Tons...

Lots this week... The 2002 Francois Villard "DePoncins" Condrieu is awesome... totally honeysuckle and tangerine rind. The 1999 Jaboulet Hermitage "Sterimberg" Blanc was a touch oxidized, but still had a ton of minerals. Very lean and unwieldy... perhaps a different bottle would be better? The 1996 Chateau Lagrange is outstanding... too bad it was the last bottle... classic St. Julien, and I don't see how the bottle could improve as it was near perfect for the Chateau. The 1983 Chateau Leoville Las-Cases Jerobaum (that's 5 liters in Bordeaux, folks), that I have been dying to try for several weeks, was (loud gasp here) corked... who likes screwcaps now? The 2003 Harlan Estate is big, brash and bold, but starting to soften some. It's still not the 01 or the 02. The 1996 Beringer Estate "Third Century" Cabernet Franc was mature, soft and very peppercorn and cassis oriented. Nice wine. The 2005 Dutton-Goldfield Freestone Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir is delicate and elegant. A beautiful bottle of wine. The 2005 Blackbird Vineyards Merlot is stunning... like drinking pure silk... move over Pride, Paloma, Duckhorn and Switchback... I think this is the best merlot in California right now. Next came an opportunity to taste 4 different Bond bottlings side by side. First, the 2003 Bond Vecina showed more weight than it had previously. Lots of anise and graphite wrapped in a cassis and black plum blanket. The 2003 Bond Melbury showed softer this evening... not quite the power that I have experienced with this bottling. Very nice though. The 2003 Bond Pluribus was spectacular - very jammy and ripe, with a bit more earth than the other 3. The 2003 Bond St. Eden was the star of the show for me. Ripe, concentrated, powerful, but completely balanced. I think this was the wine of the night for me. The 2002 Bond "The Matriarch" was beautiful and classic in the 2002 power-packed style. Nice. The 1996 Penfold's Grange was almost salty... lots of ripe raspberry and black plums with loads of black pepper and earth. The 1997 Penfold's Grange was light and uninspiring. It was almost like it was weak and had VA at the same time... not my favorite. The 2000 Penfold's Grange on the other hand was stunning. Powerful, yet balanced and a bit of elegance on the long, long finish. Went on for minutes with earth and raspberry. The 1993 Stags Leap Winery Petite Syrah was cedary and lighter, but still PS. The 2001 Hartford Court Highwire Zinfandel was hot, ripe, but beautiful balanced and a wonderful wine to drink...