Pink grapefruit in color.  The nose is nice with some strawberries, watery cherry juice, slight rhubarb and herbal notes.  On the palate, this is refreshing.  While it is open, it did continue to improve for the few hours it was open.  Perhaps that is a function of the serving temp or maybe the air.  Still, I would tend to drink these up in the first couple of years.  Flavors of strawberries and light cherries.  Nice mouthfeel.  Works well on its own or with food.  At around $25 all in, this is fairly priced.  

This is a dessert wine/sherry.  Made from the Pedro Ximénez grape.  Brown in color.  The nose smells like a tootsie-roll which is nice.  Chocolate, confectionery sugar.  This pours like motor oil; thick and viscous.  On the palate, the tootsie-roll quality continues thru.  Slightly sweet.  Good acidity.  No need for food, this is a dessert on its own.  It is a tough food match.  This wine is made from a Solera method with theoretically some portion of the wine dating to 1927.  It is unclear how much and this tastes young.  That said, for $25, this is a stellar dessert wine that is fun and d

Realm is at the top of their game, making some of the best wines in the world.  This is one of my favorites though expensive, it is doable unlike so many of the top luxury wines.  Purple in color.  The nose is great with cassis, pencil lead, cedar and spice.  On the palate a wonderful juicy almost seamless texture.  Deep, if tightly packed.  It drinks deliciously now but really won't peak for ten or fifteen years (depending on how you like them).  Juicy black raspberries, char and slight earth open in the glass.  Long finish.  Gorgeous wine.  Can a wine be worth $125?  It depends, but this

This is excellent.  From a winery who will undoubtedly raise their prices once the critics start scoring their wines.  This is a GSM blend.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has cherries, black raspberries, char, leather and spice.  On the palate, this has a great texture.  Firm yet sinewy.  Great black raspberry and cherry fruit with some spice.  Deep and will undoubtedly age well.  Good finish.  Works great on its own or with food.  A winery to follow.  

Purple in color.  The nose is dusty with cherries.  On the palate, this has some medium tannins.  cherries and slight forest floor.  Good acidity.  This is food friendly and reminds me of a Sangiovese (Chianti) with more tannic structure.  $23 is fair.  

From the heart of the historic To Kalon vineyard on the Napa Valley floor.  This is made in limited quantities although they also make an even more limited version.  This is $80 which is pretty fair for one of the best Cab Francs that Napa produces.  Purple in color.  The nose has black cherries, slight cigar box, and some anise.  On the palate, this is young but drinking well.  Black cherries, some cherries, forest floor and spice layered in the glass.  Medium tannins.  Good balance.  Nice finish.  Certainly some upside to this as this should mature and age for another decade or more.  

What a fantastic wine.  Deep golden in color.  Very pretty.  On the nose, there is honey, sea air, and apricots.  On the palate, this is very complex.  Apple, honey, some citrus (almost a burnt sugar-ish citrus if that makes sense).  With air, some creme brulee emerges.  Long finish.  This is sweet but not as sweet as I expected and no where near cloying.  Good acidity.  The wine has decades left.   

Purple in color.  The nose is dusty and warm.  With air, it opens to show cassis and some tobacco.  On the palate, this is medium bodied.  Black cherry fruit.  Light tannins.  Juicy acidity.  At $80, this will hopefully be better with some cellaring.  Not a lot of value at the moment, but it is a very pleasurable wine that is good with food.  

Purple in color.  The nose is very nice with cassis, tobacco and spice.  On the palate, this has a nice texture.  A lot of depth but the wine is very tight now.  It kept improving all night long and probably needs  at least a decade.  But, that patience will be rewarded with at least a few points of upside potential.  In the glass it shows nice cassis fruit, cigar box and earth.  Good balance.  $75

At this point in my life (almost 60), this is what I am really looking for in great Bordeaux vintages.  That is to say, wines that are affordable, drink with out requiring a decade or more of cellaring and provide pleasure.  This one is $23 and is drinking quite well today.  However, unlike most of the wines on the table this night, this started strong, held out for a while and faded.  Based on that, it would seem prudent to drink these up in the next few years.  And that's OK.  Purple/ruby in color.  The nose has leather, black cherries and slight cassis.  Also a bit of tobacco and oak spi