I know the Sémillon is always a big hit with the uber geek community, but I've just never been partial to Sémillon, or oxidative wines and until someone pointed out that the bottle shot was of the Sauvignon Blanc, I thought I had drank the Sémillon. I guess I don't like their Sauvignon Blanc either. It shows a nutty, oxidative character with yellow citrus fruit and a touch of an herbal note. There's good acidity here and the mouthfeel has a certain creaminess to it, but I'm just not enamored to the flavor profile. B-.

I couldn't believe how well this showed. Twenty-seven year old Napa Sauvignon Blanc that was quite tasty, let alone not dead? It's fresh with surprising weight. Indeed, before I saw the label, I initially thought it was a Chardonnay. Fresh apple flavors and aromas with a bit of honeysuckle and citrus. There's no signs of oak here and the acidity is still vibrant. It picks up an intriguing nut skin character, like the coating of a peanut or chestnut, on the finish. B+.

Corked.

Maderized.

After a couple of dud old Chardonnays and needing something white to go with the monk fish appetizer, Gilman opened up a half bottle of this. Still young and tight with big time acid levels, but not too extreme. They do cover up the fruit a little at this stage, though. Green almonds, quince, chalk and acacia flowers on the nose and palate. Great intensity to this wine with just a touch of sweetness. Certainly not as puppy friendly as the '09 and it seems a bit less sweet than the '08, but with riveting acidity like that vintage. Lovely wine. A-.

Great bottle. The nose is beguiling, showing fruitcake, sweet raspberries, spice and aged tobacco. Complex, integrated and simply riveting on the palate. The raspberry fruit is sweet and abundant and supported by nice acid levels. Similar flavors as aromas with the addition of some cedar. It's nicely integrated, long and in no danger of falling apart anytime soon. The alcohol weighs in at 13.3%. I wish a lot more Zin were made like that. A real treat to try. Solid A-.

Holy hell! Nobody expects the Swan Gamay! This is seriously good stuff that a few folks know about, but it's generally talked about in hushed tones. To be honest, it's not really Gamay, but a grape called Valdiguie. Yeah, go look that one up. Apparently, Valdiguie is permitted to be labelled Gamay Noir, was formerly permitted to be labelled Gamay and was known for a very long time as Napa Gamay. (Thank you Steve Edmunds for this info!) The nose was pure blackberry before a little eucalyptus snuck in. On the palate, it's a bit one note, but it's a helluva note. Blackberry kirsch that's just so sweet, powerful and lingering that it almost elicits giggles. Like the nose, it picks up a light eucalyptus note and there's some black licorice, but this really all about the young and vibrant fruit. Coarse and rustic in texture with still big tannins on the finish. Forty-one years old and it's still young. Just wow! Wine of the night in an evening full of nice wines. Low A.

Not a pleasant nose at all. It shows baby poo and beef broth with red fruit underneath. Thankfully, it tastes better than it smells. The fruit is fresher and there's a bit of spice. That said, it's a rather inconsequential wine and fading, though not unpleasant. C+/B-.

Smells really organic. Lots of wet earth, herbs, tobacco with underlying black fruit. With air the black fruit became more prominent, but so too did a green pepper note. Spiky acidity leads Gilman to suggest the wine's been acidulated and that it's pinching the wine. Not much of a middle and there's too much of a green character to the wine. C+.

Green dominates the nose in the form of bell pepper, raw string beans and eucalyptus with a touch of sassafras and cedar. Under fruited and with acidity that sticks out too much. What fruit is there is red. There's a dusty quality to it and a bit of a tomato paste note. Not gonna win any awards. C+.

Shows an intriguing nose of Red Hots candy (red fruit and cinnamon) with a faint medicinal note and herbs. Integrated and largely resolved, I really dig the texture, which is a bit plush, but oh so silky. There's ample red cherry across the palate with a pleasant dose of herb and spicy cedar. Nice acid levels with the tannins a little drying on the finish and, with air, a green pepper note pops up at the end. Drinking nicely, but I'd drink up soon. A-.

In comparison to the '79 Volcanic Hill, this is a much more youthful, brawnier and more fruit forward wine that could still use some more time to come together. It shows a complex and ever changing nose of black plums, black currants, a hint of gunpowder that dissipated with time in the glass, a bit of herb and dried eucalyptus. Loads of sweet black fruit on the palate with a bit of cocoa and herb, but it's a bit disjointed and could really use some more time to come together. While decanted, it clearly could've benefited from some more time in it. I'm just amazed by how primary the wine is. Solid A-, but maybe a bit higher once it comes together.

Bottle # 365 bites the dust, but does so in style. There's a strong ashtray aroma when first poured, but it blows off to reveal tempting aromas of black fruit, herb and cocoa powder. It's more evolved and integrated than the '78 Diamond Creek, with maybe a touch more complexity. The blackberry and black currant fruit is sweet and tasty and buttressed by a pleasant herbal note, dark chocolate and black licorice. With a little time in the glass a nice tobacco character started to show itself. Drinking really nicely. Solid A-.

Corked.

Who knew they made Cabernet? In fact, they still do. It shows a touch of maderization on the nose and palate with an intriguing burnt marshmallow character to go along with some black fruit and herb. It actually has a fairly plush palate presence with nice levels of fruit. While it definitely has some holes in it, it is surprisingly tasty and the consensus seemed to be that ten or fifteen years ago, this would've been pretty good. It becomes a bit fragile with extended air time and picks up a green bean note on the finish after awhile, but this can hold its head up. Solid B-.

A beautiful showing and one of the more intellectual wines of the night. Complex aromas of red earth, dust, chestnut/peanut skins with mature red fruit. Mature on the palate, but still possessing big, chewy tannins. The fruit has a wonderful softened quality to it and the nut skin character on the nose also appears on the palate with a bit of cedar and herb. There's a certain classiness to this wine that's quite alluring. That said, the finish is a bit drying, so I'd drink up soon while the fruit is still there. A-.

Maderized.

John went to his cellar and grabbed this as a throw in at the end to go with the '73 Sterling Reserve. It really would've benefited from a longer decant as this is a beast of a wine. It took awhile for the nose to get going, but it eventually uncoiled to show sweet cherry, leather, cedar and tobacco aromas. Mouth-filling with brutish, drying tannins. There's enough fruit to stand up to them, but there's almost an old Barolo likeness here, especially since there are solid acid levels. A bit of cedar, leather and earth to go along with the cherry fruit. A-/B+.