Was dealing with a bit of a soap smell issue with the glass so take this with a grain of salt. This champagne seemed a bit closed down to me. A hint of spice and interest, but not nearly as open as the Initiale poured later.

A lot younger than I'd have thought. This wine was still fairly tight. bright red fruits and spice and some woodsy. Very crisp note to it. May be the better wine in the long term, but today preferred the '86 Cheval tried alongside.

One of my favorites of the day. This was barnyard and funk and darker fruits and just this feeling of falling into a pool of dark water where the bottom is not quite clear (aka - a very deep wine). Very tasty.

Very bright fruits. Still a younger tasting wine. A bit less balanced than the '86 had alongside. Needs more time.

This was a pleasant surprise for me (and did make me consider bidding on these). Really nice spot. Tasted like a ripe sour red fruit so there was a nice balance between the sweet and sour sides. In a very good spot. Had expected it to be a bit over the top given other '98s, but not at all.

One of the ones I was most excited about. It is incredibly young. Very tight red fruits. Very bright. Just needs another 10-15 years at least I think.

Lovely set of bubbles. Very brioche and toasty. I get an almost salty flavor here as well which is interesting. Smooth wine. Easy to drink.

164th edition (base mostly 2008). This is always good and a strong wine, but seems like it could benefit from a bit of age. A bit tighter than the Pierre Peters we had alongside. Tasty though.

Served blind. This was a funny wine. Definitely really good acidity. Bit of cherry and oak and maybe some sandalwood. It's still going quite well given the age. Fun to try.

One of my WOTD. Started very musty and closed down and just felt a bit off. So stuck it in a decanter and gave it some time and it clearly appreciated it. With some time (maybe an hour or two) get more floral and eucalyptus and mint notes. With a bit more time hints of black fruits (although not overpowering). A very serious and interesting wine. Enjoyed.

In a perfect spot right now. It's open and ready for business. Still tons of fruit but well balanced with more savory notes. Good structure. Tasty wine. Pnp'ed.

From the new release. This was very impressive. Lots of spice and maybe some parsley and dill and herbal and just very interesting. Quite enjoyable.

Honey and white flowers. Full-bodied. Classic rhone white which are some of my favorites. It is a white wine for a red wine drinker. Very tasty.

Very nice wine. Elegant and crisp. Touch of red spice notes. Maybe some charcoal. The most impressive part though is the finish - this is a wine that you taste for minutes afterwards. Really lovely.

Really lovely wine. This is one of my favorite vintages even if that isn't always the popular pov. It's perhaps got a touch less acidity than some of the others. But there's a depth to the flavor. And a wonderful finish that goes for just forever. Paired this with a hint of spice shrimp pasta that and it went perfectly. Also great with the astice (lobster and burrata). Delicious.

57% Cab Franc, 40% Merlot, and 3% PV. Bright and fresh and definitely vegetal but I don't mind that. Classic bell pepper flavors.

Opened for a few hours in the bottle, but no decant. A bit strong at first but it calmed down some in the glass. Classic tomato paste. A bit of an aftertaste that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

This felt just a bit off to me. The last time I had it really enjoyed the wine. Here it had an acidity that was more in the heading to vinegar style. Some red fruits in the background. Never quite came around for me.

I think of '79 as a pretty mediocre vintage for Bordeaux, but we had a number of quality ones today and this was no exception. Bright cherries. Some tar and tree branch. Drinking very well right now. Pnp'ed.

Something just not quite right with this. Should have been awesome. Would say just ok. In comparison the '79 Montrose felt more alive. This is leather and oak and a general deadness. Not very bright or interesting. Prob an off bottle.

Very bright and open for business. A wine that stands out. Lots of red fruits. Very tasty. Interesting since came on the heels of the '82 Mouton and this was much more impressive (I think Mouton a bad bottle).

From a mag. Again a bit more herbal. Touch of green. Very tasty. Enjoyed.

Don't think we drink enough Colgin Syrahs. They are really great. Have this nice balance of the fruit and the herbal. Some lavendar and violets here. At first it's a bit hot, but then it seems to calm down and is really quite nice. Can tell the Rhone influence and still it's a new world wine.