A slight tumble off'n the ole

[winoweenie]

sabbatical One of my oldest and dearest friends sons' birthday party was yesterday so CB and I decided to attend. I've decided to do the South Beach diet so will officially start agin tomorrow. Anywhos yesserday thunk it wuld be the perfect time to see if my remaing 2 74s have stood the test of time. The party started at 5 so at 2 I opened the 74 Volcanic Hill.Still kickin' patootie after all these years. Lovely notes of black fruits and spices pervaded the room. Still almost opaque with just a whisper of light ruby at the rim. Silky entry with a weighty center and the solid 5-lapper finish. This wine has been a classic since it was released. I was lucky enough to have probably accumulated and drank 7-9 cases. A few years ago I supplied Al a few bottles for a tasting he was having in Paris. The other bottle was just as impressive. 74 Heitz Marthas. If possible the nose was even more pronounced than the Volcanic. Probably due mainly to the eucalyptis, minty note that so charaterizes this beautiful juice. Like the Volcanic, I have probably had close to a hundred bottles of this kick-heinie juice. Incredibly dense on the palate again the finish was beyond the legendary 5-lapper. When I looked up the price on these 2 beauties it even made the weener ill....7.50 for the Volcanic and 20 for the Marthas. (SIGH) WW