Notes from a Chteau St. Jean 'survey' tasting dinner recently.

2002 Sonoma county Fume Blanc - light colour, crisp spicy fruit nose and decent
acidity. Could live without the oak in this sort of wine. Nice, but didn't get
in the way of the conversation. Served with arugula, chanterelle and chevre
salad.

2002 Sonoma county Chardonnay - a typical medium weight oaked chard, soft and
sweet with good terminal acidity. Inexpensive, but ultimately uninteresting -
just not my style. With grilled ahi.

2002 Sonoma County Pinot Noir - dark wine, with a slightly heavy nose of cherry
and
wood. Some sweet and some acid, but not well melded. Uninteresting wine. Served
with rabbit loin with fig and peppercorn glaze.

2000 Sonoma County Merlot - ah - signs of interest! Definite dark chocolate
aromas, decent concentration and length, a passable wine, though not worth the
local $46 Can. Price tag. I looked up the parker note on this later - 77
points and chalky tannins in a lean wine - must have been tasting a completely
different wine, as this one bears no resemblance to that description. With lamb
sirloin with truffle sauce.

2001 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon - a bit of cocoa in the nose, and some
dark cherry. Decent concentration and length, the wood not overdone, and the
first really worthy wine tonight. With stilton, marinated (God only knows why)
with Port syrup (barbarians trying to pass themselves off as trendy chefs, no
doubt). The cheese alone (I managed to get some unsullied fromage) didn't do
the wine any favours, and I'm sure the sweet syrup would torture it beyond
reason.

2000 Cinq Cepages - first bottle corked - not off to a good start. Second one
fine, showing excellent depth of fruit in the nose - cassis and blackberry
mostly. At first juicy in the mouth, then it goes through an elegant stage in
mid-palate, and picks up power toward the end with good concentration
throughout and a nice long finish. Very good wine, though the pricing, as is
usual for me with American wines, leaves me scratching my head wondering if it
is worth it, and mentally surveying all the other equally good or better wines
I can buy for the price ($90 Can., $70 US) from other parts of the world.
Paired (no doubt by the same genius that poured Port syrup on decent cheese)
with chocolate cake and blackberry coulis!!?