The fourth vintage of Polish Hill, it was bottled under cork (they switched to screwcap around 2000) and had mid-shoulder fill (if the bottle had shoulders, that is) and came directly from the cellar of Jeffrey Grosset (pictured right), one of only a few bottles remaining. At the outset, it was a single vineyard wine of tiny production. MORE >>

We celebrated with a very fine bottle of Champagne, the 1996 Pierre Gimonnet Blanc de Blancs Cuvée Gastronome. The 2002 vintage of this wine was featured just a few weeks ago in another Friday Night Bubbles post, by the way. And while we very much enjoyed the 2002, the 1996 is an entirely different animal. MORE >>

is as follows: "One question I still have about red wines is how long to cellar them before drinking. Remembering a 1996 Hagafen Cabernet Sauvignon that I bought and saved until 2004 I knew this was a question I needed to address. great example of this last factor happened in Israel in 2002. The question by Wayne W. BAD RULE. MORE >>

It's also an egalitarian system - the host who feels flush can select 2002 Vosne-Roman é e 1er Cru wines as the theme. The exceptions for me were the Pinon wines - the Brut was fine but the 2002 Vouvray Tradition was just no good. Although I am not a fan of the 2005, my commitment to cellaring my '02s and '04s is renewed. MORE >>

1996 Bruno Paillard Champagne Brut (10) The most exciting and delicious Champagne of the tasting for me. want this wine in my cellar! 1996 Salon Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs (9+) White flowers, citrus, roast nuts on the elegant and lively nose. Seemed like it could continue to improve with cellaring. Also very good. MORE >>