2004 Duckhorn Napa Valley Merlot **

Medium body. Dark cocoa, raspberry liquor, and a little menthol. Pretty good stuff - drinking nicely right now.

NV Gaston Chiquet "Tradition" 1er Cru Brut Champagne **

A very light style bubbly, very fresh body, young and perky, with bright shiny acidity, not too much toast in the middle and a ticklish finish. Hard to resist, and why bother?

2005 Ridge Vineyards Santa Cruz Mountain Estate Cabernet/Merlot ***

Maybe it's because of all the cheap French wines we've been drinking this week, but I keep thinking about this Sta. Cruz Mtn. Estate 58% cabernet sauvignon and 42% merlot blend from Ridge Vineyards that we drank last week. This is no Monte Bello, but for a $30 bottle of meritage, this wine has it all. Mellow, woodsy (pine and earth, not "oak") not too sharp, dry, deepening with time, balanced with food, and yet it was a "place" wine - not at all generic. It's the third level wine from the Monte Bello winery, but it tastes like a deuxieme cru.

The Under $25 Crowd

Ugh. What a week. This is the problem with the "under $25/bottle case." You never know what you're going to get. Unfortunately, I haven't been as lucky as Eric Asimov finding quality cheap French wine at retail in NYC. That said, I hate to harp on bad wines . . . it's just not worth my time . . . . so merely to sum it all up, here's an overview of what we've been drinking.

2006 Eugene Carrel & Fils Rousette de Savoie "Altesse" gave me a headache. A *headache* - not a hangover, and trust me, by now I know the difference. Best for use in fondue.

1998 Chauveau Chinon Vieilles Vignes * Not bad. It's dark like Baudry, and has that earth cab franc grip, and there is some underlying fruit left, but this was just too tannic still, and considering my excitement about it, ultimately disappointing. (I made a little seared chicken liver with this, in a tablespoon of olive oil with diced garlic, onion, and pureed it in a mini-Cuisinart with dried parsley. Usually I'd pair something like that with Beaujolais, but the Chinon cut through it nicely, and saved the wine from complete obscurity.)

2007 Dom. Corsin Macon-Villages 2007 * Bright acidity and citrus. This is Burgundy-cum-New-Zealand white wine. Better day two. Too expensive ($17) to serve at a dinner party. Disappointing.

2006 Hugel Alsace (Gewurztraminer) Interesting gewurz aromas, but there was a muddy quality in the mouth . . . not quite dish soapy, but not quite clean, rich, savory or sweet, either. Another ultimately disappointing wine.

To end on a high note, though, I asked Julie to stop at Oak & Steel for a bottle of sparkly from Terry Theise for tonight. Let's hope she picks out something delicious.

2006 Dom. Diochon Moulin-a-Vent Cuvee Vieilles Vignes**

Moulin-a-Vent means 'windmill' in French and is one of the most famous of the Beaujolais Crus. According to Wine-Searcher.com, "Of all the wines produced in the Beaujolais region, wines from this area are expected to last the longest, taste the most concentrated and are, therefore, the least typical of the area." Oz Clarke wrote that Mouin-a-Vent is good and rich and will develop for 10 years.

To me, this was a shocking Beaujolias. Although 100% gamay, it is thicker than many Burgundies. A little bubblegum on the nose ... There is good texture in the mouth, an earthy quality, but the overall impression here is floral, like a rich English garden in bloom. One of the best Beaujolais I've tasted. Check out the review at Wine Library.

Ch. Suduiraut Sauternes **

At dinner the other night we had the good fortune to sample a 1975 Chateau Suduiraut. Almost amber in color, with honey, figs, and mild apple scents on the nose. Light on the palate, not too heavy, with decent structure, this reminded me a little of an old Tokai. With a cheese plate, this was an excellent dessert.

2006 Champalou Vouvray *

Yellow gold color. Nicely grassy, with apple and a little oak. This for drinking now.

2005 Dom. Meo Camuzet Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Nuits **

The full name of this wine is Domaine Meo Camuzet Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Nuits A.C. Clos Saint Philibert Monopole ** medium bodied with light citrus notes and nice ripe fruit without being too forward. For a mere appellation blend, this was gorgeous - perhaps just more evidence of the brilliance of the 2005 vintage?

2005 Scholium Project Satrapies of the East *

I've seen the Scholium Project's wines around for about a year but I never picked one up. In response to recent press about the project, though, I decided to give them a try. About the only thing I can say with any certainty about the Scholium Project is that they've been getting a lot of press recently. And the wine?

The 2005 Satrapies of the East is dry, a little hot, and tastes like fruity urgency. The acidity kicks in right away, striking under the tongue. It's too thin at first, but it deepens as it breathes and the wine rounds out with a couple hours of air.

In the end though, for a $50 bottle cabernet blend, this is at best an interesting wine. That said, I'm going to check out a couple more of their wines. 

2006 Ridge Vineyards ATP York Creek ** and ATP Paso Robles Zinfandels *

I've decided to list these two Ridge zins together, but they really couldn't be more diverse.

The 2006 Paso Robles * from Benito Dusi's Ranch, 100% zinfandel from old old vines, is actually a light bodied, mild-mannered 14.6% alcohol (if such a thing exists) showing nicely ripe red fruit and not too much heat.  It's much better than last year's, but I can't quite see the difference between this and the ATP Dusi Ranch, which is a less interesting wine.

On the other hand, the York Creek ** is a perennial winner. It's deep ... it's got viscosity, grip, and dry fruit. The tannins aren't thick, and they're not sweet, but they don't pucker. It's a table wine, for rich dinners.

2006 Ridge Vineyards Geyserville **

So I've been drinking a lot of Ridge Vineyards recently, and frankly, it's starting to get a little difficult to tell one zin from the next. But there are differences, subtle, but they're there.  This Geyserville was nice, although if I had to make a choice, I mean if I was really forced to make a choice between these two, I'd opt for the Lytton Springs this year, but that;s not saying much, and only because the Lytton Springs had just a little more depth.  Anyway, this Geyserville, from 70% zinfandel, 18% carignane, 10% petite sirah, and 2% mataro, is not without complexity.  Strawberry notes, river-silky texture, and good underlying acidity, the 2006 Geyserville will be drinking for a decade.

NV A. Margaine 1er Cru a Villers-Marmery Champagne *

There's very little about A. Margaine online. From Villers-Marmery, yet another Terry Theise Estate Selection (this one purchased from Chambers Street Wines) and imported by Skurnik.

To me....this was a Hollywood production of Champagne: Wild bodied, in your face a punch in the nose texture right from the start. Pulls no punches. (Add additional cliche here.) Yes, well, this was a little too sparkly for my taste, because the texture really punched out the fruit, which was light and the wine was nicely extracted, but this has not come together yet. Disgorged in January 2008, it may just need a little more time, so if you have a bottle, I'd store this for 6-12 months someplace nice and cool and dark, because it should be excellent then, and if you've got an older disgorgement around, try it and let me know what you think.

2006 Ridge Vineyards Lytton Springs ***

Opened as an afterthought three days ago and stuck at the bottom of the fridge afterwards, we opened this back up last night to accompany grass-fed shell steaks - doused with Juliana's coveted parsley-garlic sauce - and freedom fries.  Yes, *that* Juliana: non-drinker of zinfandel, who demanded I give this wine "3 stars."

Well, she's right, considering it didn't last long at the table.  80% zinfandel, 16% petite sirah, and 4% carignane, a 14.7% alcohol baby-zin from Ridge's Lytton Springs estate vineyard in Sonoma.   Well balanced, it will reward some time in the cellar.  Smoky, with sweet boysenberry on the finish, the fruit's not going anywhere fast.  This is nicely restrained and proves that zinfandel - when done properly - deserves a spot at the dinner table.

2006 Ridge Vineyards Zinfandel East Bench **

"[F]rom (eight year old) vines on the benchland that separates Dry Creek and Alexander Valleys," this is just still tight as a nun's asshole in winter.  Oops, did I say that?  100% Sonoma County zinfandel, bright and sparkling on attack, with hot red fruit, 14.9% alcohol, and kiss those panties goodnight.  Better by day 2.  Forget this for a couple years; it's not for the weak hearted...but then again, tell me about a zinfandel that is?