Monday Betsy made chicken with shallots and madeira sauce, and we
opened the 2003 Guigal Cotes du Rhone. Hey, a 2003 that isn't flabby.
Nice raspberry and blackberry fruit, peppery, good acidity and
surprising tannins. With some air some underbrush (dare I say
garrigue?) showed through. Very good for a big production CdR. B/B+

Betsy was making Beef in Barolo for the following night, but it was
technically beef in Barbaresco. She started the marinade on Monday
night, and I substituted a cup of the CdR for a cup of the cooking
Barbaresco, and had a small glass both nights. The 1999 La Licenziana
Barbaresco seemed to have picked up a little weight (and tannins?) from
last bottle I tried, but still on the lighter side of Piemonte
Nebbiolo. At first the fruit seemed a bit dull and muddled, but it
showed better on Tuesday -clear cherry fruit with an overlay of tar and
hint of leather . Throwing a surprising amount of sediment for a 1999.
B, but good value ($10ish).

The actual Tuesday meal was the Brasato al Barolo, mashed potatoes, and
greens with apple and avocado. Besides the last bit of the cooking
Barbaresco, I served a 375 of the 1996 Abbona "Faset" Barbaresco-some
violet/floral notes on the nose, cherry and ripe berry fruit, some
clear but not unattractive or overpowering vanilla oak. This is a
fairly modern styled Barbaresco, but attractive and drinking well now.
B+/A-

Wednesday Betsy actually had another day off, and David was eating with
us (we can only sit down as a family couple times a week- 17 year olds
generally seem to regard dinner at home as a pain), so she tried to
cater to his tastes (I wasn't complaining!). More Judy Rodgers recipes-
duck with prunes in red wine sauce, baked polenta, and a reprise of the
kale with cheese & proscuitto over toast. I had a little of the cooking
wine, the
2003 Quinta de Cabriz (Dao)-soft and a little grapey, a hint of oak,
forgettable wine but not a bad deal, as it was like $6. B-

The cookbook suggested a Cahors, but not having one handy I opted for
Bordeaux, the 1993 Ch. Gloria (St. Julien). This was a recent gift from
a friend who remembered I said Gloria had a formative place in my
passion for wine. Luckily I didn't have high expectations, and my low
expectations were happily exceeded. Mature, with fully integrated
tannins and mature fruit. Actually maybe overmature, the red currant
fruit has lost a bit of vitality. But there are interesting
secondary/tertiary notes of cedar, leather, and forest floor. A little
short on the finish. Soft, not very big wine, a bit better than I
expected for a cru bourgeois from this vintage. 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.