2000 Golan Heights Winery Yarden Blanc de Blancs - Galilee, Golan
Heights
This sparkler was obviously not champers, but figuring out what it was
took some work. I had a hard time with the nose, which had
indeterminate fruit and a bit of years, but developed some decent
apple notes with time. Picked up character as it warmed.

Gosset Champagne Brut Grande Reserve – lemon and yeast nose, quite
nice, elegant and floral, rounder in the mouth and very tasty.

2000 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Vieilles Vignes – lots of colour in
this deep amber wine made me think it might be older than it turned
out to be. Waxy fruit nose that was showing significant botrytis,
balanced in the mouth but with a fair bit of RS. Unusual wine.

2003 Sean Thackrey Pinot Noir Andromeda Devil's Gulch Ranch - Marin
County medium red, blood and plums in the nose, but more cherry on
palate, good balance, pleasant.

1997 Leeuwin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Art Series (Western Australia)
- dark wine, good fruit nose with additions of herbs and coffee,
medium to heavy weight in the mouth, and soft tannins. Cab, merlot,
malbes, and petit verdot.

2001 Mas de Daumas Gassac Herault - warm herbal plum nose, not
really jumping out of the glass at you, warm and soft and fully
resolved on palate, and although pleasant, lacked acidity. I was
amazed that the wine was this young – I’ve had many older vintages
with far less development.

1997 Caymus Zinfandel (Napa) – dark, with lots of sweet vanilla in the
nose, dry tannin, good length, warmish finish. No obvious zin clues.
I thought it might have been a Spanish wine.

1991 Ornellaia (Tuscany) – medium colour with garnet edge, nice
cabernet nose high toned, all flavours on palate melded well, fully
mature and possibly would have been better a few years ago, but still
classy.

2001 Sant'Antonio Valpolicella Superiore La Bandina – Dark red, a
blackberry nose, ripe in the mouth, but not hot, and excellent
concentration. Except for the lack of heat, you’d swear it was a
ripasso.

2002 McCrea Sirocco (Yakima) – another dark, fairly ripe wine with
good acidity and moderate tannins. Grenache, syrah, Mourvedre, cunoise
(didn’t know many were growing the last one in Washington stat!).

On May 23, 11:18*am, "Bill S." > wrote:
> 2000 Golan Heights Winery Yarden Blanc de Blancs - *Galilee, Golan
> Heights
> This sparkler was obviously not champers, but figuring out what it was
> took some work. I had a hard time with the nose, which had
> indeterminate fruit and a bit of years, but developed some decent
> apple notes with time. Picked up character as it warmed.
>
> Gosset Champagne Brut Grande Reserve – lemon and yeast nose, quite
> nice, elegant and floral, rounder in the mouth and very tasty.
>
> 2000 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Vieilles Vignes – lots of colour in
> this deep amber wine made me think it might be older than it turned
> out to be. Waxy fruit nose that was showing significant botrytis,
> balanced in the mouth but with a fair bit of RS. Unusual wine.
>
> 2003 Sean Thackrey Pinot Noir Andromeda Devil's Gulch Ranch - Marin
> County medium red, blood and plums in the nose, but more cherry on
> palate, good balance, pleasant.
>
> 1997 Leeuwin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Art Series (Western Australia)
> - *dark wine, good fruit nose with additions of herbs and coffee,
> medium to heavy weight in the mouth, and soft tannins. *Cab, merlot,
> malbes, and petit verdot.
>
> 2001 Mas de Daumas Gassac Herault - * warm herbal plum nose, not
> really jumping out of the glass at you, warm and soft and fully
> resolved on palate, and although pleasant, lacked acidity. I was
> amazed that the wine was this young – I’ve had many older vintages
> with far less development.
>
> 1997 Caymus Zinfandel (Napa) – dark, with lots of sweet vanilla in the
> nose, dry tannin, good length, warmish finish. *No obvious zin clues.
> I thought it might have been a Spanish wine.
>
> 1991 Ornellaia (Tuscany) – medium colour with garnet edge, nice
> cabernet nose *high toned, all flavours on palate melded well, fully
> mature and possibly would have been better a few years ago, but still
> classy.
>
> 2001 Sant'Antonio Valpolicella Superiore La Bandina – Dark red, a
> blackberry *nose, ripe in the mouth, but not hot, and excellent
> concentration. Except for the lack of heat, you’d swear it was a
> ripasso.
>
> 2002 McCrea Sirocco (Yakima) – another dark, fairly ripe wine with
> good acidity and moderate tannins. Grenache, syrah, Mourvedre, cunoise
> (didn’t know many were growing the last one in Washington stat!).

Just bought 3 bottles of the 2008 Ripasso. Had it at a tasting 2 weeks
ago. One of the better Valpolicellas IMHO. Was at an all Adami
Prosecco tasting with the Valpolicella with dessert.