a Plaimont wine!
on Thu, 20 Dec 2007 12:03:30 -0800 (PST), you said:-

>> I knew if the 2004 "Vignes Retrouvees" (Cotes de Saint Mont) went to cellar, I'd NEVER
>> bring it back up (never having had a Cotes de Saint Mont, I'd never
>> think of it as a match). So what the hell, give it a try, no (or
>> extraordinarily low) expectations.

>> it's closer to Madiran, and the grapes are probably Arrufiac, Petit
>> Courbu, Petit Manseng, and Gros Manseng (I confess to never having
>> heard of first two). Went surprisingly well with the chicken. B

Very much sw France grapes, I don't have my references here, but iirc
Arrufiac is one of the cepages used in Pacherenc de vic Bilh, which ties in
with your Madiran comment - which is the red from more or less the same area
- along with the petit courbu. Courbu means "curved" often with the
connotation of humpback, and I seem to remember reading that it got the name
from the fact that the vine produces its grapes close to the ground, so you
have to bend almost double to pick it - but this is merely a vague memory
and may be purely anecdotal. Along with the other cepages you mention it's
also used in Jurancon iirc.

>I'll note that the Cotes de Saint Mont held up well overnight, and
>further that closer examination showed that it was made by Producteurs
>Plaimont. So I believe this is a co-op wine, very good considering!

You're right Plaimont is a large-ish, high quality co-operative in the
Madiran/Pacherenc area. They sell a very pleasant dry white called
"Colombelle" made (mainly?) from the Colombard grape, the one used to make
Armagnac. It was my house white for quite a while.
http://www.plaimont.com/uk/nosvins.asp

--
All the Best
Ian
I prefer to call my prejudices "working hythoseses".