Made by Oregon winemaker Peter Rosback in New Zealand. The nose is very typical with tropical fruits, some grassiness but also the slightest nod of cat pee. On the palate, I thought this typical Sauvignon Blanc but others were divided. Very refreshing. Some complexity. Nice start to the afternoon.

Not for me, but others might like it more. The nose is oaky with lot fresh cut wood and vanilla. The palate is bitter and warm. Lots of wines like this and it is certainly drinkable, but not in a style that I would.

Always a classy and solid wine. I would say that I found this vintage lacking compared to some others. It had a Gewurz bitterness that Navarro usually avoids. Other than that, everything is where it should be. Nice lychee nose. Oily texture. Complex fruit.

I brought this bottle. Upon opening at my house, there was a lot of fizz but no off scents. I was running late, so I threw it in the Vita-Mix blender for around 10 minutes and let it sit. There was still some fizz. I repeated the process and poured back into the bottle and we drove to the party. The fizz was gone but the question was how had that affected the wine. It seemed those who were looking for a huge wine found it lacking. Others, enjoyed its smoothness and maturity. Split decision. Personally, I really enjoyed it. The wine was open and drinking well. Lots of black raspberries, some bacon fat and grilled meats. It lacked some complexity but overall I have to put this as another good bottle of an 04 after getting rid of the fizz. i have no idea what causes this. It seems more persistent than trapped CO2, but no off flavors of the typical refermentation in bottle. Perhaps there is some other, milder fermentation process happening that is not as harmful. No one mentioned any off flavors.

This is in a really great spot. Showing some maturity but not near fully mature. I hate to use the word peak, because at this stage, it is more of a preference. I don't know that it gets better, just different. Lots of cassis, slight oak traces still left. Lots of layering that is starting to unwind. Delicious. I was quite impressed.

This was controversial. It is huge and very ripe. Some said raisiny, which I did not find. The nose has cassis, some oak but not over powering for me, blueberries and a mineral element. Just awesome. On the palate, this is velvety and lush. Lots of fruit, cassis, black raspberries and still some blueberries. Delicious. I loved this wine.

Wow. This is amazing. It is still young, but open and enjoyable. Black and red raspberries, floral notes of violets and lavender, grilled meat and black licorice notes on the nose. Lush, sensual texture. Complex layers on the palate with flavors to match the nose (except the grilled meats). Long finish. This is an amazing wine. The crowd was buzzing about it.

Really interesting to taste side by side with the 07. Obviously much more mature. The nose is more muted. Some also picked up raisins which I did not. Still, cherries, raspberries, some funk. On the palate, this is great. Complex and layered. Good acidity. No oak showing. Plenty of fruit mixed with some earthy and mineral layers. Long finish. A couple of people preferred this (I liked the 07 better), but I would be happy drinking this any day.

Very nice. For my tastes (at this point), I would wait a few more years on this. It is mature at this point, so why not let it unwind. Nice cassis fruit still there though the nose is more about barnyard/funk and some damp leaves (tobacco?). Complex and layered although slightly thinner than I was expecting. Nice wine and probably one hurt in this setting.

The grapes come from one of the older sections of the Champoux Vineyard in Washington. This was an awesome bottle of Cab. It is still on the young side, but it has lost its baby fat and exuberance. What is left is cassis, tobacco, black raspberries and just a hint of dust. Layers although a taste later in the night showed much more complexity than when opened. Delicious. I have a lone bottle left, that will wait a few more years at least.

There used to be a lot of talk on the BB's about this, but not so much lately. I don't remember if I have ever had any before, but this was excellent. The nose has cassis, blueberries, slightly jammy fruit. On the palate, this is juicy and delicious. Excellent texture. Nice acidity/balance. Really impressive wine.

This is a nice wine, but not one I particularly "get". I think others liked it more than I. Restrained or elegant. Hard to say. Don't get me wrong, it is a nice wine, but not what I like in my Syrahs. Good black raspberry fruit. Nice acidity. Probably works better at the dinner table than in a mass tasting.

I have not had this in years. It is holding up quite well. Still in the younger phase although some of the exuberant fruit has dropped out. There is still plenty of black raspberries, grilled meats and black pepper on the nose. Great texture. The palate has black raspberries, blue berries and dark cherries with a bit of charcoal underneath. Nice balance. No hurry on this.

From Magnum. Another awesome 07 CdP. Lots of black cherries, black and red raspberries, violets and some charcoal. This is not as big as the Mon Aieul but still a big wine. Lush and juicy. Nice acidity too. Plenty of fruit on the palate. Although primary, one senses lots of depth.

From Magnum. This was somewhat shut down at first. Revisiting later on, it showed a lot more, but I think it will improve from here as well. Black raspberry, blueberries, black cherries, black pepper and grilled meats on the nose. Big and lush on the palate. Most black raspberry fruit at this point. Some pepper as well. Delicious and big without being heavy.

This was much lighter than I expected. I really liked it though. Light ruby in color. The nose was cherries and some funk. On the palate, this is feminine and earthy. Complex. Nice finish.

I really Swan Zins. I need to buy them more often. They are more "Bordeaux" styled. Everything in balance. No noticeable alcohol. Nice raspberry and boysenberry flavors. A bit of spice. And, they seem to age out very well. This one was no exception. Nice.

From Mag. This is really nice but there is some heat that is problematic. Very fruit forward; black cherry, raspberry and some pepper. Nice texture. Ont he palate, there is a lot of fruit but it is easy to take. The alcohol seems out of balance at the moment though. I think some air would help this or cellaring. This might be one time that a Mag was not the better format.

Inky purple in color. The nose has some nice black raspberries, black peppers and some heat. On the palate, this has a bitterness that is distracting. Also some black raspberry fruit. The heat again shows itself on the finish. I wonder if this was better drunk on release?

This had been open for a while before I got to it. This showed much earthier than I remember it although plenty of black raspberries, blueberries, white pepper and some grilled meats. A delicious wine. Amazingly lush texture.

A birth year wine for our host. Therefore, too young and a bit immature. Big and Exuberant and well. This is slightly oxidized with some tea notes. Also some forest floor notes. Very pleasant. I don't know how many wines are out there from 1946 that are affordable and drink well. Made for a fun note to the party!