Oh, the generosity...

Mike C. really stepped up this evening as he hosted our dinner group, completing the circle that began roughly a year ago (for me, at least). He put together a terrific set of wines, which paired very well with straightforward and very well done bistro cuisine from Duff's.

• 1989 Von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Abtsberg Riesling Auslese Nr. 133

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  WOTN for me and for the table -- which, considering the company, is certainly saying something. The petrol nose I found a couple of years ago has mostly faded, replaced by some earthy scents akin to but not exactly mushroom, and a host of other aromas I'm not nearly capable of describing. Really wonderful on the palate with a perfect balance of faded sweetness and acidity. Endless finish. Worked amazingly well with a crab cake / salad / spicy red pepper sauce. Just terrific.

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• 1993 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru

  Youngish/dark garnet colored wine. Really taut and dense -- reduced cherry and spice on the nose with a little bit of mintiness. Again, really dense but wound up on the palate. There's clearly a lot there. We drank this out of some really lousy stems -- which was a bit of a shame, because this was clearly a terrific wine. My second favorite of the evening with one vote for WOTN. I hope I get to taste this in about 10 - 15 years or so -- I'll bet it will be great. That said, it was pretty special tonight, just the way it was.

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• 2004 Araujo Estate Sauvignon Blanc Eisele Vineyard

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  At the same time honied and greenish nose. Seemed southern hemisphere in style. A surprisingly poor match for the crab cake, and to me, the only truely mediocre wine of the evening. I know at least one person agreed with me that this is a fairly flamboyant but pedestrian wine -- and, I know at least two people really enjoyed it. I've had many, many better $13 Fume Blancs. Big pass.

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• 1982 Château Lafite Rothschild

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Clear, ruby color with little evidence of the wine's age. Effusive cedary nose with a little bit of a forest-floor-like note. Not nearly as dense as recent bottles of 1982 Latour, Mouton, or Pichon Lalande. More along the lines of the 1982 Ducru in both weight and style. Elegant. Not quite what I expected -- but, this was not decanted ahead of time -- which, perhaps contributed to the overall impression.

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• 1997 Dalla Valle Maya

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Really dense wine with almost Aussie-like fruit intensity -- black fruit compote with a bit of eucalyptus (only a suggestion). Spicy. Chewy and rich -- reminded me a bit of a Pride wine. Some stiff tannins and great freshness, especially for a 1997. I liked it, but this is one 1997 that, IMO, will need a good bit of time.

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• 1993 Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Proprietor Grown Pritchard Hill

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Black cherry, cassis, coffee nose. Lush mouthfeel with all of the tannins pretty much integrated. Very tasty wine. To pick nits, this was a bit simple and the finish was a little short -- but, that's being picky. It really is in a much better place than the Maya from a drinkability perspective.

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• 1990 Zind-Humbrecht Tokay Pinot Gris Clos Jebsal Vendange Tardive

  France, Alsace

  Mineral / apricot nose. After all of the great wines we tasted, this did not receive quite the amount of attention it clearly deserved. I thought it was excellent, if a bit simple. The auslese earlier in the evening was about the best white wine I've had in the past year or so -- so, this just wasn't going to steal the limelight tonight. Still, very nice.

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Thanks for reading.

Jim