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.

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.

We enjoyed a good sampling of American wines with dinner and dessert - with the  Meredith Lagier coming out on top.
A premier-cru burgundy the next day disappointed in it’s simplicity.

Ridge, Santa Cruz Chardonnay 2004: Phenolic, fresh, restrained oak, green apples. Unremarkable.

Lagier Meredith, Mt. Veeder Syrah 2003: Perfumed, violets, and lavender, elegant medium-bodied, refined acidity and tannins. Lovely.

Rosenblum, Rhodes Vineyard Petit Sirah 2005: Rich and viscous. Maple syrup on ripe berry waffles, with black pepper and cinnamon. Decadent - almost dessert style.

Bouchard, Beaune du Chateau 2002: Red cherry, black olives. Strange raw “fowlish” aromas. Brisk acidity. Young and simple at this point.