From magnum. Ripe apple is maturing nicely, supplemented by some berry hints, almond butter and butterscotch. Good textures, moderate weight.

Tasted double blind. Immediately recognizable as Chardonnay, but clearly past its peak, far more advanced than Chablis from a top vintage and top producer should be at this age.

Tasted double blind. Enticingly floral start. Lots of ripe apple and poached pear aromas/ flavors with slightly sweet spice. Very good concentration. My #1 wine in the flight, group's #4. Shocked when this was unveiled, but I find Vine Hill to be the Kistler Chardonnay that consistently ages gracefully.

Tasted double blind.Apple, pear with some lemon peel. Good concentration and balance, even if moderate weight. I correctly identified this as the younger Burgundy, but did not think the pair was Chablis, with more ripe "2005" character front-and-center.

Tasted double blind. Very ripe, very concentrated, but very mature. Slightly lacking acidity, so the maturity makes this seem tired. Also easily identified as New World, as this had enough aromatic similarity to another wine in the flight that I was able to identify them both as Aubert, and this clearly as the older of the two.

Tasted double blind. Floral and spice driven start with ripe orchard and stone fruit alongside plenty of spice, still showing a bit of new oak. Easily identifiable as Aubert, this showed enough similarity to the more tired 2004 in the flight, which enabled me to identify that wine correctly as well. My very close 2nd favorite of the flight, group's #1.

Tasted double blind. Rich and opulent style with lots of baked apple and sweet spice, with just enough energy to remain interesting. Easily able to identify this wine was related to what turned out to be Kistler 07 VH in the flight. Shocked when these were unveiled, but I find Vine Hill to be the Kistler Chardonnay that consistently ages gracefully.

Tasted double blind in what turned out to be Faiveley 2001 flight. Opened 3-4 hours in advance, with a quick double decant. Black cherry on nose and palate with good length and concentration. Some good roasted meat "Gevrey" character along with braised meat spice. Clearly firm and tannic, but well balanced and almost elegant. My favorite of the flight, and the group's favorite as well. Much better vs last time tasted several years ago.

Tasted double blind in what turned out to be Faiveley 2001 flight. Opened 3-4 hours in advance, with a quick double decant. Black cherry with some emerging earth and mushroom notes. Background spice hints. Mostly good balance, slightly drying finish. Group liked this more than I did tonight, ranking it #2 (of 8), while I ranked it 5th.

Tasted double blind in what turned out to be Faiveley 2001 flight. This "ringer" was opened 3-4 hours in advance, with a quick double decant. Ripe and fully mature black fruit that was softer styled vs everything in the flight, but I found it borderline stewy. Clearly different than most in the flight, this was easy to identify as a "ringer." My least favorite of the flight, while group enjoyed this much more than I did. Not nearly as good as a couple of bottles I had 5 years ago, but I have found considerable bottle variation the 4 or 5 times I have had this wine.

Tasted double blind in what turned out to be Faiveley 2001 flight. Opened 3-4 hours in advance, with a quick double decant. Black cherry and berry with very burly, firm tannins. Simply demanding more time in the cellar.

Tasted double blind in what turned out to be Faiveley 2001 flight. Opened 3-4 hours in advance, with a quick double decant. Mostly black fruit, some faint red fruit hints. Big and powerful, clearly showing Grand Cru density, but I thought if from Gevrey. Another of tonight's Faiveleys that needs plenty more cellar time.

Tasted double blind in what turned out to be Faiveley 2001 flight. Opened 3-4 hours in advance, with a quick double decant. Dense black fruit throughout with subtle spice, mostly on nose. Firm finish. My 3rd favorite of the flight of 8 wines, but the group's 7th. Certainly needs time.

Tasted double blind in what turned out to be Faiveley 2001 flight. This "ringer" was opened 3-4 hours in advance, with a quick double decant. Rich black and red fruit with spice and dried herb hints. Comes across an nicely elegant, but moderate+ concentration and power. Clearly different than most in the flight, this was easy to identify as a "ringer."

Tasted double blind in what turned out to be Faiveley 2001 flight. Opened 3-4 hours in advance, with a quick double decant. Very dense and meaty black fruit. Long finish, lots of concentration, slightly one-dimensional today with faints spice and earth hints emerging for a few moments at a time. Very good potential in the future, but tough to fully enjoy today. I liked this much more than the group, which ranked it last place in the flight.

Late night pop-and-pour, served blind. Black berries, cassis, green pepper, cigarbox and dried herbs. Clearly good acidity and elegant tannins keep this very balanced and charming.