At my farm this weekend I opened a 1990 Heitz Napa Valley Cabernet (regular bottling)with grilled filets. The wine was a bit brickish in the glass with aromas of dried cedar, our cherries and leather. Totally different on the palate than expected. Still lots of cassis up front with a smooth transition to background flavors of tobacco, coffee and earth. Nice bottle. "B+"

On Saturday we grilled some local lamb raised on grass by our neighbor and I opened a bottle of 2000 Chateau Pavie St Emilion. At dinner one of our guests mentioned that this was a Parker 100pt wine....hmmmmm. The wine was almost black in the glass. medium bodied, glass coating with a firm nose of espresso and mint with a slight green bean note. Plenty of up front black fruit aromas and a bit of crushed gravel. large and powerful on the palate with blackberry and cassis followed by a large dose of mint and minerals. Still firmly tannic. For a wine with so much Merlot it was quite grippy. The lamb was big and the wine was bigger needing at least another 10 years of age. "B+/A-"