AP# 34016*009*77. Very deep gold. The nose shows plastic with notes of honey. Other tasters cited diesel, but I found this to be a lot lighter than that. This has a somewhat bitter note on entry with some lemon pith. This still has a lot of sugar with a very thick, glyceral texture. Medium finish. As with nearly any well aged riesling, this is pretty lovely, but it doesn't display the acid or complexity of other aged examples I have tasted.

This is obviously Sauvignon Blanc with intense grassy notes and some hints of charcoal. On the palate this is very bitter with an astringent attack and loads of acid. This shows impressive length, but the bitter grapefruit on the finish is just over the top. I refer to wines like this as "strangled by grass" style of wines.

Made from Obaideh and Merwah. Deep color. This shows doughy, leesy notes on the nose with nuttiness and some heat. On the palate this shows very little interest with a flat, bitter feel. This clearly seems over the hill and somewhat oxidized. NR

This show surprisingly deep color. The nose is unusual, highly floral with a hint of mint and some slightly green elements. The palate has a certain feel of riesling with upfront acidity, but from there the flavor profile differs. White pepper and spice with nice length. I found this wine to be somewhat confusing but quite enjoyable.

This shows lots of heat with blueberry and some white pepper. On the palate this is nicely balanced with medium intensity. This shows very pure fruit with some alcohol. Medium in length and somewhat monolithic but also fun. I would not have guessed this as Cabernet.

Deep color. This shows black pepper, a subtle hint of bacon and blackberry on the nose. Very big structure on entry with a Marquis Philips sort of feel (I guessed that blind). Boisterous blackberry and blueberry take over on the palate with a spicy finish. This really grows on you.

This was the surprise of the night. The nose of bacon, violet and tar screamed of Côte-Rôtie. This is showing quite young. Very spicy and smoky on the palate. This took about 25 minutes in the glass before fruit started to emerge. The finish on this is not terribly powerful but long and pretty.

Light color. This shows chocolate and some milky notes on the palate. Very spicy with some clove. Somewhat clipped finish.

This wine generated the controversy for the evening with 6 of 8 tasters claiming it was corked. I was just about alone in finding this wine enjoyable (Roy thought it was OK), but trust me, it was fine. Needless to say, my score was the high water mark, as I believe the wine was just showing a bit strangely. The funky nose shows iron, iodine, black olive and earthy depth. On the palate this was initally very prickly, but fortunately this passed quickly. This shows grenache notes typical of CNDP with a drying finish. Delicious is what I say! 89-92 points

For me this was the dry wine of the night with only the dessert wines upstaging things. This is absolutely awesome and mouthfilling with sweet, spicy clove. Excellent balance and structure with lush, lavish and explosive fruit.

The nose show thick scents of latex paint and blueberry. Beneath this is a wine with a lot of fruit that is trapped under a sickening veil of volatile acidity. This the second time I have had this wine and the second time I have been unable to drink it due to excessive VA.

Corked! Despite this it showed very plush texture with chocolate, raspberry and huge fruit.

Lots of black character on the nose with ample tobacco. Earthy and very silky with some caramel. This is the least flattering bottle I have tasted of this wine. The cork was clearly pretty wine soaked, and this has probably seen heat damage at some point.

Wow, this is unctuous with a distinct "new car" smell and some slightly fishy notes. On the palate this shows amazing acidity and is fairly lithe for such a thick wine. The finish is long, long long.

This is thick with botrytis, showing gorgeous color and some heat. Wow, this is just awesome. Honey, tangerine peel and nail polish clearly show this as a Sauternes style blend. Scott absolutely blinded all of us on this one with folks certain this was Barsac or Sauternes.

AP# 2*602*144*8*77. Mmm, this shows diesel and honey with loads of botrytis. Very nice acidity and persistence. A delicious wine.

Wine of the night for me. Deep black in color. Oh my goodness, what lush, huge fruit and such a wall of structure. I have never tasted anything with this much tannin on the finish. The nose shows violet and a hugely perfumed personality. Unreal.