Below are my (just slightly cleaned up for readability) scribbled notes from the tasting and perhaps a few after thoughts. In some ways a shame, but as per usual (and certainly because I had to drive back to Cleve), I spit most of the wines throughout. I would apply my usual caveats to tastings such as these (smaller stems, brief time intervals, many of the wines continuing to change in the glass, etc.), but nonetheless, there were some interesting results. I must have been wearing a lucky shirt or some such thing, as I actually guessed well...

1 -- New world nose -- dried cherry, bubble gum, cough syrup...thick, sweet...a fair amount of lumber...somewhat high toned. Plummy and slightly syrupy in the mouth...pretty juicy -- good elevation in the acids. Nice, luscious texture...good persistence...big, but agile. Slightly tart cranberry fruit and spice on the finish...settling down a bit -- even handed. Definitely RRV...seems like Rochioli style/texture. Not quite in my top 5, maybe 6th.

1999 Rochioli "Riverblock" RRV

2 -- Earthy, minty, a touch musty...cherries and tree bark...good depth and length to scents. Tannic and gripping at the gumline/slightly stemmy finish. Persistent, lingering earth...light spice and cherry overwhelmed by the tannins...seeming a little washed out. Not pleasing now! Echezeaux

1999 Faivley Echézeaux

3 -- Earthy, pine, forest floor, resin...a late emerging richness. Rich cherry fruit entrance... turning earthy, slightly tart through the middle...lingering wood, X-mas spice through finish. + acids/fairly tight/young...Oregon...in the bottom half, but decent potential.

2000 Ken Wright "Guadalupe Vny." OR

4 -- Floral, incense, balsa wood, somewhat reduced red fruit. A wet entry. Sweet red fruit turning a touch watery and dilute through middle. Light tannins/lifting acids...still developing. Oregon...in my lower tier, but it is dominated by structure right now.

1999 Belle Souer "Shea Vny." OR

5 -- Big spicy, black raspberry aromatic cloud floating over the stem...a slightly burnt note as well (Frank Patterson was pondering if the burnt note came from the site or the barrel...I think it was the group consensus that it was barrel). Great silky texture...dense cranberry, strawberry and cherry...softened a bit by a little alcohol. Lots of pepper/little maple through finish. Good but standoffish tannin/rising acid. RRV and among my top group (top 3, perhaps).

1999 Rochioli "West Block" RRV

6 -- Dark cherries/lumber aromatics...nose tickling spice. Lush and rich red fruit/ butter and toffee...intense through middle, but washing out toward the finish....then rebounding with spice, charred embers and toasty oak. RRV...not one of my faves.

1999 Williams Selyem "Riverblock" RRV

7 -- Bacon fat, earth and orange tea. Juicy entry, backed by nice even handed structure. Lots of earth, mushroom and mineral through the middle...Indian spice and tea on the finish. Echezeaux...certainly in my top tier...plenty of upside.

1999 Mongeard-Mugneret Echézeaux GC

8 -- perhaps the darkest wine...richly perfumed - black fruit, spice, flowers, incense...a bit of a lumber back beat. Thick, extracted, lush cherry/strawberry...some mineral and cocoa ...persistent/ pretty even handed for the style...unobtrusive tannin/decent acid. Well rounded and balanced. RRV and among my favorites.

1999 Kistler "Kistler Vny" RRV

9-- floral and sweet -- honeysuckle...red fruit and earth...tree bark. Long swath of red fruit, with bacon and spice...earthy/mushroom core. Medium bodied...lighter structure, but good acidic lift...bright. Slightly tart through finish. Well proportioned Oregon...among my faves/top 5.

1999 Evesham Woods "Shea Vny." OR

10 -- light colored/faded. Muted, but earthy nose. Good richness to the fruit at the outset...plenty of earth...cranberry finish/mineral...lots of acid. Seems mature...older. Probably the 95 and an Echezeaux...quite nice, among my top 5.

1995 St. Innocent "Seven Hills" OR

11-- High toned, earthy, slightly vegetal, sulphur. Wet and spicy on the attack...earth and bacon fat...a bit prickly with acid. Good tannins, but not showing much else. Perhaps in need of time to open and express? Echezeaux...amongst my lowest scored.

1999 Denis Mugneret Echézeaux GC

12 -- Super rich, over ripe black fruit/ alcoholic...port like...coffee and chocolate. Lush, soft and sweet...warm with alcohol. Black cherry/berry fruits/chocolate...long lingering espresso finish. I think Frank Joyce called it "zin like"...well put. Perhaps things we dislike are the easiest to recall, but this has Martinelli written all over it. RRV and one of my least favorites...others had it at the top.

1999 Martinelli Reserve RRV

13 -- Tight earthy nose...black cherry fruit/mineral and earth. Strong black/red fruit flavors...dense. Nice gripping/caressing tannins...a touch short on the finish. It continues to develop...better and better. Tough call as to Oregon or France...the math dictates Oregon...quite interesting/tasty, though not in my top tier.

1999 AF Gros Echézeaux GC

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A few ramblings --

I had never sampled a Kistler pinot before, but was quite impressed.

Even blind, I seem to still enjoy Rochioli pinots...I continue to dislike the stuff from Martinelli.

I do believe that some of the better RRV pinots show site specific traits, but I typically do not register them well until the bottle has had 5 or so years of age...though I seem to discern the winemaker "signatures" more easily in young examples.

I had a hard time identifying "distinctive Echézeaux terroir"...I could pick out the wines from France fairly well, but was not sensing an Echézeaux theme...though as a whole, they were quite tight/young...and time for analysis was quite short...smaller stems, too. What are the distinctive elements?

My "mark" for Oregon continues to be bright acids and tarter fruit...still a general earthiness.

All said, it was quite interesting and worth extending my stay to attend. The brunch food was not particularly good, but I certainly understand compromises must be made to find a workable/accommodating venue.

I had fun lingering over the wines with Frank Patterson (right) while the others went off to eat. Brian Loring sat with us at the "geeky table" for a while -- it was nice to get his impressions, and frankly just to chat. Mr Patterson was kind enough to share one his Riedel Burg stems (wow, what a difference!) and pour us a little something extra --

1998 Clos Vougeot "Musigni" GC (Gros Freres et Souers) -- Pretty rich fruit on the nose...chamomile tea, incense, menthol. Earthy entry, with black cherry fruit...granite/mineral. Well proportioned...slightly stemmy tannins/good acid. Spice, leather and mineral through the finish...excellent! I'm not sure if it was just the glass, but this was my favorite Burg of the day (though the Mongerard-Mugneret was right there, too).

I brushed some of the purple from my teeth and headed for home...