It wasn’t all mud on the floor and unflushed toilets at our elegant weekend plumbing party. I’m told dinner was excellent, and I can personally vouch for the fact that we had some very nice wines, especially a Toquade, a Napa Sauvignon Blanc that couldn’t have been more different from the famous New Zealanders I’m looking forward to sampling in situ soon. It was utterly, breathtakingly dry, and so elegantly refined I think it probably plays croquet in whites. At the suggestion of my wine merchant, I actually chose it over a long-time favorite, Grgch Hills Fumé Blanc (a Sauvignon Blanc in all but name), which is, simply, a great wine. And I’m glad I did, though I may go back to Grgch next time. It will be a while, either way. At $30 a bottle, this sort of stuff is once-a-year drinking around here. (Yesterday, my father, returning us all to the family’s normal level, brought around a $5 California Merlot. Not bad.)