Here's a diverse bunch of notes from a few sittings last night.

'00 Domaine Laroche Les Clos: Bright yellow with a clear edge. Buttered pear and almond nose with some hidden minerallity. Medium-bodied but with a rich finish showing butter-laced citrus with creamy, slightly honeyed, fruit and stone. Nice length and acidity. Built to last for a while. Very good.

'86 Heitz Martha's Vineyard: Little if any bricking. Concentrated new-world nose showing cherry and characteristic eucalyptus notes. Showing a bit more age on the palate with red fruits and almost overbearing mint (think mouthwash). Finishes long with lots of acid, to the point of being a bit astringent. Good wine. Doesn't have the excessively tannic character I've found in some of the '86s.

'97 Williams-Selyem Olivet Lane Pinot: Ruby/Purple. Mint and anise-laced dark fruit nose. Plummy, up-front, and concentrated pinot fruit with mint notes. Finishes with good acid and length. No sign of heat despite the stated 14.9% EtOH. Solid wine.

'88 Krug: Deep gold-yellow. Doughy baked apple pie nose. Bold and yeasty with some pear and a long acidic finish. Some sherried characteristic Krug notes.

'99 Henri Bonneau Reserve des Celestins: A hot weather garnet color. Seriously sweaty, earth-driven, nose with leather and gamy red fruit notes and maybe a trace of something ammonia-like. Bold and really well balanced, very feminine and very sexy. Finishes long with fine-grain tannins and plenty of acid for aging. Smoothes out really nicely with air. Great now, will only get better.

'00 Gruaud Larose: Inky black. Powerful earthy nose showing burnt toast, coffee grounds, tar, and some red and black fruits. Tight on drinking but showing some of the same dark notes from the nose. Should be a very good wine at some point in the future.

'99 Fanti BdM: Really dark for a BdM. Ripe sang. fruit nose with cherry, dust, and smoky notes. Young and a bit wrapped-up but with some nice spice and up front red fruits. Noticeable vanilla oak influence and refined wood tannins. I'm not a huge fan of Fanti but still a good wine.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: rhone warrior,

hi,

i had the 99 celestin a cuple month ago, and it was not the strongest celestin ever but, i had alot of fun drinking it , just great the mineralic!

maybe this will be aside or slitly better than the 1992

Not a powerhouse, but a very sexy wine. People seem to be gravitating towards the '98 and ignoring the '99, which is pretty easy to find for a Celestins. I really enjoyed the wine and would love to cellar a few bottles if only I could afford it .