In article
>,
DaleW > wrote:

> On Jul 27, 11:42?pm, 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
> > --
> > alt.food.wine FAQ: ?http://winefaq.cwdjr.net
>
> Happy Birthday to Jean (and to Larry L!).

Thanks and a Happy Birthday to Jean that I did not say but Dale did.