A neighbor threw an impromptu late-night party Friday (9:30 phone calls are not usual in this part of the woods) to celebrate finally getting off the homeowners association board, and a few bottles got consumed:
NV Bricourt champagne
France
What a marvelous little sparkler for around $15. Dry but with some fruity complexity and tiny bubbles.
2002 Chateau St. Michelle Reserve Syrah
Washington
(Bob and I had just opened this bottle when the phone rang, so we took it along.) Say what you will about big wine corporations, this wine is a stunner. It is, in fact, the best Washington state syrah I've had. Not gobby, not sweet, but rich, ripe, complex and almost-pretty without sacrificing it's masculinity. It's the metrosexual of domestic syrahs.
2001 St. Innocent "Freedom Hill" pinot noir
Willamette, Oregon
The champagne was gone and so was my syrah, but we were still reveling so Party Boy pulled this out of his closet. With almost cab-like structure, this showed the sturdy largesse that Freedom Hill vineyard fruit is known for. Quite drinkable (note: passive storage) with exotic cherry fruit and leafy notes, but it's in a shoulder phase between awake and asleep and needed food to show it's best. Other bottles should be left to rest another three years.
