Medium body, nice bead, good balance. Shows the house style, but is not hugely interesting. Aged at least 6 years, I felt that the wine would have been more vibrant on release, but has some nice meal and brioche notes.

Tasted after a somewhat muted Charles Heidsieck NV, this bottle came across as far younger and extraordinarily vibrant. Stunning balance and pinpoint clarity are the hallmarks of this wine. It is a vivid example of the 1996 acid balance. Shows excellent maturity alongside vibrancy.

Beautiful chablis in mid-maturity. Mineral (hint of flint) , stone fruit, and floral (Dianthus and other spring blossoms) aspects. Good weight, supple texture. Fine wine. 93+, can continue evolve.

Incredibly ripe, inviting nose with vivid top notes. In the mouth, extremely ripe, very large-scaled, but for me the 14% alcohol manifests itself in a slightly hard, metallic and hot finish. I still think this is outstanding, because of its opulent and exotic nature, but the alcohol does intrude for my taste. In some respects the most interesting wine tasted tonight, as it is a unusual expression of Riesling.

As always, a stunning wine, with a unique style, that marries Napa ripeness (albeit with some green olive notes tonight) and an earthy/leather/mocha quality that feels very much like Bordeaux. Fully mature, but incredibly vibrant, soft, structured. The palate is all elegance, in the context of a rich red style. The finish lasts over 30 seconds. Certainly the greatest early Dominus. Bottles in this condition will last for another decade - it seems ageless at the moment...

Tasted next to the Dominus 1991, this came across as leaner, slightly mineral, and perhaps a little watery on the finish. At full maturity, or possibly slightly past its peak, this wine ha s a vivid graphite and cedar personality. Cinnamon and clove spiciness is an exotic aspect of its nature, perhaps derived from the graphite notes. I like the aged and mineral nature of this wine, as it relies on its fruit and balance more than flashy oak handling.

Classic Napa cult in style - very, very sweet fruit, but also shows some aspects of greeness. Very soft and un-evolved. The wine comes across very sweet, but does not appear to have transformed with age. Drunk on its own, I found it cloying and slightly out of balance, but with beautiful venison stew, the fruit (and structure) came to the fore, and actually matched the dish very well. As the evening progressed, the wine began to show some more earthy nuance. Overall, a fun wine in the style of the Napa cults, but perhaps not with the best example's levels of complexity. It's trying to play with the heavy hitter cults, but is not quite in their league, in this vintage.

Great (and classic) Tuscan Sangiovese nose. Gorgeous ripeness, lifted notes, all class. In the mouth, still unevolved, very ripe, plenty of structure, but the 15% does make this slightly tiring at the end of a night's tasting (so perhaps this note is a little unfair)! It is a very ostentatious wine, (almost new world) and promises a huge amount for future development, but one will need to be quite careful about what kind of food would best match with its high alcohol, extremely intense style. 91++++ I would wait at least until 2022 until trying again, and preferably until 2027....

Absolutely fabulous wine! For me the essence of Creme Brûlée - in fact, I have never had a wine that expressed the hard caramel and rich creamy vanilla custard so clearly. Notes of almond and hazelnuts add considerable complexity. The texture was so rich, thick and oily - most likely helped along by the 14% alcohol. Drinks so right now! Drunk from a half bottle. 94++, but I'm probably underrating this wine...