This has a pretty interesting nose, with a distinctive floral and white grape juice aromas. The same is on the palate, with a bit of sappy sweetness from the white grape. The bead is quite coarse, but there's some nice chalky minerality here all the same. More interesting than good...

Disgorged 2008. The nose is a bit cheesy and funky, and there's just a slight bit of tart fruit as well. The palate is quite dense and rich, with tons of acidity. It's not fruity, this is purely acid-driven. I haven't had the regular bottling in a long time, but from what I remember, I do still prefer the regular -- it tends to be a little less umami and shows a little touch of sweetness as well.

Thick and waxy, with no redeeming acidity. Slightly reductive. Watery on the palate. Hilariously bad. Pointless.

A fairly typical rose champagne. Good crispness and a nice touch of tart red fruit here. The palate shows a touch of bitter almond and quite a bit of acidity. Not too complex, but fairly drinkable all the same.

Lafarge always does it for me. Love it. The nose on this is just brilliant -- so much crisp red fruit. It's light and gorgeous. The palate shows very much the same character -- simultaneously juicy and tart red fruits. The tannins here are a touch coarse (believe it or not, I've found the 2008 silkier and more easy-going). Plenty of bright acidity here; this is proper Burgundy. As an addendum, I know the story is that Lafarge wines need to be aged a long time, but this is already immediately accessible and delicious.

A very large-scaled chardonnay. Shows quite austere, with some fat fruit, but the story of the day here is oak, which is a little bit more astringent than I prefer. Good density and power, but all overshadowed by the oak.

This is fantastic young chardonnay. Light touch of reduction on the nose. Soft fruit on the nose and palate as well, with incredible racy minerality. There's a light touch of green herbs and a very light touch of oak here. Spectacular stuff already.

For a Rhone white, this is actually fairly convincing. The nose shows a light bit of reduction, as well as perfumed florals and peachy white fruit. The palate is quite dense, with many of the same characteristics as the nose. Waxy, but with redeeming acidity, this isn't oily or thick at all.

Stanky in the way Leroy always is. The palate is a bit austere, earthy, and loaded with acid as the 2001 vintage is wont to be. Quite tart and perhaps a little bit more advanced than it ought to be.

A really brilliant riesling, from the heyday of the estate. Fresh green herbs, tart, and absolutely lively. Touch of honey as well. This is absolutely classic Kabinett -- it's really hard to ask for more from a wine like this. Love the tart pineapple on this.

Ok, this is actually pretty incredible. The nose is simply brilliant. It's almost a volatilized young riesling nose, with plenty of sweet white fruit and florals. The palate shows lots of the same, but it's not as thick or rich as the nose would imply.

The nose shows a fair bit of earth of tart red fruit, but the palate shows a little bit more oak than the material in here can endure. Nice acidity all the same; but a bit simple for a grand cru.

Grand cru, all day, every day. From magnum, naturally. Very lovely dose of earth on the nose. Nice acidity, this is very approachable and drinkable, if a touch simple. Very earth-driven on the palate as well -- the acidity does dominate the fruit a little bit in this case.

Austere, dark, and very, very tight. Tons of acidity -- this is almost Baroloesque. Dense and rich, but there's still a very nice touch of red fruit. The palate is quite tannic -- this needs much more time (or air) to resolve itself.

I've always heard stories about Jadot 1997s, and I'm glad to say that this lives up to the hype. While many are already decaying and falling apart with their overripe fruit, this is in tip-top shape. Touch of Burgundian earth, with lovely sweet plums. The tannins aren't too heavy, and while this is approachable now, this is in no risk of decline.

My understanding is that this was the first ever California Parker 100. I have a serious hard time thinking that Parker would give this anything remotely close to that score anymore. The nose is profoundly herbal (and the palate too). Not heavy on the palate, this has plenty of lovely cabernet character. Softer tannins, and very good density. Earthy, but a nice touch of fruit as well. Brilliant, but perfect?

The nose on this is quite brilliant, with some lovely tart red fruit on the nose. Lighter on the palate, with lots of the same tart red fruit character. Not too dense or heavy, but very nice acidity and freshness. Touch of earth as well.

Armand's Epeneaux has always been one of my favourite Burgundies, and this bottle is no exception. The nose has some classic Burgundian stank, with some animale and barnyard. Rustic in the best sense of the word. The tannic structure is obviously pretty heavy still (Bordelais?), but this is as classic as it comes.

A little barnyardy, animale, and funky, but in a very nice sense of the word, at least on the nose. The palate shows a little more barnyardy as well, with lots of ripeness. Quite sweet. Rich and sappy.

Thin, and basically, too acidic. This isn't showing too much on the palate, and mostly it's a mouthful of red-fruited acidity. Tastes a little watery. A miss from the estate.

I've heard stories of the brilliance of 2010 Hudelot, and this bottle lives up to the hype for sure. The nose shows more concentrated red fruit, with some amazing freshness. There is a little bit of oak on the palate, but there's lovely concentration here. The fruit is intense and just delicious. Give this time.

Dense black fruit on the nose, with just enough graphite and black plums to make this really, really compelling. The palate is very dark, but fairly open for business. There is lovely density and power here. Ripe and powerful, and restrained at the same time.

Very nice, at the very least, as a change of pace, given that we've been drinking Burgundy all day. The nose on this shows lovely meatiness with crisp black berries. Very juicy with lots of meatiness. Quite fruity, and I do like the black fruit balanced with the spice and earth.

Very lovely red-fruited Gevrey. This bottle gives me hope that my fears about 2008 have been slightly overblown, especially after a slightly dessicated Rousseau Charmes that I had a few years ago. The nose on this shows classic crispy red fruits -- very light and pretty. Lots of tart fruit on the palate as well. This is incredibly classic as far as 2008 comes; quite ethereal really, but a bit more concentration would be in order.