We happy that Bernard, who has sampled so many wines, has shared his notes with us. We do have, or have had for sale a few of the wines Bernard writes about, and we include a link to our stock page whenever it is a producer we carry (but since the stock page is kept up-to-date and the wines are sold, don't expect any but the newest of wines to show up in our stock!). Mostly though, since we specialize in County of Santa Barbara Wine and Central Coast Wine, we don't carry a lot of the wines Bernard writes about. But we think it is important that you be able to have an idea what they're like in case you are planning to buy some somewhere, or have them in your own collection. Enjoy.

Here are Bernard's notes from June 25, 1999:

83 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne (Magnum)--Medium straw color. Very fine  bubbles in the glass, but much frothier/moussier in the mouth. Very rich, toasty, very complex, sweet fruit. Maybe somewhat clunky. Still fresh and  lively. Turns peachy on finish. 93+

94 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Hengst Grand Cru VT--Spicy nose showing ginger.  Pear, honey, nectarine, ginger flavors. Long, very fine, balanced. Sweet, not cloying. Bit bitter on finish. Great finesse. 98+

95 Kistler Chardonnay McCrae--Smoky mineral nose. Perky, oaky, gravelly. Very  long minerally finish showing bitter almond, lemon. 93+

92 LeFlaive Puligny-Montrachet Les Combottes--From LeFlaive's smallest P-M  holding, hence rarest of his Premier Cru offerings. Closed initially. Flinty, lime bouquet develops. Classy, linear, fine, fairly high acidity. Stony, very complex middle. Very long, very fine. Needs 4-6 more years. 94+

91 Guigal Cote Rotie La Landonne--Medium dark. Bit closed initially, with gamey, black cherry bouquet. Lush sweet fruit. Plum, oak, gamey, meaty. Fairly tannic.  Extremely long, chewy. After more than an hour in the glass, finally opens up aromatically to display ethereal violets and perfume. Glorious by then, but no one else at the table had held theirs long enough for this to emerge. 96+ The  wine needs 6-8 years to reach its heights, and will last from there.

92 Beringer PR Cabernet--Held its own against the CR. Medium dark. Sweet cherry, cocoa nose. Very ripe fruit. Boisenberry, cedar, leather, iron, earth. Very rich mid-palate. Very long, chewy. More Bordeaux-like than on previous occasions. 95

90 Altare Vigna Arborina Barolo--Corked.

88 Rousseau Chambertin--Medium color. Very open, forward, sauvage, violets, gamey, smelly. Sweet black raspberry, minerals. Very long, lingering, tannic.  Lacking voluptuousness in middle. Perhaps is will come with time. Unready. Aside from the aromatics, the palate was not show-worthy. 91(+?)

93 Z-H Heimbourg Pinot Gris SGN--Pretty light amber. Incredible nose. Tangerine, bitter almond. Zingy acidity. Very potent. Butterscotch. Long with bitter finish.  Needs a decade or more. 95+

95 Kracher Scheurebe TBA #3--Very light. Great aromatics, especially from a  Riedel Burgundy glass. Parafin, apricot, pineapple, herbs, lemongrass aromas.  Amazing nose! Delicate, very complex flavors. Hard to describe. Impeccable  balance. Again, though, it's the incredible nose that draws one in. 97+ Could develop greater complexity over next couple decades.

89 Huet Vouvray Cuvee Constance--Served by the glass for $16! Medium gold color.  Floral, waxy, butterscotch. Delicate, perfect balance. Medium sweet. Orange,  caramel. Medium weight. Moderate finish. Needs decades. 94+

96 Tirecul Monbazillac Cuvee Madame--Medium straw color. Waxy nose showing some adhesive tape. Not much botrytis shows. Thick, rich, honey-like. Apricot nectar.  Very sweet. Liquid pear. Ambrosial. 96+ Again, needs much time.

A long overdue Bloody Pulpit for the masses:

The two Champagnes were striking, both for their youth and their different  presentations of the genre. Each bottle makes a strong case for buying vintage Champagne in magnum, as both seemed as fresh as new Brut could be, but with added complexity that develops over time. I gave the nod to the Jacquesson for its sophisticated finesses, especially on the finish.

This is the second time I've had the Z-H GW Hengst VT. Two years ago, the wine was more over the top, intensely spicy, and brawny. This time, the wines has found more focus, precision, elegance, and refinement. Best GW I've had. It is sure to improve over the next decade.

The Chardonnays were also very different. By themselves, I preferred the Burgundy.  But with the sea bass, the Kistler had a bit better rapport. Instructive, and very enjoyable, even for chardonnay.

The La Landonne is fabulous, but you don't need me to tell you that. After all, I know you read your Bible regularly. Second time I've had this in past year.  It keeps getting better. 

The 92 Beringer PR is always great. I've had it 4 times over the past 2 years, and I think I've always given it a 95 or higher. Great, great wine. Consistent. Now it is beginning to develop those secondary flavors that distinguish great clarets.  This one will last another 20+ years. Hold 'em if you gottem.

The Chambertin was my first from this producer, though I've had other Rousseau wines. Maybe 88 was excessively tight and tannic. I thought this was just good enough. I hope it would improve, but I wouldn't be surprised to see this one  always somewhat dominated by tannins until the fruit fades into oblivion.

The dessert wines were each remarkable, and years away from peaking. Tasted next to each other, the Z-H was clunkier. Hopefully it will become more harmonious with time. The Kracher wins out on shear elegance, the Madame winning on density.  This would be a great flight to revisit in 15 years. For now, the Huet is over- shadowed by the others, but this is no surprise from Vouvray. All the elements are there for a slow evolution toward perfection.