The Well Squozen Grape

Summertime Reds..........& Whites (even Pink!)

2009-07-20T11:19:00.002-06:00

How about a BBQ at the Claeys House? Bring something from the garden or Farmer's Market and a bottle of something you like to drink during the Dog Days of Summer. We can Top/Iron/Angry/Hapless Chef the menu from our assembled ingredients.
Respond to figure out a date that works for most and let's get together.

Reinventing the WSG

2009-02-27T11:35:00.003-07:00

It's time to retool the WSG. Is anyone interested in relaunching the wine club? Ideas: Dinner Club, casual get together tastings, educational tastings, wine and food pairings, BBQ & wine, Plonk nights ($9 and under) ?????? Thoughts, comments, suggestions or ideas?

Montelena Vertical

2008-05-25T23:48:00.006-06:00

We had a wonderful evening of stimulating conversation, a great dinner and some impressive wines.

The '99 Estate Cabernet started things off. Still a vibrant color, deep cassis with fresh soil, cedar and a light floral note on the nose, layered and complex. Ripe red fruit, blueberries and a hint of green peppercorns on the palate with fine tannins and perfectly balanced acidity. Medium bodied with a long gently tapering and focused finish. This was a beautiful wine approaching it's prime.

Second up was the '01 Estate Cabernet. Ruby color with a brick edge. Red fruit, leather and light vanilla on the nose. Medium bodied with firm tannins, food appropriate acidity and a solid finish.....five years away from maturity, this wine will develop and shine.

The third pour was the '01 Napa Valley Cabernet. Intense color, big fruit nose of cranberry, cherry, cassis and a slight licorice component. Medium bodied with noticably present alcohol on the back of the palate. Pronounced acidity and frisky tannins, slightly out of balance with a shorter finish. Still pleasant but not in the league with the estate Cabs.

Next was the '02 Estate Cabernet. Deep pure color, Cassis, mushroom, leather, cedar and light vanilla on the nose...the oak is very much in check. Full bodied with concentrated pure fruit on the palate and nose. Long finish, refined tannins, balanced acidity.....this is a big wine with grace and control.

The fifth pour was the '03 Estate Cabernet. This one was a little hard to judge, young and a bit closed down right now. Solid tannins, crisp acidity, well crafted out of a tricky vintage....will come back to this one in a few years.

We finished with the '04 Napa Valley Cabernet. Simple nose of plum and rasin. Slightly tart with a mid palate that drops out and pops back to a short finish. The least impressive wine of the night.

My personal favorite of the night was the '02 but opinions varied significantly with each wine of the evening getting at least one first place vote.

Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet

2008-04-11T09:16:00.011-06:00

Kevin is putting together a vertical of Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, it will be a pricy tasting but well worth it for a memorable evening tasting some highly sought after Napa cult Cabs. The wines are retailing between $100 and $150 a bottle but Kevin is putting together some killer pricing. This tasting deserves some stellar food pairings as well…..
Menu
Morilles a la crème
Beef Consommé
Steak Au Poivre & Haricots Verts
Fromage et Fruits

Red Blends, April WSG Tasting

2008-04-04T00:02:00.005-06:00

Tonight we tasted 5 red blends with mixed results. The 5 wines were: Kaesler, Avignon 2004, Australia, Barossa Valley. Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe, Châteauneuf-du-Pape “La Crau” 2004. Reynolds Family Winery, Persistence 2004, Napa Valley. Whitman Cellars, Narcissa Red 2003, Walla Walla. Orin Swift, The Prisoner 2005, Napa Valley.

The Kaesler Avignon was the clear disappointment of the evening from a simple fake fruit focused palate to the "hot" finish....poorly executed and overpriced Australian plonk.
The Prisoner was a solid effort with concentrated dark fruit focus and decent balance, it was overshadowed by some stellar wines and might have done better in different company.
The Telegraphe Chateauneuf was a very approachable and adaptable wine, it needs a few more years in the cellar but will age very gracefully and will improve over time. Tonight it was still very pleasant but probably underperformed considering it's price.
The Whitman Cellars Narcissa was a killer wine especially at the $20 price point. Nothing to complain about with this wine, nice balance, clear and pure fruit flavors, beautiful finish and a seamless balance between the fruit, acidity, tannins and finish. This wine should be on a lot more wine lists than it is, seek it out and stock up.
Finally, the Reynold's Family Winery 2004 Persistence. This wine killed it. Nearly perfect from start to finish. Very complex nose of cassis, blackberry, veggies, vanilla, mild oak, leather and licorice. The palate translated parallel to the nose transitioning from dark fruit to veggies and back to fruit, caramel, vanilla and cream. Beautiful tannin structure and no heat from the alcohol. At $40 to $50 this wine is worth stocking up on.....it is no wall flower and will not disappoint in any company that appreciates well crafted wine.
All in all, an excellent line up tonight (with the exception of the Australian contingent). Looking forward to next month and a vertical of Montelena Estate Cabs.
Drink what you like and like what you drink.......don't look at ratings or listen to the critics and certinally don't listen to me. Cheers.

Upcoming WSG Meetings

2008-03-28T14:35:00.007-06:00

April 3rd will be an evening of sampling red blends at Christian & Lacy's. May 1st will be hosted By Scott & Heather Hill (up Grizzly Gulch about 3 miles, get us a map Scott). June 5th we will be returning to Tim & Piper's for Sauvignon Blanc. July will take us to Little West-Side Italy at Matt & Jan's for Pinot Grigio. Get your request in if you're interested in hosting August.

Dunham Cellars at cafe Artemis

2008-03-13T12:37:00.009-06:00

Kudos to cafe Artemis, Marc Jorgensen and Eric Dunham for a beautifully executed evening. Zoe and Martin were as engaging as ever seamlessly integrating the evenings progression. All five courses were beautifully matched to the Dunham wines.
The first pairing was a pear and watercress salad with the '06 "Shirley Mays" Chardonnay. The Chardonnay displayed serious mineral components with clean fruit and an old world Burgundian focus. The toasted baguette and candied walnuts of the salad brought the "New World" attributes back full circle.
The second course paired haricot verts with crisp pancetta along side the Dunham "Three Legged Red." The red blend is a broadly appealing strait forward table wine that would be extremely versatile with a wide range of cuisine and would be a crowd pleaser at any gathering. Nothing exceptional to mention but it has more character and depth of most wines in it's price point.
Our third duo was a Coq au Vin with the Trutina blend (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Franc). The Trutina is an extremely approachable Washington blend with a light dose of oak and very pleasant cherry, raspberry and black fruit notes. Once again, this would be a broadly appealing bottle to bring to a wine or dinner party.
The fourth course served was Rack of Lamb with Pomegranate and Sour Cherry Reduction accompanied by the Dunham 2004 Syrah. This was in my opinion the best pairing of the night with the reduction of dark fruit, tar, leather, vanilla and tobacco notes of the Syrah backing and elevating the lamb with pomegranate reduction. The syrah displayed a seamless, long finish of fine grained tannins and pepper spice components that was quite impressive. I also had the opportunity during the evening to taste the '02 Dunham Syrah which was truly spectacular, this wine goes deep with blackberry, currant, red licorice, tar, tobacco and pepper. The finish is over three minutes long, it reminds me of ridiculously priced Napa cult wines that are built to go it alone, swirling and sniffing in the presence of exceptional company capping a perfect evening. This bottle would stand up to any unctuous and opulent dish or stand perfectly well on it's own, find some if you can.
Finally, we were served an Apricot and Marscarpone Tart with the Dunham 2006 “Four-Legged White”. The tart was not at all cloyingly sweet and had a harmonious frame of almond custard with fresh apricot fruit. The Four-Legged white was 100% Riesling which was like a liquid peach tart....just like grandma used to make (grandma was a Belgian pastry chef). Georgia peaches....great finish.

March Meeting BYOFB Night

2008-03-05T11:58:00.000-07:00

Thank you Tim & Piper for hosting a an evening of great conversation and interesting wines. We tasted five wines (blind), each was a favorite of the couple who brought them. We knew nothing about any of the wines (except for the one we brought if able to identify it) and graded them before the reveal. The five were: Sausal 2002 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (100% Cabernet Sauvignon), Gagliardo 2005 Dolcetto D'Alba, Verve 2005 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley, Saviah Cellars 2005 Big Sky Cuvee (Columbia Valley, 57% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec, 2%Petit Verdot) and Ladera 2004 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 3% Merlot).
Of the five there were two clear favorites: The Ladera Cab scored the highest while the Saviah Cuvee was the crowd favorite. The Ladera was a little young to drink and the tannins were a bit to dominant but the layers of fruit and extremely long finish were a promise of things to come in the cellar. It was made of a blend of fruit from Ladera's Howell Mountain and Lone Canyon vineyards, it's an intense, extracted Napa Cab. Red currant, blackberry, vanilla and cedar were evident on the nose and palate......nice wine. The Saviah Big Sky Cuvee was much more restrained, masterfully crafted and displayed deep currant aromas and flavors with a solid but balanced dose of oak. Once again Washington state rocked the house, this Cuvee was great on its own but will also pair beautifully with a huge range of food. Looking forward to the Walla Walla trip this October.

For the April meeting we are thinking vertically, details to follow.

Jessup Cellars 2003 Napa Cabernet

2008-02-28T22:44:00.000-07:00

The 2003 Jessup Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was outstanding. I decanted it for a few hours, re-bottled and took it to dinner at cafe Artemis to pair with a Chateaubriand for two. The food and atmosphere were fantastic and the Jessup Cab seriously impressed me. It had a opulent nose of currant, cherry, vanilla and cedar with a little mint, licorice and earth. The body was full from start to finish, which was very long and immensely enjoyable. The tannic structure was firm without overwhelming the wine's other attributes like nicely balanced acidity and lush dark fruit flavors. This wine is worth seeking out from the winery and I believe it will cellar nicely over the next decade.

BYOFB

2008-02-21T12:52:00.000-07:00

Greeting WSGers,
Tim and Piper have offered to host the March meeting of the WSG, the theme is BYOFB.....that's "Bring Your Own Favorite Bottle". Each couple/person brings a bottle of one of their favorite wines to taste through: i.e.. Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel, Cabernet, Bordeaux, Burgundy, White Zinfandel, Brunello, Tempranillo, etc., etc...Anything goes and at any price point. No dues this night since the admission is the bottle you bring. This isn't an impress your friends event so bring what you really enjoy drinking. Everyone will get to present the bottle they bring. Tim and Piper, you get to make up any special rules for the evening you would like, let us know. Due to sheduling conflicts this month's meeting will be on Wednesday, March 5th at 8:00, Tim, Piper and Delaney's house. More details will follow.

Tapas & Tempranillo

2008-02-05T21:58:00.000-07:00

Our tasting was held at the Quarry Bar (adjacent to cafe Artemis in the Park Plaza Hotel) on February 7th at 8:00. Thank you Zoe for hosting, Kevin for your great info on the wines and Marc for the fantasatic Tapas. We sampled 5 wines:
Lena, Tinto, 2005, Spain
Mapena Tempranillo, Argentina, 2005
Dominio de Atuata Ribera Del Duero, 2004
Finca Villacreces Ribera Del Duero, 2004
Conde de Valdemar Crianza, 2003
The Lena was a why bother wine, the Mapena a quaffable one, the Dominio solid but overpriced, the Villacreces an age worthy, balanced crowd pleaser and the Valdemar good but forgetable. Overall, these wines were well crafted, approachable and great food wines with enough acidity and tannic structure to go with a wide range of cusine. The night didn't change my life but will make me look at the Tempranillos on wine lists a little more closely in the future.
Sunday night with dinner, Tim brought a 2003 Altano Douro Reserva that would have trumped any of the wines in the tasting for about 1/3 the price of the Villacreces. Portugal in particular is putting out some big and impressive wines at very reasonable prices (if you can find them).

2003 Whitman Cellars Narcissa Red

2008-01-13T22:15:00.000-07:00

I don't often rate or review individual wines but this one merited one due to it's very interesting nose dominated by "Play-doh". I've smelled V8, Band-aids, mouth wash, coke syrup, wet dog, diesel fuel, poop and heaven knows what else on the nose of wines in the past but this was a first. Over all the wine was fairly well balanced, had nice black fruit up front with a tapering mid palate and decent finish of red currant and licorice. It may have been a little soft on acid to pair well with most foods but some nice tannins were present and were smoothly integrated. For the Play-doh nose alone, this wine is worth a try, interesting and enjoyable for an affordable W2 wine. The more I drink Washington wines the more I appreciate the New/Old World balance they bring to the glass. There aren't many spectacular under $25.00 Washington bargains to be had due to the limited amount of fruit available and competition for it but I would put a lot of $40.00 Walla Walla reds up against the same from Napa (I'm a Napa fan) and they will shine. Try more Washington reds and drink outside the box. Happy New Year.

Scoring Wine

2007-12-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

Scoring helps you to focus on each attribute of the wine individually. By practicing scoring you will be better able to describe characteristics you find attractive in a wine and this will help you communicate when selecting wines from a retailer or restaurant. When reading scores in magazines I think the tasting notes are much more significant that the number assigned. Every one's palate is unique so don't let the critics tell you what you should like or reject. This is the general scoring criterion we came up with for the WSG tastings, it is basically a compilation of several other scoring systems.

When Scoring, ½ points are permissible if wavering between definitions. It is difficult being objective when enjoying wine is as emotional as it is physiological. Try and be objective and rate each category individually without letting a specific attribute color the rest of your scoring.

Clarity & Appearance (1 point)
Brilliant, star bright, crystal, leggy=1
Translucent, slightly dull, pearling=.5
Cloudy, hazy, sediment, watery=0

Color (1 point)
Typical for type and age, vivid=1
Nearly correct, attractive, lively=0.5
Off, colorless=0

Aroma & Bouquet (4 points)
Varietal, characteristic, complex, flowery=4
Fruity, pronounced, developed=3
Clean, pleasant, scented, delicate=2
Fleeting, underdeveloped, simple, elusive=1
Defective, off, sulferous, vinegary=0

Total Acidity (2 points)
Balanced, appropriate=2
Slightly low or high, tart=1
Flabby, insipid, raw, harsh, vinegary=0

Sweetness (1 point)
Appropriate and balanced=1
Sweet edged, slightly lacking=. 5
Cloying, syrupy, lacking=0

Body & Texture (3 points)
Appropriate, firm, velvety, silky, sound=3
Nearly correct, smooth, even=2
Slightly thin or heavy=1
Clumsy, thin, empty, coarse, rough=0

Flavor & Taste (4 points)
Complex, mature, varietal, luscious=4
Fruity, robust, multilayered=3
Agreeable, clean, simple=2
Lacking, green=1
Chemical, stemmy, hollow=0

Finish (2 points)
Appropriate for age, enticing, lasting=2
Nearly correct, tappering=1
Harsh, withered, absent, astringent, hot=0

Overall Quality (2 points)
Noble, elegant, inspiring, grand=2
Charming, graceful, skillfully made=1.5
No exceptional features, characteristic=1
Flawed=0

Wines scoring 18 to 20 I consider outstanding, memorable and worth seeking out for the cellar, I would say one in 20 wines earns this rating in our club (we tend to be a bit harsh). A 14 to 17 point wine is well crafted and without major flaws, I'd buy these again if the price is reasonable. a wine scoring 9 to 13 is acceptable but in some way flawed, I wouldn't get cranky drinking it but would not purchase again. Anything 8 and below is flawed and generally unpleasant in some manner, these wines can and do make me irritable and whoever produces and releases them is without integrity....OK, that may be a little brutal but still holds some truth.

Chef's Dinner at cafe Artemis

2007-12-06T06:50:00.000-07:00

Last night I attended a five course chef's dinner at cafe Artemis in Helena, MT. Each course was paired with a french wine and a California or Washington wine of like style/varietal to compare and contrast the new and old world. The wines were expertly presented by Kevin Hamlin of George's Distributing and Martin Richard of cafe Artemis. It was a great evening of conversation, wonderfully prepared food and interesting observations on food and wine pairing.

For starters: Roederer Estate 25th Anniversary Anderson Valley Sparkling Wine(Estate Brut NV). Excellent and affordable traditional sparkling wine. This wine tasted like it had spent some time in the cellar, biscuit/bread undertones, light caramel, polished and reserved.

Appetizer: Pheasant and Pistachio Pate. Served with a red onion and orange marmalade, stoneground mustard and arugula. Beautifully prepared pate, nice firm texture, perfectly seasoned, complemented and balanced by the mustard, marmalade and arugula. Paired with Chateaux Landerau 2005 Entre deux Mers (Semillon, Sauvignon blanc and Muscat) and Amavi 2006 Semillon, Columbia Valley. The Bordeaux had a complex nose of mineral, pear and citrus. Picked up a little fig on the mid palate, nice acidity and rounded finish. The Amavi was pretty one dimensional on the nose and palate, pear and pear with a little honey crisp apple, short finish. By itself I far preferred the Bordeaux but the Amavi's simple focus lifted the pate another level.

Soup: Lobster Bisque with creme fraiche and chives. Plush and velvety texture, perfectly tender lobster, a touch of heat on the finish. No wine pairing.

Fowl: Artemis Duck a L'Orange with braised Belgian endive, candied kumquats and fresh watercress. Nicely rendered and crisped skin, delicately sauced. This was a very nice take on a classic. Paired with Domaine de Fondreche 2005 Nadal, Cotes du Ventoux and Morgan 2006 Cotes du Crow's. Both are near 50/50 Grenache and Syrah. The Nadal was the more complex wine of the two, it had more structure, slightly brighter acidity and more grip with supple tannins. On the palate I picked up Cassis, currant and just a hint of mushroom, nice long finish. The Cotes du Crow's was much more fruit focused with actual "grape" flavors detected, weak tannins, short finish, quaffable wine. The surprise for me was with the duck pairing, the fruit stepped up with the Morgan and made this a more enjoyable wine paired with food than by itself. The Nadal was steady and the tannins worked well with the fat of the duck. Both were well matched to the course.

Meat: Wellington of Beef Tenderloin with Chanterelle mushroom duxelle, spinach and beef essence. A classic dish, nicely executed with and unctuous beef essence that really made the dish stand out. Everything worked here including the wine pairings, two Cabernet Francs. From France we had the Domaine de Paullus 2004 Chinon and from Napa the Lang & Reed 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Franc. Both were classically crafted Cab Francs and veggies ruled on the nose. The nose on the Chinon had an obvious pickle component that mellowed to dill with time in the glass. Green pepper, asparagus, dark chocolate, dark fruit and a little dirt were also present on this really interesting and enjoyable nose. The Lang & Reed had that V8 veggie cocktail going on and I like that also in a Cab Franc. They both had decent structure, tannins and a nice finish but I preferred the Chinon both by itself and with the Beef Wellington. If you haven't drank much Cabernet Frank I would recommend that you start now, It is a kinder and gentler Cabernet Sauvignon with more vegetable components going on. It's not for everyone but you won't know until you try it.

Dessert: Warmed Brie with baked pears, fresh grapes, candied walnuts and honey. What an awesome finish to the meal, for me this was near perfect. The salty funk of the brie, intensity of fruit in the pears, crisp tang of the grapes, meatiness of the walnuts and throttled back sweetness of the honey sing together on the palate. Paired with a Domaines Schlumberger 2004 "Fleur" Gewurztraminer from Alsace and a Balleto 2006 Gewurztraminer from the Russian River Valley. The Schlumberger brought lots of pear with a touch of old school medicine (I like this aroma), it was big, round, buttery and slightly sweet. The Balletto had elements of pear and apple followed by a bit of pineapple. It was more crisp with snappy acidity and less residual sugar than the Schlumberger. They both paired quite nicely with the brie plate in very different ways......maybe you should order both with dessert your next time out.

Throughout the courses, the chefs, Executive Marc Jorgensen and Sous Eric Potuzak, showed focus, restraint and precision in executing a menu. Each dish was seasoned perfectly and conservatively allowing the ingredients to take center stage. The courses built nicely through the evening, never overwhelming with excess heaviness. Marc's sauces and reductions are masterful, he builds layers of complexity without convoluting the dish with extraneous ingredients and garnishes. It was a memorable dinner, beautifully plated, paced and presented. Kudos, cafe Artemis, for bringing haute cuisine to Helena, Montana.

November Cabernet Tasting

2007-11-29T22:10:00.000-07:00

The theme of our November WSG meeting was Cabernet Sauvignon. Five wines were tasted; Sebastiani-Sonoma County 2004, Provenance-Rutherford 2004, Waterbrook-Columbia Valley 2004, Mollydooker-The Maitre D 2006 (Australia) and Paul Hobbs-Cocodrilo 2004 (Argentina).

All of the wines were tasted blind and were decanted for four hours prior to the meeting. All five of the wines are available for under $30. I am not going to bore anyone with detailed tasting notes but I will highlight a few points on the wines. First off, there were no stinkers in the bunch. All were enjoyable wines on some level.

The hands down favorite was the Provenance Rutherford...complex bouquet, cassis, red currant, plush tannins, loam, vanilla and currant finish...restrained oak influence...Nice example of an afordable Napa Cab.

By the score cards, the Mollydooker came in second. It had an amazing fruit focused bouquet, nice weight and texture, husky tannins, layers of fruit from start to finish....but....the heat of the alcohol made it more of a shot than a real wine. This has been my gripe with a lot of Aussie wines, luxurious fruit (often too much) at the cost of insane alcohol levels.

The other three wines were just good examples of the variations on cab growing regions (Washington-fruit, Sonoma-Oak, Argentina-jammy and tannic).

We had a little contest to see if anyone could match all of the wines with their place of origin. Two of us got them all correct, most others were pretty close. This contest might be worth a little bonus prize at your next tasting. It helps you to concentrate on terroir, climate and wine making style when evaluating a wine. It also helps you to hone in on factors you find appealing in a wine to apply to future purchases.

Napa 2007

2007-11-21T12:43:00.000-07:00

September found us on our first pilgrimage to the Napa Valley. The trip was wonderfully relaxing with beautiful scenery, the ever-present aroma of the crush in the air, excellent food and of course the wine.
Ladera was the standout tour and tasting of our trip. The Cabernets they produce are powerful, complex and memorable. They offer a Howell Mountain Cab, a Lone Canyon Cab and a blend from the two vineyards. The views are inspiring from their vantage on Howell Mountain, the grounds are manicured and the buildings beautifully restored. We toured the wine making facility, demonstration vineyard and the caves where we enjoyed a tasting of the Ladera offerings. Anne Stotesbery, the owner, was our guide. Her passion for producing fantastic cabs was obvious, our time with her was educational and down right fun.

At Ladera. Winery and cave tour with the owner, tasting their incredible Cabernets, picnic on the grounds....a near perfect day.

Coming from Montana and never tasting a Cabernet grape before, I was suprised at the intensity of fruit and concentration of sugars in the hanging grapes.

The obligatory stop at Silver Oak (under construction).
New French Oak barrels at Elyse. Elyse has a large portfolio of interesting wines, all well crafted. It's worth your time just outside of Yountville.

Our favorite wines and tastings were the for mentioned Ladera, Jessup Cellars in Yountville (great wines, warm servers, memorable visit...we joined their wine club) and Pine Ridge where we enjoyed a barrel tasting of their better Cabs. We visited 20 wineries in all and can't wait to return.

Wine Club 101

2007-11-19T22:14:00.000-07:00

The Well Squozen Grape

Meeting on 1st Thursday of the month at 8:00 PM, rotating home venues

Themes:
May ’07, C&L.................Syrah/Shiraz
June ’07, D&J................Malbec
July ’07, Zoe.................Zinfandel
August ’07, M&A.............Merlot
September ’07, T&P......**Bordeaux
October ‘07, M&J............Pinot Noir
November ‘07, C&L.........Cabernet Sauvignon
February '08, Zoe............Tempranillo
~Favorites Night: Each couple brings a bottle of their favorite varietal to taste through: i.e.. Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel, Cabernet.
~Wine tasting basics and palate primer evening. Taste all kinds of food and spices that are common descriptors of wine flavors and aromas. This will be a fun and strange evening (think Skittles, red currant jam, soy sauce, popcorn, wood chips and leather)
~Chianti
~Grenache
~Mouvedre
~Petit Sirah
~Carmenere
~Sauvignon Blanc
~Cabernet Franc
**Burgundy
**Chateauneuf du Pape
**Cotes du Rhone
~Bordeaux style blends
~Wines from a specific region or winery

**Special Splurge Nights: Everyone kicks in $20.00 each instead of $10 leaving us $240.00 for a wine budget.

~$10 per person per month, $20 per couple.
~The host purchases the wine (normally a $120 budget with 12 members) and is then reimbursed from each member (present or not so the host knows their budget when shopping).
~One bottle of each wine will provide enough for all tasters.
~Four to six wines for comparison and rating is about the right number.
~Each member or couple brings a simple hors d’oeuvres.
~Piper Sr. is our recorder/secretary.
~White table cloth or white paper to view wine color.
~Be fair to the wines, decant at least an hour before the meeting.
~Bottle covers to taste blind (hide the corks also).
~Spit bucket or sink available.
~Score the wines, tally each taster’s score and then rank all the wines.