John Taverner wrote:

>
> Chardonnay, Catena agrelo 2001, Mendoza, Argentine. £9.95
> Pale straw, big legs, wonderful buttery nose, spice. Wonderful balance of
> fruit and acidity, fresh as a daisy, long. Definite Chablis or Mersault.

Ack! I had the opportunity to taste this last weekend, but ran out of time.
My loss!

> Cabernet Sauvignon, Ridge, Santa Cruz Mountains 1997. £19
> Incredible extract, a dumb stewed plum nose, complex. Huge soft entry with
> big tannins, full fruit, Too young, leave and try again. Almost merlotic. Is
> it French?If it is then where from.....Pomerol, no it is
> cabernet............I'm stuck.

Great notes, John. I've been dithering over whether to open my lone bottle of
this (gift from friend). I think that I'll wait a few more years on the basis
of these notes.

> C-de-P, La Crau, Dom du Vieux Telegraphe, 1998, £13.
> Bright and young, good extract, Classic S Rhone with a lot of Cab! on the
> nose, Full fat and tannic, great spicy fruit, long++ Try again 5 years,.
> HOORAY, I got one right.

£13 for '98 Vieux Telegraphe??? Where do I sign up? It retailed in the US
for typically $40-45! Triple ack!!!

>
>
> These were confidence destroying wines. I was not the only one to make a
> real balls up of this lot.
> Bill, Mark, Dale etc have you ever had a nightmare tasting like this?

Constantly, John. Much of my blind tasting these days is done on cheaper
wines that display little varietal character. After mistaking a Cabernet for
a Sangiovese, one begins to doubt one's sanity, let alone one's ability as a
taster...

>
>
> Best wines were the Catena and the Ridge, no wonder the French are worried.
>

Well, the VT didn't sound too bad, either! ;-)

Mark Lipton