For some

[Florida Jim]

2002 Barthod, Bourgogne Les Bons Bâtons:

Shy aromatics in the black fruit, strawberry and spice spectrum; more open in the mouth with ripe, focused flavors that echo the nose, excellent concentration and balance, a silky texture and latent depth; medium length; a juicy and flavor-filled finish. Needs time and has remarkable potential, especially for the appellation.

1999 Siduri, Pinot Noir Shaw Vineyard:

Another well-made and delicious Oregon pinot from this producer; along with fairly expansive fruit scents it has a lavender/stemmy/ash element in the nose that does not detract, but rather adds an earthy complexity; ripe fruit and balanced in the mouth with some pretty nuances that rise and fall as the wine is swallowed; good length and a clean, maturely complex finish. A distinctive bottle that went very well with left-over pork loin and fresh sweet corn.

1999 Paloma, Syrah:

Dark fruit, raw meat and olive aromas; similar flavors, good balance, satin texture and long in the mouth. A pretty wine without even a hint of wood and still interesting complexity. Even better than a recent bottle of the 1997. Not many domestic syrahs are this well balanced and pure.

2002 Luneau-Papin, Muscadet Clos des Allées VV:

Expansive yet clean aromatics of white fruit, mineral and fountain air (when you stand near a fountain or waterfall and breath deeply, there’s a clean, invigorating coolness; that’s what I mean); crisp on the palate but real viscosity and concentration, intense, balanced and oh, so long. As this warms to room temperature, it reminds me more and more of Chablis. Those wonderful, crisp flavors without hint of wood or over-extraction; lees stirring makes such a distinct difference in the profile of this wine and several other producer’s wines of this region. Once upon a time, Muscadets were surely thought of as a nice wine with shellfish or the like to be drunk on release; but wines like this are clear evidence that their range is wider and their appeal is much more comprehensive.

A superb wine with many years of development in the cellar. And, unlike Chablis, less than $10/bottle.

Best, Jim