Double blind. Apple and tropical fruit notes with hints of mineral underneath. The palate follows the bouquet. Full-bodied, with good weight across the palate. Finishes with good length. Something of a "baby" Peter Michael.

Double blind. Deeper color than the first, definitely older. Tropical fruit, lemon and mineral tones. Balanced, with tropical fruit and coconut dominating the palate. A bit more rich in texture than the first. By the end I think this may have been my favorite of the warm ups. 92-93 pts.

Double blind. Darkest of the three. Apple and lemon notes, with a hint of something dusty-something like crushed rocks, if you've ever been near a gravel yard when they are crushing aggregate, you know what I mean.

Double blind. Pale ruby red color. Cherry, rhubarb and cranberry notes with orange peel accents underneath. Light-bodied, showing cherry, orange and cinnamon flavors with good supporting acidity. Knwoing TLV's cellar it was easy to identify as WesMar, but I guessed Oehlman. 91-92 pts.

We all believed this to be the younger wine, but no. Just goes to show that every bottle is different from the next, even from the same case held under the same conditions.

Double blind. Has a bit of a brownish color, presumably the older of the pair. OPens a bit funky, with sous bois, a touch of vegetation and tea leaf, with macerated black cherry overtones. The fruit on the palate is much better than the bouquet would suggest, with black cherry and wild strawberry flavors. A bit cloudy-has some very fine sediment. Improved as the flight wore on, becoming less vegetal/funky, and showing more tea and black cherry elements. 87-88 pts.

Double decanted off its sediment perhaps 90 minutes before the flight was poured, with the cork left in until just prior to service. Garnet core with some bricking. Currants, red plum, herbs and roasted red bell pepper notes- exactly how I remember this wine. Abundant black fruit on the palate, along with green tobacco, cedar and spice box flavors. Integrated and balanced. Long finish.

Most guesses from the group centered on Bordeaux, and I remarked that my first experiences with this wine always had me thinking St. Julien, so that would be a good, albeit incorrect, guess.

When I presented Domino with a list of options for this tasting, she immediately jumped on the Laurel Glens, to my surprise (I assumed she would pick the Cote Roties). Anyhow, another terrific showing from this wine, though sadly, this was our last bottle. It is definitely mature, and the fruit is definitely not what it used to be, creeping slowly toward the end if its life. I would think that well-stored bottles ought to drink at this level for a couple/few years yet at least, though I'd err on the sooner side to be safe.

Dark opaque color. Black fruit, green tobacco and currant notes. Medium tannins. Dark fruit, spice and cedar on the palate. Youthful. Definitely shows the CA fruit and considering the pairs, tipped off a few people to the fact that C and D were not Bordeaux. 91-92 pts.

In retrospect, I should have decanted this for a couple of hours at least. Still, a nice wine on the youthful side, I'll let the rest sleep in the cellar a while longer.

Double decanted of its sediment 90 minutes before the flight was poured. Light color. Notes of raspberry coulis and red berry fruit, with white pepper and spice undertones. Flavors of cherry, rose and raspberry.

Always a more elegant style of zin that many might struggle to identify as zin when tasting double blind, though once you find out what's in your glass you see the varietal signature. Montelena's is a style of zin I enjoy very much. I think many were surprised by the age as well.

Spice and raspberry with wild strawberry jam overtones. Just a hint of something brambly underneath. The palate mirrors the bouquet. Finishes with nice length; well-balanced.

Blind. Currant, earth, plum and charred wood. Somewhat firm tannins. Good dark fruit, with plum and currant. Nice finish. A bit on the rustic side. 91-92 pts.

Double decanted off its sediment a couple of hours prior to the flight. Dusty black fruit with hints of cedar and underbrush. Nice black fruit on the palate. Somewhat coarse tannins need a little more time to integrate fully. In a good place though and starting to drink quite nicely. 91-92 pts.

Double blind. Opens with candied red fruit notes followed by raspberry and chocolate. Really great bright red fruit on the palate. Medium-bodied, with subtle soice undertones. A bit of a fooler at first, it took me a minute to get to zin, and then guessed that it was a Geyserville. Easily the best showing of this wine that I have experienced. 92+ pts.

Double blind. Plummy, a bit more ripe than the previous wine, along with candied raspberry. Red fruit and pepper palate. Very good.

Double blind. Bouquet of red and black fruit, plum and chocolate. Full-bodied. Mixed fruit, oak spice and hints of vanilla. Finishes a little shorter than I'd like. Easy to pick out as Napa cab.

Double blind. Tar and black fruit notes. Medium-bodied with flavors of black raspberry, black currants and chocolate-covered cherries. Guessed Napa cabernet. Still youthful, this needs more time to develop complexity.

Blind. Notes of dark fruit, cedar and spice. Cassis, currants and leather. Full-bodied and balanced, with a lingering finish.

Black fruit with funky vegetal overtones. Medium-bodied with slightly coarse tannin and flavors of black fruit, tobacco and more vegetal elements. The fruit is good, but the vegetal elements are somewhat distracting...perhaps a touch of brettanomyces.

Blind. Leather, currant and plum notes. Integrated and balanced. Saddle leather, spice box, currant and plum flavors. Nice.

This vintage has been quite variable in my experience over the years and if this is a representative bottle, I would say drink by 2025.

Double blind. Vegetal, more like wet hay- brettanomyces- with plum and dark fruit underneath. Better on the palate, with abundant dark fruit. Medium tannins with a solid finish. Depending on one's tolerance for this strain of brett, your score my be higher. Personally I find the wet hay notes distracting. Would love a crack at a clean bottle someday as there is some really nice fruit underneath.

Double blind. Loads of black fruit with spice undertones. Structured; fine tannins supporting black fruit. Hints of chocolate in the finish. Excellent.

Courtesy of Sue. Currant, red berry and dark plummy fruit, with eucalyptus overtones. Nicely integrated, with flavors of mint, red plum and macerated berries. Hints of pepper in the finish. Drinking very well.

Decanted about three hours give or take. Eucalyptus and black fruit with plenty of spice. The palate follows the bouquet. Medium tannins. Interesting that this is now under screw cap, though it's been a long time since I've purchased one of these, so perhaps that's been the case for a while now.

Red and black fruit, chocolate and oak spice notes. The palate is more red-fruited, and balanced, finishing with moderate length. Always a reliable merlot.

Standard bottle. Light golden amber color. Loads of apricot, along with honey and marmalade and slightly tropical notes. Rich and layered, with a long finish and great underlying acidity.

Half bottle. Lemon and tropical fruit with stone fruit undertones. Bright and racy on the palate, with apricot and melon flavors. Excellent.