A friend's husband was out of the country, so we invited her and her son for
dinner. Betsy made lamb chops, I opened the 2001 Clos L'Eglise (Côtes de
Castillon). Ripe and oaky, quite a pleasant Merlot fruit nose- black plum and
dark berry. I think a few years might let the oak integrate better. Nicely done
internationally-styled wine, but not really compelling. If I saw under $15 I
might get more, but think this is more in the $18-20 range. B

After a long day, Friday came home to Betsy's lemon chicken. I opened a
recently acquired bottle of the 2000 Lafarge "Raisins Dores" Bourgogne Aligoté.
I had quite liked the 2001 of this. I was in a store just looking around a few
weeks ago, spent some time talking to the manager. A nice guy, but I didn't
like much in his selection. I grabbed this as a token purchase. Last night when
I opened it, it seemed far older than the 2001 had recently. Not oxidized, just
had a flatness to it that was quite boring. Modest acidity, apple fruit, a hint
of honey on the finish. Not flawed, just dull. Unsure if it was vintage, if
aligoté truly needs to be drunk within year of release, or storage, but the
least appealing Lafarge (other than corked or obviously cooked bottles) I've
had. B-/C+

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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