Let the record reflect that Mark and I have chatted online for years before this face-to-face cork-pullin' shootout, and he's not only a wizard wine bozo but a heck of a nice fella! No need to construct a rivalry here where none's needed, although I would point out that he generally drinks much more expensive wine than I do. :-)

San Carlo is an excellent Italian restaurant in Philadelphia's old-town area, and the company there Wednesday night was magnificent, an eclectic group of serious wine types (Mark Squires, Arthur and Phylis Johnson, Don and Meg Demuth, Al Chaby and me) that spanned quite a few corners of Cyberspace, including regular hangers-out on CompuServe, Prodigy, my Web-based Wine Lovers' Discussion Group and even alt.food.wine. Not bad for a group of seven!

Without further ado, here are my tasting notes, with the usual caveat from such occasions that the wines were consumed unblind and not overly analytically, in a dim room in a social setting with food on the table. They're listed in the order tasted -- we constructed various two-way and three-way comparisons:

TWO CHARDONNAYS

Beaux Freres 1994 Yamhill Valley Oregon Chardonnay - Pale gold. Good apple and mineral aromas; rich flavor, buttery over good acidity, seems soft on the attack but firms up over a good structure as it crosses the palate.

Joseph Phelps 1994 Napa Valley "Ovation" Chardonnay - Pale gold, with toasty oak aromas, chestnuts, very nice indeed. Fully bright apple and tropical-fruit flavors, big and rich, with plenty of acidic structure. Definitely an exception to my usual rule about disliking CalChards; I preferred it to the Beaux Freres.

"BLIND" BULGARIAN

Menada 1990 Bulgarian Cab/Merlot - Mark brought this in a brown-paper bag and poured it blind. Dark, hazy garnet, earthy, barnyard, leather. Vaguely reminded me of a very old, forgettable Cabernet or Syrah. I didn't come close to guessing it, but took partial credit for speculating about Cabernet.

THREE PINOTS

Beaux Freres 1993 Willamette Valley Oregon Pinot Noir - Dark ruby, with a huge aroma, smoke, raspberry, and a faint, pleasant medicinal quality at first, opening up to more typical Pinot tomato-skin and candied fruit. Big, chewy and massive on the palate. Not one to be mistaken for a Burg, it's too muscular and technicolor for that, but definitely yummy.

Volnay 1er Cru les Caillerets "Clos des 60 Ouvrées" La Pousse d'Or - Light ruby in color, cherries and nice herbal aromas; some Burgundy leather and appropriate vegetal notes. A bit difficult to evaluate between the two bigger, fruitier Oregon Pinots, but certainly a decent Burg.

Domaine Serene 1994 Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir - Clear ruby, delicate and closed at first, showing bright red fruit but little complexity; but it snapped into shape after 30 minutes, with lovely sweet-cherry fruit and rosy floral notes turning it into a memorable glass.

LANGUEDOC "VERTICAL"

My contribution to the evening's deliberations, I brought along both the 1990 and 1994 bottlings of Chateau La Roque Pic Saint Loup "Cupa Numismae" Coteaux du Languedoc:

1990 - Very dark ruby color. Black fruit, seems a little soft at first, but lemon-squirt acidity comes around on the palate. Pleasant but not showing its best, certainly not in comparison with the delicious 1994; difficult to say if it's closed or past it.

1994 - Opaque, almost black. Lovely "garrigues" aroma, the characteristic herbal scent of the Languedoc and Provence, with whiffs of coconut and wildflowers over ripe black fruit. Flavors consistent with the nose, over good acidic structure and firm but accessible tannins. Great value, still on the market here for $12.

EXCELLENT '92 BORDEAUX

Grand Vin de Leoville du Marquis de Las Cases 1992 St.-Julien - Inky dark reddish-purple, with lovely cassis and lead-pencil aromas, herbal, classic Bordeaux nose. Big fruit pokes through a curtain of tannins; elegant, balanced, but needs time. Definitely breaks me of my prejudice against the early '90s vintages, at least as a reminder that Las Cases is one property that can perform very well even when its neighbors don't.

PASS THE PORT

Fonseca 1983 Oporto - There's no better way to end a fine, leisurely meal than with a glass of good Port, and this one certainly qualifies. Dark ruby in color, with rich stone-fruit aromas; luscious, sweet and tannic, powerful "grip."