We were invited to join some friends for a casual dinner at their home last night. I brought a bottle of 2007 Brewer Clifton Sea Smoke Vineyards Santa Rita Hills, Calif. Chardonnay to drink with tomato and burrata salad, chevre stuffed peppadew peppers, assorted olives and radishes and butter. The wine was big, lemony and delicious with terrific acidity to balance out the huge citrus fruit component. "B+"
We went to our freinds cellar to retrieve something for dinner and he emerged with two bottles of 1982 La Tour. We opened one about an hour before dinner and proceded to grill lamb loin chops. The first bottle was showing a faint brickish edge at the rim. Nose of cedar, lather and a fair amount of cassis. Fairly well resolved tannins on the palate with mature Bordeaux flavors of plum, cassis, vanilla, cedar and tobacco. It was good but not as good as I remember. My friend was perplexed and he was determined to open the other bottle so out came the cork. Much deeper in color, almost black. Nose of fresh crushed blackberries and currants. The bottles came from the same case so I suppose we were dealing with bottle variation.