Summer's Lees (hath all too short a date)

Sitting in damp autumnal Vancouver it might be a good moment to look back at the wines of the summer. Already the hot July days of the annual pilgrimmage to South West France are receeding into hazy memory. But not the whites we tasted, some of which stand out as highlights of the year's imbibing. First, the trip to Bordeaux's Vinoteque - surely one of the great wine shops of the world. A mixed case of good white wine was selected - to accompany the sardines and les huitres, the favoured staples of summer dejeaner sur l'herbe. And a few reds for later in the day to usher in the cheese.

Chateau Doisy Daene 2002 was the first choice. A family favourite over many a summer, but (like the eponymous swan) was a shadow of its former self. Pierre Dubordieu, a legendary winemaker, (held by my parents in appropriately named proximity to God) has retired, it seems, and his son Dennis does not have the magic touch. Famed for his Barsac/Sauternes, Doisy Daene Sec used to be an extraordinarily complex and fragrant white with all the Semillion flavour coming through and balancing the acidity of the Sauvignon Blanc. But not any more. This, alas, was nearer to a straight Entre-De-Mers than an extremely good value white Pessac.

Clos Floridene 2003, a white Graves from the stable of the Dubordieus as well, was also a much lesser whine then before. Much pricier than the Doisy Daene you have a right to expect a serious wine, layered and refined. Again (in the hands of le fils Denis) it has flattened out into something standard and unexceptional.

However, La Tour Martilliac 2005 did not disappoint. All the hallmarks of a complex Pessac - a slightly gravel taste and almost a petrol quality but also the strong fruit and the delicate balance. A lovely lingering finish. The perfect lunch time bottle and still remembered by Tawny as part of a near illicit afternoon's pleasure in Bordeaux. Better than the 2001 white Pessac from the Lurton brothers (leading 'negotiants' much reviled by my parents for their zealous commerciality) as La Tour de la Louviere was one dimensional compared to the Martillac

But another old family favourite, Chateau Le Portail Rouge 2004 - an excellent value Loupiac - was still the gateway to fine drinking. Tawney was even prevailed upon to accompany the bottle with one of her signature dishes - tarte au citron. Truly a marriage made in heaven (the wine and dessert that is, of course). Loupiac provides great value in desert wine - often less than half the price of a good Sauternes but its near equal in quality.'

And now we move to the cheese stage. A very pleasant St Julien (perhaps my favourite appelation of all), Chateau Gloria 2003. A cru bourgeois so nothing excessively pricey it was warm, robust, earthy and had enough strength to linger well into the evening. It put to shame the rather thin Chateau Reynon 2003 a red Graves from Vielles Vignes by that now mistrusted figure of Denis Dubordieu who it seems it exerting a kind of reverse alchemy. Also worth of a mention in dispatches is Chateau Maucaillou 2004 a Moulis-en-Medoc which I've always found excellent value and a very well structured, well made wine.

And so, mes amis, we come to the end of our lengthy repas d'ete. Fall in North America has its compensations. Pumpkin pie and Halloween. Or the release of the 2004 Bordeaux vintage. Take your pick. Mine is a mixed case.