A week ago, on May 14th, the Sons of Bacchus (SOBs) and a Daughter of Dionysus assembled at the Seven Hills Winery for a blind tasting of Grand Cru Chablis - all Grand Cru, no Premier Cru. These come from the slope overlooking the town on Chablis with a southwest exposure and the heaviest concentration of calcium in the soil, which gives Chardonnay a distinctive minerally taste. The top wines in each fligh, with my scores, were:

2011 Christian Moreau Chablis Grand Cru, Valmur - This was my favorite, as well as the group's. It possessed an intriguing saline and floral nose and a classic, crisp texture, turning steely and dry on the lemon zest finish. 19+/20 points.

2009 Vincent Dauvissat Chablis Grand Cru, Le Clos - I ranked this second close second. It shoed a medium greenish gold color and classic aromas of green apple and gunflint. The palate showed much minerality and biting acidity. 19+/20 points.

2004 William Fevre Chablis Grand Cru, Le Clos - Again, I ranked this second. It showed a classic pale colo and a flinty, yet rich nose, with hints of hazelnut (showing the wine's maturity) and a long, dry, herb tinged finsh. 19/20 points.

Other outstanding wines.

2012 Domaine L. Chatelain Chablis Grand Cru, Le Clos - Light gold colored, this had a fresh, minerally nose and notes of pear and peach, with a classic, steely finish. Purchased from Total Wine, it cost $59.99, a best buy, as the others cost upwards of $70 a bottle. 19/20 points.

2010 Domaine Patrick Piuze Chablis Grand Cru, Blanchots - This was my favorite in the entire tasting, and number two in the second flight. It showed a brilliant gold color and a saline nose of flint, peach and citrus, with a steely, classic finish. 19.5/20 points.

The tasting was preceeded by a 2000 Hanzell Sonoma County Chardonnay, in honor of its winemaker, Bob Sessions, who had just passed away. It had held up remarkably well, with superb varietal delineation and little oxidation. Thanks to Casey McClellan and Erik McLaughlin for hosting.

Last Saturday, the Perfectly Aged Wine Sippers (PAWS) assembled at the home of Ted and Joyce Cox for a tasting of Sangiovese wines, some from Italy, some from Washington. The wines were scored on the "Wine Country Getaways" 25 point scale (a new one for me). The scores were all over the place, so I am just listing the group's favorite and my top pick.

2010 Balboa Sangiovese, Columbia Valley - This was an amiable Sangio, which explains its top ranking. It showed a deep ruby color and rich aromas of raspberry and cherry, with a supple texture. I found it to be a nice wine, but not my favorite. 19/25 points.

2007 La Lecciaia Brunello di Montalcino, Riserva - I picked this out as a Brunello (Sangiovese Grosso). It showed a garnet color and classic aromas of dried berries and cherries, woody smoke and elegant medium-full bodied flavors and a long, dry, complex finish. A beautiful wine, I scored it 25/25 points.

Curriously, Walla Walla Vintners appeared three three times out of the seven wines being blind tasted, two from the 2012 vintage, one from 2011. Here's my notes on the 2012:

2012 Walla Walla Vintners Sangiovese, Columbia Valley - Deep ruby colored, it showed attractive aromas of raspberry, cherry and crushed roses, with supple, medium-bodied flavors that carried on nicely through the finish. I scored both bottles 21/25 points.