Fresh raspberry, strawberry on the nose with decayed forest leaves. Tart red berries on the palate, slightly resinous, quite delicate bodied. A little earthy, with a chalky mouthfeel. With time in the glass the fruit becomes a little sweeter and a nice licorice note emerges. Needs time. My 2/6, group's 4/6.

Stalky nose with tobacco and bright red fruit. Spicy aromatics. Nice freshness on the palate, but rather simple compared to the other wines here. My 6/6, group's 5/6.

Very ripe red fruit nose with excessive volatile acidity, in this case distractingly strong acetone aromas. Tannic on the palate, with cassis, earth, and some spicy oak. Refreshly dry and classic in style. This is a dense, chewy wine that i would have rated higher in this tasting if not for the distracting VA. My 5/6, group's 3/6.

Dark, ripe red berries and black pepper on the nose. Tart on the palate but with rich forest berries, pine/resin, olive, black pepper. Some tannins but very approachable. Nice acidity and a long finish. Delicious. My 1/6, group's 2/6.

Nose of candied currant and red fruits, aromatic spice box, a little toasty oak. Full-bodied and opulent on the palate with rich, sweet cassis, graham cracker and creamy oak. Shows a little alcohol. While not my preferred style, this was well-made and more balanced than my notes suggest. Reminiscent of a young modern styled left-bank Bordeaux from a ripe year, like 2003. My 3/6, group's 1/6.

Nose of black pepper, rich red berries, touch of tobacco. A little stalky on the palate, but with nice complexity, and a pronounced resinous quality, maybe pine or cedar. Good acidity, and chewy tannins, but very manageable. I liked it, but the California palates in the room hated this with a passion. My 4/6, group's 6/6.