WTN: Simple wine hits spot, film at 11 (Saumur-Ch)

Last night we had dinner on the patio, with David and a friend. Flank steak in an Asian marinade with zucchini (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.h ... sq=&st=nyt ) , Cambodian style corn, and a salad. Recipe was billed as a pairing for Malbec, but I wanted something lighter to serve cool, and opened the 2007 Filliatreau Saumur-Champigny (CSW called this the ""Printemps" bottling, but I didn't see that on label. though I didn't really search). One of those times where a simple not-very-complex wine just sails down the lane for a strike. Pretty light cherry and raspberry fruit, good but not screeching acids, just enough tannin for the beef but otherwise almost invisible. Fresh and juicy. A light spiciness to the wine blended well with the 5 spice and ginger in the marinade. Simple but just what was needed. B/B+ for the wine, but an A for the match,.

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.
 

I had a very similarly delicious 2007 Yannick Amirault St. Nicolas-de-Bourgueil La Source last night. With sea bass, as an emergency solution, because the lightly chilled bottle of Jurançon Cuvée Marie was corked; the pairing worked well. It looks as if the 2007 red Loires from good growers are better than many of us feared.

What's the "film at 11," Dale? I was expecting a late nite movie...

[David M. Bueker]

But are these really "simple" wines? They are hard-core geeky. They may be relatively inexpensive, but they are only simple if you live in France, less that 30 mins drive from the Loire river.

Tim, as always (for me) producer is first thing to look for, though vintage does matter.

Oswaldo, sorry no youtube.

David, this meets my criteria for simple, though simple can be quite good. It doesn't have any of the complexity or depth of Filliatreau's VV or Grande Vignolle. It's straightforward, clean, and all about fruits and acids. You do NOT need to think about it. It's also cheap, but that's not part of my criteria for simple (I wouldn't call Pepiere's Muscadet simple, I love it, and consider it fairly complex- I can think about it and find layers).