The aroma was quite sherried, but the palate was spot on. Impressive.

Crisper than '88, pears, heavy acid. This will benefit from more time in bottle.

Classic Ramonet precision, so clean with excellent tension and minerality. Generous fruit, and the whole package is well-balanced. This bottle seemed like it could have held up for years, but I would lean on the cautious side of the aging curve here.

Served blind, this stood out as the most obvious wine in the lineup. Mature Coche Dury wines have a density to them that few other producers can match, and this was really apparent here. Also the '97 vintage showed itself with dark color and mature secondary notes. It's an excellent wine, but I wonder if we have missed something by waiting this long.

Viscous, dense, slightly bitter on the finish. I'd be inclined to give this more time.

Palate was a bit tropical, the finish a very chalky mineral. I prefer this to '07 tonight, but I don't think this will have the longevity of the '07.

Every time I have one of the epic '96's from Leflaive, it reminds me of how vast the damage has been in later years from premature oxidation. When Leflaive was on, there really was nothing better. This wine was in peak form, really lovely on every level, and with a great deal of life left in it. Well-stored bottles will easily go another decade. Quite remarkable.

Slightly bitter on the attack, with a sweet finish that fans across the palate. Better with air, and thankfully no hint of oxidation here.

Light gliding mouthfeel with lengthy finish. Clean and precise. I have been privileged to enjoy this wine numerous times, and this was a great showing -- clearly some bottle variation, with some bottles tense and young like this, and others well on their way out.

Excellent performance by this wine tonight, which seems par for the course of the entire '04 Ramonet lineup. Exceptional minerality, and a very polished wine. This was about as close to perfection as a BBM could be at this phase of evolution.

Served blind in a large lineup of DRC wines, this was the youngest but it was not identified as the youngest. This has softened up considerably from the last bottle, there's more depth and it's more approachable, while retaining youthful flamboyance. Of course this wine is capable of decades of development, but this vintage comes across as rather precocious and held its own against vintages going back to 1990.

Served blind. Elegant, balanced with ripe fruit and a touch of sous bois. This strikes me as holding a lot in reserve, slightly clumsy at this stage, expect big upside with another decade or two of aging.

Served blind -- I thought this was 09! It was that youthful, that vibrant, that it could be mistaken for a wine 18 years younger. With some air that primary fleshiness melted away and the complex and exotic notes came to the forefront -- woweeeeee. Brilliant.

Served blind. This also came across as somewhat younger than its age, my guess was '06 RSV. From the first sip, was a great balance of primary fruit and secondary nuance. As with all the wines today, I wish I had more time to contemplate it, but it was a 3 ounce pour and on to the next one at a brisk pace. That said, it showed very well even in a big lineup of DRC.

Served blind. Hideously corked, oh the humanity...

Served blind. Initially, this was my favorite of the flight for the obvious maturity, the extra dimension it brought to the table. On the other hand, the '91 RSV gave it a run for its money and was impressive for how youthful it showed. In any event, this wine was exactly what it's supposed to be: a superstar. It's quite evolved, and while likely to hold - and perhaps even improve - I would be inclined to enjoy at this superb current phase of evolution.

Served blind. As with pretty much every red today, biffed it on the vintage. Somehow in my mind I think of the '02's as being polished and accessible, but this was more tannic and backward. A brilliant wine, but not as giving as some '02's can be today. To be fair, we didn't have a whole lot of time at this fast paced dinner with 10 DRC wines, so it may well have shown more with time in the glass.

Served blind. I liked it, but it wasn't a standout amongst tonight's tough competition. More backward than the '09 Richebourg, which makes sense for the vintage. Give this wine a lot of time in bottle preferably.

Served blind. Well, you know it's an insane lineup when a '90 DRC isn't the clear favorite. This was a solid performance, but I'd be lying if I said I picked it out as a cut above the other wines in the flight. I am sad I didn't have hours to really contemplate this wine.

Served blind. The '01 vintage is in a good spot for current enjoyment, but I think it will be delivering considerably more in time. There's balance and depth here, but it's a little angular relative to some of the other wines at the table tonight.