My Sous Chef brought over a luscious bottle of 2000 Napa Valley Reserve Zinfandel, Hendry Vineyard from Rosenblum Cellars that was as rich and indulgent and elegant as the meal we shared.

The deep red-purple color of this Zinfandel matched the rich cherry and heady spicy notes of black pepper and vanilla on the nose. The fullness of the dark, ripe cherry and blackberry came through immediately on the palate, with velvety hints of chocolate and cassis on the finish. Although Wine Spectator rated this wine at 89 points, Wine Enthusiast gave this Zin 92 points, and Wine & Spirits topped it off at 95 points. Whether you would rate it as an 89 or 95 or somewhere in between, is for your own tasting. But, by all means, taste this Zin!

From: New World winedrinkers venture into Bordeaux: January 19, 2004

We also ventured off our standard New World tasting track and selected a French Bordeaux for the wine. We settled on the 1994 Chateau de Sales, from Pomerol. We were surprised when the cork broke off in the bottle as our waitress struggled to open the bottle. But shock turned to horror when she announced "I'm gonna go try and fish this out for you."

I have never sent a bottle back; I was certain this would be my first. Thankfully, the manager appeared with another bottle, and offered us that instead.

The 1994 Bordeauxs are not known to be the best of the best. But, the vintage charts do suggest that these wines -- for the most part -- do show pretty, perfumy aromas and good levels of concentration in the fruit and tannins. For us, the '94 Chateau de Sales turned out to be a fine example of Old World Bordeaux winemaking.

This wine was medium-bodied, with a fading garnet color, as a Claret should be. The wine had a good amount of fruit and easy, though structured, tannins.

This wines was more dry than I expected, but as it opened throughout the course of our meal, the balance between fruit and structure compensated for its dryness.

My Sous Chef was not wowed by the wine, but in general, he prefers the big up-front ripe fruit character of the New World reds we typically taste from California and Australia. He certainly wasn't converted in his wine preference with this bottle, but he did enjoy the tasting experience -- and this was a fine bottle to demonstrate the differences between Old and New World winemaking.

From: wine from British Columbia for a birthday party: January 21, 2004

The Mission Hill, 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, from the Okanagan Valley, is in a word sublime. This lovely deep ruby colored, medium-to-full bodied wine, has a nice complexity with very soft fruit forward flavors of black berry and cherry. The toasty oak and peppered spiciness on the nose rounded out this inviting little wine. Well structured, this wine will cellar well – at least for another 12 to 24 months. In my estimation, the perfect compliment to my friend's life.

From: movies… popcorn… and a bottle of wine, January 22, 2004

And I know the perfect bottle. I tasted the 1999 Talbott Chardonnay, Sleepy Hollow Vineyard, last week. This is a lush and full-bodied glass of everything classically New World. From its heady nose of oak and nut and yeastiness, to its solid mouthfeel, to its buttery peach and toasty nut and vanilla notes, this was an incredible 5-year-old bottle of wine. The only thing missing was the crunch of the corn kernels.

From: tasting some extraordinary things: January 28, 2004

While we prepared our feast, we dove into a Testarossa 1999 Signature Reserve Chardonnay. This massively elegant wine is rich with ripe and honeyed fruit, and a spicy vanilla bouquet. It’s almost exotic. On the palate, this chardonnay is full-bodied with a nice oak structure that finishes long. Lush fruits of pear and apple and apricot add a boldness to this chardonnay. It was the perfect wine to drink while we worked. It was as filling as any of the appetizers we ate.

After our salad we opened the second bottle: Cloudy Bay 2001 Chardonnay. This chard was a great match for our corn fritters and, certainly, the sea bass. The nose of this wine was bright – apples and grapefruit and lemon. On the palate this wine is light and refreshing, a light to medium bodied chardonnay, it is nicely balanced and a beautiful compliment to the food.

* * * * *

We started with the 1999 and 2000 Arbor Crest Merlot. The 1999 was firm and focused, but a bit dry. Peeking out from under that, though, there is black cherry and plum flavors that linger nicely on the crisp finish. Not a bad wine, overall. But, the 2000 with its fruit forward raspberry, currant and berry notes, it shows supple tannins, and a nose hinting toward spicy, vanilla-scented oak. This is an elegant wine that finishes boldly with intense cherry, blackberry and plum flavors.

Then we were on to the Sterling 2000 Napa Valley Merlot – the personal favorite of the newly engaged couple. This was the first time that I remember tasting a Sterling; I suspect after this bottle, it won’t be the last. There is a lot going on in this wine. It has a deep purple color and a jammy ripe concentration of blackberry. I found hints of vanilla, nutmeg and a smokey woody undertone. It had a long, full rich finish, and as we sat down to dinner, this was the wine of choice.