From the past few weeks:
1999 Lopez de Heredia Vina Bosconia: Popped and poured. Dried cherry and plums on the nose with mild oxidation. That oxidation never entirely blows off, but as the wine wakes up and fills out with a bit of better fruit and spice on the palate it becomes less of a problem, and we're able to enjoy the bottle with dinner (fideos en cazuela) where at first we thought we could not. Hope my remaining bottle is better.
2004 Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon: Soft plummy fruit with a bit of tobacco leaf underneath a veil of mature flavors. More maturity than one would expect on an eight year old wine and well past peak. This isn't the Whitehall Lane that I knew back in the 90's. Two bottles, same results.
2000 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel: I believe this was TC's first release of the all-estate fruit Esprit. Admirably youthful with some very primary black currant fruit on the palate and tannins firm enough for years of further development, but it's sweeter and more mono-dimensional than the wine it's modelled after, Beaucastel, could ever be. I wonder if the Perrin Family regrets choosing Paso Robles for this venture.