Notes from the last wine lunch (tasted blind):

2001 Pemberton Valley Winery Pinot Gris - an oddball from an area with no other
wineries that I know of, but near the site of the winter Olympics a decade
hence. Some pineapple and citrus in the nose, drying at the end. A curiosity.

1996 Landmark Dumaris Reserve Chardonnay - over 14% alcohol, an obvious chard
with fairly big oak nose, mellow, with a tad too much oak coming in again at
the end.

1980 Inglenook Cask Selection Cabernet - fairly dark, with a warm country sort
of nose, leafy and earthy. Decent fruit but finished short.

1984 Joseph Phelps Cabernet - great year and the regular cab showed a sweeter
vanilla nose than the previous wine, with more complexity, and a bit
surprisingly, soft tannins still evident. Good length.

1993 Ch. La Mission Haut Brion - normally a big wine but in a lesser year -
dark, warm smooth nose that included currant and vanilla, elegant wine, but
with lots of stuffing, very approachable now.

1998 Conterno Quartetto - first year, I think, for this blend of Nebbiolo,
Merlot, Cab and Barbera. Nice warm dark fruit nose with some spice, good entry,
and very smooth on palate. Excellent now and will hold medium term.

1991 La Spinona Barbaresco - a favourite maker - I drank happily through a case
of the 1988. Jammy cherries in the nose, and medium body with decent length,
perhaps drying a bit at the end. Has the entire sad story of the pooch that
inspired the name on the back label.

2001 Marquis Phillips Cabernet - bargain wine with quite a sweet nose and
bright sweet fruit on palate. For early consumption.

1997 Alighieri Vaio Amaron Amarone - big wine with a resiny apple peel nose
with raisins and dried cherries. Slightly high acidity, but time should solve
that.

1996 Io - a blend of 64% syrah, 19% grenache, 17% mourvedre from Byron in Santa
Barbera. Sweet hot plummy nose, quite full bodied, good length, well defined
flavours. Gave a sample to the next table, but it came across as corked - must
have been their glass.

My tasting coincided with another group I know, and they kept passing me
samples of the wines they were drinking (all Rhones) for me to assess. Here are
the somewhat shorter notes on their wines.

1982 Jaboulet La Chapelle Hermitage - a wonderful wine I have in my cellar.
Killer nose with lots of spice, truly excellent on palate, smooth and long. Has
time left!

1982 Jaboulet La Chapelle Hermitage - yup, a second bottle. Seemed older and
less bright than the first. Quiet a range of variation. Hope mine resemble the
first bottle!

1989 Chapoutier Hermitage La Sizeranne - unlike the 1993, which I find
disappointing, and the 1990, which I find perplexing and possibly ultimately
also disappointing, this wine showed very well. Alive with good fruit and
balance.

1998 Jamet Cote Rotie - I identified this immediately as a Cote Rotie from the
fabulous typical violets in the nose. Seemed almost a bit older than a 98
should, but had medium hard tannins and lots of body. It should have a long,
happy life for those who are fortunate enough to have cellared it.

2001 Blue Pyrenees Estate Shiraz (barrel sample) - had to try this, as the
winemaker himself was guest at the next table and he'd brought a sample
different from the regular blend. Huge, sweet, tannic, and impossible to assess
currently, but promising.

Bill Spohn wrote:

I've had pretty good luck with some of the Super Tuscan, and Super Piemontese
blended wines. Heck, the Super Umbrian Pelago from Umani Ronchi is also very
good.

I'd agree with that, and also the next wine down from the Pelago, Cumaro
is excellent too, and not quite as expensive.

Joel