(bottle was opened 24 hours prior) I always find Ceritas to be a more lean, restrained style and this is no exception. Perhaps even more so due to the cool 2011 vintage. The oak influence is almost non-existent and there is very little oxidative character. There is a nice leesy custary component due to extended lees contact however which is quite appealing. The nose reveals a melange of stone/orchard/citrus fruit, lemon custard, green grape skins, honeydew melon and a slight green/herbal note. The palate is very high acid with an appealing creamyness. The finish isn't terribly long, but reveals a pleasant floral note. Good solid wine, which represents the producer and vintage well.

(bottle was opened 24 prior) Quite the contrast to the Ceritas poured next to it. It pours several shades darker and is much more rich and must have more oak and oxygen influence. Powerful nose is of cashew, lemon custard, vanilla, butterscotch, mostly stone fruit with the slightest tropical edge, maple syrup, ripe peach and buttered popcorn. The palate enters with just a touch of vanillin sweetness, with good high acid and a long buttered popcorn finish. A really classically styled wine done in a rich leaning style.

(bottle was opened 24 hours prior) Another consistently great showing of this bottle from Mount Eden. Really bright, spicy aromatics on this appealing wine. Nose of smoke, incense, pomegranate, stones, toast, raspberries, marzipan, exotic spice and blood orange. The palate has beautifully high acidity and a savoury, almost salty, nuance balanced against the sweet but still freshly tart fruit. Gorgeous blood orange and pomegranate notes on the palate. Long finish. Not too much in the way of tannin so I can't say exactly how long this will age, but the impeccable balance causes me to believe this thrilling wine will improve for at least 10 years. Just beautiful. I'm expecting this to pick up a point or two as it ages and integrates.

(bottle was opened 24 hours prior) What a great contrast to have this opened next to the Mount Eden. Both wines have similar features in the focus on red fruit with spicy whole cluster notes in support. This one pours just a hair darker and is almost slightly cloudy by comparison. The nose is beautifully earthy with notes of watermelon, cinnamon, light roast coffee, herbs, slate, light cherry, raspberry, and just the slightest hint of soy. Palate has good acid, though clearly much lower than the Mount Eden. Where the Mount Eden was more linear, precise and acidic, this wraps beautifully around the the palate and feels a bit more lush with just slightly darker red fruit and earth notes. Long finish. Seems to have the stuffing to go potentially longer than the Mount Eden but time will tell. I'm so excited to follow these fascinating wines. This is another one that could easily pick up a point or two over time. Clearly a Burgundy inspired wine.

(tasted blind) Clearly showing some oxidation and possibly some heat damage.

(tasted blind) Nose is very overripe and stewed. Showing worse than a bottle opened 6 weeks ago. Nose of prunes, raisins, dates, figs, saline, a slight black olive note, undergrowth, soya and lavendar. Palate has a lot of alcohol, a bit of tannin and fairly low acid. Lots of raisin notes on the medium minus finish. Some positive notes and some negative notes here. Not sure this is an entirely representative bottle.

(tasted blind) Pours quite light in colour. Nose is very Riesling like with notes of white flower blossoms, honey and green apple, though not so much slate or petrol. The palate shows more viscosity and less acid than I would expect from 100% Riesling which should have been an indicator about varietal. It's just so unusual to blend Alsatian varieties that none of us guessed it. The finish is medium plus in length with a honeyed finish. Ultimately we guessed Alsatian Riesling from a good producer. Interesting wine.

(tasted blind) Pours very dark in colour. Nose is of dark honey, maple syrup, mushroom, sultana raisins, dried lemon, bay leaf, wax, saffron, decaying leaves and a touch of toasted nuts. The palate is viscous with high (about 100g/l+) RS and a nice kiss of acid. There was some debate at the table whether this had botrytis and most thought no. In the end the consensus was late harvest Loire Chenin Blanc. Kudos to Maciej for leading the charge on that one. The finish is just a touch bitter, but the saffron notes remain nicely lingering. Overall, this was enjoyable though alarmingly advanced for the age and for me lacking a bit of freshness and botrytis character.

(tasted blind) Pours quick inky dark in colour, no bricking at all.Quite a whiff of Brett off the bat on this one. The nose reveals animal stable, wet old leather, dark cherry, blackberry and black currant. The palate shows huge structure with a lot of acid and a massive wall of tannin. Still super young. The brett and mouthfeel give this a traditional feel, though the fruit is dark and ripe. My guess was that this was less than 5 years old so clearly it hasn't budged. If I owned some of these I would be waiting at least 10 more years .