Summer finds for evening fiends

As though there were no red wines for hot days and warm nights summertime is allegedly for fresh white wines and sparkling fruity wines like Moscato d’Asti. NOT. There are beefy and manly pinks and there are also Pinot Noir and Beaujolais that work in the 80s at 8:00. Sometimes you even find a 21 year old memory on your table in front of you. Here are several of da kine.
2007 M. Chapoutier Belleruche Cotes du Rhone $14: tBoW does not see pink wine from this mainline Rhone producer so we had to give it a try. Mostly Grenache and Syrah. Alcohol in the nose and mouth (level is a bit high for pink) but plenty of fruit. Reminds me of the 2006 St Andre. 13.5%
2006 Trenel Beaujolais $11: tBoW reviewed this almost a year and half ago so old habits must run deep. It is still a winner. An import from the mysterious Robert Chadderdon. Delicious Gamay fruit in excellent balance. Not showing much age 16 months down the line. Quite tasty. Serve with a slight chill. Works with all kinds of summer meals from burgers to pasta salad. Also excellent value. 12.5%

Giacomo Bologna Brachetto d’Acqui “Braida” $25: Looks like a Piemonte label because it is another one of those fizzy summer red sparklers from Barolo land. We got to know the style at the recent 100x summer tasting. This one is a bit more sophisticated than the Icardi which is not to say it is nay better, especially for another $8. Nevertheless, it is delightful. Strawberry pop with a bit more kick from the flavors, not the alcohol which is perfectly light beer level. Buy it instead of the $17 Icardi? Not likely but no regrets. 5.5%
Chateau Saint Pierre Cotes de Provence Tradition $14: tBoW recalls buying Freddie Cannon’s Palisades Park when he thought it was Johnny Horton’s Battle of New Orleans. Same serendipitous confusion here. Thought this was another St something from Provence. Wonderfully lean Ros√© with plenty of melon flavor and just enough spine to make it serious. Good value for a very light salmon color fine wine. Like Palisades Park; not a mistake at all. 13%

1988 Leoville Las Cases $33 (on release): Dotor√© pulled this Super Second Bordeaux from the recesses of his cellar. There are 5 first growth in Bordeaux, none from St Julie. Leoville Las Cases is the premier wine from that district. 21 years old and fresh as a daisy. Has the distinct Bordeaux pencil lead nose and dried cranberry flavors. Red brick color heavy on the red. Perfectly stored and in outstanding condition. The tBoW team realizes Cabernet Sauvignon is the lone varietal that can span continents in style and recognition. Not that Napa can produce a Cabernet Sauvignon exactly like this one BUT at least the chracteristics are distinctly similar. Wonderful wine. A midsummer treat on a Sunday evening outdoors. “11% to 13%” (per the label- how quaint)