In article >, Mark Lipton >
wrote:

> Jean's birthday was celebrated, as per her request, by a weekend spent
> camping in a State Park. Our first dinner on Friday was (for us) the
> traditional grilled ribeyes with potatoes and onions. To accompany
> this, we opened:
>
> 1995 Buehler Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
> nose: cassis, plums, cedar
> palate: medium body, silky tannins, good acidity, smooth finish
>
> One of our older CalCabs, from a producer that you don't hear much about
> (but who, in my experience, produce a tannic, ageworthy Cab). I went
> with CalCab rather than Bordeaux because of the steaks and the desire to
> open an older wine from the cellar. Although still fairly primary, this
> wine worked as hoped for and seemed very classic in its proportions.
>
> For her birthday dinner, Jean wanted spaghetti with meatballs and tomato
> sauce (with an eye to what Andrew would willingly eat), so I cooked
> that with a salad. As an aperitif with the opening of presents, we had:
>
> NV Gruet Brut
> nose: toasty, apples
> palate: soft entry, mild toast, simple lemon/apple fruit
>
> Not the best example I've had from Gruet, but still a reasonably
> appealing sparkler.
>
> With dinner, we opened:
>
> 1999 Rosenblum Eagle Point Vyd Zinfandel
> nose: oak, oak, oak, dark fruit
> palate: oaky, soft, undistinguished
>
> This was the last bottle of Rosenblum Zin in our cellar and, on the
> basis of this performance, we won't be buying more any time soon. In
> their defense, though, a recently opened bottle of the '99 Rosenblum
> Hendry Reserve Zin was much less oaky and more enjoyable. Still, this
> wine was simply obscured by the excessive use of new oak, and just
> barely enjoyable with the spaghetti. It also led me to wonder just how
> long, if ever, it would take for the oak to integrate?
>
> Mark Lipton

We are having for my birthday tomorrow a traditional steak and potato
dinner since our best friends won't eat much else. I have a magnum of
1978 Leoville Las Cases I have been saving. Will report on same
Wednesday.