1994 Gewurztraminer "Steingrubler" (Albert Mann)
Albert Mann's wines always seem flamboyant and sweet when young, but as times goes on, they swiftly become drier and more structured. That is not, of course, an unnatural progression over time, but Mann's wines often seem to be chameleons, given how fast they adapt a completely new appearance.  This wine has now entered the calm phase, showing just a touch off dry.  The lychee nut bouquet is fragrant and pronounced.  I confess I liked this wine a lot better very young, but this is still a fine gewurz, drinking well.  88 points.

1985 Gewurztraminer "Vendange Tardive" (Hugel)
Increasingly, VTs tend to be sweet. Not everywhere, but it seems that is the trend.   In the "old days" they either weren't quite as sweet or the sweetness seemed to blow off fast with some cellaring. Here's an example. And you know, the old days weren't so bad.  Silky and round, this wine seems to dance in your mouth. It is alive and full, but elegant, too.  The lychee overlays are well integrated, the trademark spice comes out on the long finish. How long can a finish be? Well, I lost count. It coats every taste bud you own.  Restrained, but in many respects, a complex, profound wine that offers a lot of  intellectual pleasure. Sit with this, don't just taste it. 92 points. 

1989 Tokay Pinot Gris "Comtes d'Eguisheim" (L. Beyer)
A beautiful Tokay that shows slightly off dry, is well balanced, and reveals pretty flavors.  Still ripe and fragrant, this has held remarkably well. A lot of charm, a lot of gentle fruit.  Just perfect. Just try to keep your hands off of it. 90 points.

1994 Mount Mary "Lilydale" Quintet
This rare Aussie purports to be the equivalent of a First Growth Bordeaux.  Very amusing. It opens tight, with a cherry overtone, then develops beautifully. Yes, you could probably put it blind in a Bordeaux tasting, but it reminds me of an earthy cru bourgeois, not a first growth. The fruit is very nice, but the depth and finish seem a bit lacking. 89 points.

1996 "Lalla Rookh" Old Vines Grenache (Coriole)
Remarkable wine from a small producer little known in the USA.  Simply wonderful.    Rich and ripe, this wine is stuffed with gorgeous, slightly sweet, lush   raspberry fruit to kill for. Eau de framboise.   Dense but not even close to being overbearing. In fact, it's loaded with exotic charm and sex appeal.  Reminds me a bit of the Clarendon Blewitt, but not quite as flamboyant, a bit better balanced, and, here's the really good part, a lot cheaper.  If you can find it, it's around $23 at list price, and often closer to $17.  The only importer I know is Franklin Selections in Maryland, but there are others.  93 points.

1996 Shiraz (Coriole)
The Coriole Shiraz is not nearly as successful as the Lalla Rookh, but hey, that's not an insult. It seems like a scaled back, drier, more restrained version, that nonetheless is velvety and lush.  Not as intense, but a beautiful wine that is rich and ripe, friendly and approachable.  90 points.

1995 Cabernet/Merlot/Cab Franc "Mary Kathleen" (Coriole)
This Bordeaux imitator from old vines was not nearly as successful as I hoped after tasting the prior two Coriole offerings. Oh, it's pretty nice, but a little too bright rather than lush, not as much character as a good Bordeaux, and not much to distinguish it from a middle of the road wine.  Still a bit tight, and has the possibility of improving, but I tend to think this is as good as it gets.  88 points.

1996 Black Label "Syrah/Mourvedre/Malbec" (McGuigan)
Some velvet texture combines with some marked acidity to make a medium bodied wine that is pleasant but unexceptional. Not much varietal character, but reasonable depth and flavor.   85 points.

1995 Shiraz (Bowen)
Tart and thin, this wine has little to recommend it.  Australia produces so much good shiraz, efforts like this, while not totally awry, just aren't good enough.  81 points.

1994 Cabernet (Wakefield)
Some say the Aussies should just forget about cabs. An exaggeration, but you couldn't prove them wrong from this. Too thin, with nothing to recommend it of consequence, this wine is a touch tart, too, and just lacks the texture and depth that makes so many Aussies so much fun. You can do better. 83 points.

1995 Old Vines Grenache (Richard Hamilton)
Gloriously fragrant, sweet and lush, and very pretty, this wine is a charmer. It's not overly deep, but it is bright and friendly, a wine that I like to call "pretty."   Attacks you up front with that sweet fruit surrounded by supple tannins. Around $23, and well worth investigating.  88 points.

1996 Merlot Reserve (Richard Hamilton)
Deep and lush, beautifully structured, with a supple tannic background, this is perhaps the best Merlot I ever have had from Australia.  Round and velvety, and packed with plenty of concentrated fruit.  Not massive, but not shy either.  92 points.

1992 Cabernet (Katnook)
Not much varietal character in evidence here, although there is reasonably good body and depth.  It is just hard to take this as a cabernet. It is hard to put your finger on what this wine does wrong, but it is ultimately a little unsatisfying.   87 points.

1997 Grenache/Shiraz (Rosemount)
Simply beautiful, sexy, exotic, flamboyant,  sweet wine from Rosemount at dirt cheap prices--$8. It reminds me of some big time zinfandels in character, but it's cheaper, and admittedly lacks depth.  Still,  you can only gasp in awe at how much quality can go for so little a price.   If this were a more structured, ageworthy wine from older vines, I only wonder how high the score would go. Ready now, and not to be cellared. It will have the life of a fruit fly. In that regard, one last word of advice: I had a pristine bottle of this. It will be fragile and easily damaged, though. Make sure it has been stored well and looks good if you buy it. On the other hand, it is good enough at the moment so that breathing actually improves it considerably. A day or two on a vacu-vin creates a richer, slightly sweet wine with thick fruit.   89 points.

1997 Shiraz  "Diamond Label" (Rosemount)
Another stunning "Best Buy"  from Rosemount, the familiar Diamond Label Shiraz.   Lush and rich, some oaky notes on the finish, but waves of beautiful fruit. Around $10! Keep this in mind the next time you feel like spending $300 on a first growth 1995 Bordeaux.   Drinking well now, and I wouldn't call it a keeper with great structure, but damn, it sure tastes great.  90 points.

1996 Bin 444 Cabernet (Wyndham Estate)
Middle of the road, inexpensive cab with some bite on the finish, a pleasing demeanor and nothing overly distinctive. Good value, though.  86 points.

1996 Merlot (Jacob's Creek)
Not much flavor, boring wine.  What you drink when the cellar is empty, you're feeling kinda broke, and don't want to waste a good bottle. See Richard Hamilton, above, for lessons on how to make merlot.  83 points.

1996 Shiraz/Cabernet (Jacob's Creek)
Flat and boring, too soft and slight, another wine that is just "there" and offers nothing special.  81 points.

1996 Chardonnay "Olive Grove" (d'Arenberg)
Crisp and clean, fresh and pure, this wine has everything in place, and everything is unadorned. Just pure, pleasing fruit.  Very nice, very enjoyable, a great match for plainer foods in particular. Elegant and refreshing.   88 points.

1996 Chardonnay (Salitage)
A chard with a bit of tannic bite, but otherwise unobtrusive oak.  Rich fruit,   yet crisp and focused, with a leesy tang.  Impressive chardonnay from this producer in Southwest Australia (near Perth). 90 points.

1995 Pinot Noir (Salitage)
I'm still awaiting my first grade "A" Aussie Pinot.  This is funky and they take credit for being Burgundian just because of that. Well, there's more to great Burgundy, you know.  Nice body, good attack, the funk is a bit much, and the great fruit of great Burgundy is not quite there.  Not bad, but not a wine I'd buy.   86 points.

1996 Old Vines Shiraz "Footbolt" (d'Arenberg)
Pulpy, with dark olive overtones.  Lush and rich, but I can't say I really like the flavor of the finish.  Still, this is a good performance and there is a lot here to like, and quality fruit. If you like the flavors, you may like it far more than I did.  89 points.

1995 Shiraz/Grenache "d'Arry's Original" (d'Arenberg)
What many people would call the quintessential Aussie. Black cherry, sweet fruit, bright, supple tannins, a bit light, but sweet and forward.  Friendly, inexpensive, not profound, just fun. 88 points.

1997 Chardonnay (Deakin Estates)
This chard has some semillon in it, and while I liked it a lot, it is not your typical chardonnay.  Quirky, with some pineapple and mango, it reminds me more of a great sauvignon blanc in some respects.  A lot of enjoyment here,  especially given the rush of sweet fruit in the middle, but  it won't satisfy your chard urges. 89 points.

1997 Chardonnay (Mad Fish)
Another chard with semillon, but drier and flatter. Very pleasing, but more restrained, structured and balanced. Also less interesting and exciting. 88 points.

Bordeaux (except dessert/sparkling)

1975 Latour (Pauillac)
By all accounts, this bottle was well stored, although the level was just a hair into the shoulder.  Still, this bottle was a bit off. What is interesting is how well it showed anyway.  There were traces of oxidation around the edges, but in the middle, although the wine had thinned, there was pure, smooth, silky fruit.  The wine seemed about ten years older than its chronological age, which is not exactly what one expects from pristine 75s, but it still had enough to be pleasing to a lot of people. It did tend to fade too fast, though.   85 points, from this bottle.

1983 Cheval Blanc (St. Emilion)
It is hard to call Cheval Blanc underrated, but sometimes it seems to have such a low profile among the great growths that I think it is. Yet, who makes better wine, more consistently? This 1983 is perfect to drink now, and just lovely.  Enough roundness and lushness so that the wine feels fresh, but the elegance and smoothness of a wine with a few years on it.  A great performance in this vintage. 91 points.

1990 Lagrange (St. Julien)
This wine opens tough, rustic and tannic, with gamey nuances. With a little air, I began to get worried. The tannins seemed astringent, the fruit was hard to find. With a lot of air, the wine finally began to show its stuff.  The fruit poked through, becoming sweeter and sweeter, the rustic aspects died down and the wine began to prove that it had a future. This still has some balance questions in my view, and it will be interesting to see if the fruit is still there when the astringent tannins moderate, but I think it will be fine. It just needs three to five years more of cellaring before it becomes really approachable. 89+  points. 

1989 L'Enclos (Pomerol)
This little Pomerol is drinking nicely now.  It shows some lushness and velvet on opening, some chocolately overtones, and good balance.  The tannins are very modest, and the fruit is not deep.  The finish is a bit short.  Yet it is a charming wine to drink now.  Like most Bordeaux, it will not die immediately if you fail to do so, but this is not a real keeper.  It did show me enough so that it developed in the glass, and gentle tannins popped up.  87 points.

1990 Pape Clement (Graves)
1990 in Graves seems to me a bit weaker than elsewhere, notwithstanding the general superlatives. Still, this is a typically sexy, utterly charming Pape Clement that is approachable now, and is about as interesting as anything else in  Graves in this vintage.  Bright, ripe, supple tannins meld with focused fruit that has nuances of tar and chalk.  The fruit develops nicely in the glass and takes on more varietal character as it sits.  Almost ready.  Hard to resist. 90 points.

Burgundy (except dessert/sparkling)

1976 Charmes-Chambertin (Faiveley)
Fading pinot that offers about five minutes of fun after the mustiness blows off, and then goes downhill fast. Soft, gentle, with some upfront strawberry flavors that are very pleasing at first. This bottle seemed to be in pristine condition, but it gave up the ghost too fast anyway.  If you could divide the ratings into ten minute categories, the score might be different, but overall, 77 points.

1985 Gevrey-Chambertin "En Pallud" (Maume)
Surprisingly dense, big wine from this vintage. It opens hard and tough, and seems utterly charmless at first. With air, it shows some mildly interesting cherry fruit and a reasonably pleasing texture, with hints of velvet. Good body. This wine does not make a lot of errors, exactly, but it falls short of exceptional in most every category. 87 points.

1995 Chassagne-Montrachet "Clos de la Maltroie" (Niellon)
You could call this wine elegant, but it would be a euphemism for a wine that comes up short. This is drinking well now, has little depth, a nutty nose, and not much else.   Middle of the road white Burgundy. 85 points.

1993 Meursault "Clos de la Barre" (Comtes Lafon)
In some respects a remarkable wine. The question is whether it will come around and fulfill its promise. This still seems too young to drink. The acidity is a little too prominent, and the wine is a bit tight. Still, it has a buttery finish that is remarkable for its length, and the wine coats your mouth.   Here, the word "elegant" would be properly used, for this wine is compact, yet manages some intensity and length.   It is still an open question as to whether it will knit together well enough to be something really special.  I tend to think not, but it's still very good, and will likely improve. 90+   points.

1992 Musigny "Vielles Vignes"  (Comtes de Voguë)
Boring wine that, like a lot of 92s, shows some velvet, and some nice up front fruit, and then fades fairly fast, since it lacks depth and structure. A bit of bell pepper on the finish, some hints of green.  Tell me it is a $20 Burg, and I'm pretty happy. Tell me that it is Voguë Musigny, and we have a problem. Drink up; this is not for holding and was probably better young unless you stored it pristinely and very coldly.  87 points.

1993 Volnay "Santenots" (Comtes Lafon)
Opens tight and flavorless, and softens rapidly. Although this wine eventually develops some berry notes and fruit you can taste, it stays hard and relatively charmless, with severe astringent tannins on the back end. It seems to me that this will reward further cellaring, but that there just isn't enough fruit there to balance the tannins in the long run. Not bad, not overly interesting either, and a bit short on flavor. In this grouping, I rate three radically different Burgs more or less the same--point scores are often better tools, but in many cases the notes are more important.  The Musigny had the best initial fruit, but lost points for lack of structure, and because it faded so quickly.  The Maume "En Pallud" went in the opposite direction, improving quickly, but never really showing enough fruit and flavor.  This wine, I fear, is unbalanced, but is the only one with the capacity to improve. I suspect the Maume showed a lot like this in its youth.   87+ points.

1983 Chablis "Montée de la Tonnerre" (Ravenau)
This has been a traditional favorite of mine, and over the years I have rated it about as high as any Chablis I have had.  Either this is a weak bottle, or the wine is finally reaching its useful limit of life.  It still has some of that smoke and truffles aura of the earlier, but still aged bottles, and it has by no means yet given up the ghost. But the flavors are surprisingly muted, the wine seems thinner than ever, and the finish is no longer stunning.  If  I owned this, I would not exactly pour it down the drain, but I think it is time to drink up unless you like them really, really old. 87 points.

1992 Savigny "Narbantons" (Dominique Laurent)
For a Savigny, this is a rich wine. For a 1992, it has surprising depth.  I am already to hand out big time scores, right? It was also the funkiest Laurent I have ever tasted, with disgusting quantities of brett.  It improved some with air, but at first it was literally undrinkable.  All I can say is that this was a fine bottle spoiled by brett. There was a lot going on right here.  Brett is notorious for showing differently from bottle to bottle for a variety of reasons.  If you have this wine and it lacks the bretty problems, you'll have a big winner.  For poor, poor, pitiful moi,  call it 79 points.

1995 Vosne-Romanée "Les Beaumonts" (Dominique Laurent)
Here is something more along the lines of what I recall from Laurent. This is simply fabulous wine. It is showing surprisingly well now, if you let it breathe and sit in the glass or a decanter for some twenty to thirty minutes before consuming. The tannic punch moderates relatively well, and the fruit is dense and round, as if there were several velvet cushions inside.  In the core, there is a squirt of pure, sweet pinot noir essence. For all of its density and size, it seems friendly and gentle, too.  If you are holding this, you are best off cellaring it another two to three years, but realistically, it ain't so bad now with breathing, and it is a relatively early maturing wine, I think.  For all that, it is simply gorgeous.  94+ points.  If it holds better than I suspect with age, that score goes up.

1989 Morey St.  Denis "Les Monts Luisants" (Faiveley)
This wine takes a middle path, and does everything well. The individual parts are unspectacular, but the whole is very pleasing and the balance impeccable. Medium bodied, nice hit of fruit on the finish, charming and lively, this wine is drinking very well now.   It is not overly deep, but it has enough roundness to the fruit to be fully satisfying.  It is hard to call this great Burgundy, but it is churlish to complain about anything it does very loudly.  I doubt this will hold well for very long, but right at the moment......90 points.

1995 Savigny "Aux Vergelesses" (Simon Bize)
Way too young to drink at the moment, this tight, bright wine is more redolent of strawberries than raspberries, but needs time to integrate.  Bize makes some pretty darned fine Savigny in good years, and I think that this will come together extremely well.  Opening it tonight was mistake.  The acidity is too prominent, the tannins a bit intrusive.  I bet it settles down into something very nice, though. 87-89 points.

1990 Chambolle-Musigny "Les Amoureuses" (B. Serveau)
Supple tannins still support this wine, which is holding well.  It presents itself as a soft, gentle bottle with enough backbone to avoid flab. Sweet fruit on the finish, although the fruit is fading somewhat.  A restrained 1990 that delivers easy to drink pinot noir. 88 points.

1993 Charmes-Chambertin (Arlaud)
Crisp and lively, this wine is tightly focused with a slightly hard raspberry core that responds well to aeration.  It is not as charming as I think a lot of Charmes tend to be (no pun intended), but it compensates by showing a greater than normal capacity to develop and age, perhaps.  The tannins are supple but a bit too intrusive at the moment.  Hold for another year or two.  A bit short on the finish and depth, and personally, I like to see red Burgs a bit less crisp and more velvety. Still pretty well done, though.  89 points.

1996 Meursault "Les Narvaux" (V. Giradin)
So-so white Burg that is a bit tight at the moment, but not likely to dramatically improve. A couple of years of cellaring should let this wine integrate more nicely, but it lacks the stuffing and finish to be anything other than a run of the mill white Burg.  Bright and crisp, perhaps a little too much so at the moment, but that's the part that will improve.  86 points.

1994 Chassagne-Montrachet "Les Caillerets" (B. Morey)
A lot of white Burgs from this vintage seem diluted and watery.  Few are great wines. This is certainly not a great wine, but it is a very nice one, that is drinking perfectly now and should not be held.  Medium bodied (at best), with a nice hit of lees flavoring on the finish, which is reasonably long under the vintage conditions. This wine has a bit of an acidic burst at the end, too.  It can hold a bit, but I don't think it will improve.  It has enough substance to the fruit to fend off the acidity at the moment, so drink up.    88 points.

1990 Clos St. Denis (G. Lignier)
A moment of silence for a Burgundy victory. I tasted this underrated wine at a trade tasting some time back, and I was absolutely sure the tight, tannic veneer would integrate with the fruit, and support the wine for some years of cellaring. Now, pop 'n' pray.  A winner!  Lush and velvety, rich and full, this wine shows great purity of fruit, supple tannins and an intense red berry bouquet. This will hold fine for a few years, but it's gorgeous now. 93 points.

1994 Chassagne-Montrachet "Boudriotte" Blanc (Ramonet)
Pleasing wine that, like a lot of 1994s (see above), lacks stuffing and intensity. Ready to drink, modest and scaled back in all respects, and seems to be a bit diluted.  85 points.

1992 Corton-Charlemagne (Ambroise)
Opens inoffensively, seemingly a little light in the body, develops and rounds with air, and shows some intensity on the finish, with nice leesy notes.  This wine seems to me to be fully ready and perhaps then some.  It does not quite live up to its promise, but has enough finish and richness to be pleasing. This is not great Corton-Charley, and the QPR (quality to price ratio) is rather poor, but it is a nice drink.  89 points.

1991 Meursault "Rougeot" (Coche-Dury)
I almost hesitate to say it--flame away!---but here's another unimpressive Coche-Dury wine. I keep waiting for that special experience that justifies the cult reputation.  After fifteen or so wines from various vintages, at various ages, from 1985s to barrel samples, I'm still waiting. To be sure, that's not the universe of Coche-Dury wines, but it would seem to be enough, drunk from good cellars, presumably well stored, to stumble across something interesting. This opens funky, most of which blows off, shows average weight and depth for the vintage, a modest finish, and a reasonably pleasing, but somewhat thin,  demeanor.  It does nothing overly well, and seems, well, rather boring. In fairness, in this vintage, this has about used up its useful life. 84 points.

1990 Chablis Valmur (Ravenau)
I have seen this from Ravenau before. (See above, actually.)  As his great Chablis ages, it becomes scented and flavored with mushrooms and truffles. It turns some people off, but once that taste is acquired, you want, and want it bad. That said, this wine seems to be showing a bit longer in tooth than I would expect.  Perhaps storage was less than perfect. Still, you get a full bodied old-tasting white Burg that tastes of the forest. The roundness and earthiness meld together perfectly, and the wine is distinctive and intense.  Quibbles aside, I liked it a lot. 91 points.

1995 Pinot Noir (Napa Ridge)
Consistently one of the best values on the market, this short-lived Pinot is good for two to three years out, and provides a wine of some elegance with red berry overtones that is pleasing and identifiably pinot. Around $8. If you are looking for wines that have depth, finish, complexity and can age, this isn't it. But there are not many $8 pinots that manage even to taste like pinot and avoid major flaws. This is about the limit of this wine's useful life, but it still had enough stuff to develop in the glass and open up for a few minutes. Personally, I'd rather spend a bit more and get more, but if this wine has enough for your palate, it's a deal.  83 points.

1991 Cabernet (Dehlinger)
Here is another traditional "best buy" favorite.  The Dehlinger is always velvety, with supple tannins, and the hint of a merlot component (whether it does have some merlot, I don't know).  This is a $13 wine, and seven years out in a great vintage, we still find it in prime shape, if a little thinner, but with lively tannins and fresh fruit.  This is never the choice for depth, and it always seems to have a somewhat odd bell pepper nuance on the finish, but in this price range it does an awful lot right in producing a flavorful, supple wine with fine balance and the ability to hold.   Drink up.  87 points.

1995 Mourvedre "L'Enfant Terrible" (Edmunds St. John)
With this vintage, there seems to be a bit of a style change in this wine, which is usually around $8 and one of California's great bargains. In the past, the varietal was very typical, the wine a bit rustic.  It was refined Mourvedre, but there was no question it was Mourvedre.  This wine seems to set out on a different path.  The wine today is rather disjointed and needs another year or so in the cellar. Since I tasted in on release, it has improved, but it has not yet fully come into balance and the acidity and tannins occasionally interfere with the fruit. Ah, the fruit. There's the rub.   The fruit is so forward, so cherry flavored, so ripe (without the depth one would think might accompany fruit like that) that I wonder if there has been some carbonic maceration here. Whatever, the rush of fruit is very appealing. There are a lot of question marks here. Will the acidity come into balance? Will the fruit mature and take on some varietally typical characteristics?  This wine is unready and disjointed, but shows lots of promise. Watching it evolve for a couple of days, I think it will make it.   85+ points, depending on development.

1995 Zinfandel "Black Sears" (Turley)
Brambly zin with the fruit rounded off and showing more velvet than normal. Big, yet approachable, this is thick, but hardly overbearing zin. If you didn't read the statistics, you wouldn't think it was anything other than big and ripe and rich. Charming, and flavorful. 92 points.

1993 Zinfandel "Cooke" (Ravenswood)
Subtly intense, focused and with supple tannins. Balanced and classy, with nice depth. This wine seems a bit impenetrable, but it keeps opening in the glass and shows lots of class. 90 points.

1995 Zinfandel "Aida" (Turley)
Flamboyant zin that is rich, and seemingly, a bit late harvest. It sure finishes sweet. Dark chocolately, velvety fruit in a style that reminds me of certain types of off dry red Bandols.  It explodes in the glass and develops gorgeously. After awhile, I started to forget the idiosyncratic, late harvest aspect. It is just plain great zin, but it may not be for everyone.   94 points.

1994 Zinfandel "Whitney" (Turley)
Somewhat dense and without as much flavor as I expect from Turley. It opens nicely, but the fruit never has the ripeness and sweetness I look for with this winery.   Nice, but not the most exceptional performance. 88 points.

1994 Zinfandel "OFS" (DeLoach)
Some at the table claimed they had had better bottles of this. This was pleasant enough, but rather unexceptional. Brambly, without the supporting velvety fruit, the acidity is a little too marked and burns on the finish. It improves in the glass, develops some pleasing fruit, but never quite seems supported by the depth one expects from supposedly great zin. 88 points.

1992 Merlot (Silver Ridge)
I had never heard of this wine, and I cannot honestly say there is much to distinguish it. It is a middle of the road wine, something that strikes me as probably being a $10 to $12 range if honest, and $15 to $20 if it has delusions of grandeur.   It has some nice features, some velvet and glycerine, an initial burst of lushness. It thins quickly, though, showing lack of depth, and shows a bit tart on the finish. Not a bad little Merlot--if intended to be a little Merlot.  84 points.

1994 Cabernet "Staglin" (Behrens & Hitchcock)
This is a winemaking style that is beginning to get on my nerves, especially with Cabernet. There is some pretty good fruit here, with some supple tannins. A pretty decent wine. But then it is drenched with copious quantities of new American, highly toasted oak that make it unidentifiable as cabernet.  The components integrated some with air, but the oak is just too much for the fruit in this wine.   Get a grip, guys. This is overkill.  1990 Latour might not be able to withstand this much toasty, new oak. And I know 1990 Latour. It's a friend of mine. And you're NOT 1990 Latour.   85 points.

1994 Chardonnay (Mt. Eden)
Perhaps California's friendliest chardonnay. This wine is always sweetness and light, airy and elegant, with enough depth and finish to show off its breeding and character. It is never particularly a Burgundian wine, but its easy charm makes friends fast. They tend not to be terribly long lived, or at least the up front fruit that makes them so charming takes on a different and not especially interesting character with age, though. This wine seems to be approaching its useful limit. It is by no means dead or breaking up, but the touch of maturity on the fruit is unwelcome; one gets nothing in return for the loss of the youthful exuberance. Drink up. 88 points, and heading down.

1994 Chardonnay "Dutton" (Kistler)
Elegant chard that has completely integrated the oak and the fruit.  Pretty finish with gentle wave of fruit that coats your mouth. Not as big or as interesting as Durrell, Kistler Vineyard, McCrea et al., but a very nice wine.  89 points.

1995 Sauvignon Blanc "L'Après Midi" (Peter Michael)
Quirky SB that seems redolent of sweet mangoes and apricots.  Round and ripe, soft and fruity, and utterly in contrast to a typical Loire valley wine.  A bit short. There is no profundity here.  It is all about sweet fruit.  It is delicious, but you may not think it satisfies your urge for sauvignon blanc.  89 points.

1996 Chardonnay "Michel Berthoud" (Arrowood)
Sometimes, wines just make you go "yum."  I have never had this "Michel Berthoud" before.  It is an uncomplicated wine in many respects. But the sweet, creamy, buttery opening nuances leave you with the definite feeling that you just have to have more. And if you don't get it, you'll be unhappy.  I suspect any aging at all will destroy most of what makes this wine a lot of fun. Like I said, it's not profound. It's not complex. It just tastes real good, so lighten up, huh?   Everything doesn't have to be a Batard wannabe......!  89 points.  (with deductions for presumed inability to age well.....)

1995 Chardonnay "Red Shoulder" (Shafer)
A wine that many think is taking its place with top California chards.   Opens with heavy lees notes, then with air, the wine suddenly pulls together and integrates beautifully.  Shafer's goal is not big, just intense and balanced.   In that light, he scores big, and this wine manages to deliver flavor and something worth remembering, too.  Should hold nicely for a few more years.  90 points.

1995 Chardonnay "Mt. Carmel" (Babcock)
Another uncomplicated chard that scores big on the "yum" meter, but won't remind anyone of  serious white Burgs.  Unlike the Arrowood, this does not have as much round, buttery fruit, but it opens so sweet and gentle, with so much flavorful fruit in seemingly perfect, easy to appreciate balance,  that it keeps growing on you.  Intellectually you say, "it's not serious enough."   Emotionally you say, "Can I have another glass?"  Reminds me a bit of the Mt. Eden style, although this is not so intense.  Drinking perfectly now, and I would not hold it. Come back in three years, and the score may be heading down rapidly.   Still,  the style is very different, but I think it's appropriate to repeat the Arrowood finale: 89 points.  (with deductions for presumed inability to age well.....)

1995 Chardonnay "Kistler Vineyard" (Kistler)
Beautiful Kistler that will probably be even better in a year.  The opening notes are mostly of oak and lees, but with air, the fruit pops through and gradually overwhelms both.  Ultimately, the wine shows brilliant balance and surprisingly finesse for something so relatively big.  Like many Kistlers, it is well stuffed, but still has grace and a gentle charm. Drinking well now, even though it will improve. Simply super chard. 93+ points.

1995 Chardonnay "Dennison Vineyard" (Steele)
Crisp, with some lees and oak on the finish, this medium bodied wine is what I would call a middle of the road chard. It does everything reasonably, but the fruit is a touch light, and it does nothing exceptionally.  One off note is that I found the finish a bit harsh.  Not bad, but I'm not running out to the store. There are lots of better choices.  87 points.

1995 Sauvignon (Fumé) Blanc "To-Kalon I Block"  (Mondavi)
Have you ever had really, really great Sauvignon Blanc?  It is an eye opening experience.  The trademark grassy notes are muted, the fruit is open and gorgeous and so fragrant that I once mistook it for Muscat from Alsace.  This is a rare thing. Mondavi is trying hard here to create something special,  and moving in the right direction, but doesn't get all the way there.  This is softer, more forward and less tart than most sauvignon blancs. So far, so good. But the bouquet reeks of cat urine, and the flavors are aggressive, a touch tart and not overly pleasing to my mind. The attempt to get flavor, to get beyond the trademark deficiencies that many SBs show is commendable.  But frankly, I found it unpalatable, even granting all that it did right, and noting the quality of the fruit. If you can endure the bouquet and you like the flavors, you'll like this a lot. If you've never had really great sauvignon blanc, you might think this is the best you've ever had. The fact that it is hard to get (300 cases), will make it seem even better.  :)   If you can't get past the bouquet, on the other hand,  and if you have other reference points, you won't pay $5 for it.   (For a very different style, see the note on Peter Michael Sauvignon Blanc, above....)   I think this is a wine that will provoke huge rating differentials based on subjective preferences, among other things.  With that warning--i.e., try it yourself---and underscoring that I just couldn't get past that bouquet,  I give it 84 points.  

1992 Chardonnay "Lorenzo" (Marcassin) --and--   1993 Chardonnay "Lorenzo" (Marcassin)
A tale of two Lorenzos that show very differently.  These were tasted side-by-side along with the other Marcassins below.  First, let me say that Lorenzo is my least favorite Marcassin vineyard.  The 1992 here seems to be fading a bit, thinning, showing a bit tart and aggressive on the finish in respects to acidity, and losing some flavor.  It sat in the glass and developed, so it hasn't died. But it has lost a lot of its pleasurable aspects. The 1993 is holding much better. A similar wine in many respects, mostly what it does is be more vibrant.  It has more flesh, more flavor, nice leesy overtones and nice balance. It is more alive.  It is still nothing overly special, has also thinned,  and pales into comparison to great Marcassins. 1992: 84 points.   1993: 88 points.

1994 Chardonnay "Gauer" (Marcassin) --and--  1995 Chardonnay "Gauer Upper Barn" (Marcassin)
These two are another issue entirely. If Lorenzo tends to be the most scaled back of the Marcassins, and Hudson the most structured, Gauer is usually the fattest. These wines also show that Marcassin is getting better and better, and with every vintage they come closer to getting it just right.  Those who clamor for better balance will find that demand being answered, although perhaps nothing will satisfy some.  Those who love the fat, ripe, juicy monsters, will still find lots of stuffing and rich fruit. The 1994 is just lovely at the moment. Drink it.  It has come into balance, all the parts of it have integrated beautifully, the oak is not nearly as prominent as it used to be, the finish lingers and the fruit is still ripe. I prefer the Hudson in this vintage, but the Gauer will not disappoint.

Do Marcassins age well?  Based on these four, and past experience,  I would say the evidence is slim. Some of the 1992 Gauers I have had recently seemed to be all oak, whereas once you could taste vibrant fruit.   It is hard to come to a firm conclusion since these wines are so hard to find, the winery is so young, and it is rare that one gets many of the wines in the same room side-by-side.  At the moment, while noting that the winemaking here seems to keep getting better and better, I would tend to drink these in five years from the vintage date, at best. Frankly, they seem best very young.   Judgment reserved until further evidence appears, though.

The 1995 Gauer is stunning. Simply the best Gauer I have ever had, from any winery.  Rich and ripe, with an endless finish, yet never overbearing, this wine is so lush, so round and so flavorful,  it will make you beg for more.   Those who demand more elegance and structure can look elsewhere. If oak is your personal demon, this still has more than some people may want---and I wouldn't mind if they backed off some,too--but hold this wine through the evening and watch the parts come together.  Most of all, this wine is pure flavor. It may not remind you of Burgundy. But it may make some people forget things like the boring 94 Ramonet and 91 Coche-Dury above, too.  How well it holds and develops will be an interesting question. I suspect it won't.  In that regard:

In rating wines, by the way, I will usually rate wines known to age as I expect them to show at their peak, and they lose points if tasted  when young and deemed unable to age.   If  I have doubts about the peak, I give a range or use a "+" sign.  With the '95 Gauer, here, I depart from usual practice and simply  rate it  for how it showed tonight.  I have no idea where it goes from here, though I fear that if you come back in two years, it will drop dramatically. On the whole, the Talbott, below, is better, more structured wine.    But right this second, the Marcassin is  stunning and hard to resist.

For the 1994:  92 points.  For the 1995:  95 points, for pure sex appeal.

1993 Chardonnay "Diamond T" (Talbott)
Lost in the Marcassin-Peter Michael and other-highly-allocated-chardonnay   fuss is the fact that there ARE other people making great Chardonnay in California.  Kistler and  Talbott come to mind.   Some of them may even be better. This wine almost stole the show, and is probably a better wine overall and a better choice for those who want some structure and finesse. It also appears more ageworthy, and in the long run shows better--although not this night, when it could not match the Marcassin in pure sex appeal, even though I suspect that the Marcassin at the same age will not have half the charm and the Marcassin's score will decline.  The Diamond "T"  fruit is ripe, too, but the wine has a structure the Marcassins do not. The mid-palate is focused and aggressive, the finish intense and lingering.  A great Diamond T, and holding extremely well. California's best chard?   94 points.

1994 Chardonnay "Cuvée Indigene" (Peter Michael)
Another California flagship chard, highly allocated, and sought after. This is usually my favorite Peter Michael chard.  Tonight, it showed well, but seemed a bit lost.  The flavors were broad, the wine not quite as intense as I recall. It seems to have softened a lot since release.  It still tastes darned fine, but it was having trouble making a statement next to distinctive chards like Marcassins, Diamond "T" and Beringer  "Sbragia".   One thing it did not lack was a lot of gentle charm.  90 points.

1994 Chardonnay "Sbragia" (Beringer)
Another highly coveted, highly allocated chard shows yet another wildly different style.  Here is an intense, tannic wine, showing lots of butterscotch notes.   This still seems a bit tight and can hold well in the cellar and the glass.   The wine is aggressive and attacks your palate with both the tannins and the finish.  Crisper and more focused than Marcassin, tighter and less flavorful than Diamond T, this is a pretty good showing for Sbragia, a wine that has not always thrilled me in the past.  I  think that this wine, unlike a lot of others, needs more time to develop.  We haven't yet seen all this has to offer.  90+ points.

NV Sparkling Shiraz (Hardy's)
Amazingly good sparkler that is absolutely unique to boot. Thrill your friends, amaze your enemies.  Sparkling shiraz!  Bright red, promises to be pink bubbly, but achieves much, much more. Good body, solid attack, dry, yet with plenty of flavorful fruit. It seems like an oddball line. It delivers in a way that turns your attention to the quality not the eccentricity. Just $15.  89 points.

1985 Champagne (Krug )
I can just hear the winemaker at Krug intoning,  after tasting this masterpiece, "This is who we are. This is what we do."  A masterpiece. This is a great time to drink this. It will hold for years. You know Krug. But for me this is a great balance between age and freshness.  Toasty and rich, creamy but powerful, the wine coats your mouth with so much fruit that it seems you may not be allowed to taste anything else for some time.  It maintains fine balance, too.  Add an incredible finish, one of the best I ever had in a Champagne and guess how high the score goes?   Pretty high. 96 points.

1988 Tokaji Aszu Essenzia (Disnoko)
This is the estate eventually reformed by Jean-Michel Cazes' group. Aszu Essenzia, by the way, is not to be confused with real Essenzia, much thicker, sweeter and more concentrated. Still, this wine is lovely. At around $30 for 500 ml, it is in pristine condition, shows just a trace of oxidation, and has a medium bodied, honeyed mid-palate. Intense bouquet, nice finish. The wine does nothing spectacularly well, perhaps, but it is very, very good and holding beautifully at age ten.  89 points.

NV Moscatel Sherry "100 Years" "Las Cruces" (Lustau)
Who makes sherry better than Lustau? No one I know of. This wine opens to a sugary finish. It seems extremely sweet, yet creamy and relatively light. With air, the sugary aspects diminish and the wine begins to become a bit less interesting and creamy, yet it never actually fades.  Charming, sweet sherry that can be drunk with dessert or as an aperitif. 91 points.

1991 Banyuls (Dr. Parce)
Yikes. What happened here? I have never had this vintage of this wine, so I cannot say if it was damaged or typical. I tend to think the former. Disgusting nose of glue and cellophane, fruit without flavor or sweetness. I have to assume this wine is atypical, and in fairness leave it unrated. Otherwise, you might be surprised at how low numbers could go.

NV   Sherry "100 Years" Murillo Pedro Ximenez   (Lustau)
If you have had the regular PX this is fairly similar, but more aged, and fades faster.  You may appreciate the extra age and the corresponding restraint; you may well prefer, as I do, the big, no holds barred regular bottling for half the price. Both are very sweet and creamy, and rich and heavy; the difference is just the restraint that more mature wine brings.  On the whole, I'll take the youthful flamboyance. After all, this is not a wine that is ever going to be, well, elegant.  May as well go for broke if you're going at all.  92 points.

1988 Rulander Bodenheimer Burgweg Beerenauslese (Kuhling-Gillot)
Boring beerenauslese  that is too light, and seems to lack the concentration and depth I was hoping for.  B.A.?  Pretty restrained B.A.  Showing its age? Perhaps. But see below.  It should hold better.  85 points.

1970 Riesling Beerenauslese "Wachenheimer Gerumpel" (Burklin Wolf)
One of the better old B.A.s I have had.   It shows its age on the nose and the finish.  There is some signs of maturity and loss of fruit.  But the wine is still sweet, the flavors beautifully integrated, and it is simply a pleasure to drink.  Personally, I might have liked it even a few years younger.  For my tastes, I would not hold it any longer.  I do not see the point of holding a sweet wine so long that it is no longer sweet.  This has not turned the corner yet, though, and while it shows its age, it handles it gracefully.    91 points.

1993 Huxelrebe "Bissersheimer Steig" Trockenbeerenauslese (Bender)
This is not, perhaps, the greatest TBA in the world. For one thing, it is fully ready, and I doubt it can improve.  It is not as unctuous or thick as the really great ones. It could use more depth.  But it sure is a little beauty in other respects.  Pretty, apricot flavors permeate the body and the nose, with a deceptively long finish that belies the medium body.  Tastes great now, and elegant enough to seem light and friendly.  88 points. 

1990 Petite Sirah Port "Admiral's Quinta"  (Konrad)
Quirky wine that does not do anything overly well.  Moderately tannic, moderately sweet, moderate finish.  Badly needs more fruit and some substance in the mid-palate.  Port? This won't get anyone in Oporto too worried, except perhaps at taking the good name of Port in vain.  80 points.

1875 Malvasia Madeira (Baribeito)
Powerful Madeira that has lost most sweetness. The alcohol is overtaking the fruit, but it still seems brawny and round.  Nowhere near dead.  There is some harshness to the wine, and personally I would prefer one with more sweetness and flavor, but this does what it does very well. These wines are unique unto themselves, and at this age best left unrated.

1995 Riesling Eiswein (Dr. Konstantin Frank)
The pride of the Finger Lakes is showing off this wine, which got a big prize in Germany as best non-German Riesling. I liked it a lot, although nowhere near that much.   Peaches and apricot nuances surround a reasonably rich wine that is surprisingly crisp on the back end. The acidity should give this wine some support, and I suspect it will put on a bit of weight with a couple of years of cellaring.  Nice, but unspectacular finish.  Flavorful, crisp and lively. 88+ points, with capacity to improve.

1963 Port (Croft's)
I have a lot of notes on this wine and they are uniform. Hey, all the bottles can't be off. This is simply a fading port with unexceptional fruit that offers little. It's old. That's about it.  83 points.

1986 Sauternes (de Fargues)
What is remarkable about this wine is how it shows some caramelized notes of mature Sauternes, while remaining relatively unctuous and very sweet.  The ripeness and quality of fruit here is remarkable.  From this bottle, this was drinking real well, and actually vanished rather fast.   Very fine Sauternes. 92 points.

1992 Eiswein (Hopler)
This fine Austrian producer makes a great, reasonably priced Eiswein (around $21 per half--I said reasonable, not cheap). This is drinking perfectly, and I would not hold it.  Age has give it a slightly golden color, and a little more roundness. You taste some mature flavors on the finish, and the middle is apricots and nectars.  The wine is fragrant, but it could use a little more depth and concentration. It is a pleasing, elegant dessert wine all around, if a little short of something special. 88 points.

1995 Coteaux du Layon (Pierre Bise)
Very sweet, yet elegantly balanced chenin blanc that delights with it freshness and purity.  This baby can hold for a long time, but it was hard to resist tonight. I wanted more, but it vanished quickly. 92 points.

1996 Ice Wine (Inniskillin)
One of the best eisweins I have had from Inniskillin, the large Canadian producer. Pretty and lively, crisp and sexy, this slightly syrupy wine shows excellent concentration and pure, citrus flavors.  Nicely done, and then some. Will drink best young, I think.   91 points.

1978 Banyuls "Cuvée de la Saint Martin" (Domaine du Mas Blanc)
This wine is surprisingly still tasting pleasant, even though the fruit has faded badly.   For real port, 1978 is not very old. For this wine, age crept up very fast.   Pleasing drinking, but no longer able to hold up to rich desserts.  If you have any, drink it alone as an after-dinner drink.  There's is a lot of faded glory, though.  86 points.

1994 Sauvignon Blanc Ultra Late Harvest (Eola Hills)
Wonderful late harvest Oregon wine that finishes very sweet (harvested at 39+ brix), yet has tons of body, plenty of character, and very characteristic flavors.  It's a bit pricey---$22 in my region for a half---but arguably worth it.  A bit syrupy, yet with surprising balance, too. Fragrant bouquet.   Holding well, developing beautifully.  93 points.

1994 Muskateller Kabinett "Haardter Burgergarten" (Muller-Catoir)
A Kabinett that will make you think that you had an Auslese.  This gorgeous wine from Muller-Catoir features a sweet, lemony core of fruit, lively acidity, and a surprising finish. Just when you think from the opening that it is a routine wine, you find it has coated your mouth, and the flavors linger on.  Kabinett doesn't get much better. 91 points.

1994 Riesling Spatlese "Gimmeldinger Mandelgarten" (Muller-Catoir)
Very sweet for a Spatlese, with a great finish, and enormously pleasing texture and flavor.  Uh, who's better than Muller-Catoir?  Their wines sell at a deserved premium.  This fragrant Riesling nails its category.  91 points.

Italy

1982 Barolo Vigna già "Ciabot Mentin Ginestra" (Clerico)
This is a shame.  This wine seems to do so many things right, but it is ultimately unpalatable. Brawny, stuffed with fruit, tannic still, this powerful old-style Barolo offers a lot.  A little too much, actually.  The oxidation is pungent, there seems to be some volatile acidity, and the wine, apparently from good storage, seems to have been poorly handled somewhere, perhaps in the barrel.  Ultimately, the funk was too much, as you could smell it when poured from six feet away.  I wonder if this is a typical bottle; if so, the key flaws destroy everything good. 78 points.

1988 Spargolo Tuscan Table Wine (Cecchi)
Rustic, exuberant wine from the Chianti Classico region that sidesteps the DOCG laws in favor of calling itself a Tuscan Table wine. This opens with some astringency and harshness, dark chocolately notes in the mid-palate, and just a trace of oxidation on the finish. It develops reasonably well with air, the tannins smooth out a bit, and the fruit becomes a bit more gentle.  This reminds me more of Barbaresco than Tuscan wines, but if you like this style, this is very nice. If you don't, you'll note the harshness and astringency at times, coupled with the coarseness of the mid-palate attack. On the whole, pretty good.  88 points.

1990 Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale Gold Label (Ruffino)
This is a familiar Italian wine that many people know, and have diverse opinions on. I found this mediocre and way overpriced. It opens somewhat thin and tart, and neer improves much.  It thins more, it shows too much astringency and not much depth. Here's a wine that would be great if only it had more fruit, more flavor and better balance. Other than than..........  81 points.

Loire

1989 Haut-Lieu Vouvray (Huet)
One of the Loire's great producer's turns in another great performance. This is just showing a hint of maturity. Kind of like Michael Jordan. Yes, it's lost a step. But it is still a couple of steps ahead of everyone else. There is just a hint of sweetness   from purity of fruit,  with mouth coating lushness in the mid-palate.  It is pristine, pure and expansive. The lingering finish is elegant and lovely.  90 points.

1989 Chinon "Clos de l'Eho" (Couly-Dutheil)
Superb cab franc.  I was served this blind, and was sure it was Bordeaux. Not great Bordeaux, perhaps, but Bordeaux.  It lacks some depth, thins too much with air, and fades too fast.  However, it is a pleasing, intense wine with a rustic demeanor that could pass for Greysac or some such wine.  Most Loire cab francs don't show this much body and need to be drunk cold and quickly.  Come look at what a serious one can be like.   (No, it's not Bordeaux, and yes, my scores are relative and not used across appellations.)  91 points.

Rhone / Southern / Southeastern French (except dessert/sparkling)

1991 Bandol Rouge "Migoua" (Tempier)
Sturdy wine, without much flavor.  There's a rather disgusting, bretty bouquet. Some of it may be sulfur, as it partly blows off, but the wine never seems much else than funky. There's not enough here to reward the patient or tolerant, although the palate is reasonable.  Disappointing, and given the nature of brett, my guess would be that it was not stored perfectly since release, although it showed no obvious damage.  80 points.

1991 Bandol Rouge "La Tourtine" (Tempier)
There's a hint of funk here, but this wine is considerably more stable than the Migoua.  I thought the fruit was beautiful and sweet, charming and elegant,  and if there was a touch of brett, it gave the wine character and style. It had a bit of "suave" anyway.  I liked this very much, although it was not as deep and long as truly great Bandol can be.  Gentle and charming, though. 89 points.

1996 Côtes du Languedoc Blanc (Roquebrun)
This $15 wine is a steal.  Mostly Roussanne, it is crisp, but smoky,  fat and rich. The wine coats your mouth and the finish sneaks up on you, and is simply rich and   beautiful.  Not a long term wine, and drinking pretty well now.  It will improve with six to twelve months, though, in the cellar.  Really great Roussanne should perhaps have more aging potential, but still...... Great stuff.  90 points.

1995 Côtes du Luberon (Domaine de Fontenille)
This traditional "Best Buy" is 50% syrah, 40% grenache, but seems like a dead ringer for Chateauneuf and mostly grenache dominated. At $11, it shows the structure to age (and needs a year or two of cellaring to let the tannins moderate), together with sweet, red berry fruit, at the moment, struggling with the tannins.  A little beauty. A great deal.   88 points.

1994 Vin de Pays / Bouches du Rhone (Domaine Trevallon)
Some mouth drying tannins on the finish call for more cellaring here. The blend is elegant, with cassis notes prominent, pleasing medium body, and nice finish.    For this to really succeed,  the fruit needs to open, and I think it will.  A wine with style, class and the ability to develop in the glass and cellar.   90 points.

1990 Bandol Rouge (Pradeaux)
One of the great Bandols I have ever had.  This Pradeaux is still unready to drink. The fruit is tight. The tannins are still a bit too forward. The aging potential seems long. A brawny, powerful wine with a core of tight, focused fruit.  Either decant, or hold for another few years.  93+ points.

1994 Collioure "Cosprons Levants" (Mas Blanc--Dr. Parce)
This wine comes from a rustic region, but the wine was elegant, a bit light, a bit tart, a bit sweet, too.  On the whole, I thought this was a bit quirky.  It will certainly improve with age, and it really needs it, but it seems a tad short on depth and length. Around $28, and not a particularly good deal compared to what you can get from the South of France these days for a lot less.  86 points.

1993 Côtes de Roussillon "Jaubert" (Casenove)
Sexy, exotic wine that is sweet and charming, and opens with ripe, velvety fruit. With air, some tannins pop through, and the wine shows its structure.  It can age, it can develop.  Long on charm, not exactly profound, but in a $22 price range, this is pretty syrah (mostly syrah, anyway) that is hard to resist. Around $22.   90 points.

1993 Bandol Rouge (Bastide Blanche)
This suave, elegant Bandol offers sweet fruit, harmonious tannins and great balance. It is riper than some Bandols, and also far prettier and more pristine.   Is this new wave, modernized Bandol? If so,  conceding that it does not always fit the archetype of Bandol, it nonetheless is pretty nice stuff. Around $18.  Not the best pricing, perhaps, but not bad.  Very likeable, not very distinctive.  89 points.

1995 Cahors (Clos de la Coutale)
A  wine that is tight and a bit astringent at the moment, and still needs a couple of years of cellaring. In some respects, I think this wine shows a little too tart to ever develop really well.  The astringency will fade, though, and although the wine is not rich and velvety, there is a core of black cherry fruit that has some appeal and some body.  This is rather annoying to drink now, but it will improve.   I think it will always be a bit unbalanced, though. At $8.99, perhaps it is worth the risk.    82+ points.

1993 Coteaux d'Aix en Provence "Les Baux"  (Domaine Tuiliere Vielle)
Interesting, relatively inexpensive Southern French wine that tastes like a syrah/grenache blend (I don't know for sure) and is drinking beautifully now.  Opens just a touch tight, then keeps expanding, a bit of rusticity poking through.  The wine is exactly what you want in a Best Buy and has a nice medium body with plenty of fruit flavor and character. Some elegance and charm, too.  It is not as rich as the Casenove, say, but has plenty of flavor.    Imported by Assouline & Ting in Philadelphia.    88 points.

1994 St. Joseph "Blanc" (Rochevine)
This estate makes a terrific St. Joseph red that I think is one of the fine values on the red.  Their white is another story, if this is any typical example. This wine is thin, a bit too acidic, devoid of flavor or character.   It's just there.  I can think of a zillion things I'd rather have.  It's too bad that an estate this good produces a white this insipid. 80 points.

1996 "La Cote" Condrieu (Cuilleron)
This great viognier producer here turns in a more powerful vesion of Condrieu.  It is still light and elegant compared to other wines, but there is a focused core that coats your mouth with enough fruit to leave a lasting finish.  I've had better viognier from Cuilleron, but this one is no slouch. 90 points.

1994 Cotes du Provence (Domaine Bunan)
This wine has gotten attention particularly because it is a Kosher wine and doesn't taste like one. For moments that require Kosher, you have no better choices. Still, while this tastes typical of the region and is reasonably pleasing, it lacks depth and seems today at the end of its useful life.  A touch thin and boring, it seems like a modest wine from Provence. The extra publicity is unrelated to its quality.  84 points.

1990 Chateauneuf-du-Pape "Hommage à Jacques Perrin" (Beaucastel)
Opens with a stiff hit of brett. The person who brought it said he had had this five times and this was the first bottle that showed so bretty.  Well, brett is something that is particularly susceptible to bottle variations, and many a vintage of Beaucastel has seemed a bit bretty to my palate. I suspect brett is usually there lurking, and if set off (temperature problems can do it.....), it can pop up.  So? I like this a lot anyway.  The brett was modest and with air, the fantastically pure and dense fruit popped up, overwhelming everything else. The core of fruit was so sweet and powerful that it seemed to be super concentrated and intense.  Drinking nicely now, and fantastic wine, brett or no.  Hope yours was stored cold. 94 points.

1995 Madiran Cuvée Prestige (Chateau Montus)
Gorgeous Madiran--and I mistook it for a Bordeaux at first.  Seems classically Bordelais, a bit tannic on the finish, with lots of intense, well defined fruit registering behind the tannins. Focused, powerful, and likely to come into balance. Needs about four years of cellaring,  at least, I think.  90 points.

 Spain (except dessert/sparkling)

1970 Unico (Vega Sicilia)
I am so annoyed at wine prices these days that I cannot tell you how irritating I find it to drink a high priced label that actually delivers.  I don't want any temptation to buy, you know?  :)  Cherry wood flavors, a bit of a Barbaresco feel, but imagine a Barbaresco that is smoother and richer, stylish and elegant, with slightly sweet fruit and no harsh overtones. Beautiful finish, beautiful, pretty wine.  92 points.