1999 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay
Very nice with layers of rich white fruits, hazelnut and gentle touches of vanilla and toast in the background, polished and elegant in the mouth with nice acidity balancing the richness and weight and good length.
1990 Krug Champagne Brut
From magnum. And dear god, this is amazing. Spectacular aromatics with layers of fruit, truffles, vanilla cream and freshly baked bread, lots of depth in the mouth - there's a sense of restrained power and an incredible elegance to this with really good acidity and gentle but persistent effervescence keeping it very light and precise, flat out stunning. (Easily my wine of the night, though there were a few other stunners)
1999 David Arthur Cabernet Sauvignon Elevation 1147
Full of deep, rich fruit flavours with touches of herbs, menthol and chocolate, quite rich in the mouth with a bit of sweetness to the flavours and decent length.
2001 Antonio Bernardino Paulo da Silva Vinho Regional Estremadura Casal da Azenha
Starts out with grapey red fruits and touches of menthol and bandaid, then with air this gets wilder and more sauvage with smoky and meaty elements emerging and the fruit deepening. Pleasant, though on its own this feels a little austere and angular, with the structure dominating and not as much weight/depth as I'd like.
1986 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)
From magnum. Delicious stuff; fresh red fruits and cassis flavours tinged with mint, leather and cedary notes, very silken and mature in the mouth with tannins fully resolved and bright acids giving it a sense of vibrancy and refreshment. I could drink a lot of this. Actually, I did.
1995 St. Supery Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Dollarhide Ranch
From 3L. Starts out promisingly with fresh red fruits, tobacco and herbal notes underneath, but when I came back to this with some air it was fading and becoming increasingly boring as the fruit disappeared and the tobacco/leafiness began to take over.
1991 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon
Vinegary. Dead. Sigh. (From a leaking bottle, so not a shock, but still 3L of disappointment. Damnit.)
1999 Robert Foley Claret
From magnum. A blast of volatile acidity on the nose at first, but that blows off pretty quickly to leave behind layers of rich plummy fruit with touches of cocoa and cedar on a rich, plush textured frame. Nicely balanced with everything in place, tasty but not particularly interesting.
1999 Paolo Bea Sagrantino di Montefalco Secco
Inscrutable initially. David insisted this needed air, so I returned to it after close to an hour in the decanter and found this had transformed. Amazing scent combining all sorts of red fruited and floral aromas with orange peel, leather, spices and figs. Very rich in the mouth, the flavours are almost a little port-like in their sweetness - but this feels so polished and elegant with a sense of lightness and grace, astonishing.
1994 Shader Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon
Incredibly rich and ripe, packed with blackberries, plums and currants with notes of cedar and menthol beneath. Despite its size and concentration it's nicely balanced without ever feeling too heavy and finishing with good length. Fun though not particularly profound.
2003 Alban Reva Syrah
15.8% alcohol and it's apparent before the first sip thanks to the blast of alcoholic vapours that dominate the nose. Hugely extracted dark fruits, hot, alcoholic, garish and one of those wines that seems to be more about making as much of an impact on the palate as possible, rather than actually being enjoyable or serviceable with food. Ugh.
(In between there was also a 50+ year old Amontillado that Jason opened; didn't get the name but lovely stuff with amazing aromatics of spices, figs and dried red fruits, a faint touch of VA and lots of intensity and depth in the mouth.)
2001 Sine Qua Non Ventriloquist
My first experience with a SQN red, and I'm quite shocked. After the Alban Reva, I was afraid of another hideous alcoholic mess. Instead there's a gorgeous scent of fresh black pepper, red fruits and touches of lavender leading into a polished, surprisingly elegant palate full of deep red fruits and spice. And there's acidity, giving this a sense of freshness and precision I hadn't expected! Powerful and concentrated, but with balance and restraint at the same time, finishing very long. Impressive.