• 2004 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc - New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
  Nice nose of grapefruit and grass with grapefruit in the middle. Finishes crisp. Good wine with good value. (89 pts.)
• 2003 Neal Family Chardonnay - USA, California, Napa Valley, Carneros
  Only a quick sip. Seemed pleasant.
• 2001 Sine Qua Non Albino - USA, California, Central Coast
  I've liked the Albino more with past bottles. Having had it two consecutive weekends now I think the oak is becoming more pronounced. It tastes great until the oaky finish. Some people like the oak so it is a style vs. quality issue. (90 pts.)
  

• N.V. Laurent-Perrier Champagne Grand Siècle "La Cuvée" - France, Champagne
  Nice fine mousse bit was really a lightweight in the flavor department.
  [$64; Overpriced for the quality. There are better champagnes in this price range] (90 pts.)
• 1993 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
  Clear medium-ruby in color; As Steffan notes this wine smelled like a million $$. Outstandingly complex aromas of truffles, exotic spices and eventually some soy notes. It was a bit clipped in the middle and ended with a long, spicy finish. This bottle was better than the previous bottle. My theory is that the travel on the previous bottle was not kind. DRC wines can truly be special. Big wino smile. [$$$; Gently double-decanted at the table (some bottle sediment); Needed the decant to open up] (94 pts.)
• 2001 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
  Out of mag; Dark ruby in color; Loaded with vibrant red fruit and balanced with good structure. Improved over the course of the dinner. (91 pts.)
• 1998 Sottimano Barbaresco Cotta Vigna Brichet - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
  Note that this rating is on what I feel the wine will ultimately merit with additional aging. Last night it was a high 80s wine. So much for the professionals' opinions that this wine would drink early - no way. This wine had tooth-coating tannins and high acidity at this point in its development with no evidence of any aging. [$$; Double decanted at the table and it did not help much; Hold onto these; Our next bottle scheduled for 2008] (91 pts.)
• 2001 Dutch Henry Winery Zinfandel - USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford
  Balanced zin with good fruit. Matched well with a spicy calamari. (89 pts.)
• 1999 Behrens & Hitchcock Merlot Los Amigas Beckstoffer Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley
  This was one big, bad wine. I was not expecting the power out of this wine but it delivered. Ultra concentrated with very defined flavors. It may have lacked subtlety but made up for it in sheer power. Quite good. (92 pts.)
• 2001 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  This wine seemed completely shut down - no nose or fruit. It was decanted early in the day for about 9 hours so it may be possible that it lost something along the way. More probable is that it was shut down.
• 1997 Silvio Nardi Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
  As Steffan notes this seemed ready to drink but had very little evidence of aging. Spicy with a gorgeous velvety texture. Sophisticated and terrific with the Italian food. I wish I owned some bottles of this wine. (92 pts.)
• 1993 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
  No rating as I think this bottle was probably off. The vegetal notes in the aromas were enough to make me almost not want to taste it. A disappointment for a wine that should have been much better.
• 2002 Martinelli Zinfandel Giuseppe & Luisa - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
  I could smell the alcohol coming out of someone else's glass thus I poured myself a small pour. This is a style of zin that many people like but I believe is out of balance. The alcohol ripped out my throat on the finish. (87 pts.)
• 1999 Rudd Jericho Canyon - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Tasted briefly at an offline so not too many notes. Lots of blackberries and coffee notes in this one. It seemed ready to drink but I tasted at the end of the evening. (90 pts.)
  
  

• 1998 Château de Fargues - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
  My notes consistent with the previous bottle. This is terrific Sauternes. Must buy more. (94 pts.)
• 1997 Quinta do Noval Porto Late Bottled Vintage - Portugal, Douro, Porto
  Very nice port. As an LBV it lacked a bit of the texture of aged vintage Port but was very focused with good fruit flavors. I will probably buy some of this. (90 pts.)
  

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Howdy Folks from the Great State of Texas.

Photos are at this site:http://groups.msn.com/IsabelMaisy/pictures

I had a terrific time and enjoyed meeting everyone. Thanks again to Rob and Laurel for hosting the pre-game show! Bless your generous souls for taking care of all of us. You have a lovely home.

Even if someone (who shall remain nameless but goes by the initials WIML) claimed we were "hogging the reds" at our end , we still managed to taste everything on the table. It was a terrific assortment of some really good and some really interesting wines. I can't disagree with any of WineTex's notes. I do admit, however, to having far too much fun just chatting with everyone. My notes suffered as a result.

Here's Joe/WIML mimicing Donald Trump on The Apprentice.

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So who did WiML fire?

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So who did WiML fire?

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The Philip Togni.