With both Betsy's parents and mine in town, I decided to host a pre-
birthday party for Bets. I'm not the cook she is, but put together a
meal that I think pleased all:

First course was a spinach salad with lobster, accompanied by the NV
Guy Larmandier "1er cru a Vertus" Champagne Brut. Really lovely non-
vintage, crisp, dry, with fruit notes of green apples, grapefruit, and
slightly unripe nectarines. Not especially yeasty, just crisp fruit
and a solid mineral base, good length, quite nice. B+/A-

Main course was a herb-rubbed beef tenderloin,with snow peas and
asparagus. Wine was the 1959 Ch. Lanessan (Haut-Medoc). Some nice sub-
capsule gunk, cork comes out in one piece. This has handled 50 years
ok, though not as nearly as well as Betsy. Warm easy red plum fruit,
cedar, tobacco. Fully mature (ok, maybe a bit past fully mature),
easy, maybe a bit thin on palate. Tannins are pretty much gone, but
there's still fruit and finish is ok. It fades after about an hour,
last bit is pretty ashy and thin. B/B-

A tiny strawberry cake, some presents, nice pre-birthday party.

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.**