Pot Roast Wines Chez Gregory - 2/10/2005 Outstanding pot roast and trimmings, a perfect fruit tray in midwinter, fine cheeses, wonderful desserts, a lot of good wines, entertainment courtesy of Simone and Ozzie. Thanks to Warren and Ruth for their hospitality, and to all who contributed to the feast! W1 - bashful fresh fruit nose, more forthcoming as the wine warmed; floral midpalate, quite concentrated, good flavor, balanced structure, honeyed finish, tropical fruit undertones, viognier? This is tasty! Hawley, 2003 Viognier, Sonoma and Placer Counties. (Good example; nearly everything one likes about viognier while avoiding any tendency to get syrupy and/or too tropical.) W2 - deep gold, bashful nose, sweet and soft mouth entry, possibly Riesling or gewurz, some alcohol showing, floral finish with some sugar. Sweeter than what I would call "off dry," although perhaps not an out-and-out dessert wine. Barmes Buecher, 2001 Pinot d'Alsace (AOC Alsace). W3 - very light color; freshly acidic and floral nose with faint peach tones; chenin blanc sort of flavor, might be a Loire wine from one of the two recent hot vintages, plenty of fresh fruit, finishes as it tastes, uncomplicated but attractive, good length. Wine could be better than one's initial impressions, difficult to taste such a bracingly acidic white right behind the sweet Alsatian wine. Reynolds, 2004 Sauvignon Blanc, South Australia. (Quite a good fresh, dry sauvignon blanc, especially if one prefers fruit-driven SB's to the grassy-vegetal types.) 1.1 - medium purple; nose of sweet oak and dark fruits, touch of alcohol showing, could be cab but no special varietal distinction; round, sweet and moderately tannic midpalate, finishes smoothly if without real authority, tasty and attractive though. Pine Ridge, 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, Napa Valley. (A Bordeaux blend of roughly 80% cabernet sauvignon, plus several other grapes. This improved with air for about an hour, then went maply. There's no rush, but remaining bottles should probably be consumed in the reasonably near future.) 1.2 - purple, lighter than wine 1, nose of sour and earthy black fruits, syrah? Flavor much more in the red fruit spectrum than the nose, finish lacks force, sound but small, perhaps Cotes du Rhone? Pine Ridge, 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, Napa Valley. (Didn't even get the continent right. Utterly dissimilar to its big brother from the much better 1999 vintage. Again, a Bordeaux blend.) 1.3 - red, not 100% clear, spritz? Leather and meat nose, reduced red fruit taste, finishes as it tastes, lacks force. Villadoria, 1997 Bricco Magno. (Not sure what part of Italy this was from; label was inscrutable.) 2.1 - medium purple; smells of earth, oak, and cabernet fruit; mouth entry initially smooth, then astringent, red fruits, menthol tones, good aromatic finish, a decent, attractive Bordeaux type. 1996 Chateau Bernadotte, AOC Haut-Medoc. 2.2 - medium to dark purple; pretty, sweet shiraz type nose; smooth and sweet, well structured though, alcohol showing, finishes as it tastes, could wish for more length and power at the end. McDowell, 2002 Syrah, California. 2.3 - dark purple; quite an alcoholic nose, cabernet fruit, bell pepper and wood, smells like it's a big wine; smooth mouth entry, burnt wood, very ripe to overripe black fruits, finish is the best feature, tastes as though it still needs time. Truchard, 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Carneros. 3.1 - inky; big sweet meaty nose, considerable alcohol and oak, in the mouth a huge sweet ozzie shiraz, quite tannic, peppery, finish lacks the thundering power of the midpalate but quite long. This was excellent with the dessert, even the chocolate ice cream. Yangarra, 2002 Shiraz, McLaren Vale. 3.2 - dark purple; very large cabernet nose, blackcurrants and cedar; full and flavorful midpalate, an aristocratic Bordeaux flavor with considerable size, ultra smooth finish, lots of fruit, especially red currant, very long. Such a large wine that I expected it to finish with obvious alcohol or other rough edges, but it was like silk. Unusually fine. Merryvale, 1999 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley. 3.3 - dark-brilliant, faintly orange edge; aromatically floral nose, blackberry and asphalt, could this be nebbiolo?? Smooth mouth entry, then very structured, huge fruit as it smells, quite complex, lots of different flavors and aromas here, alcohol showing, tannic young-tasting wine, graceful for its size, finishes warmly aromatic and extremely long. 1993 Viader, Napa Valley (60% cabernet sauvignon, 40% cabernet franc).