Purple in color with ruby swirls.  Slight volatile acidity on the nose.  Plums, sour cherries, and slight black licorice.  On the palate, this has a great texture.  Medium tannins.  This is still young but is delicious.  Plums and black cherries.  Long finish.  This will go well with stews or roasts or even Indian foods.  It is drinking well now but should easily have a decade left.  

This is 55% Mourvèdre, 25% Grenache, and 20% Cinsault.  Arguably the best Rose made today.  Certainly, it is right up there with a rich track record.  This vintage is another winner.  A salmon pink and copper color.  The nose is very pretty with watermelon along with a slight strawberry and a steely quality.  On the palate, this is light and crisp.  Slight tannins.  Slightly oily texture.  Strawberries and slight watermelon notes.  Supple.  This seems more rounded that some vintages.  Good finish.  This is very food friendly and will go with almost any food or on its own.  These are suppose

Wow.  This is a wine that is rarely reviewed but just excellent.  Right up there with anything Napa produces.  Opened for my birthday dinner because it also goes great with food.  Deep purple in color.  Opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, spice, slight cedar and plums.  With air, a bit of iodine.  On the palate, this is full bodied.  Deep and complex.  Young with firm tannins.  Lots of cassis fruit with underlying spice and slight char.  Delicious.  Long finish.  This will no doubt continue to evolve over the next decade and closer to two.  It reminds me of St.

 Wow.  Great showing for this wine.  It is a blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot.  A candidate for Wine of the Year.  Inky purple in color.  The nose is deep and complex with cassis, blueberries, gravel, slight cedar and spice.  On the palate, this is seamless.  Full bodied with supple tannins.  Wonderful balance.  Cassis, over a slight dry earth and charred wood.  Long finish.  This went great with a seared Tofu dish but would be great with steak or a roast.  It is still young and will develop but won't get better - just different.  

Holy smokes.  I love this wine, but this was the best showing for it yet.  Light golden/green in color.  Lemon cream, vanilla and slight smoke on the nose.  On the palate, this has a slightly oily texture which is great.  Crisp acidity.  The lemon and vanilla come thru over a slight charred wood quality.  Deep and complex, this is the most developed bottle I have had although certainly not old.  Layers of fruit, wood and char.  Long finish.  Went great with roasted Shihitto peppers.  If this is a glimpse where this is heading then patience will be rewarded but no harm in opening now.  

Opened for my birthday dinner.  This is 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay.  It has a deep amber color although clear and bright.  A good amount of small-ish bubbles.  On the nose this has some strawberries, slight hay, dried floral notes and a slightly nutty quality.  On the palate, the strawberries come thru with some light cherries.  There is a touch of oxidation here.  Nice acidity.  It worked better with a bit of food.  This is probably not a long term ager and should be drink in the next few years.  Wen well with some Shihito peppers.  

Pinot Fin is apparently an ancient clone of Pinot Noir.  The berries are even smaller than Pinot Noir.  Arnoux's fruit is from Chambolle-Musigny, Vosne-Romanee, and Nuits-Saint-Georges.  Some of the vines date back to 1959.  Whether that is marketing or there is some substance there is hard to say based on this sample.  It was my first time trying this wine.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose has sour cherries, dust and slight earthiness.  On the palate, this is good but relatively simple.  Cherries with slight underlying earthiness.  Medium finish.  This is easy to drink and will go with most

This was a new one for me.  Pop and pour, it is a very nice Pinot drinking well right now.  Ruby in color with purple swirls.  The nose is very tight.  With air some black cherries and dust come out.  With a bit more air, cherries and a bit of woodiness (not oak) show up.  On the palate, this is medium bodied.  Cherry fruit with some depth.  Not as much as I might have expected at age 20 but not really showing age either.  Not sure where this goes from here, but there seems to be time.  It is very enjoyable.  Not as big as many Aussie wines from this time period can be.  It will go well wit

Bordeaux wines from 1982 are often still drinking great.  While one might think a wine such as this might be over the hill, that is not true.  At least for this bottle.  It still has some youthful freshness.  It is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  No real bricking or browning.  On the nose there is cassis, dust, slight cigar box and hints of cherry.  On the palate, this has lively energy.  Cassis and cherries with some underlying dried herbal notes.  Not a big wine.  Some depth and slight layering.  Nice finish. 

Of course, 100% Chardonnay.  Another great showing from this bottle.  Really firing on all levels with just a bit of air.  Light green/gold in color, clear and bright.  A lot of very small bubbles.  On the nose, this has smoke and lemons.  With air, a bit of chalkiness comes out.  On the palate, this has a nice bite of acidity.  It is, however, full bodied and round with no sharp edges.  The lemons carry thru along with a bit of yeast.  This is starting to show some age on it although it easily has another ten and probably twenty years at peak.  It will go with almost any food.  One of the