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TN: 4th of July Wines and an OT Weinerfest For the 4th we had a variety of friends over. We made some marinated London broil, grilled veggies (sweet potatoes, squash, etc), mango salsa, and a few other things. Friends brought a variety of salads and desserts. We had a Frankfurter Challenge (see below if interested), where the Hebrew National edged a local weiner from a farmer's market (they were well-ahead of other contenders). The petanque game never started, though the badminton progressed well. We didn't have red, white and blue wines, but we did manage red, white,and pink: Red: 2004 Andre Ich=E9 "Les H=E9r=E9tiques" (VdP de l'H=E9rault) My first try of the 2004. Juicy, sweet fruit with some lavender and Italian herb notes. Easy to drink and fun, quite the deal at about $7.B-B+ 2003 Clos Roche Blanche Cabernet (Touraine) Dark plum fruit, some light herb notes. Reasonable and ready to go, but no need to search for. B 2001 Havens Bourriquot (Napa) Fittingly on July 4th an American wine is my favorite of the day. Big young wine that needs time for the ripe tannins and spicy-toasty oak to integrate. But lovely balance and purity of flavors, long finish, great potential. A-A- 2001 Jadot Beaujolais-Villages I find this much better than I expected. Good acidity, clean cherry fruit, somewhat light but so what. Decent finish. B-B+ 2002 Clos del Mas (Priorat) Oakchippy and with some green tannins, very soft and round. Seems somewhat extracted, yet has short finish and is just not for me. C 2002 Escudo Rojo (Chile) This also is a bit oaky, but the fruit is better balanced and the finish clean. Decent. B 1999 La Fleur du Bouard (Lalande de Pomerol) Deep rich lush fruit, some graphite and flowers over the bed of deep black fruits. The oak is still a bit unintegrated, this could use another 1-2 years IMHO but is pretty good now. Ripe tannins, long finish. A- 2001 Domaine des Relagnes C=F4tes du Rh=F4ne Vieilles Vignes Pleasant straightforward CdR, some ripe red fruit and Provencal herbs. There's some light but gritty tannins in the back that bother me a little, I might try holding my remaining bottle(s) a couple years and hope the fruit holds out. B White: 2004 Domaine de la Pepiere Muscadet Is there anything left to say about this? My favorite under$10 wine of the summer to date. A- (solid A+ for value) 2003 Hawk's Crest Chardonnay (second label of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars) Light-bodied Chardonnay, a touch of butter on some modest pear fruit. A bit soft and maybe a touch-offdry, but ok. B-B- Pink: 2004 Domaine de Chevalier Ros=E9 Another ros=E9 from a prestigious Bordeaux estate. This is simple fruit juice, like the Monbousquet it leaves me cold. C+ 2002 Reserve de Vignerons Cabernet de Saumur Pleasant enough co-op ros=E9, light strawberry fruit over some floral accents. A little short on the finish, and maybe a bit tired. B- 2004 Robert Sinskey Vin de Gris de Pinot Noir (Napa) Strawberries, peaches, and honeysuckle on the nose, nicely crisp yet plenty of fruit. Best ros=E9 of the day (I had a bottle of Il Mimo out, but it eventually traveled to the house where we watched fireworks and I never tasted). B+-A- Afterwards we went to watch fireworks over the Hudson. Nice Independence Day. 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
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