With Betsy's chicken with figs, the 2002 Cuevas de Castillo "Cuvee RS" Rueda.
Medium-bodied aromatic white wine, with lemon and mango fruit. A little hint of
grassiness and even anise. Good acidity, seems dry (I guess the RS doesn't
stand for residual sugar). I don't find myself pulled to this wine, but hard to
argue with the $7 price tag. B

With an assortment of leftovers, the 2000 Agricola de Borja "Borsao" (Campo de
Borja). The end of a case + I bought of this (for $3.99 a bottle). Soft yet
not flabby, good
raspberry and plum fruit, with a peppery spice edge to it. Medium-bodied with
good structure for a $4 red. B/B+

We went to a birthday party Sunday for a former neighbor who is a great friend.
Nice people, nice food, but not the great wine experience. I actually carried
over a few opened bottles we had (now those are friends, where you can carry
over your leftover wine) as well as a bottle of my (in)famous Thai Martinis.
They're on a budget, so the wines of the day were the (I think 2002) Walnut
Crest Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay in magnum. Now, I've had the WC Merlot
before, though it was soft, anonymous, and inoffensive. But the Cabernet- whoa.
Now this, to me, is bad wine. Soft (flabby) and really herbaceous. Green pepper
and ..dill? (but not any other real oak notes). C-
I would have drunk water, but luckily there was some leftover Rioja and
Nebbiolo holding on in the bottles I brought. I didn't have the guts to try the
Chardonnay.

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B
a good wine, C mediocre at best. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a
party where it was only choice.

Dale

Dale Williams
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Dale Williams wrote:

> They're on a budget, so the wines of the day were the (I think 2002) Walnut
> Crest Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay in magnum. Now, I've had the WC Merlot
> before, though it was soft, anonymous, and inoffensive. But the Cabernet- whoa.
> Now this, to me, is bad wine. Soft (flabby) and really herbaceous. Green pepper
> and ..dill? (but not any other real oak notes). C-

Maybe rather than new french oak they used old pickle barrels.