Great bottle of wine and my favorite wine of the evening by only a little over the 2000 Produttori Ovello. Just amazing silky texture and a captivating nose of earth, leaves, mushrooms, and plum. Good fruit on the midpalate, but the most remarkable characteristic of this wne was that it came across as very refined and elegant despite its obvious structure and aging potential. Finish went on for quite some time. Should have ordered another bottle of this.

Second bottle of the evening, and another winner. Much different from other 2000 Barbarescos I've had thus far. Very tight right out of the bottle, and although it opened somewhat, this never fully unraveled and revealed the plush nature of the fruit I was expecting. I'm hoping it isn't shut down, because if it isn't, this reminds me more of a typical 2001 and it would be right in my wheelhouse. Funky nose and dark color with no bricking. All tar, roses, and red and black fruit with a soaring finish and some lovely acidity that made my New York Strip steak even more enjoyable than it was by itself. Difficult to imagine how one could have too many of these. Only deduction...wsan't quite as silky in texture as the Vougeraie, but I think the tannins will soften with time to take care of that.

Last wine of the night, and although I am generally not a fan of California Cab, Paradigm continues to impress me. Just like prior vintages, this showed clearly ripe fruit, but it never crossed the line to fruity and cough syrup. On the contrary, it was balanced, with good acidity and some of that hallmark Rutherford dustiness. Velvety texture with some chocolate on the finish was great. I can see myself buying this.