Betsy wanted to make something for a friend Friday so did a double recipe o f chicken with shallots. She used up some Trimbach PG, plus most of a bottl e of 2012 Sartarelli Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico. White fruits , apple blossom, other floral notes, nice acidic balance, quite happy as an inexpensive cooking wine. B-/B
Dinner wine was the 1999 G. Castagnier Clos St Denis. LIght for Grand Cru, but a pleasant focused wine. Black cherry, earth, a nice ferric mineral not e. I liked this a lot, but blind might have guessed a very nice village or lesser 1er Chambolle or Vosne. B+
Saturday I made a run to farmer's market, Betsy made a great dinner of John Dory,snow peas, rice, and claytonia (miner's lettuce). A bottle of 2011 Tr emblay Chablis VV was corked, the replacement was 2006 Jean-Noël Gagnard "Morgeot" Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru. Ripe yellow fruits, approaching ove rripe, needs more acid. B-/C+
Local market had gotten some prime beef in for holidays, Sunday between rai nstorms I grilled a ribeye abd some king oyster mushrooms, sauteed green be ans in goose fat, and made an Asian accented slaw. By time Betsy got back f rom city dinner was ready and I had decanted the 1998 Beausejour-Becot (St. Emilion) .Midbodied, some tannin, black plums with cedar, mushrooms, mocha . Moderate acids, good but not great length. Considering vintage a slight d isappointment, though I liked it well enough. B/B+
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a p arty where it was only choice.Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivi ty, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.