Along about 10:00 on Friday night, Chairman Moe decided he was going to smoke a cigar, and no one else felt inclined to join him.  Despite the fact that he was ordered out of doors, he left a considerable gap in said door and within minutes, you could smell the damned thing all the way to the 2nd floor. From that point on it was useless to put your nose in a glass, because one could only smell the overpowering aroma of fine Dominican tobacco. Fortunately, most had already tasted through the bulk of the wines, and we drank some pretty good juice; Kim's grilled lamb and the supporting dishes weren't too shabby either. I managed to capture the following snapshots of the wines I tasted whilst interacting with my compadres, starting with some whites.

2002 Wyncroft Lake Michigan Shore Riesling Madron Lake : Pale to medium straw, with wet stone minerality and a little waxy petrol over earthy green apple; rich and round, with good acids. Mark Criden found it to be like New York Rieslings, lacking the intensity of the Euro models," but Mark Horvatich was rather more impressed, saying that you could drop it into an Alsatian tasting and no one would suspect that it was from Michigan.

2002 Wyncroft Lake Michigan Shore Gewurztraminer Madron Lake : Pale to medium straw, with peachy - litchi pear flavors and aromas and some added mineral on the finish; varietally correct and decidedly dry, with good acids and medium intensity, but overall, not as strong as the Riesling.

2002 Domaine Girard Sancerre La Garenne, 13% alc.: Pale straw, with mineral, lime, green apple and rainwater; crisp and refreshing.

2002 Clos Habert Francois Chidaine Montlouis Sur Loire, 12.5% alc.: Pale gold, with honeyed peach, pear and mineral; rich, not exactly unctuous but with a certain density to it. Very nice.

1995 De Loach OFS Zinfandel: Slightly rusty dark garnet, with an immediate impression of jalapeno pepper over black raspberry on the nose with some big oak and a little cedar lurking in the background waiting to break out and wreak havoc; the rich, intense flavors echo with zippy acidity and a long fin. It shows more zin and less jalapeno as it opens. It's not Ridge, but it's not bad.

1985 Domaine Tempier Bandol Migoua, 11 - 14% alc.: Rusty garnet, with earth, rotting vegetation and barnyard on the nose, along with some added dry red fruit in the mouth; Larry thought it's losing its grip, but Kim and I liked it pretty well. Smooth and earthy; gets richer as it opens in the glass.

1986 J. L. Chave Hermitage, 11 - 14% alc.: Slightly rusty dark garnet, with a funky barnyard, underbrush and black fruit nose; earthy, vegetal flavors echo. There is some fruit here as the wine opens in the glass, but my short pour never gets beyond pretty good at best, even with Kim's killer grilled butterflied legs o' lamb and black lentils. Others liked this considerably more than I, which is odd, since I'm a big Chave fan.

1996 J. L. Chave Hermitage, 13% alc.: Deep, dark garnet, with rich, earthy plum and blackberry flavors and aromas, accented with some nice garrigue, bacon and a little iodine; with a somewhat astringent finish and the structure to take it well down the road, this needs time, but is not unapproachable now.

1992 J. L. Chave Hermitage, 13% alc.: This old friend is still holding its own; a murky, rusty garnet with a few sediment floaties from the bottom of the bottle, it shows nice, mature leather and garrigue over soft prune and plum on the nose. Flavors echo, with a slight vegetal note and a hint of mahogany; smooth and harmonious.

1991 Ridge York Creek Cabernet Franc, 75% Cabernet Franc, 25% Petit Verdot, 13.3%alc.: Deep, dark garnet with earthy blackberry, black currant and a hint of blueberry; the Draper perfume is relegated to the background on the nose. Slightly astringent, with a good dose of tannins still to lose, earth and underbrush dominate the flavors. Still nowhere near its peak.

1995 Joguet Chinon Les Varennes du Grand Clos, 12.5% alc.: Rusty garnet, with somewhat vegetal red currant flavors and aromas; low tannins, decent length. Good Chinon, but not great Chinon.

1995 Jamet Côte Rôtie, 12.5%: Dark garnet, with smoky black fruit, leather, bacon and garrigue; nice stuff.

1999 Guilhem Gaucelm Ermitage du Pic St. Loup, 14% alc.: This deep, dark garnet drew some oddball descriptors, such as "medicine on the front, then licorice and buttered popcorn" from Jeff Faunce and Amy McClellan (right), "the best detergent you've ever smelled" from Larry Meehan, and "toast chocolate coconut oak" from Bob Graeter. Several called it "interesting," but ultimately, I don't think many liked it.

1975 Chateau Lafite Rothschild Pauillac, 12% alc.: Brickish, with nice, mature cedar, tobacco and mahogany flavors and aromas; Larry M. and Mark H. called it "minty," and Larry added an impression of black pepper. I actually found this to be reminiscent of an old Geyserville, while Mark was reminded of an old Lytton Springs Winery Reserve Zinfandel. Nice stuff, and ON THEME!

2000 Sean Thackrey Mendicino Sangiovese Eaglepoint Ranch Aquila, 14.3% alc.: The last few times we tasted this, it had no label, and now it has a new name, since someone has a prior claim on "Centaur."  Deep, rich blackberry and black cherry aromatics, graced with a subtle perfume; lots of the same on the palate, with some serious tannins and zippy acidity. Showing very tight, and turns a little leathery as it opens in the glass, and do I detect a little eucalyptus? Needs time, but shows plenty of promise.

1985 Chateau du Fonsalette Côtes du Rhône: 100% Syrah, this deep dark garnet is still showing only a hint of brick, and it's still a big wine, showing impressive structure and depth of fruit; leather, earth and black fruit, with notes of underbrush in flavor and aroma.

2000 Alban Edna Valley Grenache Estate, 15% alc.: Most everyone I talked to about this described it as "rubber bands and road tar," and I agreed, and it wasn't meant kindly. This was my cue to hit the Greaters' Black Raspberry Chip ® Ice Cream.  After all, I had to conserve some brain cells and liver tissue in anticipation of the next day's festivities====>>>