Springtime wines

It is getting warmer, the skies are getting bluer, and walking around Paris has become an exuberant thing, under the big, leafy trees. It's also time to sip chilled whites and fresh Loire reds. This weekend we had a few.

With the ongoing drama of having no gas in the house (see here for gory details), cooking is lighter and touch-and-go (salads, charcuterie, with every now and then an ambitious duck breast with pan sauce or something like that); wines are supple.

We opened a 2005 Domaine de Veilloux Cheverny rouge this weekend, which was quite delectable. A couple of years ago, it had been too extracted, closed like a fist. Now, still full-bodied, it was smooth drinking, and a curious cross between Burgundy and Loire tastes. After, a 2003 Breton Bourgueil Perrières was commanding, brooding and an exceptional wine that can clearly age; not marked by the heatwave year, other than in a kind of weight, it stopped conversation a few minutes at the table. A couple of snaps in the whites gave quick pleasure at different times of day as apéritifs - a 2006 Jacques Rouzé Quincy was a burst of white flowers, and a 2005 J.-M. Boillot Bourgogne blanc was round, with citrus and cake, and even better on the second day.

We also walked along the Canal Saint-Martin and stopped in at the once populaire, now refurbished and trendy Hôtel du Nord for a glass of southern white (talking too much, did not catch the name). And as night fell, sat out on the terrace of an Italian joint and shared a bottle of young 2006 Chianti Classico.

Alas, Monday is here, and the weather has descended into drizzle. All the better, I suppose, for getting more serious, turning back to work, and giving the corkscrew a rest.