Sometimes it pays to live in a backwater ;-)

I'd definitely go for the Voge. That's a little steep for the Barbaresco, I paid $22 for my lone bottle. Early drinking vintage, traditional producer, what to do? I generally like Bourriquot, but didn't like the '98. Would love your impressions of any you try.

The Voge is the only good buy in the group. I paid $26 for the Barbaresco so I think $33 is quite high but I don't know relative values for Indiana. The Barbaresco was quite nice though.

I would agree with Dale and pass on the Bourriquot. 1998 wasn't a great vintage to begin with and I had the wine a few years ago and it was showing it's age....but I can't vouch for the provenance of that particular bottle so you might find one with better storage. I've never found Napa Cab Franc ot age particularly well in general and this bottle has a lot of Cab Franc as I recall.

Interesting point, Bill. '98 is one of my favorite recent vintages for Napa Cabs, but Cab Franc is another kettle of fish, and the Bourriquot is 2/3 Cab Franc as a rule. I might give it a flyer just out of curiosity. Value isn't as much of an issue as some may think, as the cost of driving to Sam's in Chicago or mail order from NYC or CA has to be factored in. I agree with all of you, though, that the Voge is the standout of the bunch.

Mark Lipton

I hate to paint vintages with a broad brush and I certainly have a fair amount of '98 Napa cabs in my cellar. They were "bargains" compared to the '97's and as usual good winemakers make good wine in any vintage. I've been drinking a fair amount of 1997's and 1998's recently and in particular I've enjoyed the Phelps Insignia from

1998. I find that the '98's have a bit more acidity and balance than the fleshy flashy 1997's but I've also found that the 1997's haven't fallen apart as predicted at the time of release. In any case I've never been a huge fan of Napa Cab Franc from any vintage although Pride may have made one of the better bottles of Cab Franc. I usually get a lot of green bean and herbal notes from pure Cab Franc.

I have still not recovered from the Mt. Veeder Winery Cabernet Franc

1977. It did have a bit of green bean and herbal character to it, but this was just a minor component. This wine ranked right up there in style with some of the monster CS made in the 70s by the likes of Dr. David Bruce and Martin Ray, and may have even topped most of them in extract and tannin content. It was undrinkable, at least for me, for several years after the vintage. It had nearly as deep a color as India ink. I still have a bottle, and at least I only bought 2 bottles of it on release. I will open it within a few years in the hopes that the tannin and acid have reduced enough to make it drinkable and hope that some fruit is left or that an interesting bottle bouquet has developed. This is the largest monster red table wine that I have ever tasted, and I hope I never find another wine anywhere near as excessive as this one.

LOL!! For my part, some of Ken Burnap's Santa Cruz Mtn Vyd Pinot Noirs were the biggest, brawniest, toughest wines I've ever tasted. There's probably a Petite Sirah or two that come close, but I'm sure that I lost most of my tooth enamel to a few of those SCMV Pinots ;-) (Dr Bruce produced a few others that vie for the title, too)

Mark Lipton

Hands down for me is Randy Dunn's 1985 Howell Mountain Cab. The wine is still totally unyielding in it's tannic grip and has become legendary due to it's outright toughness. I also owned a few bottles of Turley Petitie Syrah that were monstrously huge and tannic as were some Martinelli Jack Ass Hill Zins that pushed 18% alcohol and were not at all charming.

I opened a 1995 Dunn Howell Mountain Cab last night that was listed as

15 and must have been 15.5 or more. They can't fudge much more than 1/2 % on the alcohol. This wine actually had integrated, a first for me with Dunn and only 13 years. The alcohol wasn't noticeable and the nose was magnificent dark fruits and pencil shavings. The mouthfeel was full and the taste was dark chocolate and raspberries with some coffee as well. I was tasting it 15 minutes after drinking it. This, as I said is a first as I quit buying Dunn after 2003 because I didn't think I would live long enough for them to integrate. Maybe it was just 1995.

"Mark Lipton" wrote ............

Actually, I can categorically state that it was wine which brought Kathryn and I together, too.

I was managing a small specialist wine outlet for a friend (in Auckland city), and on this particular Saturday morning, a tall, very attractive woman walked in, seeking a bottle to take to a girl-friends for dinner.

I suggested something expensive, without being outrageously so! (and was rebuffed) - but recommended an acceptable Australian red (good QPR) - explaining it came with Andrew's "money back guarantee" - huh?????

She came back the following week, saying "that wine was very good - so, just how good is the other wine"

I said - "you buy the wine and I will buy dinner"

A deal was struck - she returned to Australia the following week, resulting in a transTasman courtship - and - we shall celebrate 16 years of marriage later this year.

Any other stories out there?

st.helier

Interesting story, milud. I was aware that Kathryn was tall and good-looking, but I handn't sussed out the fact that she wasn't a native Kiwi. Good going, and congrats to you both on the longevity of the romance!

Mark Lipton (who in 2009 will celebrate his 20th anniversary and 50th birthday)

On Monday we will be celebrating our 35th at Blackberry Farms in Tennessee. I'll probably take a bottle or two from my cellar to suplement their wine list which is quite large but lacking in Bordeaux and Loire.

Congratulations, 35 years is an achievement (for both of you!) :)

I've heard of Blackberry Farms, supposed to be great.

'73 is a tough year, but you're doing well if you have good Rioja Reserva, or Clos Ste Hune, holding for your 40th & 50th!

Enjoy yourselves!