100% Pedro Ximenez. A bone-dry, classic sherry with notes of smoke and burnt olives on its wonderful bouquet. Long and crisp to drink with an intense, lip-smacking persistence that I really liked. Good value. Excellent with hard cheeses. 90 pts if you like the style.

An old Chardonnay by Cali standards, this was very golden in color. Sure enough, there were some maderized golden aromas (which add complexity) to go along with a complex nose of botrytis-honey, piney resins and orange rind. The fruit is still ample, the acids brisk, this is one of the better Cali chardonnay's I've ever had. Awesome stuff!

Fresh lime, tarragon and saline aromas define the soaring, lovely bouquet. A restrained, food-friendly, classy style of wine. This is dry yet fleshy in the palate impression, I really liked this.

Smells of steel and wet stones greet the nostrils. This is a lovely, young auslese, with a fantastic core of acidity, with notes of honey playing a secondary role. Pretty dry for an auslese and a somewhat closed aromatically, this is so 2001 and so friggin' good. Tough to resist now, but plenty of upside to come.

The Zind was a terrific, huge, sweet nectary wine that wowed the Gewurzt lovers in the room.

The 2003 Rieussec is sensational, all that I look for in a young sauternes. But richer, less-defined and less acid-driven than the 2001.

As good as the 2003 Rieussec is, it was easily bested by the 2001! The length and acids on the 2001 left the 2003 in the dust.