Great stuff. Kept getting better as the evening progressed. Wonderfully rich and fruity, yet not oaky and overbearing. Who says Aussies don't age? This was killer Chard.

Yup. I like this one. My favorite domestic Pinot Gris and it showed well. Brian makes these "Alsatian Style", so the wine was much drier than one would expect. Still, great aperitif wine that shows wonderful fruit and richness.

Giveaway nose of Riesling and pale white color in the glass. Wonderful concentration and rich flavors of apple, peach, and a surprisingly dry finish for a Spaetlese. I'm no expert on Riesling though, so some of the other participants could probably give a better description.

Whoa...what a monster. The nose was so good, I couldn't stop inhaling the wine. I got lots of tobacco, coffee, tar and cigarbox notes on the palate and thought it was a CA Cab, but I would have never guessed it was a 1978 because it was still so big. Great juice.

Overall, this was an exceptionally elegant wine that had IMO a little muted nose (especially compared to the William Hill). On the palate, this wine showed lots of complexity and layers though, as well as quite a bit of acidity (which I like).

Another wine that I thought showed tremendously young. I was worried as the cork was all moldy. Turns out that this wine was in perfect condition though and although not from a great vintage, this wine (to me) showed well with dry, dark, earthy, and youthful flavors on the palate. Aromas of Cigarbox and good acidity gave this wine a remarkable finish. My first ever 1st Growth. Thanks to the boardmember (he shall remain anonymous) who sent it to me! What a treat.

I loved this wine. This one threw everybody for a loop. Meaty, black olive, and gravelly flavors that were followed by a nice and long finish. The nose was super-complex. Color of the wine looked much younger than the actual age. One of my favorite wines of the night.

I embarrassed myself on this one...I was sure this was a Martinelli Zin. Tasted like it had a lot of alcohol and spice, cinnamon and pineapple notes. No heat on the finish however. Imagine my surprise and embarrassment when this was unveiled as a Cab. Not my favorite wine of the night.

WOTN for me. I don't think I've tasted many things better than this. A monster wine with loads of fruit, tannins, and concentration and a finish that just won't quit.Earthy darr, black truffle layers add to the complexity of the wine. I had the impression that this wine could be held for decades longer as it drank like a "puppy". I'm going all out on this one ...

What a treat. Explosive on the palate with mouthpuckering acidity, and a laser-focused palate of red fruit and white truffels. For me, this wine was just one step away from being "great".

OK. Another one I got really wrong. I guessed Central Coast Syrah, but instead it was an Aussie Grenache. Very fun wine to drink, but I have no point of reference as I've never had any of these. I do think though that it is a very good and enjoyable wine.

Huge wine. You should have seen the sediment in the bottle. Absolutely amazing. Dill and pickle notes followed by a sweetish mid-palate and tannic and big-fruit finish. Super wine and one that can be cellared for many more years.

Very peppery, one dimensional, and slightly hot on the finish. I just don't like this style of PN, but some tasters thought that this wine would be better suited to be consumed with fat cheeses. On the upside, it was still very drinkable and as one taster said, it didn't disappoint on either the nose or palate.

This is more like it. Classic Paulliac wine displaying wonderfully fine, gripping tannins as well as tobacco, coffee, cedar wood, and pencil shavings. In the upper half of the wines tasted last night.

Interesting. Many people thought it was an italian, but I wasn't sure as I don't have a lot of experience with Italian wines. I did really like this wine though and at 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 60% Gaglioppo this was a big wine that displayed some amazing notes of dried raisins (Amarone-like) and rustic flavors.

In the words of one of our fellow tasters..."BYAW!" Translation: Big Young Ass Wine. Incredible concentration, especially for a vintage like 2000. I was thinking Aussie Shiraz because this wine was so huge. Certainly enjoyable, but there was a discussion as to the ageability of this wine and opinions differed widely. Some thought it'll age forever, some thought it may fall apart. Either way, it's drinking well right now, so if you have a few, I'd pop one to see what you think of it yourself. I'm not sure if this is my kind of wine. It certainly isn't right now, but I thought it would age well, and in a few years, I'd love to give it another run.

Did not show well at all. One of the tasters thought this wine may be shut down hard. Overall, I didn't get the explosive palate of fruit and acidity I was expecting. Very disappointing.

Wonderful wine. I would have never guessed Italy, but this juice may have just intrigued me enough to start exploring Italian wines. Big, brooding character and also a little rustic and acidic, this wine showed tremendously well.