Hey Now... (with more added!)

now that's what I call a night. After quite a hiatus of what I would term "great wines" in any concentration, last night R and I were in a groove... only dissapointment was that our last 2 bottles of 1976 Leroy Romanee-Saint-Vivant were both completely acidic. Nothing doing... the bottle last month or the month before was an incredible experience, this was not. Oh well. They went with the 2001 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache. We said "She's young"... the guest said "yeah, she's young all right, but gosh... she's a pretty dame". And it was. This bottle didn't get the air time that the last bottle of this we had did, so the acid didn't show as much. It's cloudy and dull, but a great wine completely expressing its terroir. One of the great unexpected wines of last night was the 1990 Chateau Certan de May. I've neved has this wonderful Pomerol before, so it was a treat. This wine is soft and cedary, with lovely cassis, cocoa, and truffles. Very classic Pomerol with its soft, velvety mouthfeel and round tannins. A very, very nice wine. The 1990 Chateau Gruaud Larose was typical of what I usually get from Gruaud Larose - slight power with hints of eucalyptus and a long, powerful finish. Though this Chateau is in St.-Julien, it often has hints of Pauillac Power. This was cedary, with black plum - and was actually quite funky. Two different bottles, with similar notes.

The 1998 Sassicaia was an awesome bottle of wine - one of the best Sassicaias I've ever had. Blue and black dried fruits with round tannins. Just starting to show some cedar and spices. A long, complex finish. Definitely Italian. Awesome.

Two different vintages of Lafite, three bottles total. The 1955 Chateau Lafite Rothschild is exhibiting some of the most intense bottle variation I've ever seen. It's been good, great, and mind-blowing - but not all from the same bottle. But in the end, this is a great wine. It's so soft and feminine... very compelling cedar-bomb with sweet cherry, black plum, truffles, and dried leaves. 2nd best bottle I've had of this. Two bottles of 1982 Chateau Lafite Rothschild... the first was the best bottle of 82 Lafite I've ever had. Very fresh and plummy, just starting to show cedar and earth over fruit. A long, silky finish. One of the best bottles of Lafite I've ever tasted. Bottle #2 was a twinge corked on the front of my palate (didn't really detect it through the nose - though sometimes intense wood aromas can mask TCA), but whatever fault there was in the wine, it was overpowered by the intense cedar and bright cherry on the finish. A vibrant, spicy wine, but completely overshadowed by bottle #1.