Deep and complex wine, full, sweet mature strawberries. Likable.

Some nuts, deep, almost caramel, developed, warmish fruit, but still very good bottle for the vintage.

Deep, spicy nose, minerals, some fatness on the nose; quite long, fresh, more minerals, to be picky – the finish could have more complex.

Off-putting nose of fish entrails, a bit flat, lacks complexity.

Nuts, deep, some spice, kelp; finely balanced, quite full, long, fine finish, develops in the glass, at a good spot now.

Seaweed and kelp, minerals, a hint of nuts; seawater, some complexity, acid could have been better.

Fresh, delineated – but also with depth, minerals and seawater.

Sea and nuts, deep and complex; wonderfully mature, quite fresh still. The finish could have been fresher and more complex.

Extremely complex and powerful when opened. The nose had everything you would want in a Bordeaux. Extremely complex, fresh black currants, spices, and some tertial aromas of tobacco and leather; wonderfully balanced, very long, full bodied, complex. After a while it becomes less intriguing. Given its youthfulness, this was a curious development in the glass.

Some dried fruit and slightly oxidative nose at first was a bit worrisome. Lots of tertial aromas on the nose – leather and forest floor etc.; complex and very fine in the mouth at first – albeit slightly disappointing, some oxidative notes. Transformed in the glass and became utterly complex and elegant, sweet, deep and still structured.

RIP

Meat juice and bullion on the nose, forest floor, a bit funky; much better in the mouth, complex and intense, perhaps a bit short. Develops in the glass, becomes more intriguing but never loses the slightly oxidative nose. Not an entirely perfect bottle.

Served blind. Some development on the color; graphite and minerals on the nose, deep fruit, lots of cedar. At least I was the West side, guessed Paulliac or St. Julien. A truly underrated vintage of Gruaud, and side-by-side it has often outperformed the 82. Perfect specimen.

Deep and complex, but so very unfortunately: a bit oxidative leaning towards plummy on the nose. In the mouth it is much better than on the nose, has lots of power, tight, could have been more complex. Not an optimal bottle.

Complex and deep nose, still some black currants, forest floor and crumbling logs, warm fruit; latourish power, lots of fruit, a bit lacking in acidity, length and complexity. Still, a very good a powerful wine. Given the vintage, I had expected a different profile.

Dark with definitive browning, no red left; coffee, oxidation, some Madeira. Has some merits, but a bit hard and charmless.

From a very good cellar and in neck fill. Insanely youthful looking. Wonderful deep, concentrated and clean fruit, some flinty characters. Very long, fresh, but drying a little bit in the finish.

Madeira and Balsamico. Powerful wine below.

Too old

Burned sugar and cotton candy, nuts, a bit alcohol on the nose; very long, a bit brownish taste, orange peel and nuts, open, moderate sweetness, some complexity. Very, very god – but surely not outstanding.

Served blind. Very youthful and tight, very dark; coffee and Valhrona chocolate, very acidid, quite a bit of tannin, dry, meaty. No idea what this could possibly be. When revealed: this was really an atypical bottle for vintage and vineyard.

Served blind to all of us by the sommelier. Very elegant wine, acidic and fruity. Landed on Sangiovese, and not a meaty as many Brunelli, thus a Chianti of some age. One person around the table suggested a 7-10 year old Sodaccio Montervertine. That was really creepy.

Dark with bricking/browning rim; burned sugar, almonds, extremely complex nose, raisins, dried fruit; more burned sugar, deep fruit, spices, developed in the mouth, medium length. Nose by far the best. My first, and I guess not an optimal bottle.