Rich and dense. Plenty of earth character. Energetic and vibrant. I prefer this now while the fruit and energy offset the earthiness.

Among the better Cristals that I've ever had. Refined and delineated with plenty of stuffing. Like the floral character. Got better with a couple hours of air.

Wow, so good. The best among a line up of 2008 Tete de Cuvee all stars. Love the density and stuffing. Round and toasty fruit with so much depth. Vibrant.

Terrific and such a massive leap up from the standard yellow label. Rich and deep with excellent toasty subtleties. Excellent now and I prefer this young.

Outstanding vintage for Dom. Consistent with my prior notes. Stuffed and so rich and toasty. Great energy and verve.

Rich and dense with excellent chiseled delineation. Superb now.

My first go with this cuvee. Showing some age with the bruised apple fruit though the bead is still energetic and acidity fresh. Good depth and nuance. I would've liked this better a few years ago.

Not a great bottle. Tired in both fruit profile (more bruised apple and earthy) and structure (a bit flat). Would've expected much better.

A great showing of a great wine. I just love how this has aged (and I prefer younger Champagne). Amazing perfume of ripe orchard fruit with a distinct smoky, toasty character that is so distinctively CdC. Rich and vibrant. So killer and holding on just fine.

From magnum. The youngest of the vertical tonight though this is surprising accessible now. Chewy but round and velvety rich fruit. Nice spice, bell pepper and tobacco notes. Delicious. Will age for a few decades.

In a line of up 2008 Tete de Cuvee bottles, including all the all-stars, and this showed very well. Rich and ripe orchard fruit with a nice toasty accent. Plenty of energy and verve.

98/99 flight. I preferred this as it had more nuance and subtle complexity with cedar and tobacco. Structure is soft as you might expect in this vintage. No reason to hold any longer.

98/99 flight. Very high toned fruit (bordering on volatile) in the nose. This is just too ripe and candied for my tasted. Decent concentration and depth, but I can't get over the fruit profile.

One of my favorites in the vertical. Out of magnum and in a wonderful spot with tarry cedar, tobacco and light bell pepper. Fruit is youthful and the structure firm but tame and integrated. This will age for decades, but so good now.

Just a click or two behind the 94 served side-by-side. Good tarry character to the rich fruit. Nice bell pepper and cedar accents. The fruit really coats the structure and makes it accessible now. Very good but not as complex or nuanced as the 94.

Every bit as good, and perhaps better, than the 97 tonight. The fruit is more layered and the wine more nuanced. Structure is well integrated.

Generously shared (along with the 87) by JLGNML. My favorite of the Dunn HM wines tonight. Brilliant tarry black fruit with layers of bell pepper, cigar ash and cedar. Structure is fully integrated. This is bright and so precise. Long finish.

Generously shared (along with the 83) by JLGNML. The 83 was a touch more intense and precise, but there isn't much white space between these two amazing wines. Fully mature and in a peak window now.

Solid but a bit too ripe for my palate. Good structure but it's masked by a wave of sweet, rich fruit.

A time capsule in the glass. This is delicious and so much better than the younger Insignia bottles from the late 90s/early 00s. Full of wet cedar, dried tobacco, cigar ash and oodles of bell pepper. Mature plum fruit. Nice long finish.

A magnificent wine from a bygone era. So much cedar, bell pepper and tobacco integrated into the cherry and plum fruit. Not as brawny as many of the Dunn HM wines served tonight. More feminine and elegant, relatively speaking. Delicious and long. Wow.

Served blind. Immediately went to 70s Bordeaux. Great earth and dried herb aromas. A bit muddled on the palate. Fully mature. Far preferred the nose vs. the palate.

A spectacular Sauternes with an intense and haunting perfume. Sweet but so light and elegant across the palate. Long, complex finish.