Light silvery gold in color.  The nose is nice with mostly pears but also some lemons and nice mineral undertones.  A fair amount of medium sized bubbles.  On the palate, this is slightly sweet.  It drinks easy.  The lemon carries thru along with slight minerality.  Very food friendly.  Easy drinking, not complex but enough to stand up with food.  Good end of the day/start the evening wine.  

Pop and pour, this may have benefited from a decant.  From a 375ml.  Purple in color.  The nose has black cherries, some dust and a bit of chocolate.  On the palate, the black cherries and chocolate carry thru.  Nice texture.  Finishes a bit hot but that was saved by serving it with vegan salted caramel pecan ice cream and a brownie.  Over all this is very good if not at the top level of vintage ports.  

These are my go to wines for later in the night when you just want a bit more wine.  I buy a bunch every vintage and drink through them quickly, not that they won't last, but as they are really great values.  So, I was a bit surprised to see I still had a 2014 left.  Screw capped.  On opening, this was singing.  Purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries. Also some black pepper and a bit of roasted herbs.  On the palate, this is lush but also deep.  Gulpable but at the same time it has some complexity.  Nice finish.  Drinks well on its own but would go well with heartier foods.  

This was done as a one off in order to raise money for victims of the earthquake.  This vineyard is an enclosed small vineyard at about 800 feet of elevation.  This is a wine that is still tight but with just a bit of air, it is drinking beautifully right now.  Purple in color.  The nose has dark cherries, spice and a bit of bramble.  On the palate, slight tannins.  Black cherry fruit.  Some depth.  Good acidity.  Very food friendly for medium or heartier foods.  Nice finish.  I don't think this gets better from here but will undoubtedly change and mature.  

71% Syrah, 28% Mourvedre and 1% Viognier.  This is a gorgeous wine that is drinking great right now but still has some maturation to come.  Purple in color.  On of the cool things about Viognier is it make Syrah more opaque.  Another is that it has lifting aromatics which carry the Syrah and Mourvedre along with it.  In this case, just a gorgeous nose.  Black raspberries, roasted herbs, grilled meats, white pepper, musky earthiness all just explode from the glass.  On the palate, this has a lovely velvety texture.  Good balance.  Lots of black raspberry fruit with underlying earthiness.  It

This wine has a reputation of being a bit oxidized and advanced in 2014.  This bottle was a bit advanced but it was also spot on drinking right now.  Medium golden in color.  The nose has anjou pears along with minerals and a salinty which is very nice.  This has a slightly oily texture.  The pears continue and if this has any oxidation, it is quite small.  There is good acidity.  Nice finish.  Enjoyed with a Ginger Parsnip Pear soup, this was a perfect match with a nice synergy.  It might not make old bones, but it is drinking quite well right now.

Golden in color.  A good amount of small(ish) bubbles.  The nose is clean with some toast and also some pears.  On the palate, this is nice but could use just a bit more of everything; fruit, acid, minerality.  Pears are prominent.  Clean.  Worked well with foods.  Solid finish.  Very solid wine.  

And now for something completely different.  Ruby in color.  The nose has black peppercorns, with some cherry/cranberry notes.  On the palate, this  is thin but still has structure and strength.  Good acidity.  The peppery red berry notes continue thru.  Would work with a lot of different foods.  In fact, it really does beg for food to tame the acid and flavors.  A really interesting wine.  

Ruby in color.  The nose is classic with cherries, slight funk, slight violets and spice.  With air, some leather.  On the palate, this is at peak.  Just where it should be.  Cherries layered with spice and earth.  Complex.  Alive with great energy.  This would work with a wide variety of hearty foods.  Good finish.  A wine that is both delicious and contemplative.  No hurry, but it won't get any better from here, so absolutely worth checking on.  

The fill was low shoulder.  On touching the cork dropped a few millimeters.  A Durand was used and the cork came out in one, if crumbly, piece.  The wine was decanted for sediment and allowed to breathe for a few minutes.  Purple in color, not showing a lot of age.  The nose is initially dominated by volatile acidity, but that partially blows off leaving dust and cassis.  Much better on the palate.  This still has thick tannins.  A pristine bottle of this would likely be just hitting its stride.  This bottle is advanced but still with plenty of cassis fruit.  OK finish.  An impressive wine