Monday was wineless and meatless (though not vegetarian, I used lamb stock in my couscous with grilled vegetables, beans, and pesto)

Tuesday was neither wineless or meatless. Friends brought over appetizers (eggplant caponata, artichoke pesto) which we had with the 2011 Breton €œLa Ritournelle€� Anjou Rose. This is a PetNat. A little cloudy, sediment on side of bottle. Just a light petillance, light sweetness. Cranberry fruit with an interestingly sour/funky/yeasty note. Fun, but maybe at end of its life. B/B-

Next up is a staple, grilled clams with fried garlic
2009 Luneau-Papin €œExcelsior€� Muscadet. Full, leesy, saline and mineral over lemony fruit. Big, tasty, but maybe needs a little bump in acid to be really top rate Melon. B+/B

Grilled lamb with zaatar, potato salad, purple cabbage slaw
1998 Ch. Gazin (Pomerol)
Pretty tight when decanted but after a while (90 minutes) was showing pretty well. Black plums, coffee, cedar. Nice balance of fruits and acids, though the tannins are a bit grittier than ideal. Still, with the lamb it worked well, and a good example of the strength of "98 RB. B+/A-

2015 JPBrun €œLe Rose dFolie€� Beaujolais
Strawberry, hint of sweetness, floral, pleasant and light. B

Skeeters were biting, so we moved indoors. Betsy made a raspberry tart, which dessert eaters enjoyed. Good Tuesday.

Wednesday was grilled squid salad and oyster mushrooms. Wine was the
2008 Feudi di San Gregorio Fiano di Avellino. This was a closeout bin wine, but showing reasonably fresh. Pit fruits, citrus. almonds, flowers. Moderate acids. Not very long. I think I prefer their Falanghina. B-

We also had the 2009 Schäfer-Fröhlich Medium-Dry Riesling (AP #14). Just a whispering hint of RS, very good acids, apple and melon with a gingery twist. B



Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. 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.