Went to dinner at some friends' home last night, fun night with close
friends (and new friends). With some crab salad and avocado on red and
green endive, the NV Gruet Brut Rose/ Cherry and strawberry, dry,
straightforward, good. B-/B

First plated course was green salad with some warm nut/chevre slices,
then main course was spaghetti bolognese. Some wines were sampled,
too!

2007 Argiano "NC" Toscano Rosso
Very ripe, low acid, quite popular. No obvious oak, but still the
ripeness puts it solidly modern to my tastes. B-

2006 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco
Decanted about an hour before returning to bottle for 3 block trip.
Solid red fruit, good acidity, fairly tannic. Some tar and licorice.
Needs time, but I like. B+

2007 Ch. Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon
I've usually found the CSM wines good value if not neccesarily
exciting. This however can across as oaky, sweet, and short. C+

Tonight with roast chicken and vegetables, roast herbed potatoes, and
kale with pecorno, the 2007 Dom. de la Renardiere "Jurassique" Arbois
Pupillin Chardonnay. Fresh, lemon and apple fruit, fairly large
framed, tasty wine. No Overnoy chard, but nice nonetheless. 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.*

*

DaleW wrote:

> 2006 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco
> Decanted about an hour before returning to bottle for 3 block trip.
> Solid red fruit, good acidity, fairly tannic. Some tar and licorice.
> Needs time, but I like. B+

Dale,
No doubt you're aware of this already, but in '06 the Produttori
decided not to bottle vineyard designates, so all the juice went into
the normale in what most agree was an excellent year in the Piemonte.
The '06 should prove more ageworthy and develop with time into something
quite special.

Mark Lipton

Mark Lipton > wrote in news:im8v4q$ll$1
@speranza.aioe.org:
>
> Dale,
> No doubt you're aware of this already, but in '06 the Produttori
> decided not to bottle vineyard designates, so all the juice went into
> the normale in what most agree was an excellent year in the Piemonte.
> The '06 should prove more ageworthy and develop with time into something
> quite special.
>
> Mark Lipton
>

2006 was great for (some villages of) Barolo, not so great for Barbaresco
(2007 seems to be better in Barbaresco than 2006).

s.