Lemony and tart, but with some weight, very pleasant.

Rich and nutty on the nose, lemon curd, slate, and a little nutty on the palate, pretty and satisfying with nice crispness.

Purchased on release around 2003 and from the cork code of M251, it appears to have been disgorged September/October 2002. A little nutty and lemony, but with piercing and intense minerality, still fairly young. I've had the 1996, 2000, and 2004 Krugs in the last month or so and this was comparable in quality to the 1996 and drinking better than the 2000 and 2004. A spectacular Champagne and proof of the ageworthiness of the Grande Cuvée, I've had it at least 15 years and have no doubt it will continue to excel for at least another 15.

An added bonus is that it has the beautiful old gold label, which I much prefer to the current iteration, so it looks as good as it tastes.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from an 18 year old federspiel, but what we got was a thing of beauty. Apricots and slate with a touch of petrol and a tangy finish, it combines richness and precision well and is hard to stop drinking.

From magnum, it was pleasant, but muted. It probably needs more time.

Brooding but with a vibrant streak of tart cherry and a touch of menthol adding some bright contrasts, a little stout, but with excellent complexity, it gave a very strong performance.

Expressive dark cherry and brown sugar, a little soft, but very nice.

Kind of muddled dark cherry with a touch of brown sugar. Nice, but not at the level I'd expect from this producer, vintage, and cru.

Corked.

Explosively perfumed with brown sugar, spice, tomato skin, and dark cherry, sweet on the palate with fine tannin, it exemplifies Dujac's exotic charm which always seems to be dialed up a notch in the Charmes-Chambertin.

This was an odd duck, muddled cherry and spice on the nose suggested Burgundy, but the heavy black pepper on the palate read more like northern Rhône, Mildly interesting, but not terribly enjoyable.

Funky insecticide and white pepper on the nose, a bit green on the palate. With air, the stems continued to dominate but with more intense menthol, a little less insecticide, and more pepper on the palate. I'm pretty tolerant of a lot of stem character, but this (and some other 2008 Grivots I've had) is just too much.

A little foursquare and rustic at the moment, but with good underlying harmony, should be better with more age.

Bloody meat, a little smoke and pepper, brambly fruit and a little leather, nice acidity, a great classic Côte Rotie that is probably at or close to peak, but in no danger of fading any time soon.

By this point in the day, my note taking was starting to suffer, but this was one of the wines of the day. Minty brambly fruit with lovely complexity and balance and the ineffable class that distinguishes the estate.

Celery seed and pyrazine, very savory, a rough and tumble wine that shows a lot of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc character. It had a mixed reception. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but I'm a big fan of Loire Cabernet Franc and old school Bordeaux.

Sweet fruit with some vanilla oak and leather, age has brought some nice complexity, but it still has room for development.

Rich and intense dark fruit, anise and star anise, with plenty of oak spiraled through like a marbled rye, lots of fine tannin on the finish, still a baby, but if you have a lot it is worth drinking one now.

Leather and prune with a lot of sweet fruit, holding up well.

A little tar and flowers, modestly ripe but good intensity, still loaded with fine tannin, in its adolescence with a lot of life left.

A great example of Clerico's trademark combination of ripe dark fruit and spice and brown sugar, and with a touch of florality, it is drinking very well now. It won't be mistaken for a traditional Barolo, but it has plenty of its own charms to offer and deserves to be appreciated for what it is more than for what it isn't.

Light, floral, and a little candied, pleasant but fairly simple.

A very nice balance of sweetness, age, and freshness, with a little earthiness thrown in.

Lemon creme brûlée in a bottle, with more acidity than I would have predicted 20 years ago. For a long time this was my third favorite of the brilliant 1988 to 1990 run, but it may have passed the 1990 and is closing in on the 1988 as the balancing acidity becomes more and more apparent.