WTN: Unspectacular range of wines Friday night dinner

with grilled New York Strips, cheese and bread, roasted potatos, and veggies.

Freemark-Abbey Bosche Vineyard 1998. Purchased last month at the winery. Solid Napa Valley/Rutherford Cab. Greener than I remember from the winery tasting a few weeks ago, but still rich enough and balanced overall. Some leather and tobacco notes, exspecially on the nose. Still some good fruit-and that hint of bell pepper (but just a hint). **1/2 or *** I have one more bottle. Given the bottle variation that appears to plague F-M wines, maybe this second bottle will be closer to the **** score of the winery tasting.

Chateau Cantemerle 2000. Definitely a rich, earthy leathery nose when decanted. Not any sediment, surprisingly. Nothing spectacular, but very drinkable. A little richer than the Bosche, actually, with the green notes less evident (2000 vintage!) The palette may have been a tad bit closed, but we still enjoyed this. **1/2

Taurino Notapanaro 1999. A blend including Negroamaro. I didn't really like this wine. Interesting nose, with a hint of licorish. The acidity was nice, but the palette lacked those delicious fuzzy tannins and leather notes in other Negros I've had. As it opened up, it become harsher and rather thin in flavor. Luckily, a sub-$20 wine. Others liked this more. And, I actually liked it better at the beginning. Maybe it's just beyond the drinking window and fell apart? 1/2*

Fife 1999 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. The big disappointment of the night. Harsh, brambly red fruit with no secondary development. It is not over-oaked, just unpleasant. I guess the acidity is a good feature, but I much prefer this maker's Petit Sirah 1/2*

Richard's Red Oregon Merlot. (Sunnyside Farm?) From my friends' trip to Oregon last month. Not my style. Very fruit forward, kinda brambly and ripe. Somewhat harsh. No secondary development (It is pretty young). My friend liked it much more than I did. Actually, it reminded me a bit of the Fife. *

Almost forgot one:

2001 Chateau Lagrazette Cahors (Malbec!) Quite nice, actually. Not as oaky as I expected. Definitely some tannins on the nose when first opened, but they mellowed by the time we actually drank the wine. That floral "purpleness" I associate with Malbec was there, along with some herbal-savory notes on the finish. Also a touch of bitterness. No overpowering oak to my palette. A nice introduction to Cahors for me. ***

2000 Cantemerle that's infanticide.

I have to learn to be more patient. I thought the palette might be closed, especially as the nose was kinda nice. I like Bordeaux, but I'm struggling with the urge to drink them too young. Sometimes it works, though. I really thing the 1999 Chateau L'Angelus was open for business.

Jenise: any thoughts?

At least I moved all my 2004 Bordeaux to a place where I can't get to them without a half hour drive. (By George Storage on Highway 29) I have to move all my wine there soon, because we are tenting our buildings (no termites in my building, definitely in the other one)

2001 Chateau Lagrazette Cahors (Malbec!) Quite nice, actually. Not as oaky as I expected.

I haven't followed their wines very closely over the years but I think their luxury cuvees probably receive the most oak treatment.

[Jenise]

I have to learn to be more patient. I thought the palette might be closed, especially as the nose was kinda nice. I like Bordeaux, but I'm struggling with the urge to drink them too young. Sometimes it works, though. I really thing the 1999 Chateau L'Angelus was open for business.

Jenise: any thoughts?

Lou is far more expert than I, but I'll add this: no way I'm opening my 2000 Cantemerles. There's "drinking well"--points in time where the wine may be open and approachable but still sporting primary fruit and flavors--and then there's the absolute magic that occurs when Bordeauxs get into secondary development and the tannins resolve and the wines become downright ethereal. You're talking about the former, and Lou is referring to the latter. To drink any Bordeaux prior to secondary development is, I agree with Lou, infanticide. HOWEVER, there you are in Napa Valley drinking all these young merlots and cabernets and still the Bordeaux wines are speaking to you, where they don't speak to all, and this is a good thing, and it's good to taste some young so you have mental benchmarks by which to compare the more complete older wines. Some day.