Labor Day Weekend Wines: The Good, the Bad, and the downright FUGLY

WINE TALK
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I spent Labor Day weekend in sunny La Jolla, where I discovered how much the landscape looks like the South of France/Europe. This could explain all the French and Italian families I saw parading around. We had a few nice dinners thanks to the fresh produce at Seaside Market, where I found most of the wines I drank this weekend.

The Good:
NV Roger Pouillon Rose Champagne
Lovely color, very intriguing nose of pink flowers, raspberries, strawberries and kir, but all meshing well together to form a lovely bouquet. The palate was similar, with a creamy note that was balanced by crunchy acidity and a medium-length finish. Delicious to drink while sitting outside in the sun. BTW, this is a 100% Pinot Noir Rose Champagne.

The Bad:
2006 Alex Gambal Bourgogne Cuvee les Deux Papis
On the nose this had a slight confectionary note, reminding me of CA Pinot Noir-light. There was an earthy note to it too, but everything was slightly out of whack. It was very simple and just not interesting. For $30, I expect MUCH more. I mean, Raphet’s 2006 Bourgogne Rouge blows this out of the water for $10 LESS. In fact, this might be one of the first 2006 Burgundies that I really did not like.

The FUGLY:
2007 Sonnet Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
Note: this was served at a wedding reception, so I was pretty sure it would be awful. I was right.
This is Pinot Noir? Heck, this is wine? What’s that yellow rim at the edge of my wine? Has someone peed in my glass? After a first sniff, I wondered if I really should put this in my mouth. My admittedly Francophile palate might just go on strike if this tastes as bad as it smelled. Whoops. I should have trusted my first instinct: like the nose, this is burnt, candied fruit, that fades quickly, only to be replaced by a small whallop of burnt oak, which also falls away quickly, leaving behind nothing but tart, fakely fruity acidity and tannins. Talk about disjointed and clumsy. Ugh. [barf.gif]

Luckily, I had 2 bottles of the Champagne to make up for those awful reds. And the weather, the people, and the coastline compensated for any bad wines.
Cheers! [cheers.gif]