Bright but rounded fruit with nice notes of brioche. Effervescent and evocative but well balanced and structured for positive evolution. A real gem of grower fizz. Thanks Dan K for finding these.

A very nice Auslese, but I was hoping for a bit more. Classic Auslese notes of honey, guava, slatestone and petrol, but has a rounded mature almost botrytised feel. With the amount of age, one wishes for a bit more complexity and nuance given that the acidity has receded and the wine has less life to it. Enjoyable.

CDP blanc continues to puzzle me. On first pour, I found this wine a bit offputting as it had an angular and astringent offputting metallic aroma. It was so sharp that I almost felt the wine damaged. With some time in the glass, it wore off and some notes of melon and lemongrass emerged but it never fleshed out nor did it have the taut focus of a more zippy wine. It felt confused to me. Harry pointed out that these wines take extensive time to express themselves. I hope so...

Less structured and piercing than the Donjon Blanc, but in a sense the lack of astringency made it a bit more plesaurable to me. It had a bit more rounded and polished mouthfeel and a floral lift, albeit muted.

Another fantastic showing for the 94 Beaucastel. Classic pitch on the nose that expanded with some time in glass. less bloody and raw than the Pegau but more rich and driven. Second tasting confirmed its merit. A wine I will actively seek.

Like the Beaucastel, this is a wine that stays quite true to its lineage. Classic Pegau nose of blood, iodine, grange and leather. Very classic and true to its terroir. Not a homerun, just a well constructed wine that expresses the truth in CDP.

Who says CDP is blowsy and can't age? This wine wasn't even mature upon opening. Still backward and a bit unyeilding, but balanced and loaded with latent fruit and nervosity. It hints at classic VT components of garrigue, black olives and beautiful kirsch but it is not quite showing what it has in reserve.

Was a bit deaf upon opening but given time in the glass, it developed a wonderful floral component to match its classic and rustic composition. Hints of saddle, rust and garrigue with a fine but a bit high pitched finish.

See tooch. Mute, wet and corked. Shame...

A far more restrained and delicate wine, one which demands concentration and focus (so not the best setting for a row tasting of 12+ reds). Lots of herbal and cherry notes blended with delicate mint, garrigue and sous bois. This wine was still restrained and needed a few more years to unclench its fist.

Please see my note below. This bottle was perhaps a hair less complete that the prior bottle consumed two weeks ago but still quite a profound showing.

Either flawed or showing dumb. Harry noted that MA shows a lot of variability for some odd reason out of production, so provenance (which was questioned) may not be the culprit. It just was a bit off-kilt and didn't have any depth, complexity or harmony. Shame.

Candied nose but showing Donjon characteristics of herb, grilled meat and roast. It still is primary and in need of time. A bit clipped and some discernable heat on the finish.

This wine tasted 2 years ago smoked this particular bottle which was a bit off balance and not quite integrated. It showed primary but still classic Pegau with the trademark blood, iron, saddle and grenache pitch. If this bottle is indicative, it tells one to hold. Beware of some heat on the finish though.

Another superb showing. See my note below.

Bright, crisp and very high octane on the fruit pitch, but one desires more complexity to its evolution. Clearly requires more patience. ++ with time.