When I flew back from Atlanta Monday, Betsy and her son David flew to Southern
California to visit with friends and relatives. So I finished out the year
alone (except for some good friends, good food, and some wine- only a little of
which was good). A good opportunity to work by way through some dubious
Christmas "bounty":

2000 Georges Dubœuf Prestige Merlot (Vin de Pays d'Oc)
Not sure I've ever seen a Merlot this purple! Tannic for a Douboeuf wine. with
sweet plum fruit, mint and vanilla, and almost no acidity. B-/C+

2001 Boxler Riesling
Just delicious. Balanced, minerally, sweet fruit but a totally dry wine. Great
bargain at $14. B+

2000 Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Raspberry and plum fruit, lots of sweet oak flavors, short finish B-

At a New Year's Eve party that featured a nice spread of food, and a lot of
people who brought instruments (I'm happy as a roadie, the only way I can
help make music is carrying a 'cello) and made nice music:

2000 Abadia Retuerta Rivola (Sardon de Duero)
I really liked this wine in earlier vintages, not sure if it changed or me
(probably both). But this is better than some recent Rivolas I've had. Red
fruit, some vanilla-ish oak, decent acidic balance. B

2002 Penfolds Koonunga Hills Chardonnay (Southeastern Australia)
oak, tropical fruit, oak, citrus, oak. Lots of wood for an inexpensive wine. B-

NV Pierre Peters Blanc de Blancs €œCuvee Reserve€� €“ A complex mouthful of
apple fruit (both tart green and sweeter red apples), a hint of biscuits and
chalk, spicy finish. Very very good. A-

NV Veuve Cliquot Brut- Fatter, sweeter, but with some decent yeast notes. B

At a New Year's Day party (more music, this time Irish and duets from Figaro):

2002 Bründlmayer Langenloiser Grüner Veltliner Kamptaler Terrassen
Yum. Peach blossoms, minerals, white pepper. Yum. B+

2000 Perrin Vacqueyras
Meaty, rich. A little herby note on top of the ripe red fruit. Good. B+

Happy 2004 to all of you.


Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B
a good wine, C mediocre at best. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a
party where it was only choice.
Dale

Dale Williams
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oh yeah, one more from last night's party:
1998 Pontet-Barrail (Medoc) Never heard of this chateau, and wish I never had.
Green, hard, herby, with big hunks of sediment- looked more like a 30 yr old
vintage port's sediment than a 5 yr old minor Bdx. C

Dale

Dale Williams
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Dale Williams > wrote:
: oh yeah, one more from last night's party:
: 1998 Pontet-Barrail (Medoc) Never heard of this chateau, and wish I never had.
: Green, hard, herby, with big hunks of sediment- looked more like a 30 yr old
: vintage port's sediment than a 5 yr old minor Bdx. C

hmmm....sometimes we find gems, othertimes we slog through mud. I think
your new year's wines made up for this ugly bottle. Happy 2004, Dale and
the other regulars!

Mark S