Lanson Black Label Brut NV: Purchased Autumn 2005. It has only been about six months since I last took a look at this wine. Tonight I didn't pay great attention to it as it was a mere prelude to dinner with guests. Nevertheless, it is developing nicely, with some good maturity showing through towards the end of the palate. Still a lively bead and plentiful mousse, though, although it is all a touch more harmonious than I seem to recall from my last tasting. Really very good indeed, still clearly on the way up, and although very drinkable now I would like to see what another six months does. 16.5+/20

Veuve Clicquot Brut 1993: From a magnum which, believe it or not, I won in a WSET competition a few years ago, and it has been resting in the cellar ever since, waiting for a suitable occasion. A plentiful bead, and a good colour, rich but not deep or aged. Notes of toffee, cream or caramel on the nose, seemingly rather elegant in style, with a little note of brûlée and even marshmallow which isn't so prominent as to be disruptive. Full, flavoursome, broad and outgoing, a midpalate packed with impact and flavour, a gentle but fresh and crisp mousse, rather mallowy and creamy, but nevertheless it certainly has style and is backed up by defining acidity. This magnum has done rather well. 17.5+/20

Bollinger Grande Année 1990: A rich, golden hue, exactly as I commented one year ago. A nice bead, quite sparse and fine after a minute or two in the glass though. Very mature character here, caramel, praline, polished oak and even a touch of molasses. A fresh acid backbone on the palate, supporting a fine vinous character and a lot of substance. Toffee and coffee complexities, overall very well defined, rich, and still with plenty of potential. Great, very firm finish. Very fine indeed. 18.5/20

Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 1995: A suitable bottle for New Year's Eve. A very lively bead in the glass, still rather fat despite this wine's twelve years. The nose has a precise and bright citrussy, lemon freshness, but with a very serious deep seam of smoke and minerals, the combination of the two seeming paradoxical and yet divine in their combination. Later, there are notes of home-made praline, the delicious aroma of roasted almonds and crunchy sweetness that comes when you make your own. There is depth, vinosity and precision here. A lively mousse on the palate, covering a dense minerality, overall a very vinous style; this is a top quality wine which happens to have bubbles, if you understand my meaning. Very fresh, with lots of bright but appropriate acidity, and a mouthwatering midpalate. More integrated than my last tasting, but it is still very fresh and vibrant. Great for drinking now, certainly showing improvement, but still on the way up. 18.5+/20

Bert Simon Serrig Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer) 1991: A fairly rich golden hue noted here. On the nose plenty of lime fruit, rather densely presented but bright and lively nevertheless. Very classic Riesling notes of petrol which I didn't pick up last time, rich and minerally, and overall quite evocative. Soft, rich and a touch mealy on entry, but broad and with a good presence, very nicely defined by delicious, slightly sour acidity. Vivacious and fresh, but quite detached towards the finish, showing here some smoky and sweet lime-toffee character. Really very interesting wine and very good indeed. 17+/20 AP Nr: 3 555 058 10 92

Michael Schäfer Burg-Layer Schlossberg Riesling Spätlese (Nahe) 1994: This has a rich, almost glossy, golden-yellow hue. The nose is very open and rich in minerals, limes, pepper and a smoky-rocky theme. Rich and fleshy on the palate, carrying plenty of brutal lime pickle character, tempered by tropical fruit on a raft of gentle sweetness, complicated by notes of rocks and minerals as suggested by the nose. A good composition here, a fine weight, and overall this is very good indeed. Doubtless there is more to come from this wine, but I see no harm in drinking this all up right now. What a shame I didn't buy a lot more! 17+/20 AP Nr: 7 763 076 07 95 (30/6/06)

Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Spätlese 2003: The 2003 vintage would not be my first port of call for many white wines, including those of the Mosel, but this is one bottle that did land - unintentionally - in my cellar. A deep, green-tinged, bright and vibrant hue on inspection. It is youthful and, perhaps unsurprisingly, it seems all over the place. Lots of chalky, talcy, powdered rock character, with a little touch of honey, minerals, lemon grass, peaches and sherbet. It seems quite enticing, but the palate is where this wine disappoints. It has flesh and weight, clear residual sugar, but low acidity and thus no definition. It has a fat, rounded feel with no developed edges anywhere. The flavour profile includes lychees which are delightful but hardly typical; tasted blind I may have put this wine in Alsace. Despite this I certainly like the flavour - but overall the low acidity is too much of a problem for me to really rate this. 14/20 AP Nr: 3 561 303 33 04

Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Chateauneuf du Pape 1988: Fairly transparent in appearance, but mature, with a good depth of hue. There is a little rubber on the nose at first, but it is just a slightly reductive component which soon dissipates. The more classic character, roasted meats, fur and baked red fruits with a sweet, macerated character. It suggests warmth, but on the palate we have a wine that is balanced, with a welcoming weight and texture, but underneath that still a firm structure , a good backbone of acidity and there are still some tannins poking through too, particularly at the finish. Crisply defined, this continues to drink very well indeed. Delicious. 18/20

Chateau Beaumont (Haut-Médoc) 2000: Several of these bottles opened over a dinner, and they all performed very well indeed throughout the evening. I decanted the first for an hour or two but subsequent bottles were really showing well right from opening. Lots of crunchy blackcurrant and smoke on the nose, typically claretty. A lovely, supple structure on the palate, dark fruits with a gentle, stony texture underneath a little flesh. The composition is very pleasing, straightforward but quite faultless. Good, firm, mineral and iron presence. These bottles have never failed to deliver and have been great value too. I look forward to the remainder. 17/20 (January 2008)

Mas de Daumas Gassac (Vin de Pays de l'Herault) 1992: A lovely colour in the decanter, a nice depth but also showing some maturity. The nose is just gorgeous; there are aromas of hot iron, violets and blood. It is beautifully clean and has none of the more savage elements found last time which may well have been related to Brettanomyces, a characteristic which is notoriously variable from bottle to bottle. This has a much more pure, perfumed character. Soft and restrained on entry, but then showing iron-bound extract in the midpalate, and unveiling a core of tannin here also. Fresh, well focussed, vibrantly alive wine with perhaps a little more spicy structure still evident than my last note suggested. This bottle is eminently more impressive and there is room here for improvement. Very good indeed. 17.5+/20

Chateau Coutet (Barsac) 1989: A gloriously rich, copper-gold can be viewed through the clear glass of the bottle, and once in the glass this intense display is hardly diminished. It suggests opulence, although the nose releases a measured array of aromas which lend hope that this will not be over the top. There is a vein of sweet oranges and marmalade, but also apricots and nuts, and that heady, quince-tinged rôti characteristic which is so difficult to describe but comes from the action of a good smattering of botrytis. The palate has an immediately apparent weight and a delicious, seamless presence on the palate, but also has a fairly smart acidity and even some grip towards the finish. A good, broad, sweet and creamy style, with a butter twist right at the end, and perhaps unsurprisingly a good length. Excellent. 18.5/20

Lustau Old East India Solera: A sherry I first tasted at a Lustau dinner in Liverpool back in 2002, when it seems to have been designated a reserva - that no longer appears to be the case. This has the same, deep and warm, walnut brown hue as I recall from that tasting five years ago, although without the evident complexity of colour. The nose is very interesting and also belies the presence of PX in the blend, its sweet yet vegetal, axle-grease signature aroma clearly displayed for all to appreciate, alongside the raisined fruit and dried nuts. Rich and creamy on the palate, with warmth, spice, toffee, hazelnut and raisins all in abundance, this is an absolute delight to drink. Wonderful definition and a peppery acidity keep it fresh and lively. Excellent. 18/20

Dow's Quinta do Bomfim Vintage Port 1987: My last bottle of this wine, a single quinta bottling from Dow's in what was a good but not generally declared vintage, due predominantly perhaps to a little wet weather during the harvest, but also due to the state of the market at the time of declaration in 1989. Most of the top companies released single quinta wines rather than vintage ports. The colour is still dark, a touch glossy, and quite dense out to the rim, but with a vibrant and youthful crimson at the very edge. It emits a blast of fruit aroma when freshly opened, which shows more restrained, woody, spicy, sandalwood character, but with a little chocolate, baked raspberry and violet on the edge. The palate is creamy but harmonious, showing grip and structure through the midpalate, although it is not really the predominant feature (in the first few glasses, at least). It has great fruit, a rich composition, and a tenderly creamy finish, although it lets the tannins swim through here also. Lovely length though. Certainly very approachable now, and a great wine for festive celebrations if you are so inclined. Although it doesn't show the cigar and tobacco notes of my previous tasting, it has a more complete integration, and continues to improve. Delightful wine. 17.5/20