Tasting Season Starts!

Finally! Last night was the first tasting in one of my tasting groups for the season. Nice to meet them all and taste some nice wine.
We always taste double blind, and the theme for last night was Cabernet Sauvignon dominated (with one exception) wines from three countries. We have imposed strict Omerta rules - talk about our wild guesses outside the group and you die...:-)
And that´s good, for last night I was, to lend the song title from (rest in peace) Gary Moore - "over the hills and far away"...

2004 Laurel Glen Cabernet Sauvignon
A young, deep, somewhat jammy nose with notes of graphite, bakelite, bluberries and a metallic note. On the verge of being dirty. Some volatile notes. Nothing corked about it, just disjointed.
The taste is better, with fresh, young bluberry fruit, sweet, rather soft tannins and high acidity. A touch foursquare. Although the taste is better, it is also a bit disjointed on the palate. This is far from the lovely 1984 Laurel Glen I tasted a couple of months back. In a very awkard stage.
75p?   (tasted 2012/01)

2008 Pahlmeyer Jayson Red
This is more like it! A gorgeous blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec. The nose is fresh, young and fruity with notes of meat, black currants, warm herbs and a touch of rubber. Big but very nice composed. Salivating good!
The taste is cooler, young and pure with sweet blueberry fruit, rasberries, new leather and a touch barnyardy (in a positive sense). Long, fresh finish with medium sized tannins. Very drinkable. Very, very good.
91p   (tasted 2012/01)

2006 Concha y Toro Don Melchor
This have initially a cool, elegant nose with notes of fresh herbs, cool black currants, fennel salami, earth and dry tobacco. With air it becomes greener, with bell peppar and grassy notes. Liked it a lot at first, but my liking decreased as the green notes increased.
The taste didn´t change as much as the nose, it was rather steady with notes of blueberries and black currants, medium big tannins and a nice finish. Balanced and fine. This could have been really good, but that green note reduces my enjoyment.
81p   (tasted 2001/01)

2003 Concha y Toro Don Melchor
The second Don Melchor has some of the same ingredients as the younger sibling but the green note, thankfully, isn´t there. Lots of cool black currants, balsa wood, hard cherry candy and black olives. With air a note of diesel oil emergers, and like Riesling, a scent that you find of putting or enticing - I like it!
The taste feels as the same age as the 06, but some additional peppery notes, lavender and tiny scent of mint is there. The acidity is very fresh and salivating. This is very fine.
88p   (tasted 2012/01)

2007 Hess Family Colonné Malbec Reserva
A big, intense, sweet nose with notes of blackberries, new leather, soya sauce and dark chocolate. On the verge of being to heavy but it makes it. Oily structure. Very deep.
The taste is big and demanding with lots of menthol infused blackberry fruit, dark chocolate, glue and some vanilla oak flavours. Very, very long. This is more impressive than tasty. I can enjoy a half of glass of something like this but then my palate gets jaded.
85p   (tasted 2012/01)

2003 Nicolas Catena Zapata
This gorgeous creature is made of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Malbec. The first sniff just say that this is a class act, with lovely aromas of blueberries, forest floor, sage, sweet minerals, expensive leather and cold coffe. Very deep and intense. With air it becomes a tad sweeter, more blueberry pie than just blueberries, but it never looses its nerve and intensity.
The taste is finely tuned with concentrated sweet blueberry and rasberry fruit, finely polished tannins and a long, long finish. Fine notes of tobacco, earth, mint and violets. A lovely structure. I can´t detect any signs of it entering maturity, so this have many years ahead of it.
94p   (tasted 2012/01)