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Opened to watch the NCAA Championship Basketball game.  While still young, this is drinking nicely and provided a lot of enjoyment today.  Still, its best days are ahead and this should continue to improve.  Purple in color with ruby swirls.  On the nose, this has black raspberries, black pepper, slight bacon fat and slighter violets.  On the palate, this has firm tannins.  Juicy black raspberry fruit.  Showing layers of black raspberries, charcoal and earth.  Delicious.  Needs bigger foods.  This should easily last another decade and probably two.  

I seem to have had a lot of bottle variation with this one.  Or, given that this is usually the last bottle of the night, maybe it is palate variation.  In any event, this wine is always good to great and this bottle was in the middle.  Deep golden/orange in color.  The nose has honey and apricots.  On the palate, this is sweet but nowhere near cloying.  Enough acidity.  The honey notes come thru and pick up peaches.  Nice finish to the wine and to the evening!

Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is dusty with some black cherries and cigar box.  On the palate, there is some black cherry fruit.  No tannins to speak of.  Not much depth but some complexity.  Good acidity.  Classic aged Bordeaux although given the pedigree, more was expected.  Still, a fine wine to serve with dinner.  It is probably past prime and these should be drunk  up.  

This bottle was quite good.  There are some reports about the prematurely oxidizing or at least ageing quickly but this was the first time trying this vintage.  It is quite a deep golden color but that is not unheard of for Chenin.  The nose is very nice with aromas of pears, orange peel, slight copper note and a bit of honey.  Full bodied and slightly viscous.  Also slightly oily in texture.  Lots of great minerality with some background orange and pear.  Long finish.  This has a slight perception of being sweet but it seems dry.  Good acidity.  This worked great with some hummus and also

Always nice to have some Champagne at a dinner or party.  This is a reasonably priced bottle that drinks nicely.  45% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Meunier.  Light silvery gold in color.  A nice mousse with a fair amount of smallish bubbles.  The nose has hay, ginger and slight toast.  On the palate, this is reasonably crisp.  More mineral driven than fruit but some citrus.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  Very enjoyable and will go with most any food.  These should be purchased fresh and drunk in the first couple of years.  

This wine is pretty much at peak at this point but drinking quite well.  Pop and pour and it was drinking from the get go.  Purple in color with a slight ruby line at the rim.  The nose has cherries, a slight funk and just a hint of aquarium water.  It is better on the palate and more fresh.  juicy cherries with some complexity.  An underlying earthiness though clean.  The fruit is ripe.  No tannins.  While it drinks well on its own, it would be better with some medium or lighter fare.  The fruit is fresh enough to stand up to some spice as well.  These should be drunk up in the next few ye

Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has macerated cherries with a slight Burgundy funk.  This wine is still youthful and needs some time to develop.  it unwinds slowly in the glass as the nose gets more pronounced.  On the palate, there are slight tannins.  Nice red cherry fruit.  Deep but needs air/time to show its complexity.  With air a nice spice quality comes out on the finish.  This wine really begs for food and should pair nicely with a wide variety of foods.  It should peak in about five more years and be good for a decade after that.  

Opened by a friend to celebrate another friends birthday.  70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay.  Light golden in color.  A nice head with lots of smallish bubbles.  The nose is nice with burnt hay and slight citrus.  On the palate, there is some citrus and minerals.  Long finish.  Good acidity.  This is very food friendly and will work with a wide variety of foods.  

Made from 100% Pinot Noir.  Salmon pink in color.  Head has larger bubbles. The nose is nice with strawberries and slight apple notes.  A bit lean and crisp.  On the palate, flavors of strawberries continue thru along with some watermelon.  There is a slight bitterness on the mid-palate.  Overall, this drinks easy.  Worked well with some cheeses.  Made a nice starter at a party.

Yquem might be the single greatest wine in the world.  Yes, those are bold words, but it is arguably true.  This bottle was wonderful indeed.  Paired with Mango roses in a Rose water and honey sauce, it was sublime.  Light golden in color, this wine is still quite young.  The nose is amazing with slight apricot, lots of honey and orange peel.  Viscous and sweet, not cloying.  The orange peel and honey carry thru.  The thing about Yquem is the finish.  It goes on forever and ever.  Very nice acidity in 2011.  This bottle will continue to age and mature for fifty years and no doubt at some po