This took a bit to open up. The profile reminded me of a blanc de blanc and I'm surprised it's half pinot noir. Floral, slightly toasty, saline, apple, pineapple. Really nice and I can sense some upside in a year or two.

Drank about 1/3rd of the bottle over 1.5 hours. We all agreed this was the creamiest mouthfeel we'd ever experienced from a champagne. Mousse-y was the term used. There was a volcano of tiny beads in my glass. The nose was incredibly expressive with white flowers, chalk, apple, mushroom. The palate was not as expressive, containing citrus and a bit of yeast.

Splash decant and back into the bottle to be served a few hours later. Drank about 1/3rd of the bottle over 2 hours. This had a Harlan profile, with even more structure and less fruit-forward than later vintages. I can see how they changed stylistically to slightly more California. There is an intensity to the nose and palate, and it is very expressive. I have this qualitatively the same as 1996 Harlan (my benchmark), but for different reasons. The tertiary qualities of this wine are extraordinary, and enough fruit to back it up, but it it doesn't gush fruit like later vintages seem to.

Decanted and drank about 1/3rd of the bottle over 2 hours. The only issue with this wine was that it was served next to a 1994 Harlan. But that was kind of the point. This was less-friendly from a fruit perspective, a bit austere. Still, very classy and also funky, with a lot of brambly earth, leather and plum.

Corked, regrettably.