TN: Another Tuesday Supper Club dinner at Christine's.

Christine played host yet again to our Tuesday Supper Club and everybody, Sarah Kirschbaum, Wilfred Van Gorp, Bill Lawrence, Marty Ellington and yours truly, was present and accounted for, which, given hectic schedules, has become a rarity. As usual, Christine's cooking enthralled us, we had some delightful wines and a lot of laughter. Who can ask for more?

• 2001 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile

  France, Alsace

  Another lovely showing, though perhaps a bit less effusive and with a little less depth than the last couple of showings. Fresh on the nose and palate with lime flavors and aromas leading the way. Hints of stone fruits along with the omnipresent minerality are along for the ride. The finish is a little shorter than in other bottles I've had and it just seems this bottle is a little shy. A-.

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• 2001 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Spätlese

  Germany, Nahe

  This has really developed markedly in the past few years. The youthful green profile has departed and it's taken on a much more mature character with nice secondary development. The color has gotten more golden and the wine is more stone fruited with that aged quality. Citrus lurks in the background and there's some minerality, but I actually think it showed a stronger mineral vein when it was younger. Sweet, but drier than it was even a couple of years ago. Lovely, but depending how you like your wines, I'd start to drink up as I don't think it's getting better and I want what freshness remains. Solid A-.

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• 2004 Joseph Drouhin Griotte-Chambertin

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru

  Spicy on the nose and palate from the get go with some decent cherry fruit. Unfortunately, the fruit doesn't stay around long and the green meanies run amok. The oak gradually becomes more prominent and the wine really became unglued with really harsh acidity and nowhere near enough fruit to stand up to either or the stemminess. The longer it stayed open, the worse it got. C+.

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• 1970 Bodegas Riojanas Rioja Monte Real Gran Reserva

  Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

  From a recently purchased stash and showing beautifully. From the get go it showed like your favorite old sweater, or like a perfectly broken in and well-used baseball mitt that had really just become an extension of your hand. Fully mature, resolved and and just so comfortable on the palate with typical old Rioja character of cherry fruit with worn wood, orange peel and leather. There was also a noticeable beefy note to it. But, wait for it, wait for it, like a great old Huet, just give this baby about an hour of air and it becomes even more magical. The fruit grew and sweetened up some, but more importantly, the structure firmed up making the wine seem more youthful. Just a hint of mint on the finish. More, please! Solid A-.

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• 1990 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée

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

  Always one of my favorite vintages from Pegau and this bottle showed beautifully. Initially a bit muted on the nose, though singing on the palate, eventually I was able to coax a wonderful perfume of sweet red brambly fruit, spice, tar and game out of the glass. This is just a scrumptious wine. Rich, but not heavy or too roasted. There's nice structure to keep everything perfectly proportioned. Sweet raspberry and strawberry fruit that's more dark red then light red, game, black pepper and garrigue. The tannins have a bit of a dustiness to them and there's some nice secondary development, though the wine is still showing rather youthfully. Just a whole lot of goodness here and my wine of the night. A.

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• 1995 Château Rauzan-Ségla

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Showing a bit of black olive on the nose with some earth and spice. Quite dry and a bit ungenerous on the palate. There's a decent enough amount of black fruit, framed by earth, olive and some herb, but I'm tempted to just call it a decent little claret. To be honest, it's a rather boring drink. Perfectly fine, but it could really use a personality and for what this goes for these days, I would expect one. B+.

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• 2001 Domaine des Chezeaux Griotte-Chambertin

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru

  Really quite a lovely and delicious wine. Nicely aromatic with sweet cherries, earth and a strong cola note. The sweetness carries through on the palate, with cherries, red plums, a bit of spice and some nice herbal elements in the back. Good acidity and drinking beautifully now, though no hurry here. A-.

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