Straw. Big sweats socks nose at first, then settles down to yeast, brioche, and Madagascar vanilla; lovely! The palate is superbly balanced, velvet mousse, and fine but reasonable acidity (1996 can be brutal, still); excellent length, or even better -- it is really, really long. Later, a little green tobacco, candy cane. Delicious wine! Already a contender for WOTN... (From magnum)

Pale green straw. Immediately very gouttey and mineral on the nose; saline, smoke, a line of cool green menthol (thanks, Seth), cotton candy, cinnamon (baking spices), caramel; more and more salty sea dock. The palate is massive, predictably, very broad, but really nicely balanced for such a big wine. Primary. The oak, while present, is in fine balance. Good length, but not at all nuanced, yet. Don't touch this for 5 years, minimum, but a very good wine.

Gold straw. Very perfumed, but also subtle and wickedly, deeply complex. Pure. Very young and elusive. The palate is dense with glycerin; rich and weighty and very, very primary. Not much nuance is available, but the orange zest, pit fruits, and spices are there. Excellent, firm, mineral length. Hold! Not showing much right now. This reminds me of a magnolia tree -- not much to look at, then 3 days later it explodes in riotous glory... Delicious but tight and not ready to play nice.

Blood ruby. Nose is immediately a little hot, but it is also nicely perfumed. Fairly classic red fruit. The palate is feminine and refined, very nice actually with good texture and nice sweetness to the red fruit. The palate is definitely better than the nose. OK length, not bad. A nice bottle of wine. (Brought by Dan Rinke, winemaker at Johan Vineyards -- thanks, Dan!)

Ruby. The nose is quite oaky, but classic young Burgundy nonetheless; cherry, intense bubblegum, cherry pits, and stone dust; a little heat. OMG this wine is FABULOUS with beef carpaccio! Wow! Palate is pretty good now, a charming '06; mellow cherry, good length. A medium-term wine already drinking well.

Blood ruby. Nose is huge, certainly oaky but with oodles of '02 perfume. Now, smells like standing at the gutter as they're hosing out the whorehouse -- CROTCH! Strawberry jam and Vegas... Unbelievably like strawberry, massive red berry fruit -- wow! Palate is polished and pretty good now -- spicy, sexy, and round with glycerin; exotic. Again, oaky for sure but very delicious. Good not great length. This wine is a total fireworks show, so lay out a blanket and thrill to the booms and bursts while it's going on. Drink now or hold for the medium term, I don't see this making old bones. This is by far the most accessible Bonnes Mares I have ever had.

Perfect blood ruby. Absolutely classic, spot-on nose; a little volatile, but I like it here, totally appropriate balsamic notes; cherry liqueur, stones. Classic. Palate is tannic! Lots of fine, dense cherry fruit, but this is definitely leaning tannic. Medium length, firm and solid. A delicious wine, but be careful not to hold it too long. I think the tannins will beat the fruit in time, if this bottle is typical.

Perfect ruby. Really classic! salted cherry nose -- wonderful (a relief; it was overwhelmingly tarry when I double decanted it 6 hours earlier); very fresh, pretty, and rosy; raspberry and walnuts. Lovely and surprising, honestly, though with a touch of '90 heat. The palate is velvety and roundly firm, very nice. Plum skins, cherry, and tannin. Nice length. Very good and has miles to go. It still has very firm tannins but buckets of fruit and perfect balancing acidity. Excellent! (My wine)

Very, very pale red, completely bricked. At first I doubted the nose as it was very oxidized and not quite right... But 5 hours later after a double decant: stones, cherry, delicate and withered rosy red sweetness, extremely classic. The palate is resolved and round, though it didn't have much to say until paired with food and then it exploded with characterful mellowness (oxymoronic, yes). Lovely and delicate. I'm sorry I doubted! Tea, teak, and rose. Not terribly long, but pretty. I would expect a bigger wine from 1978, but this is consistent with an earlier bottle. Drink up. (My wine)

Clear ruby. Nose was an immediate and massive hit of tequila, then very deep cherry cough syrup and a framing whiff of spice; rustic but fine -- very, very '88. The palate is much better, cherry, filigree tannin; lots of sweety-pie cheery cherry fruit -- very fine! Surprised! Good length, but '88-style length, meaning grippy and savagely mineral, iron. A very fine wine. Drink or hold, probably unto eternity.

Blood ruby, very deeply colored. Wonderfully restrained but rich nose of red apple skins and a touch of mature heat; hugely reminiscent of deep red tomato-basil soup, with enticing shifting notes of cinnamon and other baking spices. An absolutely freaking classic nose, jumping Jehoshaphat! Lovely. Iron, blood, and an amazingly fresh lift from... something magical somewhere. Wow! The palate is similar in every regard, then some tinned sardine (?), really nice -- umami, saline, smoky. Impeccable balance. Again: wow! Good to excellent length. Wonderful. Just exactly what it should be and I hoped for. Bravo!

Blood. Smells intensely like a florist's shop, gardenia and geranium; mint; BLT sandwiches (think bacon, tangy tomato, bread); stone dust/petrichor. The palate is peppery, bright, pure, and fabulously well balanced, primary yet but definitely softening structurally. Just excellent, pinpoint balance, incredible breed and poise. The flavors on the palate are those of the nose, matched to a haunting inner-palate perfume. Incredible precision with real lift. Very good length with a classic, medium body. A superb Cote Rotie, just getting started. Hold. (This was the best young Rhone I've had since '88 & '89 Chave Hermitage in late-2011.)

Very deep blood, bricking. Very, VERY Pichon Lalande nose: bell pepper, cedar cigar box, iron filings, burning fireplace embers; a lot of chalk, perhaps a bit too chalky for my taste. The palate is big and dense, very rich; insanely cashmere smooth and velvety. Tannic yet, with precise acidity. Flavors of plum, deep black cherry, fig, cedar. This is still too young for me. Excellent length with medium to full body. Hold. 10-20 years from ready. Fantastic, but young.

Deep blood, bricked but astonishingly dark still. HUGE nose of burning embers, seaweed, tarry seadock, juniper, beeswax -- it just goes on forever; fucking Islay peat (!); forest moss. Wow... Palate is round with a touch of aggressive acidity, healthily tannic, with buckets of old skool Rioja fruit -- plums, figs, currants -- wrapping it all up. Long. Just terrific; couldn't possibly be better. Drink, but no hurry as this probably has another 30 years ahead of it, easily.