Went to sister-in-laws for an Easter party today, lots of friends there, lots of good food - strata, paella, salmon were just a few things I tried- we carried pickled shrimp, plus that old Easter classic "gefilte boats" (we put some g-fish in endive leaves and topped with horseradish- creative leftovers!).
I carried a couple open bottles, the 2007 JP Brun (Terres Dorees) Cote de Brouilly was showing quite well on day 2, didn't try the Macon. But I also carried the 2001 Sella Lessona (remembering Florida Jim's recent note) I was a little worried that this was aging quite fast based on last bottle (which had a light but persistent pruney edge), but this was quite fresh. Floral (violet) nose with red cherries, ont he palate fresh and bright with solid red fruit. Nice balance, nice length, earth and mushrooms over the cherries. Really tasty, and I barely got a second pour. A-/B+
I missed out on a Allegrini P.d.Torre (that several people really liked) and a Chianti, and had a not very good Douro red that I neglected to remember name of. But the 2006 Pitch Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley) was a bit on the sweet and fruit forward side, plums and a bit of vanilla, but there's a bit of structure there and assuming this isn't expensive it's not bad. B-
This was not a party for whites. I first tried the 2006 Lindemans "Bin 70" Chardonnay Riesling. Chardonnay Riesling? You know the Labradoodle is supposed to have the best features of the Labrador and the Poodle, with non-allergenic coat and sharp intelligence combined with an amiable manner and easy training. But what if it went the other way, and one got a shedding dog that was more high maintenance/nervous? I think Lindemans got the worst of both with this mix. Low-acid, blowsy, unprecise, short, with a peculiar vinyl note and not fun at all. C-
Not much better was the oak-chippy 2007 Alice White Chardonnay, a sweet and short white, actually fairly similar, trades the vinyl for vanilla and actually seems to have better acidic balance than the one with Riesling! C/C+
Nice party, in any case
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.