Gus Fleener came to town this week for work related training. So naturally we had to have an offline! Last night we went toCaravelle Chinese & Vietnamese Restaurant . In attendance were gfleener, Mr & Mrs preferred, THE291, MikeB, Mr & Mrs TexasZin, PURPLE and yours truly. Even BubbaB stopped by for a quick visit at the end of the evening. That and to pick up his Quilceda Creek I’ve been holding for him. Anyway. I can't tell you everything we ate because we mostly ordered off the menu (not from the menu) and in many cases let the staff surprise us. We defintely had two Peking ducks that were outstanding. We also have fried pork, beef in black pepper, tofu and string beans, shrimps with the heads on, shrimps with the heads off, whatever! A great time was had by all.

Wines:
NV Laurent-Perrier Brut Champagne L.P.
2002 Lucien Albrecht Gewürztraminer Alsace
2000 Martinelli Gewürztraminer Martinelli Vineyard Russian River Valley
2000 Bouchard Père & Fils Meursault Les Clous
1990 Trimbach Riesling Alsace Cuvée Frédéric Émile
2000 Pride Merlot Napa-Sonoma Counties
2001 ADEA Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Dean-O's Pinot
1999 King Estate Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Croft Vineyard
1997 Robert Arnoux Échézeaux
2001 Lewis Alec's Blend Napa Valley

My quick and dirty comments:
NV Laurent-Perrier Brut Champagne L.P. (90)
A very nice NV brut champagne. Got mostly light citrus flavors on the nose and palate with a little bit of mineral. Light and mildly everescent, a well-balanced little quaffer. Would make a good house champagne. Drinks well after sitting in the glass for a while. Drink over the short term.

2002 Lucien Albrecht Gewürztraminer Alsace (88)
A very light floral nose with a hint of spiciness. On the palate I got mostly light, white fruit flavors such as pear, litchee and maybe a smidge of yellow apple with some floral overtones. A decent little wine but personally I just can’t get my hands around this particular wine. Drink over the short term.

2000 Martinelli Gewürztraminer Martinelli Vineyard Russian River Valley (87)
The nose seemed a little muted to me. The palate was soft consisting of passion fruit, honey and essence of rose petals. How’s that for esoteric? A decent wine but not something I would stock in my cellar. Drink now.

2000 Bouchard Père & Fils Meursault Les Clous (89)
A minerally chardonnay with notes of lemon, vanilla and crisp green apples. A pretty well balanced wine that seems ready to go IMO. BTW, WS rated this 55 points because both bottles were corky. How the heck do you rate a corky wine? Give me a break. They need to retaste the wine, remove the rating or just flat remove the review from the database.

1990 Trimbach Riesling Alsace Cuvée Frédéric Émile (94-95)
Stick this to your nose and catch a big whiff of that födel magic. When first opened this wine smelled like pumping diesel at a gas station in München. However, three hours later most of the petro smell had disapated leaving a lovely Riesling in its’ wake. Flavors of peachs, honeydew, apples with secondary flavors of lemons and limes. Good finish. Drinking well right now. Buy! Buy! Buy!

2000 Pride Merlot Napa-Sonoma Counties (90)
The big, mountain fruit seems to have lost a step over the past 6 months. Nose of plums amd currants. Flavors of red cherries and red berries. Seemed to fade by the two hour mark. I’d go ahead and drink this one up right now unless you’re feeling lucky.

2001 ADEA Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Dean-O's Pinot (90)
I liked the big, spicy nose on this wine. Very inviting. The flavors were mostly clove, black berries, plums. I think the mid-palate is a little lacking but I’m still willing to give the an “A” for effort and see where this one goes. Drink over the short term.

1999 King Estate Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Croft Vineyard (92)
This is good Pinot Noir. Nose and palate of plums, black cherries, black berries and any other dark fruit you might be able to think of. Toss that and a hint of spice over a silky smooth frame and you have yourself a really nice Pinot Noir. Drink over the short term.

1997 Robert Arnoux Échézeaux (91)
A very smooth and supple wine. Good solid flavors of red berries, plums, cherries and maybe just a whisper of raspberry in there. Pretty well balanced. A solid effort in my opinion. BTW, Wine Spectator rated this wine 80 points. Somebody was smoking crack that day. Time for a retaste. Drink over the short term.

2001 Lewis Alec's Blend Napa Valley (91)
Interesting wine. When I first stuck this to my nose I thought “Barossa Valley Shiraz”. After a little coaxing I managed to convince a few others I wasn’t totally nuts. Beautiful ripe blueberries on the nose and palate mixed up with some black cherries, mocha and cedar. I’d cellar this one for 2-3 more years before popping any more. Hedonistic wine.