• 1983 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Valbuena 5° - Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
  This opened up beautifully over the couple of hours the bottle was open and showed fantastic aromatics. Exotic spice, caramel, Turkish coffee and bittersweet chocolate notes literally come jumping out of the glass and there’s plenty of mature fruit to keep this honest and interesting. Even with some extended airing in the glass, this continued to show depth and richness. The palate was where I thought this showed its age and while there was nice fruit, the acidity seemed to be winning the battle. Still, lots going on and this has stunning aromatics paired with a nice palate… drink up while the fruit holds. (91 pts.)
• 1988 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley
  I liked this bottle more and more as the evening wore. Down right muted right after opening but with air (and some serious coaxing), this gives up spicy cassis laced fruit, oak and earth notes but this wine really seems like it a 5 year old Bordeaux that’s simply shut down. On the palate, this shows beautifully pure fruit, solid structure, balance, concentrated fruit and a long finish where fine grained tannins kick in. If this bottle is representative, this isn’t even in its drinking window and needs 10 more years. (91+ pts.)
• 1992 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Tasted next to the 1988 Montelena Estate, this couldn’t have been more different. Where the 1988 was backwards and Bordeaux like, this 1992 was down right exuberant with bright, perfumed aromatics of creme de cassis, lead pencil, spicy oak and subtle herb notes on the nose. Ripe but still complex and interesting, this is medium to full bodied on the palate with stunning richness, texture and length. This is a classic cali cab and seems to be in its early maturity window. (95 pts.)
• 1979 Château La Mission Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
  A classic, mature Bordeaux, this shows a youthful red color as well as complex, nuanced and perfumed aromatics of cedar, lead pencil, subtle spice and mature fruit notes. Medium bodied on the palate, this fleshed out with air and showed a completely integrated character along with sweet fruit, decent concentration and a medium length finish. (91 pts.)
• 1999 Domaine de la Vieille Julienne Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  This is stunning… not a chance I’d guess this as a 1999 and this bottle is even better than a bottle I had less than a month ago. Rich, young and still a pup, this boast serious fruit, licorice, roasted herb and graphite notes that have me looking around for another bottle of the same so I can pour another glass… The palate is medium to full bodied, beautifully balanced, rich and concentrated with a long finish. This isn’t a freak, overly extracted nor over the top but is simply a quintessential Chateauneuf that has a long live ahead of it. (95 pts.)

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