Chateau Ste Michelle

[Vivian]

A friend recommended a Merlot 1999 Chateau Ste Michelle. Does anyone have thoughts on their Cabernet? Is 99 also a good year?

Also does red meat compliment both? or neither?

[Innkeeper]

Would prefer their cab to the merlot, and both go with red meat. A lot of NW reds are excellent. You might also try Columbia Crest Grand Estate Cab. It is great year in year out. You might have noticed that in another thread close to this one that we've been enjoying a wonderful cab from the Central Coast of California that cost us $5 plus S&H. How is this possible?

Well right now in California and Australia as well as in other regions, there is a glut of wine. You should take advantage of this. Pay attention of postings on this board, please.

[joeyz6]

IK, I hadn't noticed you already mentioned a Columbia Crest wine to Vivian ... I recommended their 2000 Grand Estates Chard on her Chardonnay thread. [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]

Vivian, the 99 California Cabs and Merlots are both supposed to be pretty good. I've had a couple of the Cabs and I found them to be pleasant. BTW, vintage charts are common in wine books and on the web. Here is a link to Wine Spectator's:

http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Vintage_Charts/0,1183,,00.html

The other members of the wine board might have other/better recommendations for charts.

I think the pairing with red meat depends on the sauce. Any additional info on what you'll be serving?

[Vivian]

I apologize if I have been asking stupid questions. I realize most of you are way out of my league in wine lore. I am trying to learn and this has been a gold mine for me. I read a few books on wine, but a lot of what they said went over my head. I couldn't seem to find a "quick reference" that would answer my questions. I'll try to keep my questions to a minimum. I understand that this is a discussion board, not a Q&A place. In way of explanation, this wine tasting I am planning is now less than 2 weeks away and as I am an obsessive hostess I want to create as much enjoyment for my guests as I can. This means understanding what I am serving them, and I don't feel like I understand much! If I had found this website sooner I could have observed more and questioned less.

Thanks Joeyz for the additional info. As for the meat. I don't have a clue what I'm making yet. It is not a dinner, only hors d'oeurves. Perhaps meatballs in a BBQ sauce?

[Drew]

Vivian, I had the '99 Ch. Ste Michelle in late June and enjoyed it very much. There are tons of tasting notes in each wine category which might help in choosing available wines ('98 to '01). There's a smattering of '97's still around and then single bottles of previous years. The older the wine, the more I question storage before I buy. You should not be afraid to ask a lot of questions....just don't mention homework! BTW, Meatballs with a tomato based BBQ sauce will not match well, IMHO, with Cabernet or Merlot. If your focus is on the wines, I'd keep it simple with cheeses, sausage and grilled meats without sauces, to allow the red wines to show better. For the whites, cheeses, veggies and fruits and small breads for both red and white.

Drew

[joeyz6]

Vivian, don't you remember from kindergarten? There are no stupid questions ... I for one enjoy reading other people's posts, even if they are basic, because it helps me learn (I'm not nearly as educated on wine as a lot of the other members of the wine board, certainly not way over your head! [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]), and sometimes I need to ask basic questions too. So keep shooting. Also, I think the best way to "understand" the wine you are serving is to drink them. But as you said, you only have two weeks.

As Drew said, some of your answers might already be available in previous posts, or they could be easily findable on the Web. But if not, I'm sure someone here will always be happy to help you out. I've always found them to be receptive.