Last night I had the great pleasure of spending a few memorable hours at Clancy's in New Orleans with Wineaux and a couple of fellow wine loving friends. Wineaux was kind enough to gather me from my hotel and deliver me safely back again (boy was I glad I didn't attempt the walk as I was considering!). The service and the food at Clancy's was outstanding (the smoked duck over dirty rice - WOW!), and the company was captivating. I took no notes other than to record the wines the four of us consumed:

2000 Girardin Corton Charlemagne - Outstanding! Rich, viscous, full of minerals and lemon, just a baby.

1999 Brundlmayer Zobinger Heilgenstein Kamptal Riesling - very dry, classic petrol notes, refreshing and excellent.

1988 Williams Selyem Allen Vineyard Pinot Noir - what can I say, my contribution to the line up and showing better than ever.

1996 Williams Selyem Allen Vineyard Pinot Noir - What a treat to compare a young and old version of the same wine. Amazingly, the '96 echos faithfully the characteristics of the '88, just younger - excellent!

1999 Nicolas Poter Satanay "Clos de Tavannes" - Really awesome with my duck, great fruit and it really evolved nicely in the glass over time.

2002 Sineann Resonance Pinot Noir (Oregon) - the closest to a fruit bomb of the bunch, rich, extraced, and vibrant, but still retaining a certain something that makes it impossible to confuse with CA pinots of the same description (which not a critisism of either!).

Thanks for the warm welcome and wonderful company. Wineaux - we will see you in SF very soon!