This was a pleasant surprise! I enjoyed more recent releases at the winery, and thought they were surprisingly good, so I purchased one of these to bring home to the states.

I opened this at a wine tasting event, and it was well received by everyone, including me. Very reminiscent of an aged Champagne. Lots of brioche, saline, chalk, pear and apple. In a word, "Delicious!"

Solid 94 for this beautifully aged Aussie sparkler! Actually wish I had more!

I typically (and by typically, I mean never) do not decant white wines. However, because I expected this to to be pretty big, and because it is fairly young, I double decanted this wine for an hour before guests arrived and then another hour went by before we actually poured this wine. The bottle was kept chilled in a cold metal holder the whole time after a double decant.

I am surprised by some of the scores CTers are giving this wine. Is it young? Yes. Does it have a fair amount of oak? Yes. However, I thought this wine rocked! Of course, it could be because of the decant time, as I thought it initially came across as disjointed, but came together with some time in the glass and as it warmed.

Nose showed white flower, lemon oil and oak. Palate also showed quite a bit of oak, which calmed down after a few minutes to reveal layers of pear, honeydew, apple and citrus, and some lemon zest. I thought the wine was tasting very good, but could also sense that it will improve with more cellar age. Will likely not open another for a couple years. 93+ today for my palate, but should pick up a point or two with additional age.

Wow! I actually get to be the first to review this wine! Hard to believe around 150 bottles in cellars of CTers, and no one has cracked one open and written a note!

This was the only Pinot at tonight's tasting, and no one had ever tasted this. Based on previous experiences with 00 wines, I expected a solid wine, but nothing special. This wine far exceeded my expectations!

Nose showed some funk (in a good way), some cherry, tar and some spice. Palate was rich and showed plenty of cherry, but also a nice dose of earth, old leather and baking spices. Drinking very well now and doubt it will improve for my palate (I like the nice balance between fruit and tertiary flavors). Solid 95 for me, and one of the better Pinots I have tasted. Thanks Dan!

This is the second time I have tasted this wine, and this time my expectations were not quite as lofty. I thought this wine was better than 2 years ago.

Nose showed some cherry, violets, leather, a little funkiness and some spice and cedar. Palate started out red fruited, bitter chocolate, and old leather with some tar, tobacco and spice. Later, some black and blue fruit started to emerge, although still in the background. This wine exudes elegance, but completely lacks power. Will it improve? No idea, but drinking fairly nicely now. Still a little disappointing given the pedigree and vintage (yes, I have sky high/First Growth expectations for this wine). 94 to 94+ tonight. Thanks Joe!

This wine exceeded my lofty expectations! Why were my expectations lofty? First, Las Cases just begs for time in the bottle no matter how old it is! Second, it is 1982! This wine definitely did not disappoint! The wine is totally in my wheelhouse, displaying that perfect balance between fruit and tertiary flavors!

First, the color was dark and rich with no real bricking, which surprised me...based on looks, I would have thought this much younger than 40+ years!

Nose showed lots of earth, leather and dark fruit, with hints of purple flower, anise and oak. Palate showed red and dark fruit (mostly red and black currant) but with integrated earth, tobacco, tar and some forest floor, with spice and toasted bark in the background. A real pleasure to drink! Unfortunately, I didn't get an opportunity to follow this throughout the night because I kept going back for another sip and the glass didn't last terribly long! Seamless integration! 95+ to 96 without hesitation! Thanks James!

Tied for groups number 2 wine.....my number 3.

Decanted at 6:00 and served at 9:30.

Let me start by saying I was looking forward to drinking this! Also, let me state you can throw out the CT drinking window based on this bottle! This was my WOTN!

Nose was remarkable with lots of different things going on...one of the scents someone mentioned was KC BBQ sauce, which I found pretty appropriate! It had the spiciness and sweetness of BBQ on the nose, along with notes of spice, red fruit, leather and mushroom. The palate leaned slightly toward the tertiary side of the spectrum, but still showed plenty of red fruit (mostly sweet and tart cherry) with enough acidity still present to keep it lively, but not overwhelming in the least. Tertiary character was led by earth, old leather, bramble and notes of tobacco leaf, anise and mild baking spices. Toasty oak also loomed in the background. Each sip begged you to take another. A real pleasure to drink! Easy 96+ for me (and that. may very well be conservative...even with my top score for a red at 98 points.

Groups score had this tied for #2; my WOTN! Thanks Steve!

Decanted at 5:00; served at 9:30.

This wine rocked tonight! I think Napa wines from the 1994 vintage are drinking remarkably well right now! This is certainly no exception! I can't imagine it improving, but I also don't see it on a downward trajectory for quite a few more years.

Nose showed plenty of earth, perfumed purple flowers, some cigar box and some fine dust. Palate showed a nice balance of tertiary flavors and dark fruit, i.e., blackberry and black currant, with earth, tobacco, baking spice and toasted oak. The palate also showed shades of coffee and dark chocolate. The balance is remarkable between the fruit, tannins and acids, all in perfect harmony. Definitely a kick--ass wine! 96+ for me (my benchmark is 98).

Groups WOTN, my #2 (by a hair)

Decanted at 5:00 and served at around 10:00 (approx 5 hour decant for those who hate math)

I typically do not decant Sauternes, but I thought it would be interesting to try it....after all, it is like a 100 year wine, so what could it hurt? Unfortunately, in my haste to prepare for the tasting, I forgot to take a taste at the time of the decant. So sorry, no comparison notes for before and after the decant.

First, let me say, this wine has Yquem like balance between acidity and sweetness. Far from cloying, yet rich with just the right amount sweetness! A brilliant job by Climens, and as good as Rieussec and Suduiraut were in 2001, this surpasses them, and even Yquem (in certain vintages). Note: This wine is 100% Semillon and does not contain Sauvignon Blanc, thus providing a different profile than Yquem or Rieussec, for example.

Nose showed honeysuckle, apricot jam, and saffron, with hints of citrus oils. Palate showed lots of creamed honey, stone fruit (peach and apricot), with hints of butterscotch, orange oil and caramel.

Solid 97 for my palate right now. I may increase the score if gains some rich caramel character with additional age. So good now! Wish I bought more instead of some of my other Sauternes/Barsac wines!