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QPR Winner   I give this award to wines that demonstrate an excellent quality to price ratio. They are sometimes more expensive than the wines featured in my Best Buys section (which is cut off at $15), so while every Best Buy is also a QPR Winner,  not every QPR winner is an official Best Buy.  QPR winners are simply wines that are great values for a relatively  reasonable price. 

Alsace  Australia     Bordeaux     Bulgaria  Burgundy (red)   Burgundy (white)   
California/USA (red)           California/USA (white)      Dessert/Sparkling    
Germany       Italy            Rhone/South/Southwest France

Alsace (except dessert/sparkling)
1998 Riesling Guebershcwir (Zind-Humbrecht)
Dry and bit tart at first, this stern, mineral-laden riesling took forever to open. Just about at the end of the evening, it showed some classic riesling nose and fruit, the floral notes began to dominate and it began to show fruit.  Medium bodied and hard on opening, as big young rieslings often are, this showed initially only tar and steel. Its evolution with air suggests that it  will need at least two years of cellaring to be more approachable. 87-89 points.

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Australia (except dessert/sparkling)
1997 Shiraz Reserve (Fox Creek)
I hand carried this back from Oz, and as cult Aussies go, it is surely one of the most elegant wines you'll find. There is a touch of American oak, but it is so well integrated that it becomes unnoticeable with air. Bright and lively, gentle and charming--a great contrast with shiraz cult stereotypes. It's important to keep in mind that regardless of the hype HERE, this was only a $30 AUD wine THERE. It wasn't necessarily going for the Big Statement.  Rather, it is a wine with a lot of finesse and elegance. It does not seem to me to be a long haul wine, and I think it showed nicely tonight and will peak within a year or two at most, and will ideally be drunk by roughly age ten.  89 points. 

1998 Shiraz "Oskar Semmler" (Dutschke) 
Liked this a lot. This has a solid mid-palate, but it was very approachable  and opened beautifully, becoming sweeter with air. The fruit and balance were both impeccable. I'm sorry I didn't drink more. It is surprising that it is so forward for such a young wine. Will it close up and evolve? Who knows with all these new wineries? I think it is not quite at peak, but it is hard to resist at the moment anyway.  90-91 points.

1995 Cabernet Reserve (McGuigan)
Medium bodied, and varietally true, this is a pleasant cab that shows nice texture, and is fairly lush. It is a bit thin in the mid-palate, though, and a bit earthy at times. Still, I liked the varietal typicity that is so often missing in Aussie cabernet. And for under $20, it was a good, solid, and tasty wine that drank well, even if lacked some depth and concentration. Worth the bucks, but not a revelation. 87 points.

Bordeaux
1975 Chateau Montrose
Sturdy and dense, this wine shows some power and some tannin, but the depth is welcome, and it opens nicely with air.  In fact, this would have benefited from some more decanting, but at least by the end of the evening it was not quite so opaque and one could begin to taste a little fruit. Admittedly, the wine was a bit monolithic, a little too stolid, and it could have used more flavor and personality.  Brooding it was, but it drank well and show good concentration.  88 points.

1983 Chateau La Conseillante
This Pomerol opened a bit gamey, with considerable underlying tannins. With air, it smoothed out a bit, and the tannins moderated quickly (which seems typical of the 1983s in general).  It never had the pizazz I would have liked, but the velvety texture and the chocolate nuances tinged with bacon fat developed into a distinctive wine that drank well and held well. It had reasonable depth and concentration, too.   87 points.

1966 Chateau Lynch Bages
Fragrant and expansive, this wine showed thinning fruit, but lots of flavor and charm. It held reasonably well through an evening and exuded raspberry and cassis nuances.  Bright and nicely textured, it is a wine as ready to drink as it ever will be, and at the moment it is friendly and appealing.  The lack of depth is a bit worrying, but the wine was darned near irresistible, especially early in the evening.  By the end of the evening, this rating would be too high, but in the beginning it was probably too low. So call it a reality check rating, with the wine losing some points for fading but frequently showing much better.  88 points.

1982 Chateau Haut-Batailley
Smooth and round,  this petit Chateau has held beautifully over the years. Solidly packed still, it shows forward fruit, with only hints that it is mature. This wine doesn't have much excitement value, but it is nicely delineated, ripe and concentrated, with pristine fruit. 89 points.

1996 Chateau Beychevelle
A fairly typical Beychevelle: friendly and modest, well balanced, but lacking depth. The wine is enjoyable to drink at the moment, and ripens with some air. It never shows much concentration or intensity; it is "middle of the road" all the way. Frankly, one expects a little more. At the same time, it drank well and was charming enough so that it was hard to dislike at the moment. 88 points.

Bulgaria
1999 Chardonnay (Vini) QPR Winner 
I  was very pleasantly surprised by this $7 wine, which I can wholeheartedly recommend in its price category. First, it is varietally true with classic chard flavors and bouquet, with a hint of lees.  It is not deep, but it does not show meager on fruit and high in acid, like a lot of wines in this price range. Nor does it try to substitute lots of oak for fruit. Elegant and flavorful, nuanced by pears in the mid-palate, it is well balanced, and  pristine enough to be drunk relatively warm, closer to cellar temperature, just like the big boy chards.  Very nice performance, and a very worthwhile best buy. This loses points for depth and aging capacity, by the way,  but don't let that fool you; it is a lovely wine for  the moment in a lighter, elegant style. For drinking now, it is a steal.  Its finish is a touch short, but flavorful and pure. It also held beautifully in the glass and if anything gained weight with warmth and air. I've paid a lot more and enjoyed some chards a lot less.  It is more Burgundy than California, a Macon-Villages style, though not quite as acidic as some of the lesser priced Macons, and a lot cheaper than the good ones.  An official and enthusiastic  "best buy."  For drinking now and over the next year, for best results, I suspect. 85 points.

1995 Cabernet Reserve (Vini) QPR Winner 
This estate in Bulgaria--about which I know very little--continues to amaze and delight me. OK. It's official now: you don't have to spend $25 to get a decent cabernet. This little beauty is bright and has a pleasing bouquet, which promises good fruit to come. On the palate, it follows through, with flavorful cherry-nuanced fruit. It is medium bodied and lively, made in a French style, brighter and more elegant than the big wines, and most Californians. It held well with air, and was simply charming. 25,000 cases made....$8 list price. Yep. To be sure, it lacks some depth and the finish is nothing to write home about. But for wines in this price range, it is tasty and solidly made, with reasonable weight, flavor and balance.  I liked it enough to finish the bottle, not just taste it. Let's put it that way.  Drinking well now, with no hint of fading. 86 points. 

1997 Merlot (Vini) QPR Winner 
The Merlot is also very good, but not quite as successful.  It is not as lush and juicy as we expect merlots to be these days. Again, this is much more French than New World. Ignore the word "merlot," and think "St. Emilion." That might help.   It is bright and has a underlying structure with the nuances from what would seem to be a cool climate production, including relatively high acid levels that announce themselves, but do not become intrusive or overbearing.  At age three, there is just perhaps a hint of maturity and tertiary nuances. This is not as finely wrought or as flavorful as the cab by any means, in part because cabernet tends to be more flavorful.  However, it shows nice grip on the finish and held nicely with air. With a little more air, it knitted together nicely and developed some earthy character and weight that made it a good match for traditional merlot-type foods.  It lacked a bit of flavor, but, if a bit straightforward, was a solid wine that showed some finely delineated fruit, reasonable weight and some character.  For a $7 list price (60,000 cases), what more do you want?  Drink now. 84 points.

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Burgundy (red) (except dessert/sparkling)
1996 Nuits St. Georges "Cuvée No. 1" (Dominique Laurent)
Another beautiful village wine from the 1996 Laurent collection--that about sums it up. Intense raspberry fruit packed into a lush, velvety core, made this wine aromatically and on the palate sensual, sexy and exotic. Yet even with that touch of up front flamboyance, the Asian spice mingled with raspberry,  the balance was impeccable, and those who want acid and elegance will have no complaints. There was some talk of when this wine would be ready, with one estimate as high as five years hence. It seemed to come around nicely with air to me tonight, granting that it will probably show better in 1 to 2 years.  It never lost the gorgeous fragrance, or the flavor on the back end, and the finish was long and intense, but the wine became ever more elegant as well, presenting the impression of lightness, not in a pejorative sense, but rather in the sense of effortless delivery of flavor.   Superlative village wine, lacking only the depth of big boys. It will be interesting indeed if this in fact takes five years to peak.   91 points.

1991 Volnay 1er Cru (Coche-Dury)
This is a rare red from Coche-Dury, a premier cru blend. It is superb. Focused and bright, it is smooth and burnished on the palate. Cherry nuances are overt on the finish, and the wine has good flavor to go with the texture. Through the evening, it opened more and developed some earthy characteristics that lent it some character to go with the sweet fruit. The finish was long and mouth gripping. This was not quite as exotic or flavorful as the Laurent, above, nor as charming, but it had somewhat better depth and more solid core. A very fine 1991 rouge that has held perfectly and is aging gracefully.  91 points.

1990 Nuits St. Georges "Clos de l'Arlot" (Domaine de l'Arlot)
I've posted on this lush, rich and accessible wine before, from an estate I find rather underrated. The simple story is that it is a beautiful wine again, but it seems to have slipped a notch, at least from this bottle on this night. Of all the wines we had tonight, the texture on this was my favorite, that lush, velvety feel that makes you feel like you are caressing cashmere. The flavor and bouquet were still fine, too, but seemed to be just a little more restrained than my last note on this. Still, not to much complain about. 90 points.

1988 Volnay "En Champans" (Monthelie-Douhairet)
I have had better bottles of this, but there was good news and bad news here. The good news is that while it opened tight and tough, as it has showed since its youth, it eventually developed and softened with air and the texture became interesting. It was ready to drink, finally. The fruit was alive. The bad news is that with air it developed a telltale "sweaty armpits" smell that kept getting worse. There was some good, expansive strawberry scented fruit here, with nice concentration, but no one was interested in getting close enough to the wine to worry about the fruit when we had other things to drink like Coche-Dury.  Too bad; this could have been a very nice bottle. 82 points.

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Burgundy (white) (except dessert/sparkling)
1998 Meursault "Narvaux" (Vincent Girardin)
Girardin often shows me backward wines, but not here. This was lush and ripe, redolent of butterscotch and hazelnuts. The fruit was suprisingly deep and approachable, and the wine seemed roll around the mouth and on the tongue. Drinking beautifully, and probably not the best cellar candidate. It has a sort of California feel to it, too. 90 points.

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California/USA (red) (except dessert/sparkling)
1996 Cabernet (Jones Family Vineyards)
The reviews on this debut release have been very good, but restrained. The wine does have a lot of underlying tannin and backbone, and I could see that if you caught it at the wrong time it might be forbidding and severe, which all the reviews have mentioned. But I think that this is superlative wine. It lacks just a little depth to be "great," but it is still exceptional. Bright, with a gorgeous, powerful blueberry bouquet, the wine's mid-palate is laced with pristine cassis flavors. Yet, it is elegantly textured and of medium weight. It does not consciously go for "big,"  but it is not hollow in the mid-palate. With air, some underlying fine tannins pop out on the finish, and the wine also takes on weight and some sternness. The texture of the fruit, however, becomes more velvety, the depth more impressive. I think we all enjoyed this wine tremendously, and I would underscore how fragrant and sensuous it is, despite the tannins lurking underneath.  It probably will not peak for at least 3 years, and my guess is that this is going to age very gracefully. A very, very impressive debut release from this new "cult" wine.  92 points.

1996 Pinot Noir "Marcassin Vineyard" (Marcassin)
The debut release of the pinot noir from Marcassin Vineyard was more approachable and I think will eventually be better, too, than the debut Chardonnay reviewed below.  Defeating the Marcassin preconceptions,  this is a wine with elegance and finesse that a Burgundy lover could live with and learn to love. The beautiful raspberry core is in perfect balance with acid and fruit. It opened flat and dull, gradually developed,  oh so slowly, picked up some weight, and became a gentle, charming and flavorful pinot with blackberry notes on the bouquet. It never finished opening in the short time--2 hours-- we had, and we probably should've decanted it.  Wonderful debut release pinot noir.   90-92 points

1992 Syrah Russian River Valley (Dehlinger)
Meaty and deep, this wine has fresh, sweet blueberry fruit in the mid-palate, but is varietally true throughout, including that bit of Rhoney-y game. The texture has become suave, and the wine round and ripe, with good depth and power. Sometimes I wonder....does Dehlinger do anything wrong with the varietals it vinifies?  91 points.

The following "cult wines"  drunk together at a peer group event.
See the related article in the Articles Section.

1996 Cabernet (Screaming Eagle)
This heralded wine, the most collectible Californian there is, with prices heading up to several thousand dollars per bottle in some auctions, is good but a bit underwhelming. Like the other 96s, it opened very tight and lean. With air, it developed some bouquet, and became sexy and exotic for a short while, showing nice balance and cassis notes. Then, it seemed to become reserved and restrained. After three hours sitting in glass, I would have expected more. Either this is the most closed wine I have ever seen, or it is simply a bit underwhelming next to its reputation, and the other cult cabs. At this point, granting that I have no experience (who does?) with tracking how vintages of this wine age over the years, I have to vote for the latter proposition. 88-90 points.

1995 & 1996 Cabernet "Herb Lamb Vineyard"  (Colgin)
The 1995 Colgin keeps rising in my estimation, although not without some caveats. As against the 1995 Araujo Eisele, which has been my recent favorite amongst the cult cabs, it is a bit more flamboyant and less typical. It shows rose petals and plums, and a touch of rhubarb on the finish. But it held well and better than the Araujo after being poured in a glass for over three hours. It was wonderful, delicious, exotic and tasty.  The aromatics were gorgeous, and the lush fruit never stopped giving off flavor. It will be interesting to see how well it ages, but this does not seem to me to be a long haul (20 + years) wine. Its charm is in its flavor and exuberance (and its penetrating, sexy bouquet). It may not fall apart in twenty years, but it may have no charm left either. For the mid-term, which is quite ok, this is a winner. If anything, it showed better than my last note, of a few months ago, and it held well in the glass for hours-- a good sign, so maybe I'm wrong about the longevity. Anyway... 94 points. The 1996 Herb Lamb is tighter, a bit leaner, a little less giving. It required some air to knit together, but pull together it did.  It eventually gave off a powerful and heady blueberry scented bouquet that I liked a lot.  There was some grip and penetration on the finish.  Maybe with a year of age, it will show as well as the 1995, but tonight, after extended aeration, it was similarly styled, but a bit  less generous and less interesting. For the 1996, 90-92 points, betting it is closer to the bottom of that spectrum.

1995 & 1996 "Eisele Vineyard"  Cabernet (Araujo) 
The 95 Eisele is a remarkable wine for its purity, flavor, balance and finesse. It is a relatively high acid wine, too. It showed spectacularly well at the outset and for a long while was my favorite in this grouping. I did think it slipped a notch in the glass by the end of the evening. True, a few ounces being poured into a Riedel vinum was a stern test, but it was one the Harlan and Bryant and Colgin certainly passed with greater ease. Not that this was so bad. It was not an easy winner as it was the last time I had it, but it was pretty fine.  Simply one of the most utterly charming Cabernets California has ever produced. 94 points. The 96, as with the Colgin pairing, whether because of the relative youth or the vintage, probably both, seems less charming, less generous, and less interesting. It was tighter, leaner and harder, although it opened nicely with air and developed well. Still, I think this is running parallel with the Colgin results (although in style the Colgin is closer to the Bryant than the Araujo), and it is not likely to be as good as its older brother, the 1995. For the 1996, 89-91 points.

1996 Cabernet (Harlan Estate)
This is the most brooding and backward of the cult cabs, with a stern dose of astringent tannins on first tastings. This time, though, I had the chance to let it sit and air out properly. I always wondered what was under that wall of tannin. Answer: lots of beautiful fruit. With air, it developed a more velvety texture and the nose became pungent. The sweet fruit popped up and there seemed to be rather a lot of it. It was quite amazing how nicely textured the fruit became, chocolately and smooth. The wine transformed itself before my eyes. And nose. And tongue.  Well balanced, despite the tannins, this is the candidate for "most ageworthy" of the cult cabs. How good it is will be interesting to see in a decade. This is a wine that will be defined by time, and it was the most successful of the 1996s I had on this night, though not the most immediately charming. 94-95 points.

1995 Cabernet (Bryant Family)
In many respects, of all the cult cabs, this has some bragging rights in terms of concentrated, ripe, lush fruit. It also has a nice tannic backbone that will serve it well in terms of ageing, although it knits together faster than the Harlan 96.  It will give the Harlan a run for its money in the longevity sweepstakes anyway.  It is not a wine that feels clunky, by any means. But the layers of fruit unfold and each is expansive. You keep thinking you're going to get to the bottom, but it keeps evolving. Certainly, in so many respects a remarkable wine, and it has developed beautifully since my last note on it. But also, of all the cult cabs, this is the oddest. It has that offbeat rose petal and plum nuance that Colgin has. But while the Colgin '95 has just a touch of rhubarb, along with a lot of rose petal, this seems drenched in it. It is a very eccentric cab, in other words. I don't know that I would guess the varietal blind.  If you don't mind its flavor profile, you'll like it way more than I do and the scores may go through the roof.  For the quality of fruit here, this could be my favorite cult wine. I'm sure willing to drink it. But I need a little more varietal typicity to add points to the score. Although I love Aussie grenache, I'd rather taste some cabernet from this wine.  93 points.

end of peer group cult wine tasting

1997 Insignia (Joseph Phelps)
California's old guard hasn't given up the ghost. All those pricey, highly hyped cult wines are very good--but no better than some of California's more traditional names. Case in point here. Multilayered and powerful, this wine shows superb depth and a long finish. Yet it is impeccable in its balance.  The core of fruit shows very sweet once it opens, and there are hints of licorice. The wine acquires flavor and velvety texture with air. It doesn't come close to revealing everything it has in the time I had to give it. This should age gracefully and well, yet it can be approached now, too, though it is nowhere near peak. About $85--not cheap, but not cult pricing, and a much better value. 93-95 points.

1994 Pinot Noir Reserve (Cristom)
This is amazingly Burgundian and seems stylistically a match for what Burgundy aims for most of the time. Impeccably balanced, bright and attractive, the only thing the wine lacks is some flavor. In that sense, the fruit seems to have faded and thinned a bit, and the acid becomes overly prominent. It slips slightly out of balance.  Pleasant enough, but matched with some pretty fast company, not compelling enough to waste much time with.  87 points.

1998 "Pastiche" (Joseph Phelps) QPR Winner
This $10 Cotes-du-Rhone knock off is a fine value. It is a blend of Rhone-y varietals. It smells like a Rhone, and tastes like a Rhone. For $10, this was a fun wine that delivered a lot of flavor and style.  The problem: what about real Cotes? Or Languedocs? This wine is relatively light, and can be served just slightly colder than normal. But a lot of cheap Cotes du Rhones have more depth, more lushness, more texture, although NOT more flavor.  The 13.5 alcohol seems a bit too high for this wine, and the effort to make it bright is a bit misguided when you get to the finish considering the lightness in the mid-palate. Still, everything in context. Also, the wine gained weight with air, and developed blueberry flavors and nuances.  For $10, this was a lovely wine that I enjoyed and finished. That it doesn't hold up to some Coteaux du Languedoc for less money that I have reviewed lately is not entirely the point. Don't let my grumbling, which references what a great value Languedocs are these days, deter you from this very typical, varietally true wine. Drinking OK now, and this shows no sign of being capable of cellaring, so drink up. It loses points for that reason, but don't let that deter you from grabbing it tonight.  84 points.

1990 Terraces (Hogue)
Well made, but middle of the road cab/meritage. This has pretty red berry flavors in the mid-palate, but is a tad short of depth compared to truly superlative wines, or at least age has thinned it a bit. There is a bit of acid on the finish and the wine has a brightness to it that some might like, but that I would have liked to have seen balanced by a bit more solidness. Still, it is enjoyable and tasty and delivers some flavor. 88 points.

1990 Cabernet  Reserve (Mondavi)
This stunning wine from the Old Guard shows that cult wines are not the only cabernets in America. Not even the best.  This has everything. The lushness and texture remind me more of a merlot at first. It seems so smooth, so mouth coating.  The finish is stunning, and laced with the cassis flavors that eventually emerge, overtaking some initial earthiness. There are some astringent tannins at first, which, behind so much fruit, promise a long, long life for this wine. With air, this becomes more and more a cabernet, varietally true, and very classic. Despite being just cabernet, this would hold well in a Bordeaux lineup blind, I think.  The folks who make Bryant Family with such odd aspects to it (see above) should watch and learn from the master. 95 points. 

1995 Merlot (Pahlmeyer)
I keep repeating, as do others, that California merlot is boring. Well, it mostly is. But actually there are an increasing number of really nice ones that I have begun to like a lot.  This dissolves like candy in the mouth. It opens a bit tight and tense, though lush and velvety. Then it keeps becoming brighter and juicier. Beautifully balanced, very tasty, and with a solid mid-palate core of fruit that doesn't let up. Drinking well, but I think not yet at peak.  90 points.

1995 Meritage (Pahlmeyer)
If Pahlmeyer's Merlot is a treat, the cabernet is superlative. Like the merlot (and like  a lot  of   95 cabs) it is fairly bright. But the fruit is stupendous, and the wine is hardly dominated by acidity. The layers unravel all night long. It is so deep and round that it seems more merlot-like at first. With air, the cabernet typicity pops out and the intense finish announces "cabernet" very clearly at the end, despite the meritage blend. Penetrating, deep,  gorgeous, and classically cabernet. Still improving, and should cellar well for a decade plus. I'd like to see what this does with time, but I am thinking that it is an unqualified success. 93-95 points.

1991 Dominus Napanook Vineyard (Dominus)
To my mind, this is just a super wine, California at its best in every respect. I've loved it from release. And there's no reason to decide otherwise now. Approaching age ten now, It is wearing its advancing age with grace and still seems youthful and pristine. It shows classic cab flavors, a lush texture, a fragrant blueberry bouquet, superb depth, and varietal typicity. The cab flavors are laced with cassis, but the texture seems more choclately merlot. Your palate says "cab," but the mouthfeel screams "Pomerol." As Napanook often seems to show, this has some earthy qualities on the finish, which is long and mouth gripping. Under the layers of fruit, there is enough tannin for backbone. The wine seems impeccably balanced from every perspective. Texture, flavor, typicity, depth, finish, character, graceful aging--what do you from a cab blend wine? This isn't scarce enough to make the cult wine fanciers go berserk, but it is about as good as anything the cult wines are producing in California--and maybe then some. 96 points.

1995 Pinot Noir "Kistler Vineyard Cuvee Catherine" (Kistler)
My last bottle of this some eight months back was more open. Not only is this great American pinot not falling apart at age 5, but it actually seems to be closing down. Beautifully structured and balanced, it combines depth and elegance, power and black cherry flavor. It has the backbone for the long haul, and is nowhere close to its potential at the moment. Judgment still reserved. 93-95 points.

1995 Zinfandel "Whitney" (Turley)
All in all, this became my favorite on the night, matched against the Martinelli, below, and the Oskar Semmler and the Fox Creek 97.  Just so sweet, with boysenberry fruit notes, and throwing off so much flavor, it nonetheless is gentle and charming and retains good balance. It is reasonably bright, too. For all of the "big" rep Turley has, this was lovely and friendly, a long way from overbearing. It held remarkably well and improved with air, too. 91 points.

1997 Zinfandel "Jackass Hill" (Martinelli) 
Basically unapproachable. I don't think zins age well, but this is something very different. Completely unapproachable at the moment, tannic, closed, pure power on display. I know they do come around, having seen how the '94 progressed. But this needs cellaring badly. When's the last time you said that about a zin? 90-93 points.

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California/USA (white) (except dessert/sparkling)
1996 Chardonnay "Marcassin Vineyard" (Marcassin)
This Marcassins was not fully ready for business. It  was tight and closed, and let me tell you: those who have a Marcassin preconception will be surprised at this wine.  It is bright and focused, laced with minerals, tinged with lime, and  nuanced by smokey notes. It is closer to Chablis than the preconception of big, oaky Marcassin (although it isn't Chablis, either).  It needs a year or two of cellaring, I think, to show better.  I confess that I'm not entirely sure where it's going. Even though Marcassin "Hudson,"  for instance, tends to be a more powerful,  focused wine than their bigger, fatter styled bottlings (like "Gauer), this is very different than everything else that the winery has produced.  89-91 points.

1993 Chardonnay "Lorenzo" (Marcassin)
This Lorenzo has held gorgeously. In fact, it is the best showing for aged Lorenzo I have seen. Butterscotch and a touch of toffee make an appearance up front, but the wine is dominated by tasty, well focused fruit. There are doses of lees flavoring, and a beautiful, lingering finish. Superb chardonnay. 93 points.

1997 Chardonnay "Damaris" (Landmark)
This wine surprised me in a lot of respects, but I wound up liking it a lot. Elegant and varietally true, it was scented with pears and nuanced with lees.   Beautifully balanced, it seemed  pure and pristine, laid back and easy to drink.  A bit light, but very attractive and penetrating. 89 points.

1997 Viognier Reserve (Horton Vineyards)
Horton's best known wine by far is this top of the line viognier bottling. It's gotten pretty pricing (around $30), but here's why: it's lovely.  It has aged and developed gracefully and beautifully. If the wine is not quite as intense with the lees flavoring that it had a year ago, it shows now impeccable balance. It is elegant and shows lots of finesse; particularly with a year's age, it is not the big and atypical  bruiser that you find with some California viogniers, like La Jota.   It still has persistent flavor, more than in a lot of pricey French viognier. This winery may be in Virginia, but it is still making a viognier that is about as good as anything produced in the new world. Should drink nicely for another year or two, but just beautiful now. 90 points.

1995 Chardonnay (Pahlmeyer)
This wine smells like Burgundy, suffused with lees and hazelnut overtones. It is California, though, in its lushness, depth of fruit and relative lack of brightness. Drunk a bit too warm towards the end, the fruit never faded and kept delivering all night, but perhaps that was also a problem, since at times the wine seemed a bit clunky.  Quibbles aside, this showed extremely well in its quality of fruit and the bouquet was just enticing. 90 points.

Dessert / Sparkling Wines
1995 Sainte-Croix du Mont Reserve (Chateau de la Rame) QPR Winner  
I've reported on this great producer, from a satellite of Sauternes, before. They are a great bargain. Their wines tend to be in a more fruit forward style, without the power, tannin or oak of a big Sauternes. In other respects, the ripe fruit and sweet apricot nuances are just about perfect. Running about $20 per 500ml, this is a very good wine at a very fair price.  It lacks pure power, but ages surprisingly well, and has good depth, too.  90 points.

1989 Dolce (Far Niente)
Bright and elegant, this pricey dessert wine is a marvel. I wanted to hate it. I love it. Sunny and crisp, medium bodied, it seems light and airy, but the persistent finish never gives an inch. Although this is semillon, it lacks the power of Sauternes, but comes with all the grace of a nice Loire, and maybe then some. It picked up weight in the glass, and showed not a hint of fatigue at age 11. Surely about as good as aged American dessert wine can get.  94 points.

1994 Grauer Burgunder Beerenauslese "Flemlinger Herrenbuckel" (T. Minges)
Pleasing, and moderately crisp, this wine is lighter styled but kind of sneaks up on you. It seems gentle and unassuming, flavorful, but not particularly impressive. But then you notice how nice the finish is, and the flavors permeate your mouth. Not a great wine, but very nice. 88 points.

1995 Monbazillac "Cuvée Madame" (Chateau Tirecul)
This opened and seemed a bit ordinary. Gradually, it blossomed. With every passing moment, it seemed to develop more complexity, more finesse and more elegance. The wine's purity and finish were remarkable. It is not a big, heavy, syrupy-styled wine. Bright and lively, it is remarkable also for its balance and persistent flavors. Subtle, sneaks up on you, but truly superlative. 95 points.

NV 10 Year Tawny Port (Veritas)
I was really looking forward to this tawny. Veritas is a hot winery. The pricing was somewhat elevated ($16 with mixed case discount, $20 on the shelf) compared to the great values one can get from Yalumba Clocktower ($9) or Chateau Reynella Old Cave ($13).  Was I in for something special? Well, in another example of how status does not confer value all the time, no.  This was ordinary, with reasonable  intensity, but not much lushness, or distinction. It was a bit unbalanced by high acid and modest fruit, too.   Worth drinking, but run of the mill stuff compared to the great tawnies so many wineries in Australia effortlessly turn out.  This in fact seems more along the lines of  inexpensive Portuguese than lush Australian.  82 points.

1997 Coteaux du Layon Beaulieu "L'Anclaie" (Pierre Bise) QPR Winner  
Stunningly beautiful, remarkably deep, this Loire sweetie, which runs about $20 for a 500ml is another great Loire value. The wine's very deep, syrupy demeanor, cling peaches and apricots, is counterbalanced by some acidity on the finish--a lingering, mouth coating finish, by the way.  The apricot bouquet is lovely. This is not as bright as some Loires can be, but it is very powerful and deep, and very sweet, at SGN level, in my view. Drinking gorgeously now, but not by any means at peak.  95 points.

1996 Huxelrebe Beerenauslese "Forster Schnepfenflug"  (Kurt Darting)
Not particularly bright, but deep and long, this seemed to give a very good illustration of how extra ripeness can make a deeper as well as sweeter wine. The fruit rolled around the mouth, and coated the tongue, with tasty peach and apricot flavors. I loved the  lingering finish, and fragrant, citrus bouquet. A solid,  and tasty if not quite monumental, wine. 91 points. 

1997 Port Old Vines (Wellington)
Sonoma imitation. I just can't get into it. It seems port-like, though more LBV style than vintage. But the flavors are odd and I was wanting something a bit more typical. It also could've have used a bit more sweetness. Decent depth, though, and a reasonable finish save the wine. It is well crafted for its type. I kept waiting for it to open, but was only rewarded with tightness. It reminded me more of Horton (Virginia) port than Oporto.  85 points.

1996 Late Harvest Riesling (Chateau St. Jean)
Syrupy and very sweet, this show typical apricot and cling peaches nuances. Call it TBA style, although it is closer to Beringer LH Riesling than it is to German TBA. For all of the mouth coating fruit that rolls around your mouth, exuding flavor and fragrance every step of the way, it has a certain elegance and didn't seem to me to ever become overbearing. Gets brighter with air, too. Beautiful. 95 points.

1988 Riesling Eiswein "Guldeutaler Sonnenberg" (Gainz)
I was told that this was a typical wine from an eccentric producer. I kinda liked it, but better as an aperitif. Oxidized in the manner of sherry, it was redolent of apples. In the end, a final description as hard apple cider would work well, except it was not that sweet. As much eau de vie as wine, though without the alcohol, this will satify no one's need for an eiswein. Stripped of preconceptions, it might be something you might like. I enjoyed the juicy core, but it became less sweet and sterner with air. This is just too atypical to rate. It is what it is. It does what it does.

Germany (except dessert/sparkling)
1989 Riesling Auslese "Traiser Rotenfels" (Dr. Crusius)
This is how I like my German riesling. Impeccable in every sense, with enough acidity to be exciting, but enough peachy fruit, sweetness and balance to integrate everything into a seamless, sprightly whole. Lingering finish. Delicious, and sunny, it is an absolute pleasure to drink. 90 points.

Italy (except dessert/sparkling)
1985 Sammarco (Castello dei Rampolla)
This opened tight and forbidding, with sharp acid, and I wasn't happy. Fifteen minutes later, it pulled together and displayed a beautifully packed, dense mid-palate, together with some gamey nuances that integrated nicely with the wine in time. It held well for about an hour and a half, but then cracked up badly. By the end of the evening, it had turned pruney and oxidized badly. It was rather unpleasant.   A puzzling performance---the bottle? Probably.  At its height I would have given it 90 points, but this wine should not have fallen apart so badly, and so unpleasantly. A compromise rating.....  84 points.

1997 Dolcetto  "Tre Vigne" (Vietti)
This is my third different Dolcetto from Vietti, and while this is superb, it is the least of the three (the otherworldly Lazzarito and the fabulous S.Anna being the other two).  It bears some similarity, though. Great, fruity cherry bouquet, that follows through on the palate. This is thinner though, than the S. Anna or the Lazzarito, and the fruit not as richly textured or as flavorful. Very pleasing, but just very good, not very great Dolcetto. 89 points.

1997 Nova Domus (Cantina Terlano)
This white wine is a blend of sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and pinot blanc. It seemed to me to be dominated by chardonnay, and trying really hard to be a Burgundy imitator. The lees flavors are intense, and overwhelm the wine a bit. The fruit just isn't big enough for the treatment it gets. The finish is a bit bitter as a result. That said, I bet most people could find something good to say about the smokey nuances and crisp body that were so like  a white Burg. 85 points.

1989 Carema (Ferrando)
Relatively light at this point in its life, this was nonetheless a pleasure to drink. Sweet, gentle cherry fruit suffused a medium-bodied wine, that was fragrant and pretty.  It seemed light, but never really faded. I rather liked it, while conceding its lack of concentration. Someone said it had a Burgundian feel; a good analogy.  88 points.

1982 Barolo Riserva (Rocche dei Manzoni)
Caramel notes mingle with what is almost a tawny port nuance, perhaps from the mild oxidation showing on the body. The wine nonetheless drinks well for awhile, but air hurts rather than helps. Ultimately, the wine becomes a bit annoying, dominated too much by acid, tannin and oxidation. Mediocre.  I should point out that I reviewed another bottle of this in January, 2000 and gave it 94 points.  This bottle came from the same cellar, same person. Yet.....84 points. Could be the bottle, certainly bottle variation.

1991 Brunello (Mastroianni)
Silky and velvety, this Brunello exudes charm and flavor. It is wrapped in a texture and core that I liked a lot. Medium bodied, solid, but not dense or big, this is marred a bit only by a little too much acid on the finish. Still, very nice, easy to drink, easy to like. 89 points.

1990 Campaccio Riserva (Terrabianca)
This consistently fine producer did what you would expect in 1990--achieved a lot.  Earthy and dense, solid and packed, this wine opens tight, but quickly matures into a beautifully concentrated wine, with a gorgeous mid-palate. This is still too tannic and not really quite ready, but the great finish and the solid fruit makes it hard to resist. 91 points.

1990 Barolo "Vigneto Rocche" La Morra (Corino)
Silky and focused, this wine shows just enough solidity in the mid-palate to avoid being wimpy. Graceful and charming, with beautifully open and surprisingly fragrant fruit, plus a nice finish. Not a blockbuster, but a very nice, very charming, new wave Barolo that just needs a bit more pizazz. 89 points.

Rhone/South/Southwest France (except dessert/sparkling)
1995 Coteaux du Langeudoc "Clos des Cistes" (Peyre Rose)
A Rhone lover's wine, for sure, about sums it up.  This opened tight, and its primary nuance was game and sauvage qualities on the bouquet. But it didn't last that way. As the wine aerated, and fortunately I had a chance to sample it some time later, juicy and increasingly sweet fruit burbled up. The wine became harder and harder to keep my hands off of.  Yep, you have to enjoy some of that bacon fat flavor on the finish, but the fruit is superb in this medium bodied, still evolving wine. 89+ points.

1995 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc (Vieux Telegraphe)
This, it is fair to say, is not monumental CdP Blanc. But if it seems a bit tart on the finish, it generally throws off a lot of flavor, and has reasonable depth. It's pretty tasty and I enjoyed it.  What I missed was that lush, intense mouthfeel these wines can develop. It may yet improve with another year or two of age, though. 88 points.

1996 Hermitage "Monier de la Sizeranne" (Chapoutier)
Smooth and elegant, silky and tasty, this wine was understated--and a bit underwhelming. In fairness, drunk next to Turley and Martinelli Zins and some big Oz wines, it  could not get much attention and perhaps deserved more. 87-89  points. 

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