Gosset Grand Millésime 1993: The first, and thankfully the only, worry of the evening as the first bottle turned out to be quite dead through the midpalate. Fortunately another bottle was to hand just inside the cellar door - the perfect temperature as well. Subsequently little opportunity for me to make a tasting note! Good colour and sparse bead. Elegant, maturing nose. Fine, integrated palate - no prominent acidity here - and good flavour. 17.5/20

Trimbach Cuvée Frédéric Emile Riesling 1993: A pale colour: Intense nose, with lime, honey and steel. Fresh, full bodied, a touch alcoholic, but nicely structured, with a spice and steel edge to a grippy palate. Intense, quite youthful floral-edged flavours. This has much better grip and acidity than my last tasting which seemed unbalanced - perhaps that was just an awkward stage? 17.5+/20

Chateau Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac) 1993: This has much more colour than the last wine. A lovely nose - pencil lead, cedar and spice-edged black fruits. Very dry on the palate, very savoury, a wonderful foil for the food. Aromatic. Full, elegant rather than opulent or creamy, with integrated tannins. Very classic. 16.5/20

Domaine de Trevallon (Coteaux d'Aix en Provence Les Baux) 1993: A densely hued wine. An interesting nose, with notes of beetroot, pickling spices, and red fruits with a sweet edge. Impressive palate - very fresh with its bright notes of herbs and red fruits, cut through with correct acidity. In the background there are more complex organic notes, like compost. Lovely. 17/20

Domaine Tempier Bandol Migoua 1993: Another deeply coloured wine. A challenging nose for some here, but I find it fascinating. Very organic aromas, of compost and well-hung meat, as well as a metallic, iron-filings note. In a word, stinky. The palate continues in the same vein - obvious mature complexity, with more organic character. Still grippy, although the tannins have just about all gone, still fresh and very much alive. This is classy stuff. 17/20

Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas Prestige des Haut Garrigues 1993: Another dark wine, and an impressive nose. Quite Port-like, slightly raisiny, with still a little toffee oak apparent. A mature, organic edge here as well. Good structure and balance on the palate. Sweet, burnt, slightly hard, dark fruits, with notes of home-made treacle toffee. Lovely. 17/20

Rene Rostaing Côte-Rôtie Côte Blonde 1993: Good depth of colour here, but showing more brown maturity than some other wines. Mature fruit on the nose too, quite stylish, with a touch of iron. Nicely balanced on the palate, with some leather and vegetal aspects to the fruit. Finesse and maturity combined (an impressive effort for this appellation in this vintage). 16/20

Domaine Huet Vouvray Haut Lieu Moelleux Première Trie 1993: Paler than the Tokay, obviously, but still a very rich colour for the Loire. The nose has honeycomb, smoke, butter, bay, and stony minerals. On the palate there are piles of fresh acidity carrying forth a raft of intense, minerally, slightly honeyed fruit with notes of bottle age. Lovely intensity and acidity. This is brilliant. Needs another five to eight years at least. 18.5+/20

Von Simmern Erbacher Marcobrunn Riesling Kabinett (Rheingau) 1993: A pale golden wine. Obvious Riesling on the nose - plenty of honeyed lime fruit, with a vibrant, fresh, floral character as well. Some stony, earthy richness too. There are giveaway petrol elements on the palate, and it has lovely texture and weight - seems to be German, and of Spätlese level (and despite the Kabinett designation it probably is). Full and rich, and balanced. On the finish it fans out to give complex bread and honey notes. Delicious stuff. 18/20

Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöle Riesling Kabinett (Nahe) 1993: A slightly paler golden wine. A definite resemblance to the first wine - Riesling again. This is more austere though, less elegantly aromatic, although there is plenty of fruit. The same on the palate - lots of vibrant, fresh fruit and texture, more full and structured than the first wine. The finish fans out like the first wine, but here offering notes of meal and oat. 18/20

Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett (Mosel) 1993: A similarly hued wine, although different on the nose - more restraint and finesse. Elegant in fact. Nevertheless, on the palate it is big, rich and mouth-filling. This doesn't distract from amazing finesse and precision to be found here though. Rich, again more Spätlese than anything else, but with fine acidity. Notes of orange peel on the finish. 18/20

Disznókö Tokáji Aszú 4 Puttonyos 1993: A fairly typical burnished orange-gold colour. A lovely nose, with evident richness. Dark, traditional thick-cut marmalade, and botrytis - but just a trace, despite the richness. On the palate it has a rich reasonably weighty texture and totally correct acidity. Good sweetness here but not at all unctuous or oily. Fresh and lively would be more apt descriptors. 17/20

Chateau Musar (Bekaa Valley) 1993: Paler than the other wines here. A classic nose, definitely Musar, with roasted-stewed-burnt fruit, cloves, and a lovely, sweet, rounded edge. On the palate there is a full, sweet, rounded mouthfeel, with a polyphenol influenced character, but it has the fruit and structure to carry this. Still has some grip - a trace of tannin still remains - and there is plenty of acidity. 17.5/20

Valentin Bianchi Elsa's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Mendoza) 1993: A very densely coloured wine. Great nose - hints of chocolate, dark fruits and roasted herbs, and another wine that displays notes of treacle toffee. The palate has a rich depth of fruit and firm acidity. There is a smoky, burnt, slightly gamey complexity to it all. Very impressive fruit, texture and even a little tannin despite the age of this wine. 17/20

Errazuriz Don Maximiano Founder's Reserve (Aconcagua) 1993: Deep colour, showing just a little age at the orange-pink rim. What an unusual nose though - blackcurrant pastilles, beetroot and herbs, green olive and green pepper notes. The palate has similar intensely sweet blackcurrant pastille flavour, with some texture and appropriate acidity. Simple and one dimensional, although lasting well (that green pepper note was a big clue as it marred many early Chilean attempts - Chilean winemaking has come on a lot in the past decade, and there are much more impressive wines available from more recent vintages). 14/20

Lindemans Pyrus (Coonawarra, SA) 1993: A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. An ink-dark wine, almost purple. Mint and eucalyptus on the nose, very clean, a little stylish. Clearly we have moved to Australia. Massive palate - loaded with sweet ripe fruit, and a full, rounded texture. Great structure underneath it, with plenty of fresh acidity. Very good wine but not really my style. 17/20

Lindemans St George (Coonawarra, SA) 1993: The flagship wine, a 100% single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Another densely coloured wine, with a dark, earthy hue. Big blackcurrant fruit on the nose, with a minty, dark chocolate edge. Another huge and impressive palate here - brawny, with plenty of sweet ripe tannins for structure, and minty blackcurrant fruit. Good character on the finish. 17/20

Lindemans Limestone Ridge (Coonawarra, SA) 1993: A blend of Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon. A dark, purple-black wine. What a nose - an amazing wealth of mint, toffee, butterscotch and coconut, with blackcurrant fruit. Big, rich, sweet palate, with a wealth of black and red fruits, and still plenty of structure. This still has plenty of potential for future development. 17+/20

Tyrell's Vat 9 Shiraz (Hunter Valley, NSW) 1993: What a fascinating nose - it smells of old boots, with leather, marmite and rubber. Moderately rich palate with some fruit. The structure is still there though - in fact it is still a little austere. There are firm, bright acids, red fruits and a streak of tannin. This is characterful and very enjoyable (much more interesting than my last tasting almost three years ago when the oak and acidity both seemed too prominent). 18/20

Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz (Barossa Valley, SA) 1993: A very dark, youthful hue. Sweet, black cherry fruit on the nose, and alongside that sweet, vanillin, toffee-liquorice aromas. On the palate it is similarly full and sweet, but with good underlying structure. There is a wealth of creamy, vanillin, sweet fruit but overall it has a dry, full flavoured palate. Still quite a bit of brawny tannin in fact, with correct acidity. 17+/20

Yalumba Octavius Old Vines Shiraz (Barossa Valley, SA) 1993: A slightly more glossy appearance here, with more of a black-purple hue. Intensely dark fruits with sweet coconut on the nose. Full, rich a touch more balance, elegance and less brawn than the Stonewell, with some sweet, black fruits and some similarly sweet, ripe tannins at the finish. Some more savoury notes of burnt coffee too. 17.5+/20