SOBER gathered last night at Mark Golodetz's for a lovely night of
food, wine, jokes, and conversations. Mark and Nancy did a fantastic
job hosting, and Mark chose some great wines to serve us blind:

1993 Vilmart Coeur de Cuvee (from Magnum), not blind
Apple fruit accented with citrus, some yeast roll notes, good length.
Kind of mid-weight style. B+

We started with some proscuitto, salami, and cheese. Due to some
decanter switching due to a corked bottle, numbering got confusing, so
I'm just numbering from 1 to 11. In the first flight, table consensus
was American, though I thought what I have listed as 3rd wine could be
Bordeaux. I was wrong.

1st wine- some immediately threw the TCA yellow flag; I was getting an
off odor, but not really the usual musty/moldy note. Some big fruit
underneath. But it did seem off, and I obediently dumped. A couple of
folks weren't sure it was corked, but a resmell of one's glass later
showed the damp cardboard in abundance. It was Helen Turley's first
wine, the 1984 BR Cohn Cabernet Sauvignon

2nd wine
This was served very cool, a quick replacement for one above. Sweet
dark plum fruit, a little mint/menthol, moderate length. 1985 BR Cohn
Cabernet Sauvignon. B

3rd wine
This is the one I thought could be Bordeaux. Big nose of brett at
first, but it blows off a bit and integrates ok. Black fruit and
mushrooms framed by the cow patty aromas, resolved tannins but a
backbone of acidity. 1976 Chappelet Cabernet Sauvignon B+

4th wine
Slightly lifted nose, red sharp fruit. A funny sharpness- someone
called it vinegary, and John thought it showed artificial acidulation.
Drinkable, I guess, but I didn't. 1983 Ch. Ste. Michelle Cold Creek
Cabernet Sauvignon B-

Next flight was clearly a bunch of winners. Dan quickly nailed fifth
wine as Rioja, I thought last two wines might be Barbaresco, but Mark
said 3 different countries, so I thought then the last one. Wrong
again.

5th wine
Also a lifted nose, but this seemed aromatic rather than sharp. Light
and elegant, lovely delicate wine with red fruit, cedar, and a hint of
coffee. 1981 Lopez de Heredia "Tondonia" Gran Reserva. A-

6th wine
Herby, bright, red cherries, earth. Mark says this is the estate from
where Giacosa gets the grapes for his Santo Stefano. 1985 Castello di
Neive Santo Stefano Barbaresco. B+

7th wine
Red and sweet, a little tea, tar, and earth. I'm actually quite
surprised when it's revealed- 1983 Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape. B/B
+

A little break for a delicious gazpacho, then Mark ventured out to
grill some lovely thick steaks. The next group of wines were all
consumed with steak, potatoes, and spinach.

8th wine
A Margaux-ish floral/berry touch on the nose, lovely mouthfeel, good
length. Dark fruit, earth and graphite, cigarbox. Very nice wine.
1970 Domaine de Chevalier A-

9th wine
Tobacco, red fruit, nice medium-weight claret.
1974 Haut-Brion B/B+

10th wine
Very sweet fruit, young and fresh. Lots of earth, a little bandaid.
Some damp forest floor accents the rich fruit. 1961 Pape Clement. A-/A

11th wine
Kinda funky at first, but in a nice way. Rich dark fruit, cigar,
leather, cedar. High but integrated acids. What a flight! 1970 Ducru-
Beaucaillou. A-

Just a great night of wine, food, and friends. Thanks to Mark and
Nancy for incredible hospitality.

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't
drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no
promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency