Blanco contributed this to our tasting (we bought this from the Hospices auction thru Mark F). Very pleasant, generous nose of tropical fruit, which I always notice on this wine. Some detected apples as well. Medium to full bodied, good mouthfeel. Lots of tropical fruit--especially bananas & pineapple. Noticeable mineral quality, nice spiciness and good length. Great mid-palate here, and nicely balanced between the acidity and fruit levels. In fact, the wine didn't appear as big or full-bodied as I had recalled. AL detected a citrus quality more than I did, and scored it a 93. This is the 4th time I've had this wine in 2013 & I've enjoyed it every time, as has whoever else was around when opened. It's drinking very well presently and has a solid 5 year window ahead of it. Very enjoyable, well-made Meursault that was well-worth the time, effort and cash expended to get it to our side of the pond. (It took a few years following purchase to finally obtain it from Beaune).

Medium gold color with a pinkish hue. Nose of honey & beeswax. A bit oxidized unfortunately. Drinking alongside the '06 Meursault from Faiveley, it did not hold up well, and in fact faded badly in the glass. An interesting wine, but a bit of a disappointment.

Tasted blind. I donated from my cellar, though where or when I picked up this bottle is beyond me. Too bad, as I wish I had more...Medium violet/pinkish color with substantial bricking in the glass. On appearance alone, it was clear to all that this was the Barolo--given that it was by far the oldest of the 5 reds tasted. Nose of rose petals and earth. Still fruit present but more on a secondary level, as one is overwhelmed by the various tertiary notes here: mushrooms, forest floor, and very earthy minerality. Some residual tannins still showing as well as decent acidity level. Lovely balanced wine demonstrating wonderful complexity and interest. A great example of an older, well preserved barolo showing its maturity in grand fashion. WOTD for me, AL and DS.

Drank blind. Donated by Alessandro. Ruby color with no tell tale signs of the wine's age. Nose of earth & mushrooms. Medium bodied, lots of ripe sweet fruit here, but also notes of pepper, mushrooms and earth. It shows somewhat of a rustic quality despite the copious amounts of sweet fruit. Very nice length, beautifully complex, elegant wine that, to me, was the biggest surprise of the day. (If I were to quibble, it did seem to get a bit hotter as it sat in the glass). I'd never tasted this wine before (it was produced only in 1997) so it was a real treat. This is a prime example of a new world California wine that bespeaks old world, traditional values. Drinking great right now & extremely enjoyable

Tasted blind. Dark red color. Softly elegant wine. Coffee notes very prominent, and a bit lacking in fruit. Also, a bit too tannic still which I felt overwhelmed all else in the glass. Also, lots of wet stones here. I liked this wine a lot at first but, its lack of balance & symmetry, plus the fact that it faded quite noticeably in the glass, led me (as well as the majority of our group) to lose interest in it.

Drank blind. Dave's contribution. Dark ruby color showing no signs of age. Very expressive nose of coffee, tar and dark fruits, perhaps some cassis. Lead pencil and coffee is immediately noticed on the palate. I was somewhat surprised at the copious amounts of ripe fruit here (I mistook this wine for the 2000 bordeaux for this reason). Smooth tannins with lots of leather, tar and earthiness here making for a wonderfully complex, delicious glass of wine with excellent length. Great showing for an allegedly so-so right bank vintage.

Drank blind. Dave supplied this wine. Dark color, nose shows some licorice and fruity blackberries. Fairly straightforward wine with some black fruit nuances mixed with some earthy minerality. Notes of cedar & some tobacco here, but a bit lacking in the fruit department in my opinion for this vintage (I guessed this wine to be the 98 for this reason). Overall, a pleasant bottle drinking well right now but not what I would have expected from this vintage.

Rust orange color. Nose of apricots and honey. Extremely viscous wine, like drinking sweet heavy weight motor oil. Liquid candy with burnt oranges, apricots, honey and marmalade. Lots of acidity here that cuts through the thickness of this wine and gives it the structure it requires. This wine is sweet but not at all cloyingly so. Shows some bitterness at the back end, no doubt from the high level of residual sugar here. Nicely structured sweetie with excellent length. AL gave it a 95. I liked it a lot too, but not quite to that extent