Chateau de Nages Reserve '06

Country: France
Thoughts: My wife and I had an interesting discussion about this wine. She thought it was yummy; I thought it was perfectly serviceable but left something to be desired. She told me what she liked, I told her what I liked. My problem, I said, was that there was precious little experience to the wine; it wasn't like any of the ones with an A grade. Her response was something like, "Well, of course not!" But the thing is, I grade all of these wines on the same scale. de Nages has its commendable qualities, but nothing that would cause me to seek it out. It's just fine for sipping on the deck on a comfortable summer night - as her and I did - but little more, in my opinion, can be said about it. At any rate, the particulars: the nose was quite reminiscent of a fruity pinot grigio, but the taste failed to impress. Sure, it was smooth and even and had that hint of pinot citrus, but the mouthfeel was a bit watery and the finish, while present, had a bit of a bite. Very middle of the road as far as I could tell.
Ingredients: 60 percent grenache blanc, 40 percent rousanne
Do-over? Eh
Final Grade: B-