we will be having the grand event at tre vigne ristorante in basking ridge, n.j. the dinner will be a five course tasting menu. price will be approxiamately $75 a person, all inclusive. i will firm up the menu as soon as i return from california. if there are any dietary needs, please let me know, but non meat dishes will be available for all courses.

once we have an exact count, we can decide on the wines. i was figuring we would start the dinner at 7:00 pm. there is a motel within a mile of the restaurant and others within 5 miles.

here are the attendees so far. i am not including maybees.

lcc-2
lcc's brother-2
anthonyiez-2
ttepper-1
mudpuppy-1
ojeffso-2
jazins-2
johnnyb-1
revlis-1
rawreds-1
dr.tannin-4
budman-2
rjs-2
newtocabs-2
short-1
jonnlisa-2
tj-1
dinwiddie and son-2
armar one-2


33 and counting.
don't forget. there is also a visit to mudpuppy's.

Looking forward to it Jones Elaine mentioned that you had put this in a blind lineup with some Turleys, etc., and that is showed extremely well against that esteemed competition. Should be a real treat.

Williams Selyem

A couple of Italians recently:

CIACCI PICCOLOMINI ROSSO DI MONTALCINO 2000 - alright, but "not the finest RdM I've ever tasted" like Parker said. Maybe my 2nd bottle will be better. Enjoyed Pertimali's '00 Rosso more - a little more full bodied, with more expressive flavors.

ZENATO '99 RIPASSA - Delicious bottle of wine for $15

stemor: You are a riot.

wineaux: That is the direction that a Lot of people (especially here), I noticed are taking. If you check out some (or probably) most of the Topics in the Wine Conversations, they discuss just that...

People are looking to "other" regions to get more for the buck. And, as much as I love CA-Wines, that "more for the buck" escapes that territory. Unfortunate, but true. Another unfortunate thing is that our $$$ is going outside of the Country these days. But...

The Wine Club has the Vino Grande for $30.99 right now...

Mike

At the end of your trip, mail your clothes home, they are lighter and check as many Insulated wine cases as they will allow. But never tell them it is wine- tell them it is Olive Oil and they will mark the box with fragile stickers. We go 2x a yr. and have never had a problem- but we always take a direct flight. I'd be nervous about changing planes.

Many thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Winetex for hosting a wonderful evening in Houston last night. As noted, Mrs. Winetex sleuthed-out a delightful restaurant, with friendly / knowledgeable staff, and great food... all in front of a cozy fireplace! (Mrs. Winetex even imported some Minneapolis weather to make me feel at home!).

Stemor: FYI, the Cristom in Memphis was a '99 Marjorie. An RP 94, I believe. Nonetheless, I prefer the lesser rated Jessie, and in this case the '98 was much more approachable / round than the Marjorie we tried. This is most certainly one of my top 5 OR pinots, and it consistently lands there. Winetex has nicely reviewed the wine.

To my thinking, the wine that I will closely watch evolve is the '99 Chehalem Stoller Best Barrel. This was a big, rich, earthy pinot-- uncharacteristic of the usually fruit forward Stoller vineyard wines. It was too young, but I sense great things lurking below the surface. Very extracted and concentrated without being "gooey" or overripe. It needs another couple of years to come into its drinking window.

The wines were selected with the thought of showcasing a range of Oregon pinots of different vintages against a top offering from California and Burgundy. The Rochioli was a disappointment, and as I sit here typing and drinking the remnants, I find it better than it was last night (plus I haven't had 5 other wines first!), but it isn't nearly as good as its reputation. The Burgundy was a distinctive wine, and I'm sure in a few years it will be an even better wine, but overall, all three Oregon wines showed very well... and at a cost generally 40% less than the California and Burgundy.

As for trusting a grower to comment about his own fruit: Forget it; they are not trustworthy!

Stemor: A minor geographical correction... Black Hole Vineyard is located on the south end of Parrett Mountain. It is across the Willamette Valley to the east from the Dundee Hills. The soils are substantially more rocky and shallow than the Dundee soils. The nearest producers are McKinlay and Chehalem's Corral Creek vineyard, although both have notably different soil profiles.

It would be nice to not have to worry about distribution. I think the best way to ensure this is to: a) Make really good, distinctive wine; b) Sell it at a very reasonable price; c) Don't make too much of it. I'm hoping to do all three.

Cheers and thanks again Winetex & Mr. Winetex.

Uh, ojeffso, doesn't that add up to 22?

thanks bud!

Question: Is there a limit on the # of people that will be attending?

i believe the room can hold 40-45 people. if we have a ton of people, we will have to do the wines a little different.

yippee i can't wait

Thanks Ojeffso for getting the ball rolling! Count us in!

i just checked the website for tre vigne. this place looks really good

I almost wish I wasn't going to be away. Sounds another great evening.

sure board-o, i am going to travel out your way and you just happen to plan a very eloborate fishing trip well maybe next time. we will have to plan better. i propose a new rule: no planning of offlines on the east coast when board-o is on vacation.

And it's a back-to-back offline weekend to boot!

rjs-have you in. 24 and counting.

newtocabs: 2.