A busy week- we did a lot of painting (mostly Betsy painting, with me the tape and joint compound guy) as well as having my first earthquake and Betsy's first hurricane. With a great spaghetti and meatball dinner (with broccoli on side for plate greenness) , the 2004 Mocali Brunello di Montalcino. Hey, a good meatball wine, but maybe lacking a bit of gravitas for BdM. Mocha, black cherry, a little meat. Good length. Hey, at least it doesn't taste like CS. B

With grilled salmon and sauteed snowpeas, the 2007 Cedric Vincent "Pouilly Le Monial" Beaujolais. Cranberry and kirsch,light to medium bodied, a minty note. Not very long, but acceptable. B-

Thursday neither of us had time for cooking, headed to a new place in town, the Cedar Street Grill. I loved the fried pickles with pepper remoulade, quite liked the fried green tomatoes with bacon, and thought the fried chicken was quite tasty though it needed some more crispness. The ribs were ok, the substandard parts of the dinner were dull rice & beans and leaden cheddar cheese biscuits. Apparently I'm first person to ever inquire about corkage, but we worked it out, and I carried the 2000 Trimbach "Hommage a Jeanne" Pinot Gris. Best showing yet for this wine. Big, juicy, lush without giving up structure. Pear and white pit fruit, spice, citrus zest. Excellent length, very nice wine. A-

Friday I grilled some clams with a lemon/garlic sauce, while Betsy prepared a salad. During prep we tried the 2009 R. Haart Piesporter Grafenberg Kabinett Riesling. Not your classic Kabinett, lots of RS, but also good acidity.. Apple, ginger, tropical fruit. Interesting, but not near as wowwed as I was by '08. B

The actual dinner wine was the 2004 Matrot Meursault-Charmes 1er. Is this slightly premOxed? A nutty note, fat for 2004, a bit short. Not very impressive (though it doesn't budge much overnight, no overt oxidation), too bad as I'm usually a Matrot fan. C+

Tonight after day of planning work contingencies, testing generator, tying down outside items, etc. it was niceto have lobster rolls with tarragon mayo. Wine was the 2006 Terroja de Sabate i Coca*(Castellroig) Xarello
Mineral, citrus, full bodied, quite nice. Xa-rello isn't just for Cava anymore! B+/A-

good luck feloow eastcoasters!

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.

DaleW wrote:
>
> good luck feloow eastcoasters!

Good luck to you, Dale, and all the rest on the East Coast. Make sure
that you've battened down the hatches.

Mark Lipton