2001 Labouré-Roi Meursault Clos des Bouches Cheres–Tasted 2/20/2012. Retail ~$35.  I paid $21. I last had one of these (a chardonnay from Burgundy) a few years ago and I figured I better check in and see how it was doing.  I had a bad white Burgundy several weeks ago causing me to become paranoid that they had all gone bad.  The color was a little darker than the previous bottle and the nose was a bit more muted than the last time. Still a nice bottle, though.  Bright Meursault nose, some lemon peel and vanilla. On the palate, tart and bright–acidity well balanced with a hint of the lemon coming through the minerality.  I have one left that will need to be popped soon. Very good. 88 points.  A nice pairing with the Chicken with Mushrooms and Crème Fraiche.

2005 Domaine de la Petite Mairie Bourgueil Cuvée Ronsard–Tasted 2/21/2012.  Retail ~$18.  I paid $10.  Bourgueil (located just across the river from its perhaps more famous neighbor, Chinon) is a red wine from the Loire Valley in France and is 100% cabernet franc.  Popped and poured. Note to self: I should decant the next one. There was a little funk and heat on the nose with a bit of pepper and spice. Not much fruit, however. On the palate it was a bit austere with some raspberry sneaking through. Some noticeable tannins on the backend with a medium to short finish. Very good. 87 points.  Perhaps a little more than we needed for the leftovers, but I love cab franc from the Loire.

N.V. Domaine St. Vincent Brut–Tasted 2/22/2012. Retail ~$10.  I paid $11.50 with Wired for Wine.  This is a second wine from Gruet, a French Champagne house that opened a winery in New Mexico.  As you’ll notice, I paid more than average retail for this wine.  I hate doing that.  So why did I, you ask?  Well, it is not because I just love the wine and it is impossible to find–actually, it is rather insipid as sparkling wine goes and we used it to make Kir Royales*.  No, I was bamboozeled a bit by an online retailer who advertised this as Gruet (of which I am a big fan).  So yes, I am a little bitter.  Being the Wine Snob Guy that I am, I would not be caught drinking this ‘straight up’, but this does make a decent Kir Royale.  77 points on its own.  Had this as an aperitif before I made Trofie con Funghi.

* A Kir is a cocktail ‘invented’ by a former mayor of the city of Beaune, France in Burgundy (and has a Lake Kir just on the outskirts of town).  It is traditionally made with a bit of Crème de Cassis (blackcurrant liquor) in a glass of highly acidic white wine (traditionally, Aligoté was used, but you can use a crisp sauvignon blanc if you want to play along at home).  Now, you can get just about any flavor of Kir: peach, mint, strawberry, etc.  A Kir Royaleis the same idea using sparkling wine (and traditionally with Chambord [raspberry] liquor).

2007 Pierre Sparr Alsace One–Tasted 2/23/2012. Retail ~$12.  I paid $5 at the PLCB.  Alsace One is a blend of all the wine varieties in Alsace: riesling, gewürztraminer, pinot gris,  pinot blanc, and sylvaner.  Screw top. Bone dry. Floral notes on the nose. On the palate, lively and full. While this is certainly not a very complicated or complex wine, it is a pleasant quaff and checks off most of the boxes.  Good to very good. 85 points.  A good, but not great pairing with the Teriyaki Chicken dish that my wife made (and which the kids call “chicken on a stick”).

N.V. Bruno Paillard Champagne Rosé Brut Première Cuvée–From 375. Tasted 2/24/2012.  Retail ~$30.  I paid ~$22.  Chilled for 25 minutes in the freezer. Got it to the restaurant and the cork took quite a bit of coaxing to get out. When it finally ‘popped’, there was but an ever so slight sigh–even a whimper. I was worried. The color was a very pale salmon at best (a little more worried), and the nose had hints of age (full-on worried). There was also fruit, however, mostly a touch of over-ripe strawberry and caramel. A slight sparkle rose gently, teasing me a bit. My wife was still in the back with the little one, so I took advantage: big pour, big gulp. Wow and… Well. I loved it, but this is not a champagne for the faint of heart–some fruit, but muted by the slightly oxidized sense of age. I bought a few of these a couple years ago, but clearly they had already had a several years on them. Admittedly, my wife was not much of a fan–she let me finish the bottle (bonus!)–but this was right in my wheelhouse. An aged champagne with a bit of fruit and a ton of character–I could not ask for more.  Outstanding.  92 points.  Took this to Hickory Lane to celebrate a bit of good news.

2000 Louis Jadot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Clos de la Chapelle Domaine du Duc de Magenta Rouge–Tasted 2/24/2012.  Retail $35?  I paid $15.  Certainly a very long name and a pretty good pinot noir from Burgundy.  Popped and poured. The nose was fine (not flawed), but unremarkable. A hint of fruit, a touch of heat, and a bit of Burgundian funk. On the palate on the first swig, it was quite austere and even a bit disjointed. WIth each successive slug, though, it got better and better. By the end, an excellent Burg.  Very good.  89 points.  I had this with the pork tenderloin dish at Hickory Lane–paired very nicely.

Reviews of Wines Tasted 2/25/2012 (Open That Bottle Night) Can Be Seen HERE.

1993 Ridge Zinfandel Pagani Ranch–Tasted 2/26/2012.  Retail ~$30.  I paid $5 in a private sale.  This is a bottle that I got from a guy who sold off his entire collection after he was diagnosed with a health problem that made drinking wine out of the question (talk about a major bummer).  A buddy and I bought all that he had left for a fixed price which worked out to about $5 a bottle.  A lot of old cabs and a few of these older Ridge Zins.  This wine still had tons of fruit and nice balance. Not much left on the back end (the tannins seem to be completely integrated), but a very pleasant wine that went very nicely with the filet mignon that I fired up on the grill. Very Good. 89 points.