I didn't like this as much as my last experience with it -- there's definitely a fair bit of the yeasty autolytic character in this wine, and while there was ample acidity to retain freshness, I think it goes a little too far on the doughy side for my taste. The fruit profile doesn't strike me as delineated and precise now either -- there is a bit of browning going on. Nonetheless, don't see myself turning down a glass of this anytime soon.

I totally understand how special this bottle is, but frankly, I didn't really get it. The nose shows that old pinot champagne funk, with a mild brothy quality, tons of mushrooms, but also a nice kick of spice. The palate is much fresher and brighter, and there's an intense spiciness in this wine, alongside more mushrooms, and some orange peel and other elements that are Madeira-like. But this isn't oxidized -- it's still quite vibrant. Nonetheless, it's definitely more oxidative than I like my champagne (and I like Selosse).

Absolutely gorgeous bottle of Raveneau. I feel like I've been a bit down on the wines of late, but this is one that brings me back to the fold. The nose has a slight hint of reduction that blows off quickly, leaving you with this beautiful expression of chardonnay that encapsulates all the good things of Chablis and the stylization of the house. A mild hint of lemon curd, a lovely dose of salinity, plenty of acid and minerals, with a roundness that balances out all of the leaner elements. It's definitely a big wine, as it should be. And I have to trot out my worn out Sir Mix-A-Lot line: I like big Butteaux and I cannot lie.

This was a bit of a conundrum, especially next to the absolutely incredible bottle of 2007. The relative leanness of this vintage shows, and more troubling was a distinct green note that I picked up on the palate, akin to those little strings you pull out of sugar snap peas. Nonetheless, this has a nice mineral element to it, but in context, it seems pretty clear to me that this is a bit of a runt.

The first taste of this was less than impressive, especially given the pedigree of this wine. The nose was muted and the palate was a bit thin and hollow, without much of the beautiful fruit I would expect from Volnay. Instead, there was a whole lot of oak going on. I managed to revisit the remainder of the bottle a few hours later, and it had started to turn into something more akin to what I would expect. There were some more delicate red fruit flavours to supplement the spice, and the oak on the nose had receded a bit. The palate still shows a bit of grainy wood tannin, and given the relatively less-structured vintage, I hope that this can resolve before the wine dries out.

I've not been particularly convinced by this wine the last few times I had it, but this bottle was lights-out gorgeous. Something just clicked here. It's a powerful wine, sinewy and muscular, but graceful at the same time. The fruit is a good mix of red and black, and there is an emergent perfume as the wine starts taking on some modest secondary characteristics. It's still fairly tannic, but not undrinkably so. It's obviously young in the grand scheme of things, but this bottle was already profoundly enjoyable.

The older vintages of this wine have slowly started blowing up in price, which is quite sad, because this is one of my favourite values in Barolo. The nose here has a very slight balsamic tinge (not in an advanced way), but is also coupled with a dose of earthiness and some nascent secondary fruit. The palate is very surprising though, because the nose seems far more advanced in that respect -- what an absolutely burly wine with so much black-fruited tannins! There's some serious chew here, but I think this has the stuffing to go the long haul.

Is it corked? I thought so at first, but the refusal of the slight dank note to get worse with air (in fact, it seemed to dissipate) proved me wrong. On the heels of the awesome 1995, this is pretty close to that same level. It's actually quite clean by Clape standards, and the fruit is very ripe, but it doesn't show any signs of turning brown or sickly at all. There's a mild olive tone that I love here as well -- it's not something that's always there with Clape. Lots and lots of potent black fruit, a little bit of leather, and some serious structure, as you might expect from the vintage.

This is a great bottle of Bordeaux, but it was just overshadowed by the greater bottle of 1982 next to it. The nose is pure, unadulterated green pyrazine, followed by more subtle expressions of the classic Bordelais elements -- a slight bit of leather, some dried fruits, and a really pleasant dustiness. Lots of acidity here, this is a very structural wine that doesn't seem anywhere close to resolution.

Stunning -- this is what a 1982 should be like. There's a mild hit of pyrazine, but the fruit profile here is what stands out. Sure, the fruit is dried, but it's so luscious and silky and fresh. An extra dose of leafy tobacco adds a nice element of interest as well. The palate is slightly sweet thanks to the riper fruit, but there's also nice elegance from some still-fresh acids. For me, fully resolved and at peak.

"Eucalyptus, camphor, olive." Sums it up really nicely. This was my first Hill of Grace and I already know it's not going to be my last. What an absolutely marvelous wine -- there is just so much complexity on the nose and palate it's hard to figure out where to start. It's not a heavy wine like Grange -- this is an elegant, light wine, but still jam-packed with flavour. But the thing that stands out the most for me here is the finish: it goes for so long, leaving that lingering camphor flavour on your palate. Utterly profound stuff that is at peak for my taste.

I think if you take this wine out of the lineup tonight, it would be an absolutely splendid beverage on its own, but to me, it suffered greatly being next to the Hill of Grace. There isn't the same length and depth here, and the elegance seems to be toned down in favour of a burlier, broader-shouldered wine. A nice hint of spice and a fair bit of black fruit, framed by a generous amount of acidity and a good amount of tannin -- I actually think that this might be more structural than the Hill of Grace and is not yet at peak.

As far as Bordeaux comes, this has to be up there as one of the most profound. Just starting with the nose, you already know how good this wine will be -- that mix of minerality, leather, and still vibrant fruit is intoxicating. There's so much going on here and it's all in perfect harmony. The palate, too, is very much the same -- that minerality is at the forefront, followed by the sweet fruit and leather, and other structural earthy elements. There's still plenty of gas in the tank, so I'm sure that this will carry on for a long time yet, but for me tonight, this was absolutely in the zone. As I remarked at dinner, this is the way through which I commune with God.

#02-91, 8% abv. This bottle was fortunately not corked, and showed exactly like how it ought to. With this amount of age, the sugar has almost all completely mellowed out, leaving a wine that is at most off-dry. There's a lot of freshness here, with a herbal touch and lots of tart citrus and bright acidity. It's not a particularly powerful wine, as it tapers off pretty quickly on the midpalate and finishes a bit short, but there's something really enjoyable about a wine this old tasting this fresh.

#05-90, 8% abv. Continuing my streak of corked old German wines; all the more tragic as this was the only bottle I owned.

#02-77. This was surprisingly light for a BA from 1976. I thought it was far more crisp and elegant than I would have expected, and I've been of the mind that the 1976s should probably be drank sooner than later, but this defies that expectation. For me, the best thing about this wine is the lightness and lift -- it's not one of those syrupy, heavy BAs, but is instead a much lighter expression of the style. There's a really lovely green herbal element that gives this an even greater sense of freshness too. Fantastic.

#32-84, 9.5% abv. These auction goldkapsel wines are pretty much the greatest exemplar of the style, and this bottle is no exception. In a night of stunners, this was another one of the standouts -- it's got some botrytis, but with less of the spice and more of the honeyed qualities, as well as a slight bit of gasoline. It's not as sweet and intense as some of the vintages in the 90s, and is of a more delicate and racy style. (To be honest, I was a little surprised at that.) The colour is fairly light, which would also indicate a little less botrytis as well. Nonetheless, this is still fairly sweet, but the amount of acidity and minerality here help to keep it in check.