Just a quick sample. Crisp with green apple, hint of tropical fruit and touch of fresh grass, but not too herbal or sharp. Clean zingy mineral finish. Nice.

Decanted two hours prior and continued to improve through the evening. Expressive nose of cherry, tobacco leaf and a subtle "plastic" edge. Palate has a plush mouthfeel, was smooth and ripe, well concentrated, with a fine subtle acidic edge. Red cherry, licorice, and a touch of orange peel (this faded later). Lengthy elegant finish of stone and a little spice. More forward than expected, but great concentration and complexity. Fantastic balance. WOTN for me.

Slightly better than a prior bottle. Popped and poured. Expressive nose with leafy toabacco, spice, and dark slightly roasted fruit, and touch of coffee. Palate was lush, with little tannin and seemingly low acidity. Showing rather dark fruit with black cherry and a touch of plum, but loads of baking spice. Lengthy finish, with a hint of cedar/vanilla, mocha, strong mineral and and hint of cigar tobacco elements. Darker and spicier than the other offerings, but still a very nice wine. Showing some '03 character.

Popped and poured. Young and very vibrant. Nose was rather muted, but showing red cherry and licorice and touch of menthol. Palate was decidedly sharp and acidic, showing bright red fruits. Finish was slightly bitter with prominent oak that pulled together with air. Fine tannic background with a touch of greenness. Gained complexity with air. Of the Burgundies, this most obviously needed time.

More flamboyant than I recall. Big exuberant nose of black cherry, spice, leather and strong earthy component. Palate was impressively concentrated and ripe, with a great spine of acidity and tension. Black cherry and licorice on the palate. Lengthy finish that is firm from the acidity, soft tannins, showing earth, forest, caramel and stone. My favorites of the New World wines this night. Impressive concentration and ripeness while maintaining an underlying tension. I think the oak will integrate with time.

Big Pinot. Huge nose decidedly sweet, with cherry pie, cassis, and vanilla toffee. Palate was smooth, round, with fine tannins and adding a touch of cola. Well structured and polished, not showing any hard edges or heat. Hangs on the palate for a long finish, adding a little earth, with strong vanilla, and black cherry. Pulled together showing less sweetness and more structure with air. A good Pinot, but a style I’m liking less these days and less impressive than my prior bottle 2 yrs ago. Hard to say it’s worth the coin, though others liked this more than me.

Impressive. Nose was alittle shy at first, but eventually showed clean pure red fruit. Palate showed black cherry and the only pinot with a tinge of blue fruit. Pure, polished concentrated fruit, with a purity that rivaled the Bonnes-Mares (though would not be mistaken for it). Nice tension on the palate. Medium finish of red fruit and stone. A very nice approachable young wine that will gain complexity with time. 91-92

Odd wine. Had a very strong acidic almost spritzy palate that was harsh and over shadowed any fruit. Eventually was a typical Sonoma coast example, with spice, cherry, and forest. Never seemed to come together, though it improved. Disjointed and unbalanced without a lot of depth. Showed poorly with the competition on this night.

Big nose of sweet black cherry that rivaled the DuMol. Hugely concentrated fruit driven finish with a sticky jammy mouthfeel that turned hot on the finish with a cough syrup element. Hung on the palate for some time with a vanilla cream note, but didn’t have a lot of depth and the heat kept me from enjoying this one. Strikingly different wine than the other Pinot's.