WTN: Fleurie and Alex. Valley Cab in Atlanta

Saturday was wineless, we flew to Atlanta and just had water for dinner. Sunday we went out with my parents and brother's family to celebrate my parent's 50th anniversary. We went to New York Prime, a steakhouse in Buckhead owned by friends of my brother. David and my neices were with us, just 4 people lightly drinking wine. So just a bottle. I eyed the 1982 and 1998 Haut Brion, but as my brother was paying decided to keep to the low end of the list. As Doug is more Cali-oriented, went with the 2004 Chateau Souverain "Winemaker's Reserve" Cabernet Sauvignon (Alexander Valley). Clearly New World, but not OTT. Medium-bodied, red plums and currants, a little herb, a little vanilla. A sweet edge but enough acidity to keep it lively. B/B+

My brother ends up ordering tons of appetizers (oysters Rockefeller, crabmeat, garlic shrimp) which aren't exactly Cab food. By time the steaks got there (I got a very good prime bone-in ribeye) I ordered a glass of Cabernet, got a less attractive one, didn't bother to get name. Besides steaks we shared an 11.5 lb lobster and a lot of sides. Nice restaurant.

Monday my mom made fried chicken, I had 30 seconds in wine department at Harrys to make a choice.. Wanted a good rose, but choices were unappealing, grabbed the 2006 Domaine des Quatre Vents (DuBoeuf) Fleurie.Pretty good for Duboeuf, a straightforward mix of red cherries and strawberries, light body, a hint of spice. Not complex, but ok. B/B-

Tuesday no wine, though I wished for a glass sitting in ATL for a few hours due to an air traffic delay in Newark

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.
 

[David M. Bueker]

He ordered an 11.5 lb lobster and you were worried about the wine?

He ordered an 11.5 lb lobster and you were worried about the wine?

You should have seen this sucker, they wheeled it out when Doug asked about lobster on a Radio Flyer sled. Claws were the size of softballs.

I'm guessing the food cost 20+X what the drinks cost. It's an awkward situation for me. I'm asked to choose wine. Out of 10 people, 4 (me, dad, Doug, and Betsy)were going to have red (my sis in law orders a glass of Chardonnay,my mom isn't drinking, 4 underage). My dad likes Taylor Lake Country red with an icecube (glass with dinner for his heart), thinks $6/750ml is a premium wine. Doug likes wine, but isn't "into" it. It's tough to order a $100, $200, or $500 bottle at that moment, if you're not paying. If I thought my dad would care one whit about a special wine, I would have ordered a $2-300 bottle and asked waiter to put on a seperate tab for me to pay. As it was, I put aside geekiness for one night.

[David M. Bueker]

Nah - you're just a lobster geek.

I completely understand the geek/non-geek wine dilemma. I face it on a semi-regular basis.

Apparently only my mom (who has a digital camera, but only takes it to drugstore for prints, doesn't know how to upload) was only one to get shot of live lobster on his wagon. But here is cooked before they dissassembled:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/slid ... 4746461296