This was paired with a 2002 Cristian Senez Champagne Brut Millésimé. I liked both Champagnes, but my palate actually preferred this one. Lots of bread dough and yeast on the nose with some hay, sea shell and apple with hints of lime. Palate was much richer with apple pie, whipped cream and brioche, also showing hints of vanilla and citrus. Very tasty! 92+ to 93 for my palate!

This wine was paired with a 2000 Lanson Champagne Noble Cuvée de Lanson Brut. While both Champagnes were stellar, I preferred the Lanson slightly over this one. I think if it wasn't showing oxidative notes, this would have been on par (or maybe surpassed) the Lanson, but there was still so much more than the slight oxidative notes going on, that this wine was quite enjoyable! Nose showed straw and hay with bread, apple, citrus and seashell notes. Palate showed citrus, green apple, toasted walnuts and some creamy mousse with slight oxidative notes. Not sure if that is the style or just the age, but I would have preferred it not there. It didn't seem to compliment the rest of the flavors. A solid 92 for me.

These Chardonnays always provide a great bang for the buck! This was no exception! Nose shows stone fruit, white flower and some stone and spice. As Rocknroller noted, the nose later takes on more tropical notes. The palate shows plenty of pear and tart green apple notes with some honeydew and slate. Nice balance between fruit and minerality, as well as between acidity and glycerine. Rich mouthfeel and medium long finish. 92+ once again for me!

This wine was paired with a 2011 Montelena and 2015 Leeuwin. All three wines were very different, but all equally enjoyable in their own way! This wine will likely not improve, but it is in a nice place now for my palate. The fruit is well rounded and very much present, there are some secondary flavors and the finish still shows off some toasted oak in the form of butterscotch, vanilla and spice. The nose shows honeycomb with some lemon peel, some white flower and some chalk and spice. The palate shows plenty of poached pear, Meyers Lemon and some some limestone with hints of melon and apple. The finish is medium with spice, butterscotch and vanilla notes that linger. I enjoy this style! A solid 92 for me.

This was my favorite Chardonnay (has never disappointed). This is still drinking young, but also still pretty darn tasty! Will this get better? Undoubtedly! The nose shows plenty of citrus (mostly lime) with some sea shell, straw and hints of honeysuckle. Palate showed lime zest, green apple, pear, honeydew along with some steely notes, some oyster and shades of honeycomb with plenty of acidity. This should integrate even better, show rounder fruit, and be less acidic with more time in the bottle. I would hold for another year or two, but it is so good now! Easy 93 for me right now, but maybe a 93+ to 94 in another year or so!

This is a great example of different strokes for different folks! Some thought this totally rocked, others were less enthused...I was in the rock category! This wine was decanted for 2 hours, poured back into the bottle and then served at a restaurant with dinner.

The nose was floral and fruity, and the palate followed suit! Some, who were less than crazy about this wine, complained that it was too much of a fruit bomb....imagine, a 17 year old wine still a fruit bomb! Yes, admittedly, this wine was more about fruit than secondary flavors, but still showed amazing purity and did show some secondary flavors of mint/eucalyptus, cedar and bramble. Easily 94 for my palate!

This was quite a divisive tasting, but it did show how different palates appreciate different wines! I admit, I am a fruit lover, but my preference is that short window where the primary fruit is balanced by some secondary/tertiary flavors. This wine definitely leans on the fruit side of the spectrum, which I prefer to leaning too heavily on the tertiary side. In my opinion, this wine will still improve with some additional time, but it is honestly a crap shoot....I have not had enough experience to discern if these wines will develop more profound tertiary flavors, or if the alcohol/heat will become more prevalent. I can say, that if you like your wines on the fruit side of the spectrum, this wine will not disappoint now. If you prefer more tertiary flavors in your wines, you may want to chance waiting a few more years, or a very long decant (3+ hours).

Nose showed plenty of florals, dark fruit and cocoa notes with some earth and tar notes. Palate was mostly dark fruit and chocolate, with earth, tobacco and some vanilla notes. 93+ to 94 for me.

This was the youngest tasting cab (and actually was the youngest cab!) compared to the 2005 Two Hands Aphrodite and the 2007 Corra Cabernet. I think I still liked it more than others did, but as I have said, I like wines that show fruit much more than wines that do not. Yes, this wine will improve with more time, but if you love more fruit, you won't be too disappointed opening now with an hour or two decant.

Floral nose with dark and red fruit, some earthy notes and some tobacco notes. Palate shows plenty of dark and red fruit with some leather, dusty earth and tobacco notes, with some cocoa and vanilla notes. Very nice and a solid 93, but should improve with additional age.