Magnum. Apple and berry with assertive sense of toasted rye that shows more pronounced yeasty notes than I'd consider ideal, but overall good richness. Drink sooner vs later.

Enticing aromatic start with lots of stone fruit richness and spice. Similar on palate, but less fresh, getting tired on finish that shows a bit of heat. Much less interesting vs a couple of bottles tasted two years ago.

Double(ish) blind in disappointing Châteauneuf-du-Pape flight. Mature black fruit with good spice, good dose of earth and medium weight. Not too ripe or lean, both of which were problems in the flight. My 4th fav (of 9) in the flight, group's 3rd.

Double(ish) blind in disappointing Châteauneuf-du-Pape flight. An odd combination of ripe and tart fruit is much higher octane than most in the flight with more depth, but off balance for now. Needs time. 87 points for me tonight, but lots of possible upside if greater harmony is achieved. My 5th fav (of 9) in the flight, group's 5th as well.

Double(ish) blind in disappointing Châteauneuf-du-Pape flight. Incredibly lean for the vintage, much too tart, almost all earth except for the tannins. Completely past its peak and now completely uninteresting. My least fav of 9 in the flight, group's 9th ranked as well.

Double(ish) blind in disappointing Châteauneuf-du-Pape flight. Meaty and bright with good+ weight and length, but finishing with structure too robust for the level of fruit, giving a sense off imbalance. My 8th ranked (of 9), and group's #8 as well.

Double(ish) blind in disappointing Châteauneuf-du-Pape flight. Fully mature but good combination of rich fruit and earth with good+ depth. Ends with a nuanced, well textured finish, showing good+ length. My 2nd fav (of 9) in flight, group's #2 as well.

Double(ish) blind in disappointing Châteauneuf-du-Pape flight. All earth with fruit hanging in by its fingernails with a bit of oxidation. Good+ weight and length. One of two disappointing bottles of this wine in this flight, which I ranked 6th and 7th (of 9), as did the group overall.

Double(ish) blind in disappointing Châteauneuf-du-Pape flight. Earthy and horsey, this seemed very Mouvedre-like. Very intriguing aromatic start, but tannic and too earthy on its nearly harsh finish. One of two disappointing bottles of this wine in this flight, which I ranked 6th and 7th (of 9), as did the group overall.

Double(ish) blind in disappointing Châteauneuf-du-Pape flight. Meaty and powerful with lots of density, but showing less nuance, but cool weather may have hurt this wine's performance. One of the few wines of the flight that might still have upside potential. My 3rd fav (of 9) in flight, group's 4th.

Double(ish) blind in disappointing Châteauneuf-du-Pape flight.Rich and dense cherry throughout with some meaty hints. Sneaky good+ length with good balance start-to-finish. My #1 fav (of 9) in flight, group's #1 as well.

Double(ish) blind in Northern Rhône flight. Rich, black fruit and black pepper jumped out of the glass, screaming ripe vintage Côte-Rôtie with faint hints of evolution. So much here, very good weight and length. My 2nd fav (of 10) in the flight, group's #1.

Double(ish) blind in Northern Rhône flight. Lighter and more earthy than prior wine with great charm and elegance that comes with graceful aging. Good length, but finishes with some rougher, tannic notes. My 8th fav (of 10) in flight, group's #6.

Double(ish) blind in Northern Rhône flight. Lots of black cherry and plum with riper hints, but really meaty and powerful. Very good concentration, slightly awkward finish is firm and backward for now. Needs time. 91 points tonight, but 91-92 point potential.

My 7th fav (of 10) in this flight, group's #4. Almost all of us thought this wine needs more time, but it's interesting that when tasted young (2010 at Chave, then 2011 and 2012), I thought this would be a fine younger-drinking vintage. Oops.

Double(ish) blind in Northern Rhône flight. Corked.

Double(ish) blind in Northern Rhône flight. Clearly an outlier, clearly a New World "ringer." Plethora of ripe, rich black fruit and sweet spice. So much here, just no nuance or subtlety. Not my preferred style of Syrah. Consensus least favorite "correct" wine of the flight.

Double(ish) blind in Northern Rhône flight. Rich and very dense. Very fresh throughout, clearly on the young-ish side for this flight. So much depth here with meaty character, made me think this 2011/ 2012 Hermitage. Third time I've had wonderful 2106, and all three have been consistent. My 5th fav (of 10) in the flight, group's #2.

Double(ish) blind in Northern Rhône flight. Very enticing aromas with mostly mature black fruit, with subtle background meat and spice. Similar flavors, just somewhat soft in the middle. at its peak now. My #6 for this flight (of 10), group's #7.

Double(ish) blind in Northern Rhône flight. Wow, what a shock and a treat! Meaty and earthy aromas with mature, ripe black cherry and plum. Palate is all that and more, coming across as powerful and charmingly balanced. Great right now. Oddly, I had this same wine from the same case two years ago and it was much more tired and not even close to this level of excellence. This was my #1 fav wine of the (10 wine) flight, and group's #3.

Double(ish) blind in Northern Rhône flight. Lots of meatiness and reserved black fruit here, with plenty more slowly coaxed out of its shell. Entering a great phase in its evolution, 93 points tonight, 93-94 point potential. My 3rd fav (of 10) in this flight, group's #5.

Double(ish) blind in Northern Rhône flight. Black plum, cherry and berry with olive and black pepper. Intense and rich fruit, but so much concentration with supporting structure just off center. Power of the vintage comes through brilliantly, but its dense, backward nature does as well. Needs 5+ years in the cellar.

Very Jaboulet with lots of leather, lingering fruit and some bretty notes, fortunately not too much that too often takes over. Good depth throughout. Drink up.