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TN: fat Arneis, clbutty Poyferre, and a Spanish PN Sunday we went to lunch at the home of our friends Marc & Annabelle. Lovely meal, with seared duck breast, mashed potatoes-celeriac, and berries, and herbs. Some mocha notes after a while. Nice clean cbuttis fruit, surprisingly lively acidity, and apparent but ripe tannins. Clbuttic St. Julien balance. I've reconsidered my opinion of Left Bank '98s because of a few wines like this and its neighbor Barton- certainly a vintage to try before buying, but some real overachievers out there. Needs time, though surprisingly drinkable now. A- He also served the 1996 Torres Mas Boras Pinot Noir (sorry I didn't note region of Spain). My first Spanish PN in memory. Cherry fruit and a bit of earth, light cedary notes. Light to medium bodied. Seems a little tired, but ok. B Last was the 2001 Jaboulet "Les Jalets" Crozes-Hermitage. Jaboulet's second-rank Crozes. Lighter style Syrah, some blackberry fruit with a touch of leather. Better than my previous try of the 2001, but that's not surprising - Jaboulet in general, and this wine in particular, seem to be the poster child for bottle variation- no 2 seem alike. This is no blockbuster, but not insipid like previous taste. Give this a B-B- Over a few nights, culminating with some puttanesca & pasta last night, the 2003 Ceretto Blange Arneis. Sweet pear juice (reminded me of those canned pears), low-acidity bordering on flabby. While the Giacosa is my go-to Arneis, the Ceretto is usually pretty good. Chalk one up for hot vintage over producer. C+-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
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