(I already posted on the experimental wines, but other wines were out last night)
Betsy made quahogs on a bed of beans & chard, the cooking and drinking wine was the 2008 Nora "Peitan" Albarino (Rias Biaxas). Clean, straightforward, peaches with a bit of lemon. Moderate acidity, maybe not a lot of depth, but nice wine without any obvious oak influence. B
That, plus other wines were tried by the lab rats (we also had grilled andouille and squash, plus cheeses, boar and pork salamis, etc)
2008 Hauner Salina Dry white, high acids, a bit austere and short. This had been compared to a Muscadet, but doesn't have minerality to me. OK, but not a buy again. B-1989 Ch. Talbot (St Julien) This showed as mature but not fading. Cassis, some leather and a hint of green pepper, mostly resolved tannins, fairly low acid. Perfectly acceptable bottle of middle-aged claret, but a couple of people really loved it, while I found it a tad pedestrian. Not bad at all, but I'd take the 89 Lagrange, Gruaud, Beychevelle over this (and the cheaper Gloria is just as good). B/B-
2007 Jadot "Les Narbantons" Savigny-les-Beaune While couple others swooned over the Talbot, this was my WOTN. Lovely showing - pretty black cherry fruit, spice, some earth and smoke. A super welterweight with good moves. Not a lot of volume, but plenty of precision. A-/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.