Dave,

Willy and I opened a bottle of the 1997 ZPC Cuveé this evening for dinner. It is the first bottle we've opened of the two cases we purchased.  It's wonderful!  I don't remember precisely how it tasted when we did the barrel tasting before it was bottled, but I seem to remember that there was a little tannin on the palette.  Tonight the tannins seemed to be all but melded.  It still amazes me that the character of each of the varieties can be subtly distinguished!  It is drinking well, and I think another six months in the bottle will see it at a peak.

(These were the cases that had no tin seal and I hand wrote "ZPC" on the labels. ;-)

Any idea how this will compare to the 1998 ZP2C mentioned in your diary?