Great three days...

Back from a great three days (short!) in Napa Valley and San Francisco... I'll go into details later, but some highlites where the 1991 Von Strasser Cabernet Sauvignon, 1991 Dominus, 1995 El Molino Pinot Noir, and many more...

Sorry!

Been too long, I know... but so much going on... today had the 2001 Mondavi To-Kalon Reserve Fumé Blanc - who says Sauvignon Blanc can't age?!? (well, it was blended with Semillon, for the record). Great stuff... cheesy-Bordeaux like nose... beautiful food wine. The 2005 Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is fantastic... No the over-done style of some other wineries - refined, elegant - it tastes like wine, not grape juice and vodka. Bravo!

Things Will Change...

Well... all good things must come to an end... sometimes its so that better things can come along.

Had lunch the other day and tasted the 1999 Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Rare and the 1988 Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Rare... both out of this world, and both current releases of this Rare Champagne indeed... The only vintages produced were 76, 79, 85, 88, 90, 98 (Magnum only), and 1999. The 1999 was tightly wound with intense mineral notes and a beautiful nose! Toasted brioche, ripe citrus and stone fruit with hints of star anise and white flowers. A beauty, but needs time. The 1988 was silky, still slightly tightly wound, and gorgeous. This warm vintage wine was disgorged in January of 2008 - giving it 20 years aging on all of that yummy yeastiness. Hazelnuts, almonds, with an amazing freshness of fruit. Awesome, and for the money, an absolute steal!

Fun Times...

Lots of amazing food and wine this past week... had dinner the other night with the higher-end Rosemount Estate wines... great wines. The 05 GSM is outstanding, the 02 Balmoral Syrah is a beauty, and the 05 is a rockstock waiting to be unleashed... the 05 Roxburgh Chardonny, though, stole the show. A great wine - clearly Australian, but not overdone in any way. Went great with my Crab Cakes.

Earlier in the week, had a nice dinner with some good friends. Had a bottle of Ruinart Brut Rosé, which was a great starter. The 2006 Gunderloch "Jean Baptiste" Riesling was a nice value, and started quenching out Riesling thirst... The 1979 Eitelsbacher Karthauserhofberg Riesling Auslese was awesome - the wine shouldn't have been alive, but there it was. Beautiful and tasting nearly try, but with tons of petroly-extract. The 2002 Jean Grivot Echezeaux was the red of the night, and was earth, truffles, red raspberry and cranberries. Still needs time, but by the end of the evening it was OFS. Had a 2005 Fiano di Avellino (didn't write down the producer) that was a bit off... more hazelnut than it should have been, though this is not a wine to drink older 1 year past vintage. The 2006 E. Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru (forgot the vineyard...) was tight, ripe and steely. A deft hand with the oak let this one sizzle. Nice stuff. The 1998 Zind-Humbrecht Clos Windsbuhl Pinot Gris was hot, powerful, and loaded with VA. When it cooled down some, it was better, but still a bit ripe and overdone for my taste.

The next night, had an amazing night at a chef's house... great conversations - my chest hurt from laughing so much!!! Bubbles... Another bottle of Ruinart Rosé, a bottle of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs (nice and toasty!)... Still white... A magnum of 1989 Zind Himbrecht "Clos St. Urbain" Rangen Grand Cru Riesling was all Alsace and the Rangen should be. My favorite Alsace Grancd Cru vineyard, it faces south and is thick with Volcanic soil on an incredibly steep, terraced slope (too steep in fact... I climbed it one January and I thought I was going to die...). This was cheesy, with a diesel fuel finish. Powerful, but nice with some oysters. The 2001 Trimbach Cuvée Frederick Emile Riesling was a stony mess... what an amazing wine. Complete contrast to the ZH, this was racy and steely without the massive power, and this was completely dry. The 1998 Seringer Schloss Saarstein Qba (?!?) was nice, but not great. The 2006 Domaine Weinbach Gewurztraminer Réserve was too much for me... powerful, but overripe, too much RS, and too thick for the food. A great wine on its own though. The 2001 Baumard Savienierres was great... classic Chenin with a little bit of bottle age. Still a baby, but full of lanolin. The 1994 JJ Prum Wehlenuhr Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese was fabulous. Still a bit of sweetness, but underlying stone fruit and petrol sealed the deal. A great seafood wine. The 2004 Henri Boillot Meursault 1er Cru "La Crau" was nice and rich hazelnuts. On to the reds... The 2003 Macarini Barolo Brunate was unfortunately corked... The 1999 Monsanto "Il Poggio" CCR was beautiful Chianti... dried tomato sauce, twiggy earty and beautiful red berries. The 1991 Pesquera Reserva Ribera del Duero was awesome... 2nd best red of the night. Earthy with a capital "E", lovely black fruit, smoked tobacco, dried bacon. The 2000 Guigal Chateau d'Ampuis Cote Rotie was rockin' after 2 hours in the decanter. Trying to remember my exact words... like a pig ate something... ah... don't remember... it'll come to me though. The 1989 Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill had lost most of its fruit and had extremely dry tannins. Good length, but bretty... The 1987 Dominus Estate is one of my favorite California wines I've ever had. The last time I had it was back in September of 2005, out of magnum (you can find my post to back then...) The wine is timeless. Still with a decade of life left (at least), this 21 year old was amazing... Stunning length, with black tarry fruit, cocoa, and cedar. Awesome... would have been better if I didn't spill some on my pants... For dessert was the 1983 Chateau Raymond-Lafon Sauternes, which was good, but not great. A bit too much "shriveled botrytis" to this one, and not enough fruit left. The 1997 Chateau d'Yquem was on the other end of the spectrum. Even after being decanted for an hour, it had not appreciably opened. NB - if you have a great vintage of d'Yquem - it needs 20 years at least before you open it. It's going to be a great wine when it finally starts to open, but it wasn't even close on this one. Disjointed... so, I had to have a Johnny Walker Blue...

The next night was a long ride... so what better companion than numerous bottles of great Champagne & Sparkling Wine??? More Ruinart Rosé & Blanc de Blancs, but also joined by 2003 Bella Vista Rosé Franciacorta - nice stuff. Pretty with lovely bubbles... The 1996 Champagne Henriot Brut was awesome... a great wine from an amazing year. Just starting to open up, this wine is a beast and shows the breeding of the vintage. The 1990 Dom Perignon Oenoteque was, unfortunately, corked. The Bruno Paillard NV Brut was great. Nice and rich with a bit of iodine. The 2004 JM Boillot Meursault "Cerrons" was nice. Light for a Meursault, but good. The 2005 Chateau La Nerthe CdP Blanc was perfect for the beets. The 2003 Trimbach Cuvée Frederick Emile Riesling was great, but this was fat and ripe vs. the steely-intensity of the 2001 from the night before. The 1991 Gunderloch Niersteiner ?? (forgot the vineyard name... usually I'm very good, but I didn't have my notepad so these were all from memory...) Riesling Spatlese was beautiful. Nicely intense, showing good fruit and petrol. The 2000 Clos Erasmus from Priorat was corked... We had a Barolo as well, but frankly, it was in a bit of a fog at that point.

Tired of reading? Good... I'm tired of writing!

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)