Little burnt houses for you and me

Augé “Domaine des Maisons Brulées” Vin de Table Français “Le Herdeleau” (Loire) – Pinot noir and gamay, bringing the qualities of each to the fore: the brighter, racier red fruit of the latter with a deeper, blue-black berry (in comparison, that is) from the pinot. It’s sort of like a well-behaved older brother and a fidgety younger brother managing to coexist peacefully for a time. Nicely balanced, perhaps ageable, but I don’t have much experience with these sorts of things. It’s better than any Passetoutgrains I’ve tasted, though I admit I haven’t done extensive research in that category. (6/08)