ISO88591QTN=3A_for_Mike_T=2E_and_Nils_=28=2799= =ISO88591Q_Dom=2E_du_Gros

Opened tonight with a dinner of heirloom tomato Caprese salad and bread:

1999 Dom. du Gros Noré Bandol nose: very aromatic esters, tar, deep, plummy fruit palate: smooth as silk, full bodied, rich, deeply fruited, tar, spices, pine resin

This bottle was hand-carried back from the domaine, which we visited in the company of Nils and Christina Lindgren and the redoubtable Mike Tommasi. It has perhaps aged faster than the ones I've purchased here in Indiana, as Kermit Lynch has better temperature control than my Peugot had. Nontheless, this wine was á point tonight. In its honor, we attempted to recreate the phenomenal tomato tasting that Mike took us to afterward (that, and the glut of tomatoes currently Chez Nous): green zebras, a black non-Krim and a pink German, all with mozzarella di bufala della Campagna and some fresh basil. The winner of the tasting was the green zebra by unanimous acclaim for its vibratn acidity and great tang. The wine was phenomenal, too, reminding us of nothing so much as a top-quality Amador County Zinfandel. You now know what I'm bringing the next time I show up on your doorstep, Mike!