Lot LAJ9P. Light color. Aromas of citrus, apple and ginger. Spiced apple and white flower aromas-something akin to honeysuckle but not quite that sweet. Fine bead with a slow mousse and flavors of almond, apple and ginger with hints of spice in the finish.

Courtesy of our hosts, this poured a lovely yellow color, if just a little darker than I might have guessed for its true age. Notes of coconut, pear, banana, apple and stone. Very pretty-this just kept evolving in the glass. Hints of citrus underneath. Rich, full and layered on the palate. Apple, a bit of barrel spice and coconut flavors, with perhaps a little bit of white pepper coming in on the finish too. Long, lingering finish. 96+ pts.

Single blind, courtesy of our hosts. A bit lighter and color with some bricking, this is likely one of the Guigals or Grange based on appearance alone. Starts off with just a hint of a vegetal note which fades into tobacco, currants, rose and herbs. Medium-bodied, with flavors of currants, plum, pepper and red berry fruit. Develops additional aromas of lavender, floral spice and strawberry. Lovely. 93-94 pts. I guessed this was the Cote Rotie.

My #4, Domino’s #4
Group #5, 25 pts

Our contribution to the flight, decanted for forty five minutes before being rebottled for travel then poured with the flight, perhaps two hours or so after the cork was initially pulled.

Single blind. A touch of mint to start, turning to eucalyptus (this is the Grange, right?), along with plum and dark fruit underneath. Balanced. On the full side of medium-bodied, with flavors of red plum, mint and herbs with a finish showing more dark fruit than red. Develops a nice licorice note to complement the mint and red fruit notes. Lengthy finish; adds a nice soice element as it opens in the glass. I initially rated this 93+ but it developed very nicely in the glass. My guess: given the nice minty herbal edge this displayed, something I often find in Aussie syrah, I guessed this was the Grange.

My #3, Domino's #3
Group #2, 15 pts

Single blind, another of our hosts' bottles. Pretty deep color. Opens with a terrific meaty note, with dark fruit, tar and herb notes adding complexity. Flavors of dark fruit, red berry, tar, plum and spice. Balanced. Has a slight bit of tannin too. Opens further in the glass. Tar, asphalt, meat, spice, red fruit- gorgeous bouquet- could smell this all night. Long, balanced across the palate, lingering on the finish. For me the clear wine of the flight. My guess: given the similarities I found between this and wine F, I assumed they were the two from the same producer, and I assumed this was the Hommage. The meaty note makes sense from the C-R, and no surprise that Domino ranked the C-R first- she absolutely loves 'em. An absolutely stunning example of this wine.

My #1, Domino's #1
Group #1, 11 pts

Three firsts and two seconds, with a lone fourth- the clear WOTN.

Single blind, courtesy of our hosts. Dark color. Aromas of dark fruit, plum, licorice and candied black cherry. On the full side of medium-bodied, with flavors of dark plum, spice, roasted game and herbs. As it sits in the glass the bouquet shows strawberry, dark fruit, stone, spice and road tar. Abundant dark fruit on the palate, with mineral and spice nuances. Finishes well. 93 pts. I thought this was the Chapoutier, somewhat by process of elimination, but also due to color and the candied notes.

My #5, Domino's #2
Group #3, 17 pts

Single blind, courtesy of our hosts. Lighter color. Aromas of red plum and spice, roasted game and licorice. Medium-bodied. Flavors of red fruit, warm baking spices and cherry. Turns towards the darker end of the fruit spectrum as it sits in the glass, also showing some vegetal tones, mineral, herbs, tobacco, more meat and spice. There's an underlying hint of brett too- I like it here as it doesn't detract from everything else going on. A touch of brett on the palate now too, along with dark fruit, currants and red plum. This appeared to be one of the older wines in the flight, and since I thought I had found the CR and Grange, I guessed that this was the '90 Guigal Hermitage.

My #6, Domino's #6
Group #6, 34 pts

Domino, who is one of the most TCA-sensitive tasters I know, thought she may have detected just a slight hint of TCA here (not surprisingly, no one else picked up on it). While I wouldn't doubt her assessment for a moment, she wouldn't go so far as to say for certain that it was there, so it remained unconfirmed and there remains a chance that this bottle was not a truly representative example. This received four out of six last place votes along with two fifth place votes, so it stands to reason there's a good chance Domino was right that this was just a bit off. Hopefully we'll have a chance to taste this again someday.

Single blind, from our hosts' cellar. Darker color. Notes of tar, dark fruit, plum, licorice, herb and tobacco. Reminds me of wine C. Red fruit, herb and spice on the palate with a long finish. This does not change much as it sits, but just grows stronger, maintaining its initial profile. Really well-balanced and enjoyable. As this was so similar to wine C, I figured those were the two Beaucastels and this was the regular CndP.

My #2, Domino's #5
Group #4, 24 pts

Nonblind with supper, courtesy of our hosts. A pop & pour, this improved all the while it was in the glass. Aromas of road tar, licorice, black currant and plum; youthful. Full-bodied. Flavors of mixed red and black fruits, asphalt and herbs with a subtle licorice undertone on the lingering finish. Becomes more open as it sits; more currants and now some black cherry as well, with an ashy burnt ember quality too. Impeccable balance. Long finish. We have a lone bottle in the cellar which we will continue to hold for a while. Decant for 2+ hrs if enjoying now (which is certainly not a crime).

Courtesy of Rich & Rose, popped and poured. Deep inky opaque color, this is unabashedly Napa. Loads of black currants, cassis, blue fruit, vanilla and barrel spice with hints of chocolate underneath. Full-bodied and tannic at this youthful stage, but the tannins are very fine and well-knit, supporting an abundance of lush black fruit- cassis and plum- along with licorice, vanilla, chocolate and blue fruit. Long finish. Nicely balanced as well. Should round out very nicely with a few more years in the cellar- plenty of upside potential.

From 375ml, courtesy of our hosts. Light golden yellow color. Apricot, peach, pear liqueur, stone and spice notes. Tropical- banana, then peach and botrytis spice. Long finish. Rich, but bright too. Lingers on the palate for well over a minute.