Bila Haut - Cotes du Rousillon Villages - M Chapoutier

Late August, the hot weather is fading and it is finally time to dig back into the deeper, darker reds I love so much. (Mrs. Vino has been stuck on Pinot's and I've been stuck on my Roses all summer.) My daughter selected steak for tonights dinner and my mind immediately thought, "great, I can dig into something that has been sitting (aging) in the basement (cellar) all summer. I had picked this one up at a Julio's 25% off sale, and the Wine Spectator 90 point rating caught my eye. "GSM" (Grenache, Syrah, Mouvedre) is a common blend that I like, but this wine substitues Carrigan for the "M". Mrs. Vino loves it and so do I. The wine was perfect with the grilled steak. In trying to describe this wine I'm reminded of the book I'm currently reading - "Judgement Day in Paris" which quotes a famous UC Davis professor who said, "Quality in wine is much easier to recognize than define." Amen. Words for this blog to live by. This wine is big and bold with great tannins and a bit of spice! It is around a $15 wine. Gr3at value for a wine in the top 100 from the WS. Look for it! (A very nice description of the full wine is linked)

B & G Vouvray

I had read that Vouvray was a match for lobster, so I gave this B & G a whirl while relaxing with the family (minus Mrs. Vino who is with her family) at my folks place just off the Maine coast. Early August is a time for soft shell lobsters which are a nice contrast to the hard shell variety you find in the spring. I certainly don't want to digress into the whole hard/soft shell debate in this space, so here we go with the Vouvray. Vouvray is made in the Loire Valley of France from the Chenin Blanc grape. The B&G had a bit of peachy sweetness and a similarly peachy texture. If you had told me I was drinking a Riesling I would have believed it. The wines flavors blended well with the melted butter I was dipping my lobster into. I will not hesitate to try another Vouvray with my lobster, but may try a different maker next time - as this was just a bit sweet for me and difficult to drink on its own once I was done eating.