Introduction

Rejoined Bipin Desai's Riverside monthly tasting group for a great meal and wine at Mario's. Even better than I remembered!

Closing

Overall the group preferred the European wines as much or more than the California wines.With a line up like this Bipin admitted he was surprised that the California-centric group did not go for the "Cults" as he expected. To experienced tasters, especially in a dinner setting, the balance and complexity of traditional old world wines is hard to beat. For my palate, with a few exceptions the Cults are "all about me" the way some basketball players can be- shooting every time they touch the ball. This makes for a big "wow" factor" but is tiresome over the course of a meal.