2001 Haag Gewurztraminer Alsace Valee Noble, $16.99, 13% alc.: Med straw, perfumed peachy litchi pear with floral overtones; oily, viscous, with good rich fruit, good acidity, but loses just a little on the finish. Fruit gives the impression of sweetness on entry, but finishes decidedly dry, with a slightly bitter note.
Imported by Hand Picked
Selections, Warrenton, VA
 1999
Veramonte Primus Casablanca Valley Red Table Wine, 60% Carmenere, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 13.5% alc: Deep dark garnet color, with a deep dark black currant and cassis bouquet and a judicious, complimentary kiss of oak. Rich fruit echoes on the palate, gaining some chocolate, and the good tannins and acidity can't obscure the velvet-y texture here. Bree added impressions of cherry kirsch and cocoa. This finishes nicely, and as it opens, subtle notes of wet earth and tree bark add interest and complexity. Very nice now, but give it five years to show its best.
2000 Veramonte Primus Casablanca Valley Red Table Wine, 60% Carmenere, 22% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.1% alc: This inky garnet is almost opaque, it's so dark. Initially, the black currant, plum and blackberry nose is less charming than the '99, and again, there are hints of tree bark and that judicious kiss of oak. Frank called it right when he said, "It's not the '99, only younger, it's different," and indeed, there's less Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend here. The flavors generally echo, but with a somewhat vegetal note that doesn't necessarily detract, but neither does it enhance; some chocolate comes out with air. This needs time to smooth out, and while it won't be as good as the '99, it will improve considerably, providing for some good drinking a few years down the road.
Imported by Franciscan Estate Selections, Ltd., Rutherford, CA
 1999 Le Dix de
Los Vascos Colchagua, 13.5% alc: This dark garnet from Lafite's Chilean operation shows cassis, black currant, licorice and some subtle oak on the nose; these generally follow through on the palate. This is pretty tight at first, with good acid and tannin structure, and while it opens nicely with air, this doesn't seem to be as well endowed as the '99 Primus. Perhaps that impression will change, as it can age for five to eight years, and it should only get better. Frank was particularly fond of this. The wine saw 100% new French oak, and commemorates the 10th Anniversary of Los Vascos.
Imported by Pasternak
Wine Imports, Greewich, CT
2000 Concha y Toro Terrunyo Carmenere: Corked. Bummer.
 2000
Concha y Toro Terrunyo Cabernet Sauvignon, 13.5% alc.: Your typical dark garnet, this features nice, straightforward cassis and blackberry flavors and aromas, with hints of leather. It doesn't give much on the nose, but fans out on the palate, opening nicely with air. A good wine, but not up to the Primus or Los Vascos.
Imported by Excelsior Wine and Spirits, Old Brookville, NY
2000 Cousino Macul Cabernet Sauvignon Antiguas Reservas Maipo, 13% alc.: Same old dark garnet here, with earthy black currant, dark chocolate and underbrush flavors and aromas; the nose needs coaxing to come out of the glass, and this seems a little rustic compared to the others, not that that's necessarily a bad thing. It's chunky, and can use a few years to smooth out, but all in all, it's a solid if unexceptional
Cabernet that paired well with Allan's excellent leg o' lamb on
the Weber grill.
Imported by Billington Imports,
Inc., Springfield, VA
 1999 Concha y Toro Maipo Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Don Melchor Private Reserve Puente Alto, 13.5% alc.: At this point, we were getting a little goofy, and Kim suggested that my new nickname should be "Inky Dark Garnet," because, you guessed it, that was once again the color of this wine. There's a deep, dark core of serious fruit here, all cassis, black currant and blackberry, but significant tannins argue against opening this again for several years. Still, it's obvious that it's a sleek, refined wine, and as it opens, some pretty sea air emerges on the nose. This has all the stuffing for the long haul, and I felt it was easily the best red wine of the night, if only on what it promises to become as it ages.
Imported by Excelsior Wine and Spirits, Old Brookville, NY
These all showed solid quality right across the board, and offer not only excellent value, but also attractive alternatives for those who balk at the escalated prices of their Californian counterparts. There was some disagreement as to which was the best; the '99 Primus is certainly drinking the best right now, with its best days still ahead, but while I felt the Don Melchor showed the most refinement and the most pedigree, Frank and Allan seemed to prefer both the Los Vascos and the aforementioned Primus. Whatever the case, these three were obviously the cream of this night's tasting so far, but we weren't through yet.
2000 Morandé Golden Harvest Sauvignon Blanc
Edición Limitada Casablanca Valley, 12% alc.: This rich golden colored late harvest Sauvignon Blanc is one big explosion of oak and apricot on the nose and in the mouth, shaded with confectioner's sugar and a subtle herbal quality. One taster described it as being like "a young Sauternes on steroids," and in this case, it was meant as a compliment, I think...
Imported by Morandé USA LCC, Kennesaw, GA
 2000
Errazuriz Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc Casablanca Valley, 11.5% alc.: A horse of a different color, this, with its lighter gold hue, this also shows rich, sweet apricot with a tough of an herbal thing going on; Bree wondered aloud, "Can you imagine eucalyptus without the menthol?" He was also impressed with the bright acidity here, more than in the
Morandé. That and a certain "green" streak differentiate this from the
Morandé, and while I preferred the former, this was nothing to turn one's nose up at.
Imported by RM Imports, Napa,
CA
Both of these provided a fine conclusion to a fine evening. Bree found them to show "far more aromatic complexity in their youth than Sauternes."
It was yet another great evening of fine wine, food and friendship, and if that begins to sound like the same old same old in these narratives, it's a same old that I'll never get tired of. Many thanks to Allan for bringing these along and sharing them, and to Frank and Mary Ann for being so much fun to be with.
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