Very pale in colour. The nose is crisp, with some lovely tart red fruits and you get a very nice sense that this is going to be a pretty full-bodied champagne -- and indeed it is. There's lots of fruit and the palate is indeed quite full, but there's some really good acidity here. A very bright and pleasant champagne.

This is definitely as exotic as I remember. Thai herbs galore, with just a slight touch of bitter herbs on the palate as well. Despite all that, there's also something really saline and savory in this wine underneath all that. The texture here is actually quite thick, and there's some clearly visible viscosity happening. Heady and big, but showing some nice minerality and acidity too. Great sauvignon blanc.

I was excited the moment Marc threatened to bring this to dinner. At first, the nose seemed a little sketchy, but those somewhat odd odours blew off. Then it unfolded into a very ripe and full-bodied expression of chardonnay. Sure, there was a little bit of brown, but that's expected given the age here. Peachy, ripe, and powerful, just as Corton-Charlie ought to be.

I really liked this -- this was about as classic a Bordeaux as you could find. The nose was a little weedy to be sure, but there was plenty of really nice green bell pepper aromatics to be had here. The palate had a lot of mulch notes, and seemed to be driven fully by acid at this point -- the tannins have fully receded into the distant past. Some life still, but I'd be more inclined to drink now than hold...

A revelation, courtesy of Steve. Certainly very dark, this is a very brooding wine. Lots of black fruit to be found here, as well as just a hint of peppercorn. The palate doesn't really show the ripe fruit as much as the nose would have you think -- in fact, this is elegant and light, with the right amount of acid to keep this wine going. A wine punching far about its appellation.

Those who know me know that I'm not the biggest fan of Chapoopoo. But I have to admit that this bottle was quite good. No one will mistake this wine for a weakling, but there's restraint behind the power here. A whiff of Chapoutier funk (or is it oak), followed by some earth tones and black fruit. A wine that's still very much alive and showing it too.

Eww. Smells like poop.

This is some serious stuff. Inky dark, but with a classic nose that shows a lot of that Allemand refinement, as well as the typical complement of black fruit and spice. It seems that this was a touch less feral and animale as Cornas ought to be, but that's hardly a bad thing, at least to my bourgeois taste. The palate is simply just dense and black right now, but there is still plenty to find and like here; it'll just get better with more time then. As a side note, cast aside worries that 2009 was too ripe, at least for this wine -- while fruity, I did not find this overly so.

This is the first time trying out the negoce label of Meo, and I have to say, it's no slouch at all. This is a full-bodied Burgundy, made in the same vein as the Domaine wines. This veers nicely to the red spectrum, as is par for the vintage, but there's some of that signature Meo power in this wine as well. The spicy oak does crop up just a little here, but it's not overpowering.

Lot 2012 (I think -- no hablo español). Well, as far as sherry goes, this has every single damn thing you expect. A serious touch of oxidation at first, followed by plenty of nuts, orange peel, and a light touch of honey and mushroom. Tons of acidity and salinity, and dry as the desert. I think I can understand what's going on with this wine, but I personally respect this more than enjoy it.

What the heck? This is simply an incredible Coteaux du Layon. I've always been slightly weirded out by the tricks that Baumard pulls, but there's no denying that whatever he did here, the result here is simply fantastic. While this is super ripe and sweet, there's also a very compelling lightness to this wine. It's not heavy at all. The fruit is white to yellow, with a clear pear note. A touch of honey as well rounds out the palate.

The more old Sauternes I have, the more I'm convinced these wines are good only when they're old. This was fantastic -- so many of the classic Sauternes flavours here, with a lovely sweet marmalade note that never came off as bitter (as some lesser wines can do, sometimes). Not too sweet, this is ripe but very well-balanced. Apart from the lovely marmalade, there's just a very light touch of brown sugar and some fresh tart citrus and almonds as well.