December

On November 3, Linda Smith and Barbara Prosser presented a terrific flight of 2001 California Cabernet Sauvignons. These wines were showing quite well although some members of the group felt they may still be too young to make any final assessments. Nonetheless, the group did have two clear favorites of the evening. One, Joseph Phelps Insignia, was the overall consensus as the best wine of the tasting and at $92 was one of the more expensive wines of the night. The second choice of the group was the Justin Vineyards Isosceles Reserve. The cost of this wine was only $45 and thus was quite a good value. Many of the wines we tasted are still available at local retailers and the 2002 vintage, which is definitely available, is supposed to be as good as the 2001 vintage.

Our next tasting on December 1 will be led by Victor Marcantonio and will be the 1999 Brunello di Montalcinos. The 1999 vintage is, regarded by many experts as, on a par with the wonderful 1997 vintage in Tuscany. Although we never conducted a tasting of the 1997 Brunellos, we did have a 1997 Super Tuscan tasting in January of 2001. The consensus at that tasting was that that vintage in Tuscany was outstanding.

Steve Tanzer, in the International Wine Cellar (Sept/Oct 2004, Issue 116), says that “a sizable percentage of wines from this terrific vintage is outstanding, and there are very few out-and-out disappointments.” Daniel Thomases in The Wine Advocate (Issue 158) says “Those looking for the finest in Sangiovese- in Tuscany, in the world- will not be able to pass up the 1999 vintage in Montalcino for the simple reason that this is the finest series of Brunello di Montalcino ever produced.”

We will be tasting some of the best 1999 Brunellos available including Altesino Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli which Thomases has rated 91 and the Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino which was rated 89+ by Tanzer. We will also taste a Caparzo Brunello which was rated 91 by Tanzer as well as a Casanova di Neri Brunello rated 92 by Thomases.

We have already purchased some of the wines we will taste that evening for our Society wine cellar and we can have a discussion about the aging potential of these wines and when we should serve them.

The cost of the tasting will be $61 for members and $72 for guests.

Enclosed you will also find the financial statement and the wine cellar inventory as of August 31, 2005.

The following tasting on January 5, 2006 will be a very special tasting when we take some of our 1990 Bordeaux out of our wine cellar for the event. This tasting will be limited based on our cellar inventory and so replies will have to be timely.

A votre sante and in vino veritas,

Bob and Howard