Primum Familiae Vini wineries donated 22 wines for dinners in Sarasota and New York. The following notes are on some of the best wines sampled with rock shrimp, gazpacho, roasted squab and European cheese at a press preview. Most are quite rare; a few are not. Look for them at fine wine shops.
* Antinori Tignanello, 2000 ($70): The winery's prime break with Chianti has lots of pepper, spice and cedar and big fruit when young, but in an older vintage like 1986 is soft and smooth.
* Egon Muller Scharzhof Auslese, 1959 (rare): Younger rieslings from Germany's Saar are crisp, viscous and taste of melons. In middle age, this has a rich nose of petrol, a round, slippery texture and a full flavor of sugar and spice.
* Chateau Clerc Millon, 1996 (rare, about $100): A Pauilliac neighbor and sibling of Mouton Rothschild, this is a great fifth-growth, big, dark cabernet with lots of spice, although not as deep and powerful as Mouton from the great '89 vintage.
* Beaune Clos de Mouches, Drouhin, 1992 (rare): If you think chardonnay can't age, you need to try this from Pommard and Beaune; it's almost a Montrachet, but it mellows into honeyed texture with a spicy, nutty nose and taste and a lingering finish.
* Hugel Riesling, Jubilee, 1990 (rare): Grassy and full-bodied when young, this crisp Alsatian blossoms at maturity into a meadow full of honey and flowers with a piece of licorice for fun.
* Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc 1 Block Reserve, 2001 ($65): Mondavi renamed sauvignon blanc, and this vintage from the 50-year-old vines in Napa's To-Kalon is in a class of its own. Lively with a crisp stony taste, but smells of smoke oak and vanilla and wonderfully round in the mouth. The 1994 doesn't come close.
* Hermitage La Chapelle, 2001, Paul Jaboulet Aine ($100 to $150): One of the richest of all northern Rhones, the syrah blend has body almost like a port, flavored with cherries, blackberries and pepper. A treasure to keep.
