Fill into neck. Excellent label and capsule. The sommelier did his best to get the cork out intact, but it crumbled and disintegrated anyway. Decanted 5 minutes before tasting.

Deep, rich ruby red. Initial whiff of fresh mint, leading into a mellow bouquet of earthy Indian spices. Very fine palate of woodsy earth, red currants and plum, with a bit of balsamic vinegar in the background, and a slightly bitter finish. Over the course of an hour, the fruit faded, some licorice notes showed up, and some mustiness was noticeable toward the end. Medium to full-bodied with smooth tannins and good structure. 88 points.

This was consumed at The Better Half in San Diego and went very well with the Indian spiced lamb chops and the grilled hanger steak. Best of all is the corkage policy: FREE if you share your wine with the staff; $5 per bottle if you don't. All in all, a better experience than my dinner at Gary Danko last weekend.

Have you been finding these these oldies at auction?

A few of us have been to Better Half a few times. I like the quail. Are you still thinking about joining up with us for an offline, or did we scare you off?

Yes, I found this bottle at auction recently. I also picked up a 1982 Ch. du Glana and, just for fun, a 1989 Penfolds Koonunga Hill. They were both mid-upper 80 pointers, and the Koonunga set me back less than four dollars. Love those $1 start/no reserves!

Haha -- yes I would still like to join other SD folks for an off-line. I would vote for either Better Half, or Dish (on University Ave. -- free corkage) or Avenue 5 (downtown -- free corkage on Sundays). I would also like to try 3rd Corner since that place seems to have a following in this forum. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and weekends are best for me.

I like the way you think in regards to corkage and auction wines.

You may try and catch up with the group on the 12th. http://forums.winespectator.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/2566058161/m/259109245

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