Friday Night Double Blind Tasting $40+

• 2000 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Dark dull crimson with rusty rim; soy, charcoal, fennel, ripeness is strong but this bottle is a little past peak; got worse with air.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2000 Château Lynch-Bages

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Nutty, sandalwood, tea, darker fruit, some paint thinner, VA, extracted and heavy nose; palate is surprisingly light, acidic, green olive, fleshy; palate confirms VA has affected this bottle; really bizarre.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2005 P. Dubreuil-Fontaine Père & Fils Corton-Clos du Roi

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru

  Dull red with lighter rim, some age; sour red cherry, sappy, bright, somber nose; a little singular, finish is a bit curt but the mid-palate is nice, finish has warn cherry pit liqueur, just a touch of stemmy/woody quality that others mistook as being corked; really didn't give this the airtime it deserved, but it was good.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2010 Maison Bertrand Ambroise Corton-Le Rognet

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru

  Brighter see through reddish purple; nose is very expressive, floral, purple fruit, sweet and candied, watermelon (2010), cherry Jolly Rancher; palate starts out light, lots of sour cherry, firm finish; young though very good this needs 5+ years at least, slightly disjointed now.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2006 Sartori di Verona Amarone della Valpolicella "Estate Collection"

  Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella

  Lighter but classic Amarone, sweet ripe fruit, fig, dried leaves, alcohol, lots of licorice; improved with airtime.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2004 Talenti Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Pian Di Conte

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Dull dark crimson with orange rim; orange oil, sour cherry, cedar; this bottle is drinking at peak, fennel, strong sour cherry, good structure, ready to start its decline (this bottle).

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Most would be really impressed by the lineup of great wines we had tonight, but most were slightly off...prematurely aged, too young, or flawed in some way. The Amarone was about the only one drinking the way it should have.