There were more "incidental" wines opened than those of the "main events," so many so that I doubt seriously whether anyone tried them all. I know that I didn't come close. By the end of the festivities, what was left was combined, so that Kim could make memorial batches of vinegar, and there were fifteen bottles of reds and whites. That should translate into plenty of vinegar!

Here's what I was able to taste:

I've been developing a serious taste for varieties of the white Burgundy experience lately, so the first three selections were must tries.

2002 Les Heritiers de Comte Lafon Macon - Bussières Le Monsard, 13% alc.: Light straw colored, showing spice, mineral and apple flavors and aromas, being crisp and bone dry, with a chalky, stony finish. Florida Jim describes it as "lightweight," and while it may be that in comparison to the following wine, I'd be happy to have some of this in my cellar. All it needs is a few more years to develop more stones.

Imported by Wines Unlimited, New Orleans, LA 

2002 Eric Texier Macon Macon - Bussières Tres Vieilles Vignes, 12% alc.: Backroad Bob described this pale gold as "fat and focused at the same time," and it certainly is bigger than the Comte Lafon, with a nice density to it, less acidity than the previous wine, and a honey, butterscotch, pear and mineral profile. A big crowd pleaser.

Imported by Vintner Select, Mason, OH

2001 Olivier Leflaive Chablis Valmur Grand Cru, 13% alc.: Pale to medium straw, showing flint and slate over subtle toasty oak and pear on the nose; flavors do a flip - flop with the toasty pear coming to the fore. Definitely showing its oak right now, and more and more as it opens in the glass, so give it some years to integrate. 

Imported by Frederick Wildman and Sons, Ltd., New York, NY

2002 Clos des Alleés Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie Vieilles Vignes, 12% alc.: A pale straw, with river stones, apple, pear, subtle herbal undertones and a little chalk on the finish; bone dry, rich and delicious. Florida Jim exclaimed, "There's so much acid in it," and he most certainly meant that in a good way. A marvelous wine that more than holds its own against the Macons and Chablis, for significantly fewer dollars. 

Imported by LDM Wines, New York, NY

1992 J.L. Chave Hermitage Blanc, 13% alc.: Amber - gold, and quite nutty, somewhat sherried; over the hill, and not to my liking.

Imported by Langdon Shivrick, Inc., Cleveland, OH

1995 J.L. Chave Hermitage Blanc, 13% alc.: Now this medium straw is more like it! Bright, honeyed melon, pear and rainwater flavors and aromas; rich and concentrated, with some mineral on the finish. I could get to know this beauty better!

Imported by Langdon Shivrick Inc., Cleveland, OH

1991 La Colline d'Argent Saugere Côte - Rôtie, 12.5% alc.: This slightly rusty smoky garnet throws a noticeable dose of oak over plum, blackberry, mulberry and sea air on the nose, then turns decidedly more earthy on the palate, with less obvious oak. I agree with Florida Jim, who describes this as delicious; to me, the oak is well integrated. It was, however, too much oak for Tim Thomas.

Imported by New Castle Imports, Myrtle Beach, NC 

1997 J.L. Chave Hermitage Rouge, 13% alc.: Dark garnet, with big smoke, new leather, black plum, black currant and blackberry flavors and aromas; still tight, but showing relatively well in comparison to the last time we had it in Cleveland. 

Imported by Langdon Shivrick, Cleveland Inc., OH

1990 Giovanni Cappelli Brunesco de San Lorenzo, 13.5% alc.: My first impression of this slightly rusty dark garnet was, "Mmm, real wine!" By that, I mean there were obviously no tricks used to make this; it's not in the "international" style, but rather a traditionally made one, with its earthy, leathery stewed prunes and tomatoes. It still has some tannins to lose, along with zippy acidity and a certain density on a more than medium bodied frame. This comes from right next door to Brunello, according to Cousin Larry Meehan, who poured me a taste. Very nice indeed!

2002 Marquis Phillips Integrity: I'm not sure if Scott Cardone was serious or not in bringing this for this crowd to try, but if he wasn't, it was a pretty expensive joke. Cousin Larry describes it as "oak wrapped grape jelly," while Kim called it "an abomination." Florida Jim opined, "There's no reason to put this in your mouth unless you wish to die," whilst I found it to be over - extracted, over - oaked and too hot for its own good.

Imported by The Grateful Palate, Oxnard, CA


Saturday
2001 Franck Peillot Roussette du Bugey Montagnieu Altesse "Cuvée Buster," 12.5% alc.: A pale straw with grapefruit, apple and mineral flavors; very stingy on the nose at first, but while the flavors fill out with more mineral, it doesn't give any more aromatically, once it warms some in the glass. Nice, but better if it ever grows a nose. 

Imported by LDM Wines, New York, NY

Since the main event was to be Hirsch Vineyard pinot noirs, some of the wise guys thought it would be fun to bring along some of the fine Hirsch white wines of Austria. I only got to two of them.

2002 Hirsch Kamptal Veltliner #1, 11.5% alc.: Medium straw, with beeswax, pear and wet stone - mineral flavors and aromas; good acidity, nice wine.

1998 Hirsch Zobinger Gaisberg Riesling Alte Reben Kamptal / Osterreich, 13% alc.: Medium straw, with a soft petrol, apple, pear and quince bouquet; flavors echo with a marvelous presence in the mouth, lovely complexity, perfectly balanced acidity and a long finish. The best white of the weekend, for my tastes. 

Imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY

Pierre Boniface Brut de Savoie NV, 12% alc.: Pale straw, with a fine bead and flavors and aromas of smoke, stones and apples; "has a subtle kind of creaminess to it," according to the ice cream man himself, Bob Graeter. Delicious, and only $13.99 in the Detroit market.

Imported by Hand Picked Selections, Warrenton, VA

At that point, I simply said enough whites! There were five pinot noirs that I was itching to try, and that was before I would even get to the Hirsch Vineyard selections. 

2000 Evesham Wood Willamette Pinot Noir Cuvée "J", 13% alc.: My first ever Evesham Wood Pinot Noir, and I'm hooked! (I've had 3 other beauties from this producer since.) A smoky ruby garnet, with smoke, black cherry, forest floor and matchstick flavors and aromas; medium weight, feminine and much more Burgundian than most Left Coast pinots. Mark Horvatich is a big fan of Evesham Wood, and said of this, "It's actually 12.6%, not 13," and "the fruit might be a little to sweet to blend right into a Burgundy tasting," as EW pinots often do, but nevertheless, it's absolutely delicious, and certainly one of the very best wines of the weekend.

1996 Chateau de Maligny Chablis Fourchaume, 12.5% alc.: Enough whites indeed! But what is one to do when a bucket of steamed mussels and a bottle of Premiere Cru Chablis is put in front of one?! This pale to medium straw is a perfect match for those steamed mussels, with its chalky wet stones over apple and pear and still zippy acidity; this is kind of funky, in a very good way, and my kind o' Chablis.

Imported by Parliament Import Co., Atlantic City, N.J.

1992 Calera Reed Pinot Noir: Brian Loring brought along four Calera Pinots, and being a fan, I had to try them. Had I opted to go for the Hirsch Vineyard Pinots, I would most certainly have been able to get notes on all of those, but ask me if I care. This bricked ruby garnet shows a little funky decaying vegetation and mushroom over deeper smoky, earthy black cherry and plum, but still has some bitter tannins to resolve. Needs more time.

1992 Calera Selleck Pinot Noir: About this slightly cloudy rusty ruby garnet, Colonel Bob says," Wow, this is more than just a middle weight contender!" It throws a lighter nose than the '92 Reed, with a slightly vegetal black cherry, plum and smoke character and softer tannins than the previous wine, all on a medium to medium full bodied frame. A bite of some marvelous grilled shrimp brings out more of the sweet fruit here, and this one's in no danger of fading any time soon.

1996 Calera Selleck Pinot Noir: Slightly rusty ruby garnet color, with sweet, smoky earthy black cherry and dark plum flavors and aromas on a medium to medium full bodied frame; not too tannic, rich and delicious, and still on the way up. Colonel Bob added impressions of "an exquisite sappiness and some maple syrup."

1999 Calera Selleck Pinot Noir, 14% alc.: This seems lighter than the previous three, with its slightly smoky ruby garnet color, smoke and black cherry flavors and aromas and tannins that are subtle at first, then make themselves known more and more. Smokier than the others, but not as substantial.

All four of these are worthy offerings, but none are as big boned as the '89 and '90 Calera Mills that Kim and I have loved so over the last several years.

After the Hirsch Pinots, I was about ready to switch to ice cream, when Brian Loring brought out the dessert wines. I made the mistake of taking a pour of the 1995 Tircul Cuvée Madame before trying the 1990 Chateau d'Yquem. Not that there is anything wrong with the d'Yquem, it's a lovely wine on its own terms, but it's much too polite and refined to follow an over the top apricot and honey explosion like the Cuvée Madame, which totally overpowered it with its super sweet, unctuous character. The Tircul is a joy to sip, and after that, the only option is indeed the best ice cream in the whole wide world, Graeters' Black Raspberry Chip ®.