Aperitif, first wine for what proved to be an amazing evening with friends.

Translucent pink/peach color. Nose is light red fruits, crushed stone. Lighter acidity. Mid palate: strawberry, melon, light citrus, Creamy finish. Not a typical California rose, lighter in style

Second wine, pre-dinner in the cellar. Opened this one for Wendy and Joe.

Consistent with prior notes: "Medium golden color, nose of tropical fruits and oak. Palate repeats with long finish of caramel, vanilla oak, quince, butterscotch. Creamy, long finish. Excellent - drinks well now, will drink remaining bottles over next 2-3 years."

Still holding well for a Chardonnay approaching 10 years old. Drinking beautifully right now. this one was opened for about 30 minutes and old mildly chilled I find the more complex Chardonnays from Calif (and Burgundy for that matter), need air just like reds, although not as much. Not serving too cold allows nuances to come through

From a magnum, third wine served with a tomato burrata and basil terrine as a first course. We were fortunate enough to have a special guest who knows this wine well.

Light gold color, nose of lemongrass, citrus and some SB earth/funk. Palate is crisp, more viscosity and body that most CA Sauvignon Blanc. Peach, lavender, melons/honeydew...sophisticated finish. Excellent wine for first course.

Fourth wine of an amazing evening...served with a mushroom risotto with white truffle oil. A great pairing, this is a full and complex wine, pairings with earthy/smoked or savory flavors.

Decanted for about 4 hours before serving, which made all the difference. A quick sample when first opened, it was very tight and not giving much.

Nose was red fruits, earth, sage/spice. Palate repeats, sophisticated and Burgundy like - with ripe red fruits, black cherry, soy, integrated oak. Incredibly smooth mouthfeel and long nuanced finish.

This one seems like it will continue to improve, as tempting as it is to drink now. This is a stunning wine - created a "wow" factor with a very sophisticated audience...

This was the main event in a very special evening with friends. Decanted for about 4 hours prior to serving. This was purchased on release from the winery, stored in my cellar since, first bottles of this batch.

Served with our entree of "Pond View" Skirt Steak, Halibut with Mango relish and Pureed Cauliflower/Roasted Garlic. We were fortunate to have Lindy Novak as one of our guests, providing some very special insight on this wine.

Deep inky/purple color. Still young and fruit forward, it is already integrating and showing tremendous balance. Dark fruits and spice on the nose. Palate repeats with blueberry, black currant, cedar, leather, truffle and vanilla. Bordeaux like structure, back palate shows some graphite and lavender.

One of the best Spottswoode wines I have had the pleasure of tasting. This vintage is truly special and built for the long term. Its beautiful now, my guess it will continue to improve for another 5 years and drink for 25+ years.

An amazing night with friends, served this with a cheese course after the 07 Spottswoode Cab. Needed something that would still wow the plate after some big wines. This was a discerning crowd...

Decanted for about 4 hours prior to serving. Kongsgaard in the good years is California Syrah at its best. Deep purple color, smoky dark fruit nose. Palate was black currant, dark fruits, smoked meats, licorice. Spice/pepper on the finish, which is long and nuanced. Gorgeous Syrah, balanced and integrated. Should be right in its zone for several more years

Last bottle for what proved to be an amazing evening with some special friends...last bottle, appropriately chilled with our sweets. Opened to introduce the crowd to the wine, we'll be visiting FN in October...

Cork was dried and broke, had to push it through, but wine was still great.

Deep gold color, this bottle had some cloudiness. Nose of honey, pears, must. Palate is a creme brulee, apricot, burnt caramel. Botrytis is there but not prevalent.

Drinking right in its zone, shows no signs of moving past its drinking window.