Gosset Grand Millésime 1996: The second of a handful of bottles purchased at Perardel a few years ago, the first of which did not show well at all, its under-performance only emphasised by the glorious bottle tasted at the LIWSF last year. This one was showing better, I suspect at 100%. A fine, pale gold colour. A very sparse bead, almost non-existent, just a stream or two of the tiniest bubbles. Glorious aroma on the nose, of fresh hazelnut and toasty brioche. On the palate, similarly fine and intense flavours come through, with a very gentle but tightly coiled mousse carried along by fine, firm acidity. Just a little creamy edge to the feel on the palate, which shows some sparkling minerals alongside more nutty character. This is just fabulous, finishing with a desperately characterful, mineral infused length. Full of potential for further cellaring. 17.5+/20

Josmeyer Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Hengst 1996: An unremarkable, pale golden hue. Very typical perfume on the nose, rose petals with plenty of bacon and a little lychee. Nice weight on entry, the acidity is rather low as is frequently the case with this variety, but there is a nice grip which gives a little structure, but more acids would have given a more appealing freshness too. Nevertheless it does have plenty of attractive character, including notes of bitter, mineral, orange peel and rose petal. Very good. 16.5/20

Chateau Croizet-Bages (Pauillac) 1996: An appealing colour here, a nice depth at the centre, fading a little at the rim, and certainly showing maturity. This comes through on the nose also, as it offers up fairly classic bloody iron notes that characterise ageing claret, peppered with little notes of spice and cumin. Quite lean on entry, showing the barest amount of flesh through the midpalate, but with a very nice character, and more than a lick of peppery tannin on the finish. Very traditional style which certainly holds some interest for me. Disappointing when viewed in the context of the vintage, but intrinsically fairly good, certainly drinkable, and should improve over the next 3-4 years. 15.5+/20

Domaine des Perdrix Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru Aux Perdrix 1996: I remember extolling the virtues of this wine back in 2000, following which a well-known loudmouth on a US forum derided it as 'restaurant Burgundy', whatever that means. Six years on it still maintains a deep, rich colour. All the primary fruit has gone, leaving more earthy aromas of leather, gamey mushrooms, sandalwood and ripe, meaty spice. It has a full, ripe rounded mouthfeel, with a seam of slightly chalky tannin running through it. Still exhibiting a fine weight and texture, good concentration and extract, it holds my interest, but doubtless will be better for another five or six years in the cellar. 17+/20

Thierry Allemand Cornas Chaillot 1996: A rather dark, quite concentrated colour, with a little maturity. The nose is very giving at first, generously dishing out farmyardy, silage-type aromas which mark the wine as tainted by Brett. Interestingly, review of a note I wrote nearly three years ago reminds me of the aromas of sewage I found in that bottle, and I suspect that too was a Brett aroma. With time this blows off, leaving a closed down nose, very reticently giving a little brothy meat and even a strange blend of coffee and fresh cabbage. Very hard and unyielding on the palate, rather restrained, somewhat austere nature which may reflect the limestone and granite terroir, and is more reminiscent of a young claret than a Cornas, which is showing little in the way of character. But there is a firm, rather naked acidity and an envelope of tannins at the finish. Still needs time, I suspect five years at least (although I think I said that last time). 16.5+/20

Chapoutier Hermitage Monier de la Sizeranne 1996: An attractive, meaty-mature aroma from the bottle immediately it is opened, but when poured into the glass for tasting more awkward volatile notes dominate, with lots of ethyl acetate and vinyl-like aromas. But there is good Northern Rhône character, with a meaty, beefy note together with the sweet but restrained blackberry-bramble jelly note of Syrah fruit. The palate is rather firm, masculine perhaps, still a little abruptly presented rather than being a wine full of feminine wile. There is grip and structure, although perhaps with a rather transparent texture and lack of concentration of flavour, lending it a rather obvious backbone of alcohol. I think I am being very critical. Good wine, though. 16+/20

Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 1996: A really attractive hue here, still plenty of pigment, just showing some appealing maturity, but good depth. And a lovely nose too, full of youthful potential, with bittersweet cherry fruit swirled in little notes of roasted meat, smouldering embers and even touch of rather atypical garrigue. Richly creamy on entry, with a firm presence of rather svelte tannins and fresh acidity, giving a lovely sense of extract, all combined to give a delicious depth and structure. Good cherry fruit too, but overall its the appealing texture and those almost roasted, ripe tannins that impress. There is a presence, a certainty of a fine future here that I find really persuasive, assisted by a decent albeit rather tannic length. Jaboulet has been criticised (perhaps rightly) in recent years for turning out lesser wines (and has been subsequently sold by the family), but it is clear to my palate that whenever the rot set in, it was certainly after the 1996 vintage. 18.5+/20

Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape 1996: A moderate depth of colour, with a very attractive, maturing, ruby red hue. A little volatility at first, very high toned and leathery on the nose, but then giving a more complete array of aromas with appealing depth for what is always regarded as a weak vintage for Chateauneuf du Pape. Leathery, baked red fruit, sweet and mature, with little notes of bacon, the high toned character now part of a very appealing nose rather than sitting awkwardly apart from everything else. Elegant, rounded, complete entry, showing a little leanness and bareness of structure on the palate, but it has a very nice style. There is a little caramelised, sweet edge to the fruit, a quite broad acidic structure, but an appealing, marrowy texture. Impressive for the vintage, and even better than I remember it. 17/20

Mas de Daumas Gassac (Vin de Pays de l'Herault) 1996: Lovely mature colour here, plenty of depth, but with a mahogany tinge at the rim. Mature, meaty, spiced nose, with little notes of orange peel and beef. Fine texture on entry, gently coating the palate, revealing some real substance and extract towards the middle. Opens out to show some really fine secondary flavours, with great balance, Still showing a masculine backbone of tannin, but this sits beautifully with the texture and acidity. This is just fine for drinking now, although will last superbly in the cellar for another five years at the very least. 18+/20

La Roulerie Coteaux du Layon Chaume 1996: A moderately rich, at best, golden hue. But certainly an attractive nose, with its intermingling notes of crushed rocks, citrus fruit and lime leaves. A nice style on the palate, too, which has a rounded, gently creamy texture, perhaps lacking a little in impact to be truly great, but certainly holding its own. Full, slightly, bitter, smoky character provides a little grip, although there is fair acidity too, albeit a little subtle in style. Long and rather sharp finish. Nicely balanced overall, but lacks the concentration and thrust of flavour I would expect of what is, after the Quarts, the Layon's greatest appellation. 16.5+/20

Domaine Huet Vouvray Le Mont Moelleux Première Trie 1996: A fascinating illustration of how a bottle is treated can affect the quality. Two bottles of this included in the tasting; this one the first, sourced from a UK merchant in 2006. It has a bright and shimmering yellow-gold hue, and a nose of powdered rocks, firmly mineral, smoky even, with a honey and lemon layer of fruit behind it all. What the palate offers is broad and well balanced; a fine layer of minerally, stony fruit set in a texture that is rounded and creamy, but clearly matched by the fine pervasive presence on the palate and a firm, somewhat peppery undercurrent of acidity. This shows very precise, well defined, rather firm structure with a nuance of melon-edged fruit, both components that suggest this will cellar well and show fine depth and complexity in the future. Impressive, with a very typical chalky, honeycomb style, and great potential. 18+/20 The second bottle was purchased at the domaine in 2003 and stored by me ever since, and it shows quite differently, with a fabulously intense golden hue, with a firm, deep, characterful nose that already hints at the great complexity and varied array of aromas and flavours that this wine will offer over the coming years. There is a profound, smoky, lemon-butter and thyme nose, with a firm minerality too, which is simply delightful. The palate has a similarly forthright structure, so much more defined and precise, with streamlined lemon and mineral acidity, carrying forward a fine array of musky, smoky, beeswax, straw and hay flavours. This is simply divine, I am slightly at a loss for words to describe its deep finesse. Lovely, delineated finish and considerable length. This should do well in the cellar for a decade, and perhaps much, much longer. 19+/20

Chateau Musar (Bekaa Valley) 1996: Quite pale, maturing, orange-brown tinge with an oxblood core. Nose initially quite volatile, leathery, then pepper and tobacco, sweetly baked blackcurrant and raspberry fruit. Classic Musar. Full, rounded, nicely balanced. Still some grip. Good acids. Rustic, grippy edge on endpalate with some slightly spiky acidity here. Has certainly developed over the last two years, with a fuller texture and greater interest as far as flavour is concerned, but still shows the structure that will carry this along in the cellar for many years to come. 16+/20

Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage Port 1996: A vibrant yet deep red hue. The nose is quite enticing; initial notes of toffee and fudge quickly and thankfully yield to reveal dark berry fruits with a chocolate, fig and black pepper overtone. There is a little spirity character also present, but on the palate there is a sense of great freshness, vivacity and balance, There is a creamy richness, but backed up by rather appealing tannins, perhaps slightly brutal but it is not unwelcome, as the texture and pervasive nature of the wine more than compensates. Overall this is quite lovely, more than a little evocative of the vintage ports I used to drink as a student. The tannins noted previously are still providing a lovely backbone, but are not troublesome, and are in fact very attractive part of this wine's masculine composition. Very good indeed. 17+/20

Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon (South Australia) 1996: A deep, inky, purple-black hue in the glass, with a deep oxblood-red hue at the rim. A great nose, just bursting with life as soon as the cork is pulled, showing a blast of sweet blackcurrant fruit at first, but then thankfully more depth and character, with some sweet mint and liquorice, baked earth and cherries. Good full weight and style on entry, with plenty of structure with a barely creamy coating. Well balanced, with firm acidity and a rich, sweet, perhaps alcohol derived mouthfeel. Holds up well through the palate, showing a little toffee-edged tannin on the finish with a little angular character, the only detraction in what is otherwise a lovely wine. Still certainly on the way up. I think I may have one more bottle yet. 17+/20

Penfolds Bin 389 Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon (South Australia) 1996: Another deeply coloured, almost inky-black wine, with a vibrant raspberry-claret rim. Really rather porty on the nose, with notes of dried blackberries and blueberries, with some sweet, spirity, iron-edged notes alongside. Nice texture on entry, but quickly displaying a dry structure through the midpalate with some woody, extracted tannins underpinning notes of dried fruit. Also the acidity is rather low, which gives the wine a soft, rather imprecise feel on the palate, despite the appealing texture and structure. There is a residual note of primary, fruit gum sweetness too. I think there is plenty of potential here for development in the cellar, but the soft and rather disjointed nature sounds a definite note of caution for me. As with the 407 I have another bottle so it will be interesting to see how this wine fares. 16.5+/20

Lindemans Pyrus 1996: A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec, this wine has a really deep, rich colour when poured, still with a dark, almost opaque core, and a mahogany-claret rim. Simply gorgeous nose, redolent of meat juices, beef stock and smoky caramelised-grilled meats all wrapped up in a tissue of sweet blackcurrant fruit. It's wines like this that make me wonder why I don't drink more from Australia; the wine for me has no sense of place, but what is in the glass is still absolutely delicious. Rich on entry and a fine, fleshy midpalate, although very fresh as well. Meaty, mature Cabernet-dominated character. Firm, masculine finish. Very good indeed, still no rush to drink this up, and there's one more bottle left in the cellar I think. 17.5+/20

St Hallett Old Block Shiraz (Barossa, SA) 1996: A moderately dense hue, still a vibrant ruby despite its ten years. The nose is complex, with some boot polish volatility, with sweet leathery, peppery, brambly fruit. Notes of caramelised meats, minty eucalyptus and dark chocolate complete the picture. A creamy entry, but with much underpinning structure giving a dry mouthfeel which pervades the palate and lingers on the finish. A mature and meaty fruit profile, but with with rather quiet acidity. Ripe and supple tannins through the midpalate, rounded alongside notes of roasted coffee on the finish to give a brawny, grippy finish. Very good indeed, drinking very well now, but still with plenty of potential. Sadly my last bottle. 18+/20