Lustau, 'Oloroso', Sherry
Smell: --
Taste: Very, very good Oloroso sherry. For those not in-the-know, think of your favorite tawny port, only not sweet at all.
Finish: --
Cost:
Rating:
7.0 (not sure it's worth the extra money -- great otherwise)
Guest Critics: Andrew and Madeleine
Madeleine: Madeleine is a part-time therapist and yoga instructor. She speaks fluent French and Spanish. When not working, Madeleine enjoys knitting, "date nights" with her husband and playing with her two-year old daughter.
Andrew: Andrew works for a large corporation and frequently travels around the world on business. Ironically, unlike his wife, Andrew does not speak other languages. But to his credit, Andrew graduated with a Masters from Stanford University. When at home, Andrew enjoys time with his wife and playing with his two-year old daughter.
Dinner:
- garden salad
- slow-cooked carrots
- lemon braised artichokes
- gorgonzola crab tortellini
- cheese
- strawberries
- chocolate
Wines:
- 2005 St. Innocent Pinot Noir White Rose Vineyard
- 2005 Stonehedge Zinfandel
- Uno Barbaresco
Favorite quotes heard around the dinner table:
- "I smell benzene." --Andrew
- "I smell leather, whips and chains! Oh whoops, it's too early!" --Madeleine
- "I'll do anything to increase my hits on Google." --Andrew
St. Innocent, White Rose Vineyard, Pinot Noir, 2005
Smell: Plum, pungent, vanilla, oak, chemical like Lysol.
Taste: Unripe grape like an unripe banana. A green banana taste. General consensus: definitely green, too young, needs to be cellared for a few years, very disappointing considering how early we opened this bottle.
Finish: Very smooth, green banana with chemicals.
Cost: 
4.0
Stonehedge, Zinfandel, 2005
Smell: Leaves, plum, fish. Flat--does not have a lot of nose.
Taste: Oak, big cherry, honey, rabbit cage/food, grassy, horsey. The taste is better than the smell. Does not have much pepper which is disappointing. Has some, but not as spicy as we would like.
Finish: Cherry, smooth.
Cost: unknown
Uno, Barbaresco, 2002
Smell: Cherry, ethanol.
Taste: Light like a pinot, complicated. We didn't feel we were giving it a fair chance since we were having gorgonzola crab leg tortellini -- our palates were dead. A lot less fruit. A tannic taste of a cabarnet and more pepper than a zinfandel.
Finish: Very dry, chalky.
Cost:
Rating: 4.0
Hidalgo, Amontillado, Sherry
Smell: --
Taste: Very middle of the road Amontillado. Good if you like it, but it's definitely in the middle -- between a more tawny, nutty sherry and a fino sherry (very light and crisp).
Finish: Smooth.
Cost:
Rating:
4.0
Pic St. Loup, Languedoc, 2001
Smell: --
Taste: Wow! I should have bought more of this when I had the chance. Very, very yummy, especially for what some consider to be the black-sheep of France.
Finish: Very, very smooth.
Cost:
Rating:
8.0
