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VINO FINO TASTING PORTUGUESE REDS Touriga Nacional
January 2013
Notes by
GERALD WEISL
wine merchant
Vino Fino host John McGlothlin had enjoyed exploring some of the local wines
while on a European cruise and was enchanted by those in Portugal. We
assembled a set of wines which had, at least, some percentage of Touriga
Nacional in the blend.
Touriga Nacional may be Portugal's best red grape variety, much as Tempranillo
is Spain's enological ambassador in the fine wine world.
The Touriga Nacional grape had been especially prominent in Portugal's Dao
region. The Dao, in fact, was especially famous for its table wines
several decades ago. Now, though, other regions have matched the Dao with
good quality table wines, especially the Port-producing region of the
Douro. As sales of fortified wines have been on the downslide, producers
in the Douro have been making some really fine dry red wines and the region has
some very skilled growers and winemakers.
Wines made from the Touriga Nacional typically have deep, intense color and they
seem capable of retaining a youthful purple tone for a number of years.
The vine produces small berries and this can make for a tannic red wine.
The aromatics are usually described as being reminiscent of blackberry and
blueberry along with a mildly floral tone.
We assembled a set of wines coming from a number of regions. Five of the
contestants hailed from the Douro, one from just south of Lisbon in the Setubal
area, one from the Bairrada area and one from the Dao. Six of the bottles
cost $20 or less and the highest priced wine carried a $57 price tag.
The tasters commented on how difficult a line-up this proved to be. Most
tasters found a couple of favorites, but complicating assembling a ranking was
the fact that none of the wines was weak, watery or badly made. All the
wines had positive reviews and so we had two wines at the top, with third place
through 7th place separated by a mere 7 points. Five of the 8 wines had a
first place vote and just 4 had a last place tally.
Here's what we found:
| The Wines |
Gerald's Ranking |
GROUP RANKING |
Total Points |
1sts/2nds/
Lasts |
CHURCHILL'S ESTATES
2009 Douro
40% Touriga Nacional,
30% Touriga Franca, 30% Tinta Roriz
$18 |
8 |
2 |
35 |
3/2/1 |
FREI JOÃO
2009 Bairrada Reserva
35% Baga, 45% Touriga Nacional 20% Cabernet Sauvignon
$16 |
6 |
7 |
46 |
0/1/3 |
QUINTA
DA BICA
2009 Dão
"Colheita"
Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro, Tinta Roriz & Jaen
$13 |
5 |
6 |
44 |
0/0/0 |
|
QUINTA
DA COSTA DAS AGUANEIRAS
Made
by Lavradores de Feitoria
2008 Douro
80%
Touriga Nacional, 10% Tinta Roriz, 10% Other
$30 |
1 |
8 |
49 |
1/0/3 |
|
QUINTA
VALE D. MARIA
2010 Douro
Tinta Amarela, Rufete, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Francisca,
Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Sousão, etc.
$57 |
2 |
1 |
31 |
2/3/0 |
TRÊS
BAGOS
2008 Douro
Made by Lavradores de Feitoria
Tinta Roriz | Touriga Nacional | Touriga Franca
$15 |
7 |
4 |
40 |
1/1/2 |
SÓ
2007 Peninsula de Setúbal
Made by Bacalhôa Vinhos
Touriga Nacional
$20 |
3 |
3 |
39 |
2/0/0 |
VAN
ZELLERS
2007 Douro
Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Sousão, Tinta
Francisca, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz and Rufete.
$20 |
4 |
5 |
40 |
0/2/0 |
8th Place: QUINTA DA COSTA DAS AGUANEIRAS 2008 Douro
I was baffled to see this wine finish in last place as it had so much
character and such charm! Clear in appearance and with a deep ruby to
purple color, the aromatics offered dark fruit notes and a faintly dusty
quality. With airing, it became more cedary and complex. It's dry
and shows nice acidity, with medium+ to medium-full body. I really enjoyed
the flavors, as I found some blackberry fruit with nicely woodsy, cedary
elements on the palate. I gave this two stars on my three star scale, no
stars being a fairly ordinary, standard quality wine.
7th Place: FREI JOAO 2009 Reserva Bairrada
Clear in appearance and deep, youthfully purple in color, the Frei Joao
Bairrada had dark fruit notes on the nose with berries and a bit of a
cocoa/coffee sort of fragrance. Dry, moderately acidic and medium
bodied...good, focused, direct, bright red fruit flavors. It's nicely
balanced and perhaps not especially complex, but it's a good bottle. One
star.
6th Place: QUINTA DA BICA 2009 Dao "Colheita"
Clear in appearance and medium ruby in color, this wine shows nicely
floral notes with a bit of red fruit and a mild cocoa tone. It's dry and
moderately acidic with medium body. The flavors show some dark fruit tones
with perhaps a shade too much tannin given the overall charm of the wine.
Still, it's a nice red wine and that astringency will certainly be tamed by a
bit of food. One and a half stars...
5th Place: VAN ZELLERS 2007 Douro
Medium deep ruby in color, this was clear in appearance and displayed
lots of dark fruits and a faintly floral tone. It's dry and shows a firm
backbone of acidity and, oh yes, there's a grippy, tannic 'bite' to this, as
well. The intensity of the fruit, though, probably matches the tannin and
it ought to hit a greater point of balance down the road a few years. At
this stage, though, the tannin is a bit aggressive. One-and-a-half stars
and probably more with time...
4th Place: TRES BAGOS 2008 Douro
Medium+ ruby in color and clear, this wine showed bright berry fruit and
it was dry and nicely acidic. I docked it a tad for being a shade light,
though I noted it was reasonably elegant and mildly tannic. Even so, it
had a number of favorable rankings and it's certainly well made well-priced,
too. One star on my score sheet.
3rd Place: SO 2007 Peninsula de Setubal (Bacalhoa Vinhos)
Here's a wine coming from south of Lisbon and it's made by the Bacalhoa
company, a sizeable operation owned by a wealthy fellow whose wines sell,
typically, for very reasonable prices. It's the only wine, I believe, made
entirely of Touriga Nacional and the wine was deep purple in color, with
beautiful dark fruit notes. I found hints of blackberry and blackcurrants
here. It's dry and with good acidity. The wine was medium+ bodied
and had lots of dark fruit on the palate with a good balance of tannin.
Quite nice now, in fact. One and a half stars...very fine!
2nd Place: CHURCHILL'S 2009 Douro
Medium ruby in color and clear in appearance, we've had a couple of
vintages of this in the shop and I was curious to see how the newest release
stacked up. Though it was my last place wine, I actually liked it
anyway. And the group was far more impressed, with 5 of nine tasters
ranking it first or second. Where I marked it down was simply in the
intensity department...I found it a tad lighter than most of the other wines and
its red fruit character was slightly less impressive in this beauty contest than
it might be served on its own. Still, I gave it a one star rating.
1st Place: QUINTA VALE D. MARIA 2010 Douro
Clear in appearance and medium+ ruby in color, this was a wonderful
wine. The fragrances were numerous, showing lots of berries and a lightly
woodsy tone on the nose. There's a floral note in there, as well.
The wine is dry and features a good level of acidity. The flavors are
profound and complex. There's a nicely woodsy theme here, but the wine
offers plenty of fruit and doesn't rely on oak for its character. I had
this was my top wine from the start, but was delighted by the Aguaneiras wine
which seemed to be blossoming all through the tasting. This is very
fine. Two stars.
|
Please note: The wines tasted are not always wines
we have (or have had) in the shop.
Many bottles are merely for our enological exploration.
Price quoted are current at the time of the tasting, but may be different
when you're reading this. |
WE HAVE NOT ORGANIZED A TASTING IN A WHILE...
BUT WE DO POST THE RESULTS OF A PRIVATE TASTING GROUP THAT'S BEEN MEETING FOR
MORE THAN 48 YEARS!
We are working on
organizing some blind-tastings at the shop.
Send us a note to indicate your interest in participating.
These would be on Wednesday evenings and you'd need to bring 8 wine glasses.
THE
VINO-FINO TASTERS
(A private tasting group that's
been meeting for more than 48 years!)
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+ 2016 CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPES August 2019
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BLANC July 2015
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ARGENTINA October 2013
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VERMENTINO July 2013
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A
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& WINE MARATHON December 2009
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SPARKLING WINES November 2009
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MALBECS October 2009
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COAST CHARDONNAYS September 2009
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RED WINES August 2009
2005
BUDGET BORDEAUX July 2009
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WHITE WINES June 2009
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BAG OF CALIFORNIA PINOT NOIRS April 2009
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WINES, MOSTLY FROM THE 2004 VINTAGE March 2009
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COAST PETITE SIRAHS February 2009
SYRAH
& PETITE SIRAH COMPARISON January 2009
A
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COUNTY PINOT NOIRS October 2008
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RITA HILLS -2006 VINTAGE- PINOT NOIRS SEPTEMBER 2008
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DINNER December 2007
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COAST CHARDONNAYS November 2007
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SHIRAZ October 2007
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TEMPRANILLO WINES September 2007
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2005 VINTAGE ZINFANDELS August 2007
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RELEASE (2004-2005) ZINFANDELS July 2007
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WINES FROM ALL OVER June 2007
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LAGREIN WINES May 2007
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2004 CABERNETS February 2007
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BEAUJOLAIS January 2007
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FINO CHRISTMAS December 2006
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ZINFANDELS November 2006
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NOIRS of VALUE-PRICING October 2006
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OF SYRAHS TASTING September 2006
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VALLEY (California) and MARGARET RIVER (Australia) CABERNETS July
2006
CALIFORNIA
PETITE SIRAHS June 2006
2004
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: BASILICATA & CAMPANIA'S MAJOR RED WINE April 2006
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D'AVOLA - A TASTE OF SICILIA March 2006
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VINO FINO RADAR ZINFANDELS January 2006
HOLIDAY WINE
TASTING & DINNER December 2005
BUBBLIES FROM AROUND
THE WORLD November 2005
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COAST PINOT NOIRS October 2005
STATE
OF CONFUSION CABERNETS September 2005
TIM
ZAINER'S SIDEWAYS LOOK AT MERLOTS August 2005
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FRANCS June 2005
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SYRAHS March 2005
2002
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VINO
FINO HOLIDAY WINE MARATHON December 2004
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OF MODEST PRICE November 2004
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TEMPRANILLO October 2004
2002
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SHIRAZ-CABERNET BLENDS August 2004
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FROM ALSACE July 2004
2001
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WINES FROM CAMPANIA & BASILICATA May 2004
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WINES FROM THE ABRUZZO & MARCHE REGIONS April 2004
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ZINFANDELS February 2004
1997
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO January 2004
VINO
FINO HOLIDAY BACCHANALIA 2003
2001
CÔTES du RHÔNES September 17, 2003
2000
OREGON PINOT NOIRS August 20, 2003
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COAST SYRAHS July 16, 2003
2000
Bordeaux June 18, 2003
2000
CALIFORNIA CABERNETS May 21, 2003
OFF
THE BEATEN PATH SYRAHS APRIL 16, 2003
2002 NEW ZEALAND
SAUVIGNON BLANCS March 19, 2003
1999
California CABERNETS February 19, 2003
VINO
FINO HOLIDAY BACCHANALIA December 4, 2002
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PINOT NOIRS 1999-2000 November 20, 2002
AUSTRIAN
WHITE WINES October 16, 2002
AUSTRALIAN
SHIRAZ August 21, 2002
CHAMPAGNES
& SPARKLERS July 17, 2002
Interesting
Paired CHARDONNAYS
May 15, 2002
2001
Southern Hemisphere SAUVIGNON BLANCS Feb. 20, 2002
1999 ZINFANDELS January 16, 2002
HOLIDAY
SEASON BACCHANALIA
December 5, 2001
1999-2000
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1999
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1998
CALIFORNIA CABERNETS September 19, 2001
1999
LANGUEDOC REDS August 15, 2001
1997
SAUTERNES July 18, 2001
Mostly
1998 NEBBIOLO June 20, 2001
1999 PINOT NOIRS May
16, 2001
1996
SAINT-MILION Tasting April 18, 2001
CARNEROS
CHARDONNAYS March 21, 2001
1984-1985
NAPA CABERNETS/John Vignau Memorial Tasting October 20, 2000
1997
CALIFORNIA CABERNETS September 20, 2000
1998 CALIFORNIA
CHARDONNAYS August 16, 2000
WINES
FROM THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE: CLARETS June 21, 2000
WINES
FROM UNDER THE TUSCAN (and Umbrian) SUN Aprile 19, 2000
1997 BORDEAUX: MEDOC May 17,
2000
WEIMAX TASTING ARCHIVE
NAPA
CABERNETS 2004 Vintage March 19, 2008
CALIFORNIA
PINOT NOIRS-2005s March 13, 2008
OREGON
PINOT NOIRS February 6, 2008
MOSTLY
2004 CALIFORNIA PINOT NOIRS April 25, 2007
WASHINGTON
STATE CLARETS April, 11, 2007
2004
NORTHERN RHONE SYRAHS April 4, 2007
2001
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO March 28, 2007
2001
CALIFORNIA CABERNETS November 8, 2006
2003
CALIFORNIA CABERNETS October 18, 2006
2003
CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPES-Flight #2 October 4, 2006
OLDER
TUSCAN REDS--MOSTLY SANGIOVESES September 20, 2006
2003
NAPA CABERNETS July 19, 2006
2003
SAINT EMILIONS July 12, 2006
CALIFORNIA
SYRAHS 2003-2004 July 5, 2006
2004
CALIFORNIA PINOT NOIRS June 21, 2006
GRAND
CRU BURGUNDIES 2003 VINTAGE May 31, 2006
CELLAR
DWELLERS: 1990 CABERNETS & 1990 BORDEAUX May 17, 2006
SOUTH
AMERICAN CLARETS May 10, 2006
2003
CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE May 3, 2006
2004
GOLDEN STATE PINOT NOIRS April 19, 2006
2002
NAPA CABERNETS March 15, 2006
2003
WEST COAST PINOT NOIRS March 8, 2006
2003
NORTH COAST ZINFANDELS March 1, 2006
1996
BURGUNDIES vs. 1997 SONOMA PINOT NOIRS November 9, 2005
2002
CABERNETS, ETC. November 2, 2005
2002 NAPA
CABERNETS October 19, 2005
2002
GRAND CRU BURGUNDIES September 14, 2005
2002
RED BURGUNDIES September 7, 2005
2002
MEURSAULTS August 31, 2005
NORTHERN
RHNE SYRAHS August 17, 2005
HIGHLY-REGARDED AUSSIE
SHIRAZ August 10, 2005
AUSSIE SHIRAZ UNDER
$60 August 3, 2005
STUPIDLY-PRICED
SPANISH TEMPRANILLO WINES June 8, 2005
RANDOM
CALIFORNIA SYRAHS June 1, 2005
2002
CALIFORNIA CABERNETS May 18, 2005
2001
NAPA CABERNETS May 11, 2005
OREGON
PINOT NOIRS-2002 & 2003 VINTAGE WINES April 27, 2005
CELLAR
DWELLERS: 1990 BURGUNDIES and a COUPLE OF CALIFORNIA PINOTS April 6, 2005
CALIFORNIA
ZINFANDELS (Mostly 2002s) MARCH 16, 2002
1999
BRUNELLO di MONTALCINO March 9, 2005
SOUTHERN
HEMISPHERE CLARETS March 2, 2005
PETITE
SIRAHS February 16, 2005
ROS CHAMPAGNES AND
CALIFORNIA PINK BUBBLIES February 9, 2005
CELLAR
DWELLERS: 1991 CABERNET SAUVIGNONS January 19, 2005
2001
FAMOUS AND INFAMOUS CABERNETS November 10, 2004
2001
Napa CABERNETS November 3, 2004
WEST
COAST SYRAHS October 20, 2004
1990
RED BORDEAUX & CALIFORNIA CLARETS October 13, 2004
SPANISH
TEMPRANILLOS of 1999 & 2000 September 29, 2004
2002
PULIGNY-MONTRACHET September 8, 2004
2002
CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET September 1, 2004
UNDER
THE RADAR PINOT NOIRS August 18, 2004
2001
SAINT-JULIEN & PAUILLACS July 21, 2004
2001
MARGAUX July 14, 2004
CELLAR
DWELLERS: 1982 BORDEAUX July 7, 2004
2001 POMEROLS
June 30, 2004
2001
SAINT MILIONS June 16, 2004
2000
CLOS de VOUGEOT (and a ringer) MAY 12, 2004
2001
OREGON PINOT NOIRS May 5, 2004
2001
CALIFORNIA MERLOTS April 21, 2004
1994
WEST COAST CABERNETS APRIL 14, 2004
1999-2000 BORDEAUX COMPARISON
March 10, 2004
1999
BAROLO March 3, 2004
2000
Deluxe Napa CABERNETS February 18, 2004
2000
CALIFORNIA CABERNETS $50 & Under February 11, 2004
1998 BRUNELLO
DI MONTALCINO February 4, 2004
TURLEY
ZINFANDELS 1995 & 1999 Vintages January 7, 2004
2000
PRESTIGIOUS WEST COAST CABERNETS November 12, 2003
1999
CALIFORNIA CABERNETS November 5, 2003
SANTA
LUCIA HIGHLANDS PINOT NOIRS October 29, 2003
MOSTLY
2001 VINTAGE GIGONDAS October 22, 2003
SPANISH
TEMPRANILLO WINES October 9, 2003
SPARKLING
WINES-METHODE CHAMPENOISE October 1, 2003
1996
(Mostly) AUSTRALIAN (Mostly) SHIRAZ September 24, 2003
2000
NUITS-ST.-GEORGES September 10, 2003
PRIORATO
WINES FROM SPAIN September 3, 2003
WEST
COAST SANGIOVESES August 27, 2003
2000
PULIGNY-MONTRACHET (Mostly Premier Cru Wines) August 13, 2003
2000
CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY August 6, 2003
2000
NAPA CABERNETS July 30, 2003
1999
TUSCAN SANGIOVESE-BASED WINES July 23, 2003
2000
VINTAGE MERLOTS July 9, 2003
SYRAHS
FROM HITHER & YON July 2, 2003
2001 CALIFORNIA
ZINFANDELS June 25, 2003
NEW
PINOT NOIRS June 4, 2003
1999
NAPA CABERNETS May 28, 2003
1994
PINOT NOIRS May 14, 2003
CHILEAN
CLARETS May 7, 2003
PETITE
SIRAHS of Current Release.
April 30, 2003
1999
CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHETS Premier Cru Selections April 9, 2003
1999
GRAND CRU'S of GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN April 2, 2003
1999-2000 SOUTHERN FRENCH REDS (RHONE
WANNABE'S) MARCH 26, 2003
1995-1996
VINTAGE CHAMPAGNE TASTING MARCH 12, 2003
2000
CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE TASTING MARCH 5, 2003
2000
NAPA VALLEY CABERNET TASTING FEBRUARY 26th, 2003
1990
FRENCH RED BURGUNDY TASTING February 12, 2003
1999
& 2000 CALIFORNIA PINOT NOIRS November 13, 2002
1999
NAPA CABERNETS November 6, 2002
1997
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO OCTOBER 30, 2002
AUSSIE
SHIRAZ TASTING OCTOBER 23, 2002
1999
CHATEAUNEUF-du-PAPE TASTING October 9, 2002
1999
NAPA CABERNETS September 25, 2002
1999
WASHINGTON STATE CABERNETS September 11, 2002
1991
CALIFORNIA CABERNETS September 4, 2002
1999
PULIGNY-MONTRACHET 1er Cru Tasting August 28, 2002
AUSTRALIAN
CABERNETS (Mostly 1999s) August 14, 2002
1999
FRENCH BURGUNDY July 24, 2002
1999
GRAVES BLANC July 10, 2002
2000
CALIFORNIA CHARDONNAY July 3, 2002
1999/2000
CONDRIEU TASTING June 26, 2002
1999
PAUILLAC & SAINT JULIEN TASTING June 12, 2002
1999
MARGAUX TASTING June 5, 2002
1985
CABERNETS & MEDOC TASTING May 29, 2002
1998
California CABERNETS May 22, 2002
South
American MALBEC May 8, 2002
1999
West Coast MERLOTS May 1, 2002
Central
Coast (California) PINOT NOIRS April 24, 2002
2001
Southern Hemisphere SAUVIGNON BLANCS April 10, 2002
1999
CALIFORNIA ZINFANDELS April 3, 2002
1999
FRENCH RHÔNE SYRAHS February 13, 2002
(Mostly) 1999 CALIFORNIA SYRAHS January 30,
2002
MORE
1997 BAROLO January 23, 2002
1997
Late-Released CABERNETS January 9, 2002
1997
BAROLO October 24, 2001
1985-1990
RED BURGUNDIES October 10, 2001
1998
Grand Crus of Gevrey Chambertin October 3, 2001
PRIORAT
WINES September 26, 2001
1998
CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE September 12, 2001
1999
"High Roller" CHARDONNAYS September 5, 2001
1998
BORDEAUX August 22, 2001
1999
WEST COAST PINOT NOIRS August 8, 2001
1997
VOSNE-ROMANÉE
Tasting August 1, 2001
1999
CALIFORNIA ZINS July 25, 2001
1998 CABERNET SAUVIGNONS
July 11, 2001
OLD
CALIFORNIA CHARDONNAYS June 6, 2001
1997 ECHEZEAUX May 30, 2001
1999 NORTH
COAST ZINFANDELS May 23, 2001
1999
West Coast Merlots May 9, 2001
1999
WEST COAST PINOT NOIRS May 2, 2001
1997
BARBARESCO April 25, 2001
Mostly RUSSIAN RIVER PINOT NOIRS
April 11, 2001
1997
NAPA CABERNETS April 4, 2001
1995
BRUNELLO di MONTALCINO March 28, 2001
1997 CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY &
MOREY SAINT DENIS
with one 1996...March 14, 2001
1997
GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN March 7, 2001
1996
BAROLO February 28, 2001
1978-1979
California Cabernets January 10, 2001
1997
California Cabernets November 8, 2000
1997
TUSCAN SANGIOVESES November 1, 2000
1997-1998 Châteauneuf-du-Pape
& CALIFORNIA WANNABEEs October 25, 2000
Mostly 1998 PINOT NOIRS
October 11, 2000
1996
CALIFORNIA CABERNETS October 4, 2000
MATURE
CLARETS September 27, 2000
1997
RED BORDEAUX September 13, 2000
1997 NAPA CABERNETS
September 6, 2000
1998
CALIFORNIA CHARDONNAYS August 30, 2000
1997 CLOS DE VOUGEOTS August 23,
2000
PETITE
SIRAH & SYRAH (West Coast) August 9, 2000
FANCY
CALIFORNIA MERLOTS August 2, 2000
1996
FAMOUS CALIFORNIA CABERNETS June 14, 2000
WEST
COAST SYRAHS June 7, 2000
1997 CABERNETS May 31,
2000
VIOGNIERS
of RECENT VINTAGE May 24, 2000
1997-1998
ZINFANDELS May 10, 2000
SOUTHERN
HEMISPHERE CLARETS May 3, 2000
1996
California CABERNETS April 12, 2000
1996
FRENCH RED BURGUNDIES March 29, 2000
CALIFORNIA
vs ITALIAN (Tuscan) SANGIOVESE March 22, 2000
WEST COAST
PINOT NOIRS March 8, 2000
AUSSIE
SHIRAZ TASTING March 1, 2000
FRENCH
CHAMPAGNES (NV BRUTS) January 5, 2000
1996
BORDEAUX (MEDOC) TASTING November 10, 1999
CABERNET-INFLUENCED VINI FROM
ITALY November 3, 1999
CABERNETS OF THE WORLD
TASTING October 27, 1999
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