find myself using basic Schott Zwiesel white wine glasses for all white wine and most Champagne, and for Beaujolais too. But one of my friends surprised me by bringing another great Burgundy, the 1998 Claude Dugat Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St. have three Ravenscroft glasses, for example, that I use for Cabernet Franc and Syrah. MORE >>

Then came a flight of Volnay from 1998 - two from Santenots in the far south of the appellation, a vineyard that technically is located in Meursault, and one from just north of the village. 1998 Marquis D'Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Ducs , $138. 1998 Domaine des Comte Lafon Volnay 1er Cru Santenots-du-Milieu , $99. MORE >>

1998 Hudelot-Noellat Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Malconsorts, $75 at auction, Old Vine Imports. NV (based on 2007) Diebolt-Vallois Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs, $48, Imported by Petit Pois Corp. Can you get geared up for a laundry list post? Does that Brooklynguy ever drink anything that he doesn't write about on his blog?" Yes, I do. MORE >>

guessed a red grape-based wine from Champagne, probably Bouzy. You might have noticed that it is a Bordeaux-shaped bottle," my friend said as he took the bag off of the bottle of 1998 Chateau Simone Palette Rouge. A lot of people don't like blind tasting, but I enjoy it a lot. So with Bouzy I wasn't really so far off - same continent. MORE >>

We tend to value the idea of vinifying individual plots separately, as in Burgundy, and increasingly now in Champagne. My favorite wine for drinking on this night was the 1998. Not too long ago I was fortunate enough to attend a dinner featuring the wines of Noël Verset. The company was great, and so were the food and the wines. MORE >>