Double blind. Pale color, slightly cloudy. Initial lemon and mineral notes had me thinking Corton Charlemagne. As it warms and opens, a slight kiss of oak becomes apparent, as well as coconut and orchard fruit qualities. The palate has a decidedly more tropical edge to it and so it became obvious thiseas not Burgundy. Guessed Peter Michael. A very nice vintage for this wine. 93-94 pts. (R&D)

Double blind. Deeper color than the first wine. This opens with a buttered popcorn note that I find a bit distracting. Ripe melon and pear on the palate, turning more tropical as it opens. Guessed Napa chardonnay. Others liked this more than I and preferred it to the Peter Michael. (R&D)

Double blind. Dark color. Opens with aromas of ripe, bordering on stewed, black fruit. Has some tannin to integrate. Flavors of ripe black fruit- plum and maybe even raisin as well at times- with a chocolate element in the finish. Becoming less obviously ripe as it sits; keeping black fruit front and center. Not what I think of when I think of Dominus. (R&D)

Blind. Deep color. Aromas of red currant, red plums, florals, vanilla and something a little green as well. Full-bodied and balanced. Flavors of red and black fruit mingle on the palate. Finishes with good length. With more time in the glass notes of black cherry and green tobacco emerge. Elegant. My favorite in this flight. The hosts had guessed that this was their Dominus, and I thought Dominus as well, but part of me wondered if this was in fact our Ulysses. A fine showing from this bottle, which had been double decanted about three hours prior. Still quite youthful, give this a good four to six hour decant, or better yet, hold another three to four years. 94-95 pts.

Blind. Deep color. opens with vanilla and blue fruit, it's a touch hot at times as well, and there's chocolate tones mixed in. Full-bodied, with red and black fruit and chocolate on the palate. Good length on the finish. Opens quite a bit in the glass and improves more than any others in the flight. Picks up a black raspberry element and shows better balance than earlier. Overall, quite large-scaled and youthful, this would have benefited from a lengthier decant. It had been double decanted about three hours before the flight was poured, and could have used five or six. 92-93 pts.

Double blind. Aromas of lavender, black raspberry, cassis, licorice and something a touch green. Flavors of red and black fruits and vanilla. A hint of spice in the background as well. Long finish; well-balanced. Very nice. (R&R)

Double blind. Showing visible signs of age. Opens with a bit of weedy brett, with red berry fruit underneath. Soft tannin with nice acidity. Flavors of dried red berry fruit and earth. Picks up a distinct coffee note later on. The brett reminds me of some older Montrose that we've had. My guess was 1985 Montrose. Very nice. (J&J)

Double blind. Light color. Aromas of candied red fruit, cherry and currant. Good red berry fruit on the palate. On the lighter side of medium-bodied, this finishes with an abundance of sweet red fruit. With air the tannins have a slightly chalky texture but the fruit remains forward and bright. I like this for the exuberant bright fruit, but I'm struggling to identify a particular variety or region. I was very surprised to see a Napa cab sauv unveiled. 92-92 pts. (R&D)

Double blind. Aromas of black fruit, vanilla, rose petal and something a little cedary/woody. Flavors of chocolate, blueberry and raspberry. Firm and tannic, this could use some time in a decanter to open up. Guessed Napa cab sauv. 92+ pts. (R&R)

Double blind. A touch of bricking hinting that this is a bit older. Aromas of currant, black raspberry, dusty earth, tobacco and florals. This is very pretty aromatically and easily my favorite in this flight. Abundant fruit with dusty tannin and a slight astringency. Opens in the glass becoming more perfumed and elegant by the minute. Loads of red fruit and currants on the palate. (J&J)

Double blind. Dark color with notes of incense, black and blue fruit, vanilla, plum and chocolate. The palate follows the bouquet with black fruit and incense tones, adding a brown sugar element as well. Full-bodied and youthfully tannic. My 2nd favorite of the flight. (R&D)

Double blind. Dark color. Similar to wine I though a touch riper in terms of the fruit. Brown sugar and vanilla as well. The palate shows on the firm side, with chocolate, cassis and blue fruit liqueur qualities. Medium finish. (R&D)

Double blind. Dark color. Aromas of incense, black raspberry, chocolate, vanilla and florals. More complex than the others in the lineup and shows a hint of elegance which I like quite a bit. Firm and tannic, with abundant black fruit. Feels more balanced than the others as well. Black and blue fruit flavors with a lingering finish. My favorite in this flight. (R&D)

Double blind. Dark color. Aromas of vanilla, black and red cabernet fruits, cherry and chocolate. Tannins are firm but fine and have a sweet edge. Black fruit dominates. Seems a bit simple within the context of the flight. (R&D)