Flight 1: Light- to Medium-Bodied Whites

1997 Bollini Pinot Grigio ($8.99): light, clean Italian white with almond and citrus flavors

1997 Wairau River Sauvignon Blanc ($19.99): perky, tropical, and exotic New Zealand S.B.; RINGER

1998 Chateau Haut Rian Bodeaux Sec ($9.99): fragrant, herbal and floral blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc; brightly acidic

1997 Mont Clair Cuvée Vielle Reserve Chardonnay ($9.99): light, fruity, and easy-to-drink Chardonnay from the South of France

1998 Domaine Saint Peyre Picpoul de Pinet ($7.59): tart and fruity "patio quaffer" made in the France's Languedoc from the Picpoul de Pinet grape

1998 Casa Lapostolle Sauvignon Blanc ($7.99): grassy, melon and pear-flavored Chilean "crowd-pleaser"

	Bollini	Wairau (R)	Haut Rian	Mont Clair	Saint Peyre	Lapostolle
Zinni	78	81	82	78	84	87 R
Roenigk	78	75	80	78	77	85 R
Moshein	78	80	83	79	85	88 R
Loëb	80	80	82	79	80	84 R
Cubberley	78	86 R	85	74	86	86
Graham	78	65	83	84	82	87
Gilhousen	85	70	75	74	76	82
Steiner	65	77 R	84	77	82	55
Lowe	78	80	82	75	76	80
Outon	86	85R	80	75	76	80
Hansen	80	86	82	89 R	85	85
Vilim	86	78	84	80	83	84 R
Total	79.2	77.8	81.8	79.1	81.8	82.6

Flight 1 Highlights

The Casa Lapostolle Sauvignon Blanc received greater praise than others, voted as the Ringer by half of the participants. The actual Ringer received the fewest points of the flight. Graham, giving the Wairau River a rating of 65, lists its only merits as "wet [and] has more color than the others," and describes both palate and nose as asparagus-like. Roenigk's notes indicate his curiosity about the potential of this wine, asking "would this be better cold?" Perhaps a good question; Wairau River received a rating of 89 in the July 30, 1998 edition of Wine Spectator. Both Outon and Steiner rated the Wairau as the Ringer and correctly identified it as a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Outon, in fact, made correct, or very close, guesses as to the varietal and regional background of several of the wines tasted during the evening.

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Flight 2: Full-Bodied Whites

1997 Estancia Pinnacles Chardonnay ($9.99): butterscotch, oak, and pear aromas; full-bodied with buttery flavors

1997 Shelter Ridge Chardonnay ($9.99): oak and hazelnut balanced with fruit; "intriguing" toasty aromas

1997 MacRostie Chardonnay ($17.99): "corked" (this particular bottle underwent heating, oxidation, and/or had faulty bottling) -- removed from the tasting; RINGER

1997 Belvedere Chardonnay ($9.99): fruity, balanced, and elegant for the money

1997 Rabbit Ridge Barrel Cuvée Chardonnay ($9.99): restrained fruit with heavy oak and good texture

1997 Louis M. Martini Chardonnay ($9.99): "lemony pie crust" aromas with decent balance and mouthfeel

	Estancia	Shelter Ridge	Belvedere	Rabbit Ridge	L. Martini
Zinni	85	75	84	80	79
Roenigk	80	80	82	80	81
Moshein	76	85	79	76	87
Loëb	83	80	82	82	86
Cubberley	82	84	72	78	84
Graham	82	78	85	81	78
Gilhousen	80	82	82	86	80
Steiner	88	82	86	89	82
Lowe	86	84	88	86	87
Outon	83	79	86	84	82
Hansen	85	88	82	85	90
Vilim	80	83	85	82	84
Total	82.5	81.9	82.8	82.4	83.3

Flight 2 Highlights

Taster's were not pleased with the Chardonnay selections overall. Vilim explained that it's difficult to find varietally correct wines in the $10 and under category. Along these same lines, he at one point commented to Roenigk something to the effect of "They're 10 and under, daddio!", implying his deep understanding of the price-to-quality ratio of these wines.

If it hadn't been corked, the MacRostie would have most likely shown well, having received a 90 rating in Wine Spectator. The flight favorite, L. Martini, was given the highest rating by Hansen, who described the wine as full, rich, and complex. Other wines in the flight had average points not much below the leader. The lowest score given by an individual was a 72 by Cubberley. The Belvedere Chardonnay, he says, "lacks desirable fruit," and follows by asking, "Isn't that what wine is about anyways?" Lowe, on the other hand, gave the Belvedere a rating of 88, commenting that it is "lacking at the end but quite nice for the money." The Estancia, Belvedere, and Martini were all rated as "Best Buys" by Wine Spectator, receiving scores of 88, 85, and 86, respectively.

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Flight 3: Light- to Medium-Bodied Reds

1997 Jindalee Shiraz ($9.99): smoky, earthy aromas; pleasant and light with cherry flavors

1997 Lindemans Bin 99 Pinot Noir ($6.99): fragrant, easy-drinking, and moderately tannic with "lovely" cherry fruitiness

1996 Jaffurs Matilija Cuvée ($19.99): blend of Mourvedre, Syrah, and Cabernet Franc; woody, floral, and cherry-like; thought by many tasters to be Pinot Noir; RINGER

1998 Di Majo Norante Sangiovese ($7.99): smoky, lightly fruity nose; silky but not showing much fruit on the palate

1997 Marquis de Pennautier Merlot ($9.29): earthy, dusty aromas; lightly sweet fruit on the finish; possibly corked

1998 Tyrrell's Long Flat Shiraz ($6.99): spicy, tar-like aromas with good structure and flavors of raspberries and cocoa; "good quaffer with character"

	Jindalee	Lindemans	Jaffurs (R)	Norante	Pennautier	Tyrrell's
Zinni	90	80	82	84	81	89R
Roenigk	85	83	85R	79	76	76
Moshein	86	86	78	82	80	91R
Loëb	86	84	82	83	80	89R
Cubberley	84	86	88R	80	70	78
Graham	80	81	83	corked	87R
Gilhousen	84	82	84	89R	85	84
Steiner	85	85	88R	79	85	87
Lowe	84	89R	88	78	74	84
Outon	87	85	86R	84	83	87
Hansen	85	89	88	89	88R	86
Vilim	86	83	87R	84	corked	86
Total	85.6	84.3	84.8	82.6	80.2	85.3

Flight 3 Highlights

Average scores increased significantly for the reds, as compared to the whites. Carrying average scores above 85, both the Tyrrell's and Jindalee would qualify for Wine Spectator "Best Buy" status, especially the Tyrrell's at a retail price of $6.99. The Jindalee received the highest average score, with Zinni giving it the highest individual score. Zinni describes the wine as having good structure and a slightly funky berry nose. In later notes, he comments that he in fact "likes weird." Both Roenigk and Vilim guessed the identity of the Jindalee incorrectly; however, both saw this wine as similar to another great Australian bargain: Tyrrell's Long Flat Red.

The Long Flat Red (not tasted here) is to be distinguished from the Long Flat Shiraz, wine 6 of this flight.Moshein gave the Long Flat Shiraz a score of 91--the highest individual score given to a wine in the tasting. He describes the wine as inky with cassis, smoke, tar, marshmallow, and vanilla aromas, balanced with spice. Moshein continues, saying the wine has "wonderful layers of flavor" and no flaws. Roenigk's notes disagreed, citing that the wine was medicinal and thick.

The actual Ringer (Jaffurs Matilija Cuvée) fared moderately well with Moshein finding the wine to have "funky green flavors." Wine number four (Pennautier Merlot) may in fact have been slightly damaged, but was cited by many as having earthy French aromas and a pleasant finish. However, many agreed that there were some difficult, odd flavors at mid-palate.

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Flight 4: Full-Bodied Reds

1996 Carmen Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($9.99): black currant and green pepper aromas

1997 Bogle Old Vine Cuvée Zinfandel ($9.99): juicy, briary, blackberry flavors with black pepper on the finish

1997 Chateau Saint Cosme Cotes-du-Rhone ($9.99): Grenache/Syrah blend; black pepper and dark fruit aromas and flavors; most guessed correctly that this is a Rhone wine

1996 Alamos Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon ($9.39): overripe cherry and chocolate flavors with some weedy characteristics and moderate tannins

1998 Don Miguel Gascon Malbec ($9.99): easy-drinking with raspberry and tea-like character; "beauty for grilled foods"

1997 Cline Ancient Vines Mourvedre ($16.99): spicy vanilla, sweet wood, and dried dark fruit aromas; smooth and balanced with chocolate and cherry flavors; RINGER

	Carmen	Bogle	St. Cosme	Alamos R	M. Gascon	Cline (R)
Zinni	89R	85	86	84	82	87
Roenigk	85	84	85	80	82	87
Moshein	68	82	88R	72	86	82
Loëb	60	83	85R	70	83	83
Cubberley	72	87	87	87	86	88R
Graham	75	82	84	78	86R	84
Gilhousen	87	84	85	86	84	82
Steiner	78	82	84	89	89R	86
Lowe	80	86	85	81	84	86R
Outon	82	86R	88	87	83	85
Hansen	88	85	84	87	85	90R
Vilim	84	82	87	84	84	88R
Total	79	84	85.6	82.1	84.5	85.7

Flight 4 Highlights

Finally a Ringer wins it, but only by a hair over the Saint Cosme Cotes-du-Rhone. Evidently, there are a great number of Rhone lovers in this group. (Mourvedre, the grape used to make the Cline wine, is also a varietal indigenous to the Rhone region.) Hansen gave the Cline highest scoring, guessing that the grape variety was in fact Mourvedre.

A score of 60 was given by Loëb for the lowest-scoring wine in this flight -- the Carmen Reserve Cab; this wine, he noted is "funky and un-nice," asking how to spell "eww." Lowe's notes echoed these comments, but went on to say that the wine "tastes better than it stinks." Zinni, however, described the wine as being deep, heavy, inky, minty, and tar-like. Admitting the wine is freaky, he still gives the wine an 89. Wine Spectator gives a nearby score of 88 to the Carmen Res. Cab. Incidentally, the Bogle Zinfandel is another of Wine Spectator's "Best Buys," receiving a rating of 88. Outon chose the Bogle as the Ringer, theorizing that the wine is "too big to be $10."

As an aside, Steiner incorrectly guessed that the Gascon Malbec was the Ringer, calling the wine a "raspberry bomb." It's a good thing he liked it, though; he and his partners at GrapeVine Market have a huge stack of this wine on display in their South American section.

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Flight 5: Off-Dry to Sweet Whites

This category was cut after tasting and scoring was complete. Wines chosen for this category ranged greatly in style and sweetness, making comparison and individual assessment extremely difficult. Scores averaged in the high 70s, with the Ringer, a 1998 Lava Cap Muscat Canelli ($14.99), receiving the highest average score (84.4). The lowest score of the tasting -- a rating of 50 -- given by Bill Loëb, was rendered in this category. His tasting notes on that wine have been withheld to prevent the Chronicle from suffering punitive action by the TABC.