Life sometimes gets in the way of seeing friends, and we realized when
we got together for dinner Friday it had been way too long since we
had seen our friends Dave and Lenore and their girls. A great night
with friends, and the food was very good too -Dave made salmon with
pasta and "tomato jam" (with ginger and curry powder) as well as
spinach with sundried tomatoes. Couple of reds:

NV Royal Street Red (Virginia)
Lenore had picked this up on a trip. I feared the worst, but this was
inoffensive enough. Light to medium body, a touch of sweetness, cherry
fruit. A little softer than my preference, quite short, but nothing
awful. B-/C+

2002 Marques de Tomares Rioja Crianza
This was quite nice, and lovely with the food. A spice and vanilla
edge, brighter red fruits, good acidity. Citrus peel, a little
leather. Oak is well-integrated, a nice classic Crianza. New producer
to me, I like. B+/B

2005 Leitz "Dragonstone" QbA Riesling
Larger framed sweeter QbA as befits year, more like a Spatlese from a
warm year. Good if not bracing acidity. Sweet apple fruit with a red
cherry-ish edge, a little herby note. I'd like it a tad zippier, but
very good value. B/B+

1996 de Forville Barbaresco
I went to cellar looking for a Chianti to go with my chicken
cacciatore Sat night, but ended up with this. I've been mostly staying
away from my '96 Piedmonts, but figured a generic Barbaresco might be
ready. This is actually still showing a fair amount of tannic
structure, but the fruit is quite ready. Raspberries and sour
cherries, some violet floral notes on nose, a little tar. Nice long
finish for level. Tannins really hold on, we'll see how rest of bottle
shows tonight. I've only had a few de Forvilles, but they have
generally shown as nice but not top-notch Nebbiolo, but good values.
Fairly traditional (a Rosenthal import). 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.