Tues I flew to Atlanta, Betsy and Lucy the hound joined me at my
> parents (Betsy had driven via NC, where she had trio rehearsals) that
> evening. No wine that night, but last night my brother came over for
> dad's beef tenderloin, with stuffed potatoes, salad and asparagus. >
> My sister in law likes big Chardonnay, so I had put the 2006 Hartford
> Court "Stone Cote" Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast) in Betsy's car. This is
> one big white (you could drink with steak), with Anjou pear and
> tropical fruit flavors, lots of oak, good dose of butter. I can
> appreciate the skill, but not a style that does much for me. But a
> glass as an apertif was interesting. B- for me as an apertif, probably
> would be a C as a dinner accompaniment, A- if you are looking for that > style.
>
> My dinner wine was the 2006 Qupe Syrah (Central Coast), picked up for
> $19 at Harry's in Alpharetta. Quite a pleasant light to medium bodied
> Syrah, fresh red fruit with some black pepper and a hint of grilled
> meats. Good acidity, light tannins, not especially long but for under
> $20 in an overpriced market I was pretty happy. I was a little
> surprised my brother also liked, as I think of him liking real
> bruisers. B+/B
>
> Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
> wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't
> drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no
> promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.
I personally hated the Hartford Court as it was brought by friends for a dinner of striped bass. It was mediocre as an apertif and did not match the food. My rating would have been Dale scale C.