learned, though, that I am not a fan of the Long Island style of Sauvignon Blanc, which based on the wines I sampled at this tasting, is super pungeant, o'er brimming with cat pee aromas. My "4"s: 2005 Lieb Pinot Blanc , $19. 2005 Waters Crest Private Reserve Chardonnay , $25. 2002 Scarola Merlot , $?? already like them. MORE >>

Also, the vignerons poured not only their entry level wines, but their top wines, and this provided the opportunity to taste a $62 Cote Rotie without actually buying it, which is much appreciated if you are in my tax bracket and you want to sample the wares before investing. 2005 Marechal Pommard La Chaniere , $50 - who would have thunk it? MORE >>

BrooklynLady and I went to France together for the first time in October of 2005. Had I used this kind of thinking a few years ago I would have purchased and cellared some of the 2002 Le Bourg. know I'm supposed to wait, but in 2007 I sampled two of the wines and one of them was pretty mind blowing, the other just plain old excellent. MORE >>

Both dinners will feature 2005 red and white Burgundies from Voillot and 2005 Pinot noir and Chardonnay from St. As a bonus, both wineries will pour Pinot noirs from the great 2002 vintage and in Portland, library wines from the early 1990's.Here is the sample menu for the Portland event: Black Lentil and Citrus salad with Mussels D. MORE >>

Before getting into the specifics, here are a few things that jump out at me when looking at our notes as a whole: 9 out of the 14 reds tasted were from the 2005 vintage, a ripe and glorious year. Lyle Fass of Rockss and Fruit also participates for the first time, writing about a Tres Vieille Vignes 2005 Mâcon Bussieres by Eric Texier. MORE >>