Steak at Fred 2008/12/06

Year	Wine	Price	Rating
2006	Sbragia Gamble Vineyard Chardonnay, Napa Valley Fresh, vibrant and deeply concentrated at the same time. Pear, lime, melon, honey, butter, perfectly balanced with medium toasty oak. Perfect match with my lazy microwaved snow crab legs served with clarified butter and lemon. Memorable. - so - ws	32.99	*****
1997	Freemark Abbey Sycamore Vineyard Cabernet, Napa Valley Well aged. No tiredness. Blueberry, eucalyptus, mildly spicy, chalk, some dark chocolate and earth. Delicious. - so - ws	50	*****
NV	Overture, Napa Valley Opus One's second wine. Non-vintaged but believe to be 1998. Dark plum, prune, vanilla, very good performer consider the cool vintage. Well aged. No tell-tale dried leaves that's too common in 1998 Napa Cabs. Lacking the spicy, clove-like oak that I often find in Overtures and Opus Ones. It demonstrates clearly Overture can age. - so - ws	45	****
2001	Nickel and Nickel Branding Iron Vineyard Cabernet, Oakville I often think 2001 cannot live up to its fame. This wine is unstable, beginning with an excellent blackberry, Oakville fruit forwardness, then becoming green with bell pepper, leaves notes, and finally opens up again becoming more traditional blackcurrent, cherry profile. Ranges from 3.5 to 4.5 stars. Averaging 4. - so - ws	80	****
2005	Lascombes, Margaux Tight, concentrated, earthy, milk chocolate, graphite, blackberry. Multidimensional finish. - so - ws	85	*****
NV	Americano, n/a Fred and Anita made absolutely fabulous Americano (espresso + hot water). He made it on stove top. A very tedious process (including cleaning I imagine). Silky smooth like HK-style milk tea. The Peets Arabian Mocha Java is best, nutty, long, long, long finish. - so - ws	n/a	*****