Saturday was a quiet family dinner of mostly leftovers- goose, risotto, spa nakopita, and salad. White was the 2008 Vina Godeval Godello ( Valdeorras). Pit fruits, nutty, light honied notes, showing age but interesting. B- Red was the 1995 Ch. Beychevelle. Firm, young, more open than some 1995s, g ood cassis fruit, midbodied, lots of tobacco coming in. Think this will imp rove. B+
Sunday Betsy's mom took both daughters' families out for lunch at MP Tavern a. Great great great octopus starter, then I sampled crab cakes, lamb souvl aki, dumplings with sausage and sundried tomatoes,etc. A glass of the 2013 Boutari Moschofilero was pleasant, light, and floral. B-
Sunday night was flounder, Brussels sprouts, rice, and salad, with the 2005 Heritiers du Comte Lafon Macon-Milly-Lamartine. Big for Macon (this wine s peaks more of Lafon than Macon to me), big white fruit, a touch of honey, n o obvious oak, moderate acids, a little clumsy on the finish. B-
Monday Betsy did the Le Cirque pasta primavera recipe (one can't ALWAYS eat seasonally). Normally I do white with this, but she requested red, and I w ent with the 2011 Billards Saint-Amour. What a nice wine- pure red Gamay fr uit sparked with smoke and spice. Fresh, long, pretty. Big firm finish for St. Amour, this can age, but I doubt in my cellar it will! B+/A-
Last night we went to friends for a dinner party. 4 couples - old friends, old acquaintances, one couple we had never met. I was in charge of appetize rs- smoked salmon, prosciutto and melon or mango (some fig balsamic to cove r the poor melon), boquerones with olive relish, and duck foie gras medalli ons.
2013 Clovis Point Chardonnay (North Fork) No noticable oak, but there's a sweetness to this I don't care for, and a m usky quality than doesn't seem very Charonnayesque. Pass. C+2013 Lauduc Bordeaux rose Some nice strawberry flavors, but needs a bit more acid lift. C+/B
Main course was a great coq au vin, with a variety of wines
1998 M. Ecard "Aux Cloux" Savigny-les-Beaune 1er I'm an Ecard fan, but not familiar with this vineyard. Prettier side of Sav igny, red fruits and flower, some Asian spice (5 spice) notes. B+2006 Vieux Telegraph "Telegramme" Chateauneuf-du-Pape Midbodied, olives, anise, and herbs over sweet red fruit, not very long but tasty. B
2009 Ch. de Flaugergues (Languedoc) Some tannin, dark berry fruit with lots of herbs, good length, fun. B+/B2005 St Cosme "Le Deux Albion" Cotes du Rhone Big fruit attack, getting a bit pruney on bad end, drink up. B-/C+
Fun night, fun people
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.