With a friend I was delivering communally bought wine to, the 2006 Ch.
Beychevelle (St Julien) from half bottle. Edging towards the modern, a
somewhat glossy sheen of oak over an otherwise well balanced wine.
Cassis, a little coffee, some St Julien earth. Medium bodied, good
finish, fairly solid. B

Betsy was in city for a Sufi universal worship (not near Ground Zero!
No radicals! Peace and love!) Sunday while I prepared dinner. She
alerted me as she passed Yankee stadium so timing worked easily.
Grilled shrimp with tzatziki, roasted vegetables, salad, and the 2009
Donnhoff Riesling QbA. Lovely rendition of the estate bottling this
year. Fresh, light, on the sweeter side of off-dry (sorry Tim). Good
acidity, full fruit despite an overwhelming sense of lightness, nice
length. Apple, citrus, slate. Good finish, quite nice, will get more.
Holds up well overnight. B+/B

David heads back to Scotland today, we met his girlfriend's parents
for the first time at a little birthday dinner for her at Sweetgrass
Grill in Tarrytown. I had excellent pea/edamame soup and a decent
burger, along with a glass of the 2009 Red Tail Ridge Rose. Not sure
I've had a Finger Lakes rose before, this was pretty good actually.
Dry, some body to it, fairly dark for rose. Cherries and cranberries,
good acids, brisk bordering on austere, maybe needs a little more on
finish, but that's a quibble in a moderately priced rose. A good
versatile food wine. B/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.*