Apricot and some mineral, decent acid. Good food wine, enjoyed with a scallop-onion hors d'ouvres. Tasted in a social setting, no detailed notes.

Decanted for sediment (of which there was virtually none) and served immediately. My first experience with Cornas, I was actually expecting something a little more flamboyant along the lines of Hermitage, but this is much more restrained and brooding. It actually semelled remarkably like the grilled veal chop it was served with, a little blood and earth, some mineral and a tomato-herb funk later emerged. Tannin is pretty much resolved by now though some came out later on. This seems to be at or a little past peak so don't hesitate to drink up.

Opened for about an hour then decanted for sediment and served immediately. This may be the last bottle of this remarkable wine I ever see, and I was very glad to try it. Tasted alongside the 97 Clape Cornas with a veal chop dinner and it actually kind of showed it up a bit. This is no fruit bomb, Very complex and integrated, with a meatiness on the back end. Many thanks to Chris for bringing this, it was the wine that first brought me around to Syrah/Shiraz when I was first getting in to wine.

Oh. My. God. This was amazing. Paired with Roquefort cheese and a pear tarte tatin, but it help best by itself. Sadly I drank mine too fast, and only Chris had the willpower to make his last, but it was very rewarding. Open now for maybe 4 hours as I taste the last sip the complexity is over the top, with dried pineapples, honeysuckle, caramel, and a finish that goes on for days. Given all that, it's never really sweet, and actually finishes dry. This is wine for poets right here, and absolute highway robbery at $45 on winebid, I'd probably say the same at twice the price. This is my first experience with aged Sauternes, but it had the lightest color of any of the ones I have (and it was the oldest at that) and seemed to have the structure to go for at least another decade if not two or more. If I ever found this again I would pounce with vengeance, and if serving it again I would be very tempted to decant it (it's quite funky and awkward at first). If you love wine, you must try an aged Sauternes. It is not optional.