N: Black berries, black fruits and tons of it, giant-sized forest leaves, stony minerals, frayed cedar, and dark purple flowers.

P: Gushing river of black and dark red fruits, bitter river minerals, a dark streak of graphite, fresh highway tar and steeped black tea on finish.

[After 3hr slow-ox]

N: Floral components are more elevated, a welcoming change, bringing balance to the big fruits on the nose.

P: A buoyant freshness that dials in on the vibrancy of darkness, giving the flavors even better delivery and speed.

Constantly got better with time, showing amazing development. Enjoy straight from the bottle and follow along as it airs out. Allowing for more air time should result in more pleasure. I hope this isn't a fluke bottle where it was doing really good.. this was a little too good to be true.

N: A strong punch of deep yeasty notes, handful of wet pebbles and river minerals, and fruits like whole white pears.

P: Yeasty pears, dry and stony minerals, and dried twigs like tumbleweed from the ol’ cowboy days.

I'm not sure if it was almost too yeasty from too much age (don't think that's a thing) or if it was maybe getting a little flat.

N: Subtle yellow fruits, dried river bed, and soft egg bread?

P: Yielding yellow fruits (shy/faint ripeness), sparkling and slightly savory minerals that are more dominant than the fruits, and a bit of spice on the finish.

Was hoping for a bit more excitement from this. Might’ve needed more time. The other gents seemed to really enjoyed it so it might be just me.

N: Deep, rich, intense pineapple skin and flesh, deep and dark honey notes, and grass cuttings. With time, fruits open up and brighten with time, revealing dessert-like fruits: thick honey drizzled on pineapple slices, and creamy fruits without any of the heavy sweetness.

P: Deep, intense, moderately dark yellow fruits, similar tropical fruits from the nose, deep bitter minerals and deep earth.

The wine is very full in terms of flavor and body without being big. There is an amazing bitterness of minerals that displays a beautiful contrast against the dark and deep yellow fruits. The fruits aren’t big and ripe but rather big and unsweetened, and yet still so good. If given more time in the glass, I believe this would have blossomed even more.

N: Port-ish nose, aged plums on wooden racks, prunes and melted chocolate with added water.

P: Probably a great example of volatile acidity, someone please correct me if I’m wrong. Tons of sharp and sour acidity. I imagine this is what battery acid tastes like. Really sour tobacco leaves and dehydrated tree bark that was given a bit of water in hopes of being revitalized.

Most of the people, if not all, seemed to agree that the bottle was flawed. Sucks.. would’ve loved to see how this was supposed to perform.

N: Fermented bonito flakes (dried bonito fish shavings). There’s also sliced peppercorn with strong and aged plums. Leather appears with time and maybe a touch of mint.

P: Dark but aged red fruits with still some fresh acidity. Plump, forest-grown mushrooms, damp bark and mulch, and bright green leaves.

N: Intensely aged dark red fruits, wilted red flowers, subtle touch of old leather, a subtle cinnamon spice and cigar wrapping.

P: Aged cranberries, still fresh red cherries, saddle leather, boiled mushrooms, tobacco leaves, soft bark and smooth/sanded stones.

I always imagined what classic Bordeaux is like, whether it’s with or without age. I still don't know how to feel about Montrose. This was good but it's not like it was winning me over.. maybe I'm not a fan. I might need to try a younger vintage.

N: Aged plums, almost a sweet port nose and overly damp earth.

P: Chocolate covered plums, similar earth from nose and an elegant but firm spice.

No elbows poking out on this one but was also a bit underwhelming for me for some reason.. thinking it might've been the plum notes.

N: So pretty on the nose, gentle yet intense and dark with red fruits, crushed stones like rubble, dark green brambles and stems. Surprisingly, did not pick up much, if any, tertiary notes. If there were any, it was very subtle compared to the other bottles.

P: Fresh and still lively with dark red fruits, gently spiced oak, damp wet earth, and gently steeped tea. A nice essence of burnt, floating embers as well as floral aspects on the palate. All these flavors show so much pretty, but also some serious, elegance.

The dark fruit is on a different level of brooding and menacing. This fruit has been around for a long time, making a name for itself, almost something of a legend, having a weathered and serious characteristic on the palate. It is nothing like the youthful, brooding fruit where it exhibits tons of dark and ripe fruit with ambitious energy. There is much nuance and finesse to the palate but with power as well. So damn intriguing. Drink now or soon. This may hold fruit better than the other bottlings in this tasting but not sure as to how long.

N: Oyster shells, oceanside funk like salty ocean spray, dried kelp and wet limestone or wet slate. The funk becomes even more pronounced with time but now transforms into a savory, almost fermented, rotting autumn floor with specks of bright minerals.

P: Reflects nose completely but with the addition of red fruits that hit more of a brighter strawberry stride with restrained cranberry. With time, the cranberry notes fade a bit but also develops an aged port finish on the tail end with time.

Very interesting but doesn’t quite butter my croissant. I believe I might be the only one at the tasting who might have placed this third out of the unanimous top three.

[Served double-blind]: Did not know vintage, producer, or varietal until revealed later.

N: Subtle port nose, dark green underbrush, gentle minerals, and wet, earthy forest floor.

P: Amazing liveliness and freshness that told me this still has the vigor to keep going. Dark red fruits, forest floor, and very gentle savory and dry minerals (like slate).

A nice vibrancy to the palate that keeps the “dying fruit” alive, like granting it immortality. Unfortunately, as we all may have seen in the movies, seems like with more age as an immortal, or air time for this matter, the fruit becomes more and more frail and fragile. As I was nearing the last sips, the wine seemed to show more fading fruit. Drink now as I don’t know how much longer the fruits can hold.

N: Smells like a Sauternes but a touch lighter, a bit less concentrated and much more approachable (not as heavy on the nose). Smells like what rotting white grapes looks like (bruising/bruised white grapes), concentrated white grapes with a subtle honey note.

P: Refreshingly honeyed, white grapes with a very interesting spice. A really nice acidity that cuts through the thickness, not allowing the texture and flavors to ever feel or taste cloying.

First time with a Pinot Gris that has some substantial age and my goodness did it deliver. Completely took me by surprise. Such an awesome way to end the tasting. Didn't know Pinot Gris can get like this!

N: Clean, earthy forest floor, dark red flowers, and dark red cherries with a bit of crushed stone.

P: Incredibly fresh with moderate intensity and vibrancy, dark red, almost black cherries, dry and gently bitter spiced oak. Very swift and light on its feet.

New producer for me and what a nice surprise. When I want to drink a Pinot Noir, this is one that hits all the right spots. Good fruit, nice complexity and great freshness.

N: Lemon peel, gentle bitter minerals, white bread, yeasty notes, very vibrant and lively with enticing acidity jumping out the glass.

P: Both bright and deep yellow fruits like ripe pears and bitter minerals with an amazing lift from the acidity.

This is awesome. Had to fight to get a little for more of this but ended up losing. The acidity is doing all the heavy lifting here. There’s not a wide range of flavors but man do they hit hard!

N: A gentle funk that blows off quickly, deep pineapple yellow fruits with bitter skins, grass and a bit of artificial banana flavored taffy.

P: Similar deep pineapple flavor from the nose, bitter earth and minerals.

I wished the intensity of the flavors were stronger or had just a tad more acidity to make this alive. This was a bit flat but I could've also came to this bottle a little late.

N: Fresh, light and crisp white fruits like Korean pears and bright minerals. There's no noticeable yeasty notes that stand out which makes ends up making the nose smell clean in a way.

P: Mellow and deep yellow fruits, gentle earth and minerals.

I might've also got to this bottle a little late. Missing some acidity for some liveliness or might have just fallen flat already.

N: Cranberries and red cherries, subtle barnyard funk, grassy earth and some heat.

P: Better on the plate with riper dark fruits but wet river rocks and still some heat.

Didn't get the chance to sit with this to see if the heat would ever blow off. Pretty good if it weren't for the noticeable alcohol.

N: Dark red flowers, a teasing of tertiary notes (so nice), elegant dark red fruits, rotten mushed oak in a good way and gentle fermented notes.

P: Still a good amount of elegant, dark red fruits on palate with soft savory earth and minerals.

A nice transition point between flavors of primary/secondary to tertiary. The gentle touch of tertiary flavors is very pleasant. It's not too strong while those who still enjoy fruit and secondary notes should be able to appreciate that they haven't completely gone into the background, a very nice melding of flavors. I feel like these can be hard windows to catch.. I mean who the hell knows when tertiary flavors begin to creep unless you have two cases?! Anyways.. awesome. 95-96

N: Dark red and black currants, fruited oak, and deep earth but still a kick of heat.

P: Tons of ripe, really dark red and black fruits, deep running earth and still that bit of heat on the finish.

Can't remember the last time I've tasted a Chappellet but this was a pleasant surprise. The damn heat though..

N: Dark earth with dark red fruits.. a really deep pitch of dark red fruits. Almost brooding. Shocking this nose is coming from Montelena.

P: Surprisingly ripe red fruits with integrated minerals and earth. So beautiful. Forest floor and bright, silvery minerals that pierce through the fruits.

Might be the only Montelena that I’ve ever had that showed well but I need to admit that I've never had many to begin with. I'm surprised I didn't quite get any tertiary notes yet, or if there were, they were very subtle. Now might be a good time to start drinking these. 95+

N: A dark earth with some spice, dark red fruits and a slight heat. Mostly earth while the fruit is more on the subtle end in the background.

P: Integrated minerals with dark red and blue fruits, integrated fruits with damp and deep earth.

The amount of integration this shows is shocking as it is kinda young still. Never heard of this producer and my first time was pretty awesome. Can an off bottle be off in a good way?! .. nah, can't be. This was pretty good.

N: Both bright and dark red fruits, clean dry and new oak, subtle earth and a bit of heat.

P: Tons of heat, partially integrated deep earth, dark red and black fruits, a nice warming spice and tea on finish.

The heat makes me wonder am I getting to these wines a little late.. tasted like it was at the right temp, I mean it was ~30° outside, the wine shouldn't have been that much at a warmer temp.

N: Fresh, dark red fruits, subtle muted earth and some wet oak.

P: Buoyant blue dominant and red fruits but more in the berry realm, dried new oak, bright silvery minerals, and a streak of spice throughout.

First Saxum and it didn't disappoint. The wine does have this neon-berry note, like if the aromas of a Jolly Rancher was on the palate instead of its sour candy notes. The nose and palate was something like from a young Grenache from the Central Coast. I've always heard about this hype about Saxum, and I think they kinda get it.

N: Meaty aromas, dark red and blue fruits, a mix of blood and red fruits, wet and fruited earth.

P: Rich and integrated dark red fruits with a sheen of blue berries, menacing black minerals, and rich and deep earth. The texture of this on the palate is like fine velvet (I refuse to use the word 'smooth').

Showing beautifully. So well integrated and I totally did not expect this. This totally kicked me in the crotch and spat on my face, scolded me for opening its younger siblings too damn early (surprise). This seemed like it can still go for another 4-6 years before possibly catching the touch of tertiary notes. Amazing. Wine of the night for me and probably everyone else.

N: Neon berries (like the scent of Jolly Ranchers transferred onto the palate instead of its normal sour and sweet artificial notes) but dialed back by a lot, white and purple flowers and earth laden with blue and red berries (mostly blue).

P: Rich, creamy macerated black and dark red fruits, dark fruited earth, fruited and savory river minerals.

Curious.. with this being good young, I wonder how soon it would take for it to be more developed. The best Andremily I have had to date. Might be worth checking out now or with another 1-3 years if you have a few to play with.

N: Dark green brambles, dark red and black fruits, blackberries and new clean oak. Very intense aromas of fruits.

P: Similar intense black berries from the nose, bitter graphite and minerals, black tar and deep deep earth.

[Day 2, slow-ox'ed for 14hrs, recorked and left at cellar temp]
N: Not much changed, still very similar to the day before. Maybe a bit more floral.

P: The mid palate still holds ground on the bitter minerals and graphite, fruits have become creamier with more fruits on the end palate.

Ready to go straight from the bottle and can be cellared for the future to enjoy. Hard to tell how this would develop with time but I am learning it is worth finding out. I'm getting the sense that these are the ones you sip on whilst you wait for your Rhadamanthus' (I'm probably wrong - just a hunch).

N: Creamy and macerated black fruits with complex earth. Fresh, intense and dried earth.

P: Gorgeous black fruits, dark oak, molten tar with integrated earth and clean river minerals.

[Day 2, slow-ox'ed for 14hrs, recorked and left at cellar temp]

N: There’s no longer the fun, youthful creamy macerated fruits, but rather a much more serious and dark profile of dark red flowers, dark red fruits, tilled healthy dry earth, dark tree bark and very subtle graphite.

P: More serious in a sense that the flavors are less hedonistic but became more dark and focused of fruits and earth. The creamy fruits has turned into something that’s more nuanced but has similar intensity and flavor profile. There's also bitter black tea, subtler tar notes and black minerals with some savory river minerals on the finish.

Also ready to go straight from the bottle. Depending how you like your poison, enjoy it in its youth now or cellar for even more development and pleasure. I would recommend checking this out in 4-6 years and I know how hard that will be (well, for me at least).

N: Fresher fruits than the Kinsman’s with just a touch of brighter red fruits, forest floors, wild pink flowers and sparkling minerals. Within a short period of time, macerated red and black fruits appear.

P: Dark, brooding black fruits with pleasant vanilla notes and white flowers. Fresh and dark red fruits with tons of intensity and energy, slightly savory and bitter river minerals, steeped tea and dried oak on the finish.

[Slow-ox'ed for at least ~5hrs, recorked and left at cellar temp]

N: The freshness that was once there is gone and the macerated fruits are more pronounced, not so much a bad thing for me.

P: Matches nose with time. The integration of black fruits with the white flowers, deep earth and vanilla is so pleasurable, so damn good.

This will be a hard to not open now but it would also be so interesting to see the development and integration with time in the cellar. I was a bit surprised when a good number of people said they liked this. Still young with tons of fruit, so this would satisfy a lot of Napa lovers, but I can imagine this should develop into something much more serious. 98+

N: Nice yeasty notes of some bread, fresh yellow fruits with a touch of ripeness like flesh of red apples, and a stream of minerals.

P: Lively minerals with a bit of prickliness, restrained and deep yellow fruits with some white fleshed crisp fruits. A light yeasty note on the palate as well.

N: The volume seems a bit turned down but there are subtle minerals, clean white crisp fruits and clean river water.

P: Heavier yellow fruits, with some moderate yeastiness, prickly, bright and crisp minerals with some savoriness.

N: Restrained and refined white fresh fruits and subtle stones. With time, an elegant ripe fruit with a gentle touch of creaminess, gentle toasted bread notes, white flowers and peach fuzz.

P: Matches nose completely. I love the restrained elegance with power. Amazing ripe white and yellow fruits but great acidity to keep the fruits balanced and from being too much (not that too much fruit would've been a bad thing). Savory minerals with some brightness like limestone. Nothing sticks out here and works so well together.

Time in glass helped this tremendously. At first I was thinking this is not as fruit forward like the '13 Cristal but with time in the glass, I realized there was a lot of fruit, just a different type of fruit profile compared to the '13. Amazing elegance but with intensity as well, so damn nice. Another thing to note is that for both the '08 and the '13 that I've had was with a Bordeaux glass, not a flute. My first glass of this was with a flute but it seemed very restricted; changing out of the flute made a huge difference.

N: Clean and aged leather, some fermented notes, with beautifully dark and aged red fruits. Imagine if dark plums, ripe blueberries and strawberries can somehow stay fresh and last for years without spoiling or going bad. Rotted autumn leaves in soil, damp rotting wet oak in a good way, black mulch and a light veil of green pepper. The green pepper does integrates into the leather with time, becoming like a spiced leather note.

P: Graceful, deep red fruits, so intense yet elegant red fruit, beautiful. Subtly spiced bark, dark but finely powdered graphite. A touch of fermented notes from the nose. Steeped tea and a bit of aged leather on finish. With time, close to wilting dark red and white flowers appear, goes so well with the fruit and earth. The new notes of flowers are so beautiful.

Fruits are still so dark and good here but there’s an elegance and power to it, almost stoic if that makes any sense. This is in an amazing spot to me, where there's still beautiful fruit that is showing off its intensity while tertiary notes are slowly creeping up like vines on castle walls. If you enjoy fruit as much as me, drink before the tertiary notes completely engulfs the fortress that is pure fruit. That's not to say it may happen any time too soon but I'm also unable to tell when that may happen in the future.. so, good luck and have fun with that. I hope it's really down the line instead of sometime soon.

N: Dark blue plums, a bit of a port nose with a touch of chocolate.

P: Dark blue fruits with a red sheen, a bit of plums with integrated deep black earth and smooth dark minerals with a brightness still. The port essence is much less strong than the nose but it’s still kinda there. Pleasant freshness that pierces through the plums and ports and actually drags those notes down a little, making this a bit more enjoyable.

This one hurt.. I almost didn't wanna believe this was somehow flawed but when I realized this started smelling like some of the '82 Bordeauxs, that kinda brought some reality back into me. The ones at the gathering who have tasted before confirmed this is nothing like what it should be. Ugh, the pain.

N: Buoyant blue berries (slightly pulled back jolly ranchers but not candied nor sweet), gentle earth and a soft and dark underbrush note.

P: A very subtle touch of graphite, fresh and lively red fruit with an almost juicy character (almost like a fresh version of a central coast Grenache) and bright bright river minerals.

First try of this bottle and it was quite pleasant. The freshness in this is quite amazing for something with this kinda age, a very pleasant surprise. This seemed like this can still go on for 6-8+ years without losing any freshness.

N: Red flowers, gentle aromas of freshly grown baby mushrooms, gentle tree bark, wet and damp earth.

P: Fresh dark red fruits, savory dark minerals, savory oak and cigar wrapping on the finish.

This is one of the more fresher CdPs I've ever had. There's really good fruit on the palate with a supporting freshness that makes it markedly different than the other CdPs I've had before. Pretty damn awesome.

N: White melons and soft, meaty pears (the soft and creamy fleshed pears, not the crisp ones), and subtle light honey notes. There's a scent of a clean meadow, a clean river stream, some honeyed wax, and ripe (and juicier than usual) apricots without its skin.

P: Ripe, honeyed yellow fruits, a pleasantly spiced honey, subtle but bitter minerals, and an energetic acidity that is fighting its way to keep freshness in the wine.

This delivers flavors like a swift but heavy punch. Not sweet nor heavy at all but has the perks of both attributes. The acidity seemed to play a major support role for the fruits in this, it doesn't quite break ground but it's there supporting the fruit, preventing it from collapsing in on itself. I wish I had more time to spend with this but this was too tasty. This should benefit with some time in the glass. What a treat.

N: Elegantly deep honey with an incredible acidity that pierces through the gentle sweetness. Everything is gently honeyed: oak, minerals, stone, fruits, oats and white flowers sprayed with morning honey dew mist (if there was such a thing). If honeycombs were perfectly sweet with its slightly bitter wax, it would smell like this. I got scents as if I am standing next to a pristine waterfall with white flowers at its base, crashing mists of honey and rocks made out of melon rinds (not watermelon).

P: This is the complete opposite of cloying, with acidity coursing through its veins with verve and energy, carrying the fruit on its back. Intense yet subdued acidity that’s integrated but somehow carries the fruit so well, never allowing the flavors to become too sweet. Pleasantly spiced honeycomb wax, intensely bitter minerals coated in light honey and honeydew melon lightly drizzled with, you guessed it, honey - gentle, pure, unrefined honey.

This shatters my reality of what I thought the world of Sauternes could be. The amazing acidity, where it's just the right amount (so not so much a searing one), gives this wine an incredible and awesome life on the palate. I was afraid any extra acidity might break the balance, like the balance of what the ‘09 had, but it doesn’t. Rather, the acidity broke my boundaries and showed me new realms to explore. I used to wonder how does one enjoy a whole 750ml bottle of a Sauternes by themselves, and now I wonder no more. I can totally spend a whole evening with this. Spent 4 hours with this and it kept getting better, showing more speed and swiftness with each passing hour. Holy shit, if the gods had a dessert wine, it would be this. Thank you 'I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine' for treating me with this, I absolutely hate what you have done to me.. every time he asked me do I want more, I felt bad for saying yes every time but man alive did it taste oh so good! Ahh yes, the benefits of a Coravin.