Gonet Special Club 2000 was a very fine Blanc de blancs with a very typical nose of nuts, steel and white fruit. The mousse was small and intense. The palate was pleasantly tart as Bl de Bl should indeed be, but it also had fine and ripe fruit. Very long, intense and even mineral aftertaste. Though it was evolved (it drinks perfectly now) for its years, it was lovely.
Then we had the vintages 1959, 1964, 1966, 1976 and 1978 half blind with one fully blind joker inserted.
GPL 1976
Frankly quite weak. A nose of tart red berries, yet still with a dull, over-ripe fruitiness underneath the unripe berries! Very odd. The palate was weighty, austerely tannic and very berryish. Not undrinkable, but far from the quality of the others.
Joker: GPL 1985
I thought this the epitome of the wine's style: leafy, savoury, herbal, cassis. It had wonderful delineation, fine fruit, but also fine savoury structure making this wonderful with food. Lovely wine. My favourite of the evening.
GPL 1978
I thought this almost as good as the previous wine: likewise it was just what I look for in Pauillac. Delightfully herbal yet ripe fruit, mineral even. The palate was also perfectly harmonious, but it did lack that extra poise that the previous wine had. Lovely anyway.
GPL 1964
Corked.
GPL 1959
From a tasting glass this was quite bad: rye bread on the nose suggesting it is past it. I poured it into a Bordeaux glass and a miracle happened: it blossomed and became a lovely old wine. The nose was a bit singed but with very ripe fruit, but showing much secondary character - but it is still recognisably Bordeaux. The palate was just lovely!
Earthy, sweetly fruity yet with secondary nuances. Long and perfectly harmonious despite the rather low acidity.
GPL 1966
Lovely as the last wine was, this was even better and vied with glass #2 as my favourite. The nose again in a small glass was too much like rye bread, but again the big glass made it shine. Evolved, yet fruity, but much more savoury in character than the previous glass - it became the epitome of aged Pauillac IMO. The palate was in fantastic shape: the high acidity was balanced by ripe fruit, yet this was certainly not a fruit forward wine. It was earthy and secondary without detracting from the fruit at all. Utterly lovely!
Then with dinner we had a few more interesting wines from Alsace:
Trimbach Clos Ste Hune 1996
Trimbach is one of my favourite houses. I love the austere and mineral style - and this wine didn't let me down. This is fantastically good with all the typical lime and mineral character. It is a bit austere yet is starting to show the teasing touch of sweetness that perfects this wine. It is, of course, very acidic, but perfectly balanced and mineral. The taste never ends.
We were so impressed with this that we ordered another vintage:
Trimbach CSH 1998
Very open scent and rather atypical IMO for Trimbach in being so sweet, not as mineral as usual, and for having quite noticable botrytis. The palate was IMO better than the nose having the typical very dry and mineral and intense notes coupled with a fleeting and teasing hint of sweetness from the fruit. Very good indeed, but not as much my style as the bloody brilliant 1996.
René Muré Tokay-Pinot Gris Clos St. Landelin 1997
A rather odd nose: ketchup and french fries! Sweet but nicely mineral and very engaging despite my rather curious descriptors. The palate was very conentrated, drier than what the nose promised, mineral and very long. Fine, but I'm not sure this my style of Alsace - though I'm the first to admit that anything suffers from coming after my darling Trimbach!
Joseph Scharsch Riesling Altenberg de Wolxheim 2000
Much botrytis and mineral, yet very pure Riesling. I like Scharsch very much for making such pure examples of the grapes and for having very keen prices. The palate is dry and intense and beautifully balanced, though not the most complex of wines. Very, very nice stuff anyway.
I take it I am misinformed? Natural corks are a waste of good wine. 
Never feed the troll!
With the dinner wines as well, it went well over 150, lol!! I just have my priorities right: I work my posterior off running a book shop while continuing my studies just so I can go to tastings and drink and eat well. I'm willing to pay for interesting stuff.