Another splendid meal of delicious chive, lobster, scallop, and shrimp dumplings, pot stickers, sausage, fried rice, and roast pork, was accompanied by a wide range of wines that included some wonderful surprises. Among the white wines, the value pick was Jean Thevenet's 1996 Domaine de la Bongran Mâcon. This beautifully rich, fresh, lively white saw no oak, and is all the better for it. Contrary to popular belief, this is one 1996 white Burgundy that is not oxidized. The other whites included a complex, mineral-dominated, full-bodied, powerful, tannic 1992 Leroy Corton-Charlemagne and an exquisite 2002 Dauvissat Chablis Le Clos. I was sitting next to Fabrice Latour (of the Louis Latour firm), and he believed that this wine needed to be drunk up over the next 1-2 years. It is certainly drinking great at present.

It is always interesting to compare great Nebbiolos with Pinot Noirs, especially red Burgundies. It seems to me that Nebbiolo is Italy's version of great Burgundy, even more complex and divine. We began with a superb magnum of 1989 Produttori de Barbaresco (one of the world's greatest coops, from the great Barbaresco Rabaja vineyard). Just hitting its adolescence, it revealed some amber at the edge, along with wonderfully sweet aromas of rose petals, tobacco, and cedary red and black fruits. Full-bodied, rich, and savory, it should last another 10-15 years. A badly corked bottle of 1989 Sandrone Barolo Boschis was quickly forgotten by the magnum of 1997 Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne. This vintage is somewhat controversial given its opulent, forward style, but this wine was spectacularly complex showing great Nebbiolo character. Very rich, concentrated, and stunningly proportioned, it should drink well for another 7-8 years, but don't expect it to make old bones like a great 1996, 1989, or 1990.

We then moved through a flight of red Burgundies, including a somewhat off, but still outstanding Leroy 1991 Clos de la Roche, which can be pure perfection from superb bottles. This bottle seemed a bit dirty in the nose, but lush and complex in the mouth. A 2002 Mugneret-Gibourg Echézeaux was a beautifully elegant, finesse-styled, pure, long red Burgundy.

The fully mature 1988 Sassicaia exhibited complex, Bordeaux-like notes of tar, cedar, spice box, and black currants. It was slightly dry and hard in the finish, as so many 1988s tend to be. I did not take notes on them, but there were three 1988 Castello di Amas brought to the tasting, all of them average to slightly above average.

The Italian flight finished with three stunning Sicilian wines from the home vineyard of Marc and Sebastian Di Grazia, the well-known Italian wine brokers. These Sicilian wines were a revelation. Most of the fruit for these three offerings emerges from 80-100+ year old vineyards on Mt. Etna. The soil types tend to be diverse, but primarily white volcanic ash (tufa) sprinkled with black pumice. The winemaking was very "Burgundian," with malolactic in wood, and aging in French oak (25% new) for 18 months. They all possessed unbelievable freshness and complexity as well as huge perfumes that suggested Pinot Noir. However, they were made from indigenous grape varietals. The lightest, most delicious at present is the 2004 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Calderara Sottana, which sells for $18 a bottle. It is a terrific, elegant, savory, fresh, perfumed wine offering notes of sweet smoked herbs intermingled with cherries, earth, and a hint of truffles. This beautifully knit wine should be drunk over the next 3-4 years. Boasting great intensity as well as gorgeous finesse and elegance, the superb 2004 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Feudo di Mezzo exhibited a deeper ruby color as well as sweeter fruit, a greater texture, flesh, and a longer finish. Drink this beauty over the next 5-7 years. The most backward and Grand Cru Burgundian-like was the 2004 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Guardiola. Its silky tannins were accompanied by a beautifully sweet bouquet of flowers, red and black fruits, earth, and subtle smoke. Lacy, rich, and light on its feet, it is ideal for drinking over the next 7-8 years. These wines are astonishingly complex and ethereal efforts from the hillsides of Mt. Etna in Sicily.

We finished with the biggest wines of the day, the Bordeaux selections. The evolved, classic 1990 La Mission Haut Brion, while stunning, may not be at the profound level of the 1989. It should drink well for 10-15 years or longer. We had two fabulous offerings from the 2003 vintage. Branaire Ducru has never made a better wine than its 2003, and it remains a great value for this vintage. It appears to require 3-4 more years of cellaring. Everyone predicted the 2003 Montrose would be great, and they were correct. It is a blockbuster, beefy, tannic, huge, backward effort that needs at least a decade of cellaring. The fully mature 1982 Haut-Brionexhibited huge, smoky, fig, plum, cedar, and sweet cherry-like aromas. An elegant yet opulent wine, this bottle seemed more evolved than other bottles I have tasted, and was all the better for it.

Other wines I tasted, but did not comment on included the 2003 Domaine Gramenons, which were not nearly as good as their 2004 counterparts, which I had tasted in preparation for the Rhône Valley report in issue #163 of The Wine Advocate. The 2003s were simply too dry, hard, and austere.