We Poached some salmon last night and tried to pair it with a French red, to varying degrees of success.

First up: Domaine Faiveley Mercurey Domaine De La Croix Jacquelet, 2004

Pinot Noir. Very pale ruby color. Shy nose -almost nonexistent. Clearly something wrong on the palate - very very thin and acidic. Fiercely so -and bitter -especially on the finish. Undrinkable upon pouring, I decanted to see what would happen after a few hours. Nope. This wine was either flawed in some way, or is simply an unsuccessful effort. Disappointing.

Next: Michel Tête (domaine du Clos du Fief) Juliénas Vieilles Vignes 2006

Gamay. Better - Richer ruby color and a huge amount of strawberries wafting from the glass. A definite balsamic note coming through, along with a little clove, violet, and pencil shavings. Lean, with a strong acidic lift and ripe fruit - but missing a little something in the middle. It did fatten up with air-time and thus was much easier to enjoy with the fish. Thumbs up, and clearer the stronger wine of the two, but I almost wish I would’ve waited on this bottle.

~$14US, 100% Gamay Noir, Chenas, Cru Beaujolais, France

Ruby color. Pencils and crayons and cherries. Zesty acidity but a lovely round ripeness to the fruit. Complexity via herbal notes in the finish - sage and thyme, with a little woody asparagus. Medium bodied an edge of firm tannins to close the deal. A very fine Chenas with at least  2 more years of upside potential.

We tasted and enjoyed a bunch of French wines over the last week/weekend. It’s hard to pick a favorite; they all tasted great, but the Bougogne Blanc and the Beaujolais Village were the most distinctive and fun to drink.

Domaine Patrick Javillier, Bourgogne Blanc, ‘Cuvee des Forgets’, 2002: Beautiful soft lemon-drop core with long mineral-driven finish. Slight nuttyness. Sexy. Great with cheese and creamy sauces.

Terres Dorees, L’ancien Beaujolais Village, Vieilles Vignes, 2007: Fresh strawberries and bramble patch with a smokey, meaty midpalate. Tons of white pepper. Remains light-medium bodied, but bursting with fruit. Tight acidity and some tar on the back-and. Fabulous value and a controversial wine - I’d be scared to if I had to compete with village Beaujolais like this. Salmon or pork on the grill.

Château Picque-Caillou, Pessac-Leognan, 2005: Warm cedar, cherries and tobacco. Rich. Totally distinctive and almost renegade, with structure to carry it into the 2020s. With smoked duck, or bacon-wrapped fillets.

Jean-Luc Colombo, Cotes-du-Rhone Blanc, ‘La Redonne’ 2006: Bananas and peaches on the nose. Very well-balanced with enough acidity to keep it from the syrupy hot mess Viogniers sometimes go. Totally tropical on the palate and medium weight. A very solid summertime white, begging for grilled shrimp or steamed lobster.

François Pinon, Vouvray, ‘Cuvee Tradition’ 2006: In a dry style, but not overly lean. Finessed and elegant with pineapple, dried flowers and a gorgeous leesy-cheesy component on the nose. Poised but altogether light-hearted. With cheese or as an aperitif.

~$22US, 100% Gamay, Fleurie, Cru Beaujolais

This summer’s Beaujolais adventure takes me to Fleurie, one of the 10 Crus in the region known for it’s eponymous floral aspects. This is my first 2006, which I understand to be a textbook year in Beaujolais, yielding characterful and focused wines.

Bright ruby color with the slightest yellow and magenta hues at the rim. There is a cool haze, which I attribute to the importer ’s (Kermit Lynch) appreciable insistence on non-filtering for purity. Very aromatic nose - strawberries and violets go on and on - very clear and definite. The palate is soft and sweet on entry and moves into a cranberry tartness which is just mouthwatering. Pencil-box flavors come into focus for a moment and more flowers and spice hit toward the finish - something like a sandalwood soap (?) - but cranberries and strawberries really persist. The lightest dusting of tannins finish it out. Can I say strawberries again? Right off the vine.

Pure and vibrant - walking the line between elegance and opulence. Without question, the palate here rivals that of a fine Pinot Noir - but it’s lighter and a little higher-pitched. It lights up with food (light-medium bodied fare) - Poached salmon? all day long. Turkey sandwich? brilliant. Light pasta? no prob. It’s drinking so well now, I don’t have the patience to wait to see how it evolves - the purity of fruit here is really the key - but will probably show other dimensions in the next 3 years. Excellent wine. A sleeper.

Update: I Vac’d ~300ml in half-bottle and popped it 24 hours later. Better integration and lusher  - with the fruit was as vibrant as ever. Even better - You could really confound folks in a blind tasting w/ this and some old and new-world Pinots.

~$17US, 100% Gamay, Cote de Brouilly, Cru Beaujolais, France

Delicate floral nose. High-toned palate, with pure and light cherry flavors supported by a tremendous acidic backbone. Graphite and lavender. Fattened up nicely with air, making me feel that this could live a few more years in the cellar. A perfect pairing with goat cheese, and one of those rare red-wines to enjoy with fish. Love the old-school label.