April lunch notes:

With truffled foie gras pate wrapped in smoked salmon and cabbage leaf:

2001 Ch. Tertre Grand Mayne (Entre deux Mers) - killer little value, this. From
30 year old vines, mostly Sauvignon blanc, some Semillon and Muscadelle.
Showing some colour and a lot of character in the mouth, clean and with decent
length. Marked down to $9.95!

1983 Jaboulet Dom. Thalabert Crozes Hermitage - garnet colour with bricky
edges, the only give away in the nose to the Northern Rhone was the slight bit
of pepper. It still has tannin, and lots of acidity but it is balanced and
pleasant, and having lasted this long, I don't expect it to take any sudden
decline - it should last for a few more years. Nice to have a mature Syrah!

1997 Dom. Remizieres Cuve Christophe Crozes Hermitage - as these events are
completely blind, it is amazing sometimes when two similar wines show up. This
was of course very young and purple with pale edges. The nose didn't have a lot
of pepper and was more prunish and vanilla. Quite soft in terms of tannin but
lots of acidity, this is starting to drink well now and I'd be very surprised
to see it last as long as the Thalabert.

With marinated Saltspring lamb :

1997 Ch. St. Cosme Gigondas - nice segue from North to South while staying with
the same vintage. Darker wine with mineral nose (less sweetness than last time
I had it). In the mouth there are very slightly astringent tannins but the
underlying fruit is sound. I have a couple of cases of this somewhere - it may
be time to find it and start monitoring by tasting a bottle every 6 months or
so.

1998 Vieux Donjon - dark with a weighty Rhone nose of anise, leather and wood
smoke. This wine has not yet really melded together and while it has lots of
stuffing, a few more years should smooth things out nicely.

With duck confit:

1988 Ch. Beychevelle - I figured this for a 1989 for sure, or even possibly a
1990 but no way would I have chosen a 1988. Big oak nose, lovely and sweet in
the mouth, and long. Best bottle of this I've had!

1993 Tenuta Farnese Bongoverno - a mediocre vintage in most of Italy, but this
internationally styled wine stands out as a winner. Dark with slightly bricky
edges, and a nose of mint and mocha nose, it had bright fruit and good length.
Very hard to nail this as Italian, blind.

With cheese:

1997 Heitz Napa Cabernet - Dark with a rich minty fruit nose, sweet entry, soft
tannins and good balance. This wine will last a long time, but is excellent
drinking now.

1990 Kenwood Artist's Label Cabernet - big dark minty wine. The tannins have
finally softened (when I tasted it at the winery, they were pretty darned
hard!), and the fruit was out in spades. Oddly, given the early history, I
think this wine is probably at peak right now and won't get any better, though
it will last for years.