And...

The 1996 Gosset Celebris (Champagne) was stunning... a beautiful example of the hidden power of this beautiful vintage. The acidity was so piercing, the fruit almost sweet, that this Champagne completely exceeded any expectations I had. This needs time to integrate all of the minerals and what appears to be a very high percentage of Chardonnay. The Krug Rose MV was a stunner... clearly a very old (5-7 years) bottle, the wine was weightless, yet so powerful and fruit-driven in the glass. The secondary aromas of toast and anise were really screaming, but the wine is a fruit-driven, pure clean wine. Awesome to taste both of these in the same night. The 1999 Dr. Burklin Wolf Forster Kirchenstuck Auslese Trocken en Magnum was a baby. Not really integrated at all, was a completely different animal to the much more evolved Magnum I had about 2 weeks ago (different einzellagen as well). All minerals and petrol with hints of peach, it was completely wound up and didn't unravel at all over the 4 hour period it was opened. The 2003 Harlan Estate was completely closed and didn't yield any of the beauty the last bottle I had did... Oh well. Even more dissapointing was the two bottles of 1995 Araujo Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon I poured down the drain... The 2002 Masseto en Magnum was good, not great. I still think they should not have made this wine in this weak, green, un-ripe vintage. The wine was all green pepper and herbs... that what happens when Merlot doesn't ripen!!! The 1995 Chateau Talbot had green note to it as well, but was a green tannin note rather than a green fruit or vegetal note. If I had a ton of 1995s in my cellar, I'd be very nervous right now... Some are beautiful, but others show absolutely no sign of opening any time soon (if at all). Give most of them at least another 5 - 10 years. The wine of the night, and one that is making me re-assess my ranking of it, was the 1990 Chateau d'Yquem. Powerful - almost lunging out of the glass - this wine is one of the most concentrated d'Yquem's I've had. Still a youthful, minerally baby, the wine screams botrytis. I still don't think it's the best d'Yquem out there, but it's very, very good.