Monday I grilled some lamb chops, while Betsy made mashed potatoes, spinach, &
salad. I was only having a small glass of wine with dinner, as I was picking up
friends from airport later. So opened a 375 of 1998 Ch. Dalem (Fronsac).
Pleasant dark berry merlot, but a touch muted - closed? Some slightly rough
tannins. After my trip to JFK, had another sip with some cheeses. A bit more
open, some leather with the blackberry & cassis fruit. Good, not great. There
was about 1.5 oz in the bottle, I recorked but didn't bother putting in fridge.
Tuesday I started to dump, then decided to taste. Some obvious oxidative
flavors, yet also nice nuances of cedar, saddle leather, and flowers in with
the still vigorous dark fruit. I've got a couple more of these, plus 1 750, not
planning on touching for a few more years. B now, potential for B++

Betsy needed some dry white wine for a bolognese-ish sauce, I opened the 2003
La Noble Chardonnay*Vin de Pays d'Aude. Pretty sure when I bought this cheapie
there was a shelf-hanger with a "great value" quote from Parker. Even at $7,
this was no deal. Overripe fruit, kind of canned fruit salad. There's an almost
cooked fruit note to this, but not like a cooked wine. C+

With the pasta, the 2001 Feudo Monaci Salice Salentino. Deep purple color, very
ripe black cherry fruit with a little chocolate and herbs. If this was a $20
wine with pretensions I'd be ragging on it as overripe and flabby, but for a $6
pasta wine this is a "go back and get some more. " I can deal with
fruit-forward for this price! Besides, it tastes of its place (as I imagine
Apulia). 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.
Dale

Dale Williams
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