France

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Opened about an hour before the tasting and allowed to breathe. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is beautiful with a nice earthiness (mostly clean), baking spices, cherries (red and black). On the palate there is a juicy acidity that gives way to a lush texture and big fruit. Dark and red cherries but also some clay and spice show thru as well. Tight layers that unwind in the glass. Long finish. Certainly needs time or air, but drinking great right now.

An interesting blend of Gewurztraminer and Riesling.  It was sold for $20 which is a nice value.  Light gold/green in color.  Oddly, this seems to have some trapped CO2 in the bottle as it shows up on the glass if the not the palate.  Neither varietal seems to be very pronounced on the nose, although both show up a bit.  Slight lychee, apricot and minerals.  On the palate, this is viscous.  A perception of sweetness but seems dry though ripe.  Lychees and apricots.  Good finish.  Will work well with Indian or Thai food.  

Ruby/purple in color.  The nose has cherries, slight cough syrup, some anise and spice.  Nice.  On the palate, this has a lovely juicy but velvety texture.  Cherries and cherry cough syrup with some underlying spices.  Nice finish.  Very food friendly.  This still is a bit young and another few years of cellaring will be beneficial.  If not,, give it some air now.  

2001 was such a great vintage and the wines from Sauternes or Barsac are in a gorgeous place right now.  Golden orange in color.  The nose is beautiful with honey and apricots.  Slightly sweet on the palate.  Oranges and apricots with honey.  Viscous with a nice backbone of acidity.  Long finish.  This is complex and layered and demands ones attention.  The first sip tastes good, then evolves on the palate and just does not let go.  Works great with blue cheese or a savory dessert.  

This is young but wonderful.  It should improve a bit over the next couple of years.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  Great nose of black cherries, cloves, black olives and black pepper.  Lovely juicy full (glycerin) texture.  On the palate, black cherries and in a really good way, light cherry cough syrup.  Some vanilla.  Long finish.  This has plenty of depth but its hard to find layers at this young stage.  Still, it is delicious and would work with hearty foods.  Better yet, wait 3 to 5 years and drink over the next ten or so.  

Gorgeous wine.  This was controversial on release for being too big and bold, but I think it would be less so today.  Maybe not.  It is still a ripe wine but not overblown or raisiny, etc.  Just a gorgeous expression of Merlot.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is initially tight but opens quickly showing dusty cherries, slight mocha ad roasted herbs.  On the palate, black cherries layered with dry earth and just a hint of cocoa powder.  Great plush yet juicy texture.  This is deep with tight layering that unwind in the glass.  Long finish.  It probably won't get better but will

Nice wine.  From an easy to drink vintage that may have been the last reasonably priced vintage across the board in Bordeaux.  Even the best ones should be drunk sooner than later and while this is in that category, at age 16, it offered up a very nice wine.  Purple/ruby in color.  The nose is clean with some cassis and slight herbal note.  On the palate, nice one dimensional cassis fruit.  A bit shallow but still fresh.  Not a lot of development here and no funk, tobacco, or other tertiary qualities but what is here is quality.  

Great wine and in a great place.  Still has plenty of life left but fantastic right now.  Purple in color, although a bit dull at the ruby rim.  The nose is fantastic; cassis, cigar box, cherries and dust.  With air it brings some funk in a beautiful way.  On the palate, cassis, dry earth and slight spice.  Complex and tightly layered it unwinds quickly in the glass.  Long finish.  This would be ideal with heavier or meat based dishes.  Truly a contemplative wine and everything you could hope for back when this wine was released.  

Light golden in color, slight green hue.  The nose is tight and not giving up much.  Revisiting it later doesn't add much; some minerality.  On the palate, there is more going on at this point.  Slightly oily texture which is nice.  Burnt lemon peel notes.  Ok finish.  Hard to tell where this is going.  It seems fresh and clean but in a shell right now.  Probably should hold or give it a lot of air.  Seem like it would work well with sea food and lighter dishes.  Hopefully, this has some upside with proper cellaring.  

This was the second time in a week being lucky enough to try this.  Although they were similar, this bottle was served colder and seemed just a bit better.  it seemed fresher and more lively with more acidity.  Golden in color.  The nose has some peach, minerals and smoke.  With air, some seltzer came out.  On the palate, it starts out slightly sour (in a good way).  Nice lemony notes.  It finishes more like a lemon candy with a sour/sweet note.  What an incredibly long finish this has.  It will go with just about any food.  It has depth and complexity but still seems youthful despite being