We were invited to join some friends for a casual dinner at their home
last night. I brought a bottle of 2007 Brewer Clifton Sea Smoke
Vineyards Santa Rita Hills, Calif. Chardonnay to drink with tomato and
burrata salad, chevre stuffed peppadew peppers, assorted olives and
radishes and butter. The wine was big, lemony and delicious with
terrific acidity to balance out the huge citrus fruit component. "B+"

We went to our freinds cellar to retrieve something for dinner and he
emerged with two bottles of 1982 La Tour. We opened one about an hour
before dinner and proceded to grill lamb loin chops. The first bottle
was showing a faint brickish edge at the rim. Nose of cedar, lather
and a fair amount of cassis. Fairly well resolved tannins on the
palate with mature Bordeaux flavors of plum, cassis, vanilla, cedar
and tobacco. It was good but not as good as I remember. My friend
was perplexed and he was determined to open the other bottle so out
came the cork. Much deeper in color, almost black. Nose of fresh
crushed blackberries and currants. The bottles came from the same
case so I suppose we were dealing with bottle variation.