The balance here is superb. Citric, tropical fruits, peaches and just a hint of chalk. Dryish but not austere. I loved the sappy fruit, the acids and the overall harmony, but a bit more pronounced minerality would have really made it more memorable.

A bit mute on the nose. Firm, steely and tightly coiled, but this this eventually unwind a bit and showed good powdery cherry and stones. I didn't get the funk others were getting. While not showing the flash of the 2009 vintage, this remained an enjoyable, elegant and restrained wine.

A wine that did not get a lot of love tonight. While not a very giving wine, I did find some redeeming qualities. A bit tart, but in a slightly lifted, palate cleansing manner. Crunchy, high toned and inflected with iron-flakes. Not a wine for lovers of fruit. Not showing much plushness, but quite drinkable with some food.

Ruby red, with an evolved garnet rim; obviously a wine with some age. Cedar, earth and mulch, but not without fruit, as some dried currants poked through as well. Velvety smooth and lively with a persistant finish. Lovely example of an aged Bordeaux. My red wine of the night.

Not sure what to make of this wine. I admired the concentration and weight of the wine and it did have some interesting secondary notes of an aged Bordeaux, but it also had a hard to describe, jagged, disjointed character to it. Not Rated.

Ripe, big, and pulpy. Seems like the first new-world wine has entered this blind tasting. Cranberry, pepper, menthol and herbs. Very gulpable, but also a lot of character. I can't say I was initially a fan of it, but it slowly grew on me as the night wore on.

Dark purple in color... very youthful at 8 years of age. Ripe plums, prunes, creosote and spice. Big and porty and tough to figure out where this will go with more age. Not sure I appreciate the style at it's current stage. Not rated.

On my first sips I guessed a Grenache-based Rhone blend. Loads of raspberry fruit, but also some gunpowder and menthol mixed in. The acidity is sound, with a medium finish... but overall unexciting.

My first guess was a cool-weather, new world Syrah. Cranberry, herbs and tapenade. Racy and focused, but a hint of a distracting milky/lactic note. Overall, quite excellent and enjoyable.

Something about Riesling with a bit of age to them brings a smile to my face, and this wine delivered the goods. The sweetness has resolved itself a bit, and I would be hard pressed to call this an Auslese. A whirlwind of flavors on the palate: peach, ginger, tropical fruits, citrus, slate... still very youthful. Racy, focused, chiseled and long. Gorgeous.

My first de Montille, and I am quite impressed. The has the plump, ripe, fleshy fruit one would expect from 2009, but this is suave, velvety and almost weightless on the palate. I kept thinking "silk, silk, silk". Lovely wine and very sophisticated from I typically "think" Pommard is. I need to drink more Pommard and more de Montille.