Ex-cellar Seth. Popped the cork, but no sound came out -- and without the flare on the bottom of the mushroom cork, I have to think that the cork was compromised. The wine had muted effervescence and only tasted like acid. I blame Seth. Sad!

L.11. I think Salil is much more keen on this than I am. He's wrong, as usual. But this is still a very solid entry-level champagne. The nose here initially showed a lot of bread and raw white mushrooms, and the palate very much the same. But with air, more of the citrus and mineral qualities come out, which certainly makes this more compelling. For me, this is a bit too acid-driven and doesn't have quite enough fullness on the palate. But if this entry-level wine is any indication, this is a producer to watch.

Serious Corton-Charlemagne. The steel doesn't show up until this gets some air. Yes, it's fat, big, and hefty, and that's exactly the way it ought to be. The fruit is very ripe, and the oak shows very, very prominently, and there's that rich buttered popcorn that really makes this solid chardonnay. The palate is big and rich, and the taut acidity that I seem to remember on this isn't quite there, but that's definitely not to say it doesn't have acid. Seriously good stuff. Martray is easily one of my favourite white Burgundy producers these days -- and I hope, with the Screaming Eagle purchase, that this estate maintains its superlative quality.

This is quite Northern-Rhone-like in its nose -- there's blood and meat, with an ample amount of spice, earth, and menthol. The palate shows quite differently though -- it's generally a bit more fruit forward and big, but there's still quite a bit of restraint here. There's a very interesting medicinal note on the palate as well. The tannins are basically fully resolved now and this is open for business.

Sui generis. The nose shows a ton of savoury French herbs, as well as some lighter aromas of red fruits. The palate is ineffably light, but with plenty of the same flavours. Savoury, without any meatiness or brininess, it seems this comes from the herbal elements. Brilliant light red fruit, with tons of acidity. The tannins are soft and resolved and this is drinking very well now.

I do love Vilmart for its big wines. Full palate presence, and this wine certainly lives up to that premise. Tons of concentration, with tons of tart pineapple and green apple. Dense minerality and chalkiness. Lots of acidity, this is a very, very successful 2005 Champagne. There's also a fair bit of oak use here, which gives this that full-bodied presence. Love it.

#13-02, 10.5% abv, 2130. This bottle was profoundly grapefruitty. So much awesome grapefruit flavour on the nose, coupled with some Thai herbs and lychee. Simply kaleidoscopic. The palate is quite sweet for Spätlese, dense, and heavily extracted. But it's the same crazy balancing act that HGS pulls off -- there's never a moment this feels cloying or too sweet. Crazy stuff.

#19-02, 8% abv, 2142. From half-bottle. This has the classic Müller-Catoir kaleidoscopic array of fruits and spices. A bit of a Cronenberg riesling, in the best sense of the word. This is densely sweet and powerful, with a simply incredible array of fruit. As usual, notes can't do justice to HGS's work in 2001.

#13-95, 7.5% abv. Killer. A bit rustic, to be sure, but this is as solid as the JJCs come. There's quite a bit of those old riesling flavours on the nose and palate. The acidity is extremely prominent here, but the mild sweetness here is more of a complex flavour -- perhaps more like some brown sugar than just outright sweetness. I love the green herbal notes here; this is simply brilliant riesling from a master.

#10-03, 8.5% abv. This is light and airy, but with plenty of density and fruit. Clearly getting towards its secondary stages, but this is in a great spot. A bit of peaches, apples, and pears. The acidity here is very prominent, and there's so much life in this -- it seems like this must have been a very fruity wine in its youth, but time has certainly rounded this out. Solid riesling.

#05-02, 8.5% abv. This is just crazily good Kabinett. There's really not much to say about this, except that it is exactly what an Ürziger Würzgarten Kabinett ought to taste like. There's that veritable spice garden with its green herbs, a touch of strawberry, and almost a hint of orange blossom -- this is so exotic and yet familiar at the same time. The palate is clean and crisp, with racy acidity and perfect balance. A phenomenal Kabinett. This is a wine that will easily age for decades more. It's a shame that Hans-Leo isn't making the wines now.