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It is shaping up as an annual event -- a Cleveland offline with denizens of the Parker/Squires Bulletin Board e-community. For the second year in a row, a dozen or so enthusiasts gathered at Lockkeepers Restaurant to swirl, sip and ruminate about wine and events of the day. Tom Futey and Loren Sonkin were the chief organizers, and they did an admirable job of assembling a good cast of characters as well as obtaining a nicely appointed private room. Our server Mark provided smooth and accommodating service, but the kitchen did seem to miss the mark on a number of occasions. No worries, though -- lively conversation and happy faces filled the evening.

As I examined the display of "Artisan cheeses," veggies, etc., I chatted with Kathy Futey (left) about matters having nothing to do with wine... we tried to speak softly. While we talked we sipped from the two Champagnes:

1996 Bollinger Grande Annee Rosé Champagne -- OK, I freely admit it -- the glory of many Bollinger Champagnes are lost on me. When I start thinking about price (easily $150) I'm even happier I do not have a map.  That said, it is a pale colored rose with ample and tiny bubbles flowing up through the flute. The nose is big and full of yeast, vanilla and dried porcini -- pretty and engaging.

I later heard much talk of fruit flavors (berries aplenty), but even with my low thresholds in this arena, I detected little if any -- other than an odd lemon/sour note at the close. I found it full of yeast/bread dough...bold in some aspects, while seeming too sherried in others. The wine is certainly young in stylistic terms, but at present, I just cannot muster the love that so many others find for it. Find this wine

NV Billecart-Salmon Rosé Champagne -- This will never be "show dog" -- more of a romping Labrador. It lacks the pedigree of the Bollinger, but it is such fun to sip...some in attendance noted that I actually swallowed some of this wine rather than maintaining my Spartan spitting regimen.  It was discernibly pink and offered up more globular bubbles than did the Bollinger. It has a good meld of bread dough, earthy nuance, flaked stone, and a dose of stern strawberry -- fresh and fun. Find this wine

For the courses that followed we were seated around a large square table.

Marinated Beet Salad with Warm St. André Cheese
with Mixed Greens and Red Wine Vinaigrette

Austrian Rieslings --

2000 Nigl Riesling Privat -- It had a delicate, floral nose with bits of honey, stones, and alcohol floating along, too. The palate did not strike me with the freshness I crave in youngish Austrians, Nigl in particular. Dried peach and minerals are featured in the broad midsection, while spice and heat mark the close. It is a good enough wine, though I hoped for more.
Find this wine

2001 Jamek Ried Klaus Riesling -- It struck me as elegant and charming in fragrance and flavor. The nose has a rain water and limestone essence... more honey and orange zest with time. Tangy unripe pineapple is strong at the outset, though it gently sweetened through the middle with pleasant orange flavors. It was full in the mouth, though subtly and skillfully cut with acid. Very nice. Find this wine

2002 FX Pichler Loibner Berg Riesling -- This was the wild child of the flight -- bursting with tropical scents and flavors (pineapple and guava), while showcasing what Eric Baker termed as a "greener profile." Along with the tropical bent it offered eucalyptus vapors and an array of herbs. The textures were smooth and glassy, but the alcohol (listed at 13.5% alc) in the finish came off as disproportionate and cumbersome. The wine struck me as being in an odd state of evolution. Find this wine

Mushroom Ravioli served in a Red Wine Tomato Ragout

Brunello di Montalcino --

1995 Antinori Brunello di Montalcino Pian del Vigne -- The nose featured some muddy earth tones, bits of iron and pretty floral notes. It is not especially long on fruit, but it achieved what I called a "rusty ripeness." Mushrooms and more earth tones marks the lightly oxidized close. The structure sets up with good proportion. Based on this sample, I'd not cellar these for the long haul. Find this wine

1995 Poggio di Soto Brunello di Montalcino -- Exotic wood tones and sweet vanilla mark the nose. When sipped it has a sunny disposition -- smooth and rich, but nicely propped with acid. It featured nice bits of forest floor, blood, and cherry, though these were marred by an astringent finish striking me as "wood tannins." Lou Radivoyevitch called it a "silky, polished wine," but I thought the wooden fingerprints made a basically very good wine seem clumsy.  This wine was overwhelmingly the group favorite in the flight. Find this wine

1997 Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino -- As I took a long sniff from the glass, it yielded mocha, a medley of herbs/basil, and dark fruit. In the mouth, it continued a black fruit focus, but I'd not call it especially ripe...in fact, the smooth, cool fruit is in fine proportion with the other earthy nuances. It is a young Brunello, and it finishes with a good bite of tannin, and a somewhat green/herbal character. Find this wine

Banfi's spoofulated ways have had me sour on them in recent years, but this is a nice effort as to proportion and relative restraint.

Seared Coriander Crusted Tuna with Black Truffle Gnocchi

Chateau Montrose, St. Estephe --

1970 Montrose -- Our dear friend Tom Warren was concerned that his "humble" 1970 Montrose would not be able to hang in there with the other younger, stronger models. I thought I had come to a wine dinner, not a tractor pull -- but I can sometimes see where the two might be confused, as I was wearing my John Deere mesh backed cap, along with the matching lapel pin.

I had a strange reaction to this wine, in that it I kept getting a pervasive, somewhat penetrating tin can/metallic scent. Beyond that I found the aromas of damp earth, cedar and rust. It is still full in the mouth, with the dried cherries and currants being rolled in the earthy essence. Where it is bright initially it does fade a bit toward a musty finish. Chris Bublitz (joining us from Maryland) thought it to be more mature than other recent bottles he had tried, but still very nice. I found it interesting, "in a good way." Find this wine

1989 Montrose -- Yes, there is some brett at work here, but I like the "pleasant stink." Beyond the brett lies a potent bouquet of black cherry, mint, iron and earth. The dark fruit flavors were initially soft and smooth in their conveyance, but as the tannins became more dominant I tabbed the wine "focused and taut." No doubt, the wine is still evolving, but it already shows broad, exciting swaths of mineral, herb, and warm earth. The acids have a fine, subtle swell in the minty close. It is a superb wine that is a true pleasure to drink...hard to believe that it will likely be better in years to come. Find this wine

1990 Montrose -- Ah yes, the '89's younger brother -- boisterous and impetuous...fun to be around. The wine was clearly similar to both the earlier Montrose with its bits of bretty funk and dark focused fruit, but it just seems so much bigger, more extracted and so less evolved. To its credit, it had a good bit more than youth on its side -- soaring aromatics (Cassis, exotic woods, roasting meat, copious amounts of cocoa, and of course some of that barnyard tinge)and a strong palate presence (intense fruit flavors, backed by layers of iron/mineral, chocolate, and campfire cooked coffee). It seems slightly less tannic, and certainly less acid defined than the 1989 model, but it is no slouch when it comes to structure. Its weight and textures make it a pleasure to hold in the mouth. It was a wonderful wine. Find this wine

The two younger Montrose were easily my favorite wines on the table. I favor the '89's profile at present (and even for the future), but the 90 is also a very special bottle.

Beef Tenderloin with Roesti Potato, Asparagus Tips,
Roasted Shallot, Roquefort Sauce

Napa Cabernet --

This was the night's most controversial grouping -- no doubt about it, these wines were polarizing. For my own part, I tried to keep my head down and avoid open flames for fear of my stemware catching fire. At the end of the night, it is just wine we're all getting so excited about.

2001 Foley Claret -- I liked the floral aspects in the nose before a dose of extra toasty oak buried them...ripe, dark berries, too. It is full in the mouth and has a pleasant, silky feel at first sip. In the center ring I saw muscular blackberry fruit trying to wrestle tutti frutti and bourbon barrel into submission, but eventually they just made friends and shared a cup of hot chocolate. Tannins and the impression of alcohol seems to increase with time, but neither was especially awkward. My sense is that this is indeed a young wine, but I'm hard pressed to imagine further aging being kind to it -- still it showed some of the best overall balance in the flight. Find this wine

2002 Hourglass -- This had a higher and lighter tone to the nose -- violets, cedar closet, raspberry and blueberry. It had a svelte, slick feel at first, but became more round through the middle. It was rich with raspberry syrup and wood notes...perhaps turning a bit sour at the close. It showed good proportion in its components, but it was very primary. The alcohol was not especially apparent, save for its heft. None of these wines seemed particularly food friendly, but if choosing I'd go with this one as the best choice in the flight. Find this wine

2002 Merus -- "Foley on Steroids" someone called out. I would have guessed a high scoring Aussie Shiraz if this were served blind. Dave Cipriani (our visitor from Erie, PA) likened it to the '03 Chave Rouge, to which I agreed. Perhaps a good thing for the Merus, but a bad thing for the Chave?

It has a potent nose featuring dark berries in heavy syrup, charcoal, menthol, grilled meat, and sweet cream. It was lush and warm in the mouth, featuring loads of spicy oak, ripe fruit, coconut and cream. It turns spicy and prickly with alcohol at the finish. Though I could say this about a number of wines in the flight, it bears little resemblance to Cabernet from Napa even a decade ago. I'll shed no tears for "old style Cal Cab," as those who spend their money on these wines are the final arbiters. Find this wine

A few more bottles were late additions to the flight.

1999 Matriarch (Bond) -- A step back in time, or victim of the years? It was thick and creamy with milk chocolate and black currants, but it rapidly thinned in the mid-palate where it showed too much dill. It offered firm tannic structure, and an interesting herbal finish, but I cannot imagine this one getting any better in the cellar. I'll admit that this wine was made more appealing by the circulating notion that Eric Baker was a dead ringer for the lady on the label. Find this wine

2002 Hundred Acre -- I was seated next to George and Sherry Chyla for most of the night, and George seemed very enthused about adding this to the flight. I thought the Merus was incredibly dark and rich, but this easily out paced it in both aspects. In addition, I cannot recall a wine with so much dry extract...particles latched on to my tongue and would not let go. It smelt of elderberries (really ripe ones), dark chocolate and buttered popcorn. It percolated in the mouth with ripe berries and threatened potential moviegoers with a mudslide of pureed Raisinettes. At 15.9% alc, even gazing at the bottle put the prospect of operating heavy machinery at risk, but I hardly noticed any overt heat. Not much backbone in this wine, but I cannot imagine there was a notion of developing this in the cellar. Heaven for some, perhaps hell for others, but in any case it was hard to avert ones eyes from such a spectacle. Find this wine

Leftover cheese/some sweeter wines --

1990 Pichot Vouvray Molleaux -- Earlier in the week I had read that this particular Pichot had been anointed with 97 points from the Wine Spectator -- this particular bottle was no "97." That said, it was pretty, light, elegant, subtle but focused. Perhaps there was something "off" with this bottle, but in the wake of such a problem we were left with an entirely enjoyable, off dry (it was lightly honeyed) Loire wine. I liked it...just nothing to get excited about. Find this wine

1989 Hugel Gewurztraminer Selection de Grains Nobles -- Bouquets of acacia and sweet pineapple rose up from the glass and formed a heavy perfume. Though in some ways heavy, the scents were also very precise -- they captivated me for many minutes. The wine was rich, concentrated and botrysized. It did not seem incredibly sweet as it entered my mouth, but the density of sugar was apparent through the middle. Ripe pear, pineapple, and a touch of herb were the featured flavors... just a bit of anise rolled in with the finishing sweetness. I liked the wine a great deal, but I'd agree with Jane Flaherty who wondered if it might have benefited from a cooler serving temperature -- I think this would add to the wine's firmness...an area in which it was slightly deficient. Find this wine

Lockkeepers Chocolate Torte/Dessert wines --

1998 Chapoutier Banyuls -- This was a good match for the chocolate. It offered caramel and berry scents, while the palate showed a tangy entry and a raisined, alcoholic close. Not bad at all. Find this wine

1966 Moreira Colheita Port -- It is chock full of nuts and caramel on its way to a smooth saline and orange candy finish. I liked this much better than I did on my last sampling of the wine, where it seemed to show far more heat in the finish. Find this wine

The crowd passed the test of wine endurance that the evening proved to be and even managed to select their favorites of the night. The 1989 and 1990 Montrose dominated the first and second place selections, with additional praise going to the Poggio di Soto, Foley Claret, Bollinger, Hundred Acre, Hourglass, and Hugel SGN.

LM