France

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This is still young and a but tight.  It is a gorgeous wine but give it some air if you are going to drink soon.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is clean with slight earthiness, a bit of bacon fat and boysenberry fruit.  Seems like a bit brighter acidity than these wines usually have which is nice.  Perhaps just a function of the rest of the wine being tight.  On the palate, black cherries, boysenberries, and a  mineral streak that is very nice.  Deep.  Long finish.  I would hold for at least 5 years but it should last for decades.  At least a couple or more points of upside.  

Always a privilege to be able to taste one of the worlds great wines and also one of my personal favorites.  This is drinking very well at only 7 years from vintage and was quite open and much more accessible than a taste a few years ago.  Ruby in color, slight purple at the core.  The nose has some barnyard going along with black raspberries and white pepper.  The barnyard is well under control though I would still look for well stored bottles if buying now.  Complex and layered on the palate with boysenberry fruit and earth and minerals.  Slightly drying but in a good way that is quite in

Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is classic and quite nice.  Black olives jump from the glass.  Also black raspberries, slight black pepper.  On the palate, tart black raspberries with nice minerals.  Light tannins.  Decent acidity.  Long finish.  Still young and with some upside potential as these gain in complexity.  

Light copper.gold in color.  The nose is gorgeous with almonds, candle wax and minerals.  With air, slight tangerine notes begin to emerge.  This is showing quite open right now.  Will it shut down for a bit?  Experience says yes, but who knows?  This is a bit riper or more open anyway than the 2012 consumed along with it.  More minerality with an interesting menthol/Eucalyptus note on the finish.  Oily texture.  Long finish.  This is young and tightly packed but has a nice complexity.  

Where to start?  This is one of the great white wines of the world.  Such a fascinating and contemplative wine.  Made from a field blend of 80/20 Marsanne and Roussane.  i was a bit aprhensive about this as Hermitage Blanc at age 6 can often be shut down.  Light/medium gold.  This showed quite well though.  The nose is waxy with some honey and slight white floral notes.  With air, almonds and slight tangerine notes.  Fascinating.  Slightly oily texture.  Full bodied.  Great minerality.  Earthy with almonds and slight citrus.  Long finish.  Warming, not hot on the finish.  Certainly some ups

Always an interesting experience venturing into the Jura.  Made by Ludwig "Lulu" Bindernagel.  75% Chardonnay, 25% Savagnin.  Light medium gold in color.  The nose is interesting.  Almost like a dry sherry that's not oxidized.  Almonds, slightly "fleshy" with a dried orange peel note.  On the palate, there is a nice slightly oily texture.  Some vanilla, minerals, almonds and bits of lemon.  Nice enough acidity.  Long finish.  Very different and hard to put into context.  I liked it and even more so as it warmed.  

Purple in color.  The nose is tight.  With a few hours of air it opened a bit more to show a nice earthy cherry quality.  On the palate, this is soft.  It has a sweet tart quality to the cherry fruit.  A bit clipped on the finish.  At $40, this may provide value if it develops over the next few years.  Time will tell.  

Purple in color.  The nose has cherries but also a geranium note.  With air, that quality blew off and the nose also showed cherry powder and spice.  In any event, with air this got much better on the nose and also the palate.  Juicy acidity.  Light tannins.  Black cherry fruit.  A bit drying on the finish.  It got much deeper and more complex with air, so there is some upside to cellaring this.  Around $65.  

This was the WOTN of our tasting.  It kept getting better of the 4.5 hours during which it was consumed.  At $60, you can make your own choice as to "Burgundy value".  Purple/ruby in color.  The nose is dusty with black cherries and spice.  On the palate, this is juicy with light tannins.  Black cherries turning a bit drying on the finish.  There is some depth here.  Given a few more years of cellaring, there is a bit of an upside.  

I really enjoyed this (more than the group I was tasting with actually).  It has a great texture and is open and drinking well right now.  It probably won't make old bones.  For $27 it is fairly priced for immediate drinking.  Purple/ruby in color.  The nose has fresh cherries, cherry powder and slight earthiness.  On the palate, this has big cherry fruit.  Slight tannins.  A wonderful silky texture.  A bit sour cherry on the finish.  Seems food friendly as well.