TN: 2 Barbaresco, 1 CdR, 1 Dao, 1 St. Julien

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 subsbreastuted a cup of the CdR for a cup of the cooking Barbaresco, and had a small glbutt 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 pbuttion 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.