I came in as the crew were demolishing a mag of Mumm's Cordon Rouge and had to
get my breath before starting the note taking - which I did with:

1990 Pol Roger Blancs de Chardonnay - this has developed a fine yeasty note
since the last time I tried it. Very nice, although my preference is probably
the 1990 Brut.

1999 Domaine Guillemot-Michel Macon Villages Quintaine - interestingly, if you
just nosed this wine, there wasn't much there but a normal mineral sort of
nose, but if you really dug your nose into it, there was a sweet fruit/floral
element that was very nice. Soft, full, with good length. I wouldn't hold this
any longer.

2001 Albert Mann Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Furstenum - clean varietal nose,
always a pleasure when you first smell the lychees. Smooth and off-dry with
adequate terminal acidity, perhaps not as bright as the 2000, but very nice. A
favourite producer.

1997 Dr. Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese - excellent steely petrol
nose, good mouth feel, adequate acidity. Some felt that this was getting tired
at 7 years old, but I thought it was just fine, though nearing the end of it's
plateau.

1997 Australe e Terra Napa Merlot - with this wine we headed toward the chosen
theme of the evening - 1997 Napa Cabs. I have tasted the rather garishly
labelled Arcturus, but not their merlot. It showed a surprising amount of smoke
and tar in the nose, a tad green, and was medium bodied with good sweetness up
front, very well balanced, ending with soft tannin.

2000 Les Cailloux Chateuneuf de Pape - I didn't buy this vintage but have quite
a few older ones, so it was interesting to see how this wine would do. Sulphur
on the nose dissipated and left a typical Rhone nose of the distinctively
stinky variety. Medium to full in weight, riding along on as much acid as
tannin at first, which made me wonder about longevity, but as the wine opened
up the tannins grew and I think it will do just fine. It kept getting better in
the glass until....it was all gone.

1997 Tasca d'Almerita Cabernet Sauvignon - cedar and tobacco nose, with a
slight green element, smooth on palate and a little on the lean side.

1997 William Hill Cabernet - the first wine truly in theme, and not nearly
ready to drink yet. I still have a small vertical from the early 80s I have to
get around to. A bit closed, definitely quite tannic, with good structure and a
bit of strawberry at the end. Needs time.

1997 Nickel & Nickel John C. Sullenger Vineyard Cabernet - some orange peel in
this nose, and also some heat. Concentrated flavours and firm tannins. It would
be interesting to taste this one in 5 years.

1997 Dominus - this wine amazed me with it's forwardness. The nose was warm and
mature with dark fruit and some spice. It has excellent balance, and the
tannins are soft enough that it would be hard to resist if I had it in the
cellar, but I expect it will continue to develop for several years.

1997 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon - a bit of initial latex in
the nose gave way to dark fruit and a bit of anise. A big wine, dark in colour
and tight and tannic, one gets little hint of what it will become except for
the very attractive sweet and lengthy finish. If I had any, I wouldn't open it
for 10 years.

1997 Schweiger Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon - another dark wine with a fairly
forward Rhonish nose, a little hot. Big time tannins mark this and obscure the
underlying flavours - it reminds me of some of the La Jotas or even Dunns -
cellar, forget for a decade, and hope......

1997 Oakford Cabernet Sauvignon - this Heidi Barrett produced wine had a
slightly plasticy nose, with good balance and adequate fruit...but also with
pretty firm tannins. Time should turn this into an interesting wine. Leave
alone for 8-10 years.

1999 Chapoutier Muscat de Rivesaltes - the primary note in the nose of this
one, other than the usual floral muscatty thing, was oranges. Quite sweet but
with enough acidity to carry it off.

1985 Grahams Port - this was a baby - but a lovely one. Very dark, hot sweet
and with loads of tannin, I am sure that the brandy and wine have only recently
come to terms with each other, and the finish is a bit alcoholic (as was the
company by this time). After this taste I intend to leave my 85 alone for
another 6-8 years, but it was great to have a peek at it and see how it is
doing. If you must slaughter infants like this, decanting a day ahead might
mellow it.

Bill, do you know what the 1999 Les Cailloux is like? I can get hold of it
at around £20 a bottle.

Bill, do you know what the 1999 Les Cailloux is like? I can get hold of it
at around £20 a bottle.

Quite good.

They chucked what would otherwise have been the Cuvee Centenaire into the
regular wine that vintage. In many ways it is similar to the 2000, and that is
a pretty decent price.

1997 Nickel & Nickel John C. Sullenger Vineyard Cabernet - some orange peel
in
this nose, and also some heat. Concentrated flavours and firm tannins. It
would
be interesting to taste this one in 5 years.

I visited N&N a number of times over the past few years as the winery was being
developed and was interested in your notes on the Sullenger. 1997 would have
been their first vintage and it's the only vintage that I haven't tasted. The
newly released wines have evolved over the yearsand the current winemaker is
quite clear on her mission to produce distinctly vineyard driven wines. How
would you compare the 1997 to current release of the Sullenger?
Bi!!

How
would you compare the 1997 to current release of the Sullenger?

I haven't had the pleasure - the wine is not exported to Canada - this was a
bottle picked up by one of our guys when in Napa.