Notes from a pretty tough blind tasting dinner.

With Prosciutto, enoki mushrooms and fresh figs:

1990 Piper Heidsieck Rare Brut - quite fresh but showing some
complexity in the nose - I thought it would be a 1995 or so,
surprised to see it was a 90. Glad to see I also have some in the
cellar - no rush at all on this.

With a smoked black cod salad with fingerling potatoes:

2001 Pfaffenheim Steinert Gewurztraminer - a treat to have 2 good
Gewurz in 3 days (had the 2000 Albert Mann Gewurztraminer VV Furstentum
on Friday). Nose an obvious gibe-away as to varietal, slight RS
present, and without the length of the Mann wine, but very nice
nonetheless.


With heirloom tomato salad:

1999 Jacques Prieur Beaune Champs Pimont - I have the red version of
this wine and was interested to taste it. Showing a bit of colour, it
sported a nose that was a bit confusing - not obviously chard, and
with notes that could have been Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, quite
complex. After some time in glass it settled down to a chard nose, and
had good length, smooth and crisp.

With sable fish with beet greens and endamame beans and soy butter:

1996 Dehlinger Estate Russian River Chardonnay - OK - he got us with
this one - very Burgundian, darker with deeper toast, soft and
balanced and even longer finish.

With rabbit stew with penne:

1999 Ricasoli Casalferro - this IGT wine threw us as well as it
seemed so oaky and American on first taste, and the terminal acidity
wasn't typically high. Sweet simple nose with a hint of cocoa, long
and full in the mouth, with the acid coming in almost as an
afterthought right at the end. Good but very non-traditional style.

With grilled veal chop, venison sausage, celeriac and onion pave:

1994 Apex Merlot (Columbia Valley) - high toned refined nose with
just a soup=E7on of mint, clean acidity, good length, sweet at the end.
Not much like a Merlot!

1994 Dellile Chaleur - I preferred this one, which showed a decidedly
Bordeaux style on palate, though not quite as convincing in the nose.
Vanilla and plums, sweeter than most Bordeaux noses, balanced on palate
and still somewhat tannic. Impressive showing.

With Piave cheese and kumquat marmalade:

1983 Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf du Pape - this was an amazing wine
that really tested us (and found us wanting). It was a dead ringer in
both appearance and nose for a red Burgundy of about half the age! Pale
with browning edges, perfumed Burg style nose with only a bit of funk,
excellent fruit, and only a bit of pepper - the only real hint to
what it was. It is still carrying some tannin and will hold for years
yet. Lovely wine.

With Tunisian orange cake and strawberries:

2003 P.J. Valkenburg Beerenauslese - pleasant Riesling nose, very
good up front fruit, balanced and not overly sweet. Pleasant end to a
wonderful dinner. I'd say our host did an excellent job of confusing
us with the wines!

I find Dehlinger to be a helluva wine and overall a good value for what
it is.


Dimitri