Yippee, summer's here, and with it concerts in the park by the river. Betsy, David and I packed a picnic, headed to river, met friends, listened to Brazilian jazz, and enjoyed a gorgeous evening last night.
With some assorted salumi and a "summer bagna cauda" (from a touching article in NYT mag couple weeks ago. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/22/magaz ... f=magazine) the 2006 Ceci " La Luna" Lambrusco. From what I gathered from little Italian booklet, this is bio-dynamic Lambrusco.
I need no translation to know it's my style of Lambrusco. Dense color, frothy bubbles, grapey and floral. Raspberries and plums, some earth. Has that lambrusco bitter-sweet finish. Sometimes people are taken aback by bubbly reds,.but this is a hit with all who taste. B+, A for its class.
With a seafood salad (I had grilled the squid, Betsy handled the clams and mussels) and an orzo/feta salad, the 2006 El Perro Verde (Rueda). Well, it's a better match for seafood salad than the bubbly red, but that's about as far as I'll go. Nothing offensive, but a little light, a little thin, a little short. Basic grapefruit citrus flavors, a little grass. Probably better by itself icecold when really hot out. B-/C+
While bouncing around crowd I run into Fred. He tries the Ceci, and pours me the 2006 Clos Roche Blanche Gamay (Touraine). I immediately get the floral/herby thing I call "potted plant" , ubiquitous to me in Loire Gamay, but it is background and not dominant. Good acidity, clean fruit, nice lithe structure. That potted plant thing keeps me from loving this, but I like more than previous tasting. B
Great night: beautiful weather, sunset over the Palisades, friends, the woman I love, yippee.
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.