Wine

The 1996 Diamond Creek Gravelly Meadow is a great bottle of wine... normally... except this one was corked. Very slightly, but it still put a kabash on the fruit and underlying layers... The 2006 Sea Smoke Southing Pinot Noir continues to rock... a great bottle of wine. See previous notes. The 1998 Stags Leap Wine Cellars "SLV" was very good, if a bit green. Better than most 98s I've had, and it says something that this wine has held up far better than it's better rated brother in the 1997 vintage (could be the most over-rated vintage in history, btw....)

???

Tried the 2006 Belle Glos "Gambit" Series Pinot Noir's yesterday... Gary's Vineyard from Santa Lucia Highlands and Griffin's Lair from the Petaluma Gap in the Sonoma Coast AVA. Both bottled without SO2 use at any stage in the winemaking process... interesting wines, but very expensive.

More Wine...

The night was fun... started with a bottle of Perrier-Jouet Brut N/V... nice, clean, dry (!)... wonderful stuff. The 1992 Perhod Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru "Les Chenevottes" was unfortunately, dead... not even close... d.e.a.d. As a tribute to old-school California Cabs... the 1987 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve was one of my favorites of the week... beautiful black fruit, balanced tannin, lovely cedar spice, a hint of mint... a great wine with a long life ahead. Too bad the wines aren't made like this anymore... The 1982 Chateau Cos d'Estournel was powerful, full of tar and leather, tobacco leaves, cedar cigar box, all spice and a hint of green pepper. A great wine, but I prefered the 87 better, though many did not. The 1993 Domaine Robert Arnoux Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru "Les Hauts Mazieres" was the best Pinot Noir of the week... beautiful with Epoisses. Lovely red cranberry, beetroot, clove (along the lines of DRC), rose petals, pink peppercorn, and forest floor. I've always loved Arnoux's wines from Vosne-Romanee better than his from any other village. Certainly one of the best, he just gets what V-R is all about...

The next night was a pair of Bordeaux and a lovely Loire Chenin... The 1988 Chateau Calon-Segur was as good as I remember from a few months ago. Beautiful ripe red cherries add a fruit componant to this wine that is different than so many of the other '88s. Long lingering finish. The 1986 Chateau Pichon-Lalande was gorgeous with lots of bell pepper, graphite, black cherries, black plum, and loads of spice box and tobacco. The Merlot really came through in this vintage. Good, but ready to drink. The 1997 Domaine de la Souchieres Coteaux du Layon - Chaumes was out of this world... mindblowing candied apricots, perfect balance... a great sweet wine. Stunning, really... this wine really needs 20 years, in addition to the 10 it already had! Beautiful...

On the last night, the wines really were out of this world... until the end. The 1978 Chateau Haut-Brion was a wine I could have smelled all night long. It continued to open an hour after opening... the glass smelled like tar-covered gravel, with smoke, saddle leather and black plums. Ready to drink? Sure... would it improve? Doubtful, but an exceptionally enjoyable bottle of wine, even more so given the company. With the 1990 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape, someone smiled as the last bottle I had was corked, and this one blew away the one before that even more than I could have imagined... this bottle was fresh, alive, still young (!)... red cranberry, red wild strawberry, crushed pomegranite seeds, dried roses and spice box. A beauty... long, long finish. The last two, were unfortunately, both dead and we gave up and had some Lemoncello instead (!)... The 1976 Hallgarten Siebeldinged Konigsgarten Riesling Beerenauslese was unfortunately, long past its prime... As was the 1981 Chateau St. Jean Riesling Late Harvest... such a shame...opened a 1981 CSJ Johannisberg Riesling (dry) last year and it was great...

All in all, a fabulous week with the family... when I came, back, I had some 2002 Perrier-Jouet Rose Belle-Epoque Fleur de Champagne... this is a rock star... maybe the best since 1996, or even 1985...

Great Week...

a week's vacation... but it wouldn't be a great vacation without family, friends and some great wine. I'll go into more detail about some... The 2006 Ch. Ste. Michelle/Dr. Loosen Eroica is a dry Riesling with lovely stone and citrus fruit with just a bit too much alcohol for my liking... while I appreciate the desire to make a dry wine, the alcohol made it a bit unbalanced... perhaps a Kabinett-level styled wine would serve better from the Columbia Valley... The 2006 Owen Roe Eola-Amity Hills Pinot Noir was outstanding... I will disclose that they source fruit from a friend... ripe black and red fruits, spicy, but a beautiful, elegant berry nose. Great stuff!!! First wine I've had from their vineyard... The 1989 Chateau Montrose was better than the last time I had it, but still not a great wine. I don't know if time will help it or kill it... Guess we'll find out! The 1983 Reichsgraff von Kesselstadt Scharzhofberger Spatlese was on it's last legs, but still delicious! Appeared bone dry with honeyed apricots, bruised Granny Smith Apples and a long finish. Very nice!

Day two brought a great party with plenty of bubbles and a great bottle of 1985 Graham's Vintage Port... still a baby, but nice fruit. Black plums, stewed black cherries and blueberries with a lovely hazelnut and smoked cocoa powder note. Nice! Day after was the 2002(?) Barmes-Bucher Herrenweg de Turkheim Grand Cru Riesling was beautiful, if not very young. Oily and stoney with barely a hint of RS. Long white peach and orange blossom finish. The 1989 Chateau Gruaud-Larose was beautiful... classic for this wine, this is still a baby showing lots of black berries, cassis, cedar, tobacco leaf and graphite. Powerful, too. The 1967 Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo was a quick-change artist... a beautiful fill level and fabulous color... the initial nose was gorgeous... the first taste was... not good. After letting it decant for a good 15-20 minutes, I came back to it to find that the beautiful rose petals had returned, the dried underbrush was coming back to live! The wine was alive! Not only alive, but very young indeed! Cocoa powder, cranberries, dried cherries! Amazing wine, and one of the top 3 wines of the week for me. The 1988 Chateau Rausan-Segla was very nice, but unfortunately had to compete with the Barolo... lots of wet tobacco leaf and clove on this bottle. Dark and earthy with a hint of dark flowers. The 1995 Chateau Loupiac-Gaudiet was ok... not my favorite. Lots of over-ripe candied apricots, but an almost bitter, stemmy finish. Sweet, yes, but my feeling is this was one will not get any better.

The next night brought some 2007 Cono Sur Sauvignon Blanc, Casablanca Valley, Chile which is an outstanding value... clean, crisp, slightly herbaceous with lemongrass, gooseberry, tart grapefruit and citrus notes. A hint of mineral fools you for just a second into thinking you're in Sancerre, but the intensity of fruit brings you right back. Dueling Rhones tonight... The 1994 Lucien et Andre Brunel Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Cailloux was outstanding, despite the vintage. Still full of life at 14 years of age, this showed spiced cranberry, red raspberry, dried forest floor, barnyard, hay and dried saddle leather. A wonderful long finish. Afterward came the 1989 J.L. Chave Hermitage Rouge which was otherworldly... "Amazing, dried meat, tar, leather, dried earth, black olives" - all from my journal that night. A long, long silky finish and an unforgetable nose left me smelling the glass when I was done... Still a baby though. Many more great wines to come, but they will come another day.

More...

Nice to try a few wines by the same producer next to each other (or within a day or so...). The 2004 Bond Melbury was powerful, but I noticed some slightly green herbal notes (?!) I didn't think were possible with this level of extract... unless they managed to squeeze a few seeds in there... not great. The 2004 Bond St. Eden on the other hand was beautiful - black fruit, cocoa bean, dark chocolate, and a long, tannic finish. Great stuff. The 2006 Sea Smoke "Southing" Pinot Noir was beautiful, if not a bit more alcoholic than the bottle I had last week. Lovely red plum, currant and wild red berry fruit. Lots of spice... long finish, but needs a bit of time. The 2006 Sea Smoke "Ten" Pinot Noir, on the otherhand, was beautiful now, but needs a bit of time for the oak to integrate. Lovely wines... The 2001 Solaia was beautiful - cedary, dusty-dried leaves - classic for this wine. Still has lots of life left in it... almost a bit jammy still!

Harlan v Masseto, 2004

The Harlan won... tried these two monsters side by side the other night. The 2004 Harlan Estate is good - better than 03, not as good as 02 or 01... silky velvety mouthfeel. Felt just a touch overextracted... The 2004 Masseto felt the same way, but left me with bitter anise on the finish. Good, perhaps they'll both be better with age.

Sorry...

I've been so busy, with not a ton of great wine in the last few weeks... Did have the following - 2002 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru, which was drinking very well. Such pretty spice that could only be a DRC. Still somewhat tight, but the texture is like no other... The 2004 Craggy Range "Le Sol" Syrah was so spicy and peppery... I loved it! Really needs some time though... This week, I had the 2002 Vincent Girardin Meursault 1er Cru "Les Charmes"... shared it with some good friends. The wine was outstanding... stony, steely, nutty - vibrant fruit. Showed great depth and length - all that I had hoped. The 2006 Amisfield Pinot Noir, Central Otago, New Zealand was beautiful... showed nice berry fruit, with almost no classic herbacious notes. Pretty, bright - lovely black earth. Nice wine. The 2004 Robert Mondavi Reserve Chardonnay was rich, buttery, full and oaky. My glass of Quinta do Noval 10yr Tawny was a nice nightcap. Always a fan of Noval... The 2006 Sea Smoke "Southing" was amazing... one of the great Pinots I've had this year. I brought it to share, and I'm glad I did. It's one of those great bottles that makes you smile... The 2004 Pike's Shiraz, Clare Valley was beautiful and peppery. Not overly jammy & alcoholic, but ripe and powerful with layers of spice. Old-school Shiraz, the way I like it. Evolved slowly over 5 hours. The 2006 Jolivet Sancerre was good... classic. The 2006 Michelle Redde Sancerre was ok, not as good as the Jolivet. The 1990 Chateau Lynch- Bages was drinking well, but only held up for a few hours. Nice and cedary with a bit of tobacco and dried leaves, but slowly faded away to nothing... The 2005 Jadot Pommard was good, not great... expected more, actually. Aside from the wine on my little trip, the Margarita's were killer... some of the best I've ever had....

Just One...

1985 Chateau Trotanoy... mediocre at best... really lacking a mid-palate... the nose was pure Asian Spice, with cedar and clove, bell pepper and nutmeg. The palate was like drinking soy sauce - without the salt.

Not a lot...

lately... The 2003 Domaine Berthau Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru was good, a bit ripe and hot, but still pretty and showing some clove-y earth and delicacy... The 2005 Domaine Jean Grivot Nuits-St.-Georges "Les Charmois" 1er Cru was tremendous... decanted for 45 minutes, this shows truffled earth, black raspberry, smoke, coffee, mocha, cocoa bean, strawberry... and a need for a lot more time in the bottle. Wow...

Variety...

Lots of things... 1988 Chateau Calon-Segur was fabulous... one of the best 88's I've ever had. Sweet cherry and blackberry fruit with lovely cedar... very elegant. The 2006 Penner-Ashe Roséo was good, but perhaps a bit too heavy on the alcohol. Lots of bright, spicy Pinot fruit. The 1998 Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque Fleur de Champagne was beautiful... showing a slight autalysis note with some bright, sweet fruit - a very, very nice Champagne. The Pol Roger NV was good as always... The 2005 Lewis Cellars Cab and 2004 Lewis Cellars Reserve Cab (tasting side by side) revealed a lot... the Lewis Cab is a fruit bomb, with anise, cocoa and black plums. The Reserve tasted like alcohol... too hot and powerful in comparison. The 2005 Jean Grivot Nuits-St.-Georges 1er Cru "Les Charmois" was stunning... lots of oak, but didn't overpower the wine. Just beautiful earth, clove, beet root, red cherry and a wonderful asian spice note to the wine. A great wine. The 1994 Grgich Hills Cabernet Sauvignon was good, but nothing special. The 1999 Gaja Sugarille Brunello di Montalcino is a great bottle of wine... dusty earth, twigs, saddle leather, and sweet cherries. A long, long, long finish. I could smell the glass forever ala Lafite...

Beer... Tusker Lager from Kenya is a pretty lager... a light-gold color with a lovely soapy head, smooth caramel and citrus notes. Nice! The Aventinus Doppelback/Weizenbock was mind-blowing and other-worldly (not really, it's from Germany). Simply the best beer I've ever tasted... In case you haven't noticed, I found a great beer store that stocks amazing Belgian, German, Polish, Czech, etc. beer. Simply stunning... Anise, cherries, spice box, christmas spice, caramel apple... an amazing nose. So big and powerful, two a few sips to tone my tastebuds down.... I would drink this again, but I'd have a "starter beer" before hand... perhaps an Anchor Steam...

beer...

Tried a beautiful beer the other night... Traquair House Ale... a Scottish Spiced Ale... really amazing nose. Deep and full of fruit, baking spice, asian spice and flowers. Medium-bodied and powerful finish.

Older California Pinots...

Had lunch with one of the owners of Littorai on Tuesday and tasted some delicious older Pinots and Chardonnay... The 2000 Charles Heintz Chardonnay was beautiful... stony, steely, a bit of baked apples, fat and rich - in short, it still needed time. The 2001 Thieriot Vineyard Chardonnay fat, overripe fruit, with buttered popcorn, honey, cantelope and pineapple. Nice and long, but I prefered the previous Chard... On to the Pinots! The 2001 Hirsch was mushroomy with barnyard, turned wet earth, ripe black and red fruits (wild raspberry, ripe candied cherries) - this was young and powerful. The 1999 Hirsch was baked cranberry, bramble, black cherry, raspberry, allspice, thyme and smoke. This was a beauty... still very Russian River Valley. The 2001 One Acre from Mendocino was a completely different animal... ripe, powerful black fruits with exotic spices, red charries... "Stunning" was one word I used... the 1999 One Acre was all earth spice, black turned earth, dusty mushrooms, broken twigs with a bit of alcohol evident on the nose. My favorite was the 01 One Acre... the 2006 "The Gift" is a botrytis-infected chardonnay with over 200g/l rs(!)... from the Mays Canyon and Thieriot vineyards. Nice, not cloying, but beautiful. Very high acid on this as well... needs time.

Last night I also tried the 2005 Kistler Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir - very, very pretty - actually my favorite bottle of this I've had from this vintage. It's starting to come together... the 2003 Berthaud Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru was hot, over-ripe and didn't appear to have anything to do with Chambolle-Musigny... tasted more like Chateauneuf-du-Pape! The 1998 Chateau Batailley is as it has been, but two good bottles have me feeling good about this one. The 1998 Chateau Lynch-Bages was soft, ready to drink and pretty. Not a great wine, but not bad to drink either! The Henriot Brut Rosé is amazing Rose... so yeasty, nutty and toasty with just hints of berry fruit on the nose... intoxicating nose...

Yummy...

The 2000 Domaine de la Romaneé-Conti La Tache is beautiful... not overly powerful, but elegant and refined. A beautiful lady... The 2004 Justin Isoceles is a fruit bomb, but nicely balanced. The 2003 Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepages is nice - subdued, not an in-your-face style, but a more refined, overall pleasing wine. Had a few library releases from Littorai as well... I'll write about them tomorrow.

Another one...

Could have stuck around for the '03 Phelps Backus, but chose to come home instead... did have the 1999 Chateau Latour, however. What a beautiful wine!!! I'd forgotten how good this wine is... of course, I should note that Latour is certainly one of my favorite Chateau in the world... lots of black currant, game, leather, tobacco, cigar box, dusty dried leaves, black plum, cocoa and a long, long, long finish. A great 1999 and accessible at this time.

California Dreaming...

Some nice California wines the last few days... 2001 Harlan Maiden is youthful - baked anise, black plum and dare I say it??? Somewhat of a finesse wine(!)- clearly a Harlan Estate wine and a different breed than the 2003 Bond Melbury, which is black fruit, but less refined, more fruit-driven and intense. Bold flavors here. The 2003 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon is the same as it has been, though the deep, dark dusty plum notes are most welcome. Nice, nice, nice.

A completely different wine and style... the 2001 Domaine de la Romaneé-Conti Romaneé St.-Vivant Morey Monge was one of my favorite RSV's I've ever tried... lovely, earth and bright red fruit spiced nose, with wonderful length and class on the palate. Truly a great wine and is drinking well now... I've said it many, may times now... the 2001s are great, terroir-driven bottles of wine. They do not have the structure to age effortlessly like the 2005s, 1999s, and 1990s. An awesome, awesome bottle...

Best of the Year (so far...)

So, it's time to recap my favorite wines I've tasted/drank this year so far...

Bordeaux - 1982 Chateau Lafite Rothschild, 1955 Chateau Haut-Brion, 1990 Chateau Latour, 1990 Chateau Lafite Rothschild, 1988 Chateau Le Pin, 1982 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, 1996 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild

Burgundy (red & white)- 1989 Remoissenent Gevery-Chambertin "Cazetieres" Premier Cru, 1990 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne, 2002 Bonneau de Martray Corton-Charlemagne, 2006 Louis Latour Batard-Montrachet, 1983 Faiveley "Clos des Myglands" Mercury

Rhone - 2000 Guigal Cote-Rotie La Mouline, 2001 Chapoutier Les Granits St. Joseph Rouge, 1999 Delas La Landonne Cote-Rotie, 1999 Guigal Chateau d'Ampuis Cote-Rotie, 1998 Chapoutier Hermitage "Le Meal" Blanc

Other White - 1976 Eitelsbacher Karthauserhofberg Riesling Auslese, 1983 Bischofliches Konvikt Piesporter Goldtropchen Riesling Spatlese, 2001 Trimbach Cuvee Frederick Emile Riesling, 2004 Didier Dagueneau Silex Blanc Fume de Pouilly

Champagne - 1992 Krug Clos du Mesnil, 1990 Krug, Krug Rose MV

Spain/Italy - 2004 Tignanello, 1995 Gaja Sori San Lorenzo, 1998 Alvaio Palacios L'Ermita Priorato, 1994 Vega Sicilia Unico, 2001 Gaja Sperss

California/ Australia/ Chile/ NZ- 1999 Clos Apalta, 2004 Kosta Browne Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, 2004 Craggy Range Le Sol Syrah, 2005 Craggy Range Le Sol Syrah, 2005 DuMol Gary's Vineyard Pinot Noir (RRV), 2000 Penfold's Grange, 2005 Blackbird Merlot, 2003 Harlan Estate, 2004 Penfold's Kalimna Block 42 Barossa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Sweet/ Port - 1975 Chateau Suduiraut, 1999 Tirecul Cuvee Madame Monbazillac, 1937 Quinta da Noval Colheita (2000)

Here comes another one...

just like the other one... another great night last night... The 1994 Grgich Hills Cabernet Sauvignon (two bottles) was nice... a bit herbaceous, which suprised me from this vintage. Still some lovely black fruit, black plum, eucalyptus and dusty earth. Nice, but if you have some - drink up. The 2006 Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio (for those that think I don't ever taste Pinot Grigio...) is fruity, balanced, and a nice sip. The 2006 J Pinot Gris, Russian River Valley is fat, ripe, and round with lovely tropical fruit. Nice finish on this one too. The 2002 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Vieilles Vignes is at the extreme end of Pinot Gris... super fat, off-dry - almost sweet baked apple pie, apricots, Asian spices and a long, powerful finish. Some like Olivier Humbrecht's approach to the classical Alsacian varietals, others say he is crazy... He is the Dagueneau and Raveneau of Alsace - makes terroir-driven, expressive, extracted, long-aging wines. I like them, even if he does not make "typical" wine. There - three Pinot Grigio/Gris!

On to the meat... unfortunately, had a terribly corked bottle of 1979 Chateau Cheval-Blanc... no fun on this one... tried it a few hours later to see if the TCA had blown off - nope, only worse... oh well. The 1996 Chateau Cos d'Estournel was all that it should be from this ripe, new-world styled vintage. Lots of toasty oak still prevalent on this bottle, but lovely black plums and black currant, dark chocolate, and a classic Cos d'Estournel herbaceousness on the finish. Very long wine as well... nice stuff. Tasted next to it was the 1996 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild. This is still a baby, but is open and enjoyable right out of the bottle.... its sibling, the 1995, is still very tight and closed. Which will be the better wine? Who knows, but I still think the 1995 will be a longer lived wine. Tons of graphite, cassis, leather, toasty oak, black currants and a long, long cedary-spice box finish. Nice. The 1993 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Richebourg has a beautiful nose!!! What elegance, power and depth right in the glass... red cherries, beetroot, cranberry and exotic spice box... this is definitely a food wine however, as the high acid needs food to bring balance back to the wine. Good? Yes. A great Richebourg? No. With food? Potentially... For me, the wine of the night was the 1990 Krug. Sugar and spice and all things nice on this one... lovely baking spices, autalysis, ripe golden apples... this has become tight and closed as it begins to enter a level of maturity. The bubbles are starting to shy away on this one, bringing so much to the surface. I think this is the better wine of the 90/96, with both still needing a long, long time to come out... amazing amount on minerality on this wine. Love the slightly oxidized note on vintage Krug. Certainly a benchmark wine and one of the great Champagnes ever produced.

A Classic Pair...

Not food and wine, but wine and wine... Two of the great bottles of my life came yesterday... Both of which I have tasted before, but neither had ever been like this... The 1982 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, tasted half a dozen times before, was at its most aromatic opulence... dusty, cedary, cigar box, spice box, leather, dried leaves, mushroom - all on the nose. The palate was a fruit wonderland, balancing out the tremendous earth that can only be Lafite. Latour is power... Mouton is graphite and black plums... Lafite is the lady... she is pure elegance. The 70+ second finish on this still evolving wine is stunning... I tasted this several times over the course of 3 hours and the wine continued to improve each time. First, it was earth. Then it was fruit and tannin... finally... it was a glorious combination. Stunning bottle, really... more aromatic and complete than the others I've tried. I didn't want to taste anything else after this, but then... an amazing bottle of 1955 Chateau Haut-Brion appeared. I opened - cork in one piece, completely soaked through, somewhat soft, but still firm. Stamped correctly, etc. I poured it into a glass... orange/brown rim going towards a ruby red center... beautiful. The wine is still youthful. The nose on this was a bit muted compared to the other bottles of this I've had, but the palate was special. Cassis with the wonderful bacon-fat, stony/rocky minerals that I expect from this wine. A long, long, long finish... the wine is still young! The best 55 HB? Doubtful, but certainly #2...

Celebration!!!

Lots to be thankful for in the last little white (sorry about not writing... had more important things to attend to...) Had some great wines in the last little bit though with all the celebrating going on... First, Perrier Jouet NV Brut... clean, crisp, slightly toasty - everything you could want in a NV Brut... but my favorite (other than Krug...) is Bollinger NV which was rich, full and clean. Not as evolved as some bottles I've had of this, but very lovely with anise, orange blossom and baked apples. Nice stuff... the 2005 Alex Gambal Bourgogne Blanc continues to impress... see earlier notes. The 2005 Emeritus Pinot Noir is again, to me, the best value Pinot Noir in the US. Done. The 1989 Chateau Talbot was a beauty!!! Lots of cedary game, leather, bright red cherry, a hint of mint... nice, nice stuff here. The 2001 Trimbach Cuvee Frederic Emile Riesling is amazing... so lemony - this is still so tightly wound, it will take a decade to come out. It was still openening 2 days later!!! Lemon minerals. The 2001 Livernano is a great bottle - full of black currants, dusty black truffle, mushrooms, stewed cranberries and cocoa beans. Long, long finish. Did not care for the 1999 Remoissenet Clos Vougeot... now, I'll admit that I've never been the biggest Clos Vougeot fan - I just don't get the elegance out of the vineyard that I feel I should with Pinot Noir... every so often I'm blown away by one, but mostly not so much...

Tried two great California Cabs next to each other last night... first was the 2003 Shafer Hillside Select. I've had this quite a few times now and the wine is shutting down slightly... notes of black currant, licorice, dusty earth, black plum and full of power. A beauty... not as appealing as the youthful and bright 2005 Scarecrow, however. This wine was a baked blackberry pie with black raspberries, cinnamon, black currant, bright black cherry and nutmeg. Massive tannins, but ripe and full. A bit hot, though this should meld in time. Don't drink for another year.

Plethora...

not a lack of things I tasted this week...

2004 Darioush Cabernet Sauvignon is spicy as always... nice wine, not great though... the 2003 Stags Leap Wine Cellars "Fay" Cabernet Sauvignon has the most inviting nose... beautiful black currant with hints of cedary dust. Nice stuff. The 2004 Tignanello continues to blow me away... I have tasted every vintage made of this wine and I think this is the best one to date. The 2004 Flor de Pingus is coffee, mocha and a whole lot of goodness... awesome stuff, and to imagine Pingus is even better... The 2005 Pahlmeyer (I think it was 05...) Pinot Noir is big, powerful, and a bit overdone on the alcohol. Good wine, but not tremendous. Our last bottle.