Another decadently delicious showing. Shy red fruits, raspberry and cherry, perfectly ripe peach, a hint of sherry, plum sauce, smoke and mineral. Excellent concentration, decadent jammy red fruit driven palate impression, bright acidity, excellent mineral presence and lovely long sweet finish. This really is a crowd pleaser. Unlike Dom or Cristal rose, I don’t see the reason to age this.

This has to be one of the freshest, most elegant and terrifically balance Aubert. Fresh energetic nose displaying white fruits, pear, apple, lemon juice, banana bubble yum, a slight hint of oak and limestone. Very precise palate, perfect amount of acidity, good mineral presence and long clean cool finish. There is a hint of heat at the end but it is not bothersome. I actually like the very youthful fresh expression.

Fully mature high end Cali chardonnay nose displaying a whole lot of butter scotch and ripe yellow fruits, orange, pineapple, pine needle, sweet spices and mineral. Excellent concentration, extremely warm and round, medium acidity and mineral and sweet medium long finish. Despite pretty complex expression, this is now a bit too mature, heavy and cloying. I would have liked this more a couple years back. Of course YMMV.

Another fully mature nose displaying yellow pit fruits, butterscotch, smoked oysters and oyster shell. Good concentration, rich ripe yellow fruit and smoked oyster driven palate impression, warm and round, bright acidity and long sweet finish. I find this slightly fresher than the Indigene. Really no need to wait.

Very fresh and energetic nose displaying granny smith, apple candy, lychee, lemon and a hint of mineral. Medium body, very fresh, bright acidity and clean and refreshing medium long finish. Really good summer night wine. This really should be consumed now like a condrieu.

As usual, very ripe succulent fruit expression, ripe yellow fruits, peach, dry orange rind, spice spices, lanoline and mineral. Excellent concentration, warm yellow fruit driven palate impression, bright acidity, good mineral presence and sweet medium long finish. Very ripe style of Burgundy.

Incredibly youthful nose displaying perfectly ripe black fruit, blackberry, cherry, lavender candy, noticeable stem, raw button mushroom and tree bark. Excellent concentration, youthful black fruit driven palate impression, good mineral presence and long clean finish. Very nice youthful showing. If you are a fan of Marcassin PN, your rating would be at least a couple points higher.

There is nothing shy about this wine. Pop and pour, incredible youthful pitch black fruits, crmes de cassis, licorice, menthol which I assume reflecting high % alcohol, dark spices, lead pencil, noticeable oak, liquid smoke and earth. With air, it comes together nicely. Exceptional concentration, somewhat monolithic and dense, intense cassis fruit driven palate impression, noticeable but fine tannins and long finish. This is Cab equivalent of the high end Saxum. Clearly those who love and those who hate. It is a really impressive young wine. There is a good freshness so I hope it will age well. I would be happy to have a couple sips but not more at current stage.

Like the 06, it has a monster scale. Pop and pour, explosive nose displaying deeply tone black fruit, crème de cassis, blueberry liqueur, licorice, lavender, ink, lead pencil, Cabernet dust and dark spices. Exceptional concentration, chewy palate, good acidity and long finish. This is the wine equivalent of a bodybuilder. Not just toned but also very wide which some may find gross while others may admire and love.

A nice contrast to the Paul Hobbs. Much more classic, I even dare say “old school” expression of eisele cab. Starting to show a bit of tertiary notes, mostly red fruits, plum, a hint of cassis, strong presence of cedar, eucalyptus, light caramel, lead pencil and mineral. Very good concentration, the feeling of almost being light compare to the Paul Hobbs, beautifully mature sweet red fruit driven palate impression, good freshness, silky and polished, nicely integrated tannins and lovely long finish that ends with plum and cedar notes. Really enjoyable, a sort of wine that can perfectly complement a dry aged steak and remain very engaging.

Along with the 02 Arajuo, most refined and beautifully balanced red of the night. Expressive refine nose displaying plum, crème de cassis, cappuccino and leather. Excellent concentration, silky and polished, nicely integrated tannins and lovely long finish. I am loving the silkiness, energy and precision.

The 95 was the first vintage. I believe it came from the same vineyard as the 85 Groth reserve that Bob rated 100 pts. I still remember chasing this wine and traveling to the winery to get a few more bottles. I could easily bought the 96 Rousseau for the same price, i.e. the hindsight is 20/20. This has come around nicely. A big scale, very ripe nose displaying cherry liqueur, blueberry liqueur, liquid smoke, sweet spices, still noticeable oak, lead pencil and earth. Excellent concentration, unctuous, really think cherry liqueur and cassis driven palate impression, bright acidity, slightly coarse tannins and long finish with intense jammy fruit at the end. Still quite youthful and will last for a few more decades. Very impressive but a bit coarse.

It is interesting to look back as I used to think that the Mondavi reserve is one of the most concentrated and modern California cab. Ces’t la vie. Beautifully mature black fruit driven nose displaying cassis, lead pencil, cedar, bell pepper and ash. Excellent concentration, silky and precise, cassis and green pepper driven palate impression, still a hint of tannins and medium to long finish that ends with a hint of bell pepper. Really enjoyable and based on the current market, a very nice buy.

Surprisingly mature nose, subtle red fruits, plum, noticeable green, cedar, tobacco and earth. Medium concentration, good acidity, slightly coarse tannins and medium long finish that ends with red fruit, green pepper and cedar. Good wine but not too remarkable.

Intense blueberry kool aid with neutral spirit. Incredibly youthful but monolithic for my palate. Once again you know who you are. My rating is 91 but no need to skewed the average rating for those who love the style.

Completely brown. Almost Madeira like intense nose displaying dry fig, dry peach, prune, baking spices, chestnut and caramel. Exceptional concentration, incredible sweet dry fruit driven palate impression, bright acidity and incredibly long finish. Strong presence of acidity gives the freshness and balance. Quite intense and complex sweet wine.