Last night I met two of my favorite NYC winegeeks (and one lovely
wife'o'geek) at the midtown Peking Duck House for dinner. A good
dinner, good to great wines, and great company.

We started with the 2001 Muller-Catoir Haardter Herrenletten Riesling
Spatlese, and continued with it through the salt and pepper shrimp.
Nose of citrus and flowers, broad on the palate but with that racy
2001 acidity. I know this was supposed to be the beginning on an off-
period for M-C, but you can't tell it from this bottle. Red fruits,
lime, and peaches, a kind of chalky minerality, this has a long way
to go but is tasty now. A-/B+

Good as it was, not even close to Riesling of the Night. With Grand
Marnier shrimp, the 2001 Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling
Goldkapsel Auslese. OMFG. Infanticide, but this is great wine, and
fantastic now. A stunning combination of citrus (grapefruit and orange
zest), Ranier cherries, and intense minerally notes. Changes and
develops throughout evening. A brilliant match with the Grand Marnier
(kudos to Matt for suggesting) with the orange zest notes magnified
and complementing. Apricot notes, lots of slate, endless finish.
Powerful but as light on its feet as a ballerina, a Gene Kelly of a
wne. Even so young this is a total wow wine. A

Hard act to follow. We switched to reds with the Peking duck.

1993 Michel Lafarge "Vendanges Selectionnees" Volnay
I brought this because I thought a village wine would be totally open
by now, but this needs more time. Nose of red berries and earth, but
initially a bit flat on palate. Opens through evening, best is a glass
on train on way home (I carried leftovers). Still a bit of tannin,
plenty of bright acids. We'll see if it helld overnight when I get
home tonight, but that last glass was a B+

1996 Contino "Vina del Olivo" Rioja Reserva
I've heard rumblings that a lot of modern '96 Riojas were dying an
early death, but this seems to be holding ok to me. Vanilla, spice,
cherry and raspberry. There is oak but not overwhelming, maybe a
little tobacco. The one thing that dampens my enthusiasm is a kind of
dual herb blend- some dill and some oregano-ish green combine in a not
so attractive way. Decent, but my least favorite of evening. B-

Last dish was a beef with black bean, with 2 more reds:
1983 Ducru-Beaucaillou (St Julien)
Before we got to this Arv asked if I preferred the '83 Gruaud or the
'83 Ducru, I've always liked the Gruaud better. But I'm not sure that
my previous bottle of the Ducru have been pristine. This one showed
quite well. Soft, friendly. approachable. Nice midweight with black
fruit and a little graphite and cedar. Very nice wine. B+/A-

1997 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark fruit (blackberries), ripe without being overly sweet. Framed by
ripe/silky tannins, big wine with good texture. A little more
brightness would help, this was better by itself than with food. Some
smoke, not quite as long as I would have expected based on attack. B

Good night with good people.

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't
drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no
promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.
*