This was one of the better 1996 red burgundies I've had; I think the conventional wisdom that Jadot nailed the vintage is correct. It's perhaps most instructive to compare this to the Bèze which I opened alongside this. This was a simpler, more fruit forward and fleshy wine, that showed its fruit much more than any earth or iron or dirt. To be sure, there are plenty of acids here the fleshy fruit balances it out, and in this case, there's ample quantity too, so while this wine is structural like most 1996s, it has enough flesh on its bones.

If the 1996 Chambertin was among the better 1996s I've had, then this is among the best. What a wine. It is exactly what I think of when I think of Gevrey -- iron, earth, tannic, and powerful. There's almost a slight bit of dustiness to this as well. The fruit is on the darker end of the spectrum, but it is present and not some meagre wisp to cover the monumental structure of this wine.

I don't know where I got the idea in my head that Latricières is one of the weirder Gevrey wines but that's what I think. And this bottle definitely had something a little funky about it. Perhaps it's the way the earth on the nose and palate express themselves. But on the other hand, this also didn't suffer too much from the vintage. It's more earthy than tannic or acidic, and there's a lot of black fruit and maybe a touch of oak. A bit bigger in style than the 1996 Jadots opened alongside.

This bottle opened a little volatile at first, with some odd high-toned chemical aromas. But decanting and swirling absolutely helped alleviate that. This was initially very dark in profile, with a good dose of blood and black fruit. It was also less spicy than the sweeter 2007. The palate lags behind the nose a little in quality; it was mostly driven by the acidity. Air started to bring out some more red-fruited scents, which were absolutely gorgeous. it was really interesting to try this next to the 2007; it was very clear they had a similar polished ferocity about them (think rustic and animale but not funky not dirty).

This is one of the fleshiest Allemand wines I can remember drinking. The fruit on the nose here shows extremely young, to the point it almost seems purple. This has a bit of that new wine smell; odd for a wine that's a decade old. There are also clearly some animale and black pepper components here, but the thing that strikes me as most interesting is the soft structure here; the acidity is low and the tannins surprisingly soft.

#25-91, 7.5% abv. Goldkapsel? More like Plastkapsel. An incredible if slightly understated nose that just screams old Prüm. There are the herbs, fruit, and minerality that you expect, the hint of blue cheese that you get in the WS, and the sweetness of botrytis. The palate follows through on that promise, with the intense 1990 acid racing through an incredible array of flavours. This is on the lighter side of a GKA, showing more emphasis on acidity and raciness, but it is a killer wine all the same.

4% abv! Can you believe it? It's barely wine, perhaps partially fermented grape must? The nose here is all brown sugar and botrytis, caramel, citrus peel, and all the other good stuff you'd expect. I think unctuous is probably the right word to describe this wine, which is so sweet it's almost bitter. The relative innocuousness of pinot gris is a great canvas to show off the SGN technique.

#05-80, 10% abv. Corked.

#16-84. Corked. More the shame that this was clearly fresh on the palate.

#12-95, 8.5% abv. Wow, this is an absolutely brilliant wine from the Merkelbach brothers. The nose is insanely rich, showing green herbs, tons of fruit, a bit of slate, and some real spice character. The palate is extraordinarily sweet for a Merkelbach wine, but it is held in check by the 1994 acidity. Still, this is Mosel riesling in its most classical form: shapely, elegant, and fresh. Years, if not decades of life left.

Incredible nose -- this is so, so pretty. There is such insane crystalline purity of fruit and flower here. This is a wine with a very light touch, and showing incredibly well. It's a lot cleaner than than 2008 Lafarge Ducs that I had a week(?) ago, as well, as well as a little less advanced. But the palate is a little thin and shows a lot of acidity and tannin. Delicious and gorgeous now, if that thinness doesn't bother you too much.

#19-85, 7.5% abv. This is a very demure and restrained bottle of the WS Spätlese. It shows very much like what an old JJP ought to show, and it isn't something that will blow your mind, but there is a calm endurance and delicacy about this which I find absolutely compelling. There's a slight whiff of the usual blue cheese from the Sonnenuhr, but that's coupled with a touch of honey, white florals, and a gentle bit of fruit. Sweet, but not overly so. Everything in its right place.

This is a really, really good bottle of Hebrart. It very much fits my idea of what I like in a grower champagne. It has the bright acidity, but there's a sweetness here in the fruit that lends a roundness to the wine. It's a broader, more outgoing Champagne; a bit bubbly if you will. Given the generosity now, this is absolutely insane for drinking. Certainly I expect there is upside to aging, but I absolutely adore this wine for its freshness now.

Served blind, but I knew it was Bordeaux. This has a soft ripeness on the palate which made me think something like 1982. There wasn't much distinguishing to me here, a bit of earth and a sense of decay. A bit earthy and dusty, but this was a bit difficult for me to pin down.

Served double-blind. I would have made the 2004 red burgundy call sooner, but speaking with a mouthful of green stems and ladybugs and spraying it over the table is considered a faux pas. Absolutely disgusting.

What an awesome, easy-going rose. It's never tough, hard, overly acidic, or even overly mineral: just balanced, easy, fresh, and charming. The fruit here is fairly ripe, and lends this a roundness that I find missing in so many champagnes. There's some red-fruited character here as well, something that's sometimes hard to find in rose champagnes.

I've never been a fan of this wine; I think it's mostly a wine made to pad out the distributor's profits. Seriously, have you ever seen anyone who wanted Mugnier ask for a case of the Maréchale? Yeah, didn't think so. Still, this is a pretty good example of this wine. It's got a nice crunchy red fruit profile on the nose and palate. It's not particularly Nuits-like in that it doesn't have too much earth or dirt, but there is a nice density of fruit here. A good showing, but this seems like a Burgundy that doesn't quite know where it's from.

This is a real, proper Napa cabernet. This is very fleshy, showing the fruit and ripeness of the vintage with incredible clarity. This is a beast of a wine; incredibly young with a long life ahead of it. There are some elements of dust and earth, alongside the black fruit. Really good, but this can use a lot more age to integrate.

This is absolutely killer wine for the price. A bit of reduction that blows off with some air. There are some awesome stone fruit flavours on the palate and nose. It's rich and dense, with the density of 2014, and awesome acidity to boot. It's a really complete wine, and it still surprises me how great this wine is at the level. Of course, this being Rouget probably helps a bit too...

Thin and weedy. Clearly pinot noir, but it's basically underripe, mean, and lean. This has a preponderance of tannin, with some pretty red fruit, but it's too acidic and tannic, without enough flesh. As with most Coteaux Champenois, more of an intellectual curiosity than good wine.

Really dense and black fruited. I love the velvety tannins on this, which gives this a luscious richness. There's certainly some aromas of green bell pepper and ash here, but mostly the story of the day is that this is far too young. Compared to the other 2005 Loires we had today, this was the darkest, densest, most tannic, and probably the best wine. But it's just not ready. Hold, if you got'em.

In comparison to the Joguets, this was the most accessible bottle of the 2005 Loires. The fruit is easy going, and the wine isn't too complex. There's only a moderate bit of bell pepper, with a slight bit of earth. The tannins here are much softer; the wine is nowhere as dense as the Joguets. A good bottle, but hardly outstanding.

This is definitely drinking better than the 2005 FdP, but in the long haul, it will probably be the weaker wine. This is pretty much the same as I noted a few months ago; it's got a brilliant density of black fruit that the riper vintage gives it, alongside the requisite pyrazine tones. This is definitely in no risk of decline anytime soon, but I really can't deny how good this is already.