Made dinner for some friends -- prosciutto wrapped scallops for a starter and then grilled ribeyes, twice baked potato and veggie. No formal notes taken but here are some impressions.

1997 Roland Rapet Corton Charlemagne
This was my first Corton Charlemagne, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Nice yellow color to it. Nose was somewhat reminiscent of a Calif chard...some butter. Not as minerally as I expected. Pear, mango and some mild citrus on the palate. Unfortunately I didn't get to spend as much time with this as I would have liked but I liked it. Some really liked, some didn't like it at all (though I think their tastes tend to go toward buttery, oaky Calif. Chards). I can't speak of typicity, but a very nice wine. I have two more left. 91 pts.

1987 Chappellet Cabernet Reserve and 1997 Chappellet Cabernet
The cork on the '87 was sucken in a bit and broke. After much digging, we managed to get the cork out. Filtered it through a coffee filter. These wines were very similar. The '87 was slightly darker but really both quite similar in color. Surprisingly the '87 probably showed more fruit than the '97 for most of the night. Predominantly bright cherry, some raspberry, licorice (more in the '87 than '97) and a bit of mineral. The '87 started out with a mouth puckering drying finish, which the '97 had also. They both had very similar structure to them, but the '97 was just a more complete wine. This was the first pre-1990 Calif cab I've had, and it didn't disappoint. Not at its peak, but still enjoyable and an interesting, educational experience. I'd put the '87 at 89-90 pts and the '97 at 91 points.

1998 Charles Krug Generations Reserve Mertitage
The person who brought this thought it might be only sold at the winery. I haven't had many 1998s because plenty of '99 and '01s to choose from. But this certainly did the vintage proud. I think it was everyone's WOTN. Deep ruby in color. Wonderful nose of black cherry and brown sugar. Later in the evening some people were picking up dill on the nose. Beautiful weight on the wine, smooth, long finish. I wonder what these are like in a good vintage. 92-93 pts.

2000 Spring Valley Walla Walla Uriah
Plenty has been written about this wine on the boards and it didn't disappoint. Some thought the tannins were a bit tight and wondered what it would be like in five years. I didn't find them obtrusive and thought it was drinking very well, but it should hold for some time. 91 pts

1999 Shafer Napa Merlot
This was a big, showy merlot with plenty of chocolate and plum. It was certainly a crowd pleaser. I'm finding that I don't like the "chocolaty" merlots as much as some, but it still was quite tasty. Probably more for drinking alone than with food. 91 pts

1999 Robert Sinskey Carneros Merlot
Now this is a food merlot. Bright fruit, great acidity but it lacked a little oomph. I wanted to like this more than the Shafer (in fact I think at one point in the evening I said I did) because I tend to like this style more, but it just lacked a bit of power. 89-90 pts