All of the wines were bought shortly after release, had fills still in the low neck, and no cork or other issues.
Ch. Mouton-Rothschild 1970: This was rather slow to mature but has been holding well for the past several years. The color is still fairly deep and shows only a bit of age around the rim. Bouquet and taste show much cassis with some spice and other dark fruit character. It is not as complex as some of the more famous years of Mouton, but it has turned out much better than many thought it would when it was young.
Berncasteler Doctor 1975 auslese, Weingut Wwe Dr H Thanish, AP Nr 2576
243 2076, long gold capsule with white bands at top and bottom. This wine is still holding very well. There is intense fruit bouquet and taste with a floral component. White peaches, pineapple, and citrus are suggested. There is some, but not excessive, petrol old Riesling character. This wine is very rich and sweet but is very well balanced by acid and fruit. It perhaps is not as tropical as some of the 1976 better auslesen.Chambertin 1976: Cuvee Heritiers Latour, Louis Latour. This wine is still holding very well with dark fruit including dark cherries. While perhaps not as complex and powerful as some more famous Chambertins, it is a very good wine.
Hermitage "La Chapelle" 1983, Paul Jaboulet Aine.This wine still is holding well and required many years of age to round out - it was quite harsh when young. Tannins and sharp acidity are now under control. There was a heavy, nearly black crust on the side of the bottle that was down, yet the color of the wine still is quite deep with little evidence of age around the rim. There is still plenty of dark fruit bouquet and taste. This is a classic old style Hermitage that has been worth the wait to age enough.
Ch Cos d'Estournel 1970. This is still holding well. It was somewhat harsh early on, but it now is well rounded out. It is somewhat less complex than the best 1970s. However it is still a decent food wine. I would not buy more at this late date, but there were no technical flaws.