Farewell B...

I am trying to find some time to really write again, and I should soon - meaning now. B will be missed. One of the great motivators I've ever met. He's perfect for where he's going, but we are worse off for him having gone. Anyway...

Last 2 nights first... Tasted the 2001 Joseph Phelps Insignia twice in the last two nights - one out of 750ml and the other from magnum. The 750 was beautiful. That classic Insignia nose - cedar, plums, dustiness. Very elegant - still powerful, but giving up a lot right now. Excellent. The Magnum, on the other hand, was extremely closed. The nose was not giving up much, and the palate was simply flat. This wine has shut down. I tend to think that the wine will go through a dormant stage, and like most great wines, will come out the other side a glorious, outstanding wine. Very few wines from California are meant to age, but Insignia is still one of them. Just taste the 1994, 1991, 1996, etc. These wines are incredible. The 2002 is even better. The 2003 Lewis Cellars Cabernet Sauvingon is massive. Completely blows away the Insignia in terms of power, extraction, and current enjoyability. All black plums, graphite, anise, tar, and sweet black currant. Not as good as the 02, but close. Showing better now than when I tasted it in September. The 1999 BR Cohn Olive Hill Cabernet Sauvignon is full of green, under ripe fruit. If you have some, drink it now or give it away. The 1970 Grahams Vintage Port is, unfortunately, done. There is very little to this wine anymore other than pure alcohol on the nose. Maybe just a hint of nuttiness, but it's just not there. I will reserve complete judgement until I taste another bottle, but I think I already know the answer. The 2002 Stags Leap Wine Cellars "Fay" Cabernet Sauvignon from 3L was wierd... this one smelled like stewed tomatoes(?). Very ripe, jammy raspberry, strawberries (feels like I'm describing a pinot - not a cab!) and very ripe black plums. Nice finish, but as I don't like tomatoes, this wine was not for me.

Back to Saturday night. Started out painfully slow, then all of a sudden - WHAM. 15 minutes - 6 bottles of wine. First, the 1978 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild was pretty. Classic Mouton - if not a touch on the light side. Loads of anise (still!) with cedar, graphite, leather, and truffles. Clearly Mouton, but this one is past its prime and should be drunk now (or 10 years ago). The 1999 Domaine Leroy Meursault-Charmes 1er Cru was closed, woody, and ready for a long sleep. This wine is massive, it just needs time to integrate. I wouldn't touch this for at least another 5 years or so, and would probably wait 7-10. Built for a long life. The 2001 Domaine de la Vougeraie Clos Blanc de Vougeot 1er Cru was beautiful Chardonnay. I don't think quite as good as the 2000 (though, initially I thought better). This is a big, big wine. Loads of limey-minerals, with Asian pears, white peaches, and honeydew melon. A long, long, long finish. Excellent, and showing better than the Leroy Meursault at the moment. The 2003 Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fume Pur Sang rocks! Literally - this is massive minerals (stones) coupled with lemon rind, orange blossom, and white peaches. This is Sauvignon Blanc at its raciest. A long, beautiful finish. This is better than the Silex for now. On to the Red Burgundies... The 1983 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Richebourg was incredible. This wine had significant ullage and we frankly didn't expect much. Wow. We were completely wrong. Could be the best 1983 I've had. So pretty with clove, meat, black earth, and strawberries. A great power-and-elegance combo! Again... great producers make great Burgundy most every year. The 1969 Remoissenet Clos de Vougeot was so pretty. While not at it's peak, this wine still has life. Leather, cedar and game. Still has some tannin to it as well. Very, very pretty Pinot Noir.

That's it for today, but I will try to write more.

Just in case I forget

1978 Mouton, 1999 Sassicaia, 1983 DRC Richebourg, 1969 Remoissenet Cd Vougeot, 2001 Dom de Vougeraies (sp) 1er Cru, 1999 Leroy Meursault Charmes, 2003 Dageneau Pur Sang, etc

20 Best Wines of the First 100 Posts...

1. 2001 Harlan Estate Proprietary Red Wine
2. 1961 Chateau Latour
3. 1955 Chateau Haut Brion
4. 1982 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild
5. 1985 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Echezeaux
6. 1982 Chateau Cheval-Blanc
7. 1982 Chateau Latour
8. 1975 Chateau Petrus
9. 1990 Krug Brut
10. 1990 Krug Clos du Mesnil
11. 2000 Drouhin La Romanee
12. 1966 Chateau Latour
13. 2002 Paul Hobbs Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
14. 2002 Joseph Phelps Insignia
15. 1976 Leroy Pommard Arvelets
16. 1990 E. Guigal Cote-Rotie "La Mouline"
17. 2001 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon
18. 1953 Chateau d'Yquem
19. 1964 Karthauserhof Eitelsbacher Karthauserhofberg Kronenberg feinste Riesling Auslese
20. 1987 Dominus (magnum)
21. 1995 Kistler Cuvee Katherine Pinot Noir

ok... so it's 21... are they all in the right order? Doubtful... but I will tell you this - 1-5 are in the right order. As a self proclaimed Burgundy lover, how is there only one Burgundy up there? That's just the way the cards fell. I'm sure if I did it over again, it would be completely different. Just not #1. The 2001 Harlan Estate is amazing wine...

Let The Good Times Roll!!!

Ok... today is the day I play catch-up. I should be off tonight, and I'm in a typing mood. Check back this afternoon for my list of my 10 favorite wines from the first 100 posts...

For now though, I'll get back to the last few days. The 2000 Harlan Estate was black, has sweet fruit and anise, and was a slightly thin wine. Nowhere close to the 1999, 1997, and certainly not the 2001. It was good, just not real weighty and didn't caress your senses like Harlan should do. The 2001 Harlan "The Maiden" was a far superior wine - made in the classic Harlan style. Clearly the finest Maiden I've ever had, this wine was black, rich, very full-bodied, and had a very silky texture that makes Harlan so great. While it clearly doesn't have the overall attributes that the Estate has, it is a great wine and I would love to have some in my cellar! The 1999 Araujo "Eisele Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon was tasted from two different bottles - one Magnum and one 750ml. It was amazing to taste the difference - the magnum was extremely youthful and fresh, while the 750ml was clearly more advanced in it's aging. Full of mocha, coffee, black plums, black currants and tons of toasty vanilla, this has always been one of my favorites. The tannin is extremely forthcoming however and could use a little softening. These 1999 Cabs are blowing away the 1997s... Last but certainly not least... the 2002 Bond "St. Eden" is a monster. While it doesn't have overall class of Harlan, this is nontheless a Bill Harlan wine. Sweet vanilla and rich, mouthfilling fruit. This is simply awesome stuff. A long, long finish. This was the wine of the night. It needs some time (as it's not released yet), but this is something to experience!

Last night (other than the Petrus) saw the 2000 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon. A pretty wine, with maybe just hints of green, but mostly cocoa, graphite, black plums and those silky tannins that define Shafer Hillside. This is great wine. Perhaps my 5th time tasting it, I think that this is without question the best 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon made in California. We'll see. The 2002 Testarossa Bien Naciedo Pinot Noir, Santa Maria was classic Santa Barbara - spicy, with loads of alcohol (14.2%) and sweet strawberries. Nice wine. The 2000 Marchesi di Barolo Cannubi was great from magnum. While not as good as some other 2000 Barolos I've had, this is classic. Dried cranberries, plums, cherries and loads of clove and cinnamon. The tannins are big and will need time to flesh out. Wait on this one....

My 100th Post...

And what a better way to kick it off that with the best Merlot I've ever tasted... the 1975 Chateau Petrus was extraordinary. Smelling completely of white truffles and cedar with layers of black fruit still in the background! The tannins are so round and soft - the wine is remarkably young and youthful! The best of the bottles was not anywhere near full maturity and actually took 30-45 minutes to open up! I will comment that the other three bottles did not show nearly the same depth as this bottle, and one was somewhat weak. This wine is massive, but incredibly silky and sensuous... awesome! Also tasted the 2000 Shafer Hillside Select and the 2000 Marchesi di Barolo Cannubi from Magnum tonight... I'll comment on them tomorrow as well as 1999 Chateau d'Yquem.

Busy Bee

Wow. 400 people. 100 bottles of wine. 3 of us pouring. So much fun... I won't run through all the wines, but... The wines of the tasting were the 2002 Bond St. Eden Cabernet Sauvignon (it's actually not released yet), the 1999 Araujo Cabernet Sauvignon from Magnum, and the 2001 Harlan Maiden (which was much better than the 2000 Harlan Estate). I'll write about a few more tomorrow...

Good Wines, Good Times...

First, Saturday night... the 1999 Louis Jadot Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru had a pretty, concentrated nose of black plums, wild strawberries, and mushrooms with hints of black turned earth and spice. Very, very young and closed. It just doesn't have the class of the DRC or Leroy wines... speaking of Leroy... The 1999 Domaine Leroy Meursault 1er Cru "Charmes" was very closed... my initial thoughts were that this was simply a weak wine, but then I realized that the concentration of minerals is so great, and with lovely melon aromas, balanced with the intense acid structure of this wine - it was simply shut down. Closed. nothing. For tonight it was ok, but I can see it blossoming into a great fat monster someday. The 1995 Penfold's St. Henri Shiraz was awesome... This is my style of Aussie wine. Nicely mature with black pepper, ripe red raspberry (a classic signature of mature Australian shiraz), plums, and figs. It's powerful, but extremely elegant and has a very long finish to it. It's up there with the 1995 Grange...

Last night I got together with some friends to watch my basketball bracket dissapear... oh, and have some great wine. The 1983 Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Scharzhofberger Riesling Spatlese, Mosel Saar Ruwer, Germany took about 5 minutes to fully open, then blossomed into a mass of oily minerals with intense apricot, honeydew melon and lemons. While not as good as the 1983 Graaacher Himmelreich I had in the fall, this was certainly up there. The color was a deep gold, very vibrant, and extremely bright. This wine still has a long life ahead of it. The 1976 Petershoff Eitelsbacker Marienholz Riesling Spatlese, Rheinhessen was unfortunately badly oxidized - so there's not much to say. The 1990 Alfred Gratien Brut was sensational... along with Bollinger and Krug, this is the only other Champagne producer that fements in oak barrels exclusively. The stuff rocks... reminded me of Bollinger RD, with a perfect set of bubbles. This was a joy to drink. Yeasty, with loads of apricot, orange blossoms, and SO MANY BUBBLES!!! I've never seen an aged bottle of Champagne have so many incredibly tiny bubbles. This too was so young and vibrant! The 2003 Robert Foley Vineyards Charbono has a sweet jammy fruit, graphite and a violet nose. This wine is rustic, but in a good way. Clearly an Italian grape varietal, this is one of the "oddballs" that I love to drink. Haven't had one since we moved down here... Good stuff. The 1986 Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou was very good, nicely concentrated, but a bit thin - and slightly off-putting with it's TCA tainted nose (AKA, this was awas corked). But perhaps it's wasn't corked... RP notes that in some of these bottles, there can be an aroma of damp cardboard (still a fault, but perhaps something different than TCA). Anyway, we still managed to drink the wine, as it was still delicious and not off enough to not. It's amazing what happens when it's YOUR bottle that's corked... you still want to drink it. You're determined, by hook or by crook, to drink it beacuse it's supposed to be good, it's supposed to be great and you want to see what all of the fuss is about. We enjoyed it... a great time. Cheers... tonight I'll be tasting through some Harlan, Araujo and many others, and Tuesday night, well, we'll just call that "1975 Petrus Night".

Nice Wine This Week (So Far)...

I'll start with last night then move back to Thursday night... The 1995 Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill was a pretty champagne. While not exactly my style (and certianly way too young), this is full of citrus, lemon, and toast - not bicuits - but toast. Not terribly weighty - perhaps even a bit light on the palate. But, it has a nice finish and I think if it adds some body as it gracefully ages, this will be a great champagne. The 2002 Louis Jadot/ Domaine du Duc de Magenta Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru "Morgeot" Clos de la Chapelle (wow... that's an awful lot of information!!!) was outstanding. Has a nose of wet stone, spices, and banana(?) along with pretty melons, pears, and lemon rind. This wine is soooo tight... The acid structure is awesome and the oak is completely integrated. This wine has a long, elegant, powerful life ahead of it. I wouldn't touch this for a few years. We let this air out about 3 hours before tasting it the second time, and it hadn't really opened up a whole lot. It took a good 15-20 seconds working it in the mouth for it to really show what it's got. A beautiful, classic, 2002 White Burgundy. The 1994 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon is often forgotten about amongst the ranks of Harlan, Bryant Family, Colgin, Grace Family, etc.... but it shouldn't be. Up there with the best of the 1994 Cabs I've ever tasted, this black to purple wine still has years and years ahead of it. It's just showing hints of cigar and cedar with primary notes of black fruits still overpowering everything else. Why can't other Cabs hold up like these wines??? This is mammoth, one of the great Cabs I've ever had (the 3rd time tasted) and it's only getting better and better. This one too took a good 20-30 seconds in the mouth to really work through all of the layers. The finish is completely smooth - but oh so powerful. Awesome! The 1995 Chateau Talbot was pretty - already revealing some secondary bottle aromas of cedar and dried leaves. A very, very good Bordeaux - just needs a little more structure and weight. The 2003 Kistler Chardonnay Les Noissitieres (sp?) was no where close to my style, so I'll refrain from commenting.

Thursday... The 1990 Chateau Pavie-Decesse, Grand Cru, St.-Emilion was a pretty, pretty wine. Layers of black fruits intermixed with smoke, leather, and cigar box. A nice, lengthy finish that had just hints of anise (not my favorite quality), but it was a really good wine. The 1988 Chateau Haut-Brion was as pretty as the last time I had it (a few weeks ago). Very cedary and elegant. Classic Haut-Brion nose - but not a blockbuster like the 1989. The 1978 Chateau Margaux was pretty, if not a bit weak. Not the best bottle I've tasted. Very wet-leaves and earth with truffles thrown in, with just a hint of barnyard. A touch of sweet cherry on the backend with classic Margaux violets thrown in for good measure. Drink it if you've got it... The 1999 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Richebourg is mindblowing... I wish I had one of these in my cellar. Classic DRC nose of clove spice, followed by the classic Richebourg black fruits (for power) and wild strawberries (for elegance). For the first time with this wine, I got a great deal of dried leaves and secondary bottle aromas coming through. It's not just fruit anymore - and it apparantly made all the difference on both the nose and the palate. You don't want to drink these - you just want to smell them forever!!! On the palate, this wine completely envelops every tastebud - all of that sweet fruit, but the pretty round tannins are what brings such depth - and length - to this wine. This required a good 30 seconds in the mouth really working air through it to bring all of the layers of this wine out. But wow. Good wines make your tongue dance - great wines make it do the Tango! One of the great Burgundies I've ever tried... keep it for another decade at least.

At a tasting on Thursday afternoon - the 2004 J.M. Boillot Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru "Champs Gain" rocks. Awesome minerality, excellent weight. Let me make a few comments about the 2004 (and the 2003) vintages in Burgundy, based on my recent tastings. What I'm finding is that the 2004 Whites are very good - they are not superstars like the 02s. The are very terroir-driven (much like the 2001s), pretty wines that don't generally carry a tremendous amount of weight. These should be wines to put away for a year or two to let them flesh out and add a little body, then start drinking them. Once again though, the murmurs of 2005 are making their way around. Can't wait to try them... The 2003s are not my favorite at all. In both red and white, these wines do not show place, they do not show Burgundy. While they are certainly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, they are not what Burgundy is all about. The big hype with the 2005s is that they are big and juicy - but they show tremendous terroir, something that the 2003s lack. I'll save my money and get some 04 Whites to drink and wait for the 05s....

Fun Night...

I'll elaborate later... but new friends, old wines - 1978 Chateau Margaux, 1988 Chateau Haut Brion, 1999 DRC Richebourg, 1990 Ch. Pavie-Decesse (St.-Emilion)... lots of goodies this afternoon as well at a tasting... But alas, I need my rest.

Dinner with Laurent Drouhin

mmmm... what a wonderful experience! Dinner with Laurent Drouhin... 6 Burgundies... excellent company! What more could you ask? the 2004 Joseph Drouhin St.-Veran was clean, crisp, and classic Macon. Very nice minerals, honeydew melon, and pears. So refreshing and easy to drink.... wonderful wine! Wine dinner - the first was a behemoth - the 2003 Joseph Drouhin Chablis "Les Clos" Grand Cru - arguably the greatest of the 7 Grand Cru vineyards in Chablis, this was an exceptionally ripe and rich style. 20% new oak (actually seemed higher than that) - this was the last vintage Drouhin will use new oak in Chablis - they feel it masks the minerals too much. I would agree. After 30 minutes or so, this wine started to show it's steely-racy side. Very clean, crisp and rich. Full of baked pears, apples, and chalky minerals. It doesn't have the teeth-wretching acid that Les Clos is known for, but what it lacks in crispness it makes up in weight... a very good to excellent effort for this off-vintage. The 2004 Joseph Drouhin Puligny-Montrachet was minerals all the way... some nice green honeydew melon, wet stone, hints of almonds, and crisp apples. Not a great wine, but a very terroir-specific wine - with the elegance highlited by the minerals. Beautiful. We had the 1999 Joseph Drouhin Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche at this point, but I'll talk about that at the end, as we just had a taste at this point. The 2003 Joseph Drouhin Clos des Mouches (Beaune) Rouge was fruit driven, with the earth coming out with the food. This is a super-ripe, but very balanced and pretty wine for the vintage. Some nice clove spice with wild strawberry and raspberry. Very nice. Better with the food than the slightly closed 2003 Joseph Drouhin Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru. This wine is massive - very powerful and tannic with the elegance that is the Clos de Vougeot. Very nice for this vintage... now on to the 1999 Joseph Drouhin Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche. The first smell was of pure wood - clove, cinnamon, toasty and roasted fruits. after about 2 hours the wine finally opened up - revealing considerably minerality. This wine is elegant, very long, and pure Montrachet. Have I had better Montrachet? Certainly... but tonight this wine was showing very, very well. It just needs another 5-10 years to add some weight and fat. I didn't want to finish it. Montrachet takes Chardonnay to other levels. Excellent.

Sorry...

I've been so sporadic with my posting. I've been busy getting ready for my Le Jeane Commis Sommelier Competition (which I won!). Anyway, a few notes... The 1995 Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque Brut on Saturday was an excellent bottle to celebrate with. It's been years since I've actually had a chance to have a glass of this (one of the few wine's I actually drank - most are simply spit out). Hints of yeast and almonds, with pretty pears, apricots, and apples. A great, elegant, feminine wine. Cheers M! Tonight was pretty good, if not very slow... The 1996 Quintessa was good... not great. It was certainly cedary, with some nice black plum, but was showing an awful lot of anise on the finish - not a quality I usually like. Good - not spectacular. The 1988 Robert Ampeau Savigny-les-Beaune was wonderful... So pretty and classic. This producer is one who prefers to hold his wines back until he feels they are ready to drink (for example, 1994 is the currant vintage for his Meursault!). Earthy, with a hint of caramel (indicating slight oxidation), the wine slowly opened over the course of 30 minutes. It had a gorgeous layer of sweet cherry and strawberry - but so much terroir!!! Tommorow is more Burgundy... I'll be dining with Laurent Drouhin...

DRC Night?

First, forgot to write about the 2001 Chateau l'Angelus - an inky-black, chocolate, cocoa, and mocha scented wine. Full of life, this wine needs to age - and should gracefully. The fruits are black and slightly closed, but a lovely wine. On to tonight... The 1978 Chateau Margaux was dissapointing. While still a "good" wine, this was not the best example. Light in color, and very light in weight. Classic Margaux violets and truffels. Nice, just not great. The 2000 Etienne Sauzet Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet was a tropical fruit lined/ mineral filled/ slightly closed example of what will eventually be a tremendous bottle of Chardonnay. This wine need time to put on weight, but right now it's pretty and good, just not great. The 1961 Chateau Croizet-Bages. 5th Growth, Pauillac was almost dead - but had a twinge of life - just a hint of black fruit masked with loads of hazelnuts, truffles, caramel, and spice. Nice to try, but not a great wine. On to the DRCs... it was a unique opportunity to try two vineyards from Domaine de la Romanee-Conti side-by-side from the same vintage. The 2001 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Romanee-St.-Vivant Morey-Monge was pretty, but fairly closed. This wine wasn't giving up much in the first hour or so, but slowly showed some of it's pretty floral and wild-strawberry side that is classic from RSV. Not overly weighty, this was a pretty, delicate wine. Very expressive of the terroir... next to it was two bottles of 2001 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Richebourg. Always a favorite (except perhaps for La Tache) of the DRCs, this was pure wild strawberry, clove, raspberry, black plums, truffles, and turned earth! So powerful - a classic Richebourg trait, and again, very much showing it's roots. (Both bottles were very close, with one perhaps showing a touch more upfront fruit). Bravo to DRC for these fabulous, if not much underrated - 2001 DRCs. I am finding these to be tremendous wines that really speak of their place. I wish all wines could tell you exactly where they are from.... Last, the 2003 Rochioli Chardonnay, Russian River Valley rocks... simply great Cali Chard - drinks more like ripe Meursault. Nutty and rich. Good stuff.

Notes from this past week...

Ok... I'll catch up now. 1990 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild (half-bottle) had the most gorgeous nose I've ever smelled from a bottle of Lafite. It was pure beauty - flowers, cedar, graphite, sweet fruits... absolutely outstanding. The 2002 Opus One was full of everything Opus is known for - black licorice, melted chocolate, black plums. Pretty. The 2001 Opus One was more of the same, just less intense. The 1995 Opus One was, frankly, tired and aged. Drink up. The 1996 Opus One from 3-Liter showed signs of promise - starting out as a perfectly mature California Cab blend, but over an hour, the nose faded, and the fruit died. This wine was the best example of Opus I'd ever had. The 2003 Pride Cabernet Sauvignon is slightly more restrained than I'm used to with this vineyard (I will confess to having a nice collection of Mr. Foley's wines in my personal cellar), but it is pure mountain wine - black, sweet, powerful. A long, long finish. Excellent stuff. The 2001 Maison Leroy Saint-Veran was so pretty - a balance of minerals and pears with peaches and apricots. Excellent acidity and an elegance you do not usually see from Saint-Veran, but everything I would expect from Mdme Leroy. The 1999 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Grands Echezeaux is classic DRC. It has not changed much since my last taste through this (classic DRC clove spiciness with red raspberry and wild strawberries and a long, polished finish.)

One of the great wines I've ever had was the 1955 Chateau Haut-Brion - this wine tasted like it was 20 years old - it still has another 40-50 years left in it. Black, sweet fruit with loads of gravel on the back end. Lots of saddle leather. Still powerful with pretty tannins. The 1955 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild was a little tired, but was beautiful. Completely Lafite. Side by side with the 1955 Haut-Brion, this wine was bright red with just a little browing on the rim, but very elegant sweet fruit on the backside. 2003 Dagueneau Pouilly-Fume "Silex" was simpley awesome, as most wines by Didier Dagueneau are. Can Sauvignon get much better than this? All mineral with tropical fruits, this wine (despite the irregularity of the 2003 vintage) was restrained. I'd love to try this from 2002... The 2003 Pride Merlot is wonderful. Cocoa, blackberries and black plums. Who says California Merlot can't be great? The 2000 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne (half-bottle) was slightly dissapointing. Half bottles are great, when they're good. But for some reason, I've been having a tough time with Burgundies (White and red) in half bottle. This one had a slightly oxidative note to it. Nutty and rich with tropical fruits. The 1999 Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage "La Chapelle" was the same as previously. I won't repeat. The 1976 Leroy Pommard Les Arvelets was beautiful and was similar to previous bottles. She rocks.

My parents have been in town - what a great time!!! Last night was a great meal. Very nice wine too... The 2001 Josmeyer Riesling "Le Dragon", Alsace was steely, mineraly and took a little bit to really open up. Lemon rinds, with tropical fruits and pears. A wonderful classic Alsace Riesling. Bone dry. The 2001 Dom. des Pailliers Gigondas drinks so much more like a Chateauneuf-du-Pape with it's elegance and restrained earthiness. A bargain! For desert, I had a glass of the 2001 Domaine des Baumard Quarts-du-Chaume was awesome! A botrytis/honey/caramel nose with elegance and weight on the palate. A great desert! Visits are always too short. Cheers...

Yum

Details to come... 1955 Chateau Haut-Brion, 1955 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, 2001 Chateau l'Angelus, 1997 GDL, 2003 Dageneau Pouilly-Fume Silex, 2003 Pride Merlot, 2000 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne (half-bottle).

Sick

Sorry I've not posted this week... I've been under the weather. I'll post soon enough on... 1990 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild (half-bottle), 2002, 2001, 1995 Opus One and 1996 Opus One from 3-Liter, Pride Cabernet Sauvignon, 2001 Leroy Saint-Veran, 1999 DRC Grands Echezeaux and several others.