This was showing some slight oxidized notes on the nose, along with a generous amount of sparkling apple juice which I often find in this wine regardless of vintage. Aromas of red apples, lemon zest, some spicy clove and floral lavender also are evident. Fresher on the palate, showing more apple cider, candied ginger, pears, and lots of fresh lemon juice. Plenty of mouth numbing acidity is present, with a medium length finish ending on notes of slate and lemon juice. This seems to deliver every time regardless of the vintage especially at this price, and this was no exception. Very good

Quite subtle and restrained on the nose, displaying aromas of lime zest, pineapple, and rich tropical fruits. Much more showy on the palate, displaying some charred oak, tart lemon juice, mandarin orange, and plenty of minerality. Lots of acid provides a nice crisp bite on the finish. Medium+ length finish ending on notes of orange zest, oak, and lemon juice. Contrary to the shy nose, this was heavily structured and hard as nails on the palate with room for improvement with some cellar time. Very good.

My first pour of this was heavily oxidized and undrinkable. Fortunately there was another bottle floating around the room which was in much better shape. Wonderful expressive aromas of crisp lemon juice, crushed slate, charred oak, pears, and floral lavender emanate from the glass. Even better on the palate, displaying plenty of lemon oil, toffee, crushed stones, burnt oak, some floral notes and a hint of ginger spice. A generous amount of acidity caps this off, followed by a long length finish ending on notes of charred oak and lemon juice. What a polarizing experience being able to taste these two variations of the same wine side by side. One thing is clear though, if you're lucky to open a bottle sans premox, it's a wonderful experience and is drinking very well right now. Fantastic

Uh oh. Pure burnt caramel on the nose and palate. Heavily premoxed and completely dead. Unfortunately I wasn't able to secure a taste from another bottle on this one. NR

Super stinky on the nose with a blast of manure/outhouse up front, along with some red cherries, barn, kirsch, tar, and rich dark fruits. While still quite funky, the stank dissipates on the palate displaying some black pepper spice, red cherries, and some herbal notes. A nice underlying backbone of acidity balances well with the crisp yet rounded tannin. Medium length finish ending on notes of barn and red cherry. I think this is either a love it or hate it wine with what some could consider an overwhelming amount of stank. I'm a fan myself. Very good.

Gorgeous nose, that while quite restrained and elegant, displays aromas of musty red cherries, red plums, mushroom, and some floral lavender. This was a bit dilute on the palate, showing a generous amount of red cherries, along with spicy black pepper, some floral notes, and tart pomegranate. A moderate showing of acidity coupled with a light showing of unobtrusive tannin. Medium- length finish ending on notes of red cherries and pomegranate. Great nose on this, but the dilute palate left plenty to be desired for me. This was clearly overshadowed by the other '02's served for this flight. Good+

Beautiful nose displaying aromas of bright red cherries, kirsch, spicy black pepper, some tart citrus, and plenty of floral notes. Tons of red plums and spicy black pepper on the palate, along with red cherries, gingerbread, and tar. A huge amount of acidity paired with lots of gritty tannins. A long length finish ending on notes of spicy black pepper and red plums. While obviously there's a ton of acid and structure laying beneath, I found the fruit to balance this out nicely and thought this appeared quite round and well textured. This is showing very well right now. Very good+

Fabulous nose extruding aromas of fresh black cherries, raspberries, beef blood, spicy black pepper, some orange peel citrus, and a hint of blueberries. Tons of spicy black pepper follows through onto the palate, along with red cherries, red plums, raspberries, iron, and a touch of menthol. Plenty of acidity couples well with the generous showing of sandy tannins. Medium+ length finish ending on notes of tart red plums and black pepper. This is delicious now, but is still showing very young and I'd give it at least another five years in the cellar. Very good.

A blast of iron at first on the nose, followed by aromas of red plums, black cherries, tart red currants, and some floral lavender notes. The gamey qualities follows this through onto the palate showing plenty more beef blood and iron, along with black cherries, kirsch, and spicy black pepper. Quite a bit of underlying acidity pairs well with a strong showing of dusty tannins. A medium length finish ending on notes of black cherries and herbs. Overall super gamey on both the nose and palate, but this is still quite tightly wound and restrained. It seems this needs at least another 5 years to come together. Very good.